First I would like to apologize for the late posting of this blog posting. I didn't realize that I had a posting due this week.
Resources Needed to Carry Out My Plan;
The first resource I will need in carrying out my first goal (engage in professional growth and leadership) is time to meet with my PLC (professional learning community) team. This team is made up of myself, my fellow 5th grade teaching partner, and the two sixth grade teachers. We have generally met once a month in the past for 40-40 minutes. I would like to propose the group meeting an additional time to discuss the use of technology in both grades.
The second resource I will need in order to help me achieve my second goal (facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity) is my own personal computer as well as my school computer. by using these two computers I will be able to create models of technology projects for my students to see. Creating sample brochures, review games using power point slides, and using excel to create inter-active graphs that students could use to track academic progress.
Additional Information Needed:
Spending time viewing new technology tools on the Internet and finding magazines that inform me of new technologies is a must. How can I implement new ideas if I am not up to date on what is out there (Laureate Educational Inc., 2009)? Another piece of information needed is schedules of teachers I am working with in my PLC groups. Viewing schedules would allow me to set up additional PLC times that don't interfer with other people's schedules.
Steps Taken So Far:
My PLC team was able to meet last Friday (May 21st) and discussed how we are using collected data to support our instruction. This allowed me to share some of the different charts and graphs I have used from Excel to keep track of my students' progress. Templates for these charts and graphs have been placed on the teacher share drive for my colleagues to use. In addition to sharing this information I have also placed a sample brochure that I created on the student share drive for students to reference during their state project. Many of my students have accessed this model and are using it as a guide with their own brochures.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Week 2 -Developing Your Personal GAME Plan
This week Dr. Katherine Cennamo discusses with us the importance of having a GAME plan when promoting self-directed learning and creative thinking (Laureate Educational Inc., 2009). The first step in creating a GAME plan is to set a goal. After viewing the different technology standards (http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm)
I have decided on applying two of the standards to my goal:
1. Engage in professional growth and leadership
2. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Actions to take:
The first step I will take is to set goals for these two standards. To engage in professional growth and leadership my goals is to continue taking classes that are focused on the use of technology. I will also take time each week to visit with fellow teachers about technology tools they are using in their classrooms. For the leadership piece, my goal is to share different ideas about technology I have found and used during staff meetings and PLC (Professional Learning Communities) meetings.
The second step will be setting a goal for facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity. In order to begin working on this goal, it is necessary to model strategies for being an independent learner and creative thinker with my students. Creating technology projects as artifacts to share with students will be the first step of this goal.
Monitoring Progress:
For my first goal, I plan on using a calendar to monitor how many times I have had professional conversations with colleagues about technology. On this calendar I will write down notes on the dates I have these conversations. By using a calendar, I will be able to track how often these conversations are taking place.
For the second goal I will create a folder on the teachers' share drive to place copies of the work I have created to use as models for students. By viewing the folder frequently, I will be able to monitor if I need to add more samples.
Evaluation:
Evaluation of the first goal will come from feedback I receive from staff about the technology information I have shared with them. These conversations may bring up better ideas to implement.
Evaluation of the second goal come from student artifacts. If the quality of student projects and artifacts become better, I will know that the models are helpful.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
I have decided on applying two of the standards to my goal:
1. Engage in professional growth and leadership
2. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Actions to take:
The first step I will take is to set goals for these two standards. To engage in professional growth and leadership my goals is to continue taking classes that are focused on the use of technology. I will also take time each week to visit with fellow teachers about technology tools they are using in their classrooms. For the leadership piece, my goal is to share different ideas about technology I have found and used during staff meetings and PLC (Professional Learning Communities) meetings.
The second step will be setting a goal for facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity. In order to begin working on this goal, it is necessary to model strategies for being an independent learner and creative thinker with my students. Creating technology projects as artifacts to share with students will be the first step of this goal.
Monitoring Progress:
For my first goal, I plan on using a calendar to monitor how many times I have had professional conversations with colleagues about technology. On this calendar I will write down notes on the dates I have these conversations. By using a calendar, I will be able to track how often these conversations are taking place.
