Reflection on Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology
Paul W. McVey
Walden University
Professor Lambertson
EDUC-6714D-2 Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology
December 26, 2010
Reflection on Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology
Balance. This is what I need to strive for in teaching. In order to reach and engage all of my students; I must take a balanced approach in how I deliver instruction (content), how students critically think through and apply the information (process), and the information and feedback students get about their learning (assessment).
I must also balance the way that I present material and the choices that I enable students to make in their learning. Students show tendencies to learn by hearing (auditory), seeing (visual), and moving (kinesthetic). All students learn through these modes to some degree, but some show stronger predispositions toward one or two modalities. I need to make sure I provide opportunities on a daily basis for students to learn through hearing, seeing, and moving. Students making music videos through technology such as Animoto is a great example of how students can blend auditory, visual, and kinesthetic modes of learning. Students also demonstrate their knowledge through multiple intelligences, as described by Howard Gardner. I need to make sure I balance delivery, process, and assessment through different intelligences such as interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, naturalist, musical, and bodily kinesthetic.
I really like how Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction provides means of gathering information about all students through the use of learning profiles and interest inventories. The idea that a teacher is like a doctor diagnosing a patient and then treating the patient by giving them what they need is refreshing look at the learning process. Both UDL and DI recognize that all students learn differently and have diverse strengths and weaknesses. These approaches attempt to maximize a student’s strengths and improve on the student’s weaknesses by developing relationships with the students and by using diagnostic tools such as pre-assessment. It is absolutely amazing how many learning tools are available with technology. Tools such as Survey Monkey and Smart Response systems can be used for pre-assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment in an engaging way. UDL and DI also recognize that project and problem based learning models offer a more 21st Century skill approach to learning and provide more opportunities for customization and student choice. I personally feel that these open-ended response type projects and activities should be balanced with the realities of closed-response assessments and the need to hold teachers, and students accountable for essential information through the use of standardized assessments. But again, balance is the key word.
I am very confident in my ability to instruct students on how to use web 2.0 tools to creating meaningful, relevant products that will both demonstrate learning, and improve transferable 21st Century skills that will apply to other adventures in academia and the world of work. I know how design and differentiate leaning in how students input information, the “thoughput” of how they process information, and the “output” of how they are assessed on information. Because all of these approaches that I am learning and integrating involve a balanced approach. I know that I can effectively reach and engage all learners through technology.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Reflecting on Integrating Technology
Reflecting on Integrating Technology
As my class on Integrating Technology comes to close, and the school year is at its genesis; it is appropriate to take stock on the change that has taken place in my approach to learning. The main goals I had in my GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2010) utilizing the ISTE NETS-T Standards (2008) were to develop a classroom website, model digital learning and citizenship, and become more proficient at the latest technological teaching tools.
I originally started a classroom website on Wikispaces (McVey, 2010a), but when I could not edit on the school computers I realized that I probably should switch websites, so I created another classroom website on Google Sites (McVey, 2010b). I have used this webpage everyday of the school year for the following operations: posting class agendas and goals, links to lesson resources, and attaching presentation and homework files used in the classroom. The webpage is really easy to create and modify, especially with all of the work that I have done with wikis and blogs because of my master’s degree program. I am sure that the website will be more useful for my students as the year goes on, but right now it is invaluable to me in conducting the day to day operations of my classroom.
By conducting class in person and online, I am sharpening my digital learning and teaching skills. I have found that posting what I do in my classroom on the internet makes it public and provides a real-world audience that holds me accountable for my work. Whenever I do something online, I try to show and model for my students how and why I am doing what I am doing. This way my class becomes even more driven on student 21st Century skill development (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010). I am really stressing in my classes that success in life is a work in progress. The skeleton of a website I have now will transform into a beautiful, useful virtual gathering place with both style and substance.
This journey into integrating technology into my lessons also includes adopting the latest in technology. I received training in Smart Response systems, and now I am very comfortable with using this interactive assessment tool on any given day in the class. My students seemed to enjoy taking formative quizzes with these remotes and did not object to potentially using it as a summative assessment tool. Another tool that I just learned how to use and even demonstrated to social studies department is Prezi (2010). Prezi gives teachers and students the opportunity to create a presentations in an interactive virtual blank space that uses panning, and zooming to make presentations. I have received excellent feedback from my students and colleagues about this tool, and I plan to use it on a regular basis for presenting information in an engaging way.
