Teachers Teaching Teachers #159 - 07.08.09 - Learning with Technology in a Writing Project Summer Institute

Post-Show description: 

For this podcast, we invited five New York City educators who, at the time, were in the middle of a 3-week Summer Institute with the New York City Writing Project. Paul Allison and Shantanu Saha were the facilitators for this Institute in which participants were invited to:

Spend 12 days this summer with other New York City Writing Project teachers who use technology in their classrooms. Share the ways we use the Internet to make student-to-student connections. Learn about a curriculum currently being developed and collaborated on by teachers across the nation. Explore how we use blogs, wikis, images, videos, podcasts, and other tools to inspire young people to do research into their own questions.

These are five of the teachers who joined us:

  • Charlie Freij, Technology/English Teacher, East Brooklyn Community High School
  • Doug Condon, Art Teacher, Academy of American Studies in Queens
  • Julio Benitez, English Teacher, High School for Construction Trades, Engineering, and Architecture, Queens
  • Karen Levy, Library Media Specialist, Christopher Columbus High School, Bronx
  • Michael Dodes, Library Media Specialist, samuel Gompers Career/Technonogy Ed High School, Bronx

We also had a wonderful surprise guest, Suzie Boss. Just before going live with this webcast (that is recorded here as a podcast), Paul noticed that Suzie Boss was online in Skype. Since we had been talking about her book earlier in the day, Paul took a chance and invited Suzie to join them. What an thoughful, supportive, informed guest she was!

And that's not all. We were also joined by Mike from Central Texas. He's been teaching for 40 years, using inquiry, Great Books Discussions, and the New Jersey Writing Project (in Texas) as his touchstones, and recently he has been exploring Web 2.0 tools. This was his first skype call.

How wonderful it was to add these names to our list of guests:

Please enjoy the podcast. Find out what happens in a tech-focused Advanced/Open Summer Institute in the New York City Writing Project.

Click Read more to see a transcript of a chat that was happening during the webcast.


