As asserted in a course podcast, there is no doubt that technology is essential to modern life; therefore one cannot be considered truly knowledgeable and well-rounded without an understanding of how to use these tools (Laureate Education, Inc. 2008). Its use has recently made an impact on my district, in the form of a learning platform that has made communication with parents quicker and easier. At the commencement of the third marking period, parents were able to view students’ grades, and upcoming assignments, at any time, cluing them in to what their students are up to on a daily basis, and allowing them to better provide the support and encouragement needed to help their children meet their responsibilities. The use of technology-based materials also offers a window into what we are working on in class, as parents are able to access class websites, wikis, and any links brought to the pupils’ attention in reference to content.

 Seeing for myself, via my own children and their use of texting, Facebook, and the like, how significant and motivating the social aspect of learning is, I can understand the importance of using it to promote youth leadership and address global issues, as noted by Yoder (2009). I also believe Atkinson’s (2009) assertion that digital gaming may be the way to deal with the problem of students choosing games over homework. In response, I am going to seek the grants and administrative assistance needed to implement the Second Life lesson I have developed.     

 Having never seen myself as a leader, in terms of modeling for others, a confidence I did not possess prior to this course of study has allowed me to feel empowered, and I am thus more forthcoming with innovative suggestions for my colleagues. I do not yet see myself leading an in-service training, but one never knows what the future will hold. As noted in the course videos, leadership means making happen what you believe in, something I will continue to work toward, modeling for my students as I go (Laureate Education, 2008).

References

 Atkinson, T. (2009). Second life for educators: Teaching and learning. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 53(3), 30–32.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number four. New and Emerging Technologies [Motion picture]. Introduction to Teaching Leadership. Baltimore: Author.

 Yoder, M. (2009). Walk, fly, or teleport to learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(2), 16–20.

 Young, J., Birtolo, P., & McElman, R. (2009). Virtual success: Transforming education through online learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(5), 12–17.

APP4OhlandM

My voicethread:  www.voicethread.com/share/1026027. Please let me know what you think. Have a good week everyone.

In the coming months I plan to revamp my entire curriculum with several goals in mind: embellishing existing elements of both Universal Design for Learning, as noted on the CAST website ( http://www.cast.org/publications/UDLguidelines/version1.html), and Differentiated Instruction, focusing on the use of technology and developing formative assessments based on content area material taught within the context of the texts and other types of print read by my seventh graders (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). The use of Web 2.0 tools will not only engage learners, in that they are fun and motivating, but will enable me to monitor progress more readily, offering immediate feedback and remediation, as noted by Salend (2009).

The survey I created as part of this course is a valuable tool that saves me time because it incorporates all the critical elements that I investigated separately until now. The data gleaned will allow me to tailor my monthly independent book projects, challenging learners. By offering them plenty of choices, varying them each month, I will allow for the fluidity Tomlinson (2009) asserts is inherent in students’ learning preferences. Digital media will play an important role in this regard, as this medium separates content and display, enabling students to customize the texts as needed (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

Added to my list of objectives is that of fine tuning the teaching of classroom routines, as the resulting efficiency saves time and confusion, while fostering students’ sense of autonomy (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). I would also like to make it a habit, as presented in the final video resource, of offering my pupils two outcomes, in reference to a particular task, setting high expectations and then letting them decide which way things will go (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). By offering my learners a variety of tools by which to learn, I will inspire them to follow their interests on their own, as I have done with the tools presented to me in this course. It is this grasp of how to learn that I hope they will carry with them throughout their lives, much less their academic careers.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number two. Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology [Motion picture]. Assessing Students. Baltimore:  Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number two. Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology [Motion picture]. Differentiating Instructional Elements. Baltimore:  Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number ten. Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology [Motion picture]. High Quality Curriculum. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number thirteen. Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology [Motion picture]. Managing the Differentiated Classroom. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number one. Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology [Motion picture]. Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number three. Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology [Motion picture]. Real-Time Searches. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number fifteen. Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology [Motion picture]. Virtual Field Experience. Baltimore: Author.

