If I learn anything during this when it comes to technology, it is that for all I think I know, I am constantly finding more I don’t know and more I need to learn. I have already learned so much by developing my GAME plan. I have definitely learned as I have been working with my GAME plan that I need to view my lessons with scope. In the past, I often viewed my lessons and assignments singularly. This has already taught me to look at how I can have several assignments layered, building upon what I have my students to learn.
In last week’s blog, I mentioned turning my attention to developing a schoology page on which I could have my students create mock “facebook” pages. I am still working on this. I did run into some obstacles, but I am getting back up. My first obstacle was getting my account verified. Seems the email was not getting to me because of my district’s filter. I did start playing with this concept once I finally got the account verified, but just as I got my class started up, I ran into some deadline issues with our yearbook and I must admit, my schoology page took a back seat.
While this could seem poor time-management on my part or at the least just an unfortunate postponement, I think it may be working for the best. I had not really looked ahead and so I have just this week learned about Ning. Ning will allow my students to blog, upload files and images to enhance their posts, and communicate safely with each other and their teachers during assignments (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). This may be something else I can try out to get my students to doing some social networking with assignments. It’s funny how this stuff comes around. I have been thinking and trying to develop some incorporating of social networking into my lessons for some time now. I wrote about it in our last course. I have thought I was kind of stepping out there with the idea, then discover we have a lesson on it and even an application involving it. This is something I am really determined to use. I am even more excited about is my need to pause with schoology gave me the chance to discover a “facebook” template just yesterday. I was in a meeting and mentioned what I was doing or rather wanting to do with social networking and pointed out that, of course, I can’t get my students actually on facebook in my class (the site is blocked from our district’s network) so I was trying to come up with an alternative. That’s when the A.P. coordinator in our meeting said she had a template she could send me. I got it today and am already trying to decide how this could work for my goal.
As I get my new students in January with the next semester, I want to take this goal even a step further. I want to actually use blogging, wikis, and even social networking as methods of turning work in that would have traditionally been done by the old paper-and-pencil method. I believe this will not only bring my teaching more in line with 21st century methods but also generate more interest for my students.
Looking forward beyond even the next semester, I want to set another goal for myself. I would like to begin to “communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats” (ISTE, 2008). I would like to begin communicating with my student via digital methods from texting to discussion posts online. I would like to make regular posts on my class web page for parents. I would like to do these in blog format so they can reply to me. I would also like to begin attaching video and audio casts to these blog posts as well, bringing parents into my classroom. I also think I could go further and have students doing similarly to teach each other. This goal is far more reaching and would take a great deal of time to achieve, but I really think it is where I would like to go next.
References:
ISTE. (2008). The ISTE NETS and performance indicators for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Davis, P. (Speaker). Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Collaboration, Part 1. [DVD]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD.
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Wesley,
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I am struggling with my goals and GAME plan as well. It could be from a variety of factors, but I think the end of the semester is something that is taking a majority of our time, but I am only speaking for myself.
I would not necessarily say that your struggles are coming from a lack of time management. I think that we are learning so much from this program in terms of addressing the issue of implementing and utilizing technology. There is so much out there, and we as educators want to try and do it all. It is who we are as professionals. We want to be able to implement these technologies into the classroom, and so we continue to want to try everything. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but we want ways to improve our classrooms.
I am curious as to how your Facebook pages will turn out. I am working on my lesson plan for this week's application and part of the project is to create a Facebook page for a service learning project.
I will continue to follow your posts and good luck with your goals.
Mike Palo
HS World History/American Government