I created a VoiceThread explaining the benefits of Course Management Systems to my colleagues as well as how it can help us to address our need to have more student engagement outside of school. Below is the link.
http://voicethread.com/share/1881155/
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Reflection on GAME Plan
One of the biggest things that I liked about developing the GAME plan was that it made me more accountable. I had to set specific goals as well as plan how I was going to achieve them. Having a plan in mind makes it easier to accomplish. My GAME plan is something that will be a work in progress. I think I had a lot of growth in terms of providing my students with experiences that allowed them to be creative and see how technology is useful in Math. I still struggle with how to balance the student-directed learning with technology and having my students learn how to compute the algorithms without a calculator. I have found that if I use technology as an introduction to a unit or a summative activity at the end of the unit, the students are still learning the algorithms but also using technology.
I have learned that it is not as hard to incorporate technology as I once thought and through the lessons that I completed with my students, I also learned that I need to provide them with more background knowledge before moving on because these are new experiences for most of them. My students are also not accustomed to PBL lessons so they need more guidance at first than they’re supposed to but the more they have those experiences, the easier it will be. I can’t shy away from doing those things because the students aren’t used to it.
In terms of my instructional practices, I am starting to give up some of my work and give more freedom and responsibility to my students. They obviously have more fun using technology so I just have to ensure they learn the standards. There is more planning and preparation as the teacher but during the actual instruction I want to take more of a backseat and be a facilitator rather than the provider of all information. This course has opened my eyes to new technologies and new ways to incorporate the technology that we have been using. Our school doesn’t have much technology so I need those creative things to help me out. Overall this course has allowed me to grow as a teacher and thus better help my students.
I have learned that it is not as hard to incorporate technology as I once thought and through the lessons that I completed with my students, I also learned that I need to provide them with more background knowledge before moving on because these are new experiences for most of them. My students are also not accustomed to PBL lessons so they need more guidance at first than they’re supposed to but the more they have those experiences, the easier it will be. I can’t shy away from doing those things because the students aren’t used to it.
In terms of my instructional practices, I am starting to give up some of my work and give more freedom and responsibility to my students. They obviously have more fun using technology so I just have to ensure they learn the standards. There is more planning and preparation as the teacher but during the actual instruction I want to take more of a backseat and be a facilitator rather than the provider of all information. This course has opened my eyes to new technologies and new ways to incorporate the technology that we have been using. Our school doesn’t have much technology so I need those creative things to help me out. Overall this course has allowed me to grow as a teacher and thus better help my students.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Using the GAME plan with students
Looking at the Web site for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) I looked at the NETS for students and teachers side by side. From what I can see, the students would not be able to meet the NETS-S without the NETS-T. For example, the first standard in the NETS-T is to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. Meanwhile the first standard in the NETS-S is using and creativity and innovation using technology. The second standard in the NETS-T is to design new learning experiences and assessments and students are carrying out these experiences and being assessed through communication and collaboration. Essentially, the teacher is the facilitator and setting up these experiences for the students and the students are just carrying them out. It seems like common sense but it is very different from the traditional classroom of the teacher giving information and the students listening to it.
As my students are being introduced to more technology, they should be aware of their learning and how it is progressing. Therefore, teachers should let the students set goals for themselves in terms of what they want to accomplish with each activity. Similar to how teachers post the lesson objective letting students know what they should know, they should be able to control their progress in their knowledge and fluency when it comes to technology. At the beginning of the year it is a good idea to show the students the NETS-S and have them set goals from the start. Although, since my students have few experiences with technology in the classroom other than the basic PowerPoint and such, they would not probably know what type of goals to set for themselves as well as where to go with the actions in a GAME plan. On the other hand, they could start out with something very basic and as the year progresses and they have more/different experiences with technology they can look back at their goals and modify them. The reflection piece is very important and many of my students have difficulty working with others and setting a goal in this area makes them aware of what they need to improve and I think it would make them more accountable because they know they have to reflect on it and make progress.
