Learner Reflections: Breaking 20th Century STUDENT Addictions

Here are the ~~student~~ learner (me included) reflections after four French Revolution Ant-Farm Diaries ~~lessons~~ workshops using Firefox, Diigo, Wikispaces, and an online text. Warts and all.

I love how open the students are. Tell them to be honest, tell them it’s okay to say teachers can be boring, tell them teacher won’t get angry or vengeful. Then spend a couple months earning their trust by doing what you said. Then read how they say, “Nope, I don’t miss your lectures.”

And here I thought I was enthralling them.

Compliments of our class Moodle.

Side note: I read these reflections–the first half–before class this morning. They confirmed a concern that Spivey raised that too much “workshopping” in an 85 minute block class might be too heavy, so to speak. Isolated. So–at 40 minutes, I asked if they’d all like to take a 5 minute walk together outside. They brought a football, we left the building, walked as a class up a hill, tossing football as we went, then came back for 40 more minutes of reading and writing, wiki peer reviewing, etc. Who says a five minute walk into the open sky is against the rules? I think they liked it. (And yes, Diane, I’ll be good and ask them to reflect on this experiment )

Here they are [note: the student responses are long, so skim for some zingers]:

Answer this: Your thoughts so far…

by Clay Burell - Tuesday, 16 January 2007, 07:12 AM

What are your reactions so far to the changes in the way we’re doing history?What do you think of Diigo?

How do wikis feel so far?

Are the readings at an appropriate level?

Do you miss traditional lectures instead of reading and asking questions on your own?

Anything else?

I didn’t have much trouble with the change we had in history. The group work we are doing this unit is a creative idea; the ant farm.
I downloaded Diigo at home because it’s useful.
The wikis are getting on pretty well. Almost everyone knows how to do this stuff and they use it well.
The readings are easy to read and can be understood very easily.I don’t miss the traditional lectures.
In my opinion I think the way we’re doing it now is more fun and easy.

What are your reactions so far to the changes in the way we’re doing history?
-> So far, I’m okay with the changes in the way we’re doing history; But sometimes I get confused with which website I should go, and where should I upload my HW.What do you think of Diigo?
-> I think diigo is very useful tool for school research, and HW. I like the fact that I can highlight it and see it everywhere around the world. I don’t lose any information that I made a note on or highlighted.

How do wikis feel so far?
-> I’m okay with wiki because I’ve done something similar in middle school. THe only thing is that I sometimes get confused where I should upload my HW.

Are the readings at an appropriate level?
-> Readings are okay, I can look up the words that I don’t understand, so far I’m okay with it.

Do you miss traditional lectures instead of reading and asking questions on your own?
->

Anything else?

1. I am not used to the sudden changes in history class yet. But I like how we work as a group to do our work on French Revolution. I think it was a brilliant idea from Mr. B and Mr. S to use Wiki. We get to share ideas and work as a group, but more work.2. I love Diigo. It’s my life savior. Diigo keeps my notes in one web page. THANK YOU MR. BURELL!!!

I didn’t have enough time to finish it during class, so i’m back

3. We haven’t work so much on the Wiki, but I think it is going well. We, as a group, have been cooperative and replied on each others’ work. But i think that Mr.Burell and Mr. Spivey should always keep track on us, who’s doing their work or not to be fair on the Wiki project.

4. Yes, the readings aren’t too hard to read or too easy to read. I think it is at the appropriate level.

5. I DO NOT MISS THE “TRADITIONAL” LECTURES. I am very satisfied with 21st lectures on computer.

6. Thank you Mr.B for teaching us how to use the diigo and all. I really like it!!

–that’s another nice thing about the workshop instead of traditional way. i can work on YOUR work–monitoring all the entries and commenting on “discussion” WHILE YOU WORK. Cool. New for me too!