Tomlinson, C. (2008). Learning to love assessment. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 8–13. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Salend, S. (2009). Technology-based classroom assessments. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(6), 48–58. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

            Modifying my  mind set, I focused on wiki use and digital storytelling, and both have been successful, in that they have sparked student interest, even though the wiki is not yet up and running. I have shared my efforts with my pupil, and they are eager to begin using it sometime this year, but as a long term undertaking, rather than a specific unit. Just today I received the finished products of my students’ digital storytelling efforts, and I am excited to view them over the holidays. A vote of confidence in favor of this avenue of learning and assessment is that not one student failed to hand in a final product! In addition to allowing learners to engage in this type of media outlet, I am working on several digital stories of my own to be used as hooks and/or anticipation guides when introducing new novels. I too enjoy the creative process, and am finding that this type of modeling compels pupils to evaluate their own work in fresh ways, leading to the practicing of editing skills. Such an approach also highlights for learners how to convey content in this format, a talent they can use in their own endeavors. This is especially important, as meeting both NETS standards, as noted on the ISTE website (http://www.iste.org/content/navigationmenu/nets/forstudents/2007standards/nets_for_students_2007_standards.pdf) and state standards is a critical challenge in regard to the development of digital stories (Laureate Education, 2008)..

            I had hoped to ignite a “fire” by studying technology, in both my students and myself, and I have not been disappointed. By monitoring the progress of my learning, and that of my pupils’ I feel confident that I will reach more students than ever as I expand the ways in which I present content area information and assess my charges. In evaluating my technology use I realized I had lamented the class time lost to technology instruction, only to understand that there was much to gain by fostering student mastery of said technology. For example, I can develop activities and discussion prompts, which can be addressed in any number of ways, outside of school hours, buying a great deal more time than I believed to have been lost. All in all, I am a more confident, well-rounded digital immigrant who is not breaking any records closing the gap, but is doing right by my learners as I expose them to different types of technologies, whether via classroom use or development, who recognizes the importance of such exposures, as well as the need to continue my own education in this area. Life long learning; the most effective way to teach it is to be the best example one can be. Embracing technology is allowing me to do just that.

 References

 Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number thirteen. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Motion picture]. Spotlight on Technology: Digital Story Telling: Part 2. Baltimore: Author.

In that I must continue my planned remediation lessons, I am incorporating conferencing into that period, meeting with each student every few days, for several moments, to discuss and monitor their progress. Most of them are at the script developing stage, as discussed in their week’s resources (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) Letters were sent home, and signed by parents, to inform them of the project and to ask for their help in monitoring for appropriate content, as I will not see most of the final products until the day they are presented, and I have two classes with a total of 63 students, making this not only an important task, but a potentially overwhelming one (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). I have also garnered aid from the seventh grade technology instructor, who utilizes ninth period for remediation as well, and can offer lab time to those with limited resources at home, as well as technical aid. In addition to helping me with this project, the aforementioned instructor and I are also working on a unit, that she will incorporate into her technology curriculum, on digital citizenship, as I will find it difficult to accomodate little more than a refresher at the beginning of each new undertaking within my own instruction. In this way all learners, not just my pupils, will receive in-depth lessons on how to conduct themselves properly and cite sources correctly when working on-line, as called for in the NETS standards set forth on the ISTE website (http://www.iste.org/content/navigationmenu/nets/forstudents/2007standards/nets_for_students_2007_standards.pdf)

As so many of us have come to realize throughout this course, I now understand that small steps are just fine and that one must jump right in. This is a learning experience for both me and my students, with an emphasis on learning. Helping them to be comfortable with the process and tweaking their interest holds great value, especially for students who are so close to high school, where they must be knowledgeable and engaged in order to achieve the success needed to move on with their education. I am just happy to be moving them in the right direction, building many skills, including creative, analytical, problem solving, interpersonal, communication, and research, as per this week’s video resources (Laureate Education, Inc., (2008), all of which are also incorporated into the NETS standards listed on the ISTE website (http://www.iste.org/content/navigationmenu/nets/forstudents/2007standards/nets_for_students_2007_standards.pdf).

