Digital Writing Reflection

What did you learn about yourself as a writer?
I remembered how frustrating it is for me to write academically. I am somewhat of a perfectionist, and writing is not my strongest area. I occasionally have to write essays for my other courses, but not usually as often as we have in this class. This is not a bad thing at all, as it has given me a chance to practice often and improve my writing. This class has reminded me why I do not write very often, and why I should write more.

What did you learn about digital writing or being a member of a digital writing community?
I learned that creating a blog is actually really easy to do! Before this class, I had never made one. I really like that it is public and anyone online can read it. Keeping a blog is a great way to practice writing, and reading other people's blogs is a great way to get ideas and learn new things.

What lessons can you take to your classroom or share with future teachers about integrating blogging into instruction?
I think all teachers should know how easy a blog is to make. Having students keep a weekly blog is a great way for students to share and publish their writing, as well as to help them build writing habits. It is also an easy assignment to give with little prep work for the teacher. The teacher can assign them a prompt or an open post, and just give a minimum word or sentence count. And it saves paper!

Challenges/Successes?
Really, my biggest challenge was finding the time to write the blog posts in my currently hectic schedule. I enjoyed the open posts, since I could write about what I am interested in, while the other posts were more challenging since they often involved outside research (such as learning a new form of technology to write about) in addition to writing the blog post itself. Another challenging aspect was writing about reading, writing, and teaching, which are all not my best subjects.

I consider it a success that I have completed all of the blog posts for this course! I also really liked creating the word cloud for the technology blog post. That is one more thing I can take away from this class that I can use in many other areas of school/work.


Overall, I found writing the blog posts somewhat difficult for me, but looking back on all that I have written this semester is very rewarding. The blog posts were easily my favorite assignments of the course. I especially liked that they were different each week, ranging from open posts, to tech-related posts, to Wordless Wednesdays. I hope my other classes in the future utilize blog posts as course assignments as well.

Professional Book Overview

The professional book that I read for this class was Teaching Arguments by Jennifer Fletcher. This was a great book for not only teaching me argumentative writing (since my background is not in writing) but also giving great ideas for how to teach the content to students.

I thought the author was both realistic about schools and what students can accomplish and an overwhelming sense of optimism about student potential. She explained complex rhetorical ideas in ways that students can easily understand.

The last chapter was easily my favorite, and could have been a book of its own. The chapter, titled "Aristotle's Guide to Becoming a Good Student" took a hard turn from the strategies and methods discussed in the former chapters, and jumped into the motivations and struggles of students as writers and life-long learners. After the author spent 6 chapters explaining argumentative writing and how to teach it, she then discusses how getting struggling students into "academic flow" is critical for improving students' writing. It focused on students' self-perception and confidence, as well as general teaching techniques such as modeling, mentoring, and imitation.

My favorite aspect that was apparent throughout the entirety of the book was the personal experience the author included. She used her years of teaching and researching to not only keep the book readable and personable, but demonstrate the methods as realistic and attainable.

This book would be invaluable to language arts teachers, and--at the very least, chapter seven--could be beneficial to teachers in any subject area. Not being a reading or writing major, I personally enjoyed reading it more than I thought I would. There was plenty that I saw could be applicable in a mathematics class, or any other subject area for that matter. I am quite happy to add this book to my small but slowly growing personal collection of nonfiction books.

My Favorite People

 

Tech Creation

For this week I played around with WordItOut.com to make a word cloud. I have never made one before, and it was really simple to make! I think I spent way too much time on it trying to get the right words and get the perfect font/colors, but I think it turned out great. I have a passion for learning foreign languages, so I make my word cloud about learning languages.

I did not realize how easy websites make it to create fun, interesting things like this! It makes me very excited to try other programs and see what else my very-not-tech-savvy-self can create.

Tech Exploration

My Tech Life

I use technology to the fullest in learning, and I use it to the laziest in being lazy.

For learning Korean, I use Memrise, which is a website for learning and studying vocabulary for foreign languages. For learning difficult concepts in my classes, I use YouTube videos and lecture videos. To get practice typing, I use typing games online (I used one for learning to type Korean on a standard keyboard, I used one to practice typing numbers quickly on the number pad since I work in accounting and type numbers all day, and now I use one to learn to type so I can break my habit of hunt-and-pecking). I use the apps on my phone to stream podcasts and I play an accounting game that helps me learn how to use debits and credits.

In my free time, however, I waste a good amount of time on Netflix, Facebook, iFunny, and IWasteSoMuchTime.com (yes, that is a real website), browsing the ocean of nothingness that is cat videos and memes.

I think most teachers are less tech-savvy than me (most use Facebook, but don't really know what a meme is) and most student are more hip than me (most use snapchat and instagram and all of the other social-media/meme-based apps that I am not aware of).

