GAME Plan update

So far I have been able to converse with my colleagues on integrating more technology in the classroom. Some are eager to do so while some are still reluctant saying there is not enough time with the deadlines to meet and students to prepare for regents. to them it seems impossible. But as Steve Ross said in his video that integrating technology may in a way help students to learn since it addresses multi-levels. If students are comfortable with the mastery of one skill they can move on to more complex skills while others who still need more time to gain mastery can work without feeling pressured.

DIME my Game Plan update

So far I am able to find the information I need to accomplish my GAME plan. I recently had a conversation with my coworker who told me that there was a student who scanned their report card into the computer and changed the grade to show that the student was passing when in fact the student was failing the last two marking periods. That sanctioned my whole philosophy that we are not teaching the students in a way they can relate to. This student will never write an essay, never think through a math problem. He is tech-savvy and because the methods do not appeal to him he is disruptive. This is even more reason for my GAME plan. Resources to accomplish my GAME plan are readily available. I only need to create the podcast and/or a video. I thought of even having my students create their own podcast or video. I need to give the project more time though because I have not received all the permission slips from my students. My principal asked how will I monitor to ensure the safety of students and I told him about the privacy mode. As for when will I allow them to view the podcast. I figure that during class, right after I have taught the concept and they are practicing they can log on and listen to the podcast if they are having trouble remembering something. They can even use the podcast at home. It would be perfect for them to have created a Delicious account so that they can organize their information sites. They can also visit YouTube to see other videos. Delicious gives them the exact videos that relate to the topic. My new concern now is that each time I will have to send a letter home to parents to let them know what is happening. But then that is the purpose of the blog, to have parents view the work their children are doing in school. I have also learned that not many people are open to change. I probably will have to have my colleagues visit my class to see how I implement these tools and then maybe they will try.

DIME my GAME Plan

I believe I have most of the materials needed to carry out my GAME plan. We have the computers and wireless internet access throughout the building. However there are some things I am still working on such as having my students return the permission slips from their parents saying it is ok for them to participate in a class blog. Once I get the green light from that I will definitely have my students create their blogs. I am in the process of creating podcasts for my lessons. That way when I give them a particular assignment to do based on a particular topic they can always play it back to hear so that I will not have to repeat to them seven times and they can listen at their own convenience. I also want them to set up an account with Delicious.com which will help them to organize their research, if they have to do a search on a particular topic.

I am still thinking about how to get my coworkers to try this in their class. Many of them will tell me that our students do not respect property in that they will try to take the keys out of the computers and or steal stuff. I am going to encourage the ones I know will implement technology in their class by showing them how to use a voicethread or to use delicious as a search engine. I am not sure how to encourage my English coworker how to use this in her classroom as yet but I am slowly putting it together. My principal suggested I do a Professional Development on Technology and I told in sure. We should be doing it on the next PD day.

GAME Plan

The two areas I need to address from the National Education Standards for Teachers are 1b which states that teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

I chose this area because I realize that too often when we teach mathematics it is abstract to the interest of our students. They do not see the relevance. If I use digital tools and resources such as virtual field trips and blogs and wiki and voicethreads not to mention interactive games I am giving them a creative medium in which they can reflect on what they have been taught. This will help them to remember the concept in years to come.

The other area I need to address is 3b where the teacher collaborates with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. I will also tie this with 3c that states the teacher communicates relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

I like this area and I am looking forward to addressing it since we want our students to be creative and successful. Digital tools will be around for a very long time. One of my ninth grade students was very pleased when I asked the class if anyone knew what blogging was all about. She was able to share her blog page with me. This is something she will have for the rest of her life to show to her children and grandchildren. Parents can be kept up to date with the projects their children are working on without even visiting the many classrooms the student is in. Administrators can use the tools to keep the school informed of the daily happening and as a reminder of upcoming projects. We can use tools such as virtual field trips to bring the community into the classroom. This will enable our students to understand the link between what they are learning at present and the relationship that exists between it and the real world.


