Week 8 Reflection

I believe that integrating technology into standards-driven curriculum is my responsibility. Failure to engage students in the use of these powerful tools is essentially denying them opportunities to peek into the future. I realize that many of my colleagues would point to my age as a reason for my enthusiasm for technology integration, and I have come to understand that many of these same teachers are unsure about using technology. My conversations with these teachers reveal that this is due to either an unfamiliarity of the tools or a “fear” of breaking something. Anyone who has ever used technology with young children will quickly agree that they are not the least bit fearful of computers, cameras, or other technologies available to them. As I review the resources from this course, I have come to some sound conclusions.

By modeling the use of technology, I can begin to lay the groundwork for “coaching” those with whom I work. I also realize that there are many “free” tools on line that can support the use of technology. The tool I described, Digital Express, is free and is one that is easy to use and my students are thrilled when given the opportunity to “write” on line. They also wait anxiously for their peers to review their writings. Many of my students have shared their experiences with other siblings and friends, leading other teachers to express an interest in using this tool, as well. I have spent several hours planning with these teachers so that they, too, might achieve success. I am excited about the collaborative possibilities that have resulted! In fact, I have contacted ASRI at Clemson University, and I am partnering with them to engage eight of my colleagues in Problem-Based Learning supported by technology. Next fall, ASRI will provide me with web cams, microphones, and Flip video cameras as well as 8 desktop computers. During the school day all of this equipment will be used with my students, but after school I will provide training for participating teachers in both the operation of the equipment as well as using it to support PBL. I have also been named our school’s Technology Coordinator. I believe I can begin to provide the support many teachers need to “take the plunge” in their use of technology.

Staying abreast of emerging technologies will remain a challenge. I have plans to attend the state technology conferences in both North and South Carolina next fall. In addition, I hope that as I work with the teachers in my school, our conversations will help make me aware of the new technologies. I am also following several tweets of those I have met at conferences this year as well as several wikis. I am a subscriber to Edutopia and Wired magazines, too. Hopefully, my efforts will help keep me aware of new tools that can enhance the experiences of my students.

Application 4

http://carrawaylearningmodules.wikispaces.com/Teacher+Presentation

Week 8 Reflection

As I work to employ technological tools designed to help me meet the principles of Universal Design for Learning and provide differentiated instruction, I know that I must always consider, at the very least, my students’ abilities, interests, and readiness to learn. Then, I must craft learning experiences that allow each student to be successful. This is a monumental task – one that I do not take likely. Through my engagement in this course, I have become aware of some tools that are readily available to assist me in my quest to meet the needs of all students. This course has reminded me of the importance of challenging all students. In many ways, I’ve sometimes thought of differentiating instruction as “watering down” the content so that everyone in the class can “pass.” I have increased my awareness of the need to provide appropriate levels of challenge for all students, including those who lag behind, those who are advanced, and those who are right in the middle.

A review of resources available to me has caused me to stop and think about my role as the teacher. I have experimented with various instructional delivery methods, trying to address auditory learners, visual learners, and kinesthetic learners. I have also experimented with using the tools in my classroom to address specific learning needs. Not every student spends time in every center. Not every center needs to have the same activities available day to day. In addition to planning for various learning styles, I have also begun to develop plans for assessing students by having them create a variety of projects. I believe I am making real progress in assessing mastery as opposed to recall. The tools found in the UDL toolkit have been very helpful in my quest to meet the goal of empowering students and assessing the learning that has taken place as the result of my efforts. I know that this is an area that I will continue to work to improve. I sometimes find it difficult to explain assessment to parents who sometimes expect teachers to use “cookie cutter” procedures. As I grow my skills in addressing differentiated instruction, assessment remains an area that I need to work on improving.

Because I work in a school where most of the population seldom travels outside of the community, I realize the need to explain the processes and procedures I use in my classroom to parents. I also believe that through the web 2.0 tools that I have experimented with as a part of this course that I can engage my students in creating projects that will essentially “wow” parents. I believe as parents begin to understand my rationale for engaging students in a variety of projects, that they will support my efforts. I also hope that by sharing student work with parents more often that parents begin to talk with their children more readily about what is going on in their classroom. Hopefully this will lead to improved interest and performance.

