Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Revising my GAME plan

NETS-T 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats (NETS-T)

Applications in Instructional Practice/Ongoing Goals: My learning and research has directly influenced my instructional practices.  I have implemented elements of this goal in my classroom instruction, in my online presence, and by educating colleagues.  Technology is ever-present in my classroom and I have branched away from the easy, typical elements that require little involvement.  I began a discussion group among teachers in my school that seeks to improve SmartBoard use.  Our interactions allow us to share what we have learned and troubleshoot any problems that we encounter.  I continue to work towards regular implementation of new and engaging lessons in my classroom and on my blog, but still struggle with the investment of time that this requires.

New Learning Goals:  To further implement my goals on this topic, I intend to require participation on my blog.  I will have homework assignments that require a brief narrative answers that can be shared on the blog.  I believe that this venue will be exciting for my students and hopefully inspire their best work, much as the teachers spoke of in this week’s DVD (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

Extending Current Goals:  To extend the goals of this topic, I would like to help students create their own lessons.  I believe that the students are capable of bringing a new perspective to our classroom activities and I would like to see what they could add to my efforts.

Learning Approaches for Next Time:   Through my navigation through this particular goal, I have come to realize that I need to define my expectations.  I was easily swept up in possibility as I explored this topic and found it difficult to narrow myself to manageable tasks.  I believe that I will be more successful if I break down my goals into mini-goals that I can readily achieve and then continue to progress.

NETS-T 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources (NETS-T)

Applications in Instructional Practice/Ongoing Goals:  My ongoing goal is to continue using and modeling proper use of citations online and in my classroom.  I have more to do with actually encouraging and helping students use citations in their work.  At this point, my students have not had the opportunity to make a creative, technology rich project in math class and thus I have not had the chance to share proper citations in their work.  I hope to schedule computer time in conjunction with an upcoming class activity.


New Learning Goals:   I would like to extend my current goal to include a “cheat sheet” for my students.  Much like a citation guide, it would be a mini-version suited for a sixth grader.  Complete with examples and hints, students could use this reference guide to help with their work.  I believe that an easy “user’s guide” would allow students to meet expectations of properly citing sources while not being overwhelming for the students.

Extending Current Goals:  To extend the goal I have already established, I would like to create shareable resources.  As an amateur photographer, I would like to take mathematics/school themed photographs that will be available for free use among fellow educators.  Students can also help by creating their own artwork for sharing.  I believe that by creating the images ourselves, the lessons of citations and giving credit will truly hit home.

Learning Approaches for Next Time:  My experiences with working toward this goal reminded me that I need to establish a philosophy, not just a goal, when determining how I want procedures in my classroom to develop.  A good portion of my work towards this goal was in trying to establish a belief system for citing work.  Though I believed in the fundamental principle, I needed to determine what my expectations for my classes were.  Recognizing this need prior to starting my work would have streamlined the process and have helped me not waste effort going in the wrong direction.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 10. Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Collaboration Part 1. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at:http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

6 comments:

  1. Nancy,

    Kudos to you for starting a discussion group among your peers in reference to Smartboads. Is this an online collaboration? How has it been going so far? Working with you peers is a great way to build relationships, while helping one another to learn new strategies.

    My colleagues and I have a team planning period three days a week in which we come together and discuss issues, prepare for different upcoming events, and try to share teaching strategies with one another. We always set one of these days aside to work on improving ourselves on our Promeathen Boards. We all come together and share new ways we implemented lesson with our board, or we ask questions about problems we may be encountering. It is a fantastic way to improve our skills. Often times, we invite our Classrooms For the Future coach to the meeting so she can share new ideas with us, or clarify any problem we are facing.

    -Jonas

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  2. Nancy,
    When working with your students on a new topic such as citations, i believe it is essential to create "cheat sheets". By doing this you are showing correct examples that will aid them into understanding the idea of citations.
    Your SmartBoard group is inspiring. There are over 10 teachers in my building with SmartBoards, but no common time to meet and discuss the uses of it. Like Jonas asked, do you discuss this online or in school? How have you had time to meet?
    Wendy

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  3. Jonas and Wendy,

    Thank you for your comments. The SmartBoard group is tremendously informal. I simply set up a distribution list of the teachers with SmartBoards in their classrooms and try to periodically email the group with something I have discovered, a file I have created, or a question that I have. Truth be told, I have been doing most of the heavy lifting with the group, but I do tend to be the tech-savvy teacher at my school. I also added our district IT person to the list. He is a former teacher in district and is great about providing help and hints. We have periodic professional development to help us work with the technology, but mostly we simply shoot one another an email or grab someone in the hallway to trouble shoot or discuss possibilities. It is not as collaborative as I would hope.

    Wendy, I love "cheat sheets"! I often create cheat sheet templates for the students to fill in for use on tests and quizzes. As soon as they walk into class for an assessment, they do a "brain dump" and put everything they remember onto the template. That way they can focus on their work rather than worry about remembering formulas or conversion factors.

    Thanks for the comments!

    -Nancy

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  4. Nancy,

    This group you have created will hopefully continue to blossom and more teachers will begin to share ideas and strategies with each other. Though it may not be as collaborative right now as your want, give it some time and I am sure people will begin to take notice and chime in.

    I love having students do a "brain dump" before they begin a test. What a great way to get all of the information out of their minds, so they can focus on the questions at hand.

    -Jonas

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  5. Jonas,

    Thanks for the comments. I am quite sure that after I complete my coursework at Walden I will be able to take this technology project (and the others I hope to implement at my school) to a higher level. Thanks for the positive perspective.

    I love the brain dumps too! The kids seem to feel like they can just empty the facts and formulas and begin to showcase what they know!

    Thanks again!

    -Nancy

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  6. Nancy,

    Discussing what you have learned about the Smartboard with your colleagues is a great idea. There are so many things you can learn from others that may make utilizing these tools much easier. How often do you meet to discuss using the Smartboard? Has this been beneficial? Do you meet during school or after school? How many teachers in your school use the Smartboard?

    Kristen

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