As my students are being introduced to more technology, they should be aware of their learning and how it is progressing. Therefore, teachers should let the students set goals for themselves in terms of what they want to accomplish with each activity. Similar to how teachers post the lesson objective letting students know what they should know, they should be able to control their progress in their knowledge and fluency when it comes to technology. At the beginning of the year it is a good idea to show the students the NETS-S and have them set goals from the start. Although, since my students have few experiences with technology in the classroom other than the basic PowerPoint and such, they would not probably know what type of goals to set for themselves as well as where to go with the actions in a GAME plan. On the other hand, they could start out with something very basic and as the year progresses and they have more/different experiences with technology they can look back at their goals and modify them. The reflection piece is very important and many of my students have difficulty working with others and setting a goal in this area makes them aware of what they need to improve and I think it would make them more accountable because they know they have to reflect on it and make progress.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Revising My GAME Plan
One of the biggest things I have learned while working towards my GAME plan is the general value of technology. I have always been hesitant to use it because the technology in our district is unreliable, but since the start of the course I have gone outside my comfort zone and implemented technology at least once or twice in each unit whether it was for a project, activity, or review game. I am starting to branch out more in terms of what I am doing with technology and as I explore more technology I am able to accomplish my second goal of having my students be creative in Math - something that I originally thought would be the harder of the two goals. I am still working towards comfort with both of my goals and that will come with more experiences.
A new goal that I have is to use at least three PBL lessons before the end of the year. I know that is a large timeframe, but this is something I am not used to doing so I want to make sure I plan out carefully. Also, my students are not used to being in charge of their learning so this is something they will have to become accustomed to. Lastly, I have to make sure I properly introduce the technologies the students will be using. In my experiences thus far I have realized that my students do not know how to use much of the software for educational purposes. My students get excited when they know they are going to use computers so this is great way to motivate my students. With PBL lessons I struggle with how much to guide them and how much to have they “discover” on their own. I am afraid that they will learn the wrong information and with a cut-and-dry subject like Math, it is harder to unlearn a way to do something.
A new goal that I have is to use at least three PBL lessons before the end of the year. I know that is a large timeframe, but this is something I am not used to doing so I want to make sure I plan out carefully. Also, my students are not used to being in charge of their learning so this is something they will have to become accustomed to. Lastly, I have to make sure I properly introduce the technologies the students will be using. In my experiences thus far I have realized that my students do not know how to use much of the software for educational purposes. My students get excited when they know they are going to use computers so this is great way to motivate my students. With PBL lessons I struggle with how much to guide them and how much to have they “discover” on their own. I am afraid that they will learn the wrong information and with a cut-and-dry subject like Math, it is harder to unlearn a way to do something.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
GAME Plan Progress
How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
At this point I have implemented two activities/projects that incorporated technology as well as had them use their creativity. The actions I took to implement those activities mostly came through conversations and brainstorming with colleagues. I find that my searches on the Internet have not been as successful. In some cases I think I am being too specific or looking for the perfect activity. When I don’t find something I refine my search to something else, and generally I am too broad then. The textbook and DVD segments have given me ideas that I have written down to use in the future though.
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? O
ne of these activities was more successful than another. The one that was not as successful was a data analysis activity that utilized Microsoft Excel, yet only a handful of students had experience with Excel and knew what a spreadsheet even was. Part of the unsuccessfulness of this activity was my fault because I did not inquire about the students’ skills prior to starting and I did not go into enough depth as to how to use Excel…I should’ve known - assume nothing! My students are in need of much more guidance getting started using the technology than I thought.
What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
Since my students need to learn the technology before they can actually use it, how much time should I spend with the introduction? I feel like my students would be able to click around and figure out most things but they tend to not like to do that in an academic setting. They would love to explore a new cell phone or digital camera, but exploring Excel isn’t high on my students’ list of things to do.