20:43:14 Paul Allison: Hi Susan.
20:43:32 Paul Allison: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&source=embed&msa=0&msid=114721786...
20:46:27 Paul Allison: Hi Charlie.
20:46:43 Charliefreij: hi
20:47:31 SusanEttenheim: hi everyone
20:47:41 Charliefreij: hello
20:47:48 Paul Allison: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/137467383/youll-know-what-we-did-this...
20:48:23 Charliefreij: how does this work? SHould i call you?
20:49:05 SusanEttenheim: charlie what's your skype name?
20:49:24 Charliefreij: charliefreij
20:49:35 SusanEttenheim: searching for you now
20:49:42 Charliefreij: great minds, right
20:50:54 SusanEttenheim: paul where's your skpe?
20:51:05 SusanEttenheim: charlie, I'll call you in a minute or so
20:51:11 Charliefreij: ok
20:54:30 SusanEttenheim: charlie we're just getting paul's skype fixed
20:54:38 SusanEttenheim: are you in the summer institute?
20:55:29 SusanEttenheim: hi jenny welcome!
20:56:21 jenny: hello Susan and all
20:56:36 SusanEttenheim: hi chaunsee welcome
20:56:58 chaunsee: hi all
20:57:43 SusanEttenheim: jenny where and what do you teach?
20:57:49 SusanEttenheim: hi jl!
20:57:56 SusanEttenheim: what a nice surprise...
20:57:58 SusanEttenheim: oh well
20:58:18 chaunsee: how do we hear the live stream?
20:58:54 jenny: "people come and go so quickly here" - dorothy gale
20:59:00 SusanEttenheim: hi chaunsee just click on edtechtalk A
20:59:06 SusanEttenheim: lol jenny
20:59:13 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
20:59:49 chaunsee: great, got it
20:59:59 SusanEttenheim: great
21:00:07 SusanEttenheim: hi pshapiro welcome
21:00:32 SusanEttenheim: chaunsee, jenny, pshapiro are you in the summer institure
21:00:36 pshapiro: hi everyone
21:00:43 SusanEttenheim: hi carol!
21:00:46 SusanEttenheim: welcome
21:00:47 chaunsee: I am a graduate student "at" Virginia Tech now living again in NYC who is a public school teacher
21:00:53 SusanEttenheim: please introduce yourself!
21:01:07 SusanEttenheim: ahh chaunsee where do you teach?
21:01:10 pshapiro: i'm an adjunt professor of education at american univ.
21:01:17 carolteach4: Hi, Susan and all.
21:02:09 jenny: I'm in rural West Tennessee teaching 2nd grade.
21:02:25 carolteach4: If I download Skype right now during this program, do you think you could help me learn how to use it?
21:02:27 chaunsee: sorry, I missed typed...I am not the public school teacher...my wife is.  sorry. 
21:03:30 chaunsee: She teaches at middle college high school in laguardia
21:03:49 jenny: Is a cheese in the fist better or worse than a cheese in the head?
21:06:11 Sheri Edwards: Hello from Coulee Dam/Nespelem WA
21:07:23 Lesley E: @Sheri Edwards - hi from another Edwards in Vancouver Canada
21:08:45 jenny: Okay folks.  Let's chat.
21:10:48 jenny: Name the book please
21:13:36 carolteach4: This sounds like such a needed service. I hope the kids love it. That will be a triumph.
21:13:41 SusanEttenheim: welcome everyone
21:13:48 SusanEttenheim: please introduce yourself!
21:14:02 SusanEttenheim: carol I'll be glad to help you use skype!
21:14:13 SusanEttenheim: we should plan a time to test
21:14:23 SusanEttenheim: hi miriam welcome
21:14:29 carolteach4: I am downloading Skype right now. The set up is spinning
21:14:41 Sheri Edwards: Sheri Edwards, Coulee Dam WA/Nespelem, WA Hurray for project education
21:14:42 Miriam: Hello all :-)
21:14:50 SusanEttenheim: miriam, crystal, lesley, mikeh , sreantee where and what do you teach?
21:15:08 SusanEttenheim: welcome sheri!
21:15:19 mikeh: I teach middle school social studies in Texas.
21:15:30 Sheri Edwards: Hello Susan
21:15:37 Miriam: Am in New Zealand, primary school library
21:15:43 SusanEttenheim: hi cal welcome - whre and what do you teach?
21:15:45 Sheri Edwards: I teach Writing 5 6 7 8th grades.
21:16:14 SusanEttenheim: welcome miriam!
21:16:34 Crystal: Hi I teach grades 10 and 11 Global history and English Special Education
21:16:38 carolteach4: I am having trouble connecting. It said it couldn't reach the server, so I'll just listen to the conversation for a while.
21:16:41 SusanEttenheim: hi doriedance welcome!
21:16:57 SusanEttenheim: where crystal?
21:16:58 doriedance: Hi all, thanks!
21:17:15 Crystal: In Queens, New York
21:17:22 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach doriedance?
21:17:45 SusanEttenheim: is anyone here in the summer workshop?
21:18:01 doriedance: 2nd grade bilingual math/science houston, tx
21:18:26 SusanEttenheim: welcome doriedance glad you're with us!
