Finding Information:
As I have began working towards my goals I have found that staff members that I work with on a daily basis have a number of great ideas on implementing technology into teaching. One thing I have found is that most staff members I work with seem to use technology to help them stay organized and deliver content. In a PLC meeting last week, I asked two of my colleagues how they use technology in interactive ways with their students. This sparked an excellent conversation and we began brainstorming ways for the students to use items such as the SmartBoard as an interactive tool. One thing that came out in our conversations was the fact that technology is a great way to get all students involved and engaged in learning (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).
In terms of my second goal, I have found that many of my students are using the models I have created and using them as templates for their own work. I was worried at first about students copying my models exactly, but have found that students want to add more to their final artifacts.
Modifications:
At this point and time, I do not see the need for any modifications to my GAME plan. I am sure as time progresses, I will need to revisit different items.
What I have Learned:
I have learned that sharing new technology ideas during PLC time is very effective. I have learned a great deal just in the past two weeks through visiting with my colleagues and seeing what and how they use technology. I have taken some of their ideas and added to them making them very useful tools. One such idea I have picked up on is how my teaching partner is using Microsoft Excel to chart her students growth by having students keep a notebook on their math facts. This is an excellent idea because this digital notebook will follow them into next year providing next years teacher with excellent information about where the student is at in terms of their knowledge of math facts.
New Questions:
I have found that I need to spend some quality time learning about new technologies (Laureate Educational Inc., 2009). For instance, this week in our discussion postings Michael posted something on flip-cams. Flip-Cams are a tool that I have never seen used, but through discussion believe they would be a tool that would be beneficial to me.
The other question I have discovered are what are ways I can better share ideas to my entire staff as well as gain ideas from them?
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
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Hi Travis,
ReplyDeleteI just requested staff Smart Board training since there is so much it can do which we are not yet aware.
Teacher collaboration is very powerful. We all have great ideas and experiences to share. When you hear about good ideas you can borrow them, adapt them and modify them until they are your own.
Can you please share what the digital notebook looks like with me? I may want to borrow this idea. Thank you!
How about using a staff or grade level district wide wiki? I have found it a great way to share ideas with colleagues at work.
Travis,
ReplyDeleteTechnology is a great way to get students involved! Do all teachers in your building have SmartBoards? With budget being a huge issue, we are not all able to have one in our rooms, I do not have one. I think it is great that you are able to collaborate with other teachers and share what you are doing. I wish this was something that individuals at my school/grade would be interested in doing. Not many teachers use a great deal of technology. Our ITRT offers classess to further explore various technologies and very few people show up.
I also like the idea Lynne shared about using a grade level/district wide wiki. This is something our school tried implementing two years ago but started towards the end of the year and did not get much use. Maybe this is something that can tested again in the upcoming school year.
Travis,
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you were able to share and collaborate with the other teachers in your building. I always enjoy that time but it often seems that we don't get a lot of that time in the year. We use a shared network drive to share lessons and activities. I am wondering if a wiki would work better than that because it would give opportunities for discussion. Good luck with your continued progress towards your GAME plan.
Response to LynneK, Grade2Teacher and addydrobin.
ReplyDeleteLynne-the digital notebooks I have helped my students are basically graphs that students create using Excel. The have a folder for math fact progress, AR Reading progress, and writing scores. Each week the students update these graphs and compare their graphs from week to week.
Grade2Teacher-We are very fortunate to be in a brand new building, so yes every classroom does have a SmartBoard. Our Instructional Coaches are great about bringing ideas into the classroom that use the SmartBoards like using interactive dice to work on math facts.
Addyrobin- I like the idea of using a wiki to share information. I have been using a wiki with my students this past quarter and have really enjoyed it. Both the students and I have learned a lot from each other as a result of the class wiki.
Thanks to all for responding to my post this week. You all have great suggestions that I plan on using!
Travis
Travis,
ReplyDeleteI found that you have included a question that I seem to struggle with. Our staff meets every Monday for Professional Learning Communities (PLC), the meeting is setup to provide teachers with a platform to share and analyze data. The structure has one teacher leading the meeting and topics. In my case, we have a teacher leader that no one respects and we personally do not see the reasoning behind the topics. "The other question I have discovered are what are ways I can better share ideas to my entire staff as well as gain ideas from them?" Great question ??????
Travis
ReplyDeleteyou had a question about my flip camera idea. You can pick up a Flip Camcorder for anywhere from $150-$200 bucks. They are so easy to use that a 2nd grader could use it. Literally, just point and record. You can then download the video to the computer, where students can edit and use it any number of ways.