Reading in the 21st CenturyLike some many other aspects of our 21st Century lives, technology is changing how we experience and communicate our most essential and enduring ideas. Five hundred years ago, the Gutenberg Press increased people's access to books and, thereby, cast light on the darkness of the Middle Ages. And now we, too, are in a Renaissance--a digital one.
Whether we like it or not, we live in an increasingly digitized world, one in which phones and tablets are elbowing aside our beloved books as they force their way to the front of the stage. We can hardly stop technology's momentum, especially as more students and classrooms gain access to digital reading platforms and high-stakes testing, like the SBAC, depend entirely on digital platforms.
So what's a teacher to do? Although research is still emerging , indications confirm what most Internet readers already know from first-hand experience: Online reading discourages deep immersion in a text in favor of casual skimming, the exact antithesis of what the Common Core demands of our students. It's in this online environment that Genius rises above the latest ed-tech buzz. More than a tool to engage students and improve teachers' assessment and feedback, Genius actually teaches the skills of the Common Core by inviting students to read deeply and think critically in a virtual environment that mimics the strengths of print text while integrating the strengths of the digital world.Genius as a Digital Reading ToolSetting up an AccountBegin by creating a standard Genius account. Then email the Education Genius team to request an educator's account that will allow you to create semi-private class pages, monitor students' work, use tags to organize classes and assignments, and more. Once your educator's account is approved, explore "A Teacher's Guide to Genius," for more information for making Genius work in your classroom.Annotation BasicsTypes of AnnotationsGenius is a multimedia platform that enables users to annotate works using text, images, videos, or hyperlinks. Although many teachers create their own specific requirements for different types of annotations (e.g. all annotations require images, or all images/videos must include captions discussing their relevance), the Genius team has prepared a set of Contributor Guidelines for all of its site's users.Annotation ContentThe types of annotations that students create will vary based on the style of assignment and a teacher's preferences, but typical annotations include:Definitions of unfamiliar or highly technical words or concepts that can't be defined through context cluesBackground information (i.e. historical, biographical, scientific) that can improve a reader's understanding of the textInterpretations of the author's message or purposeCommentary on the author's credibility, bias, ideas, or styleAnalysis of literary or rhetorical elements and their contribution to the author's messageConnections between the text and literature, history, science, or pop cultureFormatting AnnotationsGenius uses a augmented form of markdown standard to format annotations and texts, but don't let that intimidate you! The Genius's Basic Formatting Guide provides instructions and examples for formatting everything from texts to videos.Your Task:Experiment with Genius annotations by adding text, images, videos, and/or hyperlinks to a class page (semi-private) of Madonna's "Material Girl." Once you are comfortable with Genius annotations, locate a song on the public platform that could serve as an anthem to your high school experience. Then annotate like a pro!Using Social Media ElementsNot only does Genius capitalize on the collaborative nature of social media by enabling its users to interact through texts as they critique and build upon each others' annotations, but it also offers IQ points and rankings that recognize high quality annotations and top contributors to specific texts.Genius IQUsers earn Genius IQ, and increased user functions, as they interact with the Genius platform. In addition to serving as a possible grading method (see "Feedback and Assessment" below), Genius IQ is an effective motivator--and many students even post their achievements on Facebook and Twitter.ReplyThis function enables users to critique a specific annotation by suggesting improvements, raising questions, or responding to ideas. When used like Facebook's Comment button, Reply can lead to dynamic, thoughtful conversations between students about the text. Many teachers also use this function as a response box for teacher-created questions.Up/Down VoteLike Facebook's Like button, Genius enables users to Up Vote or Down Vote specific annotations. This is a quick way for students (and teachers) to express their appreciation for others' ideas--and another way students' can earn Genius IQ.ShareOf course, Genius users can link their annotation activity to their Facebook or Twitter accounts through their profile settings, but users who haven't selected this option can still post individual annotations to their social media accounts using the Share button.Suggest an Improvement or CorrectionBeneath the text on each Genius page is a suggestion box that can be used to initiate conversation about a text as a whole. This box can also work well for student reflections on the text or their learning, or it can be used to provide feedback on Genius-based project pages.MessageGenius also enables personal messaging to specific users, allowing students to direct message questions to their teacher or enabling teachers to provide private feedback to specific students.Connecting With StudentsStudents can locate your their Genius assignments using the search bar, as long as they know the exact title of the assignment.
However, the simplest way to connect students with your assignments is to use the "Follow" button. Students can follow you as a user, or they can follow a specific page you've created with links to their assignment pages (think of it as a table of contents for the course)--even better, they can do both.
Students should begin by locating your user name, using the search bar at the top of the page. Once they've located you, they will select "Follow," which will update them anytime you've added content to the site. More importantly, you can Pyong any page--including an assignment page you've just created--to all of your followers. When students log-in to their accounts, they'll see your page at the top of their Pyong list.
If you have multiple courses on the site, you may wish to have students "Follow" a specific page that you've created for each course. Each time you add new content to the page, students will receive an update in their activity list. Although less graceful than using the Pyong function for your followers, this strategy can prevent students from confusing their assignments with those from a different course--an issue that may arise if students complete their Genius assignments at home without teacher guidance.
Most importantly, you must follow all of your own students! This will enable you to easily provide feedback and assess students' work. Fortunately, if students are following your user name, you can click on your list of followers and easily follow each student.
Once you've become more familiar with the Genius platform, you can begin using its tagging function to organize assignments and course homepages. (Note: This function will be discussed in detail during the advanced Writing Genius workshop).Creating PagesBoth standard users and educators can create new pages for annotation, using the simple "Create" button.Page ContentThe options for page content on Genius are as varied as the options for annotations. Some teachers ask students to annotate complete novels, while others require students to synthesize excerpts from various sources and demonstrate their understanding of their readings through annotations. Some teachers create lecture notes with dynamic content, and require students to respond to comprehension and analysis questions in their annotations. Others use Genius as a classroom management system, complete with daily bell-ringers and student blogs. And some teachers post assignments with nothing but images for students to analyze. The possibilities are endless! See "Becoming a Genius Educator" below for samples of selected teachers' work from the past academic year.Formatting PagesFormatting pages differs just slightly from formatting annotations. Fortunately, the Basic Formatting Guide includes instructions and examples for both.Feedback & AssessmentLeaving feedback or assessing work on a digital platform instead of paper can seem daunting, but Genius provides some built-in features to ease this process.FeedbackOnce you've been approved as a Genius Educator, you will have the option to approve, delete, edit, or provide feedback on any annotation. Approve and Delete directly impact a student's Genius IQ, whereas Edit and Provide Feedback enable teachers to correct annotations and provide direct instruction to individual students. As with any new skill, students will require more feedback as new users, so teachers often use a combination of Provide Feedback and model annotations during early instruction.
In addition to Approve and Delete, teachers' Up Vote and Down Vote directly impact students' Genius IQ. These buttons can be used to reward high quality work and discourage laziness or inappropriate annotations.AssessmentSince students' Genius IQ reflects the frequency and quality of their annotations, many teachers use the Genius IQ leaderboards for a specific page to assess students on a bell curve.
Alternatively, teachers can access individual students' annotation summaries and assign credit based on the number of annotations completed or assess students' annotations holistically using a scaled score.Become a Genius EducatorThe number of educators on Genius is growing exponentially, and many teachers are eager to share ideas and answer questions on the Genius Educator Forum. For inspiration, take a look at sample assignments and lesson plans, many of which are the "genius" of frequent forum contributors.
Other Mrs. Becker songs:
all Mrs. Becker songs all songs from 2014