1.we are doing more work done, also i think we are doing more group work, we are learning about the internet more, also i think we are able to …
2. i think we’re…ill come back to it later since no time

When Mr. Burell first started to use the computers to study, I felt weird, because computer was only a tool to play games, chat, research and do HW. But after few lessons, I feel comfortable now. I think Diigo is a very comfortable tool bar, as well as a web site. We can bookmark, highlight and save what we thought very easily. Wiki is good as well because we can add to others and look what others think.

Not quite used to using computer for history classes so it’s pretty difficult-_-::Diigo is useful

I feel alright using wikis so far. It’s convenient and fast.

I think so.

Yes

1. The way we’re learning on our own as ‘learners’ not students/teacher is doing okay. Now that we’re learning in groups and using the internet for most of our homework, we have to work out problems on our own and learn from works of our classmates.
2. Diigo seems like a good way to keep track of our work and it is really useful when we are doing project research. But, in a way, for me, it seems like I’m doing more work to go through the work because I’m used to writing short notes on paper and writing it myself sometimes got it better saved in my memory.
3. The wikis are actually good when we’re doing group work. We can see each other’s work and fix things that people thought weren’t good enough.
4.

I think the Diigo toolbar will be able to help us throughout the semester greatly. In the past, it was actually very annoying when I had to take notes on a seperate sheet of paper while reading something online. Also, since you can make private notes and see it whenever you want to, it is very convenient.

Nothing special.Diigo is such a good toolbar.

Nothing special.

Yeah

I think the way we are doing in history is smooth and fluently going well..
It might take some time to get going with this site, but i think Diigo is very efficient. Taking notes on the computer and not have to site the page that i have to remember all the time. These things are all cool and fresh.
But i dont really get the project, writing diaries and what exactly we are trying to achieve. To understand? I hope our project has something more than i am thinking of..which is quite boring…We did this kind of project last year in eighth grade just doing it individually..
The level of the reading is fair. It is not easy but it is just the right level for us to understand.
I would not like to do the traditionl lectures..

- I think it’s better to learn more stuff in school then having more things to do by myself in home.
- So far, Diigo reach my expectation. I was able to look up notes that i made in school in my home.
- Wikis were okay when we could revise anytime we want. However, it might be a problem when it’s so empty when i first started wiki.

using computer and computer only….
I guess it’s nice and all but I kind of miss the way we did history before.
so I’m saying that using whiteboard wasn’t so bad!!!lolDiigo’s quite helpful..highlights, notes, bookmarks and all…
it helps reading…

wikis…I think it’s neat since this way we can get organized easily.

the readings I think…are at an pretty appropriate level.
better than the philosophy readings we did before for Renaissance.

but as I said before, I do miss the traditional lectures…
this way I can’t know for sure if what I know is absolutely correct…

MISS LECTURES,-__-lol it was FUN…

but as I said before, I do miss the traditional lectures…

this way I can’t know for sure if what I know is absolutely correct…

We’ll do traditional lecture ONE DAY at the end of the unit, before the test. You’ll have read and written about all this stuff, so you should have learned most of it–the important stuff, anyway (some of the little details are not that important to know in ninth grade!)–by the time I lecture.

That lecture will be filmed and posted on Google Video so you have it for final exam review time–instead of having to come all the way to school on Saturday night to do it all again!

Wow! I haven’t written in moodle for a looooong time.
1. We’re doing more stuff, working in a group, reading in class, and changing our names to learners than students. Those are the changes that happened in our history class. I like the way that we’re working as a group in learning about the French revolution. But the journals are individual work which is harder on me. I am not used to getting so much work in this class though. So much work these days!! But I like writing in wikis because it’s convenient and easy.
2. Diigo is so cool! I love the way I can highlight and stick a note.
3. I like wikis too! The wikis are easier to discuss and share ideas. It’s easier for me to put up my work too. It’s easier to organize my work in the wikis than writing it out on a paper.
4. I do miss the traditional lecture though..Your lectures were clear and included only major points that we needed to know. We were also able to ask you questions and sometimes have discussion in class about a topic that was unclear.
5. We are doing so many individual work these days. Can we do more group discussions? But I still like the way we do now!! big grin

4. I do miss the traditional lecture though..Your lectures were clear and included only major points that we needed to know. We were also able to ask you questions and sometimes have discussion in class about a topic that was unclear.See my reply to Sarah J!

