NeoBooks

Resources and Notes: Presenter - Kristin Testerman
"NeoBooks" is the term the students came up with for the project in American Lit I. Using the Neoclassic writers (Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Paine), students created a myspace-looking page as if the writer lived today. The assignment was to make the page reflect the individual's personal style and ideals during the Neoclassic/Age of Reason. Students created the page using a variety of programs-basically whatever they were most comfortable using. The choices were: Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft WORD, NVU, wikis, or web design programs. Next year after seeing how things were done, I'll probably invite them to their own wikis (on Moodle, I think) to make their page. Here are some examples of the various types the students created: [|Franklin.docx] Luke H's NeoBook [|Patrick_Henry_Sara_Sharkey_pd3.doc] Sarah S.'s NeoBook Liesl N and Eric W's NeoBook [|BennyFrank_Chubb.pub] - NeoBook: Zac C and Dan L's [|NeoBook:C. Smyth]

This is the rubric I used for the project. I had them present the NeoBook on the IWB and then just used a highlighter where applicable. Some things overlapped and then I just used my better judgment to decide the grade. [|NEOBOOK RUBRIC2.doc]

After the assignment was completed I asked many students their feedback on it and I received lots of positive comments. Many said that they thought it was easy because it was "what they knew" and they were "on the computer all night anyway, I might as well be doing work on it." Some students thought it was very time-consuming but after much prodding it was only because they really WANTED to work on this one and spent more on it than other assignments in the past.

I will most certainly do this again next year with a few minor adjustments.

NeoBooks Session Blog: · My space/face book rendition · Can use publisher/word/wikispaces/moodle, etc. · Teacher provided the layout for student projects in partners · Make it look like my space or face book · Includes links to other pages… blogs… text…pictures · Teacher provided project guidelines and examples · Students had a lot of fun creating these spaces · Students know how to blog and use IM language and were given parameters to use them · Teacher provided a rubric (see wikispace) · Students made the site on their own and presented to class on the whiteboard · Teacher graded as students presented · Some students who did nothing in class, spent hours and hours online working on this project just because he could do this online · Blogs that were used, had to be researched and have citations (didn’t have to list on site though) · Some pictures allowed for captures and comments · All pages in the project were linked together · The research came to life in the blogs · Students also included music and sound files