Cappadona,+Carol

Carol Cappadona Deliverable #2

When I first started my blog, I was trying to decide the best way to use it with my students. I considered using it with my students to discuss their reading (hoping) assuming that they were actually reading for my incentive program. Then I thought about using the blog as a vehicle for communication with parents, telling them what was happening in the library and around the school. I also considered using the blog as a communication piece for the faculty to learn what the library has available to them, how to access the materials from their classroom and from home as well as information about what I was teaching in the library. As I was going through this process I realized that with a blog I could do it all. The faculty could access the blog to see what was happening in the library with students, and I could add a wiki page for them to access to discuss ideas and lessons that parents would not necessarily see (making it private with a password). I could have parents access the blog page to see what their children were doing in the library as well as happenings around the school and they could comment on and ask questions through this blog. As a librarian, I do it all, every day – communicate with faculty, students and parents. The blog will facilitate communication from a distance.

With my 4th grade students we have been researching owls. The unit has already started and the students came to the library to working on finding information using the Big 6 steps and taking notes. The note taking has finished and they are working on their final reports. They also came into the library with me to work on creating a bibliography. Prior to my getting involved with this project, the students were not expected to create a bibliography and I asked the teachers to add that piece to the project. They are nearing the end of the unit so I would like them to create a piece of writing that is reflective of their work and using their new base of knowledge about owls. I posted this question on the blog: A question for my fourth graders: If you could choose to be an owl, which kind would you choose and why? Remember to think about your prior knowledge and what you have been learning about owls these past few weeks. Consider what you like to do and how your owl's behavior would fit. Post your answers and be sure to come back and read what your classmates have written.

In preparation for this, I have discussed blogging with my tech department at school. They have no problem “unblocking” my blog site. With Dave’s help I managed to remove the header on my existing blog so that the students cannot wander into the “next blog” on Blogger and get into something inappropriate. I have located the AUP for my school district and blogging is not mentioned so I would have to send home a letter to parents indicating what I was doing and why. I mentioned it to the principal and she has no idea about most anything to do with technology but is interested in learning about it. We’ll have to schedule a meeting to discuss it before a letter could go home to parents. I would need her approval beforehand. I had requested a Blogmeister site, but have not heard back from them so I decided to keep the Blogger site. I think I could have the students post to my blog creating another gmail account so that they would not have their own email but rather use mine. They could do their writing in Word, and then copy and paste the information into the blog window or type directly on the blog window and then type the “magic word” to get their post published. I would then get an email before it actually got posted. Ideally I would love for them to create their own avatar in a previous lesson so that they could experience the fun of web publishing while keeping their own identity safe. Some prior lessons would have to be about web safety, responsibility and web etiquette.

A potential problem is a student not getting parent approval to blog. I would then have the student type in Word and I could post it as an anonymous comment. I do think that the potential benefit of writing for an audience, comments from parents and their teachers and the experience of blogging will far outweigh the problems encountered. By this time next year, I hope to have students responding to my blog as well as parents and teachers checking in to see what is happening in the library. I tried to post a video to the blog, but only succeeding in posting a link to it. I thought it was a fascinating video and would like to see what others think.

Carol Cappadona Deliverable #3 Proposal

Dear Dr. Annotti, I would like to implement a blog into my library classroom. A blog is an easily created, easily updatable website that allows an author or authors to publish instantly to the Internet from any Internet connection. As David Warlick points out on his [|Web site], 1: A blog is a Web-publishing concept that enables anyone to publish information on the Internet.

2: Blogs (a shortening of weB LOG), or blogging has become a journalistic tool, a way to publish news, ideas, rants, announcements, and ponderings very quickly, and without technical, editorial, and time constraints. It essentially makes anyone a columnist. In fact, many established columnists now publish their own blogs.

3: Blogs, because of their ease of use, and because of the context of news and editorial column writing, have become a highly effective way to help students to become better writers. Research has long shown that students write more, write in greater detail, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, when they are writing to an authentic audience over the Internet. I would be using a blog that I created using Blogger software. The address of this blog is [|http://rockwelllibrary.blogspot.com]. The reasons for this choice are: 1. The service is free 2. This blogging website enables me to control what is published on the website 3. It is easy to use with tutorials to help students learn how to use the software.

