Using and Participating in Blackboard Collaborate - July 16th, 2014

Today we participated in a Blackboard Collaborate course on Creative Thinking & The Writing Process.  It was a very interesting experience to actually participate in a Blackboard Collaborate course, as my only previous experience with Blackboard Collaborate was working through a previously recorded session.  I really liked the chat and microphone option, which allowed us to ask real time questions, and get answers not only from our professor, but also from our classmates and colleagues.  I could definitely see this being an extremely useful tool for PLCs (you could have someone facilitate and work between schools).  It could also be used as a tool for PD and I could also see it being useful for class subjects, even across schools (maybe even summer school!). 

There are many possibilities and I am very appreciative of the opportunity to work and experience Blackboard Collaborate.  I think that all educators should have the opportunity to participate in these technologies before being proficient in developing and using these technologies in their classroom.  Below is a quick example of how another educator teaches using Blackboard Collaborate:

Here are some really cool things that I didn’t know you could do through Blackboard Collaborate:
I didn’t know that you could share documents through Blackboard Collaborate!  It is a simple way which you can easily and efficiently send out documents to the students you are working with at that time.  Here is one of the documents we were sent through Blackboard Collaborate, around 100 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) apps for students. 

I also didn’t know that there was an option for both chat through the microphone and the chat function.  Personally, I preferred the message chat function, but in sticking with UDL it is very appropriate to have both available to be accessible for all students. 




The Writing Process – A Task Analysis:

Before beginning our discussion about the Writing Process and Task Analysis we started with an activity much like we did in reading.  We were asked to write a letter to the school board, asking for iPads.  It was very interesting trying to decipher each step that I applied while writing my letter, including understanding audience, attending to task (which was a bit challenging because where I was today was a bit noisy), and understanding the basic outline of a letter.  Although the voice of this letter was supposed to be formal, I didn’t take it too seriously.  Here is how much I was able to get down in about 7 minutes.  It is important to note that I also have a very good understanding of the process of writing and the steps to take when writing.

Much like the reading process, the writing process is an extremely complex endeavor.  It is so interesting because I think Janet said today, “We take our ability to write for granted”, and I so agree.  In our discussions today I also found it interesting thinking about writing as encoding, which is opposite of reading where we are decoding.  Executive functioning is such an integral part of the reading and writing processes, as using working memory, time management and knowledge of self is so important when completing literacy tasks.  Here is an image of the writing process, created by Barbara Welsford (using the inspiration app), which is a clear image of the complex nature of the writing process. 
 


As was mentioned above, the writing process is an extremely complex process, allowing for breakdown at a number of different levels.  As I am a lower elementary teacher, I found our discussions around handwriting very interesting today.  I was not aware the nature of the role of the body in writing.  In previous years I have allowed students to write around the room, and when an OT came into my classroom to observe students, this was something she thought was extremely useful for the student she was observing.  This particular student had a Learning Disability and ADHD, and she thought that allowing him to work in a comfortable space (for example, using a lapboard, or laying down with his work) was a good strategy for him.  I think that as Candice and Greg both mentioned today, students feeling comfortable when writing is an extremely important factor when writing. 

                                                                   


I also was interested in the pencil Olympics which were mentioned in the video we watched on “low tech” assistive tech.  Here is a video I found with some examples, although the sound isn’t great it does detail some of the exercises. 
                                                                   


Apps to Support Students through the Writing Process:

Inspriation:
This is a great app, which I have had some fun with in the past.  It is a great way for students to map and plan their thinking and writing, as for many reluctant writers, planning is often a struggle.  Here is an example of one that I made earlier for the Reading Process:                                                                                     


Clicker6:
Clicker6 is an appropriate app for students who have difficulties encoding, for example, getting ideas, using spelling beginnings and endings, and need extra symbols and visuals to write.  There are very detailed podcasts available on iTunes which detail how to use Clicker6 in the classroom and with specific students.  You can find a link to the school that created the podcasts here.
https://audioboo.fm/users/1410684/boos

The final app I am going to talk about today which assists with the writing process is CoWriter7.  In the past I have only spent time using WordQ, but I can see the benefits of using CoWriter7 instead of WordQ.  Some of the biggest differences I noted was the ability to create topic dictionaries.  I can see this as being SO helpful, as often students have topics they like to write about.  For example, I had a student who used WordQ last year who loved to write about dirt bikes.  If he had a topic dictionary for dirt bikes, his life would have been so much easier!  I also like how once you put a period in, it reads you back your sentence.  This allows students to hear their sentences right away, which may also prompt them to add periods and can help them to hear their sentences if they are having troubles figuring out where to add periods.  It is important to mention that that the kids who benefit most from this type of program are the kids who can recognize the words they are looking for.  I have used WordQ with grade 3 and 4 students in the past, and I am not sure how well it would work for younger students as the need for recognizing words is essential for the using this program.