Glogster and weekly assignment

Our lesson plan is working out pretty well for the Glogs. Catherine and I are making some basic Glogs. I used free images, but still need to figure out how to cite them (I did save where I got them from).
Here's my persuasive Glog example for the students. Hopefully Catherine comes up with a good rebuttal.

Glogster

While creating my Glogster poster for the competition, I noticed how trendy the site was. It had a lot of fun images and things that were specifically aimed at teens. It also included categories like, "me," movies," "school," and "wtf."
I hope I didn't just offend anyone.
I think that I need to explore Glogster some more and make sure it's appropriate for the classroom. Also, it's an online community-type thing, where you can friend people and comment on each other's posters.

Glogster Lesson Plan

Catherine and I have a lesson plan using Glogster. It's only part of our instructional plan. We scaled the competition up from 5th graders to 10th graders.

MSE Competition Proposal

Literacy Challenge:

You are a 5th grade teacher preparing students to take a state-administered writing test. Your students will be required to plan and write a persuasive essay in response to a prompt provided to them. They will be required to compose their essay on the computer. Prepare a teaching sequence to help your students, focused on the genre of persuasive writing and the use of accurate mechanics.

Instructional Plan Proposal:

Catherine Lyon and I realize that students are going to need to learn basic computer skills as well as basic composition skills. Students should use the computer on many steps of the process to insure that they are comfortable with typing; teachers should recognize that while many children are better at computers than many adults, not all are and so the computer skills need to be taught.
The first skill students will need is an understanding of a persuasive essay. Sudents should be given a topic which they can argue for or against, and then make an online poster supporting their side of the argument using Glogster.
The next goal will be to help students organize their ideas into paragraphs. After using Glogster, this might be easier as students have seen where they position and relate things on their posters. However, it could be better if the technology used here is a machine to project the computer screen as teachers and students work at composition together.
Another idea is to let students play some typing games (or check to see if the school already owns suitable games) to help students become better at the computer.
Here is a free one. Before we use this in the classroom, it would be best to make sure that the website--and the school computers--can handle so many students playing the games at the same time.
One way to help students with ideas is to use mindmeister
We will also use the 6 writing traits in the classroom to discuss what all the important parts of an essay are.

Useful Grammar Website

Here is BYU Professor, Ostenson's, grammar models website. The idea is that English teaching majors in his grammar class find interestingly-constructed sentences in literature that could be used in a middle or high school. They post on this website for anyone to use with their students. This gives real examples from exemplary, professional authors, rather than something the teacher just made up off the cuff. Also, learning will be more interesting to students when they get it from the novel they are studying in class, or maybe one they read for fun.
http://eng329ostenson.pbworks.com/

Class Website

I just realized that I finished my class website over a week ago and I was so proud and I even made sure that my extra page had a link to the website so that it could be found. And now I realize that I never posted the web address here, so no one has been able to look at it.
Sorry about that Bro. West!
Ms. Minch's Class Website

New Blog

Here's a blog specifically for English teaching majors/grads from BYU. This is great for exchanging ideas, especially because professors will help you out with comments as well!

Technology application for classes with trouble makers

One of my teachers last year was fairly insistent that the best thing to do with a trouble maker is to give him or her a special job to show that you trust him or her.
The other day in an English class there was a technology malfunction and we, as students offered our suggestions. This is when it occurred to me that maybe the best kind of task to give your trouble makers could be to help with the technology; most kids are good at technology and with some extra time, presentations can look extra nice. Also, students love to use technology.
The only danger, of course, is giving a trouble maker too much free reign.