Thanks~

What are your reactions so far to the changes in the way we’re doing history?- Just plain WOW. I am astonished by how I’m suddenly in such a new environment.

What do you think of Diigo?

- I think that Diigo is a very useful tool that help people organize the information that they have found, and most importantly, save a whole chunk o f time.

How do wikis feel so far?

- I’ve never used a wiki, so it feels a bit new and weird. But I’m already finding out how useful wikis are, so I’ll try hard to get used to them.

Are the readings at an appropriate level?

- Yeah! everything is clear and straight forward. I’m having no problems.

Do you miss traditional lectures instead of reading and asking questions on your own?

- No, not really. I like this new ‘digital’ class, and I don’t really miss the traditional lectures.

Anything else?

Nope. I love this class!

You’re my kind of student, JiYeon!

The changes we are doing in history is great idea, but,, there are too many people who are confused about using wiki.. (including me) We were just getting use to the moodle..The wiki is very confusing but i think i will be ok after couple of weeks.

The reading is not easy or difficult. the level is fine

NO, i kike asking questions and readin on my own, because lectures can easily bore the class

there are too many people who are confused about using wiki.. (including me) We were just getting use to the moodle..

We’ll learn it, Youngmin, by doing it. I’ll bet you money you learn it fast

I think that diigo so far is going well. i understand how to use it and is very helpful to me.
The wiki is okay for me. I am a little confused on what to do, with the writings and homework, but i would get used to it after more homework assignments.
I think that the reading level isnt really really hard, but just once in a while some words would pop up that i dont know, but i would just look the word up and keep on reading.
I think that all these changes in history class is better than last sesmesters.

1. I think what we are working as a group in history class is more educational than individual work. I like the changes because it is a new experience for me.2. I think Diigo is good because it checks spelling for you. Adding sticky notes and bookmarks will help you easier to organize pages you have been in internet.

3. Affirmative.

4. Negative.

5. Nothing else.

What are your reactions so far to the changes in the way we’re doing history?
- I don’t mind it, its better than having papers because I always lose them.
What do you think of Diigo?
- I like it. It’s useful because I can save my notes online
How do wikis feel so far?
- I’m still a bit confused but it’s better than when we first started to use them.
Are the readings at an appropriate level?
- Yes, they’re not hard
Do you miss traditional lectures instead of reading and asking questions on your own?
- sometimes. I don’t like that we have to do everything on our own now. I’d rather have the lectures.
Anything else?

What are your reactions so far to the changes in the way we’re doing history?

I sometimes get confused but i like the way we work as a group

What do you think of Diigo?

i like using diigo because it helps during the research for hw, and especially sticky notes

How do wikis feel so far?
i get confused when i cannt find where to upload my hw..

Are the readings at an appropriate level?

Do you miss traditional lectures instead of reading and asking questions on your own?

Anything else?

I think it’s good that we changed the way we’re learning history especially the wiki and the group work. I think it’s so much easier to do the homework on the wikis.Diigo is very useful because i can highlight, bookmark, and stickynote right on the web.

At first it was really complicated and did not really enjoy doing it the “new” way. But now I see things
Diigo was pretty cool in the beginning, then, it got a bit annoying since a window popped - up every time I highlight something.
At first wiki was really hard, but now it is a lot easier to use, and it is really organized!
I believe that the readings are appropriate for my level, sometimes I have to read it twice to get it.
I do not think I missed any of the lectures yet.
No, not really.

Diigo was pretty cool in the beginning, then, it got a bit annoying since a window popped - up every time I highlight something.

Go to your Diigo toolbar, click “Options” (the hammer icon), click “toolbar and menus” tab, then UNcheck the second box. That will disable the popup every time you highlight. You can also just right click when you highlight something and choose “disable.” You can turn Diigo on and off, in other words.