As for my wiki, still  no word from administration, but I have decided that if and when I get the word, I will extend our poetry unit throughout the year, connecting it to the units we will address during the remainder of the school year. This decision has alleviated my frustration and provided further challenges for me in regard to my curriculum. The future use of Voice Thread and podcast within this wiki, and on others I hope to create, will further students technology content area knowledge, as well as foster communication and collaboration skills, areas of concentration discussed on the ISTE website (http://www.iste.org/content/navigationmenu/nets/forstudents/2007standards/nets_for_students_2007_standards.pdf), along with research and information fluency, something I am incorporating via a cross curricular project with my team’s geography teacher who needs assistance with his states project. The details for the later have to be worked out, but we are hoping to establish students blogs so that our pupils can engage in reflective thinking while monitoring the steps they engage in during the research process. The ideas are flowing, and with it the excitement, especially since my team is now getting involved. This will help all of us, students and teachers alike, as we advance each of our skills and accelerate our learning with each new task mastered. It never ceases to amaze me how I can be so exhausted at the endless work, yet exhilarated and driven by it at the same time!

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number twelve. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Motion picture]. Spotlight on Technology:  Digital Story Telling: Part 1. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number thirteen. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Motion picture]. Spotlight on Technology:  Digital Story Telling: Part 2. Baltimore: Author.

           This week’s video resources helped me brainstorm some other ideas that would include the downloading, on my part, or that of my learners, images or music that they think would complement the understanding or interest in a particular piece of poetry (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). I think it would be another way to entice students to get involved and express themselves. I know from using our textbooks, that students tend to flock to those selections that are accompanied by a photo or drawing, so the hope is that by adding their own they will read carefully, making sure that their contributions are suited to the words of the poet. All of these ideas are, of course, aimed at attaining the content area standards I need to address each year, as per Cennamo & Ertmer (2010), but they are also meant to light the fires of learning, including self-directed learning, within my students.

          Knowing that my pupils can access the wiki at any time is encouraging, as they often tell me that they are bored at home and surf the web looking for things to keep themselves occupied. For this reason, I think they will become involved on their own, for whatever reasons, as long as they eventually do so! If they do not feel like I am cramming poetry down their throats in my allotted forty-two minutes a day they might accept it more readily. We’ll see.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number ten. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Motion picture]. Spotlight on Technology:  Social Networking and Collaboration. Part 1. Baltimore: Author.

  I have forwarded the websites, including www.americanpoets.com, www.gigglepoetry.com, www.robertpottle.com, and www.poetry4kids.com, to my administrators for perusal, hoping this will compel them to take quicker action in regard to my request. I am learning swiftly how important planning is when requiring the approval and actions of others, and must keep in mind that my intermediate building alone has over 1200 students and over 100 teachers, so I am no special case.

 I have found I can readily incorporate brief “posthole units” into my curriculum, thereby meeting my GAME goals, including the further modeling of technology use via problem based learning for my pupils (Ertmer & Simons, 2006). We actually engage in this type of learning often, as we discuss our novels and pose questions as to what characters should, or might, do, and why particular events take place, the new component being technology. For example, students can take their queries outside the classroom, investigating settings, such as Auschwitz or Depression Era California, and the like, in order to make inferences about events in a text. The activity I am planning for this week will encompass much more in terms of research and thus will include technology on many levels. Learners will utilize the Internet, e-mail, and a wiki, as well as media they will self-select.

 I am excited that this task I am developing is one that will offer students many opportunities to stretch their thinking skills, practice in leadership abilities, exposure to several content areas, including math, technology, research practice, and twenty-first century communication and writing skills, and perhaps even geography, as learners may connect with other schools or endeavor to acquire texts that are set in areas unfamiliar to them. The avenues for assessment are numerous, including daily checks, journals, blogs, and the like, as suggested in this week’s video resources (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008), and as noted by Cennamo & Ertmer (2010), students will be challenged to promote both their content and technology skills.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved from http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ijpbl.

 Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number nine. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Motion picture]. “Spotlight on Technology: Problem-Based Learning, Part 2. Baltimore: Author.

