Setting goals for strengthening my confidence and proficiency in two NETS-T indicators is vital in order to support student learning in a technology-enriched learning environment. To carry out my GAME plan I will need various resources as well as other information.
Indicator 2c Customize and personalize learning activities to address student’s diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
My first resource would be my colleagues since I teach technology and I am interested in integrating the content area curriculum into the computer literacy curriculum. It may be advantageous to attend the grade level meetings to brainstorm about what content area and or concepts to be integrated with technology. I would then seek out my principal as a resource as she once taught technology at the middle school level and could offer some ideas. As Dr. Ross noted the purpose of standardized tests are for the students to be proficient and perform at the same level. Technology can be integrated to give students another avenue to use their talents/strengths and to monitor their learning goals, using a variety of formal and informal assessments. Other information I will need is how to create effective screencasts and or voicethreads for instructional use and how to make it accessible to students on the school network at school and at home. I will evaluate the usefulness of these technology tools for both directed and self-directed learning. The step I have taken so far in my goal to integrate technology is an e-mail to my principal and to each grade level head with an overview of my GAME plan to address student's diverse learning styles by utilizing technology across the content area. I also have scheduled a workshop to attend that will illustrate content area lessons that utilize various technology tools.
3b Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
My resources I would utilize to address this indicator would be students, colleagues, parents and community members. I would brainstorm with the students to formulate ideas related to content area in for example science and social studies/current events to utilize a blog. I would contact the technology coordinator to set up or initiate clearance for access to http://kidblog.org
I would generate permission slips to be sent home for students to blog. I also want to set up a web page blog to address parental question and concerns related to curriculum. Again I would collaboroate with the technology coordinator and principal to set this up. Lastly, I would utilize teachers as a resource to set up a teacher's corner blog that only the teachers can access on the school network where best practices, professional development, and or useful technology tools can be shared. I will monitor each blog for participation and effectiveness with on-line surveys that can be located on the school network and my webpage. Research will also have to be conducted to locate experts in their field or organizations in the community and beyond that will be willing to video - conference with students on topics related to content areas. This will have to be set up by the technology coordinator and gain approval by the school district. I will monitor how students are engaged and connect to the content knowledge these experts have to offer through informal assessments that could include an essay or journal writing. The steps that I have already taken to meet this initiatve are meetings with the district administrators and technology corridinator to set up a teachers blog and a proposal submitted to the principal and superintendent to start a classroom blog through kidsblog.org . Social networking is a new tool for our district, so I included information on the benefits of blogging and some guidelines to follow for both posting and commenting for administrators.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). “Meeting Student’s Needs with Technology, Part 2” [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.
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Hello Susan,
ReplyDeleteI noticed you referred to your colleagues as a resource and are interested in integrating content curriculum into the computer curriculum. I also teach technology classes and have begun to collaborate with other teachers to integrate some of their lessons into my technology classes. The results have been very positive! I have worked with math teachers to review topics such as radius, diameter, and circumference in the AutoCAD program I teach. Microsoft Excel is used to create spreadsheets which convert miles to feet, and pounds to ounces.
Through the collaboration with science and math teachers I have found that the use of technology by an experienced teacher is of great advantage to both content areas. It has benefited students and teachers as well.
Susan - you have an impressive action plan for for your GAME plan! I too want to set up a blog and have never heard of kidblog.org. I just checked it out and find it to be a great resource!! I think it will definitely make my blogging much easier with my class!! Good luck with your action plan!
ReplyDeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if your plan is on the right path. I have used kidblog this year and it is a nice site. It could be better, like adding more time for video and allowing for more web 2.0 tools but what can you expect for free. Collaboration with fellow teachers may help to find alternative sights or to find solutions to other problems. It certainly cannot hurt. I just wish that I could find an easier, digital way to score blogs and wikis. If you find anything out, let us know. Good luck with your plan.
Your plan for integrating other teachers' curriculum into your technology curriculum sounds great. I love to cross curriculums when I teach. It is helpful for the students to see the same idea but from a different angles. You being a technology teacher, could help a lot of teachers upgrade the lessons and they can help you with cross-curricular lessons. Keep up the work. It is a great path you are heading down.
ReplyDeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteA lot of people have suggested using KidBlog for your blogging needs. Ive been using Blospot and the only reason is that I have a gmail account which has the Google account. I also use Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, Google forms, and Google Reader. All of these devices are ran through Google. So its like a 1 stop resource for multiple things kind of like shopping at Walmart. LOL!
Thanks for all of the positive comments and suggestions! First, I think that there should be more efforts on the part of all educators to collaborate with colleagues to improve the educational needs and outcomes for students. I think that cross curricular lessons are beneficial to both educators and students. Next, I am happy to share the website http:www.kidblog.org but I cannot take the credit for this find as another colleague from Walden suggested it to me in a response. Finally, I just love the "one stop shopping" of Google but have yet to try Google Spreadsheets or Google Forms. I attended a workshop last April where most of these features were introduced but felt overwhelmed. It was like trying to pick out a free pair of shoes with too many choices!
ReplyDelete