For the second goal I will create a folder on the teachers' share drive to place copies of the work I have created to use as models for students. By viewing the folder frequently, I will be able to monitor if I need to add more samples.
Evaluation:
Evaluation of the first goal will come from feedback I receive from staff about the technology information I have shared with them. These conversations may bring up better ideas to implement.
Evaluation of the second goal come from student artifacts. If the quality of student projects and artifacts become better, I will know that the models are helpful.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Reflection EDUC-6712I-2
This particular course has added knowledge that I have been searching for for quite some time. The biggest revelation I will take from this course is the knowledge of how to view a web site for authenticity. Knowing if a web site is authentic or not is something I needed to become more familiar with so that I can pass that knowledge on to my students. For the past few years, this is a technology standard I have not been able to meet for lack of knowledge. Now I understand how to look at background colors, toolbar access, and reliability of information (Laureate Educational Inc., 2009).
This newly gained knowledge has already influenced my instruction as I am working with my students on a web based project. Throughout this particular unit I have had direct instruction time with students on how to evaluate a web site and have also given students individual time to search and evaluate web sites on their own. In the two short weeks I have been guiding my students through the unit, several students have found web sites that the information is not valid. Many of these web site are sites students in the past have used to find information. As I continue to have students do web based projects, evaluating web sites for authenticity will continue to be my first step in the teaching process. Teaching this skill will not only be conducted in one lesson, rather will go on throughout the year as students use the internet to find information.
A professional development goal I have set for myself is to do a better job showing students how to cite work taken from the Internet correctly. Many of the Power Point presentations I use during instructions include pictures, quotes, and/or graphs taken from specific Internet sites. By modeling to students the correct way to give others credit for their work, I hope that students begin to see the importance with this issue. As many of the presenters discussed in our resources throughout the course, it is our responsibility as the public to protect all users of the Internet (Laureate Educational Inc., 2009). As a professional, I feel that it is also necessary to share this information with colleagues so the Internet may continue to be a safe place to go for both adults and children.
References:
Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom (2009). Safe and Ethical Practices (Laureate Educational Inc., 2009 Release)
This newly gained knowledge has already influenced my instruction as I am working with my students on a web based project. Throughout this particular unit I have had direct instruction time with students on how to evaluate a web site and have also given students individual time to search and evaluate web sites on their own. In the two short weeks I have been guiding my students through the unit, several students have found web sites that the information is not valid. Many of these web site are sites students in the past have used to find information. As I continue to have students do web based projects, evaluating web sites for authenticity will continue to be my first step in the teaching process. Teaching this skill will not only be conducted in one lesson, rather will go on throughout the year as students use the internet to find information.
A professional development goal I have set for myself is to do a better job showing students how to cite work taken from the Internet correctly. Many of the Power Point presentations I use during instructions include pictures, quotes, and/or graphs taken from specific Internet sites. By modeling to students the correct way to give others credit for their work, I hope that students begin to see the importance with this issue. As many of the presenters discussed in our resources throughout the course, it is our responsibility as the public to protect all users of the Internet (Laureate Educational Inc., 2009). As a professional, I feel that it is also necessary to share this information with colleagues so the Internet may continue to be a safe place to go for both adults and children.
References:
Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom (2009). Safe and Ethical Practices (Laureate Educational Inc., 2009 Release)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Reflection
Throughout this course I have had the opportunity to learn and use new technologies that increase student engagement. In the beginning of this course, my teaching philosophy followed three steps. Step one, introduce the material or concepts. Step two, practice using the new concept, and the final step is to apply the concepts to real world. My philosophy is still the same, but I have gained new knowledge about how to introduce and teach new concepts using technology such as voicethreads and virtual field trips. Understanding various learning theories has also added to the instructional piece of my philosophy. The final step of application has now been enhanced by the power of creating artifacts (Laureate Education Inc., 2008).