Tech Tools to Enhance Student Learning

I love the EdPuzzle program! This is a great way to make a video interactive and interesting. Stopping periodically to ask questions is a fantastic way for students to reflect on and process what they just learned. Giving the choice to stop as often as they want also lets student move as quickly as they are able or to take it as slow as they need to. EdPuzzle also makes it easy for teachers to use the program how they want. It is also beneficial to teachers when it comes to evaluating how much students have gotten done and determine what more work needs to be done.

Authentic Tasks for Students

I think it is important to have students write digitally since that is the preferred method of assignment submission in high school and college. Students need to develop typing skills and learn how to utilize the advantages that word processors have over pencil and paper.

StoryBird is my favorite in the list! I have been interested in art my whole life, and I think most people love books with pictures, whether it be novels, nonfiction books, or class textbooks. I think this is a great way to make writing a story fun, and get students to share their stories and read each others work.

What Lies Ahead?

One of the things I have noticed about technology or learning is that it can be used to make learning easier and more fun, or it can be used as a crutch, and can hold students back. Because every student has a calculator in their pocket, many do not build the proper level of fluency with their times table. As a math tutor and substitute teacher, I made sure to never let my students know about certain math tools such as Wolfram Alpha or Photomath, since these applications can be used to instantly solve problems for them. And that would be the last day any of the students would spend time working their homework problems out.

This can also apply to English, in writing essays. Some teachers use websites to check for plagiarism in essays. However, students can use these websites to copy an essay, tweak it, and check for plagiarism again and again until they have changed it just enough for the website to not recognize the essay as plagiarized anymore.

I am excited for the new tools that come out for teaching and learning every day. I personally use Memrise for my own language learning and believe it has kept me learning long after I would have become frustrated using flashcards or other low-tech methods and given up. I also love the myriad of educational videos on websites such as KhanAcademy or even YouTube that has made learning the content of my college classes far more bearable. I think it is incredibly important for teachers to instill a love of learning into students so that they turn to technology to help them learn, and not to try to cheat through their work.

Choose Your Tools Wisely

Teachers need to be aware of the abilities of new programs and technologies, in order to meet higher order needs. Some websites may only reach a level of remembering or understanding, but not give the opportunity to develop skills in evaluating and creating. A technological tool may take a lesson to the next hierarchical level, or bring the lesson down and make it too easy.

What Next?

I think EdPuzzle would be a great tool to learn to use as a teacher. It's interactive, allows individuality for how student use it, and teachers can use it with whatever videos they want to teach any lesson for that week.

K-Pop

I have a friend who loves K-Pop (Korean pop music). In high school, she used to play it everywhere we went. In the mall, in the car, at the amusement park, and in the student center at school. I had never heard K-Pop before, and I didn't mind it. So she played it all the time. And after listening to it so much, she got me addicted to it.

Nowadays, everywhere we go, we sing K-Pop songs ("Dashi Run, Run, Run!" or "Wow! Fantastic Baby" or "Kno-Kno-Kno-Kno-Knock on My Door"). Our favorites are:

 "쩔어 (Dope)" by BTS

"Knock" by TWICE

and "꺼내 먹어요 (Eat)" by Zion.T

Now I am trying to learn Korean in my free time. When I first started, I was intimidated by the different characters of a whole new alphabet. Luckily, I found the infographic below, and with just an hour or so of practicing, I learned to read and write the whole Korean alphabet. I learned how to write my name in Korean in only 15 minutes! Katie is 케이티 (Keh-Ee-Tee).

My favorite thing about K-Pop is how well the songs lend themselves to Korean-learners. Most of the songs have English phrases, usually in the chorus, which makes them fun to sing along to even if you are a complete beginner.

The lyrics are often pretty simple, and are about basic topics, like school, work, and love. That means if you learn a phrase like, "I love you," "I miss you," or "You are the best," you will hear them in K-Pop songs often, and they will be easier to remember.

To practice writing, I write short posts on a website called Lang-8. You post in the language you are trying to learn, and native speakers correct it for you. To repay them back, you correct what they write in your native language. For example, I wrote this post about diet and exercise, and three Koreans wrote corrections for me.

But my favorite language-learning website is TalkToMeInKorean.com. They have beginner level grammar lessons, available as MP3 podcasts or PDF files. To practice my listening skills, I listen to Iyagi episodes on TalkToMeInKorean.com, which are intermediate level conversations about simple topics, like riding the bus, cooking, or exercise. I stream them from my phone in the car when commuting to work and back.

Nowadays my friend and I are both trying to learn Korean, and we practice speaking Korean whenever we hang out. Since my friend is a full-time student and I have a full time job, we don't have much time to study and practice. And it is a good thing our love of the Korean language stemmed from K-Pop, because we can practice a little bit every time we listen to K-Pop.

