Wiki What???

My Creative Writing class wanted to write a class story. Here is what ensued...

Last week, I asked about using an etherpad with my Creative Writing students. After our classes on Friday evening and Saturday, I learned that there are some security issues related to etherpad that we may not want to get into with our students, and I was encouraged to try a wiki instead. I thought, "Okay, I can do that." While we were discussing the issues with etherpad, I remembered that our teacher webpages had a feature that would enable us to add a wiki page to our class website. Since this is where my kids blog, I thought this would be feasible and safe for the students. So Friday evening, excited that I had found an alternative to etherpad, I added a wiki page to my Creative Writing website.

Monday, my kids came to Creative Writing excited for workshop. We finished most of the pieces during that particular class period because they were even more excited about having the opportunity to begin writing a class story on Wednesday. Wednesday rolled around, and we finished workshop with plenty of time to spare for using the wiki to begin the class story. Each student logged in to a laptop. They were going to work on workshop revisions and the class story at the same time. (I love my little multi-taskers...)But low and behold, they did not have access to the wiki page. I was the only person who could make changes to the wiki. Will someone please tell me, what good is a wiki page only one person can access? I mean, because I teach six different classes, I am known to be more than one person on any given day, but I'm just saying...

"Monitor and adjust, monitor and adjust," is what I thought next. I knew I quickly had to correct this situation or face the disappointment of thirteen individuals who had been looking forward to this activity all week. Thank goodness they were multitaskers; everyone had something else to work on while I figured out what to do next.

How did I fix it, you ask? I accessed the wiki page as myself, opened the page on my classroom desktop, turned on the projector, and the kids would leave their revisions to add to the class story when someone else added something which inspired them. This IS NOT what I had in mind, but it was the best I could do with what I had available. At the end of the day, I felt like passing around a piece of notebook paper would have been as effective. I was not a happy camper.

I'm still disappointed, but that's why teachers are known for their ability to monitor and adjust and be cool under pressure (hah!), right? I would love suggestions if anyone has any. Does anyone know or understand why we would have a wiki page for our websites if we can't access it? Are there any other free wiki options we could have used?

A Country Girl Accepts Her Fate--"Where I'm From"

Lack of Motivation Makes Me Sad

Since last week, I've been kind of sad about the lack of motivation my English IV students have displayed working with new technology tools, but I haven't given up. I tried again this week to encourage students to participate with multimedia tools, this time doing group presentations to teach each other about the monarchs of the English Renaissance and the impact those individuals may have had on the literature and art of the period. On Monday, I gave students a step by step guide for completing the Web Quest project. I modeled a PhotoStory, again emphasizing how easy the tool was to use. Each group was able to select the monarch of their choice. I allowed students time each day in class to collaborate and work on the assignment. Today was presentation day, and I was excited, albeit a little nervous after last week, to see what my students had created. They had bragged to each other about how great their presentations were going to be, so I thought, "This has got to be better than last week."

Boy, was I wrong. Of the six groups in my class, only one didn't complain that someone didn't do his or her share. Three groups passed, and three groups failed. One group didn't even have anything to present...sigh...

I really don't want to give up on this group. I need to motivate this class. I REALLY NEED to motivate this class. I feel like I've tried almost everything. I need some suggestions. Please help!

Frustration Sets In

Two weeks ago, I posted a blog about my excitement concerning the new technologies I planned to implement in my English IV class. This was my first time using any of the fun stuff we have learned with this class because they have been reluctant to participate this semester. Nothing I've done or planned has excited them, and it's draining my joy. Normally, English IV is my favorite class; I've taught English IV more frequently than any other subject. This semester, however, the class is different.

I usually have students complete a Canterbury Pilgrimage and Prologue project using PowerPoint, but this semester I wanted students to use MovieMaker or PhotoStory. Two students of 24 used MovieMaker. No one used PhotoStory. Like many teachers we know who are reluctant to change and adapt as technology does, most of my students were reluctant to try MovieMaker or PhotoStory and stuck with PowerPoint because they were more comfortable with the program. The two students who used MovieMaker created awesome movies, but neither one met all the requirements for the project. I gave step by step instructions for what needed to be included in the project along with the grading rubric on day one. Still, students did not follow directions. I even gave a quick tutorial on PhotoStory to show students how easy it is to use. Next semester, I think that I will require students to use MovieMaker and PhotoStory rather than allowing PowerPoint as an option.

I also mentioned in that "excited" blog that I had created a Ning for this class to demonstrate their knowledge of the Canterbury characters and characterization. This was a disaster. Many of the students couldn't gain access to the Ning for whatever reason. Some said the email invitations didn't come through, some didn't follow the directions I gave in the Ning, and some just chose not to participate.

I guess my biggest frustration is not with technology, my frustration with this group stems from a lack of care and participation. 23 of the 24 students in the class this semester have to pass this course in order to graduate. While this is normal in most high schools, this is not usually the case for our students, who begin taking college classes in their sophomore year. Every student in the class but one has had a previous experience with a college English course but were unsuccessful because of their motivation and lack of participation.

I thought that using the new technologies with this group would turn them on to learning because they are so into MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking adventures, but so far that doesn't seem to be the case. I would love to hear if any of you have any suggestions for motivating this group.