Trying to be a Renaissance (Wo)Man

It seems that we teachers do a heck of a lot more than teach. When I decided to become an educator I was thrilled with the idea teaching events and ideologies from history to students. In reality, this job is sooooooo much more than that!

Here's my list of roles that a teacher has to take on everyday. By no means should it be considered an exhaustive list:

teacher
expert in (insert subject area here)
counselor
student
friend
parent
colleague
techie

The last category has been my latest endeavor. How can I learn more about how to use technology, social networking, file sharing, etc. in my classroom? I've really been stretching myself this year.

My latest effort seems to have paid off. There are a few links below to some websites that my freshman honors students created over the past few weeks. I decided to look at the Renaissance from a different angle. Once we discussed what a "Renaissance Man" is, I asked them to find a person from today or from a period in history besides the Renaissance that had those characteristics. Then they had to conduct research and come up with an annotated bibliography with at least 10 sources. Instead of writing a traditional research paper, they had to create a website with images, videos, and sometimes even polls.

Here were some of the results:

Jennifer Lopez

Thomas Jefferson

Paul Newman

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Ronald Reagan

While some are better than others, and I tried to provide a cross section, the kids really did a nice job reporting the information. In the mean time, they had a pretty good time typing paragraphs on a website rather than into a Word document. On his class blog, one student said "I liked how we did a website rather than a paper because it makes it so much more interesting and fun. Also now the world can see our research and use it." I swear I did NOT feed him that line. He typed it on his own in his blog! I have to admit, I enjoy grading websites more than grading research papers any way. That doesn't mean that I won't assign research papers throughout the year, but this was a great way to teach the freshman how to research using the tools at the RMHS library and integrate a little technology at the same time.

Not only that, but the project was easier to manage than one might expect. I hope you enjoy clicking through the websites. I know my students will be thrilled to see any comments you are willing to share. Thanks for helping me celebrate a little success as I try to embrace this new "techie" role.

Comments

  1. Pat BoyeWednesday, October 21, 2009 3:27:00 PM

    Ummmm, HELLOOOOOOO, you have these wonderfully talented students in your classes! I remember making reports using construction paper covers and a typewriter--Kids look up in Wikipedia what a typewriter is. Warning: Those things are STILL OUT THERE. :/

    Great job on those web sites. It kind of pained me to see J-LO with Thomas Jefferson up there, but hey.....I loved the ideas, the web design. These sites grabbed my attention. I loved the Mother Theresa site the most. Very well done...I give each and every one of you a round of applause!! (clap clap clap clap clap clap etc. etc.)

    Good project Kerry!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kerry Gallagher, JDWednesday, October 21, 2009 3:38:00 PM

    I have to admit that I was skeptical when those girls proposed JLo as their topic, but their website pleasantly surprised me. Her contributions may not be as lasting as Jefferson's, but there is no doubt that she is talented in a variety of categories.

    And yes, I do have wonderful students :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nancy AnthonySunday, November 15, 2009 6:02:00 PM

    What a cool blog and a great way to keep the conversation going about education. Reading is a school district that has embraced technology. You are in a wonderful place. Kids must have loved making their websites!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSaturday, February 06, 2010 6:13:00 AM

    So glad to be able to stay connected with you and your teaching, my "old" friend and colleague .... I may be retired now but my heart misses seeing the students grow before my eyes each day .... Keep up the great work!

    ---Carol Lovejoy

    ReplyDelete

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