How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
Currently things are slightly chaotic because there is a push on the standardized tests and the holidays coming up. I am trying to continue to integrate technology a little at a time to get my students used to using it first. I still need to give my students some more freedom to control their learning but I am struggling with how to do that while still making sure that the standards are met and all students are meeting the same standards.
Any suggestions?
At this point I have implemented two activities/projects that incorporated technology as well as had them use their creativity. The actions I took to implement those activities mostly came through conversations and brainstorming with colleagues. I find that my searches on the Internet have not been as successful. In some cases I think I am being too specific or looking for the perfect activity. When I don’t find something I refine my search to something else, and generally I am too broad then. The textbook and DVD segments have given me ideas that I have written down to use in the future though.
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? O
ne of these activities was more successful than another. The one that was not as successful was a data analysis activity that utilized Microsoft Excel, yet only a handful of students had experience with Excel and knew what a spreadsheet even was. Part of the unsuccessfulness of this activity was my fault because I did not inquire about the students’ skills prior to starting and I did not go into enough depth as to how to use Excel…I should’ve known - assume nothing! My students are in need of much more guidance getting started using the technology than I thought.
What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
Since my students need to learn the technology before they can actually use it, how much time should I spend with the introduction? I feel like my students would be able to click around and figure out most things but they tend to not like to do that in an academic setting. They would love to explore a new cell phone or digital camera, but exploring Excel isn’t high on my students’ list of things to do.
How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
Currently things are slightly chaotic because there is a push on the standardized tests and the holidays coming up. I am trying to continue to integrate technology a little at a time to get my students used to using it first. I still need to give my students some more freedom to control their learning but I am struggling with how to do that while still making sure that the standards are met and all students are meeting the same standards.
Any suggestions?
GAME Plan Progress
How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
At this point I have implemented two activities/projects that incorporated technology as well as had them use their creativity. The actions I took to implement those activities mostly came through conversations and brainstorming with colleagues. I find that my searches on the Internet have not been as successful. In some cases I think I am being too specific or looking for the perfect activity. When I don’t find something I refine my search to something else, and generally I am too broad then. The textbook and DVD segments have given me ideas that I have written down to use in the future though.
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? O
ne of these activities was more successful than another. The one that was not as successful was a data analysis activity that utilized Microsoft Excel, yet only a handful of students had experience with Excel and knew what a spreadsheet even was. Part of the unsuccessfulness of this activity was my fault because I did not inquire about the students’ skills prior to starting and I did not go into enough depth as to how to use Excel…I should’ve known - assume nothing! My students are in need of much more guidance getting started using the technology than I thought.
What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
Since my students need to learn the technology before they can actually use it, how much time should I spend with the introduction? I feel like my students would be able to click around and figure out most things but they tend to not like to do that in an academic setting. They would love to explore a new cell phone or digital camera, but exploring Excel isn’t high on my students’ list of things to do.
How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
Currently things are slightly chaotic because there is a push on the standardized tests and the holidays coming up. I am trying to continue to integrate technology a little at a time to get my students used to using it first. I still need to give my students some more freedom to control their learning but I am struggling with how to do that while still making sure that the standards are met and all students are meeting the same standards.
Any suggestions?
At this point I have implemented two activities/projects that incorporated technology as well as had them use their creativity. The actions I took to implement those activities mostly came through conversations and brainstorming with colleagues. I find that my searches on the Internet have not been as successful. In some cases I think I am being too specific or looking for the perfect activity. When I don’t find something I refine my search to something else, and generally I am too broad then. The textbook and DVD segments have given me ideas that I have written down to use in the future though.
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? O
ne of these activities was more successful than another. The one that was not as successful was a data analysis activity that utilized Microsoft Excel, yet only a handful of students had experience with Excel and knew what a spreadsheet even was. Part of the unsuccessfulness of this activity was my fault because I did not inquire about the students’ skills prior to starting and I did not go into enough depth as to how to use Excel…I should’ve known - assume nothing! My students are in need of much more guidance getting started using the technology than I thought.
