Reflecting on my game plan

Using the GAME plan to develop an entire unit proved to be challenging, but it helped me to stay focused throughout the process. I became more aware that if I am to teach an entire unit using digital technology particularly for collaborative research and the production of a digital project, I had to get many facets in place. I am truly hoping that I can develop a unit that can be applied during the spring semester. There were quite a bit of challenges specific to my school that did not allow for complete implementation of a web-based unit, nevertheless I believe that it can be done even when given the limited resources and support presently available. Cennanamo, Ross and Ertmer (2009) explained the importance of teachers not organize instructional strategies relying on technology as simply another source of information for students to draw upon, but more importantly, that teachers should: “organize instructional strategies that leverage digital technologies as developmental tools to be used by students as a resource stimulus for inquiry, perspective taking, and meaning making…” (p.289).
I believe that the most important new knowledge I have gained from following my game plan it to properly investigate the availability of resources for use in the digital classroom. I also became more aware of how students can actually engage in inquiry using digital technology and learn essential content at the same time. The new knowledge I have gained will certainly impact my instructional practice in many ways. Firstly, I must look ahead to plan for any possible roadblocks where the availability of technology is concerned. I see that if I am to influence any change at all in my school I must get the attention of those who have access to technology and are willing to take it a step further. My classes must have access to working computers with Internet access in order to fully experience digital inquiry and collaboration. As it stands we are struggling to get working plug outlets in some rooms.
Immediate adjustments I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration in Social Studies as a result of my learning from this course include using technology everyday for information and inquiry. I want to implement digital storyboards as an immediate goal and then a long term goal of problem-based projects. I have seen the benefits of using other technology resources to differentiate instruction and I realize that students enjoy learning by using podcasts, film, and PowerPoint presentations.
To sum up, I am now even more aware of the huge responsibility I bear to turnkey this new knowledge about digital teaching and learning. To be quite honest, it is quite scary. With so many veteran teachers not wanting to embrace 21st century teaching and many newer teachers who prefer not to it truly seems like an uphill battle. Much of the infrastructure of older school buildings, especially in big cities does not support full incorporation of Internet use. I will continue to find new ways to use digital technology for teaching, learning, and evaluating student work in my classroom.


Reference:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (1 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.

Rvising my GAME plan!

Wow! What a difference a week can make. I realize now that many of my lofty expectations have to be demoted a notch or two. I was able to have a brief word with our journalism teacher who happens to have her finger on the pulse of technology-based instruction. She often has hes students using the prized laptop collection. She mentioned that because of the inconsistencies with the availability of internet access, it might be difficult to really launch such an ambitious project, nevertheless, she was willing to consider it next year.

Evaluating Your GAME Plan Progress

It has been five weeks now since I have set my goals using the GAME plan. It is becoming more apparent that I will have to implement my original plans for the film later. It will require a tremendous amount of organizing and logistics in order to make it happen. Even though I could easily use my computer and webcam to film, it will take a little longer to organize this for the entire class. I am not giving up on it though, but I may have to table it until the next semester which will start in February.
I am sure that I will be able to set up the podcast assignment this semester.

How effective were my actions in helping me meet my goals?
Since our focus in the AVID program is more geared to traditional paper-based reading and writing activities, I have not moved forward yet with the technology aspect yet.
What have I learned so far that I can apply in my instructional practice?
I have learned that designing lessons that engage students in authentic situations and provide them the opportunity to conduct meaningful research helps them to learn content with greater depth.
What do I still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
How to properly evaluate student work that is web0based research.
How will I adjust my plan to fit my current needs?
I can clearly see that my school's current focus for its goals is not in the direction of new technology methodology for teaching and learning. We have just implemented our first online grade book which teachers are just getting used to. In addition to that, teachers and administrators have just started collaborating via Wikis.