By developing a unit plan on integrating technology into my teaching of the Great Depression, I am very confident that I can maximize the technology available to me to create dynamic learning experiences suited for all learners. It is exciting to empower people to skillfully produce and consume information in this changing world.
Paul
High School Social Studies
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T). Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
McVey, P. (2010a). Paul McVey’s class website. Retrieved August 8, 2010 from http://mcveysclass.wikispaces.com/.
McVey, P. (2010b). Paul McVey’s Lessons website. Retrieved August 22, 2010 from https://sites.google.com/site/mcveyslessons/
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2010). Partnership for 21st Century Skills homepage. Retrieved August 22, 2010 from http://p21.org/
Prezi Inc. (2010). Prezi home page. Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://prezi.com/your/
As my class on Integrating Technology comes to close, and the school year is at its genesis; it is appropriate to take stock on the change that has taken place in my approach to learning. The main goals I had in my GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2010) utilizing the ISTE NETS-T Standards (2008) were to develop a classroom website, model digital learning and citizenship, and become more proficient at the latest technological teaching tools.
I originally started a classroom website on Wikispaces (McVey, 2010a), but when I could not edit on the school computers I realized that I probably should switch websites, so I created another classroom website on Google Sites (McVey, 2010b). I have used this webpage everyday of the school year for the following operations: posting class agendas and goals, links to lesson resources, and attaching presentation and homework files used in the classroom. The webpage is really easy to create and modify, especially with all of the work that I have done with wikis and blogs because of my master’s degree program. I am sure that the website will be more useful for my students as the year goes on, but right now it is invaluable to me in conducting the day to day operations of my classroom.
By conducting class in person and online, I am sharpening my digital learning and teaching skills. I have found that posting what I do in my classroom on the internet makes it public and provides a real-world audience that holds me accountable for my work. Whenever I do something online, I try to show and model for my students how and why I am doing what I am doing. This way my class becomes even more driven on student 21st Century skill development (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010). I am really stressing in my classes that success in life is a work in progress. The skeleton of a website I have now will transform into a beautiful, useful virtual gathering place with both style and substance.
This journey into integrating technology into my lessons also includes adopting the latest in technology. I received training in Smart Response systems, and now I am very comfortable with using this interactive assessment tool on any given day in the class. My students seemed to enjoy taking formative quizzes with these remotes and did not object to potentially using it as a summative assessment tool. Another tool that I just learned how to use and even demonstrated to social studies department is Prezi (2010). Prezi gives teachers and students the opportunity to create a presentations in an interactive virtual blank space that uses panning, and zooming to make presentations. I have received excellent feedback from my students and colleagues about this tool, and I plan to use it on a regular basis for presenting information in an engaging way.
By developing a unit plan on integrating technology into my teaching of the Great Depression, I am very confident that I can maximize the technology available to me to create dynamic learning experiences suited for all learners. It is exciting to empower people to skillfully produce and consume information in this changing world.
Paul
High School Social Studies
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T). Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
McVey, P. (2010a). Paul McVey’s class website. Retrieved August 8, 2010 from http://mcveysclass.wikispaces.com/.
McVey, P. (2010b). Paul McVey’s Lessons website. Retrieved August 22, 2010 from https://sites.google.com/site/mcveyslessons/
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2010). Partnership for 21st Century Skills homepage. Retrieved August 22, 2010 from http://p21.org/
Prezi Inc. (2010). Prezi home page. Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://prezi.com/your/
Saturday, August 14, 2010
"NETS" for Teachers and Students
"NETS" for Teachers and Students
It is fitting that the National Educational Technology Standards acronym is “nets” because it indeed is something that if followed will serving as a tool to ‘catch’ and process important information in the vast that ocean that is the internet.
The International Society for Technology in Educations provides standards to facilitate better implementation of technology for both teachers and students, both the NETS-T and the NETS-S provide the structure necessary to promote excellence in classroom technology usage (ISTE, 2008). A summary of the standards for students are: creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, digital citizenship, and technology operations and concepts. Through my technology GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2010) will help students develop in each of those standards (ISTE, 2007).
