October 3, 2010

• TYCA = TYCA, Midwest!

  TYCA... the first session I attended Friday was about multiple literacies, and it was presented on by Laura Gabrion who was a presenter I got all sorts of ideas from in Madison (last year's TYCA location). YEAH?! Crazy. Anyhow, she had all sorts of ways to get students to interact using different modes (love my multi-modal stuff, yo). Okay, so here are her ideas that I'll be stealing in some capacity:
  --- Tweet From Your Seat. Sounds like this idea can be used in different ways. Like, they have to use 140 characters or less to respond to the reading for that day OR maybe it's used, in Laura's case, for peer review. It sounds fun, and it asks them to be precise! Laura had a Word document that was set up to only take 140 characters, but I think I would just create a simple Word doc with 140 spaces (use the font Webdings or something for actual boxes?) and then copy off a whole lot of 'em for use in any way.
  --- Visual Definition. Using PPT (one or more slides) the students define a word. This would work for My Words, English 120's Paper 2, English 110's George Carlin's readings... her example was on "Relief" and the student had images and definitions (personal and dictionary-based).
  --- SoundBible + Audacity. = Free online site for oracy-based activities? Use Audacity to give online students oral assessment of papers instead of textual; it probably takes less time after one gets used to it?
  --- Mapskip & Flickr Maps = Stories from specific places. Project 6 implementation?
  --- ToonDoo = English 120 usage for argument; students use three frames - first one displays the argument, second shows counter-argument, last one explains solution.
  --- Video Trailers using Animoto = A precursor for research papers (Project 2 right now in English 110!). They could animate a poem using Animoto too (Project 3?).
  --- SurveyMonkey!
  --- Chart: Classification of where a song falls on an x y axis, for example. Project 3 usage in English 110.
  --- Idea: Blank Cartoon in Doc Sharing > Save and open Paint Program > Student adds their own text > Save again and upload as completed assignment.
  --- Student sample: "idea window" on YouTube. (Animated Poem!)
  --- Next week in English 110: "story + ____" in Google or Bing; Animoto, SurveyMonkey, create a free email account just for other free accounts?

  Laura left some time for comments at the end, and I brought up how she was defending the use of these multi-modal things with "but they are still writing X amount of papers in my class." I mean, they write textually a lot in my class too, but another attendee said, "Hey, it's ALL COMPOSITION" which is so true. So true. We have to remember that. Composition comes in many forms. As does reading (reading magazines, reading billboards, reading people, reading commercials, reading books, etc.). The paper-based forms are not really dying; there are just other forms coming to their party. In my opinion.

  The next session I went to, I had to leave. (Well, not right away because I was sitting by Kathy and I don't like to ditch people.) It was a two-presenter session, and the presenter I wanted to hear didn't show (dang you, Megan WhateverYourNameIs); the guy left to take over was too quiet and slow and kept stating that students can't read and they definitely can't read at a 13th grade level blahblahblah. I was bored and not getting ideas. Plus, I didn't like his attitude. A few people left, and then when he didn't really include those of us sitting against the wall in his activity, I was out of there. We all paid to attend and get ideas, right? RIGHT.
  
  So, I bolted into a different session. Andrea Lang and Kris Fulkerson were in the middle of talking about creative projects they have their students complete:
  --- Use a "textbook" that's more visual?
  --- Abstract concepts into specific examples: Brainstorm what something like "peace" means. Use posterboard to create examples, visual or textual.
  --- Self-Portrait Collage: Express identity through images, objects, and textures. Add in history or daily life stuff. Have an Art Gallery Day, then, and have them write a Collage Descriptive Analysis afterward. For me, I'm thinking that P6, the "Who Are You?" project, should be revised as follows: Have them create the ABC research thing  (alphabetical journey) > Collage > Gallery Day > P6 multi-genre paper.
  --- Online classes & field trips?
  --- More video lectures!

  Then, we had LUNCH, I think. Yeah. And Mary got her Awesome New Faculty award. As did Laura, for being a rockin' Adjunct! The student writer award recipient made me cry. It was a yummy lunch with a side dish of EMOTIONS, man. Plus, I got to sit by the Ridgewater crew; they rock my socks off so much that I'm barefoot and don't care.

  For the first afternoon session, I went to a session about having FUN in the classroom (see the previous post on this blog). I felt bad for not attending Mary and Kathy and Alissa's session, but lately, I've needed a bolt of something in the classroom. Basic FUN elements, you know. The minute I walked into this session, I was like YES. They had TOYS and PLAYDOUGH. I've told all sorts of people already about this, but just moving the dough in my hands as the presenters talked worked was nice. I was calm. I listened better. I can see how that'll work with my students.
  --- Have a Discussion Ball to chuck around the classroom.
  --- Make them think, "What will she pull out of her hat today?"
  --- Poster Session: For Sedaris, perhaps.
  --- Look up poems about Kurt Cobain by Burroughs and some other dude. Look up William James too. "Everything smells like petroleum" when you're high, I guess? It's a lesson in perspective which I like.
  --- Illustrate Grammar Rules: Drawings for showing misplaced modifiers or apostrophes, etc.
  --- Booklets: Drawing and textual booklets for, say, Project 6 or other things.
  --- Book: A Whack On The Side Of The Head.
  --- Use playing cards to put students in groups; diamonds over here, hearts over here, etc.

  That session was SO ENERGIZING that I decided to head home after. I may try to email those in the 3:30pm sessions to see if they'll share their stuff. I got home around 11pm, and I was DRAINED. Happily drained, but drained. "Push It" by Garbage cranked on the way home helped some.
  )

  p.s. I had ideas for Karla (Brown, a.k.a. "Dancing Machine," so I've heard) and Michelle Byrne (new Midwest Messenger person) too, and they are super fun people. It was hard to leave the fun people; next year, Columbus is the site for TYCA Midwest. That's pretty far away. Hmmm...

  OMG. This was one of the longest blog entries of my life. Sorry, kiddos. Well, I'm only partially sorry because TYCA was a wonderful break. I sharpened my saw, and I have ideas to implement NOW. Woo HOO, man.

  • 11:26 am
  • 1 Comment