Honestly, my progress is not as quick as I would like it to be in regards to my GAME plan. I have finished with my surveys, and most of my students have Internet access at home, so this is beneficial. However, I am having to take a little more time in developing this particular unit. I do not want to simply create blogs for my students without having exact guidelines. In addition, we just finished with the state writing assessment last week, so we have not started our literature unit which will utilize the blog. This will be the first week we start. I have decided to integrate the blog into Black History month, and the character they create for their blog will probably be one historical nature. This will require research and a bit more critical thinking on their part because they will have to be certain the particular situations they blog about are historical correct in nature.
I have received great feedback from my administrators as well as people from county office when I discussed the integration of blogs into the teaching standards of reading and writing. I hope I don't disappoint.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Carrying out my GAME plan
More and more excited about the prospect of doing innovative lesson plans using alternate forms of technology has me researching on the net for a variety of different sources. I have discovered many helpful sites offering suggestions on how to use the technology my students already use on a daily basis (cell phones, ipods, and Facebook). I also have spoken with other language arts teachers to get an idea what(if any) technology they are using in their own classroom. What I have discovered is usually the lack of technology use in their classroom is because of lack of being comfortable with its use (as I said in my previous post), and many of those teachers have expressed an interest in learning about and applying what I eventually use in my own classroom. Others already use a myriad of different technologies and were kind enough to share their ideas with me.
I continue to research and read in order to alleviate the nervousness that occurs when I attempt something new, and I have gotten my students involved by having them complete a survey about the types of technology they have access to and how they feel about using these in our classroom. My next step is to email the parents on my team and discuss with them the strategies I am hoping to use to increase interest in their student's learning as well as communicate more effectively with the parents themselves on a daily basis.
It is amazing how my view of my own role as a teacher (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 176) has changed from when I started this particular course or master's program, for that matter. There are times when teaching becomes mundane, but with increased knowledge in the area of technology, excitement about teaching seems to be the predominant feeling I experience now on a daily basis.
Reference
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.
I continue to research and read in order to alleviate the nervousness that occurs when I attempt something new, and I have gotten my students involved by having them complete a survey about the types of technology they have access to and how they feel about using these in our classroom. My next step is to email the parents on my team and discuss with them the strategies I am hoping to use to increase interest in their student's learning as well as communicate more effectively with the parents themselves on a daily basis.
It is amazing how my view of my own role as a teacher (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 176) has changed from when I started this particular course or master's program, for that matter. There are times when teaching becomes mundane, but with increased knowledge in the area of technology, excitement about teaching seems to be the predominant feeling I experience now on a daily basis.
Reference
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.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
GAME plan for technology integration
G - Goal
It only takes a course like the one I am presently in to make me realize how far I have to go in ensuring my students are utilizing the technology available to them to enhance their learning. As I viewed the NETS-T, I found myself focused on two standards which I would like to focus on over the next few weeks –
2a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity (ISTE, 2008)
3b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. (ISTE, 2008)
I recognize that while I have a multitude of technological tools at my fingertips, I have been hesitant to use them because of the lack of confidence in my abilities.
A – Action
I chose the two particular learning goals because they go hand in hand. Because I lack confidence in the use of certain technology devices available in our classrooms as well as innovative ideas, I will reach out to other teachers in the school who have already begun to utilize the devices with which I am interested in. As well, I believe asking my students and their parents what technology interests them most is also important. I will also use englishcompanion.ning.com as a source for others outside of my school for ideas. After compiling a list of ideas and suggestions, I can then begin to design or adapt the use of technology around a current lesson I have been planning to teach. I believe I would like to focus on the integration of technology in my reading and writing standards. In addition, involving the parents through email and my website will be another form of action in my overall plan.
M – Monitor
In order to monitor my progress and that of my students, it will be necessary to be more reflective. I have never been good at keeping a journal – not now or when I was young – but this will become a key part of my monitoring. This journal will also be a place where I can record ideas that I discover through collaboration with students, peers, and parents. Another way to monitor progress will be through response received from my parents and students.
E – Evaluation
Since this the second time I have taught this particular lesson, I will be able to evaluate student progress BEFORE and AFTER the integration of technology. This should give me a good indication of its success. In addition, the communication with parents will also be a good evaluation of my progress. Parent communication is always important; however, as students reach middle school (especially 8th grade), parents many times do not communicate as much as in the earlier years of their child’s education. The interaction with parents will also be a evaluation of whether this integration technology was successful.
Reference
ISTE, Initials. (2010). Nets for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
It only takes a course like the one I am presently in to make me realize how far I have to go in ensuring my students are utilizing the technology available to them to enhance their learning. As I viewed the NETS-T, I found myself focused on two standards which I would like to focus on over the next few weeks –
2a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity (ISTE, 2008)
3b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. (ISTE, 2008)
I recognize that while I have a multitude of technological tools at my fingertips, I have been hesitant to use them because of the lack of confidence in my abilities.
A – Action
I chose the two particular learning goals because they go hand in hand. Because I lack confidence in the use of certain technology devices available in our classrooms as well as innovative ideas, I will reach out to other teachers in the school who have already begun to utilize the devices with which I am interested in. As well, I believe asking my students and their parents what technology interests them most is also important. I will also use englishcompanion.ning.com as a source for others outside of my school for ideas. After compiling a list of ideas and suggestions, I can then begin to design or adapt the use of technology around a current lesson I have been planning to teach. I believe I would like to focus on the integration of technology in my reading and writing standards. In addition, involving the parents through email and my website will be another form of action in my overall plan.
M – Monitor
In order to monitor my progress and that of my students, it will be necessary to be more reflective. I have never been good at keeping a journal – not now or when I was young – but this will become a key part of my monitoring. This journal will also be a place where I can record ideas that I discover through collaboration with students, peers, and parents. Another way to monitor progress will be through response received from my parents and students.
E – Evaluation
Since this the second time I have taught this particular lesson, I will be able to evaluate student progress BEFORE and AFTER the integration of technology. This should give me a good indication of its success. In addition, the communication with parents will also be a good evaluation of my progress. Parent communication is always important; however, as students reach middle school (especially 8th grade), parents many times do not communicate as much as in the earlier years of their child’s education. The interaction with parents will also be a evaluation of whether this integration technology was successful.
Reference
ISTE, Initials. (2010). Nets for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Figuring it all out
It seems as if every time I attempt to try my hand at different technology, I end up confusing myself. I know I previously created a blog, but I am lost as to what blog site I used, so I have created a new one.
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