Diane

Enriching Content Area Instruction by Using Technology

I am very excited about using technology in its entire spectrum to teach and reinforce content in the classroom and beyond. While the use of technology is gradually gaining acceptance in my teaching environment, there is still much to be done in terms of funding, maintenance, and facilitating of technology resources that would allow for the full pedagogical experience. After reviewing the indicators set by the National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T), I have decided on these focal points. My GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009) will aim to accomplish the following:

•My Goals are to:
o(Performance Indicator #1): Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and
o(Performance Indicator # #): Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.
•Design lesson plans that use some aspect of digital technology (possibly by making short videos or podcasts)to address various learning styles of students and that will promote content learning.
•Research the availability of technology available in my school that will facilitate such learning activities and reach out to support staff and administrators for help.
•Evaluate student performance by having them keep learning logs and conduct small frequent assessments to determine students’ grasp of content.
•Incorporate new technologies for extended learning activities beyond the immediate classroom to collaborate with and include a broader learning community.

RSA Animate - 21st century enlightenment

A look at Integrating new Technologies and Inquiry into Content Instruction

When I first entered a classroom to teach my very first lesson independently, I brought with me only foundations skills I learned from my cooperating teacher. He had been teaching for close to thirty years and was well grounded in his craft and highly respected. As a matter-of-fact, he was the most senior teacher in the department. We spent many hours reworking my lesson plans until they received his approval. Then, it was important to engage the students with a gripping “do-now” and “motivation” move on to a mini lesson which was basically lecture-based, present them with some bit of text with which to engage either individually, in pairs or small groups then more lecturing and board notes. I came to learn that for most lessons, “chalk and talk” was the order of the day.
Learning about the teaching of new literacy skills has revealed a great deal about how students are learning, what they are learning, and the sources of their information. I now realize that teaching 21st century learners in the method I had been taught was outmoded then, and is even more so now. Because of the tremendous changes that students face in terms of their access to information, it behooves the teaching community to become prepared to instruct, and facilitate these new literacies to incorporate the use of the Internet and other ICTs along with traditional literacy skills. Students still need to be grounded in the foundations of traditional literacy skills, but they also cannot be left alone to navigate the vast network of information technology without proper guidance. November (2008), wrote: “Now it is essential that we teach our children the discipline of making meaning from a very complex and constantly shifting global warehouse of information and communication.” I strongly believe that the chasm in pedagogy which often is as a result of some educator’s resistance to learn and incorporate the new literacies for 21st century teaching and learning, can contribute to student’s lack of desire towards inquiry.
What resonates most clearly in my mind is the structuring and delivery of content as presented using information technology. I am now aware that every of the lesson or unit must be scaffolded for content and use of technology, and that literacy standards must by adhered to throughout the differentiation of instruction, from the motivational “hook” to the assessment/s. It is no longer sound pedagogy to deliver content to students and provide a single summative assessment based on recall. The process of learning content needs now more than ever to be inquiry based and students need to be taught to ask effective questions. Thornburg (2004) explained the importance of students moving away from rote learning, and the importance of deep inquiry. He cites the outcomes that content will be retained indefinitely, and that students will develop the desire to be life-long learners.
My approach to teaching has already changed because what I have learned about the new literacies and the inquiry-based instruction. As I prepare for the upcoming fall semester and the commencement of a new school year, I am very excited about the new lesson plans I will develop to include the new information literacy instruction I have learned. I will certainly model every aspect of what I expect students to perform and now I can arm them with the correct tools and approaches to truly make web research sound and effective (AASL, 1998) in their learning process.
My desire for future professional development lies in serious curriculum development of the integration of web 2.0 technologies with content area into the state curriculum. I am quite appalled that the state standards have not been amended to include the new literacies for 21st century teaching and learning. I especially would like to become involved in group projects, whether within the school at an inter district level, or on global collaborative efforts such as the flatclassroom projects. I believe my approach should be to research professional development opportunities and then present them to colleagues and administrators for feedback about the possibility of facilitation. Another approach is to simply explore and participate independently in professional development; I now have a vast number of resources available to me that I did not have before taking this course - Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Remembering my own personal commitment to remain a life-long learner will always be foremost in my mind, ever being aware that the end of learning will result in stagnation and discontent with my chosen profession. I can’t wait to see where the information technology and web 2.0 will take us. One thing is certain, that it will be exciting, intriguing, and life changing.

References
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2007). Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century. Westport: Libraries Unlimited. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4252866&Survey=1&47=6207531&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.Gardner, H. (2004).
Thornburg, D. (2004). Inquiry: The art of helping students ask good questions. (Executive
Briefing No. 402). Retrieved from http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/inquiry.pdf

Finally...Summer!

