My original GAME plan goals:
Standard 1b-"engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources."
Standard 4a-"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."
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
So far I have learned a great deal that can be applied in my instructional practice. Throughout the last few courses I have been tweaking existing units of study in order to integrate more technology and collaboration. I have applied many of the tools we have used in this program.
What goals are you still working toward?
I am still working on my current goals. They are ongoing and intended to become a natural course of business.
Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?
I do have new goals for myself. I would love to work on:
standard 1.d.-"model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments."
standard 4.d.-"develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools."
standard 5.b.-"exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.
If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?
I still plan to extend my current goals by broadening the scope of real-world issues. I started small by addressing issues within our building and now feel ready to address larger issues. I also plan to work on developing a school-wide approach to digital learning skills and issues over the summer. In the beginning of the next school year, I'd like to lead the way in implementing a CyberSmartCurriculum. This would extend my current goal and encompass my new goal of exhibiting leadership (std 5b).
What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
The next time I try to improve my learning, I hope to bring some building colleagues on the journey of exploration. It is fun to work with others who are excited and motivated to try new things. I recently started a wiki at work and invited some teachers to participate in showcasing student work and encouraging response to the projects. I also posted a glog on my page to showcase that tool. Modeling "collaborative knowledge construction" is very important. As Vicki Davis pointed out in this week's resources, teaching students to write collaboratively is a challenge but that is how new knowledge is created quickly (Laureate, 2009). My colleagues and I are looking forward to sharing our experiences and knowledge with others.
References:
CyberSmartCurriculum.org
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). 6713: Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [DVD]. Spotlight on technology: Social networking and online collaboration, part 1. Baltimore, MD: Vicki Davis.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress
I would like to be more proficient in the following areas:
standard 1b-"engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources."
standard 4a-"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."
So, how am I doing? I have made great progress in both of these areas. The hardest part of addressing the first goal was coming up with real-world, authentic problems because I was over-thinking this. Much of the work we do in school can be tweaked to be more student directed and meaningful to the students. There are many issues in our classroom and school community that students can address in collaborative ways. As Dr. Ertmer pointed out in this week's resources, a good source for selecting a problem-based learning unit is previous lessons. She suggests taking something with which you are familiar and adding something new to it (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).
The second goal was easier to jump into because I had created some forms and lessons to use with students as part of the last course. My students are currently using two-column web journals in new social studies and science units, and they are also familiar with the "Get REAL" acronym for evaluating websites. I have also begun discussions with several staff members about teaching a broader tech curriculum that encompasses safe and ethical use of digital sources.
These goals are ongoing but I do feel more confident in both of these areas. As more classroom projects become problem-based and more tools of technology are introduced, I will continue to develop competency in both standards.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009a). 6713: Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [DVD]. Spotlight on technology: Problem-based learning, part 1. Baltimore, MD: Peggy Ertmer.
standard 1b-"engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources."
standard 4a-"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."
So, how am I doing? I have made great progress in both of these areas. The hardest part of addressing the first goal was coming up with real-world, authentic problems because I was over-thinking this. Much of the work we do in school can be tweaked to be more student directed and meaningful to the students. There are many issues in our classroom and school community that students can address in collaborative ways. As Dr. Ertmer pointed out in this week's resources, a good source for selecting a problem-based learning unit is previous lessons. She suggests taking something with which you are familiar and adding something new to it (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).
The second goal was easier to jump into because I had created some forms and lessons to use with students as part of the last course. My students are currently using two-column web journals in new social studies and science units, and they are also familiar with the "Get REAL" acronym for evaluating websites. I have also begun discussions with several staff members about teaching a broader tech curriculum that encompasses safe and ethical use of digital sources.
These goals are ongoing but I do feel more confident in both of these areas. As more classroom projects become problem-based and more tools of technology are introduced, I will continue to develop competency in both standards.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009a). 6713: Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [DVD]. Spotlight on technology: Problem-based learning, part 1. Baltimore, MD: Peggy Ertmer.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Progressing...
