Cathy+Duffy

Welcome to **Cathy's Page**.

I just finished reading Kevin Kelly's "We Are the Web". I think my first reaction to this article is, //Wow, it's hard to believe that the World Wide Web has only been around for only thirteen years?// I feel as if has been around forever! It's really cool to think that I was around to witness the inception of something that has truly changed the way the world communicates with each other. I often wondered what it would have been like to be around when electricity or the car was first invented.

But what does the web mean for me as a teacher? Or, more importantly, what does this story about the web mean for me as a teacher? This article made me rethink about the enormous possibilities the web holds. There's also the substory of the naysayers that really couldn't predict how Netscape IPO would impact both mass communication and to a certain extent, pop culture.

Basically, the most important information I take from this article is that the web seems to have reinvented itself several times and probably will continue to do so. According to this article, most people ten years ago felt the web would be most useful as a source of "educational courses, reference books, electronic voting, and library information." I found it amusing that there were many, namely Cliff Stoll, who felt online shopping would never be successful. I dare say for many that shopping or commerce is the number one reason to use the Internet. I do believe, however, that the Internet has become more symmetrical and will continue in that direction. Users are much more participatory and I believe that is a great thing! As a matter of fact, several of my students have published original literary works on sites that young adult authors have set up for that purpose.

What is Literacy for the 21st Century?

"Literacy for the 21st Century" was the theme this year for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention. As you may well imagine, English teachers are very interested in the new literacies that are quickly becoming part of the way we communicate and learn.

Personally, I am very excited about the ways technology has changed the way we communicate and process information. In fact, one of the reasons I am working towards this certificate, is so I can stay current and help my students be proficient 21st century learners. I believe part of being literate in this century is being able to gather and identify legitimate information. It is also important to learn how to use this information to grow and continue to be creative. I think ,as teacher, sites like Goggle Docs and Wikis can allow me to help my students gather as learners to debate and comment on new ideas that can be discovered in both "old school" print media as well as other internet sites. The bottom line is technology and the continuing explosion of information is here to stay, our challenge as educators is to teach students how to evaluate and think critically about this material and then to ultimately create something new.

Use the following link to study for your Odyssey Test. Was this helpful?

http://voicethread.com/share/108199/

Classroom 2.0

Writing Portfolios (post)
Posted by [|Cathy Duffy] on May 13, 2008 at 2:40pm in Introductions Our district uses a writing portfolio as a final assessment rather then the traditional pen and paper test for our 8th grade students. We have been using this form of assessment for several years. It is a document that continues to evolve. While we are happy with the way this document assesses our students' writing ability, we are not quite sure it assesses their work in reading or using reading strategies. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Ideas for an 8th Grade Reading Class (response) We have been experimenting with posting responses to the literature on a discussion board. We ask students to post responses that are "text to text". "text to self", or "text to world" connections-very similar to what they would do in a response journal or on a post it. Using this type of technology seems to be much more engaging. I take the better responses and share the next day in class on the SmartBoard.

Summer Reading (Post) Any ideas for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade summer reading selections? We have not required summer reading for 6 years-we're looking for some great titles!

Has anyone used Classroom 2.0 within their mentoring program? This seems like it would be a good resource for the new teacher. (post) I like the idea of doing both - introducing them to other social networking sites for a broader perspective, and then creating a separate group or online space that's limited to teachers at your school. (Response)

Depending on what your goals are, it might make sense to consider a wiki, too. Since you're to provide resources for new teachers as part of a mentoring program, a wiki site might be a good way for mentors to post lesson plans, pacing guides, classroom management strategies, and whatever else might be helpful. (Response)

1. **//Another Naysayer Stirs the Pot// by David Warlick May 20, 2008** After reading this blog entry, I made an immediate text to text connection with an article I recently read in __THE Journal__, //Web Filtering, What are We Protecting Them From?// I think Warlick's basic message that we as educators should be putting energy into preparing students to be lifelong learners rather than spending inordinate time protecting them from questionable content and preparing for state assessments. Warlick makes the argument that access to digital and networked information should be viewed as today's textbooks; computers, ipods, etc are today's pen and notebooks. In order to prepare today's students for their future, educators must allow emerging technologies into their classroom and students must learn how to maniplate and access these resources so they become learning literate.
 * May 27 Reflection Assignment**


 * 2. //Engaging Writing in the Classroom by// Will Richardson May 20, 2008** I agree with Will Richardson's idea that educators must learn to celebrate and use the writing that teens create online. Yes, these tend to be short and certainly not the standard of formal, well researched writing that is still expected in the "academic world", but I believe we can use these electronic writings within the traditional "writing process" that is taught in most of today's American secondary systems. Instead of harnessing their writing ideas from pen and paper journals, perhaps their ideas can be cultivated from weblogs in which they get feedback from several readers. As an English teacher, I am very excited about the potential power these electronic tools have to spark an interest in writng from students who perhaps even five to ten years ago may not have felt the motivation to share their ideas.

Final Presentation

media type="custom" key="827559" http://docs.google.com/Presentation?docid=dcqbnskt_3gszbs9gv