How happy I am that summer is here! Finally, a little rest! I found myself virtually limping toward the end of the spring semester - I made it! WE MADE IT! What an arduous year it has been: Quality Review had my entire school walking on pins and needles. We also had an "Aussie" to help guide us in developing the the pedagogical targets required to pass the state's mandated quality review. We were all thrilled when we saw the report over the time clock that we "met the standards."Whoo Hoo! By that time, I had come down with pneumonia. I just wish that we could keep up the same level of teaching all year long...but with class sizes being so large and curricular targets it proves to be quite a challenge.

Okay, so I'll quit licking my wounds for a minute, I've been selected (along with other colleagues) to teach in the AVID program. I have been teaching the AVID method since February this year. I find that this method once again empowers teachers to demand student accountability. We can challenge students to be their best in this program but also teach them in a holistic manner that allows for individuality, creativity, and metacognition. Students in the program all carry the came binder, and take notes in the Cornell method. They are required to come up with questions about what they learn and engage collaboratively to find answers to their questions. I'll be heading off to Atlanta this summer for further AVID training, so I'll update you on what I've learned.

Diane

Accountability, accountability

Since the start of the spring semester, my school has been under a barrage of demands for total student success, and threats of the dismantling of the school, with teacher layoffs of up to 50% if we don't deliver students with passing grades. I've been getting very little sleep wracking my brain to create motivating lessons that will engage students successfully - mostly to no avail.(Or so it seems). Bad weather, mid-winter recess, student illness, and now, spring break, have made teaching entire units virtually impossible. Instruction is choppy at best, and students for the most part have little or no interest in being in the classroom. I know,if you're a teacher, it's more like: "Tell me something new."

I believe there is something deeply wrong at the core of American education. We are fooling ourselves into thinking that a one-size-fits-all approach will solve our educational problems. Children need basic instruction at home, from the cradle, in order to be truly successful in school. They also need to be socialized at home before coming to school. But more and more, teachers are expected to be responsible for a whole person's development. While it is true that excellent teachers can motivate children to learn from eve the least hospitable homes and backgrounds, the job becomes exponentially harder when dealing with over crowded classrooms, a lack of supplies and technology, inconsistent disciplinary strategies, lack of empowerment to teachers and low performing teachers, period.

I have spoken with parents personally about the possibility of learning disabilities in their children, from which I get a swift reply: "there's nothing wrong with my child." I've set up a wiki which features blog pages and a parking lot for questions for my five classes; of the 170 students I teach (on register), only one student has posted comments on the wiki. She refuses to post again until other students post, so far, no one has; it has been up for about 6 weeks. I have promised extra credit for participation, but no one seems interested. I know that if I made it a definite graded project a few more students would actually participate, but that is not an option since not every student has access to a computer that is internet-ready.

I can only hope that the remainder of the spring semester is successful. As we prepare for regents and various other exams student will be expected to achieve success, if they should somehow fail, fail, it will most definitely, according to the legislators and policy-makers, be the teacher's fault.

Reflections: My Experience as a Digital Immigrant

I have always been curious about computer technology. I am undaunted by the rapid pace and enormous varieties of new technologies out there, despite the fact that I am a digital immigrant. I wish that I knew more about every single aspect of the computer world, but I will have to take it one step at a time. But my desire to know more about technology has more than doubled since taking this course because it forced my to find out how to manipulate the various programs and applications, to practice the terminology, and to apply all of them to my practice of teaching. I was familiar with the social networking websites, and commonplace electronic communication such as e-mail and instant messaging. But this course has opened my eyes to a whole new world of blogs, podcasts, and wikis. I am now more motivated to continue with using such Web 2.0 programs as a part of instruction and assessment of students.

I am keenly aware that it will be an uphill battle to implement some of these methodologies in my teaching, since I will have to wait for my school or my department to fund and support the efforts. I hope that I will be able to inspire and motivate colleagues to leave their comfort zone and try some of these 21st century skills in their teaching.

I plan to actively seek out opportunities in quality professional development that are technology oriented. I will continue to develop the skills I learned in this class and use them in the classroom as much as I can. Keengwe, Onchwari, and Wahcira (2009) emphasized the importance of teachers not only learning about technology, but also implementing technology in a meaningful way in the classroom. I hope to develop the use of wikis and podcasts to a level, so that while making learning fun, there would still be depth and academic rigor. Students would have to create projects that focus on the antiheroes’ point of view in history, or delve into different forms of technology from another era. Students would also be able to incorporate and analyze data across curricula.

