21
June
2010
As my final course for my Master’s degree comes to a close, I am reflecting on how this will change my teaching to include more technology. First, I now realize the importance of technology in the classroom and how technology is the tool that is currently driving and will continue to drive the workforce of the world. Implementing different technologies in school is going to be essential for helping students become successful citizens in today’s society.
The learning activity that I created in the last part of my final class involves my students using a social networking site, such as Ning.com. I believe that this learning activity will help my students become adept at using these types of technology to communicate and network in the future. This type of technology is currently transforming communication today and students need to be aware of this and how to use it safely and appropriately. What better way to teach them how then to implement these in the classroom?
Another technology that I would like to become more familiar with and possibly implement in my classroom is the idea of a virtual world. A virtual world essentially eliminates the need for a physical classroom. Although it is important for students to have the face-to-face interaction with others on a daily basis, a virtual world would allow for meeting daily and discussing ideas online. This would be beneficial when students are ill or unable to attend school for some reason.
The main adjustment that I plan to make to my teaching is to implement the social networking site with my class. I believe that once I do this in the coming school year, many other teachers will see the benefit of using this type of technology. The best way to be a leader in technology is to just jump right in and begin using the new technology. Most people are apprehensive when they hear about something, but once they see it in action, they are often more willing to try it. This last course has taught me to be a leader and investigate new technologies. As a result of my learning, I believe that I have become a leader and will help many others to implement new technologies with their students.
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29
May
2010
Please listen to my voice thread discussing the benefits of online learning in middle school classrooms.
http://voicethread.com/share/1180493/
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20
April
2010
After learning about UDL, I plan to implement this type of learning activity into my classroom along with further differentiated instructional activities. Using the principles behind UDL to meet the needs of all learners in a classroom will allow flexibility in learning activities. Technology can be very useful in this way. Providing technology tools for students who struggle with reading and writing will allow them to overcome the barriers that hinder them to meet the objectives of the grade level curriculum (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Tools such as Kurzweil and speech-to-text software make this possible in my classroom.
Adding differentiated lessons and creating a differentiated classroom will allow all students to access the curriculum at the appropriate level. While reviewing the links on the Ning, I find that the tool I will use the most is the No Fear Shakespeare link (http://nfs.sparknotes.com/). This tool provides practical interpretations of many of Shakespeare’s plays. This will allow my students who are weak readers to better understand the play which, in turn, will allow them to access the curriculum. Mostly, I will add opportunities for my students to choose the products that they create to show learning and understanding. This is the most immediate change I will make. I have already started to add options for my students to choose from when completing unit projects. Some choices I have added are PowerPoint presentations, podcasts, voice threads, movies, or web sites. By adding these technology options, my classes are able to be differentiated by the needs and interests of my students.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008) Universal design for learning. Laureate Education, Inc.
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22
February
2010
Following the GAME Plan over the past several weeks has really been beneficial to me. The aspects of the GAME plan- setting goals, defining actions, monitoring actions, and evaluating progress (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009) helped to keep me on track for reaching my goals. Following this plan helped me to understand how important it is to set up a plan to follow when setting goals.
Teaching this plan to my 8th grade students will also be very beneficial. I have already begun to teach them this process with the partner research paper that they are currently writing. The paper is a three week long process. After outlining the steps, my students set goals and I have met with the pairs to help them follow through with the process. Hopefully they will learn and internalize this process and use it to manage their time and planning in the future.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc (2008). Promoting self-directed learning with technology. Laureate Education, Inc.
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15
February
2010
Implementing the GAME Plan process for my goals over the past several weeks has been very enlightening. Even though I have not completely met either of my goals yet, I am close to completing them. The process of the GAME Plan has helped to keep me focused on reaching my goals. I believe that this will be a very helpful process to my students and I will use it with them when completing technology-based projects to help them meet NETS-S.
The standards outlined for students and teachers by ISTE are very similar in relation to technology use and integration. For teachers, however, the standards focus on professional development and being positive models for students when using technology. For students the standards focus on learning to use technology to display creativity, gather information, improve thinking skills, and become adept at using technology safely and properly.
