Week 8 Reflection: EDUC-6715I New and Emerging Technologies

This activity really does open my eyes to all the possibilities to students in the classroom. Of course, there are always challenges that may get in the way. I have built a good rapport with my team and the principal is usually very open to letting us try new things. I know I cannot do everything all at once, but I want to start with one assignment or project at a time. Slowly introduces these tools to students will help them get a good grasp on the concepts. I want to keep in the loop with emerging technologies by attending the TECC conference in Minneapolis. I have attended this conference that last two years and have really benefitted from it. Watching teachers come in and give us new ideas and how they use the tools, is very helpful. I want to bring new tools and technology into my school. The more I use it and share with my staff, the more staff will hopefully try it out. I know it may be difficult for some to get on board, but if I can be as helpful and available as possible, I think it will make my colleagues feel more comfortable. I am also on the district SMART board committee. This could be something I bring up to this committee as it is a technology experienced group involving the whole district in Elementary. I have learned a great deal from colleagues in this course and hope to keep these pieces in mind as we start the new school year. I will continue to use what I have, learn from what I have done, and build new experiences with what I have learned. I am not experienced in writing grants, but I know a few people who I could go to for guidance. If I can get people to work with, I think we could start some neat activities and real world projects with the students in my school.

Week 8 Reflection

Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction are very important pieces in a classroom. I have found that many tools and resources I already in my classroom while others are not. There are so many wikis, blogs, and websites that my group has shared in the social network that I am excited to use. I will use these resources when I am planning a unit or lesson. I will think about the students needs in my class and what the students need. If there is a student that struggles getting thoughts on to paper, I could use www.wordle.com. The students can create a word cloud using the words that help describe what they need. If a student needs extra practice with math skills, they can go to www.mathplayground.com to find many reinforcement skills. In the beginning of my lesson, I will want to use visuals and concept maps. This will help the students build background on the lesson and make learning more universal.
With the school year at a close, I am excited to have time to plan the best ways to make my classroom more universal and differentiated. I will be moving to a new grade so I can not say exactly how it will look and what resources I will use. I will definitely want to see if there would be a way to have some computers set in my room. I also want to put together some folders organizing different sites that have been very meaningful to me that I will be able to find quickly when a student needs it. I also love the surveys the students can fill out to help me learn their interests, learning profile, and multiple intelligences. Those will be great to use in the beginning of the year!

Week 7 Reflection

Using a social network is a great and easy way to share ideas. I have been able to learn about so many different tools from others this way. This tool would work well when students are working on group projects. We could also use it as a way to help students become responsible for sharing work the parents would like to see. A group member shared this website, http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/Choice+Boards. This wiki has so many neat templates and strategies to use with students. Having concrete tools at my fingertips is what works best with me. I will also be thinking about the technology I can bring into the classroom. I have learned about the great websites that I will keep on my desktop. When I need something, I will look there first. I also know all the technology tools I have available to me at school. I use the SMART board everyday. I also will make sure to have the laptop carts available. This website, http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/MathSquareForm.asp, also has a great way to make math facts fun. Some students need to be side tracked with “fun” in order to learn. When teachers are competing against video games, we need to get creative.

Final GAME Plan Reflection

Overall, I am very happy with my GAME plan. It was very interested to see how the GAME plan had helped me throughout these few weeks. I also was excited to see my GAME plan in action. I brought some professional development opportunities to the staff development committee and they approved so I was able to give all staff a half-day to focus on building technology lessons. I am still in the process as I have two more groups to go! From the groups I have already worked with, I have only heard good things. One of the biggest things teachers struggle with is finding time. I have now given staff the time so they are hopefully that much more comfortable using the technology. This time has also helped me become a better teacher using technology because I am teaching teachers how to use it. I have created and built up my own collection of lessons that I am able to use. Not only have I used them in my homeroom class, but also I am able to use the technology with the after school program and with the students I tutor. My next piece of technology is bringing the wiki back. I started a wiki in the beginning of the school year and have not used it since. I have a science experiment where I want groups to collaborate on their findings. When the technology is prepared well ahead of time, it makes the class period go so much more smoothly.

