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
Saturday, July 31, 2010
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.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Technology Integration Game Plan
In today’s changing world, it is absolutely essential that teachers hone their skills in technology so that they will become more proficient teachers by better preparing students for the future. In reflecting on my own integration of technology in the classroom, I will list which National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S) I am most comfortable with and which concepts I need to increase my level of proficiency (ISTE, 2008).
I feel like I am fairly competent at NETS-S Standard 1 “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity” because I really do make a thoughtful effort to design activities that allow students to express what they are thinking and learning in a variety of ways. I also feel that NETS-S Standard 5 “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership” because through the process of getting my master’s degree in adolescent literacy and technology I am learning many best practices that will help me be of greater service to my school community (ISTE, 2008).
My first technology goal is to develop a productive, meaningful classroom website that will increase the planning, structure, and communication within my classroom. This would correspond to NETS-S Standard 3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning (ISTE, 2008). I can really see a classroom website being an effective communication tool as a way to take my classroom beyond the wall of the school building so that students could make up learning and get ahead on learning in asynchronous fashion. In order to do this I will need to find the most efficient way to set up a classroom website. I will need to communicate with other teachers in my district because it is not required and not every teacher has one. I am seeking a website that is very user friendly because I very little background in web site development. It will be easy to monitor my progress because website development is very cut and dried. I will either have a website or I won’t, it will be useful and updated regularly or will not. My plan is to have a website in place by the beginning of the school year, and to view it as a work in progress. I will look at other teacher-generated websites and make modifications based on what works for me.
My second technology goal is to improve on NETS-S 4, “Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility” (ISTE, 2008). I recently did a literature review on how to effectively use Wikipedia in the classroom and I learned a great deal about the ethics involved in using and citing credible sources. I realized that I fall far short of what might be deemed the appropriate and ethical use of sources. My goal is to cite every source that I use in my teaching, whether it be a photograph, a song, or a written document. I really see the value of giving credit where credit is due, and I believe students in our digital society do not realize how important it is to abide my copyright rules and regulations. Thus I will encourage and require my students to state where they get their information from, and to develop their research and writing skills in such a way that they will be better prepared for further studies in college and in the career world. I will ask my students to hold me accountable for information and I will hold them accountable by frequently asking the question, “Where did you get that information?” To extend my learning and model my ethical use of resources and technology, I would like to get to the point where I am publishing ideas and research that I have about education.
Does any one know of any good free websites that will help me develop a classroom websites?
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
I feel like I am fairly competent at NETS-S Standard 1 “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity” because I really do make a thoughtful effort to design activities that allow students to express what they are thinking and learning in a variety of ways. I also feel that NETS-S Standard 5 “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership” because through the process of getting my master’s degree in adolescent literacy and technology I am learning many best practices that will help me be of greater service to my school community (ISTE, 2008).
My first technology goal is to develop a productive, meaningful classroom website that will increase the planning, structure, and communication within my classroom. This would correspond to NETS-S Standard 3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning (ISTE, 2008). I can really see a classroom website being an effective communication tool as a way to take my classroom beyond the wall of the school building so that students could make up learning and get ahead on learning in asynchronous fashion. In order to do this I will need to find the most efficient way to set up a classroom website. I will need to communicate with other teachers in my district because it is not required and not every teacher has one. I am seeking a website that is very user friendly because I very little background in web site development. It will be easy to monitor my progress because website development is very cut and dried. I will either have a website or I won’t, it will be useful and updated regularly or will not. My plan is to have a website in place by the beginning of the school year, and to view it as a work in progress. I will look at other teacher-generated websites and make modifications based on what works for me.
My second technology goal is to improve on NETS-S 4, “Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility” (ISTE, 2008). I recently did a literature review on how to effectively use Wikipedia in the classroom and I learned a great deal about the ethics involved in using and citing credible sources. I realized that I fall far short of what might be deemed the appropriate and ethical use of sources. My goal is to cite every source that I use in my teaching, whether it be a photograph, a song, or a written document. I really see the value of giving credit where credit is due, and I believe students in our digital society do not realize how important it is to abide my copyright rules and regulations. Thus I will encourage and require my students to state where they get their information from, and to develop their research and writing skills in such a way that they will be better prepared for further studies in college and in the career world. I will ask my students to hold me accountable for information and I will hold them accountable by frequently asking the question, “Where did you get that information?” To extend my learning and model my ethical use of resources and technology, I would like to get to the point where I am publishing ideas and research that I have about education.
Does any one know of any good free websites that will help me develop a classroom websites?
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
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