In using the GAME Plan with my students, I will have them outline their goals for technology use as it relates to English class project completion. For the up coming writing assignment I will have my students complete a plan for the completion of the research and writing of the paper. They will document the GAME plan over the course of the two week assignment. I will include this as part of their assessment. Throughout the two weeks I will meet with each of my students to help them monitor and evaluate the progress they are making. Even though this will only happen with a few assignments each year, hopefully the process will become something that my students come to value and use in the future.
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8
February
2010
Over the past several weeks, I have been working diligently toward reaching my goals set forth in my GAME plan to help my students become adept at using different web 2.0 tools in authentic ways to solve real-life issues.
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I have learned that implementing technology into my lessons each day will help to arouse my students’ curiosities. We have been exploring different web resources to answer simple questions that come up during the lessons. I also have begun to plan a persuasive writing unit that will allow my students to work toward resolving real issues that are present in our school district currently.
What goals are you still working toward?
I am still working toward implementing an authentic learning project that uses technology. I am planning to have my students’ complete persuasive presentations and speeches based on real problems that face our school district. I plan to implement this during the sprint.
Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?
Based on the NETS-T, I would like to learn more about different digital tools that I can use to communicate with my students and parents of my students. Currently, I use a website for my students to communicate through discussion forums and for them to turn in work. I would like to find a new medium that allows my students to not only communicate with one another, but to also communicate with students in other classrooms around the globe. This will also aid in meeting my goal of creating an authentic, real-world way for my students to use technology.
What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
I plan to continue to explore resources on the internet that will support the creation of different real-world projects for my students. I also plan to continue to explore different projects set up by teachers across the globe, such as the Flat Classroom Project. By exploring these projects, I plan to learn more about how to communicate and collaborate with other teachers around the world in order to further inform my teaching and creating of authentic projects for my students.
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1
February
2010
Charting my progress toward meeting my goals of creating an authentic, problem-based unit plan is very frustrating and rewarding at the same time. Right now, progress seems slow, but I am constantly making adjustments in order to make the plan happen.
How effective were my actions in helping me meet my goals?
My actions so far have not been as helpful as I would have hoped. My research has not yielded many ideas for authentic projects that will easily fit with my content standards alone. I am going to possibly have to collaborate with another discipline in order to have enough class time to devote to the project. Hopefully by working with science or social studies, I will be able to implement this project and meet content standards in both disciplines.
What have I learned so far that I can apply to my instructional practice?
As far as informing my instructional practice, I have read about many different ways to include technology into my daily lessons. I have also learned that using technology can be a motivator for students in lessons. The expectations in the future for today’s students is that they will be able to use many different kinds of technology on a daily basis, so creating lessons and activities based on different technologies will be useful in their future.
What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
Although my research has proven to be useful and informative, I still have to figure out how to best fit an authentic, problem-based unit into my curriculum. Many of my colleagues who I have reached out to have the same problem- how do we make this work within the time and curriculum constraints?
How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
I plan to continue to work with colleagues to come up with the best possible options for implementing this plan. I will also reach out to colleagues in other disciplines in order to possibly create a cross-curricular unit that will meet the needs in both subject areas. Hopefully my colleagues in other disciplines will be willing to collaborate and create a unit together.
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25
January
2010
My goals are to develop real-world, authentic projects for my students and to incorporate the ability for my students to research a topic of their interest.
Are you finding the information and resources you need?
I have been finding a wealth of information about English classes incorporating authentic projects for students to complete. WebEnglishTeacher.com has provided me with ample ideas for creating authentic projects English that incorporate many different types of technology. I have also heard back from several colleagues in my district about projects they have their students complete.
Do you need to modify your action plan?
As of right now, it does not seem that I will need to modify my action plan. I believe that the creation of this project for my students will enable them to learn how to use new technologies that will be applicable to real-world situations.
What have you learned so far?