What are your reactions so far to the changes in the way we’re doing history?
- goodWhat do you think of Diigo?
- it is useful, but somewhat hard to use it sometimes

How do wikis feel so far?
- it’s cool to make one by myself

Are the readings at an appropriate level?
- yes

Do you miss traditional lectures instead of reading and asking questions on your own?
- some what yes

Anything else?
- I miss the teaching~

well at first using the moodle and other blogish things were quite complicated as i wasnt adjusted to using a blog and this is my first time. but as time past i got use to it and now i think using moodle and other blogs is a really good idea as we dont have to carry home tons of papers files or textbooks.for now i am having trouble with diigo as i find it quite complicated to use. i dont like to use it now becuase it takes me too long to do onne thing using diigo. i still prefer to print out readings and making my own highlights and notes, for me that is much more simple.

also for now i havent had any complications with the wiki and feel that it is a good idea. i think that the reading is alittle above my reading level and somtimes i have to re read a couple of times but i think it is okay. also i like the way of reading and asking questions by my self. i can feel indepedant and try to work out things on my own with some help from you ofcourse.

I have never used the computer to do most of my history assignments. It goes better than i expected.
I think Diigo is a very cool tool to annotate and give my opinions to what i think about whatever anything says on the internet.
The wikis are as cool as the Diigo.
The reading is at an appropriate level.
No, I like the way we are learning history now.

I think History has become more interesting and practical for me because we had to do speeches, debates and make wikipedia articles. History is not about learning facts and dates anymore.I think Diigo is very useful. Its clever how i can put booksmarks and highlight important information that can all be found on one page.

Wiki is very easy and writing the articles wasn’t complicated.

The readings do have some vocabularies that are hard, however, i think that way, its more challenging for us and we can improve on our vocab .

I don’t mind lectures because i am able to getall the information at once, but i can be more independent if i read and ask questions on my own.

- I like this way, i actually understand what im reading?
- i dont think i really like it… since i take notes on notepad while reading somthing… But i think its still useful if i use it correctly?
- wikis are cool i think? i think how u can change other ppls or help others is so cool…
- Im reading both the hard ones and the easy ones.. and i think im understanding the stories? answers yes
- NOPE~!

Nice start! I think Diigo is a very useful and practical tool to highlight important facts online and now I feel more comfortable with wikis. But it is difficult for me to finish assignments in one class. I wish we could get plenty of time to work on them and I hope it doesn’t get so heavy.

Personally I don’t really enjoy Diigo because since I’m new with it I’m really not comfortable with it. The way we’re doing history right now sometimes gives me hard time. I personally am not a good reader- and as we do are work based off reading, I often am not sure of what I’m reading and I end up doing my work just rephrasing the reading instead of understanding and writing on based on my knowledge. Reading and asking questions are good but sometimes I feel like I’m not sharing what I’m thinking or asking.

This one’s tough, Il-jee. I like that you’re having to struggle to improve your reading. We’ll all be monitoring and teaching each other on the wiki, and we WILL have one review lecture (and film and post it) at the end of the unit.

(It surprises me to hear you say you’re not a strong reader, because you’re a very good writer. And most writers are good because they’re good readers. Weird.)

But again, part of being a “learner” is…learning to do things you don’t do well. And reading is primary. I predict your reading will improve by doing all of this, and get easier faster over the next few months.

Keep communicating.

1.At first I was kind of confused and surprised at the same time. However, now I think it’s really cool.2.Diigo I think is a good program, when I was first introduced this program, I had no clue of it and didn’t understand the point of it. However, now, I know how to use the program and I think is a great program.

3.Wikis I think is a great program to show people from all over the world about the information you want to convey.

4. Yes, although there are some hard vocabularies, the reading is manageable.

5. No, I don’t miss the tradition lectures. I think they are boring. I think finding information by ourselves is more fun and beneficial.

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