I have recently found a web site that has a lot of information on using technology in the classroom. The site is called Classroom 2.0 and is located at http://www.classroom20.com/. I had been looking for information on wix and weebly when I came across this web page for teachers. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Also, weebly is free software that you can use to create a classroom website & blog, accept homework assignments online, keep parents up to date, and manage your students’ accounts. I am interested in using this for my students as part of my GAME plan. If any of you have used this, please let me know if you like it.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Continuing My GAME Plan
In order to carry out my GAME plan, I will need to have digital recording equipment, computers, and possibly a projector. I will also need to create a wiki and a blog for our class with the collaboration of the class itself. Down the road, I hope to be able to extend our recordings to iPods and cell phones, but, let’s not get carried away!! I need to focus on the immediate use of the recordings!
I will also need to promote support from parents, administrators, and colleagues. I need to search the internet to find new and exciting ideas for students to use in their video activities. I would also like to find a teacher who uses blogs and wikis in my area so I could observe the ways in which they have been used.
As of yet, I have not taken any steps towards my plan. I have been searching for a job, doing homework, and packing to go to Miami to see my youngest daughter, whom I have not seen in a year.
I will also need to promote support from parents, administrators, and colleagues. I need to search the internet to find new and exciting ideas for students to use in their video activities. I would also like to find a teacher who uses blogs and wikis in my area so I could observe the ways in which they have been used.
As of yet, I have not taken any steps towards my plan. I have been searching for a job, doing homework, and packing to go to Miami to see my youngest daughter, whom I have not seen in a year.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Developing a Personal Game Plan
Enriching content area learning experiences was the topic of this week’s class. We talked about how we would revise an old lesson to incorporate technology and “turn on the lights” for our students. Now we are looking at the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) and determining which two indicators we would like to strengthen our confidence in.
The first standard of the NETS-T is Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. The two indicators that I have chosen to work on are:
c. teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
d. teachers model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
I would accomplish this by using the GAME plan.
GOAL: My goal is to get my students comfortable using video recordings of themselves to promote enhanced learning and performances, as well as a reflective tool for them to use for self-evaluation.
ACTION: I will introduce students to video recording at the beginning of the year. At first, they can “play” with the camera to record themselves practicing new vocabulary. As they progress and become more comfortable using this tool, we will record storytelling, dialogues, and role-playing activities.
MONITOR: to monitor this, I will use a class wiki or blog for students to post comments about their progress. We will also create rubrics to evaluate how well they are doing.
EVALUATE: As we complete each assignment, students will be given an evaluation rubric to assess the effectiveness of using digital tools to enable them to plan, monitor, and improve their work. They can also post reflective comments on their blogs as to improvements that could be made for the next assignment. I would also like to collaborate with other teachers to get feedback on how to improve this technique.
The first standard of the NETS-T is Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. The two indicators that I have chosen to work on are:
c. teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
d. teachers model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
I would accomplish this by using the GAME plan.
GOAL: My goal is to get my students comfortable using video recordings of themselves to promote enhanced learning and performances, as well as a reflective tool for them to use for self-evaluation.
ACTION: I will introduce students to video recording at the beginning of the year. At first, they can “play” with the camera to record themselves practicing new vocabulary. As they progress and become more comfortable using this tool, we will record storytelling, dialogues, and role-playing activities.
MONITOR: to monitor this, I will use a class wiki or blog for students to post comments about their progress. We will also create rubrics to evaluate how well they are doing.
EVALUATE: As we complete each assignment, students will be given an evaluation rubric to assess the effectiveness of using digital tools to enable them to plan, monitor, and improve their work. They can also post reflective comments on their blogs as to improvements that could be made for the next assignment. I would also like to collaborate with other teachers to get feedback on how to improve this technique.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry
Reflection
Before taking this course, I thought that I knew how to research information. Now, I realize that I knew very little about researching a topic and absolutely nothing about validating Websites. I researched topics pretty much the same way my students do. I would type in an assortment of words until I found what I was looking for, and I would usually look at every link that popped up in sequence. It was time consuming and exhausting. I knew that not everything on the Internet was fact, but if it looked right, I believed it. The knowledge and skills I have acquired from this course will enable me, as well as my students, to validate sites and gather much more reliable information. The following are my new tools:
REAL:
1. R = Read the URL
2. E = Examine the content
3. A = Ask about the author and owner of the site
4. L = Look at the links.
QUEST :
Questioning = what do I want to know?
Understanding resources = how will I find out?
Evaluating = is this what I need?
Synthesizing = what does this mean?
Transforming = what will I do with it?
I would like to learn more about using Wikis and blogs with students to collaborate with students from other schools. Dr. David Warlick stated that technology enables students to connect to each other, experts, other classes, and content. More importantly, it allows students to learn to work with information, which is a vital skill to have in the 21st century. By having my students create projects and interacting with students outside of their classroom, they will be honing these skills.
References
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Baltimore, MD.
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.
Before taking this course, I thought that I knew how to research information. Now, I realize that I knew very little about researching a topic and absolutely nothing about validating Websites. I researched topics pretty much the same way my students do. I would type in an assortment of words until I found what I was looking for, and I would usually look at every link that popped up in sequence. It was time consuming and exhausting. I knew that not everything on the Internet was fact, but if it looked right, I believed it. The knowledge and skills I have acquired from this course will enable me, as well as my students, to validate sites and gather much more reliable information. The following are my new tools:
REAL:
1. R = Read the URL
2. E = Examine the content
3. A = Ask about the author and owner of the site
4. L = Look at the links.
QUEST :
Questioning = what do I want to know?
