It’s been a couple of weeks now since I devised my GAME plan. I set two major goals for myself. Now, I didn’t think I would suddenly meet these two goals over night. I would have been kidding myself to think so. This is especially true as the school where I teach is on the 4X4 block schedule, so the classes I am currently teaching are almost over. This does mean that I will get all new classes when the second semester begins in January. So, while I haven’t achieved these two goals to their best yet, I am making some progress toward getting things in place. I am taking baby steps, it seems, but I am learning quite a bit and hope to have a real handle on things so that I can really put this plan into place with the next semester.
I have gotten started on my first goal, having my students respond to discussions in a discussion board on my web page. I’ve gotten the discussion section of my web page set up and got my students all registered into the discussion group. I have made one discussion assignment. So far, for this goal, I am finding all the information I need to get it up and going, and I don’t think I need to make any adjustments to the goal. I have learned how to create the discussion group and how to be more efficient with the sign-up process for my discussion groups. I have learned how to best do this next semester with my next classes. I have, how ever, come across a few questions or concerns about this goal during this initial trial run. How can I get my students to give me more in-depth responses to the discussion prompts? Do I need to form my prompts better to illicit deeper thinking and more detailed responses? Do I need to address this directly? I have thought about providing a list of questions that must be addressed but I was afraid I would be leading them and not allowing them to do the critical thinking they need to do on their own. My second question is: How do I get my students to respond to other students posts with more than just the cursory “I agree” or “That’s a good point” that I seem to be getting? Should I also provide an outline or list of questions for this part of the assignment? Any input from my colleagues here would be most appreciated. I am also not sure what I should do to follow this up or make it all connect back in my classroom. Any suggestions here would also be welcome.
My second goal is one that I haven’t gotten very far yet. This goal is to have my students produce podcasts and video casts that can posted for other students to listen/view and respond to. So far, I have determined that I can upload such casts onto my current web page. I found it would require more storage space, so I upgraded from the free web page to a subscription page with more storage. What I am still not sure of is how to best record the audio. I have the software needed, that’s not the problem. My concern is with the recording itself. I’m sure my classroom is not going to be a very quiet place to do the recording and the microphone I have would pick up lots of noise. I need to use one, though, rather than the headset because I plan to have my students do this in small groups. Does anyone have any ideas here? I suppose I could have my students record in pairs rather than in a group, so I could use the headset, I would just need two of them. My biggest concern is the background noise. I want my students to record during my class, I’m just not sure how to do this. Any tips or suggestions?
As you can see, I’m working on it, I’m just taking baby steps. Well, like the saying goes, one day at a time.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Let's Get It Started In Here - Carrying out my GAME plan
What a GAME plan I have, huh? When I first looked back over what I had written, my assessment was that my plan was too simplistic, not sophisticated enough. I have to admit, I rather felt ashamed I hadn’t come up with a more grandiose plan. However, my plan sets goals that I really want to accomplish, goals I truly believe I need to achieve for my students. That in mind, I returned to my plan to really think about the goals I had set and begin to study just how I am going to meet my goals. What resources would I need? Will I need to collaborate with anyone or call upon an expert or two? Do I need additional information? As I pondered these questions, I realized that my plan wasn’t so simple after all.
I realize that although I already have a class webpage, I still need some resources. Most likely, the resource that will best aid my plan is other teachers. I believe there are some other teachers here on my campus who have set up discussion boards and made these types of assignments recently. Not only should I look at their pages and see first-hand what they are doing and just how they have them set up, but I would benefit from information they can give me about their sites and their experiences. Some of the information I could get from these fellow educators would consist of their strategies of implementation and grading. How do they assign the discussions? Do they have to make groups, create log-ins or passwords? What sites are they using other than the site we host our classroom web pages? This information will help me make the decisions as I develop my assignments and get things set up on my webpage. I also think it would be good to gather information from my students. I will need to inquire about who has done a discussion post assignment before. I will also need to find out about internet access out of school. This information will help me as I determine the amount of time I give my students to complete the assignments. This same information from my students will be just as important as I develop lessons utilizing other items such as podcasts and video casts. I will also need to find out who has experience in using web design software. Finally, I will need to gather information about web design software that will be best to have my students use in my classroom. I will also need to make a contact with the web master at my high school so we can post our web pages my students make. I will need to investigate into the best way to post podcasts and video casts that my students can access on my campus. Basically, I have several contacts to make and a good bit of information to gather.