By developing a classroom website and becoming a equipped with technology skills like Smart Response systems, I am modeling creativity and innovation to my students. I am adapting my teaching practices, with the idea that these tools will help students learn better. As I equip myself with these skills, I can train my students to use them as well. I cannot expect my students create their own websites or collaborate on a wiki if I do not do these things myself. Much of what I have learned in Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas has been associated with providing students with the learning experiences to unleash their creativity, particularly digitally.
One of the main reasons I chose the goal of developing a classroom website is to increase communication with my students. My success as a teacher depends upon the clarity in which I am able to deliver lessons. The website provides an environment where students can check in to see what we have done, are doing, and will be doing. As I build on my class website, I will give students a chance to process what they are learning through the use of blogs and wikis. Thus my students will be able to “interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media” (ISTE, 2007).
My second main goal was to “Model Digital Age Work and Learning” (ISTE, 2008). By modeling and explaining proper behavior in online conversations and research, students will see what it means to consume and produce information in an ethical way. This corresponds with the NETS-S Standard 3 Research and Information Fluency (ISTE, 2007) and NETS-S Standard 5 Digital Citizenship. Many of the activities that we will undergo in the digital-friendly classroom revolve around reading and researching using online sources, how students compile that information into new products such as digital stories is of the utmost importance.
The activities that teachers design when integrating technology place the teachers in more of a role of a guide, where the students will be place in a variety of decision making situations through the use of simulations, web quests, and product development. Whenever students are asked to create and innovate, they will have to critically think. Sometimes that means troubleshooting through technology skills and applying previously learned technology skills to new applications (ISTE, 2007).
Lao Tzu is attributed with the famous quote “give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime” (Tzu, ?). Technology with “NETS” in mind certainly is putting the latter part of the quotation into practice.
Paul
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T). Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Tzu, L. (?). Lao Tzu Quotes. Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laotzu121559.html
It is fitting that the National Educational Technology Standards acronym is “nets” because it indeed is something that if followed will serving as a tool to ‘catch’ and process important information in the vast that ocean that is the internet.
The International Society for Technology in Educations provides standards to facilitate better implementation of technology for both teachers and students, both the NETS-T and the NETS-S provide the structure necessary to promote excellence in classroom technology usage (ISTE, 2008). A summary of the standards for students are: creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, digital citizenship, and technology operations and concepts. Through my technology GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2010) will help students develop in each of those standards (ISTE, 2007).
By developing a classroom website and becoming a equipped with technology skills like Smart Response systems, I am modeling creativity and innovation to my students. I am adapting my teaching practices, with the idea that these tools will help students learn better. As I equip myself with these skills, I can train my students to use them as well. I cannot expect my students create their own websites or collaborate on a wiki if I do not do these things myself. Much of what I have learned in Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas has been associated with providing students with the learning experiences to unleash their creativity, particularly digitally.
One of the main reasons I chose the goal of developing a classroom website is to increase communication with my students. My success as a teacher depends upon the clarity in which I am able to deliver lessons. The website provides an environment where students can check in to see what we have done, are doing, and will be doing. As I build on my class website, I will give students a chance to process what they are learning through the use of blogs and wikis. Thus my students will be able to “interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media” (ISTE, 2007).
My second main goal was to “Model Digital Age Work and Learning” (ISTE, 2008). By modeling and explaining proper behavior in online conversations and research, students will see what it means to consume and produce information in an ethical way. This corresponds with the NETS-S Standard 3 Research and Information Fluency (ISTE, 2007) and NETS-S Standard 5 Digital Citizenship. Many of the activities that we will undergo in the digital-friendly classroom revolve around reading and researching using online sources, how students compile that information into new products such as digital stories is of the utmost importance.
The activities that teachers design when integrating technology place the teachers in more of a role of a guide, where the students will be place in a variety of decision making situations through the use of simulations, web quests, and product development. Whenever students are asked to create and innovate, they will have to critically think. Sometimes that means troubleshooting through technology skills and applying previously learned technology skills to new applications (ISTE, 2007).
