Saturday, February 24, 2007

What Works, 2/24/07

81 minutes of writing

I finished it! I finished the writing and editing of the "What Works" chapter. The only section about which I had serious concern was a paragraph I added today. Lynne was online and I was able to get her approval on the paragraph.

In addition to the final draft, I prepared a second document for the editors (and co-authors) identifying the changes (and justifications for lack of changes) between the reviewers' comments and the final draft. I sent both the final and edited versions to the editors and co-authors. It's now out of my hands and I hope the editors are pleased enough to truly make this the final draft.

I also spent a few minutes looking at the TAH grant. After speaking with Stephanie Hirsch last night, I learned that I need only elaborate of three of the modules in the grant. Though they plan to use all the modules, only three will appear in the grant application. I've promised Stephanie I'll have my modules to her by tomorrow night.

It's been very rewarding to get out this chapter and the WebQuest chapter over the last week. Once I finish the TAH grant, I'll be able to spend the rest of the week focusing on the CUE Conference (21st century social studies).

What Works, 2/22/07

33 mintues of writing

I contacted Jonathon for information about the CAST screenshots so I could add a section (per Lynne's recommendation) to describe the shots. He sent them immediately and I was able to begin writing.

In addition, I worked on devising a plan of how to best send our edits to the editors. I think I'll send three documents. The final cleanly edited version, a version showing the editorial changes, and the version with all our editorial comments. I'm not yet convinced this is the best plan.

What Works, 2/21/07

36 minutes of writing

I received Lynne's edits and began cleaning the final draft for the editors. Lynne added her changes to mine so the product I received includes many editorial remarks which may make it difficult for the editors.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Methods of SSM: WebQuest Lesson, 02/20/07

75 minutes of writing

I made final edits to the WebQuest Lesson Chapter and mailed it off to the text editor. I sure hope it is accepted!

I also communicated with the Teaching American History Grant writer, Tamra, who recommended I communicate with Drs. Green and Beachly regarding the content changes I made to the grant. I will do that this evening. When I complete adding my sections to the grant proposal, I will then share the remainder of my edits with them.

Tomorrow I need to work on grading (I need to return students' units plans ASAP) and then focus on the grant. As soon as the grant is done, I can switch my focus to the 21st century skills paper/presentation for CUE. CUE is only a week away.

Monday, February 19, 2007

TAH Grant, 02/19/07

186 minutes of writing

I began working on the Teaching American History (TAH) grant, "Inside American History." The works of Drs. Deanna Beachly and Michel Green make this process incredibly easy because of their clear writing and attention to detail. Though I've engaged in lots of copy editing, there's been very little content editing.

To this point, I've only reviewed the main text of the grant application (up to the individual module descriptions). Though there were substantive changes to the expectations in terms of content pedagogy, the only other major changes were in terms of the annual trip. I'm not certain the grant team will approve of my recommended changes because they require a lot more on the part of the attending teachers, but I feel there needs to be some responsibility during their excursion and upon their return. For example, I recommend an application process to attend and as part of that process I suggest they develop classroom materials ot engage in in-servicing upon their return. I also recommend journal writing during the field experience. This latter piece would definitely enhance the long-term benefits of the field experience and would certainly provide a rich data source for research. I hope the grant team agrees to these changes.

I hope, too, that Drs. Green and Beachly are not offended by my editing. They truly did a beautiful job with the initial draft. Because of my work with Lynne, my expectations for clarity are so high that I feel much more comfortable with the draft I've edited. I hope they will feel that way, too (as will the other grant team members).

My next step is to begin work on the modules. This is the section tht will require my true expertise.

Methods of SSM: WebQuest Lesson, 02/17/07 and 2/19/07

9 minutes of writing on 2/17/07
21 minutes of writing on 2/19/07

I continued editing the Methods chapter on WebQuests. I still am not pleased with the tone, but, because I'm approaching the deadline, I plan to send it off soon anyway. I've asked Mom to review the paper for her impression on tone.

I'm still awaiting Lynne's edits on the What Works chapter. She said I would have them by this morning so I'm rather concerned that the editing process was more cumbersome than anticipated.