I have learned that my colleagues in my own county are a great source of information about creating real-world, authentic projects. I have also learned that in order to create a real-world, authentic assessment, the material does not necessarily need to be based on information that students will use in their every-day lives, but the skills that they are developing through the project need to be skills that they will use in their lives. In the case of the project in English class, the skills the students will develop will be based around the technology that they will use. The technology skills are the real-world skills that the students will be gaining and improving through the project.
What new questions have arisen?
The questions that have arisen in my quest to create this project are mostly based on my school district’s internet usage policy. What type of student content can be displayed on the internet? What are the limitations of using discussion-based websites? How are the technology documents interpreted by other teachers and administrators?
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18
January
2010
In order to meet the goals I set forth in my GAME plan, there are several resources and possibly more information that I will need.
Resources Needed
The first resource that I will need to use to carry out my plan will be my colleagues teaching 8th grade English in my school district and across the country. Creating authentic, real-world English lessons that include technology can be challenging. Students often find English to be boring because many of the skills are necessary for everyday life (reading, writing letters) but do not directly apply to interesting or exciting real-world situations. I would like to create I will also need to research using authentic English projects that engage students while also including real-world applications. This research will include websites and books written by other English educators focusing on incorporating technology into authentic, engaging projects and lessons.
Additional Information Needed
In addition to the resources mentioned above, I will also need to stay up-to-date on technology tools used in society. I will need to see the research about how to use the newest technology and I will also need to possibly take classes to learn about how to properly and safely use the new tools. I will need to follow the latest education news through organizations and newsletters.
Steps Taken
Although it has only been a week since I made created my GAME plan and set goals, I have already begun the process of taking steps to meet my goals. I have reached out to several colleagues at other schools in my county in an attempt to open communication for sharing ideas. I have also talked with my department chairperson about possible ideas for lessons that would include real-world applications using technology while adhering to curriculum standards. I have also been reading several websites, including WebEnglishTeacher.com and Edutopia.
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14
January
2010
As a middle school English teacher, I am comfortable with most of the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. Since technology is a large part of my life, I work very hard to incorporate it into my classroom. It is very important for today’s students to learn how to appropriately use web 2.0 tools. Despite being comfortable with most of the indicators, there are two that I am still not completely comfortable with. The first indicator that I am uncomfortable with states: “Teachers will engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” (ISTE, 2008). The second indicator that I am uncomfortable with states: “Teachers develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to purse their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress” (ISTE, 2008).
Goals
In order to become more comfortable with the two indicators, I am going to set up a GAME plan for myself (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). The first part of the GAME plan is to set goals for myself. In order to improve my proficiency with these indicators, I am setting a goal for each indicator. For the first indicator, I will work towards creating real-world, authentic projects related to my curriculum for my students to complete while using technology tools. The goal that I will work toward is setting up a project to allow my students to pursue a topic that they are curious about and working with them on following the GAME (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) plan themselves.
Actions
The next step of the GAME plan is to set up actions to meet the goals (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). To meet these goals, I will work with my colleagues in the English department and research different options for creating engaging English lessons that will simulate real-world issues for my students to solve. I will also work with my colleagues to create projects for my students that will allow them to explore topics of their own interests while still teaching the skills required by the curriculum.
Monitor
The third step of the GAME plan is to monitor my actions to make sure I am making progress toward meeting my goals (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). I will monitor my actions through each unit by attempting to add either engaging lessons simulating real-world issues or by creating a project that will allow my students to explore topics of their own interests. I will attempt to meet one goal per unit and then I will go even further to try to include both indicators in the third unit. I will keep a journal about the lessons and goals to ensure that I meet my goals within my two-unit time frame.
Evaluate
The final step of the GAME plan is to evaluate my progress in meeting my goals (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). In order to evaluate my progress I will elicit the help of my students. After the completion of each lesson or project, I will survey them about whether or not they thought I met my goals. I will then look at how well the students did in the lesson and on the project.
Laureate Education, Inc (2008). Promoting self-directed learning with technology.
Laureate Education, Inc.
ISTE. (2008). National Education Technology Standards. Retrieved January 13, 2010, from
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETST_Standards_Final.pdf
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