Lao Tzu is attributed with the famous quote “give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime” (Tzu, ?). Technology with “NETS” in mind certainly is putting the latter part of the quotation into practice.
Paul
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T). Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Tzu, L. (?). Lao Tzu Quotes. Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laotzu121559.html
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Revising my Technology Game Plan
Revising my Technology GAME Plan
My GAME Plan is going well. I have made great progress on “modeling digital-age work and learning” through developing a classroom Website on Wikispaces (ISTE, 2008). I have created a nice home page, a page for Life Lessons which will be character development and inspirational lessons I will incorporate on a daily basis, U.S. and World History pages where I will post schedules and assignments, and links to great history websites. The address for my website is http://mcveysclass.wikispaces.com/ (McVey, 2010). I am excited about streamlining my delivery, and organization of lessons by using a website, but I am most excited about the increased communication that will take place with my students, including the use of asynchronous discussion through blogs, and wikis.
My second goal is to Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility (ISTE, 2008). By publishing a website, I am holding myself accountable to being professional with how give credit to resources. I will post lessons and resources I use online, so students, parents, and administrators will know what is going on in my classroom. This will make me a more responsible teacher. I am excited about having a place where students can access class information without having to get it all from me in person. If they miss a day of class, I can just tell them to go to the website and download what they missed. This will place more responsibility on the student and make my classroom more student-centered. Also, through the use of wikis and blogs, students will be placed a situation where they will have to communicate in a responsible and school-appropriate way, and I will have to model those discussions, and teach them what is acceptable and unacceptable in online discourse.
The next goal I will work towards is ISTE Standard 5: “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership” (2008). As I work to perfect the use of a classroom website and using Smart Response remotes in my classroom, I will need to consult other teachers on how they use these and other technology tools in the classroom. In addition, I will become more of an advocate for technology and show other teachers how easy and effective it can be for them to develop websites of their own, and make use of Smart Response remotes for formative and summative assessments.
I am very pleased with how my next goal will become a practical application to and extension of my initial technology integration goals. Developing a website and becoming more proficient at using technology tools have been milestones on my journey towards becoming a master teacher.
Paul
References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S). Retrieved July 9, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
McVey, P. (2010). Paul McVey’s class website. Retrieved August 8, 2010 from http://mcveysclass.wikispaces.com/.
My GAME Plan is going well. I have made great progress on “modeling digital-age work and learning” through developing a classroom Website on Wikispaces (ISTE, 2008). I have created a nice home page, a page for Life Lessons which will be character development and inspirational lessons I will incorporate on a daily basis, U.S. and World History pages where I will post schedules and assignments, and links to great history websites. The address for my website is http://mcveysclass.wikispaces.com/ (McVey, 2010). I am excited about streamlining my delivery, and organization of lessons by using a website, but I am most excited about the increased communication that will take place with my students, including the use of asynchronous discussion through blogs, and wikis.
My second goal is to Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility (ISTE, 2008). By publishing a website, I am holding myself accountable to being professional with how give credit to resources. I will post lessons and resources I use online, so students, parents, and administrators will know what is going on in my classroom. This will make me a more responsible teacher. I am excited about having a place where students can access class information without having to get it all from me in person. If they miss a day of class, I can just tell them to go to the website and download what they missed. This will place more responsibility on the student and make my classroom more student-centered. Also, through the use of wikis and blogs, students will be placed a situation where they will have to communicate in a responsible and school-appropriate way, and I will have to model those discussions, and teach them what is acceptable and unacceptable in online discourse.
The next goal I will work towards is ISTE Standard 5: “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership” (2008). As I work to perfect the use of a classroom website and using Smart Response remotes in my classroom, I will need to consult other teachers on how they use these and other technology tools in the classroom. In addition, I will become more of an advocate for technology and show other teachers how easy and effective it can be for them to develop websites of their own, and make use of Smart Response remotes for formative and summative assessments.
I am very pleased with how my next goal will become a practical application to and extension of my initial technology integration goals. Developing a website and becoming more proficient at using technology tools have been milestones on my journey towards becoming a master teacher.
