GAME plan reflection

My Game plan from the past semester has allowed me to formulate a plan to help introduce a classroom blog for my history class. The blog would allow us to keep the community and parents up to date on activities and events taking place within our classroom. It will be a fantastic resource for our community as well as our students. The process has been a great learning experience of how to organize information and being able to present it to our administration in a manner that will allow for our blog to be approved and allowed within our district. You need to go out a research the topic and use the product in order to fully understand the uses. The main thing I will take from this course is the impact technology can have on learning. Allowing students to research and use the technology within education will help enhance their learning experience in great ways. Developing a Game plan is a great way to introduce and use new technology on a consistent basis within education. Understanding how to develop my own Game plan will allow me to help students produce their own. The opportunities for students with technology I believe are limitless!

GAME plan update

The Game plan process could help students develop proficiency in NETS-S through many activities and learning opportunities provided by the process of developing a Game plan. Students will have to keep in mind social, ethical, and human issues when trying to implement future Game plans of their own. Being responsible enough to use technology systems and information in a way that not only benefits students yet still protect others’ rights is an important trait gained through this process. Additionally, the process makes students learn and perform certain technological resources that will benefit them as a student and in the future as well. Learning the basic operations and concepts of technology to use as a communication tool, research tool, and problem-solving tool will help students become a more well-rounded and educated student. Providing students with more exposure to technology will only help this process. The Game plan process only increases their exposure thus increasing the benefit students’ gain from technology.

GAME Plan Update

Establishing a productive learning environment that provides students with opportunities to achieve learning goals is beneficial for student progress within my classroom and education as a whole. Students perform better when presented with multiple forms of assessment or with learning strategies that relate to their daily life. Presenting students with opportunities through technology will increase student skills in creative and critical thinking skills. Teaching students how to learn is important, especially once they hit the real world. Technology is ever changing, and students need to learn the skills necessary to succeed in this type of environment.

Continually pushing towards a well-rounded and structured technology based classroom is a goal I will continue pushing toward throughout my teaching career. As education and technology change, we too as teachers need to adapt to these changes. Promoting lifelong learning within my classroom will help students realize that learning does not stop once the bell rings, or you graduate. There are always things, issues or resources that can be learned or taught as we move forward in life.

Promoting creativity and innovation as well as technology operations and concepts are learning goals I would like to continue to learn about and promote within my district. Promoting creativity within my classroom will allow students to gain the skills necessary to be successful in the real world. Technology is constantly changing and staying up to date on the newest technology will allow me to adapt learning environments to promote the most recent technology advances that will beneficial to students. Trying out different resources on a continual basis allows for a better understanding on products and technologies that can be used inside a classroom. Improving the amount of technology I use in a classroom as well as the amount of technology I use on a daily basis will improve my understanding of the benefits and uses of each technology.

GAME Plan Update

Last week I talked about the adjustments needed in order for our superintendent to consider our proposal about a classroom blog. Our superintendent was concerned about how the blog would be maintained and monitored. The adjustments explain the maintenance and how the blog will be monitored. I have an appointment set up with her this Wednesday. At this meeting I hope to get approval and a timeframe of when we can expect to get the blog up and running within our district. So I would say it has been successful in the sense that I have an appointment set up and hopefully can move forward after our meeting.

I think promoting lifelong learning is something I can apply to my instructional practice. Through this process I have been required to research and present benefits about blogs and education. Many of the benefits I have come across and researched, is information I did not know about or have prior knowledge of. Continuing the process and researching different resources has allowed me to present reasons for appropriate blog use in our classrooms and school districts. Demonstrating to students that education and learning does not stop once you leave school is one of the instructional practices I can apply to my classrooms.

Continuing to research the benefits of classroom blogs will promote the use within our school district. Further understanding the uses of blogs will help ensure that if or when we get approved for the blog, we do not have any issues with maintenance or monitoring the blog. For the blog to be successful students will need to buy in 100% and in order for that to happen, I will need to explain and promote the blog so students are eager for the resource. Understanding the uses and benefits will make this process easier and more attainable.