GAME Plan

The GAME plan is very helpful in laying out goals and making sure they are followed each week. I enjoyed have the time to reflect on the goals that were made. It was nice to see that the goals do not need to be set in stone. As you go through and practice the goals, changes are made to help reach the goals. The GAME plan included goals, actions, monitoring, and evaluate and extend. This process has helped me grow and challenge myself to become a better teacher who uses technology. When sitting down and writing specific actions that I plan on taking gives me a place to start my goals rather than putting it off. As I am going through my goals, monitoring myself helps me reflect on how I am doing. I noticed that I was doing a good job with some parts of the goals and there were areas where I needed a little boost too. Evaluating and extending will help me continue to grow and change my ideas as needed. It is a smooth continuous cycle.

This will be a great process to layout with my students because we develop goals for our Responsive Classroom management. They have four goals in a variety of areas and I could add a fifth goal relating to technology. Once the students have their goals, we could discuss the actions they need to make that goal work while monitoring themselves throughout the year or assignment, and finally evaluate how they did. Once the students have a good grasp on their ideas, I could sit down with them individually to go through the goal they want to accomplish so I can support them in their efforts. While I continue to grow professionally and design technology lessons, the students will keep me on my toes to learn new technology to creatively bring in to the classroom.

GAME Plan Update

So far, I have learned about the SMART board Toolkit and different things I can do with it. I have also seen how I can easily bring in technology to my class. I had a graph on my SMART board that the students needed to fill out based on their information they got from their science experiment. I was able to model how to create the graph with my information. The modeling helped students understand how to do it. I have also created a “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” game on the SMART board. Using this game as a science review, helped students review in an interactive way. Next week, I am receiving training on SMART boards and will bring that back to my staff on Tuesday. I will continue to work towards using technology each week and continue to grow professionally. A new goal I want to set is bringing in different types of technology, like more Web 2.0 tools. Also, I have noticed that I keep my website up-to-date, but maybe one or two families visit the site. I want to update my website because I have families using it, so I need to find ways to get families going to the site more often. To help me reach these goals, I want to hear what other teachers do to have families use the website. I feel that the staff at our school does not have many families visiting the websites. They might be too simple and e-mail is easier for many of them. I need ideas on that.

Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

My actions are realistic. When looking at where we are in the school year and what I can bring to the staff and students, I do not want to make drastic changes. I will continue to train staff and look into workshops this summer. I do feel that my students are more ready for new technology projects at this point. With the weather getting warmer, students have a hard time sitting still. Getting the students working in groups and moving around will keep them focusing on school work. I have learned how everyone has different views on using technology in the classroom. Many staff members shy away from technology because it does not work they way they need it to work. I would like to learn new ways to reach all staff members to encourage them to use technology with their students. If students used technology starting in first grade, they would have an easier time when they reach fifth grade. I am starting from scratch with most of these students, and it would be nice to get technology into the hands of students earlier. By having training sessions and giving putting my projects on my website, hopefully will make these more appealing to staff members.

Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

I am finding the information I need. I have a few trainings coming up, so I will be preparing for those. I am working with staff that has a lot of new curriculum this year, and SMART board training has been put last on the list for many. With that in mind, I need to make sure I am training the staff in a positive manner so they feel comfortable with it. I do not feel that I need to do any modifications at this point. My goals include some long term and short-term goals. There may be a point where I decide there may need to be some changes, but I feel good at where I am. If I add too many new pieces, it would make it difficult to get anything finished. I have learned that there are many places out there that will help me incorporate technology. Having websites and lessons readily available is a huge help when it comes to bringing in technology. Something that I had been thinking about is how will my goals be changing. To continue to improve myself and the technology I use, I need to always be ready for the changes. After my classes at Walden, I want to keep up with the new practices. What are some ways that I can do that?