21:18:47 doriedance: thanks
21:18:55 SusanEttenheim: welcome back mikeh where and what do you teach?
21:19:35 mikeh: I teach Grade 7 social studies in Texas.
21:19:48 carolteach4: The conversation makes me miss teaching English - almost.
21:20:03 SusanEttenheim:  http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/137467383/youll-know-what-we-did-this...
21:20:05 mikeh: I'm having a few "technical difficulties" and will try to sort them out before entering in.
21:20:28 SusanEttenheim: mikeh anything we can help you with?
21:21:15 mikeh: Probably! I'm trying to get my headset working. When I do that, I'd like help in joining the Skype conference call. So just and minute and I'll let you know. Thanks so much!
21:21:29 SusanEttenheim: great mikeh!
21:21:39 SusanEttenheim: anyone else ready to join in?
21:21:59 SusanEttenheim: you just need skype and a headset so we don't get the feedback on the broadcast
21:22:30 SusanEttenheim: welcome back jl
21:22:31 mikeh: Okay, Susan, headphones working. I've launched Skype. How do I now joing the EdTechTalk conference call?
21:22:45 SusanEttenheim: mikeh what is your skype user name?
21:22:58 mikeh: mikeh
21:24:02 SusanEttenheim: mikeh I'm having trouble finding you on skype
21:24:08 SusanEttenheim: what is your name?
21:24:11 SusanEttenheim: your state?
21:24:38 mikeh: it might be as myour2
21:24:47 mikeh: texas
21:25:01 SusanEttenheim: got it!
21:25:17 mikeh: right, it just popped up!
21:25:32 SusanEttenheim: I'm going to add you in and we'll test your sound just wait until the sentence is finished ok?
21:25:33 mikeh: this is my first skype call...do i just click on your name?
21:25:39 mikeh: great, thanks
21:26:19 SusanEttenheim: I will call you and then you can just listen
21:26:25 SusanEttenheim: do you have headsets?
21:26:33 SusanEttenheim: what kind of computer are you using?
21:26:45 mikeh: yes, i have headsets and i can hear the convo that's going on right now...dell...pc XP
21:27:11 SusanEttenheim: is the sound going into your headsets and not coming out of your computer?
21:27:35 SusanEttenheim: oh- you'll need to turn off the stream to listen on skype - you don't need both
21:27:37 mikeh: i hear the convo through headsets...should i try to say something to you?
21:27:45 mikeh: ah, okay
21:27:59 SusanEttenheim: no - I'll call you in and you can just listen there for a minute
21:28:02 mikeh: okay, i don't hear the convo now
21:28:04 SusanEttenheim: let's see how it works
21:28:11 mikeh: okay
21:28:21 SusanEttenheim: can you hear now?
21:28:24 mikeh: i hear it now!
21:28:28 SusanEttenheim: great
21:28:37 mikeh: and see the list of "skypers"
21:28:37 SusanEttenheim: I'll introduce you in a sec
21:28:41 SusanEttenheim: yes
21:28:42 mikeh: thanks!
21:28:52 SusanEttenheim: how do you pronounce your name?
21:29:00 mikeh: "Mike" is fine.
21:29:38 carolteach4: I have downloaded Skype, but it won't connect. And they told me it would be so easy. Oh, well,it's downloaded. I'll troubleshoot after the show.
21:30:20 carolteach4: Welcome, Mike.
21:30:36 mikeh: Thanks, carol.
21:30:52 SusanEttenheim: carol I"m sure we can get it working
21:31:00 SusanEttenheim: once it's going you'll have it!
21:31:21 SusanEttenheim: welcome back crystal
21:31:42 Crystal: Thanks, I don't have any sound
21:32:04 SusanEttenheim: oh dear let's fix that!
21:32:11 SusanEttenheim: what kind of computer are you using?
21:32:14 carolteach4: Mike, one of the 7th grade social studies teachers I work with used Google Docs and Google Notebook as collaboration tools for his 7th graders while they worked on creating movies in PhotoStory3 on topics from ancient Egypt.
21:32:41 mikeh: that sounds excellent, carol; i've had students use google docs to very good effect
21:32:43 SusanEttenheim: do you see the participate live button on the upper right of the page?
21:32:47 SusanEttenheim: at edtechtalk.com
21:33:20 SusanEttenheim: any luck crystal?
21:34:33 Crystal: MacBook
21:36:07 carolteach4: That 7th grade social studies teacher has the students come up with the questions that he posts to his blog. It makes them more authentic that way.
21:36:16 Sheri Edwards: Crystal, now click the EdTech Talk A or B at top right of edtechtalk page using the blue button for mac.
21:36:43 mikeh: what is the exact discussion topic tonight? i was so busy getting set up I didn't quite catch it
21:37:11 SusanEttenheim:  http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/137467383/youll-know-what-we-did-this...
