Erica+T.+&+Lanette+F.

Do you have any ESL kids yet?

9/17/10 No. My class is pretty even across the board. I was doing a little bit of reading this week and I came across an article that discussed using flip cameras as a way of self reflection, kind of like a video confessional. I would love to try and see if we could implement this into our writing goal. I was thinking that we could use a few kids that don't enjoy written reflections and try and motivate them to reflect using a camera that would record just them talking about their process with writing and how they feel they are as a writing and more specifically, that story. What are your thoughts?

9/20/10 Love that idea! I think for the ages of our students and how they still struggle as writers that would work very well. Again, we wouldn't necessarily have to use it for every child but maybe with a small handful. So lets think about our question. "How can we use flip cameras to help our students self reflect independently to improve the writing process?"

"How can using a flip camera to record students self reflections/evaluations deepen their understanding of their writing process?" From Hiller: I like this idea! What specifically are you having students reflect on and evaluate? After they record themselves, what are the next steps? How will you assess if this process help students understand the writing process?

Also, at least for me in my classroom I have a lot of low students such as EC and ESL students that this may take the place of a written reflection that would be very challenging for them.

Process: Compare written self reflection to video confessional

Hypothesis: Video confessional will reflect in deepen their writing metacognition because they are talking aloud and listening to themselves.

10/3/10 Did you have an opportunity to let you students use flip cameras this week at school? I had 3 students use them but I haven't sat down to listen and analyze what they said yet. My plan is to watch and take notes of their videos tomorrow.

10/5 So I'm having trouble getting the one camera at our school. Another teacher is in the middle of a project and she said she would get it to me this week. I'm curious to know how your's went.

10/7 Mine went okay. I'm getting ready to analysis how my 3 video tapings went and compare them to their written reflection. I'm hoping to gain a little insight.

10/8 We need to answer these questions by Sunday. Please post your thoughts to each section as I will do the same. Erica

Your compelling question: "How can using a flip camera to record students self reflections/evaluations deepen their understanding of the writing process?"

Proposed resources you will use 2nd grade writing rubric Flip Camera Classroom reflection log for writers' workshop 3rd grade writing rubric

Possible lesson ideas. Once students have finished a writing piece and published, they need to fill in a writing self reflection log. The log has each of the writing skills that we have been working on that quarter. Students will assess where they feel their writing is. Once they have their written reflection, they are allowed to check out the flip camera and discuss their writing orally. After both reflection pieces are completed, the student will conference with me. Together we will look at their written reflection and watch their flip camera reflection. My hope is that students will be more likely to expand on their personal feelings on the flip camera as opposed to the written reflection since the written reflection is more strict and focused. I would like to utilize these reflections together to help propel my students to think more retrospectively when they are independently writing. They know the areas that they should be focusing more attention on...but will they when they write independently? This is what I was thinking too, other than doing a lesson on the use of the flip cameras and how we want them to use them for reflection. And since my students are in third grade I will expect that do not just read what they wrote on their written reflection but also really critically evaluate how they are doing. This will be a lesson I will be modeling and demonstrating for them. Where will the ILP be implemented? Provide some information about the context in which you will conduct the project. I will conduct my piece of the ILP with my second grade students. We are currently tracked out until the end of October however I was able to have several students create their first flip camera reflection. I plan on analyzing these reflections to their written reflections to makes connections or comparisons ﻿  I will be conducting my piece of the project with my third graders until November/December. I am currently having difficulties obtaining the one flip camera we have our school and getting it to work properly. If I cannot get reliable access to it by the beginning of the week, I will have to ask Hiller if I can borrow one of hers. I hope that by creating these digital reflections, students and myself will be able to look back and see the written, oral speaking and self-evaluation progress they have made. 10/17 (Lanette) We need to answer these questions in regards to our ILP:  Our target age group is second and third graders-ages are from 7-9 years old.
 * ﻿What is your target age group?


 * What NCSCOS learning objectives will your ILP address?

Objective 4.04Use oral communication to identify, organize, and analyze information. Objective 4.07Compose first drafts using an appropriate writing process:
 * planning and drafting.
 * rereading for meaning.
 * revising to clarify and refine writing with guided discussion.

Objective 4.09Use media and technology to enhance the presentation of information to an audience for a specific purpose.

4.06 Compose a draft that conveys major ideas and maintains focus on the topic by using preliminary plans.

4.08 Focus reflection and revision (with assistance) on target elements by: 4.09 Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal narrative, short report, friendly letter, directions and instructions). 4.10 Explore technology as a tool to create a written product.
 * clarifying ideas.
 * adding descriptive words and phrases.
 * sequencing events and ideas.
 * combining short, related sentences.
 * strengthening word choice.

We have both already begun implementing our ILP and plan to be completing it by the middle of November. <span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">We need regular access to one or more flip cameras.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What is your timeline for implementing and completing your ILP?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What materials and resources do you need to be successful?

10/25/10 Video: Animoto, imovie,Movie Maker??

4-5 minutes Intro. Body Conclusion

(What content are we focusing on?)
 * Images || Audio ||
 * Video Clip

Sill images || Music || I think imovie would be the easiest way for us to show our video. What do you think?

10/31/10 I agree that imovie would be the easiest. We just need to figure out what we are going to do.

10/31/10 I've been having my students take the camera in hand and focus on their story. They have been guiding me through their stories to show me all the elements on the rubric. This idea has worked much better then having the kids look into the camera and discuss. So, I think I'm going to refocus my class on showing me all the parts of the rubric within their writing. For example: Long and short sentences...students will show me examples on camera of where they completed this part of the rubric. Edited: Students are going to show me their "sloppy copy" and where they crossed out misspelled words and corrected them with the dictionary.

New Question: How can students use a flip camera to display all the elements of the writing process?

Lanette: We don't have class the next 2 weeks. We really need to talk online through the wiki about how we are going to display our final work to the class. I posted a week ago some ideas but I need your input. I have a Mac at home that I think would be the easiest way to display our final product. We can create an imovie to show some of our clips from our videos and some of our findings about the project. The only problem is that you would need to come to my house to work on it with me. If I create the imovie at home, I have no way to save the movie to work on it during class time. I spoke to Hiller last Monday, and she doesn't think that I'd be able to save the starts of an imovie to a flash drive and then bring it up on one of her Mac laptops during class. Do you have a Mac Laptop?

10/31/10 I love your idea of having them focus on the rubric. I have my students use the rubric I will be grading them on as they are reflecting and they give themself a score and explain why. Then they talk about what they need to improve (using the rubric) to make their writing better. So, I've just been focusing on using the flip camera for reflection, but not specifically for "displaying all the elements of the writing process". Let's talk about this when we meet. I don't have a Mac Laptop but could we use Movie Maker instead? That way we could work on it at school and home if necessary and it wouldn't be a problem when we show it.

11/2/2010