Understanding resources = how will I find out?
Evaluating = is this what I need?
Synthesizing = what does this mean?
Transforming = what will I do with it?
I would like to learn more about using Wikis and blogs with students to collaborate with students from other schools. Dr. David Warlick stated that technology enables students to connect to each other, experts, other classes, and content. More importantly, it allows students to learn to work with information, which is a vital skill to have in the 21st century. By having my students create projects and interacting with students outside of their classroom, they will be honing these skills.
References
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Baltimore, MD.
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Reflection: Effective bridging of Technology and Instruction
Dr. Michael Orey suggests that the Social Learning Theory focuses on conversation, collaboration, and the learning process (Laureate Education, Inc. 2009). “Social constructivism extends constructivism into social settings, wherein groups construct knowledge for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings. When one is immersed within a culture like this one, one is learning all the time about how to be a part of that culture, on many levels” (Philosophy-MoodleDocs). I teach American Sign Language (ASL) and my ultimate goal for my students is to enable them to use the target language to collaborate and converse with each other and their intended audience.
To achieve this goal, I assign cooperative groups for my students to actively engage and apply what has been introduced and demonstrated for them in the classroom. During this course, we have learned how using different mediums with our students will help them to store information in their long-term memories (Laureate, 2009). Therefore, I have made modifications to these groups by adding stations. While I work with one group reviewing and reinforcing lessons, the second group works on an interactive computer activity while the third group watches a DVD and collectively answers questions about the conversations they are watching.
Another adjustment I have made in my classes is the use of blogs and wikis. I have been using these with my upper level classes, but I would like to incorporate them into my lower level classes in the form of journals.
One of my long-term goals for incorporating technology into my classrooms is to have my students use voice threads and concept maps when doing a research project. My lower level classes could use these for their demonstrations for research on famous Deaf people or Deaf history. My upper levels can present information by using videos on voice thread. They can use the doodle tool to stop the video and point out relevant information.
Another long-term goal is to have students create Jeopardy games using power points. Students can work in groups, with each group creating a game using information from the previous units. I would also like to explore activities using podcasting. By using the internet, creating voice threads and podcasts, using blogs and wikis, students will be working in a social network, where they will learn collaborating and problem solving skills, as well as applying what they are learning by creating artifacts. I look forward to the possibilities and opportunities these tools provide.
Resources
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory,
instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Philosophy. MoodlesDoc. Retrieved from http://docs.moodle.org/en/Philosophy. October 29, 2009.
To achieve this goal, I assign cooperative groups for my students to actively engage and apply what has been introduced and demonstrated for them in the classroom. During this course, we have learned how using different mediums with our students will help them to store information in their long-term memories (Laureate, 2009). Therefore, I have made modifications to these groups by adding stations. While I work with one group reviewing and reinforcing lessons, the second group works on an interactive computer activity while the third group watches a DVD and collectively answers questions about the conversations they are watching.
Another adjustment I have made in my classes is the use of blogs and wikis. I have been using these with my upper level classes, but I would like to incorporate them into my lower level classes in the form of journals.
One of my long-term goals for incorporating technology into my classrooms is to have my students use voice threads and concept maps when doing a research project. My lower level classes could use these for their demonstrations for research on famous Deaf people or Deaf history. My upper levels can present information by using videos on voice thread. They can use the doodle tool to stop the video and point out relevant information.
Another long-term goal is to have students create Jeopardy games using power points. Students can work in groups, with each group creating a game using information from the previous units. I would also like to explore activities using podcasting. By using the internet, creating voice threads and podcasts, using blogs and wikis, students will be working in a social network, where they will learn collaborating and problem solving skills, as well as applying what they are learning by creating artifacts. I look forward to the possibilities and opportunities these tools provide.
Resources
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory,
instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Philosophy. MoodlesDoc. Retrieved from http://docs.moodle.org/en/Philosophy. October 29, 2009.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning is an important aspect of the social learning theory. It is defined as students working together to attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively (Palmer, Peters, & Streetman, 2003, p. 2). Cooperative learning enables students to discuss and validate their work, and to see their peers as valuable resources. Dr. Michael Orey stated that in traditional classrooms, students can articulate what has been taught, but have no idea how to apply that information. There are a variety of strategies teachers can apply when using cooperative learning to enable students to make those connections between the lesson itself and real world applications. My students consistently work in groups to strengthen their expressive and receptive skills with American Sign Language.
One strategy that really caught my interest was to have the students create a website. The example in the book was about a class that researched a city and created a website to present the information they learned about that city. I plan on taking that idea and using it to have my students create a city for Deaf people. It will be interesting to see what they come up with, making sure to use all the knowledge they have about Deaf culture.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author
Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved January 29, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/eppltt/index.php?title=Cooperative_Learning
One strategy that really caught my interest was to have the students create a website. The example in the book was about a class that researched a city and created a website to present the information they learned about that city. I plan on taking that idea and using it to have my students create a city for Deaf people. It will be interesting to see what they come up with, making sure to use all the knowledge they have about Deaf culture.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author
Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved January 29, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/eppltt/index.php?title=Cooperative_Learning
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