I am curious if anyone else was inspired to learn a language through music? Or if anyone else uses music to practice learning a foreign language? I also challenging anyone who reads this to check out the Learn to Read Korean in 15 Minutes infographic and try writing your name in Korean!

Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

Nonviolent communication is something that has made my life so much easier and my friendships so much more meaningful. I am so excited to share this with my fellow students and our professor!

NVC - What is it?
Nonviolent communication is a conflict-resolution and communication process created by Marshall Rosenberg. It involves thinking about conflicts in two general aspects: Feelings and needs. If there is a conflict, we can solve it by first identifying what we are feeling and what needs are not being met that are causing that feeling. Marshall Rosenberg’s process is part of the larger practice of nonviolence that was used and endorsed by Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

Nonviolent communication is choosing not to use violence in speaking with others. The violence, in this case, is judgement and harsh words. This extends across all cases and scenarios, even with people whom most would consider cruel, horrible people, like rapists or murderers. The concept is that violence only breeds more violence, and to change others behavior, we must first understand them, empathize with them, and help them.

Why do we do it?
Nonviolent communication can be incredibly powerful for conflicts with friends, family, and coworkers. Additionally, it can encourage those in power to understand our needs, embrace our ideas, and change their positions and ideals.

How do you do it?
People need all their needs to be met or need sufficient empathy to fully hear the requests of others. We appreciate when others show they understand our worries and can empathize with us. We are then more likely to do things to help them just because we want to. Conversely, when we are busy, anxious, or stressed, we sometimes shut down or become unreasonable when someone asks something of us. Especially if that person is openly showing judgement. Coming into a conversation believing that what the other person is doing is wrong is the best way to guarantee they keep doing it.

Come to conflicts by first understanding your own feelings and needs:

• Are you feeling anxious because you need to get your work done today?
• Are you feeling sad because you are needing companionship?

Give yourself empathy by understanding that those feelings are normal and those needs are legitimate.

Then guess and ask the other person what their feelings and needs are:

• "Are you feeling tired and irritated because you are needing rest?"
• "Are you feeling frustrated because you are needing choice and autonomy?"

The other person will either tell you no, and you can take another guess, or they will usually tell you exactly what they are feeling. Then show that you want to empathize with them:

• “So you are feeling stressed because you need to do well on your test? I can understand that, that is a really important exam. I want you to do well on your test as well. I would love to help you accomplish that while meeting my needs as well.”

Then tell them what your feelings and needs are.

Finally, you can try to come up with a resolution that will meet both of your needs. It is vital you go through all of these steps first, or the other person may not understand that you are truly trying to empathize with them and get their needs met. They may think you are just trying to get what you want.

Important Notes:

• Be careful not to use "feelings" ending in -ed. These are usually not feelings. ("I am feeling abused" does not say how you are feeling; it says what you think the other person is doing. A more correct statement would be "I am feeling hurt because I need respect and safety.") See the list of feelings for help.
• Be careful not to use wants instead of needs. This is especially obvious if it involves a particular person. ("I am needing your companionship" is not a need, it is a want. Companionship is a need, but it does not have to be with that person.) See the list of needs for help.
• If you are finding yourself coming to the conversation with strong emotions, take a moment and go back to step 1. You need to empathize with yourself and get your emotional needs met before you can properly communicate with another person about the conflict.

How can it help teachers?
This is a great tool to teach students, since it will be beneficial in every conflict, all the way to the end of the year/semester. It will teach students empathy and how to solve their own conflicts with other students (i.e. They will not have to even bother the teacher!) It is also a great strategy to use for self-relaxation and de-stressing when dealing with parents and administration. (Note that the technique of sharing feelings and needs is not always appropriate in certain work/political settings, so that communication may not always be possible with parents and administrators. It can still, however, help with your own emotional needs.)

There are even entire schools that utilize this technique. All of the staff practices the technique, students are taught it in school, and the parents are educated in it as well.

I believe this way of thinking is especially fitting for schools. Educators work under the assumption that all students can learn and are worth teaching. All students, even the most rambunctious, misbehaved, and rude child, can change and can succeed in the school system. I think this method is very important to helping teachers reach those students and help them succeed.

How can I learn more?
Watch this short intro video made by Brian Johnson: Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg
Get Marshall Rosenberg's book: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
Check out NVC books for Educators: NVC in the Classroom
Jump into it and watch Rosenberg's 3-hour workshop on NVC Basics: NVC Marshall Rosenberg - San Francisco Workshop


There is so much more to learn beyond what I introduced today! Such as, why the four emotions of anger, guilt, shame, and depression are a result of unnatural thought patterns, and not just needs not being met? Or why Rosenberg says "There are no such things as harsh words or judgement"? His workshop goes into these and more enlightening ideas of NVC. I hope you guys check it out sometime!