Where should we write?

Terri Johnson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:54:01 +0000

I have a confession.

Sometimes I do something in class…

Then I think, “that was stupid…”

The Before

I believe in science notebooking. I will always believe in science notebooking. Students need a place to articulate their thoughts. A place to create, to think, to reflect, to change, to grow… In science, notebooking is an excellent way to journal understanding of scientific principles.

In my class, we use a composition notebook.

These notebooks can house a plethora of jewels. You can see the beauty of a well thought out inquiry. Observations can be described, drawn, and labeled. Borders and colors can help form a blueprint to understanding. Ah, the simplicity in thoughts.

Lines of learning can be drawn. As the teacher, I can participate in the journey. I can scribble a comment or two along the way to guide, focus, or reroute thinking.

The science notebook… an intimate dialogue between the student and I or the student and themselves. Unfortunately, it takes time to comment in EVERY notebook.

The Between

In the not too distant past, I wanted students to look at the role of decomposers in an ecosystem. We looked at the top, middle and bottom layers of the pile of leaves. As any good science teacher would do, I had students describe their observations in their notebooks. They were to draw detailed pictures of each layer. To get a better look, we used Proscopes, a hand-held microscope, to magnify the surfaces of the leaves.

So, as I walked around my room, my students were watching, snapping photos (see below), drawing in their notebooks, snapping more pictures… snap… draw… snap… draw…

Click.

“What am I doing???”

Look at this fantabulous photograph? I see leaves in various forms of decomposition. There is a little white something growing in the middle. In the time it would take my students to DRAW one of these layers, they could have captured a MULTITUDE of layers using the digital photographs, and had the time to reflect and learn.

Actually, the students had the photographs. These were stored away on the classroom computers. I had just given them busy work to draw it in their science notebooks.

“…that was stupid…”

The Now

Today, I have initiated the shift. I’ve turned to a more digital form of notebooking. Conversations are stored in a Discussion forum in a private social network. We still have the inquiry, the reflection, and the learning. Now, I can provide feedback whenever I can get to a computer and an internet connection. Links can be included to guide students. Photos can be uploaded.

With the click of a button, students can shift their way of thinking.

Conversations can still be between me and the student. But, there is oh so much more! What about a wider audience? Now, our reflections can impact others. There are the other students in the classroom, the parents, the community members… And sometimes, the world!

My class is beginning the marriage between digital and manual notebooking. There will be times where the need will exist to physically write and reflect on paper. Other times, a virtual medium will be more appropriate.