I will make adjustments to my Game Plan after discussing the current blog proposal with our Superintendent this Wednesday. Any adjustments or recommendations will be considered or added to our current proposal. Hopefully we will be able to move forward with the classroom blog and have the resource available to our classroom and community after the holiday break.

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

Game Plan Update

Information and resources have not been issue to date. Much of the information and resources on developing a classroom blog are available on the Internet or through monthly publications that discuss the positives of blogs and the role they are currently playing in our society. Finding a credible resource that discusses the positives a blog can bring would be a great source of information to show parents and students.

I do need to modify and adjust my proposal to our Superintendent to include a more descriptive explanation of how the blog will be monitored and maintained. There was some concern that I would be screening the content after the posts had already been submitted to the blog for viewing. However, in actuality students will submit the work to me and I will upload the documents to the blog for viewing. Having the students submit the documents to me before uploading it to the blog allows me to monitor and screen the content. Once these modifications are made to the proposal I will resubmit it to our Superintendent.

To my surprise many of my students have prior knowledge of blogs or have a blog the currently frequent or their family is responsible for. Developing my Game Plan I figured most students would have a very limited background of blogs, however many students have family blogs they maintain daily, weekly, or monthly. Also many teachers and administrators in our own district are unfamiliar with blogs and newer technology, making it more difficult to explain the uses and benefits this technology can have in a classroom. There seems to be a belief that a lot of this technology is only used for non -educational purposes. I am wondering if it is more important to educate our students on the importance of technology for the teachers and administrators? The students generally understand the concept, as technology greatly impacts their daily life. They need to be able to grasp the concept of technology use educationally but they have a general understanding of technology. However, some of my co-workers are so far behind the times and unresponsive to technology it often seems like a waste to try and educate them on the positives it may bring, It is like they see technology as being lazy. Whatever it may be, I hope students realize the benefit it can bring to their education and life.

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

Carrying Out Your GAME Plan!

Facilitating and Inspiring Student Learning and Creativity through technology is the main goal I am trying to attain through my game plan. Through classroom presentations and projects that have a technology basis I feel I have done a better job of incorporating technology into classroom assessments. However, I would like to make a stronger effort to implement something that would allow for even more student creativity and learning. I feel a classroom blog would be a great resource for our classroom, parents and community. A classroom blog would promote flexibility in the methods and settings in which students can communicate with one another, and teachers (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010). For a blog to be successful students will need to understand how to maintain and update the classroom blog. Resources such as classroom documents, student work, school bulletins, and other useful documents will need to be uploaded to the classroom blog.

I will need other resources as well to carry out this game plan for our classroom blog. Parents are going to have give their approval for their child to use a classroom blog and to upload any pictures of students that are taken during school. I will need to get district approval for the classroom blog as well as allowing students to use the blog during school hours to update course or district information. Additionally I will have to take with our technology department and get our blog approved for district use, so students and teachers could access the website without being redirected. I will also need to be able to explain how I will monitor the blog consistently and efficiently so nothing on the blog goes against district policy.

Recently I have proposed the classroom blog to our superintendent and am waiting for a response. This is a step in the right direction, as with our district it often takes multiple meetings and proposals to get things approved. Hopefully in the near future I will have an outline of district expectations for the blog. The classroom blog would a great asset to our classroom and would allow for student creativity and learning through technology. The ability to communicate with parents, students and community members about our classroom and school would increase collaboration and even school support.

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

Game Plan

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity is a performance indicator I believe I can strengthen throughout the school year and my teaching career. Through social studies I have a great avenue to promote, support, and model creative thinking. Lessons involving historical concepts or events will be a create opportunity to provide students with technological resources that will improve their learning and learning experiences moving forward in the 21^st century. Actions I will take will to strengthen student creativity will be promoting student assessment through tools that allow for student creativity and inspire student learning. Assessment opportunities like projects, presentations, or other forms of assessments that have a focus on technology. I will monitor my progress by the assessment opportunities I provide students that promote student creativity. Evaluating my ability to extend my learning on student creativity will probably be a year end reflection where I look back on the course and with information available on the year decide whether or not I effectively promoted student learning and creativity to level that needs to be expected and needed to be successful.

Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership is the other performance indicator I would like to focus on and improve. A lot of our teachers and myself included, focus on professional development in our curriculum. However, I believe not enough time is spent improving and demonstrating the effectiveness of digital resources in our school district. By incorporating learning opportunities for teachers and then promoting digital resources in our classrooms, we as teachers would be modeling lifelong learning. These learning opportunities will allow for teachers to explore creative and digital learning opportunities that can be incorporated into our classrooms. Not enough teachers within our district use technology enough or at all. I believe by developing teachers’ understanding of technology will promote teachers to use more technology within their individual classrooms. Teacher development will lead to more professional growth and leadership. Looking back at the end of the year we will be able to see if teachers participated in professional development and whether or not it had an impact on their curriculum and technology use within it.

EDUC-6712I-6 Reflection

The most striking revelation I had about teaching new literacy skills to my students was how many students are not familiar with their own research style and what best benefits them when researching topics on the internet or other sources. Students’ today just type in the information or question into a search engine and expect the answer to pop up directly. Through this exercise students were able to form a research style and develop strategies to help find answers to difficult topic questions as well as gather significant and resourceful information. This experience has given me the insight that many students’ need to be taught new literacy skills and research skills inside our classrooms to effectively develop their ability to successfully search, navigate, and use the Internet to fulfill a their needs or a requirement. Classrooms and schools often times do not focus enough attention on literacy in the 21^st century, instead relying heavily on traditional literacy skills. However, society demands an understanding of such resources like the Internet that we are doing a disservice to our youth if we are not fully equipping them with the needed skills to succeed in the 21^st century. I would like to further educate teachers within my district about the need for new literacy skills that incorporate the emphasis of digital learning. I believe a great time to introduce this need would be at our district wide Wednesday meetings that are held once a month. Talking to our Superintendent I could schedule a time to present the need for new literacy skills in our school and ways we can improve within our district. It would also be great to set up some professional development training somewhere throughout our area, where we could go and receive some professional development on 21^st century literacy skills and implement the strategies throughout our classrooms. This would hopefully push teachers to provide at least a little more institution of 21^st century literacy skills inside their classroom.

Reflection

The theory of learning “examines what goes on in the learner’s mind during the learning process” (Orey, 2009). When a leaner is active in the learning process they tend to have immersive experiences, creating moments that they can recall many years later. Many times these immersive experiences are the ones students remember most. The instructional theory examines strategies for changing the learning environment to facilitate learning. Understanding both the theory of learning and instruction will benefit the classroom environment and learning opportunities for students.

After completing this course I still believe students’ learn best when presented with multiple opportunities to learn the content or subject. By following this theory it gives the teacher a greater chance of reaching individual students with learning methods that fit the students’ abilities the best. I try and allow for each lesson to take on a distinct and diverse learning approach. Incorporating blogs, voicethreads, PowerPoint presentations, concept maps and other technologies into the classroom students receive the opportunity to find a learning method that best fits their individual style. From videos, to readings, to packet work, to group collaboration, to field trips, I try and incorporate as many different learning opportunities as possible in daily lessons as well as monthly units. I think if students are given multiple opportunities to learn a subject, they will be able to take away at least one thing from the lesson or unit.

Technology integration is a huge advantage when trying to implement various learning methods and strategies within a classroom. Referencing videos, Internet websites, blogs, etc. helps enhance the learning environment and the ability to retain information. If a student is presented only with a text and the information within the text, I believe the opportunity to reach a large amount of the classroom is minimal. However, if I supplement the readings with a technology based group project and within the project I provide websites, videos, blogs for them to research on, the possibility of reaching more students will increase. I now hope to frequently implement even more technology such as concept maps, as well as provide an opportunity for students to share their work on websites such as voicethread. Allowing students to organize and develop their own classroom blog would also be something I would like to implement within my classroom. The learner needs to be active in the learning process. Immersive experiences and providing students with the chance to be active in their learning, helps them grow as learners and people.