One purpose of this blog would be to increase communication between the library, parents and students and faculty. The Rockwell School community could access this website to find out what is happening in the library and the school building. Children would be able to comment on what they are reading and let others know which books are their favorites. Access to the blog would give parents a way to communicate with the librarian directly and enable students to post their reading for the Rockwell Rockets Reading program on line instead of bringing in the paperwork to the library. Faculty members would be able to see what students are reading and writing about and be able to add their comments and insights to further expand student learning. Our students need to function in an ever expanding information society. It is imperative that we give our students the skills to analyze and manage information. The act of writing an edublog (educational blog) helps teach skills such as research, organization and synthesis of ideas. Our curriculum has been focusing on improving the literacy skills of our students. With this unique reading and writing tool, students will be engaged and actively reading and writing, not just for themselves and their teachers, but for a world audience. Will Richardson stated in his book __Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom__ that bloggers learn to read critically because as they read, they look for important ideas to write about. Using Web 2.0 tools like edublogs with students helps prepare them for the future and motivates them to learn while at the same time improving their literacy skills and integrating technology.

Here are some examples of how blogs are being used in elementary education: [|Narragansett Elementary School] has a blog for each classroom with pictures and activities. So does [|Butlerville Elementary School]. These two sites are used primarily as web pages that are frequently updated. Here’s an example of a blog that has students writing creatively: [|Duck Diaries] is a grade K-2 blog with student writing about a duck that laid an egg in their playground. Just imagine what 4th and 5th grade students could be writing about.

One of the roadblocks to implementation is access. All blogs are blocked by our Internet filter. I have spoken to the technology department and they are willing to “unblock” any site I request with the caveat that any site unblocked is visible to the entire school population. The pictures posted on the blog, however, are still blocked. I will discuss this with the technology department to see if there is a way to post pictures that will not be automatically blocked. Perhaps we could store the pictures on our server and the filter would not block them.

Another roadblock is email addresses. Initially this project would be introduced to the fifth grade students. Each student would need access to a computer and an email address. Since not all fifth grade students have their own email addresses, I would propose that they could submit their writing to me using a word processing program and I will post it to the blog for them or their parents could assist them with posting from home. I mentioned this problem to the fifth grade teachers and both stated that all of their students had access to an email address, either theirs or their parent’s.

Another possible roadblock would be student safety. I have disabled the feature in blogger that would allow students to leave our blog site and randomly link to other blogs. I will not post any pictures of students with names and will check before posting that any student who has not signed the photo release does not have a picture posted. I will teach them about blogging and provide them with guidelines for safety, protecting their identity on line and being responsible. I will also hold training sessions for parents and faculty members to teach them what blogging is about and how they can participate with their students.

Students will be given time for reading and writing using the computer lab in the library each week so that all students have access to computers and are able to participate.

I have mentioned this project to our fifth grade teaching team and they are excited about blogging with their students and designing a project that expands the curriculum to include new Web 2.0 tools. Together we can pilot this project and fix any glitches that arise. My goal is to have all the students and faculty at Rockwell using blogs and creating a collaborative on-line community dialog with parents, students and staff sharing ideas and expanding the learning experiences of our students.

Thank you for your assistance with this project. Sincerely, Carol Cappadona Teacher Librarian DELIVERABLE #4 FINAL PROJECT

Unit on Information Literacy in the Digital Age using Wikis and Blogs in the Library Classroom ** Goals for this Unit:  ** Students will be able to post to a wiki and a blog. Students will understand digital citizenship and show responsible use of information and the Internet. Students will learn about their state and its places of importance and interest. Students will be able to use technology to expand their learning and share their knowledge with others. ** Standards ** : This unit will meet the following RIEMA standards: // Standard 1: // The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively. // Standard 2 //** : ** The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently. // Standard 3 //** : ** The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively. // Standard 6: // The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation. // Standard 7 //** : ** The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society. // Standard 8 //** : ** The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology. // Standard 9 //** : ** The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information. This unit also meets the //Historical Perspective GLE HP2 (3-4)-1// Students connect the past with the present by a. investigating and explaining the origin, name, or significance of local and Rhode Island geographic and human-made features. This unit also meets the //GLE for Written and Oral Communication W-6, 7 and 8 Informational Writing//. ** Lesson 1: ** This lesson is will focus on digital citizenship in preparation for the students’ adventure into using Blogs and Wikis.  ·   The students will understand that using the Internet is a privilege that can be revoked by teachers.  ·   The students will learn that they are responsible for their writing and consequences for inappropriate behavior will be immediate.  ·   Students will be given the Wiki Warranty. It will be read and discussed and taken home for parent and student signature.