While I have really just begun, I have at least gotten started. All teachers in my district use the same site to create our individual web pages. I am sure our district does this to have some uniformity in the web pages and to make the links to our pages form the district’s and schools’ websites a bit easier to manage. I have already checked into what the capabilities are of this site where I have created my class page. I have learned that I can upload audio and video files to this my page on this site, so I should be able to have my students uploading podcasts and video casts without having to locate a site that can be accessed on our district server. I did learn, though, that while teachers are able to make their classroom pages here free (probably another reason our district has us using this host site), the free account has limited storage space. So, I went ahead and subscribed to have full storage capacity, which will accommodate audio and video files. I have also sent out requests by email to my colleagues on my campus to tell me about their discussion experiences. My next action will be to develop the groupings on my web page and set up the groups for a discussion board. I have quite a way to go, but I have gotten a start.
I realize that although I already have a class webpage, I still need some resources. Most likely, the resource that will best aid my plan is other teachers. I believe there are some other teachers here on my campus who have set up discussion boards and made these types of assignments recently. Not only should I look at their pages and see first-hand what they are doing and just how they have them set up, but I would benefit from information they can give me about their sites and their experiences. Some of the information I could get from these fellow educators would consist of their strategies of implementation and grading. How do they assign the discussions? Do they have to make groups, create log-ins or passwords? What sites are they using other than the site we host our classroom web pages? This information will help me make the decisions as I develop my assignments and get things set up on my webpage. I also think it would be good to gather information from my students. I will need to inquire about who has done a discussion post assignment before. I will also need to find out about internet access out of school. This information will help me as I determine the amount of time I give my students to complete the assignments. This same information from my students will be just as important as I develop lessons utilizing other items such as podcasts and video casts. I will also need to find out who has experience in using web design software. Finally, I will need to gather information about web design software that will be best to have my students use in my classroom. I will also need to make a contact with the web master at my high school so we can post our web pages my students make. I will need to investigate into the best way to post podcasts and video casts that my students can access on my campus. Basically, I have several contacts to make and a good bit of information to gather.
While I have really just begun, I have at least gotten started. All teachers in my district use the same site to create our individual web pages. I am sure our district does this to have some uniformity in the web pages and to make the links to our pages form the district’s and schools’ websites a bit easier to manage. I have already checked into what the capabilities are of this site where I have created my class page. I have learned that I can upload audio and video files to this my page on this site, so I should be able to have my students uploading podcasts and video casts without having to locate a site that can be accessed on our district server. I did learn, though, that while teachers are able to make their classroom pages here free (probably another reason our district has us using this host site), the free account has limited storage space. So, I went ahead and subscribed to have full storage capacity, which will accommodate audio and video files. I have also sent out requests by email to my colleagues on my campus to tell me about their discussion experiences. My next action will be to develop the groupings on my web page and set up the groups for a discussion board. I have quite a way to go, but I have gotten a start.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Got GAME
EDUC 6713-D-2 Application two: Developing your personal GAME plan
Goal #1: Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity by promoting student reflection.
From NETS-T (ISTE, 2008)
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. C) Teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative process.
GAME Plan
Set goals
I want my students to participate in a discourse about issues raised in the literature assigned to be read both in and out of class by using digital-age tools. I want my students to do more critical thinking on their own beyond the discussions I lead in class. I have a class webpage capable of hosting a discussion board but I do not utilize this. I want to utilize this tool for responses that go beyond the basic writing assignments and discussions of class.
Take action
In order to make this successful, I will first need to refine my class webpage and set up the discussion board section on the webpage. I will need to have all the students register as a student user with the webpage host. I will walk the students through this process in class. I will next introduce my students to discussion posting with an initial post assignment. Once they have learned to make a post on the board, I can then make discussion assignments in which they respond to prompts from the literature we are studying. In addition to their posts, I can also require my students to respond to other students’ posts as well.
Monitor
As I begin making these discussion post assignments, it will be important for me to make sure I am making progress toward my goal (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I will need to set aside a specific time to review and respond to students’ posts and their responses on others’ posts. I will need to check with any students who do not post or respond to be certain they understand the assignment and the method of using the technology.
Evaluate and extend
I will need to get feedback from the students themselves. Through discussions, peer evaluations, and even surveys, I can assess the success of the assignments and the benefits the students glean. If the discussion posts seem to be moving me to my goal, I can extend this assignment to perhaps having other classes participate in our discussions through the webpage as well as parents and other teachers. I could also extend this by branching out to a blog rather than just the discussion board. I will need to check in frequently with my students to not only make certain I am achieving the goal, but also to see if any adjustments or changes are needed (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).