In the future being able to adjust to the students who come into my classroom is essential in ensuring each individual student has the best opportunity to succeed. By adapting lessons and materials to fit student needs the chance that they reach their potential increases. Varying learning methods and strategies keeps the learning environment fun and engaging. Students do not want to simply rely on their textbooks for information, nor should they. Opening the door to expansive learning styles will push students to new greater heights.

VoiceThread

http://voicethread.com/?#u397537.b528645

Social Learning

I think social learning does have a place in today’s education and can provide important support to the education process. Students often times learn as well if not better from their own peers. Allowing students to interact and discuss topics related to the content or school provides students with more avenues for student success. When teaching the content to another student the student who is doing the teaching has to have an understanding of the topic in order to properly teach the content. If students are simply memorizing information for a test are they really learning the material? Will they be able to apply the information gained once they leave the classroom? I believe students can sometimes teach the content better to each other and can use analogies or common language to better relate what they are learning to their peer. “When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski , 2007, p. 139). A lot of times students understand technology and its uses more than their teachers. They can explain the uses of the technology and how it exactly is set up or works. They provide the introduction to technology and its uses.

Allowing students to work in groups or with a partner allows them to prepare a project together learning how to work as a team. Education is the process of preparing students for life and their future after they leave our classroom and schools. When they step into the real world they are going to have to be able to adapt to other workers and learn from their peers in order to be successful in their profession. Being up to date with technology and being able to socially interact with coworkers will give students an advantage in the professional world.

When we think of the current the current social age I think of text messaging, facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. There is some much information out there for students to learn and to share. Being able to tap into some of those resources and provide students with avenues for success will allow them to become more accomplished and diverse individuals. Providing students with the ability to learn, teach and relate to a lesson will keep them connected to education.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Constructivism

I teach History to 5-8th graders and often cover wars or other world changing events. The World War II activity discussed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works obviously appealed to me. I find it challenging to summarize the events and changes World War II brought to the world in a unit that consists of month or two, or possibly even shorter. Personally enjoying World War II, I could spend a whole semester or year on the events and changes World War II brought. Being able to introduce topics or resources that could supplement the lesson would help students gain a better understanding of the causes of war and changes it can bring. In the past we have used the game Risk to show impact of War and the strategy behind it. Implementing new ways and avenues that students find interesting would only help the learning process. The book discusses how constructivism helps students learn together, through each other and take an active role in the learning process. Board games or gaming in general, allows the students to take an active leadership role in the learning process because of the responsibilities the game places on the players. Being responsible for a country’s well-being at home and abroad and during war times, gives the students a resemblance of what goes on within a country during war. The hands on approach I believe when supplemented with some background knowledge would allow students the opportunity to take away more information from the unit and better understand the events and changes of World War II.

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

New Post

Using cues, questions, and advance organizers helps students use the information they learn about a topic and make sense of the information.  They will be able to focus more on the topic when they information is well organized and easy to grasp.  As teacher we need to focus on what is important and get this information across to our students.  When trying to get students to focus in on a topic we need to make sure we are asking challenging and thought provoking questions.  This will elicit deeper learning on a topic.  I particularly liked the idea of bringing in the challenging questions to the classroom and see the difference between questions that encourage student critical thinking skills and those that do not.  Note taking is a skill that all students need to develop and it is obvious that it is a work in progress.  Teaching students multiple ways of note taking and preparing them with different avenues will help student performance.  At our school we try and implement Cornell Notes as the main form of note taking.  It has a structured format and allows for summary and reflection portions.  However, implementing or discussing different ways of note taking will encourage students to discover what way works best for them and can use guidelines for their selection.  Students should focus on notes quality and realize that taking verbatim notes is very ineffective.  The more notes students can take the better they will be prepared for future assignments on those particular notes.  Reviewing notes will ensure students have a grasp of the lesson’s content.

