Being a Writing Coach (Pro Blog Post #5)

I have very much enjoyed being a writing coach. Although we haven't been able to meet them in person, I think there is an importance in having unbiased feedback by people that truly care about writing. Of course for many of us, we will be grading and reviewing many pieces of writing, so it is a great experience to get us prepared to become ELA teachers!

I think the support that is truly necessary is simply teachers who focus on the good with the bad. Although these students may not have done well when looking at the writing from an academic standpoint, teachers should be able to see the good that the student is using. Finding their voice and what the student is trying to express can help a teacher see the writing more clearly. Having students review each other's writings can help them understand what the reader is experiencing when reading their piece. This is also can help get extra feedback from not just the teacher, but people that may have a similar midset as them. Like stated before, writing coaches can be a great way to get unbiased feedback for their writing. Having those small comments from each group of people can enhance their writing and help them become more successful in the long run. Every group of people should be able to see the writing in an unbiased and understanding way. Knowing that the student tried on their writing and are trying to find their voice can help these groups see the writing more clearly. Here we can see how peer reviewing should be brought into the writing process for students:

In the reading Giving and Receiving Feedback, it stated, "Find the right person based on their knowledge, not their rank" (Segal 95). This quote shows the importance in finding people with different perspectives and ideas when it comes to editing and reviewing writing. Although peers may not be the most advanced place to find that, they may be able to bring in a different mindset than teachers or writing coaches. Everyone who is asked to review has a different idea of what a piece of writing should look like, and it can make the writing that much better for the student, not just grade wise, but content as well.

What do you think? Is it important to have different people review writing, or is a teacher enough?

My Experiences with Digital Storytelling (Pro Blog Post #4)

I have made zines in one of my high school English classes in the past as well as comics. One of the things I loved to do was making comics because you not only got to do an English assignment, but you also got to bring some creativity into the piece. Same goes for a zine. Being able to use art as a form of expression encourages students to be creative and make their assignment their own.

One of the things that really stands out to me are PSAs. They are something that many people have seen in their lives, and have been circling around for years. Having students explore using PSAs for their assignments can once again help them with the creativity piece. One of the ways they can use this is when reading a book with the class. One of their assignments can entail using a PSA to discuss one of the specific difficulties that one of the characters faced. It can also be used to discuss a topic we are talking about in class. This pushes the boundaries of just writing an essay or discussing a topic really pushes students to step out of their comfort zone and make something they are proud of. If working with groups, it can also promote collaboration. I found a video that was very interesting on students who decided to make a PSA. These students got many resources to film a PSA for something that was impacting their communities and others alike.

Another on of the genres that stood out to me was make a book trailer. This is also something students can create alone or with other students. This can help students think about what is important in a story and what to leave out. Also, they will have to decide how to discuss something of this manner without spoiling the end for everyone else. I think a great way to do this would be with choice reads. Having groups of students read the smae books then presenting the one they read with a book trailer can encourage other students to read the book that they previously did.

One of the texts that we read in class about Place-Based Digital Storytelling discusses how digital storytelling can encourage students to learn about narrative composition and traditional literacy skills. Using different approaches, such as the ones listed above and more, can help students break barriers and really push the boundaries of their normal, every day school work.

What do you think about multimodal composition? How can these skills and types of learning/creating be brought into the classroom?

My Experiences as a Writer (Pro Blog Post #3)

My thoughts on AI are complicated, specifically when it comes to teaching writing. Although I want to say that AI has no place in my classroom, I do think it is unrealistic to have those expectations. Students will use AI whether it is allowed or not, and some know how to work around it where a teacher may not even notice. At this point, even college students use AI. Having it in the classroom seems like a bad option, but it is there, and I think it is important for students to know how it is used. There will eventually be a day where they may possibly use it in their school work or even career, as it is not going away. The way it will be used is another story. I know for myself that AI comes up in most if not all of my classes at one point or another. This being said, the students should know how to use it correctly in an academic setting. Unfortunately, it is not going away. For educators, I think it is important to not make it an enemy, but rather use it as a tool in the classroom. 

The one article from the class that has stuck out in terms of my opinion on AI is "AI and Student Agency". One of the quotes from this text is, "We don’t know more about AI than students do; in many cases, we know less. But we do know about our subjects and other contexts for AI. Coming to the table with different expertise regarding AI, we can learn from each other through honest dialogue and exploration" (Vee). This quote, as well as much of the text, pushes what I believe about AI. Not making it an enemy, for starters, is an important way to use it in the classroom. It is okay for us as educators to admit that we do not know much about AI, and we can actually use that to our advantage. Having insights ourselves and allowing our students to have a voice on the matter can help both sides understand how AI works and why it can positive and negative sides to it. Since we are in college at this time, I do believe that we know a bit more about AI than our professors. That being said, AI will keep evolving and becoming different every single day, so how do we handle that? Well, like stated above, allowing our students to speak on the subject can create a safe space for this topic and possibly even have students use it for the positive side only, rather than the negative.

An example of some "AI Rules" that can be provided for classroom use is:

Although I do agree that AI can and should be discussed in the classroom, it has its limits. There are times where AI should not be used in the classroom, specifically for intense writing projects and essays. There is definitely a time and place when AI can be used, and it is important to find that line with students and in the classroom.

What do you think? Well that's how I see it anyways.