In reviewing my GAME plan, some progress has been made. My first goal is to engage students in real world issues. My plan is to find an on line collaborative project for my students. This week I settled on digital storytelling as part of our folklore unit. I found a great site to get me started (http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/index.html) but would still like to find another class that might be interested in participating in a project with us. In the meantime, my class just completed a project based on a real issue in our school. Our school counselor teaches classes and works with individual students on problems such as work habits and friendship issues. Recently there has been a spike in the number of guidance requests due to problems between friends. Third graders recently completed a language arts unit on friendship, so students broke into groups to review the books we read and identify the theme of each. We created a jigsaw lesson on the SMART board to share and record all of the themes. Then students typed letters to the guidance counselor sharing what they learned about making/keeping friends and the books that support their ideas. The counselor has access to each student’s hard drive so she can read the letters in digital form and respond to them in their digital folder. This isn’t exactly the collaborative project I was hoping to start, but it did address a real issue in the life of a third grader and provide students with an authentic audience.
For my second goal, advocating, modeling, and teaching the safe and ethical use of digital information, I have not worked on the actions laid out last week. However, I am meeting with four teachers on Friday who recently had SMART boards installed in their rooms. They have asked me to show them some ways I use that technology with my students. I plan to walk them through my day and share the recent lessons I did with my class on note-taking, evaluating web sites, and concept mapping. Hopefully this discussion will lead to a “technology support group” of sorts.
The plan has had to be revised a little but by reviewing it each week, I stay focused on my goals. I can definitely see the benefit of creating written GAME plans with students but the key is to regularly monitor the plans.
For my second goal, advocating, modeling, and teaching the safe and ethical use of digital information, I have not worked on the actions laid out last week. However, I am meeting with four teachers on Friday who recently had SMART boards installed in their rooms. They have asked me to show them some ways I use that technology with my students. I plan to walk them through my day and share the recent lessons I did with my class on note-taking, evaluating web sites, and concept mapping. Hopefully this discussion will lead to a “technology support group” of sorts.
The plan has had to be revised a little but by reviewing it each week, I stay focused on my goals. I can definitely see the benefit of creating written GAME plans with students but the key is to regularly monitor the plans.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Carrying Out My GAME Plan
My personal game plan focuses on two indicators: 1b) engage students in real-world issues and 4a) ethical use of digital information.
To carry out the first part of this plan, I need to gather information. I plan to investigate collaborative projects on-line using the resources from our last course as a starting point. I also plan to send an email out to district colleagues asking if anyone is/has participated in such projects. The media specialist in my building is very interested in developing technology-rich projects with me. She has many contacts and resources, in addition to a global view of what all the grade levels in our building are working on. Together we can find or develop authentic problems for our students to explore. Working on such a project will require devoted class time and more computer access than the two student computers I currently have in my classroom. Currently I have the lap top cart for two periods a week but there is more room in the schedule to sign it for project use. In addition, we have a mini computer lab in the library. Before I can go forward with the rest of this objective, I need to settle on a project.
As for my second goal, I am already working to model and teach the safe and ethical use of digital of digital information. We are just getting into a new social studies unit so I am showing the students some of the tools we will be using. I have introduced my students to the Get REAL acronym (Almasi, 2009) to evaluate websites and to the two-column journal (Eagleton and Dobler, 2007. p.224). Because we have not gotten into real inquiry phase, I am modeling note taking on the journal with books about agriculture and a couple of websites linked to our school website (the journal page has been scanned into the computer and I model on the SMART Board). I have not yet met with the media specialist or administration about implementing a "SMART" curriculum as found on the CyberSmartCurriculum.org site. However, I still plan to do that as an extension of this goal. I think time to meet and plan is the next step. Developing a unified school-wide approach to digital learning skills and issues may need to be a summer project.
I feel better about my progress on the second goal although this is an on-going goal. How to safely, legally, and ethically use digital information and technology changes with the technology itself.