21:37:21 SusanEttenheim: take a look at this post Mike
21:37:29 mikeh: okay, thanks
21:37:39 Sheri Edwards: Now we're talking about the writing project class in NY for teachers
21:38:02 mikeh: if i click on that url, will it log me out?
21:39:04 Sheri Edwards: Yes, Mike you will be logged out. That's what happened to me just now.
21:39:42 mikeh: thanks, sheri...i'll launch another browser and go read the article
21:40:31 carolteach4: I used to say "perfect for publishing". The site loses its credibility if it is too fraught (sp?) with sentence, punctuation, and spelling errors. I like the idea of seeing both versions.
21:41:27 carolteach4: One of our English teachers had the kids upload book reviews to Scholastic. They did extensive editing - self, peer, and teacher directed- before they uploaded their reviews.
21:42:31 M. Dodes: Good evening
21:42:36 Sheri Edwards: is there a link to the site so we can see the double column format?
21:43:04 carolteach4: I noticed when the students used Google sites to create a teaching website for weather in science often added "critical friend" comments asking authors of the content on the webpage to fix errors.
21:43:46 M. Dodes: Which stream is active?
21:44:20 Sheri Edwards: Try A
21:44:42 M. Dodes: Ok I've got it
21:44:52 Sheri Edwards: :)
21:45:41 Sheri Edwards: My students partner edit on their wiki -- and that's when they grab the kid that knows the rules :)
21:46:38 SusanEttenheim: hi michael welcoem
21:46:46 SusanEttenheim: you have skype right?
21:46:56 carolteach4: @Sheri -groups using individual expertise for a collaoborative piece-that's how it works in business, isn't it?
21:47:10 SusanEttenheim: I'll call you into the call - do you have headsets?
21:47:19 Sheri Edwards: That's right!
21:48:26 M. Dodes: Yes
21:48:36 M. Dodes: and I have my headset on
21:48:44 SusanEttenheim: great I'll call you
21:49:17 Sheri Edwards: Also, we project our wiki work on the screen and one of the students reads it as written.  When the struggle with spelling and read it differently than the author wanted, that's the time we talk about the importance of proofreading skills. We help each other punctuate and spell so it reads the way the author wants to get the meaning.
21:49:43 carolteach4: I haven't taught English formally in years, but I remember when I had one-one-one sessions with students, we went back and did a lot of rereading of what had been written before adding more. I think that modeling helped them in revising on their own. This rereading before writing was mentioned a few weeks ago on TeachersTeachingTeachears when talking with the authors and users of the book on the new writing.
21:49:45 SusanEttenheim: how great Sheri -
21:50:36 Sheri Edwards: I've been meaning to get that book and listen to that session-- I'm behind my goals :)
21:50:57 Sheri Edwards: Just as in reading, conversation is the where the learning takes place.
21:51:06 carolteach4: @Sheri - yes, that sound like what I did one-on-one, but of course, the technology we now have can involve so many more kids at one time
21:51:48 Sheri Edwards: You'd think the kids wouldn't like it --- but they volunteer to share their work. They want an audience!
21:52:17 carolteach4: Yes, kids are very into sharing - just look at what they put up on YouTube
21:52:43 Sheri Edwards: Oh boy, I don't even want to go their. My oldest granddaughter is a YouTube queen.
21:52:57 Sheri Edwards: there, not their.
21:53:09 Sheri Edwards: :)
21:53:54 carolteach4: Of course-this venue lends itself to typos:) :)
21:54:08 carolteach4: How do you spell "venue"?
21:54:13 M. Dodes: you got it
21:54:15 M. Dodes: :)
21:55:13 Sheri Edwards: Which is why we shouldn't be too fussy with our kids when they become eager to share their ideas online.
21:55:24 carolteach4: I really love "voice thread" and hope to get more of the teachers using it with their kids next fall. One of our science teachers had a few of her kids participate on the Earthcast09 Voice Thread.
21:55:41 mikeh: Charlie, do you lay down strictures against using "online" jargon? I always insist students use "proper" English when we go online. I tell them they have plenty of opportunities to use jargon outside of school. I wonder how each of you teachers handle this.
21:56:37 Sheri Edwards: VoiceThread: I used it for Photo Essays with some sudents -- the students planned their writing first and during: what is purpose? what pictures will explain it? What words will capture our purpose?
