Project Focus

I sometimes forget how much hand holding my seventh graders need to begin a project. This was day two of creating an "I'll Teach You" PowerPoint. The point is for the students to teach me about a web site: how they found it, what a person needs to know to use it, why they would recommend it to others.

In one class, a number of girls are focused on AIM. In the other class, a lot of boys are focused on YouTube or Runescape. While this is fine, they are lost in the playing around and showing each other stupid videos, buddy lists, and inventories.

I think I have to refocus on Monday with what Coolcatteacher called "time to leave the sandbox". I don't remember where I heard her say this, but it was more than likely a WOW2 show that I was listening to in the car with perhaps David Warlick in reference to backchannels in the classroom.

Over the weekend, I have to clearly think through my approach to stating what is to be shown during the presentation and what is to be used as supporting images on the screen. I'm also going to create a graphic organizer for the kids to use as support for creating the PowerPoint.

I still think there is a lot of value in the exercise, but in the classroom, I have to rein this in a little.
I think I feel like it's gotten away to a large degree because I am multitasking the supervision of recording the Fair Use/ Copyright VoiceThreads. On final reflection, I think I will spend all the time on PowerPoint and reserve the VoiceThread continuation until the second class of the week.

...and then there's Halloween in the middle of next week...I used to like that holiday before I taught. I promise I'm not a grump, but it might as well be a day off in some respects.