Teaching, Together
Helen Teague
Educator
Abilene, Texas
Squidoo: How did you decide what to make your lens about?
Helen: I wanted a way to build interest in middle school students for the writing of Shakespeare. I wanted them to actually read A Midsummer Night's Dream.
S: Did you consider doing so using a blog or similar web page?
H: Yes, I did. However, many school servers use firewalls that block blogs and web page posting to servers. And some personal web sites have really long URLs. Squidoo is not blocked by the school firewalls in our test group, and the lens URLs are short enough for kids and adults to remember. Also, Squidoo doesn't delay posting, so there is great "teachable moment" ability here.
S: Do you maintain a web site or blog otherwise?
H: I have a web site called OOPS: Our Overnight Planning System. It's mainly for teachers. OOPS exists to help teachers with the unexpected -- or "Oops!" -- moments and challenges in classroom teaching.
S:: What have you done with your lenses that you can't do elsewhere?
H: Squidoo is the only web site I have found that easily and seamlessly merges text, photos, links, and RSS feeds. I even found an RSS feed that mentioned Shakespeare! I think Squidoo displays information the way we all think -- in visual clusters of information.
S: Why is that important?
H: The brain loves color and pictures and learns best through those two items. Language is picture-based first, then lingual. That is why we're all taught language using pictures first, followed by sound, then letters long before words, and sentences and paragraphs even later. Somehow, as children grow, the print gets smaller and the pictures vanish. There may be a correlation to the disinterest in learning that sometimes attacks learners as they progress through school and the growing absence of multiple media.
S: What advice or ideas would you offer other lensmasters?
H: Go to SquidU. Look at the Top 100 lenses for inspiration.
S: Have you taken any cues from other lenses so far?
H: I saw Flickr in action from the Composition lens. I also learned about RSS feeds from the RSS selections in the Top 100 lenses. I saw an application combining curriculum with interesting web sites in Geometry as Sculpture and Art. I am learning so much from the way lensmasters write.
S: What do you think Squidoo and making lenses offers educators -- and students?
H: Squidoo offers just-in-time information, telecollaboration, and an invitation to publish. Students have so much to teach us. Their voices are dynamic. But they resist wasting time. Students will produce high-quality work if they think their audience isn't limited to the teacher sitting at the desk. The larger the potential audience, the more motivated they will be to demonstrate their concept mastery. Lenses will give a real-world application to their writing. I also like that there are many paths to more than one right answer at Squidoo.
S: Do you plan to encourage students to make lenses?
H: Yes! I will do this with my 8th grade Pre-AP English class at Hutchinson Junior High in Lubbock in mid-January. Squidoo will help involve students and teachers in a common pursuit -- all serving as learners and teachers together.
