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Anyone know how to enter homework every day more easily and w/formatting
Perhaps as as a database? Template? I am using V1. V2 is at least two months in the future.
It takes a long time to type the new homework for the fifth graders into the top of the ever-growng "Homework page". To make it more clear I like to lay it out as an outline using bullets and indenting. I want the fifth graders to do this every afternoon, not me; they are slow and uncertain keyboarders, so re-typing "Math" "Reading" etc. will bog down the process.
What are the rest of you doing when you have to enter structured information every day? If I make a template some of the kids will change too many type elements, despite all I can do to train them (There isn't a lot of time for practice like this...)
In addition, I'd like to be able to pull up an assignment from a while back.
Any thoughts?
It takes a long time to type the new homework for the fifth graders into the top of the ever-growng "Homework page". To make it more clear I like to lay it out as an outline using bullets and indenting. I want the fifth graders to do this every afternoon, not me; they are slow and uncertain keyboarders, so re-typing "Math" "Reading" etc. will bog down the process.
What are the rest of you doing when you have to enter structured information every day? If I make a template some of the kids will change too many type elements, despite all I can do to train them (There isn't a lot of time for practice like this...)
In addition, I'd like to be able to pull up an assignment from a while back.
Any thoughts?
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Inappropriate?Hey Jonathan! If you create the page outline and tag it as a template, you can use it in the future. When you go to create a new page, you'll have the option to use this homework outline from the list of available templates. This means you won't have to keep retyping the outline. Your students can also use this template to respond.
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Inappropriate?Rachel,
Thank you. Further thoughts: I said I was leery about template solution because I have to train everyone (all students cycle through this "job") but perhaps there is no other solution, so tell me if I have the tasks listed and ordered correctly below:
1. I create (one time) a new "Homework Listing" page as a directory for finding assignments old and new
2. at the end of each day, a student navigates to the Homework Listing page
3. Click Create New Page
4. Find the link at the bottom of the page to call existing templates
2. Call the right template
3. Type the homework (same in all scenarios,, of course, unless there is a pick list I can create for the recurring items, like the almost everyday reading assignment... that's an idea...)
4. Link to a "Homework Listing" page through the link button creating a link name that includes the date. (How will these sort themselves on the Listing page, BTW? In time order? I bet it's just text... Can I arrange to have today's date in the link string? Reliably by the hand of a ten-year-old...?)
I may have too high a target or just am too scared (lazy?) to do the necessary training. Is it a worthwhile goal to have them do this? These are not pbwiki issues, of course. I am trying to stimulate teacher discussion and shared experiences having fifth graders learn pbwiki methods. I feel that many don't have the time to go to the educator wiki although I will raise the issue there too. -
Inappropriate?Hi Jonathan,
Quick question - will each of your students create new pages for each homework assignment?
If so I believe the template approach is the best solution. Instead of having them link the pages, have them tag the page with the name of the homework assignment. Tagging will make it easier to locate all assignments.
You may want to think about asking each student to create their own page where they respond to each assignment - rather than having them create a new page each time.
Thoughts?
-Kristine -
Inappropriate?Thanks for that thought, which could help with a different kind of work product.
My need, as I understood it (I might be myopic on the potential for really different solutions...) is like the old-style teacher-writes-the-homework-on-the-board that EVERYONE will do. Like, "Read pages 42-56 in the textbook"
It's on the wiki because the few parents with web access like to see what their fifth grader is REALLY supposed to do. Kids who forget can see it again. There are few students with enough web access at home to turn in their homework "on" the wiki. But I might allow the students with access to type some homework to turn it in on a web page. Interesting. The bummer with my guys is their sloooooooow typing. It would drive them nuts.
I will try a template that has some boilerplate to speed entry. I am going to be interested to see how this links in to their Homework Directory. You see, now the kids (or I) have to type into a really long "Homework Page". It is easy to go back to the assignment from yesterday or a month ago.
Jonathan -
Inappropriate?Hi Jonathan,
You may also be interested in this thread: http://tinyurl.com/3bhu6s
Kori has an interesting idea -- asking all her students to respond on one wiki page. This doesn't solve the slow typing but it may prove to be a simpler solution to templates, tags and/or linking.
-K
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