Almasi, J. (2009). Critical evaluation. Laureate Education, DVD.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
To carry out the first part of this plan, I need to gather information. I plan to investigate collaborative projects on-line using the resources from our last course as a starting point. I also plan to send an email out to district colleagues asking if anyone is/has participated in such projects. The media specialist in my building is very interested in developing technology-rich projects with me. She has many contacts and resources, in addition to a global view of what all the grade levels in our building are working on. Together we can find or develop authentic problems for our students to explore. Working on such a project will require devoted class time and more computer access than the two student computers I currently have in my classroom. Currently I have the lap top cart for two periods a week but there is more room in the schedule to sign it for project use. In addition, we have a mini computer lab in the library. Before I can go forward with the rest of this objective, I need to settle on a project.
As for my second goal, I am already working to model and teach the safe and ethical use of digital of digital information. We are just getting into a new social studies unit so I am showing the students some of the tools we will be using. I have introduced my students to the Get REAL acronym (Almasi, 2009) to evaluate websites and to the two-column journal (Eagleton and Dobler, 2007. p.224). Because we have not gotten into real inquiry phase, I am modeling note taking on the journal with books about agriculture and a couple of websites linked to our school website (the journal page has been scanned into the computer and I model on the SMART Board). I have not yet met with the media specialist or administration about implementing a "SMART" curriculum as found on the CyberSmartCurriculum.org site. However, I still plan to do that as an extension of this goal. I think time to meet and plan is the next step. Developing a unified school-wide approach to digital learning skills and issues may need to be a summer project.
I feel better about my progress on the second goal although this is an on-going goal. How to safely, legally, and ethically use digital information and technology changes with the technology itself.
Almasi, J. (2009). Critical evaluation. Laureate Education, DVD.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
GAME Plan
In reviewing the NETS-T (standards for teachers), there are two areas in which I would like to become more proficient.
The first area is standard 1b-"engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources." To address this goal, I plan to research collaborative student projects. During the last course I found many great ideas such as epals, digital storytelling, participating in a science data collection project, and a folklore project. These types of projects promote global citizenship and prepare students for real world work experiences. Once I find a project that seems like a good fit for my class I will plan activities to provide prequisite knowledge, establish rules and procedures, and build in regular class time to devote to the project. I will monitor the engagement and progress of my students, and provide support as needed. After the project is completed I will evaluate the effectiveness of the activity and share results with colleagues. My hope is to encourage colleagues to branch out and try collaborative projects as well.
The second area I would like to improve is standard 4a-"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." During the last course I realized that there is so much more to using technology with students than introducing them to new programs. As more technology is being used in the classroom, teachers are responsible for teaching a much broader tech curriculum. While carefully citing sources in my own school work, I have not required my students to do this yet. To address this goal I am spending much more time incorporating tools to help students keep track of sites they visit and using a two-column journal adapted from Eagleton and Dobler (Reading the Web, 2007), in which students record sites (or texts) visited, key facts, and their personal response to the facts. By introducing third graders to this type of note taking, I hope to establish the ethical use of resources. To monitor progress in meeting this goal, I plan to have students complete a two-column journal for each unit in social studies this year. To extend this goal I will demonstrate how to properly cite sources used and encourage students to include a reference page with each project. I also hope to work with the media specialist to encourage safe, legal, and ethical use to all staff and students.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
The first area is standard 1b-"engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources." To address this goal, I plan to research collaborative student projects. During the last course I found many great ideas such as epals, digital storytelling, participating in a science data collection project, and a folklore project. These types of projects promote global citizenship and prepare students for real world work experiences. Once I find a project that seems like a good fit for my class I will plan activities to provide prequisite knowledge, establish rules and procedures, and build in regular class time to devote to the project. I will monitor the engagement and progress of my students, and provide support as needed. After the project is completed I will evaluate the effectiveness of the activity and share results with colleagues. My hope is to encourage colleagues to branch out and try collaborative projects as well.
