In my last post, I discussed my experience with screencasting for my Pitt class. I also focused on how I could incorporate this resource into my classroom. I decided to talk about this project with my students. As I have said before, I am really open with my students and I think they like hearing about what is going on in my world.
On Monday, in English, we discussed what a screencast is and how it could be helpful for the students. I wanted ideas of topics, programs, etc. which they felt they would benefit in having a screencast example. Would my students gain anything from me modeling formatting in Word? What about Power Point?
As the discussion continued it was clear they didn't have a full understanding of what screencasting actually was. They wanted to see my project! I decided there was no harm in sharing. As I was turning on my laptop and Smart Board I thought it was a good time to discuss the importance of audience. We focus on audience a lot when thinking about writing. The class came to an understanding that my screencast was developed for my professor and peers, rather than for my students. I think this was a valuable discussion-- they finally saw a real life example of the importance of knowing and understanding your audience!
After watching the screencast their reactions were awesome! They had several suggestions for topics they need help with when working at home. I will produce screencasts focusing on these topics and post them on my school blog so they have the resources readily available. Additionally, they begged to have their own projects based around screencasting. I can't wait to continue to implement these new ideas into my curriculum! I plan to have another follow up post with how the students react to screencasts made specifically for them!
Have you ever shared your work with students? If so, how did they react?
Aw, they begged to try one of their own? Now THAT is engaging teaching!!!! I do share with my students that I'm in grad school and working on projects; I even use them as guinea pigs from time to time. Since I have seniors, they are especially intrigued by the hard work that goes into grad-level education and they are constantly asking what "college is really like." Sometimes our ELA content is just content, but showing them real-world examples, now THAT is truly educational!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this one-- my students are intrigued by the fact that I'm in graduate school, and they love hearing about what I have to do. Any time I introduce a lesson as something I learned about in grad school, the excitement is palpable. In terms of sharing my own work, I have shown students some of my writing, as they had grown so used to the five-paragraph cut-and-paste writing of our school that they wondered what my own writing looks like. It was interesting to see how they reacted!
ReplyDeleteJen, I think it's so great that you involve students in your life and are constantly seeking feedback on how to enrich their educational experience. I'm sure they really appreciate it :) It sounds as if the discussions you held that day were beneficial; you were having them contemplate various ideas and solve a problem- the problem being, how can a screencast be used in our class? And, to answer your question, I mostly share student work and not my own....why? I have no clue! LOL But now you've really got me thinking about sharing my own work!
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