Assuming that I have all the necessary technology available to me, I hope to have students work in small groups in class as the research topics and create projects. Students will be able to do online tutorials to enhance their learning experiences. I would also like it if we have Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s) so that students could interact with PowerPoint presentations, maps, quizzes, play game sand input data from their seats. I plan on actively seeking funding sources through writing grant so that we can have these computers and other forms of digital technology in the classroom.

I can’t imagine how much further computer will develop in the future. What fantastic new devices, since now this is all pretty astounding. But I am sure that there will be even more engaging interfaces and web 2.0 tools and beyond.

Reference:

Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). The use of computer tools to support meaningful learning. AACE Journal, 16(1), 77–92

Podcasting...learning and doing

I've been experimenting with podcasting as a part of my graduate studies in Education. It's been quite a challenge navigating the various steps in producing my podcast and posting it to  a website. One thing that is certain, is that I have to continue creating, and posting if I'm to get better at it. This new knowledge could not have come at a better time since I am now teaching an AVID class where I will have the opportunity to use podcasting and wikis as part of instruction. Please visit my podcast site and tell me what you think. Here's my podcasting site:  http://web.me.com/izakglobaltrekker/izakglobaltrekker/Podcast/Entries/2010/2/11_Student_Technology_Survey.html

Saving American Minds: Education technology and its value to our students

Saving American Minds: Education technology and its value to our students

Education technology and its value to our students

Fantastic News! I've been selected at my school to be part of a team of teachers who will teach students in the AVID Program (Advancement Via Individual Determination). I am so excited about it. We will be engaging with the new education technology such as wikis, pod casts, and RSS feeds in our classes. The goal of this program is to bring the middle performing student to the top of the class, so that each can see his or her fullest potential. While I am just becoming familiar with these new forms of technology, I am excited about learning more with my students as they explore collaborative team work and academic rigor. 


I've noticed that some of my colleagues are a little apprehensive about all this technology and collaboration. They have argued that the core skills of reading, writing and math need to be reinforced, as opposed to pushing the production end of ideas and concepts. I understand their fear, and I agree that proficiency in core concepts must be restored, but if we are to glean for the best minds, we have to understand that as we teach core values we must also teach students how digital technology can be used for the useful construction of ideas, which are marketable, and in the long run beneficial for the world. 

Blogging as "classroom" instruction

I started offering blogging as an instructional tool about year or so ago. I thought that it would offer students the opportunity to express their thoughts freely in a method that was new and enjoyable, since they already spend so much time online. Since not all students had access to the internet at home, I offered blogging as extra credit. I figured that it might motivate students who did not have computers or internet access at home, to go to the library so that they could engage in this activity. Not many students actually took this opportunity, but I do plan to push it again in February when we begin our spring semester.

Another problem I have had is with parents who don't want their children to use the internet because they fear that their children will get into dangerous activities online or engage in social networking sites and not study at all. While integrating blogs as part of instruction is challenging as with any new frontier, I do believe that it will soon become the norm. It is just a matter of time.

This is my seventh year teaching. Teaching is my passion, my joy, and my world. Without it, I would be lost. But what scares me the most is the reality that the vast majority of American youth have no desire to be educated and see no importance of it in their lives. I have completely embraced the idea that the role of the school has changed changed dramatically since the 1950's. The shaping of values, reinforcing core human interactions that used to be done at home now have to be done in our schools.

Not too long ago, while in a state of utter frustration over the gargantuan challenge of teaching my disinterested  students. What type of jobs would they get? Would they complete college? Who would hire them with such poor social skills? And worse - my gosh, are these kids really going to "vote"? I worried over their futures - what will become of them? I arrived at an amazing conclusion.

My job is to plant a seed in each child's mind. All of the seeds may be different. Since it isn't within my capability to solve all the problems and challenges for the rest of their lives - (I haven't figured that out for myself!) I need to address the potential for success in each child, here, now, today. That's it. If I do that well enough, then maybe, just maybe, years from now it will effect some change in their lives.