Paul
References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S). Retrieved July 9, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
McVey, P. (2010). Paul McVey’s class website. Retrieved August 8, 2010 from http://mcveysclass.wikispaces.com/.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Evaluating My Technology GAME Plan
Evaluating My Technology GAME Plan
I am making significant progress on my plans for integrating technology in the classroom. I am developing a classroom website using wikispaces. I have not decided yet if I am going to give all of my students access to amending the site (but that is the point of using a wiki). My website can be found at http://mcveysclassroom.wikispaces.com/. I really like the ease of use of this website. I cannot believe how quick it is to post announcements, links, a schedule, and documents. There is even a place to add discussions posts, and other neat web 2.0 tools using widgets. I am really glad that our learning community is using a wikispace because I am really familiar with what I am doing on that. I cannot believe how efficient and intuitive today’s technology tools are.
The part of my classroom website that I am most excited about is my history resources section. I basically took all of the website mentioned by Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2010) in Chapter 13. I was really overwhelmed by the resources provided, this one chapter of text alone offers insights into so many effective tools to teach social studies. By placing all of those links in one place, I will have an easy place to access great resources and my students will as well. Of course, I could have used Delicious to make a list of social bookmarks maybe I will do that in the near future.
The next major step I took in integrating technology in my classroom is becoming trained on the Smart Response wireless remote system. I attended a two-hour training session and now I feel very equipped to use these tools for both formative and summative assessments in my classes. I am really excited about using them to stimulate discussions and to acquire polling and surveying data from the class anonymously. One of my favorite TV shows is ESPN’s SportsNation. The show basically blends sports and pop culture by using polls submitted by the viewers. I could really see my classroom becoming a blend of content and current events and have the students interact with both using wireless remotes to stimulate classroom and online discussion. I am beginning to think that a late night talk show method of teaching would work well. I would start with a monologue (acquire back ground knowledge, state goals, and present new information), play a few games that get audience interaction (student discussion, analysis, interpretation), interview some guests (have students role play, confer with students in groups), and have a musical guest at the end (do something at the end of class to synthesize what went on in a creative meaningful way by using music and video tools). Students (like most human beings) enjoy a well-produced, entertaining TV shows. Why couldn’t my class take elements from the talk-show template to produce an engaging classroom.
I am going to continue to develop my website and perfect the use of Smart Response remotes to make my classroom the most engaging informative learning experience it can in person or on line.
Paul
Resources
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
I am making significant progress on my plans for integrating technology in the classroom. I am developing a classroom website using wikispaces. I have not decided yet if I am going to give all of my students access to amending the site (but that is the point of using a wiki). My website can be found at http://mcveysclassroom.wikispaces.com/. I really like the ease of use of this website. I cannot believe how quick it is to post announcements, links, a schedule, and documents. There is even a place to add discussions posts, and other neat web 2.0 tools using widgets. I am really glad that our learning community is using a wikispace because I am really familiar with what I am doing on that. I cannot believe how efficient and intuitive today’s technology tools are.
The part of my classroom website that I am most excited about is my history resources section. I basically took all of the website mentioned by Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2010) in Chapter 13. I was really overwhelmed by the resources provided, this one chapter of text alone offers insights into so many effective tools to teach social studies. By placing all of those links in one place, I will have an easy place to access great resources and my students will as well. Of course, I could have used Delicious to make a list of social bookmarks maybe I will do that in the near future.
The next major step I took in integrating technology in my classroom is becoming trained on the Smart Response wireless remote system. I attended a two-hour training session and now I feel very equipped to use these tools for both formative and summative assessments in my classes. I am really excited about using them to stimulate discussions and to acquire polling and surveying data from the class anonymously. One of my favorite TV shows is ESPN’s SportsNation. The show basically blends sports and pop culture by using polls submitted by the viewers. I could really see my classroom becoming a blend of content and current events and have the students interact with both using wireless remotes to stimulate classroom and online discussion. I am beginning to think that a late night talk show method of teaching would work well. I would start with a monologue (acquire back ground knowledge, state goals, and present new information), play a few games that get audience interaction (student discussion, analysis, interpretation), interview some guests (have students role play, confer with students in groups), and have a musical guest at the end (do something at the end of class to synthesize what went on in a creative meaningful way by using music and video tools). Students (like most human beings) enjoy a well-produced, entertaining TV shows. Why couldn’t my class take elements from the talk-show template to produce an engaging classroom.