What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
Since my students need to learn the technology before they can actually use it, how much time should I spend with the introduction? I feel like my students would be able to click around and figure out most things but they tend to not like to do that in an academic setting. They would love to explore a new cell phone or digital camera, but exploring Excel isn’t high on my students’ list of things to do.
How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
Currently things are slightly chaotic because there is a push on the standardized tests and the holidays coming up. I am trying to continue to integrate technology a little at a time to get my students used to using it first. I still need to give my students some more freedom to control their learning but I am struggling with how to do that while still making sure that the standards are met and all students are meeting the same standards.
Any suggestions?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monitoring my GAME plan
One of the goals in my GAME plan was to incorporate technology into two activities per unit. I also wanted to loosen the boundaries to allow my students to be more creative. I recently started a unit and wanted a multi-day activity to fill the half days of school prior to Thanksgiving. This caused me to think of an activity that closely aligned with what we were doing at the beginning of the project. The students had just learned ratio and started using ratios, percents, fractions, and differences in comparison statements. The textbook gave example of advertisements and I decided to have my students create an advertisement. They were required to look up factual information about a company of their choice. From there they were given the freedom to be creative and design an advertisement and the only requirement was that they had to write 4 comparison statements, include 1 in their advertisement, and explain why they chose it. I did give the students the option of creating their ad using technology or using a poster. A majority chose the poster because that’s what they were comfortable with. There was a student who created a video and others who used Publisher. Regardless, technology was used in some way in each child’s project.
So far I have not needed to use the internet for my own research. I came up with the idea of the advertisement and it evolved through conversations with other teachers. My colleague also did the project with her class and they, too, seemed to have fun with the creative nature of the assignment. Some embraced the technology more than others.
At this point I do not think I need to alter my action plan. Throughout the first 3 weeks of this course I have developed many ideas as to how to implement technology so I do not think it will be as difficult as I originally thought. Some things I am truly excited to get to with my students because I want to see how it will affect their learning.
So far I have learned that my mindset had to change. I was always trying to force the technology because I wanted my students to have that experience for Math, but because it was forced it was not beneficial. In the past I was also avoiding technology because the technology at our school is so bad, but I now know that I just have to suck it up and deal with it because the value outweighs the struggles. Lastly, I had to realize that I need to look at my lesson plans and see where technology would fit naturally and be a good resource for the students in what it achieving the objective.
In doing the advertisement project with my students, I was hoping that more students would pick the technology as a means of presentation. Perhaps it’s because they have not had enough experiences at this point with enough software to feel comfortable with them so they are playing it safe and doing what they know. Should I force the technology upon my students or continue to let them choose? I kind of feel like at some point I have to force them to use something they might not be familiar with or else they will not make any growth. Thoughts?
So far I have not needed to use the internet for my own research. I came up with the idea of the advertisement and it evolved through conversations with other teachers. My colleague also did the project with her class and they, too, seemed to have fun with the creative nature of the assignment. Some embraced the technology more than others.
At this point I do not think I need to alter my action plan. Throughout the first 3 weeks of this course I have developed many ideas as to how to implement technology so I do not think it will be as difficult as I originally thought. Some things I am truly excited to get to with my students because I want to see how it will affect their learning.
So far I have learned that my mindset had to change. I was always trying to force the technology because I wanted my students to have that experience for Math, but because it was forced it was not beneficial. In the past I was also avoiding technology because the technology at our school is so bad, but I now know that I just have to suck it up and deal with it because the value outweighs the struggles. Lastly, I had to realize that I need to look at my lesson plans and see where technology would fit naturally and be a good resource for the students in what it achieving the objective.
In doing the advertisement project with my students, I was hoping that more students would pick the technology as a means of presentation. Perhaps it’s because they have not had enough experiences at this point with enough software to feel comfortable with them so they are playing it safe and doing what they know. Should I force the technology upon my students or continue to let them choose? I kind of feel like at some point I have to force them to use something they might not be familiar with or else they will not make any growth. Thoughts?
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