My Goals:
-Using Technology in the classroom and becoming a model for students and fellow staff.
-Incorporating one technology based assignment each unit for students to participate in.
-Engage in professional growth and leadership by researching resources and digital tools to be used in the classroom.
These are the goals that I have set for myself to improve student learning and participation in regards to incorporating technology into my classroom. As I reflect, I have made some minor changes to improve my Goals and overall teaching.
Am I finding the information and resources I need? Yes, I have spent a considerable amount of time looking through blogs, websites, and Diigo to find information regarding digital tools that I can incorporate into my classroom. This is a very active process that includes reading up on information and testing the technology to see if it would be appropriate for my classroom assisgnments and assessments and aligns with my content standards (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). The information that I have found has been saved to my personal library on Diigo, so I can access it anytime I want and share informaiton with fellow teachers. Here is my Diigo Library feel free to browse and offer any advice in adding information.
Do I need to modify my action plan? My previous goal was to incorporate at least one new digital tool in every unit. Although I will continue with this goal I want to incorporate more technology into my classroom without having students down at the computer lab. This can include using my laptop and projector and having students watch video clips from Learn 360, participate in a poll to check for understanding at the end of the class period (Laureate Education, 2011), or have students help create a Rubric for any particular assignment. These are easy ways to include technology that allows for participation from students on a daily basis.
What have I learned so far? I have read about so many exciting digital tools that I could incorporate into my classroom. However, I never realized how much time this research would take. I have also learned that a goal of learning how to incorporate technology into the classroom is a goal that many teachers have, especially within my own building. These teachers all have great ideas and we are going to try and start our own technology PLC group that will be dedicated to sharing ideas, explaining how the digital tool works, and strategies to include digital tools into instruction.
What new questions have arisen? With the idea of creating a PLC, or 'Tech Group' I have questions as to what we need to do to plan effective meetings that are beneficial to each member. If any advice can be given on this topic, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there is any new ideas on digital tools that can be used with an entire class and only 1 computer, I am all ears!
Rikki,
ReplyDeleteI do not blame you for wanting to find technology tools that you can use within your own classroom instead of traveling to a computer lab. I feel like so much valuable instructional time is lost when we have to disrupt the norm and travel outside of our rooms. In the spirit of not having to do that, I wanted to share a tool with you that I use frequently, and that my students relate to very well: http://www.youtube.com/education?b=400. This is an extension of youtube that has videos from colleges and universities that partner with youtube. I have found it safe to conduct research with my students while signed on to this site, as it filters a lot of inappropriate information, and of course if you set up a youtube account you can adjust your setting to make it so that you do not have any inappropriate material being revealed during a search. I really enjoy this site and highly recommend it!
References:
YouTube, LLC. (2011). YouTubeEdu. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/education?b=400.
Rikki,
ReplyDeleteFirst, it looks as though you are making some wonderful progress. I know that it is a lot to learn the various new technologies, my advice would be to select 3-5, use them, if they work...great, if not, then look to replace them with another.
In regard to having 1 computer for the whole class, do you have a SmartBoard? If so, you can have a group of students take turns going to it and discovering while the others are working on other tasks. I have seen this work quite nicely when students are working on collaborative projects. Also, would your school allow for personal devices to be used in the classroom for educational purposes? If so, they can really help to alleviate you problem.
Rikki,
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your PLC question, I have been, and am currently participating, in a number of PLCs. In my experience, I have discovered a few bits of protocol that help PLC's flow smoothly. First, it is best to do whatever conversation you can do via email (or blog!). This way, when you meet- you all know the agenda items and what has already been done. Secondly, depending on the nature of the PLC you may wish to schedule time to meet that is limited. During lunch once a month and before school are good times for most PLCs because the limited time encourages efficient use of time. I was in two separate PLCs that met after school. In one, we got along so well that we visited more than worked. In the other, we could never seem to stay on topic because of all the gripes, complaints, "the way things should be" comments that bogged down the conversation.
Overall, PLCs have been an amazing experience for me, and I am always looking for opportunities to get together and research, evaluate, and change. Good luck!-Ryan
It would be nice to have computer access in the classroom at all times. I do have a Smartboard where all students can see the same information. My students love it. Rubrics are terrific to use to assess the students. I like the idea of allowing students to help create the rubric. Joint development and use helps to improve the validity and reliability (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009).
ReplyDeleteReferences
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.
Emily-
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the website reference. I am always a little nervous when using YouTube because I never know what may pop up in front of my students.
Bruce-
Unfortunately I do not have a SmartBoard and I am so jealous of teachers that do! With students' personal devices they are not supposed to be using them in the classroom. However, I sometimes allow them to listen to music and I will have to see how many students' have access to the Internet. This would be a great tool to incorporate into instruction. Thanks for the great idea Bruce!
Ryan-
Thanks for the great ideas and protocols. I think having a set time would be so beneficial, I know many meetings do tend to run alot longer than necessary because of those types of conversations. I have thought of having everyone interested start a personal library on Diigo, so when we are looking for information or websites we can check individuals' libraries. Thanks for the encouraging words.