21:57:04 Sheri Edwards: Y-our purpose (students each had own)
21:58:26 carolteach4: Well, just think. You did correct yourself. We can be more accepting of errors in quick response areas such as Twitter, but in responses to a blog, for instance, I think we should hold students to standard English. However, I admit, I am a bit old fashioned.
22:00:06 Sheri Edwards: In blogs I want my kids to be correct also.
22:00:40 Sheri Edwards: In the wiki, I'm not as formal --- the wiki are our drafts.
22:01:09 carolteach4: It is that time factor and over packed curriculums. Some of my English teachers throw their hands up in despair when I suggest a podcast program produced by the kids, and they say how and when. I can't get through what I been given to teach. I guess I'll have to do a better job to make it more of a seamless integration.
22:02:26 Sheri Edwards: The thing is, when I did podcasts, the students came in before school, at lunch, and after school to work on drafts.  One student came bounding in at lunch, exclaiming, "I've got to get rid of these dead verbs!"
22:02:39 carolteach4: If the kids get really excited about the voice thread, etc., they will continue to finish it at home -after school -etc.
22:02:48 Sheri Edwards: Podcasts, etc. are so motivating.
22:03:18 carolteach4: @Sue - how funny. You posted your comment as I was writing the one I just posted on the same thread.
22:03:43 Sheri Edwards: Any one use Socratice Seminars?
22:03:49 carolteach4: When kids are excited about the project, they will work on it and collaborate with their peers.
22:04:40 Sheri Edwards: Agree, Carol. And we've got give students ownership on their terms for that motivation to continue.
22:05:13 SusanEttenheim: hi evelyn welcome!
22:05:26 carolteach4: @Sheri - that 7th grade social studies teacher used the Socratic method with his kids when they were studying ancient Greece. They were using he questioning and responding through the blog he managed for them but did not ask the questions.
22:05:29 evelyn: Hi there
22:06:13 carolteach4: "the" not "he" - another mistake:?
22:06:26 Sheri Edwards: Great!  We have a new administrator who just got turned on to Socratice Seminars-- I'm so excited!
22:07:08 mikeh: sheri, is "Socratic Seminars" the name of some kind of formal instructional program? Website? As compared to the traditional "Socratic method"?
22:07:36 carolteach4: Our media specialist has been experimenting making book trailers and hopes her modeling will be picked up by the kids who will make their own book trailers.
22:07:54 mikeh: 100 Ways to Use Voicethreads...just writing it down to check it later :)
22:08:12 Sheri Edwards: Speaking of art, Scotland is focusing curriculum around the Arts -- see iTunes University for free information on what they are doing. --Learning and Teaching Scottland (LTS)-- totally integrating technology too.
22:08:29 Sheri Edwards: Scotland -- one T
22:09:34 carolteach4: I will have to listen to the stream of this program again. I have often been so caught up in the "back channel" (new vocabulary work for me) that I've missed some of the audio.
22:09:44 carolteach4: word
22:09:56 Sheri Edwards: http://www.studyguide.org/socratic_seminar.htm   Seminar using socratic method
22:10:18 mikeh: thanks so much, sheri...will def check it out
22:10:21 carolteach4: @Susan - will the chat and the stream be posted soon?
22:10:53 Sheri Edwards: Creative commons for voicethread for kids: http://www.flickr.com/groups/voicethreadphotos/
22:11:04 carolteach4: Also, it would be fun to hear July 1's show.
22:11:08 mikeh: Susan, may I skypetalk with you briefly after this session concludes?
22:11:17 SusanEttenheim: sure!
22:11:18 mikeh: or just chat in writing
22:11:22 mikeh: thanks
22:12:00 SusanEttenheim: thanks everyone for joining us tonight!
22:12:03 mikeh: Thanks to all of you for sharing tonight. It was extremely informative!!
22:12:12 mikeh: I just paid with thanks! :)
22:12:12 carolteach4: This was an inspiring show. I loved hearing from all the different teachers about what they are doing.
22:12:19 Sheri Edwards: Thanks all -- loved all the info chat and show :)
22:12:21 mikeh: Don't spend it all in one place.
22:12:29 Sheri Edwards: twitter?
22:12:34 Sheri Edwards: grammasheri
22:12:35 carolteach4: Dave Cormier and JL rule!
22:13:11 Sheri Edwards: nite
22:13:13 carolteach4: Hopefully, I can get my Skype working and Skype in another time.
22:13:28 mikeh: carol, thanks for sharing
22:16:52 SusanEttenheim: thanks for the article too sheri