The planning for our collaborative unit has begun very well. So far Stephen and I have exchanged a number of e-mails and have had one lengthy chat via the Blackboard collaboration tool. In the course of these discussions, we've defined our individual roles, established a topic, set mini deadlines, and constructed an overall skeleton of what the unit will ultimately look like.
Stephen will take on the role of media specialist, while I will serve as the classroom teacher. The subject we'll be addressing is middle school English, and we'll be specifically focusing on poetry. The aim of the unit is to have students research a specific poet of their choosing, read his/her poetry and interpret it, and try to write a poem in the style of that poet. The students will rely on the media specialist for training in the poet research and for training on the final assessment tool - an online video creation program called Animoto. Students will rely on the classroom teacher for instruction on poetry analysis and poetry writing. the teacher and media specialist will collaborate to find appropriate materials for the students and to help them create dynamic final products.
Thus far the e-mails and chats have been very productive. We move efficiently and seem to be operating on the same wavelength. Stephen has graciously taken on the role of media specialist, though he is currently and art teacher, and his willingness to do so has been helpful. Our recent chat was very productive, and resulted in us agreeing to meet regularly from here on out and to have mini deadlines for each coming meeting.
I have no significant concerns on the process thus far, other than some minor uncertainty as to the specific requirements of the final unit plan and its presentation. I am confident that in the coming weeks those concerns will be addressed though, and am positive that we'll be able to put together a high quality final product.
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