I am going to continue to develop my website and perfect the use of Smart Response remotes to make my classroom the most engaging informative learning experience it can in person or on line.
Paul
Resources
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monitoring my technology game plan
Monitoring my technology game plan:
So for my technology goals include: developing a classroom website, modeling and requiring digital citizenship, create lessons using a student-centered Universal Design for Learning model, and becoming proficient at utilizing Smart Response remote controls in my classroom.
I have yet to develop a classroom website. I have not quite found the developmental tool that best suits my needs, I have tried Google Sites and Shutterfly, but I am not sure if either are exactly what I am looking for. Other teachers have shown me what they are doing on Eboard and Blackboard, which look intriguing, but I do not want to have to use my own money to pay for the service. I am have just begun exploring WikiSpaces as a classroom website. I typically tinker around with the webpage and see if it easy and effective for me to use. I want the website to be a tool that I can use to make my classroom go beyond the walls of the school. I like the idea of using a wiki because then the class website becomes just that a class website…a collaborative work in progress, but I am hesitant to put too much work into it if some students will not take it seriously and delete content or make inappropriate remarks. But I suppose students will have to claim what they do on the wiki because every change can be monitored by me. This would be a great way for me to improve on my second goal, modeling and requiring digital citizenship.
I found on the wiki that it would be very easy for me to upload classroom documents. I also like the idea of a Wiki because it is a work in progress.
I am really seeing the validity of the Universal Design for Learning model. It really coincides beautifully with the GANAG lesson plan model that our district recommends and which I have been trying to implement over the last school year. I have tried to teach in this way in the past, I just never realized how much research and resources are available on this teaching method.
I recently found out that there will be a training in our district for the use of the Smart Response systems. I plan on attending this training and gaining proficiency in the use of this valuable technological tool that could really become a staple in my classroom.
Through all of this I am learning that I am on the right track in integrating technology in the classroom, but I am just scratching the surface of what I can and should be doing in the classroom.
So for my technology goals include: developing a classroom website, modeling and requiring digital citizenship, create lessons using a student-centered Universal Design for Learning model, and becoming proficient at utilizing Smart Response remote controls in my classroom.
I have yet to develop a classroom website. I have not quite found the developmental tool that best suits my needs, I have tried Google Sites and Shutterfly, but I am not sure if either are exactly what I am looking for. Other teachers have shown me what they are doing on Eboard and Blackboard, which look intriguing, but I do not want to have to use my own money to pay for the service. I am have just begun exploring WikiSpaces as a classroom website. I typically tinker around with the webpage and see if it easy and effective for me to use. I want the website to be a tool that I can use to make my classroom go beyond the walls of the school. I like the idea of using a wiki because then the class website becomes just that a class website…a collaborative work in progress, but I am hesitant to put too much work into it if some students will not take it seriously and delete content or make inappropriate remarks. But I suppose students will have to claim what they do on the wiki because every change can be monitored by me. This would be a great way for me to improve on my second goal, modeling and requiring digital citizenship.
I found on the wiki that it would be very easy for me to upload classroom documents. I also like the idea of a Wiki because it is a work in progress.
I am really seeing the validity of the Universal Design for Learning model. It really coincides beautifully with the GANAG lesson plan model that our district recommends and which I have been trying to implement over the last school year. I have tried to teach in this way in the past, I just never realized how much research and resources are available on this teaching method.
I recently found out that there will be a training in our district for the use of the Smart Response systems. I plan on attending this training and gaining proficiency in the use of this valuable technological tool that could really become a staple in my classroom.
Through all of this I am learning that I am on the right track in integrating technology in the classroom, but I am just scratching the surface of what I can and should be doing in the classroom.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Lesson Goals and Senteos
I am learning a great deal about the Universal Design for Learning and how it can be used to maximize the learning opportunities for every student in my classroom. This mindset for lesson organization maximizes student choice by strategically implementing differentiation and multiple intelligence theory.