The second area I would like to improve is standard 4a-"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." During the last course I realized that there is so much more to using technology with students than introducing them to new programs. As more technology is being used in the classroom, teachers are responsible for teaching a much broader tech curriculum. While carefully citing sources in my own school work, I have not required my students to do this yet. To address this goal I am spending much more time incorporating tools to help students keep track of sites they visit and using a two-column journal adapted from Eagleton and Dobler (Reading the Web, 2007), in which students record sites (or texts) visited, key facts, and their personal response to the facts. By introducing third graders to this type of note taking, I hope to establish the ethical use of resources. To monitor progress in meeting this goal, I plan to have students complete a two-column journal for each unit in social studies this year. To extend this goal I will demonstrate how to properly cite sources used and encourage students to include a reference page with each project. I also hope to work with the media specialist to encourage safe, legal, and ethical use to all staff and students.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom
Transitioning from Knowledge to Synthesis-Reflection
As a result of this course, I realize that there is a great deal more to incorporating technology in the classroom than just introducing new tools. The literacy skills needed to search, evaluate, and synthesize information on the internet are similar yet different than those needed for traditional research.
Students must be taught how to effectively use search engines and utilize key words to find information. Then they must be taught to evaluate the sites for validity and reliability. Students can use the "Get REAL" acronym by Dr. Almasi to read the URL, evaluate the content, ask about the author and owner, and look at the links within a website. But the most important skill our students need to learn is how to synthesize and transform information into new knowledge. To support my students in this area, I plan to use the two-column web journal form (Eagleton and Dobler, 2007). The sentence starters/prompts that are provided on this form help students personally respond to new information and turn it into their own words. By using this form to take notes from different websites, students can learn to link or synthesize information from multiple sources. When creating artifacts, using personal responses encourages intellectual honesty.
As educators we need to teach and model both technology literacy and responsibility. As the technology coordinator in my building, I feel it is my responsibility to encourage and lead others in these areas. To that end, I hope to work in conjunction with our media specialist and administrators to initiate conversations addressing the SMART acronym on the CyberSmartCurriculum.org site.
Safety and Security online
Manners, bullying, and ethics
Authentic learning and creativity
Research and information fluency
Twenty-first century challenges.
Hopefully through staff discussions and monthly technology related e-letters, we will develop a unified approach to these important literacy skills and issues.
Almasi, J. (2009). Critical evaluation. Laureate Education, DVD.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
As a result of this course, I realize that there is a great deal more to incorporating technology in the classroom than just introducing new tools. The literacy skills needed to search, evaluate, and synthesize information on the internet are similar yet different than those needed for traditional research.
Students must be taught how to effectively use search engines and utilize key words to find information. Then they must be taught to evaluate the sites for validity and reliability. Students can use the "Get REAL" acronym by Dr. Almasi to read the URL, evaluate the content, ask about the author and owner, and look at the links within a website. But the most important skill our students need to learn is how to synthesize and transform information into new knowledge. To support my students in this area, I plan to use the two-column web journal form (Eagleton and Dobler, 2007). The sentence starters/prompts that are provided on this form help students personally respond to new information and turn it into their own words. By using this form to take notes from different websites, students can learn to link or synthesize information from multiple sources. When creating artifacts, using personal responses encourages intellectual honesty.
As educators we need to teach and model both technology literacy and responsibility. As the technology coordinator in my building, I feel it is my responsibility to encourage and lead others in these areas. To that end, I hope to work in conjunction with our media specialist and administrators to initiate conversations addressing the SMART acronym on the CyberSmartCurriculum.org site.
Safety and Security online
Manners, bullying, and ethics
Authentic learning and creativity
Research and information fluency
Twenty-first century challenges.
Hopefully through staff discussions and monthly technology related e-letters, we will develop a unified approach to these important literacy skills and issues.
Almasi, J. (2009). Critical evaluation. Laureate Education, DVD.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
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