Pre-Activity: Students will be asked about blogs and wikis. Do they know what a blog is? What is a wiki? Can you name some examples? Create a KWL chart of this data on SmartBoard.

|| What We Want to Know || What We Learned || ||  ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || This chart will be saved for a post assessment/evaluation at the end of the unit.
 * What We Know

Once prior knowledge is discussed and we have determined what we want to know, students will be asked to think about behaviors on the Internet.

Discussion will center on what is “right” and what is “wrong.” Student comments will determine the direction of the discussion and be constructivist in nature. The teacher will lead the students to create a list of right and wrong behaviors. [|Wiki Warranty] will be handed out, discussed and sent home for signatures. ** Lesson 2 ** : This lesson will introduce the wiki and how to access, and how to edit.  ·   The student will be able to locate the wiki page.  ·   He/She will be given an access password upon receipt of the signed Wiki Warranty by the teacher. The student will then edit the wiki page as a preliminary practice session.

Students will locate the bookmark on the [|Rockwell Library Home Page] of the 4th grade Rhode Island Research Wiki. Students will be given passwords and will be asked to practice editing a wiki. They will be asked to watch this [|video] which will explain what a wiki is. After the video they will access the wiki page and post a comment for others to view. ** Lesson 3 ** : This lesson will begin the actual research process. Students will be grouped in teams of two. Students will review the Big 6 steps to research and choose a topic to investigate. Student teams will be asked to locate a place in Rhode Island, learn about it, and report back to the group about it. The essential question will be: Why is __ (fill in place name) the best place to visit in Rhode Island? Why is it important? Why should we visit? Required information will be: 1. A Wiki page with pictures and captions. 2. A map showing the location and the distance from Rockwell School in Bristol. 3. A persuasive essay on why we should visit this place including a paragraph on the historical significance of the location. ** Lesson 4: ** Students will be taught how to take notes using PowerPoint. As they locate information, they can copy and paste it into a PowerPoint note taking document, using the title of the slide to cite their source. They can then use the slide sorter to organize their notes. When they are ready to write in the wiki they can copy and paste into the wiki and create hyperlinks to their primary sources. The actual research process will take several sessions to complete. Students will be given a graphic organizer to assist them in the research process with check off boxes to show completion of tasks. Each week problems noted on the blog will be addressed and assistance in finding information will be given. [|Google maps] will be shown to the students as well as the directions section which will give the distance from the school to their location.

|| || || Completed || Approved by Mrs. Cappadona || ||  ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ||   ||   || ** Lesson 5 ** : Students will comment on the research process using the  [|Rockwell Library Blog], also linked from the Library Home Page. Students will be directed to the blog using the Library Home Page as a starting point. All comments will be pre-screened by Mrs. Cappadona before being posted. Students will comment on others questions and respond to class members. As a final exercise (step 6 of the Big 6 research process) students will be asked to evaluate their research and post their comments on the blog. The blog will also have a voting section where students can vote on their favorite place to visit in Rhode Island based on the information learned from their classmates’ wiki pages. At the end of the unit, students will access the blog and view the results of the survey. ** Assessment ** : Students will be assessed according to the [|rubric].
 * Student Names:
 * Location or Place Name:
 * Task
 * 1.    Wiki Warranty returned
 * 2.    Posted statement to wiki
 * 3.    Topic Chosen with team
 * 4.    Pictures Found with web addresses and copied into PPT
 * 5.    Historical significance written
 * 6.    Map placed in wiki showing location
 * 7.    Distance from school calculated
 * 8.    Persuasive paragraph written and posted
 * 9.    Bibliography is written and posted
 * 10.    Weekly blog posting showing progress on research with questions and problems noted

Students will be grouped into teams of two to accommodate different learning abilities and styles. Students will be allowed to be creative when designing their wiki page with pictures and information about their chosen topic. If students have time and interest, they will be allowed to create more than one page highlighting several locations in Rhode Island.