Carrying Out the GAME Plan

In order to carry out my GAME Plan I will need to keep up-to-date on professional development opportunities. My school district has a variety of workshops throughout the year that I can look into. I could also look at taking graduate classes. I would be curious as to where I could find great opportunities elsewhere if anyone has some ideas.

For my second goal, I will need to visit with colleagues on technology they use and look online for lessons that have used technology. I think it would be great to join an interactive group on-line. I would need additional information from someone who could get me the place to look for that. So far, I have been able to keep up on making one technology lesson each week. I have a variety of tools available to me, but I know that the students will want to try new tools as the year goes on. I also have set up three training dates with my principal so I can train staff on the new toolkit tool in the SMART boards.

Developing Your Personal GAME Plan

NETS-T Indicator: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

Goals: - Continue to be a SMART board coordinator in my school district

- Attend TIES technology conference each December to learn about new technologies and ways to incorporate them.

- Train staff on new ways to incorporate technology

Actions: To achieve the goals I will meet with the SMART board committee throughout the school year, I will attend the TIES technology conference and take notes, about new ideas to bring back with me. Put into place one or two items I learned at the conference right away. Teach and share information with the staff about important pieces I learned at the conference, and make sure I am available to help the staff when needed. Also, train staff on new ideas with the SMART board. We have so many technology tools available to us, and I can help bring these pieces to the forefront

Monitor: I will stay up-to-date with SMART board committee meetings. Continue to plan training dates with the principal. Continue to check the TIES website for conference details. Write all training dates and meetings on my calendar.

Evaluate and Extend: I will make sure lessons and tools I learn will get used each year. Many times after a first lesson, it needs to be adjusted to meet the needs of the learner better. I will make those changes after each lesson to be ready for the next time I use it. I will have an evaluation after each training session to make my presentations better for the staff.

NETS-T Indicator: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Goals: - Take time each week to build one new lesson with technology

- Give multiple technology tools to use in final projects

Actions: Take one prep time each week to build technology lessons, whether it is related to the SMART board or Web 2.0 tool. Talk to the students about some of their favorite technology tools to use within lessons to increase motivation and ownership. After learning new tools to use at conferences and my masters class, I can incorporate those into projects the students have. For example, rather than using paper and pencil, I can give the option to share with a VoiceThread or Podcast.

Monitor: Write “technology lesson building” in my plan book each week. I will only focus on that lesson during that block of time. When planning projects, I will always include at least one piece of technology for students to use. I will add those tools into my daily lessons so students are familiar with the different technology tools available to them.

Evaluate and Extend: After each week, I can reflect on how the lessons went and how many of them I did. Some weeks I will be doing a few different technology lessons. With that, I can see which subjects I could add

Transitioning from Knowledge to Synthesis - Reflection

One of the most striking revelations, yet it sounds simple, is how to find reliable sources. I never went into as much detail as I did this year with the research process. Students use the internet all the time and most understand the non-linear steps. Digging in deeper to the searching for reliable sources made the process go smoother and I could tell the students really looked closely at the sites.

According to David Warlick, “The technology is coming from the students, it’s personal” (Laureate, 2009). I have never been trained on how to teach students on how to use the internet safely. For the most part, I taught myself by experimenting and practicing. This class has given me a better understanding of what to look for and how to find information in a safe, reliable way. I will definitely continue to use the tips, worksheets, search engines, and searching techniques with my students. This process also helps the students dig deeper in those questions they are curious about. The internet has given students the ease of having answers to questions right at their finger tips. Now, I feel more confident helping students get to the right answers in a timely manner. One professional goal I have for myself after taking this class is to continue to use questioning techniques throughout the year. Students better understand how to use technology to find answers, and I want to challenge the students to keep asking those questions. In order to make this happen I will bring question strategies into the discussions we have. When students have questions, we will write them down so we can look into finding answers. I will also continue to model this by coming up with questions that I am curious about and finding the answer by doing a think aloud.