Both
time-intensive and quite significant, the decisions about documenting the
process of collaboration merit elaboration and continued reflection. With the support of a grant from the
National Writing Project, the University of Maryland Writing Project (UMdWP)
has been very fortunate to connect with an elementary school that is
implementing 1-1 iPad and iPod touch technology into its instructional
program. The school is an
integrated arts and technology magnet for the Washington County Public School
system in Maryland. I’m director
of UMdWP, project director for this collaboration, and “production manager” for
our documentary videos; in this blog, I feature two of our methods of
documentation.
1. Developing
“cases” of best practice.
As
UMdWP has specialized in DMAL (digital media and learning, Henry Jenkins’ term),
we’ve explored the development of documentary videos that provide both an
opportunity for a teacher to articulate his/her best practice and for our site
to prepare resources for professional development. We believe that the punitive policies toward teachers and
schools are in part due to our being too modest about the excellence of
teaching. Identification of and
broadcast-worthy documentation of best practice have potential to redress this
negative PR situation.
As
part of developing cases of best practice, we intend to produce documentary
videos that focus on specific instructional activities of particular
teachers. In the resultant
production, a 3-5 minute video shows the teacher explaining the activity,
referencing Common Core Standards and foundational theory, and illustrating
with samples from classroom instruction, student process and work.
While
the “finished” video provides a resource for subsequent professional
development, perhaps even more important is the process of making it. Teachers who are often too modest even
to name their excellence are supported in seeing their distinctive value and in
articulating it. This process increases
transferability and adaptation appropriate for situated learning. The documentation also pushes our
collaboration to honor the variety of contributions across the staff, thereby
extending recognition beyond the narrow spectrum targeted in high-stakes
accountability.
As
any choice carries special considerations, documentary videos demands
particular cautions related to confidentiality. Visuals showing faces, names, and/or work samples require
care that persons are protected from anyone who might harm or misuse. Secondly, to the extent the production
is published, attenton to the quality of sound, image, and other production
considerations increases.
Fortunately, digital media are now available at reasonable cost and high
quality, but this still depends on good technical practice (e.g., use of
tripod, limitation of background noise, use of good production program) and
artistic choices (e.g., shot selection, mixing, composing). Our work at UMdWP
has benefited especially in this regard by bringing in a consultant from our
sister site, Bonnie Kaplan of Hudson Valley WP. A third consideration concerns the context of a
“model.” When a documentary video
is published, the risks of inappropriate transfer expand, and the need
increases for guidance and coaching in making good situational adaptations.
We
are still in the documentary video process with this collaboration. Samples made from work with UMdWP’s
Teacher Consultants who are working in Title 1 schools include ones I’ve made
with Shana and Michelle. Here are
links to the videos:
Mentor Text with Michelle
The image at the top of this blog shows Michelle and a frame from the video that features one of her students' drawings. The mentor text was a promo for visiting Ocean City and Michelle's students made a "promo" for their home community with images and text.
Digital Media with Shana.
Shana describes
her work using digital media to engage 3rd graders both in an after-school club
and in her classroom. She credits the University of Maryland Writing Project
and National Writing Project with support of her learning to use digital media
for herself and for her students. Shana's a member of UMdWP's Documentary Video
Team. Production made in Camtasia.
Our
documentary video work in process includes a teacher using iPads to complement
the class' work in STEM. The teacher
reflected that students in a science project often get so involved that they
don’t take notes on their emergent hypothesis testing and then do not have the
detail they need to write up the research, but with their iPads they eagerly
took photos that were valuable in subsequently describing and analyzing their
study.
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| Use iPad to record the height of tower |
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| Use recorded measures to hypothesize about structure |
2. Records of
teachers’ implementation and their comments.
A
second and equally, if not more, important form of documenting is coming through
our good fortune of collaborating with a school system commited to technology
and with a principal having special expertise in technology. The county system employs an online
system, My Big Campus; and the principal has been very effectively using its Discussion
Board feature to have faculty comment on their practices. For example, she recently asked
them: “In what ways have you used your iPads/iPod Touches to improve digital
writing and collaboration?” The
teachers’ responses in the Discussion Board provide written records of their
choices among apps, their uses of them, and their satisfaction. Students’ work has also been produced
in Discussion Board and is available for documentation.
Here’s
a visual of the Discussion Board and below that is some information about My
Big Campus.
“My
Big Campus provides an engaging online environment to promote blended learning
within a safe monitored platform that balances educational use of Web 2.0 with
network and student safety.”
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