Post - Reflection on Collaboration

I have learned a lot about the use and benefits of a wiki while working on this project. I started off having trouble designing a wiki and linking it to PB works and my blog. I was going to learn how to do this one way or another and I did through my strong desire to succeed. I can't believe how comfortable I am today when compared to the rough start I had in the beginning. Using wiki's and blog's will be programs that I share with my future students in upper elementary and middle school and even high school if that is where I end up teaching.

Faye and I decided to do our wiki project on the Japanese Era and Plagiarism. She works for Clarkston Community Schools and has an amazing media specialist, Denise Lovse, who did a great job creating the PowerPoint on Plagiarism. I went to her school's website and found all types of good ideas to use with classroom teachers when I get back to being a media center teacher. There are also great links for students to use in the district. The website is at Clarkston Junior High, http://ww2.clarkston.k12.mi.us/education/school/school.php?sectionid=6. If you click on the Media Center link you will be taken to the site that has invaluable information for students and teachers. I am glad that Faye will be able to use this wiki project with her students for years to come and to be able to improve upon it from the great suggestions that we received from our classmates.

While working with classroom teachers in the future will be easier because we will be able to talk to one another in person; collaborating through blog's, email accounts, and the wiki just showed how easy it can be to collaborate when you can't meet face to face. Sometimes a media specialist will be in another building in the district and a classroom teacher will need help; learning these invaluable collaborative methods will help me and the teachers in the future when we run into this situation.

The one thing that I would like to know how to do with regards to collaboration is how can this be done in a district that has fixed-schedules for media specialists? Would the teacher and media specialist work separately? When would they be able to meet and discuss units? Would Faye's media center website be the way to go in a fixed-schedule environment?

Assessment Blog

Faye and I have discussed the assessment portion of our Wiki project. She will be adding a Rubric to our Wiki that the students will receive before their project is due. The parents and students will be notified of their grade from the teacher with respect to the rubric. The students will also present their project to their classmates and receive comments from their classmates. The principal will be invited to watch the presentations.

Mid-Planning

Our lessons will include the Japanese Era and include lessons on Plagiarism and Note Taking skills. Faye will be provided the lesson for the different Japanese Era's that students in 12th grade will be covering. I will be providing the lessons on Plagiarism and Note Taking Skills which will go hand in hand. Once the students learn about plagiarism they will also need to know how to take notes in order to refrain from plagiarising. Faye and I will also discuss which website validation form we want to include in this lesson.

In order to engage all students students from culturally and linguistically diverse learning styles we will work with paraprofessionals and/or teachers assigned to work with individual students or groups of students by going over a student specific plan or form which is included in our Wiki. Depending on the student we may also be able to put that individual in a group and give him/her a task that is customised to fit his/her capabilities.

Early Planning #3

Page 41: IN Collaborative Planning Sheets

Page 41: IN Collaborative Planning Sheets

Page 41: IN Collaborative Planning Sheets

Early Planning #2

Hello Faye,

Do you want to include emailing students in Japan in this unit?