 

 

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Behaviorism

Technology makes it easier for students and teachers to monitor progress on reports, projects or daily lessons.  The ability to see immediate accomplishments as well as provide feedback increases with technology use inside the classroom.  Informing parents of student achievement or behavior can be an everyday thing with the advancement of technology.  Email is not the only avenue of classroom and community interaction.  Classroom blogs are becoming more popular and allow parents and students to stay involved outside of school.   Varying approaches on how we respond to student work and providing them with multiple learning opportunities will help ensure student success.  “Typically, students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80-percent competency” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).With most things in order to see success students need to put forth solid effort in order to reap the benefits of technology uses.   We can't expect kids to use word or excel spreadsheet and hope they understand it in one sitting.  Like most learners they need enough time in order to develop the skill and then produce work with the skill.  Providing students with the time to learn will benefit the classroom in the long run.   If students are giving a solid effort and they are providing enough chances to understand and use the skill, they should have a great shot at transferring the skills into our classrooms and workplaces.  By teaching students the importance of effort and being able to monitor effort and achievement we can hopefully produce a solid experience inside the classroom. 

 

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Technology Reflection

The master's class that I recently completed has been very beneficial as a professional teacher. The class has provided me with different resources that can be incorporated into my curriculum to enhance the learning environment. Technology and teaching to 21st century skills is now apart of my weekly lessons.

This course has deepened my knowledge of teaching and the learning process by providing different resources to find information that can be used in class. Using wiki's, blogs, discussion boards, etc., to find information has really increased the learning process.

Changing from being teacher-centered to learner-centered has helped to center my curriculum around the student and what they can gain from a lesson and then apply the lesson to the real world. Make sure the students are developing skills that will help them once they leave the classroom and are presented with opportunities outside of school. Allowing the student to learn these skills and teach others these skills will help their education.

Improving my knowledge of technology and education will be very important as I move forward as a teacher. Continuing to explore different avenues for technology and promoting them within my classroom will ensure students the opportunity to increase achievement.

Within the next two years I hope to have a school blog approved and used by students and parents. Along with the blog I would like to add a educational discussion board that allows students to post about topics, lessons or projects. These improvements would help prepare students for 21st century and would promote lifelong learning. Our school district has currently allowed our classroom to run an individual classroom blog. Showing the district the benefit a blog has been for our class will help get these technological improvements in the future.

Podcast

Conducted a podcast with three of my students from Paterson Elementary, discussing technology and the impact it has on their lives.

Podcast

Website Review

I have previewed a website for an organization called Partnership for 21st Century Skills, they describe their mission to "serve as a catalyst to position 21st Century skills at the center of US K-12 education building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community, and government".  A very organized and detailed site they explain how students are learning skills throughout education that may help their learning process but schools are not doing enough to prepare students in order to be successful in the 21st Century society.  Partnership for 21st Century Skills detail how they believe programs and standards can be implemented to better prepare students to fit the demands of the 21st Century.  They include resources and skills, teachers may be able to implement into their individual classrooms.  The website also deals with how American students are falling behind in education, not just in the states, but compared to other students around the world.  My question is, with only 10 states currently actively involved with this program are school districts to hesitant for change? Do they feel students are prepared for the 21st Century? Or can districts not afford such programs or do not have the time with inevitable budget cuts and teacher layoffs?

Resources:

Our Mission.  (2004).  Partnership for 21st Century Skills.  Retrieved January 28, 2009, from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=188&Itemid=110

Blog Use

Currently my 7th and 8th grade World History class is studying Israel and Palestine.  With the current events happening in the Gaza Strip a blog would be a great resource for students to post their thoughts on the happenings in the Middle East.  If they are watching news, or perhaps reading a newspaper ( I am hopeful they do this every now and again) and come across something they feel is pertinent to the conflict they could use the blog to post their thoughts right then and there.  They would not have to wait until class time, they could immediately provide their information to the class.  Discussion topics could also provided and as well as required posts, to push the discussion along.  Providing supplemental readings or links to videos would be a great way to get students interested in the lesson.   A blog would be a great way for students to continuing learning even when they step outside of the classroom

Filling in the Blanks

Just wanted to post something on the blog, so it wouldn't look so bare and plain.  Hopefully this adds a little spice to my blog.