One immediate change I will be making to my teaching style is to use technology to enhance student learning rather than my teaching. For example, using the SmartBoard in my classroom during center time to have students explore various web sites and manipulate shapes during my geometry unit. I have spent time this year teaching students how to use various software, now it is time for students to start using that software to explore for their own learning purposes. Students using the SmartBoard during center time will allow them to collaborate with peers on solving problems and gaining new knowledge about people, places, and things. Using software such as excel will allow students to monitor their progress towards goals they have set for themselves focusing on their academics(Pilter, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007).
Two long-term goal changes I would like to make for myself are using virtual field trips during units in all academic areas and having students monitor their level of effort by creating graphs. In terms of an outline for virtual field trips, for the remainder of this year I would like to have my students participate in at least two virtual field trips in the area of social studies. By the end of next school year, my goal is to have the students participate in a virtual field trip in the subjects of social studies, science, math, and reading. In reference to effort, this year I have started laying the groundwork by having discussions about effort and making effort a part of everyday conversations. By next year I would like to have the students creating rubrics that focus on effort and then begin graphing their effort and placing those graphs in the Data Quality Notebooks(Pilter, Hubbell, Kuhn& Malenoski, 2007).
References:
Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author
Pilter, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technolgy with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
One immediate change I will be making to my teaching style is to use technology to enhance student learning rather than my teaching. For example, using the SmartBoard in my classroom during center time to have students explore various web sites and manipulate shapes during my geometry unit. I have spent time this year teaching students how to use various software, now it is time for students to start using that software to explore for their own learning purposes. Students using the SmartBoard during center time will allow them to collaborate with peers on solving problems and gaining new knowledge about people, places, and things. Using software such as excel will allow students to monitor their progress towards goals they have set for themselves focusing on their academics(Pilter, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007).
Two long-term goal changes I would like to make for myself are using virtual field trips during units in all academic areas and having students monitor their level of effort by creating graphs. In terms of an outline for virtual field trips, for the remainder of this year I would like to have my students participate in at least two virtual field trips in the area of social studies. By the end of next school year, my goal is to have the students participate in a virtual field trip in the subjects of social studies, science, math, and reading. In reference to effort, this year I have started laying the groundwork by having discussions about effort and making effort a part of everyday conversations. By next year I would like to have the students creating rubrics that focus on effort and then begin graphing their effort and placing those graphs in the Data Quality Notebooks(Pilter, Hubbell, Kuhn& Malenoski, 2007).
References:
Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author
Pilter, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technolgy with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Connectivism and Social Learning
Social learning is an important learning style to incorporate into the classroom on a regular basis. Today's world demands that people be able to learn and communicate in social settings more than just face to face conversations. The Internet offers many different types of learning tools for students to use that will someday allow them to be successful in the business world.
Social networking tools such as blogs, voice threads, wikis, and facebook allow people to communicate with other people from across the world. These networking tools also allow students to collaborate on projects with more than just their school peers (Laureate Education Inc, 2008). This becomes extremely important in the fact that when working on a project two minds are always better than one.
Dr. Orey discusses with us this week about the importance of creating an artifact with meaningful conversations (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). In my own classroom I see the importance of creating a group project and how much better the result of that project is if students work together. With todays technology, students are able to not only work with people within the classroom, but are also able to communicate with other students from across the world making their project that much more meaningful to the student.
As I am working on my voicethread this week, I see how nice it would be for students to create their own voice thread about topics we cover in social studies. Once my student created their own voice thread, they would be able to receive feedback from other people which would support and solidify their learning.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Social networking tools such as blogs, voice threads, wikis, and facebook allow people to communicate with other people from across the world. These networking tools also allow students to collaborate on projects with more than just their school peers (Laureate Education Inc, 2008). This becomes extremely important in the fact that when working on a project two minds are always better than one.
Dr. Orey discusses with us this week about the importance of creating an artifact with meaningful conversations (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). In my own classroom I see the importance of creating a group project and how much better the result of that project is if students work together. With todays technology, students are able to not only work with people within the classroom, but are also able to communicate with other students from across the world making their project that much more meaningful to the student.
As I am working on my voicethread this week, I see how nice it would be for students to create their own voice thread about topics we cover in social studies. Once my student created their own voice thread, they would be able to receive feedback from other people which would support and solidify their learning.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
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