Evaluating my progress toward incorporating technology resources is difficult during summer break however; I am perusing avenues that will enhance my Game plan in the fall. The actions that will help me meet the goals include reading blogs that illustrate how to incorporate technology into the content area, adding resources to my bookmark and evaluating digital tools that will support the curriculum. I have evaluated digital tools and researched ways other colleagues have integrated technology into curriculum areas. My short term goal is to continue to investigate and master digital tools before presenting them in class.Throughout this course, the depth of my understanding digital tools and implementing of these tools to support students in the curriculum has been steadily developing. Through course text and DVDs, I understand that technology is supportive in the curriculum and not driving instruction. Technology is the tool that educators use to unlock the knowledge (Cannamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009).
Things that I still need to learn include how to manage technology so that all students have the opportunity to use digital tools to enhance the learning. My new questions revolve around implementing the skills that I have learned into the curriculum. Some of my questions include: How will I incorporate the necessary background technological skills to students while still moving toward curricular goals? How do I manage the actual tools? How will I gain access to technology at school? What happens if I cannot access technology when it is needed? I have many questions regarding management and this will have to be addressed in the fall with administration and technology support person. The course text is a resource that will be used to support implementation of these questions.
I will adjust my Game plan based on the availability of recourses in the school. The focus will be to design lessons that address the needs of students and incorporate universal design which will challenge and support global learners.
Resources
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.
Michelle-
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are on the same page I am. You are on the right track, just seeking out new information and getting ready for a new class this fall. I think it is challenging that we don't have a class to actually try this new stuff out on right now, but preparing for them is important.
One of my biggest challenges is the availabilty of tools at school for me to use in the classroom. It is really hard to implement some of our plan when we don't have the tools available to us, but the important thing is adjusting and make it work.
If I cannot get the necessary computers available for my whole class, I may turn some of the PBL into a whole class activity and even do modeling and allow students to come up and participate.
Have you tried using Ning before? I am going to try that next year to support global learners as well.
Good luck!
Hi Shaina
ReplyDeleteFunny I responded to your blog this week before I checked mine. In my district we are shifting around and closing a building so there is going to be some extra computers and projectors around. I have been e-mailing the IT person to see exactly what we will get and how to make it accessible to all staff.
I have not tried ning before but it does sound interesting. Ning is featured in the media for week six this week. Hopefully that information will help you support your learners this year.
Good luck to you !
Michele,
ReplyDeleteI wish that all school districts could provide the same technology that mine does. We have so much technology at our fingertips that it is hard for me to understand how your district can allow the students to not have the basics. I do hope that you get more computers and projectors for the classrooms, because we need to be able to offer our students the latest technology.
Good Luck
Erika
Michele,
ReplyDeleteWithin my school district each grade level is assigned 45 minutes of computer lab time every day. Unfortunately, that 45 minutes quickly becomes 30 minutes once we log in, log out, and prepare to exit the room. I should be thrilled with even that amount of time, but it just isn’t enough time for my students to explore and then begin to create some type of product (graphic organizer, wiki, blog…). I also do not have any assistance, so the majority of my time is used for trouble shooting technology issues. Do you have assistance while attempting to implement various types of technology?
As you may or may not know, Shaina and I teach at the same elementary school. I must agree with her when she states that it is really hard to implement some of our plan(s) when we don't have the tools available to us. At one time, our district was very up-to-date with technology, but Michigan budget issues caused us to quickly fall behind. My goal is to work with fellow colleagues to write a grant for a mobile computer lab. I feel as though I could accomplish so many of my ideas for implementing problem/project-based lessons into my daily routine. Will one mobile lab be enough? Probably not. I’d love my own, but…
With a large amount of new and younger teachers on staff at our school, technology is definitely being used. For those teachers who do not incorporate technology into their daily teaching, I believe they will become more curious when they see the final products our students create and how engaged our learners are:)
Good luck implementing new teaching strategies into your classroom. I understand your struggle in not implementing, but the first day of school will be here before we know it. Keep researching.
Suzie
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI agree that trying to evaluate progress toward integrating technology resources is difficult during summer break. Without students, it’s hard to monitor and evaluate progress that is directly dependent on patterns that will emerge as students interact with technology. I think that your actions this far will help you meet your goals. Using blogs as a resource has been a huge for helping me find some how-tos on using specific technology tools in the classroom. Another great resource for me has been YouTube. I have always thought that YouTube was just a place where a bunch of kids would post silly videos. Wow, was I wrong! YouTube has been a very valuable tool in providing examples of technology tools can be utilized in the classroom.