checking for deep learning in affinity spaces - grades prek-12
DESCRIPTION
Participants will explore the use of social media as a way to engage students in a participatory culture. These participatory cultures are relatively known as Affinity Spaces. The presenter will demonstrate ways to create a virtual jigsaw as a method to analyze and summarize narrative materials. The focus for this mini session is to learn how to use a back channel as a method to deep read large amounts of materials in less time with greater participant comprehension and involvement. At the end of the session participants will have learned how to setup a simulated social network using "Today's Meet" and "Google Forms"TRANSCRIPT
The Virtual Jigsaw
A Lesson in Affinity Spaces
Today's Presenters• Jesse West • Mike King
Follow me on Twitter@digitalsandbox1
Follow me on Twitter@jrwest82
Today’s Digital Tools1. Demonstration of SlideShark Presentation Tool
2. Simulation of TodaysMeet Group Collaboration
3. Demonstration of Google Forms Online Assignments
Common Core Standards• The new standards require that students read
more challenging texts and engage in close reading lessons, which rereading is a feature to literacy.
• The shift toward complex text requires practice, support through purposeful close reading.
• The complexity of a text is determined by a number of factors, including syntax and vocabulary.
About the Lesson
Using close reading strategies in a digital environment
Purpose of Lesson
• to engage the learner in the use of close reading strategies
• to create a participatory classroom learning environment.
• to use social media as a way to engage students in a participatory culture.
• The virtual jigsaw strategy is a method to use when presenting or analyzing narrative materials
• A teacher can cover large amounts of material in less time with greater participant comprehension and involvement.
• The method requires each person in the group to read a different section of the content.
The Virtual Jigsaw
Learning Tools Are Changing
• Prior to the Virtual Jigsaw the teacher should provide a short overview of the author’s purpose.
Provide Background Knowledge
• Students will need to know that they are to carefully and purposefully reread the text they are assigned.
• They will need to really focus on what the author has to say, what the author’s purpose was, what the words mean, and what the structure of the text tells them.
What students will need to know
Lesson SimulationHow to use TodaysMeet as a Virtual Jigsaw
What is a Metaphor?• is "a figure of speech containing an implied
comparison in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing as applied to another.
• EXAMPLES• Broken heart• The light of my life
Time to
• Please number off 1 to 4• On your iPad open your e-mail and select the
email under the subject heading “Virtual Jigsaw”
• http://epubgeneration.weebly.com/virtual-jigsaw.html
Virtual Jigsaw & Close Reading• Each participant is assigned the section that
corresponds to his/her number.
• Each participant has 5 minutes to deep read his/her assigned section.
• After reading, each participant will post their comments on the backchannel according to the underlying pre-defined questions associated with the article or just by sharing their posted thoughts.
• You are limited to 140 characters in a response.
Whole Class Discussion
• What is being compared? • Why is the comparison effective? • What symbols are present? • Why did the author choose these symbols?
Group discussion by using specific questions that are designed to enhance imagery.
Follow Up Individual Activity• Write a one paragraph narrative based on the
responses provided on the backchannel and your readings.
• The goal is for you to take what you have learned from the text and apply it to your writing.
• Submit your writing sample to the open question box on
A backchannel is a location for all the background comments, questions and noise that are a part or not a part of the lesson/presentation.
What is a Backchannel?
Checking for Understanding
Answer questions and give help, hints, and ideas about the assignment on the todaysmeet page.
While working on an assignment have students ask all questions and comments on the todaysmeet page.