From NETS-T (ISTE, 2008)
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. C) Teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative process.
GAME Plan
Set goals
I want my students to participate in a discourse about issues raised in the literature assigned to be read both in and out of class by using digital-age tools. I want my students to do more critical thinking on their own beyond the discussions I lead in class. I have a class webpage capable of hosting a discussion board but I do not utilize this. I want to utilize this tool for responses that go beyond the basic writing assignments and discussions of class.
Take action
In order to make this successful, I will first need to refine my class webpage and set up the discussion board section on the webpage. I will need to have all the students register as a student user with the webpage host. I will walk the students through this process in class. I will next introduce my students to discussion posting with an initial post assignment. Once they have learned to make a post on the board, I can then make discussion assignments in which they respond to prompts from the literature we are studying. In addition to their posts, I can also require my students to respond to other students’ posts as well.
Monitor
As I begin making these discussion post assignments, it will be important for me to make sure I am making progress toward my goal (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I will need to set aside a specific time to review and respond to students’ posts and their responses on others’ posts. I will need to check with any students who do not post or respond to be certain they understand the assignment and the method of using the technology.
Evaluate and extend
I will need to get feedback from the students themselves. Through discussions, peer evaluations, and even surveys, I can assess the success of the assignments and the benefits the students glean. If the discussion posts seem to be moving me to my goal, I can extend this assignment to perhaps having other classes participate in our discussions through the webpage as well as parents and other teachers. I could also extend this by branching out to a blog rather than just the discussion board. I will need to check in frequently with my students to not only make certain I am achieving the goal, but also to see if any adjustments or changes are needed (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).
Goal #2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments by customizing and personalizing learning activities.
From NETS-T (ISTE, 2008)
2. Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. C)Teachers
customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
GAME Plan
Set goals
I want my students to make connections to the real world while they expand their understanding of the literature works we read. I realize that my students have varied learning styles and do not all learn the same way. In order to reach all my students, I must develop assignments that will appeal to their different learning styles and strategies. I also have a goal of my students completing assignments with digital-age technologies to make their reading and the assignments more relevant to their world (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).
Take action
In order to help my students make more relevant connections as they delve deeper into the reading, I want to assign my students activities and projects that relate their varied learning styles. I would like to have my students develop and post podcasts that can be accessed online by other classes. I want my students to use digital media such as Web 2.0 tools to complete assignments from our literature. One such thing I could have them do is to actually design a webpage about the novel using web design software. I could also have my students create videos to be uploaded to the internet.
Monitor
As I work to develop assignments for my students that promote understanding of the literature while presenting relevance to the digital world, I must monitor whether or not I am actually achieve this goal Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). If I am not finding the interest level, I will need to make modifications.
Evaluate and extend
Once I am satisfied that the assignments I am making appeal to the students learning styles as well as their interests engaging them in the learning, I will need to assess the assignments ability to achieve comprehension of the objectives with the literature. If there is not an acceptable level of comprehension in the objectives, I may need to modify the assignments to better focus on and target the desired learning. When the assignments are successful, these could be extended to connect with students in classes from other parts of the country studying the same works.
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom
Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
ISTE. (2008). The ISTE NETS and performance indicators for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program 1: Promoting self directed
learning with technology. [DVD]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore,
MD.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
EDUC 6713D-2 Integrating Techonology Across the Content Areas
Course 8 is now upon us. I hope my fellow scholars here from Walden are all doing well. I must admit, I am hitting a bit of burn out. It seems that I have taken on so much where I teach during this time I have been studying here at Walden. I guess I should have known it was coming because I managed to dodge it all the year I was doing National Boards. Oh well, I can truly say I am learning so much and becoming a better teacher for it. And that is just throught the things I have undertaken at my school. With the things I learned here at Walden, I am really expanding my knowledge and skill and growing in who I am as a teacher and an educator.
I am very excited to be starting this class. I have so enjoyed the courses that have dealt with the technology aspects of this program. I am very eager to delve into this one. I am also glad to be working with you guys once again. I have gleaned so much from what you guys have shared and posted on during our previous courses.
I am very excited to be starting this class. I have so enjoyed the courses that have dealt with the technology aspects of this program. I am very eager to delve into this one. I am also glad to be working with you guys once again. I have gleaned so much from what you guys have shared and posted on during our previous courses.
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