          As I develop my lesson plans each week, I am keeping in mind Cennamo & Ertmer’s (2010) point in regard to technology being used to support learning, not merely as a novelty. The challenge to design activities and assessments that ask my learners to be creative, while illustrating mastery of both content and technology use, as encouraged by Cennamo & Ertmer (2010) is exciting. This exercise is helping me to develop a set of techniques that I have mastered and can readily pass on to my students, as suggested by this week’s video resources (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

          A final thought is in reference to parental support, something I am struggling a little with. There are those parents who have contacted me with great enthusiasm, and others who do not seem to want to be bothered and whose first concerns were that they not incur any expenses in the way materials needed by their child, and worries that they would have to take the time to monitor their child’s involvement in the wiki. As a parent I can understand their not wanting added responsibilities in these tight and over-planned times, but I also feel sad at their lack of interest. I will take these concerns to my administrators and team and decide how best to address them. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number seven. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Motion picture]. Assessing Student Learning. Baltimore: Author.

            Working to integrate more technology into my curriculum, I have been investigating various websites, some in reference to the Holocaust and our current novel, and others meant to engage learners in the joys of poetry for our upcoming wiki. Setting up the wiki is something I have proposed to the district’s technology coordinator, as I require clearance to set it up. Meeting with him in the near future, I hope to gain insights into the district’s blocking policies and its perspective on the use of various types of technology. In addition, I hope to convey my enthusiasm and perhaps garner further resources not always available in the classroom, as well as obtain information regarding upcoming in-service programs and professional development in this area, an important step, as noted in this week’s video resources (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

            I have been making use of software available to us, Compass Learning, a program that provides drill and practice exercises for pupils needing reinforcement in basic reading skills. This program is scaffolded and provides feedback, so everyone can benefit, and is accessible from home, making it suitable for homework assignments. I have an e-mail out, as well as a post on our district wiki, asking for input regarding other assistive technologies that may be being utilized by my colleagues. By incorporating such readily available options, I hope to increase my confidence in using technology, passing it on to my learners. Video streaming and talking to text  are highly recommended options, as also suggested by Stansbury (2005 and Wahl & Duffield (2005) respectively, that I am researching. 

            Another avenue I am taking is to develop a survey for my students that will offer me data delineating their areas of expertise and interest, in reference to technology, a practice supported by Cennamo & Ertmer (2010). On the other end of the spectrum, I am looking for ways to address parents quickly, easily, and at the same time, most likely developing a class website. Hopefully I can accomplish at least a few of these goals, time being the overriding factor as to how much progress I can make in meeting my GAME plan.

Reference

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number five. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Motion picture]. Meeting Students’ Needs with Technology, Part 1. Baltimore: Author.

Stansbury, M. (2009, February). Technology empowers differentiated instruction. eSchool News Online. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/news-by-subject/index.cfm?i=57064.

Wahl, L., & Duffield, J. (2005). Using flexible technology to meet the needs of diverse learners: What teachers can do. WestEd, pp. 1–11. Retrieved from http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/763.
Date Modified: 17 Nov 09 10:25 AM MST

 The goals I have established include bringing my students and myself into the twenty-first century in regard to education, using technology more often to promote confidence within myself and my learners, fostering enthusiasm for reading via multiple sources, as recommended in the course video resources (Laureate Education, 2008), garnering administrative support and input in reference to technology use, working with my team to develop technology based cross-curricular instruction, and co-teaching with the technology instructors in my building. The actions these objectives will spawn consist of incorporating appropriate and interesting technologies into my lessons, encompassing new methodologies that I have yet to include, such as using on-line reading selections and newspapers, initiate observations by administration and colleagues for the purpose of receiving feedback, petitioning administration to allow students to “power up”, as stated by Prensky (2008), and assigning technology oriented homework to snare student interest.

 My overlapping approach to monitoring and evaluating progress remains as it has been, a column in my plans designated for notes/modifications, etc. in regard to how effective a lesson was, or could be with adjustments. I currently call upon students for their input, but I would increase this practice as I use more technology, as it should heighten my pupils’ enthusiasm. Here again, I would look to insights from colleagues and administration. I think that for most of us, after years of experience, evaluation is an ongoing process that takes place automatically, thus my having grouped it with the monitoring process.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program number one. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Motion picture]. Promoting Self-Directed Life Long Learning with Technology. Baltimore: Author

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40-45.