My goal with Universal Design for Learning is to develop better lesson goals. I want to make sure that each of my lesson goals meet the criteria of clearly, concisely and correctly showing students “what should be learned, how it should be learned, and why it should be learned” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 121). Incorporated into my goals, I will include the standard of what the students should know and be able to do, plenty of choices on how they can go about meeting the standard, and an opportunity for students to personally connect and engage in the content in a meaningful way. I am beginning to realize that too much of my instruction is didactic, or topic-centered, approach that does not meet the needs of my culturally and intellectually diverse community of learners” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). My classroom would function with greater engagement and efficiency if I adopted a more communal, or topic-chaining approach that would permit more students to be engaged with each other and a variety of learning modalities at the same time ” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). One technological tool I want to become proficient in using the Senteo Response “clickers” that I have access to in my classroom.
In order to take action on these goals, I will develop a lesson plan template with an emphasis on best practices emphasized by Universal Design for Learning. I will make this template flexible enough for virtually any lesson I teach, but I want to make my lessons more consistent in their organizational flow and their ability to engage more students with more learning modalities on a daily basis. Because our district has a high stakes summative assessment at the end of the semester worth 15% of the student’s grade, I feel like my students need plenty of practice with forced-choice assessment formats (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009) so I will use the response remotes to engage the all of the students in formative test practice and review on a regular basis. This requires me plugging the students names into the computer program, which can be tedious, but the return in student engagement in discussion, understanding, and polling will be well worth it.
I will monitor my progress on these goals by seeing if the Senteo Response remotes work as well as I wanted them to, and by continually adjusting and improving their use in the classroom. As students get practice with them, I could eventually use them as a unit test. I will also ask for student feedback in how I structure the goals of the lesson and how effective the “clicker” are in helping them learn and assess what they know.
If the lesson template I use, and my experience with the Senteo Response works well, I will share my experiences with other teachers, and encourage them to give it a try. As of right know the Senteo remotes are not used very much in our classrooms and seem to be collecting dust in classroom closets. I am looking forward to unleashing the possibility of improved student learning by improving my lesson planning and by incorporating the Senteo technology assessment tools.
Paul
Resources:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
My goal with Universal Design for Learning is to develop better lesson goals. I want to make sure that each of my lesson goals meet the criteria of clearly, concisely and correctly showing students “what should be learned, how it should be learned, and why it should be learned” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 121). Incorporated into my goals, I will include the standard of what the students should know and be able to do, plenty of choices on how they can go about meeting the standard, and an opportunity for students to personally connect and engage in the content in a meaningful way. I am beginning to realize that too much of my instruction is didactic, or topic-centered, approach that does not meet the needs of my culturally and intellectually diverse community of learners” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). My classroom would function with greater engagement and efficiency if I adopted a more communal, or topic-chaining approach that would permit more students to be engaged with each other and a variety of learning modalities at the same time ” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). One technological tool I want to become proficient in using the Senteo Response “clickers” that I have access to in my classroom.
In order to take action on these goals, I will develop a lesson plan template with an emphasis on best practices emphasized by Universal Design for Learning. I will make this template flexible enough for virtually any lesson I teach, but I want to make my lessons more consistent in their organizational flow and their ability to engage more students with more learning modalities on a daily basis. Because our district has a high stakes summative assessment at the end of the semester worth 15% of the student’s grade, I feel like my students need plenty of practice with forced-choice assessment formats (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009) so I will use the response remotes to engage the all of the students in formative test practice and review on a regular basis. This requires me plugging the students names into the computer program, which can be tedious, but the return in student engagement in discussion, understanding, and polling will be well worth it.
I will monitor my progress on these goals by seeing if the Senteo Response remotes work as well as I wanted them to, and by continually adjusting and improving their use in the classroom. As students get practice with them, I could eventually use them as a unit test. I will also ask for student feedback in how I structure the goals of the lesson and how effective the “clicker” are in helping them learn and assess what they know.
If the lesson template I use, and my experience with the Senteo Response works well, I will share my experiences with other teachers, and encourage them to give it a try. As of right know the Senteo remotes are not used very much in our classrooms and seem to be collecting dust in classroom closets. I am looking forward to unleashing the possibility of improved student learning by improving my lesson planning and by incorporating the Senteo technology assessment tools.
Paul
Resources:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
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