Hence my GAME Plan.

My Goal is to promote success and innovation using digital tools.

What Actions will I take
I want to include student, peers, parents and the community since this is the cohesive unit. We will set up a class blog and discuss the parameters for blogging -no cursing, correct use of the language, no OMGs etc. This blog will be made available to their parents who can help in the monitoring of comments. This blog will serve as a medium for them to reflect on daily lessons and post their comments, answer a question, offer help to a classmate who is struggling. My peers will be encouraged to use this as a tool in their lessons also to peak students interest and creativity. We will comment on virtual field trips where the community florist gave a run-down of what her typical day is like.

How will I Monitor my progress
I could have students set up an RSS feed to follow their classmates blogs and offer constructive feedback to at least 2 members. I will also communicate with my peers on the effectiveness of this in their classes. I will also be in contact with parents via email and through discussions and progress reports and school newsletter I will be able to monitor the effectiveness.

Evaluate
I will evaluate based on feedback from parents and students. I will also look for some improvement in their scores. I am not saying that everyone will be getting perfect scores however, there should be some improvement even if their grade went up by only 5points that is an improvement to me and an indication that this method is helping.

Reflection

This course, Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction and Technology, has created a strong impact on me. Considering the fact that it is always good to learn new information, I am extremely satisfied at the culmination of this course. When I think of my teaching practice, I am energized and excited about the new information I have learned. When I started this course my philosophy was simply to incorporate technology in the classroom. My students have varying interests many of which include group projects and some have been exposed to creating their own blogs. I want to tap into that source of creativity that exists.

This course has taught me how to create concept map using an interactive. I am accustomed to the pen and paper format that I occasionally use, however, the interactive can be made more meaningful in my math class. I have also been introduced to voicethread. Initially I did not see how this could help me in my math class, however, after exploring the application I now realize that it is a great conversation tool and it can also be used to help to clear up misconceptions that students have in solving problems. I intend to use this application in my classes. Another application that I found to be useful is the virtual field trips. I had fun using thefutureschannel.com in my class while I was being observed by my principal. He was mightily impresssed. Virtual field trips I find is a very useful tool since the distractions are limited and students get to view exactly what you want them to view. It also helps if your school is suffering from budget cuts and only non-expense trips get approved. This application will be used as much in my classes as I possibly can use it.

My long-term goal in regards to technology is to have all my classes participate in at least one instructional technology tool each day. Technology will help them in terms of reinforcing concepts learned. It will also help me in terms of classroom management in that, students who have mastered the skill and have helped one of their classmate who is struggling can move ahead while the others practice their skill to gain mastery. Technology will help to address the different learning levels and styles that exist in a typical classroom. I would also like to see the math department embrace the use of technology in the classroom remembering that we are teaching students who need to be challenged not only by the level of work they need to learn but also in terms of creativity and work that interests them. I believe that this will make a difference and our students will stop complaining and saying that 'school is boring.'

Voicethread

Hi guys
I posted a voice thread on cursing in the classroom. Here is the link. It is pretty short. Let me know what you think.

voicethread.com/share/785618/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

In this weeks reading and video presentation I viewed a presentation on connectivism and social learning. In particular Dr. Orey in social learning spoke about social learning. His explanation of a group activity in cooperative learning was really enlightening. In this method he described placing students in groups and giving them subtopics to review then regrouping by placing all the students with the common topic in one group. After they have conducted their research collaboratively they return to their original group and are responsible for teaching their group members their topic and putting the final project together. I see this as connecting the small parts to create a large picture. It is a matter of divide and conquer. In implementing this responsibility in our classroom we are definitely preparing our students for work in the 21st century. Most organizations, in carrying out projects will delegate responsibilities to different departments and then expect that when it is time for collaboration they can complete the big picture which leads to success.