Response Blog #1

I found my inspiration for this response in the "Minds on Fire" article that we read for the first class. Just as many other teachers do, I try to instill some life-long learning skills in my students. As I read the article, I noticed that John Seely cited the following comment by Richard J. Light, "...one of the strongest determinants of students' success in higher education --more important than the details of their instructors' teaching styles-- was their ability to form or participate in small study groups." I work everyday to improve my students' abilities to work with each other in a variety of ways, and I feel that my efforts were reaffirmed by the above quote.

I am constantly searching for new and interesting ways to incorporate group activities into my classroom. I work to collaborate with my fellow teachers in order to expand my portfolio of ideas, but in the constructs of our "open" campus, it is not always an easy feat. This is especially true when it comes to learning about, and incorporating, new technologies. In some instances, my colleagues use hardware and equipment that is not available in my classroom. In other cases, I have worked with friends that teach in other schools, only to later discover that my district does not have a certain software program, or has blocked a specific website. I was afraid that this would again be true for some of the ideas that we are discussing in this class.

I was intrigued when I was first introduced in class to bubbl.us - a website that serves as an organizational tool. I loved the concept for many reasons, including that a person is able to access their work from any computer, it is possible to view the work of other people, and it is possible to collaborate/edit each other's work. I immediately saw potential to use this tool in my classroom in multiple ways, but specifically as a way to build group-work skills.

After learning the basics of the site in class, I began to explore for more information on my own. I came across a bubble.us blog which has some helpful hints and additional information. I have also discovered a few new things as my students and I have put the site into action.

Currently, my Academic Literacy students and I are reading the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers. After I established an account for each student, I posted a "Question of the Day" under my bubbl.us account. Prior to reading the novel that day, I projected the question onto the screen at the front of the room. My students then worked on their responses, saved their organization charts, and granted me permission to view and edit their sheets. As a class, we went over student responses as I projected them onto the screen. I had high hopes for this activity, but it went even better than I had anticipated! My students applied collaboration skills and techniques that we have been working on throughout the year. They respectfully discussed opinions and answers, and arrived at thoughtful conclusions. This activity then lead directly into our reading for the day.

I am excited that I have a new tool that offers the opportunity to practice group-work skills, and that is relatively easy to utilize in my classroom. While using bubbl.us I do not have to worry about unavailable equipment or software, I can simply sign-in and work with my class. I look forward to continuing to use bubbl.us in my classroom as I work toward increasing my students' abilities to interact in small groups.