One frustration I have mentioned time and time again is the lack of access to many of the on-line tools that facilitate learning. I hope to become an advocate for allowing teachers access to these tools. In addition, another step I plan to employ is an expansion in the use of pretests to determine where my students are as we begin new units of study. Too often, I have found myself assuming that my students are on grade level or have an understanding of prerequisite skills (such as those associated with math) only to learn that they have not mastered those skills. Pretests can provide me with valuable information and allow me to optimize my instructional time.

This course has reaffirmed many of the beliefs I held previously. It has also made me aware of tools and provided me with some challenges for more effective student engagement.

Refection Week 8

As the result of my interactions that have occurred as a part of this course, I have come to a number of conclusions. First and foremost, I understand that today's students are living in a world of whatever, wherever, and whenever. As educators, we are negligent if we fail to acknowledge this truth and expose our students to the use of the tools that provide a foundation for their using technology in the future. That said, I am also aware that during this time of financial crisis, technology is an area that administrators and school boards are cutting. I find this to be alarming. I believe that we are challenged to provide students experiences to collaborate, problem-solve, and present findings by using technology to do so. I also believe that as educators we must not only engage our students in the use of technology, but we must also educate parents and community members on the need for students to have these experiences. I cannot suggest where much-needed funding cuts will need to come from, but I can present good cause for technology funding to at least remain untouched., realizing that in many cases schools are already unbelievably behind.

A part of my game plane involved providing mentoring to my colleagues. I have found this to be very challenging. I have used what I consider to be very “user-friendly” tools such as iMovie and MovieMaker, and I feel confident in providing training to my peers. However, in most cases, I do not find interested teachers. They are unwilling to spend the time it takes to learn to really use the software and are even more unwilling to create a classroom environment that supports student use of these tools. I have, however, found that by taking a few steps back and using tools that are equipped with their own software Flip Video Cameras and Logitech Web Cams-that I can get teachers to at least try the technology. My regret is that their use of these tools seems to occur in isolated events. The teachers are simply not committed to making technology a part of their instructional methodologies. I plan to continue increased use of these tools in my classroom, though, and hope that as the teachers see what I am doing that they will ask questions or seek to use these tools as well.

The assignments that I have encountered during this course have helped me to better design lesson plans that are driven by standards as well as to the use of technology. I realize that as passionate as I am about the use of technology, I must support standards by using these tools. I have grown in my ability to plan more valuable learning experiences for my students. In particular, readings related to digital storytelling have strengthened my approach to writing instruction. Before this course, I had read articles related to storytelling as well as those related to using software and even hardware. However, I had not read a lot about how the two could be blended to create strong learning experiences for my students. My readings in this course have allowed me to see how my students can gain power by using digital media to strengthen their stories. It has also made me aware of a number of free digital tools that I can use to support my efforts. I feel that this is valuable as it is my goal to improve my own instructional practices as I become aware of new strategies through my graduate studies.

week 7

I plan to use my GAME plan with my students to help them develop proficiency in the technology standards through a number of strategies. I believe that students will learn to use the various technological tools available to them on an “as needed” basis. For that reason, I plan to provide opportunities for my students to collaborate to engage in problem-solving. I also plan to ask students to share their findings and conclusions creatively. I will introduce two or three technologies and allow students to select the technology that provides the best opportunity for them to share their ideas.

As students gain confidence in using technological tools, I plan to introduce various resources to them. These will include, but not be limited to accessing free audio files, locating free graphics for use in presentations, and web 2.0 tools that can be used to “tell stories.” However, because my students are very young, I will outline my growth plan for the students. With each project, I will provide opportunities for the students to grow their skills. In doing so, I will consider the NETS-S standards to ensure that my students are moving to master these. I believe that my responsibilities here are similar to those in other curriculum areas. I will develop the GAME plan and lead my students through this plan. I plan to communicate my plan to parents and students.

week 6

As I work towards reaching my goals as they relate to technology integration, I have become aware of a number of challenges. I have also become aware of a plethora of web 2.0 tools that can support learning. My greatest challenge is having the opportunity to use these tools in the classroom. I find it very frustrating, at times, that I am unable to access tools that I feel would benefit my students. I am continuing my quest to find tools that allow me to design activities to address specific standards by engaging my students in “real world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources,” an ISTE standard. This often presents a major hurdle.

A very large component of my Game Plan involves participating in professional development. This meets the goal that calls on teachers to continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in the school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Towards this end, I have attended numerous training sessions and one state-level conference. I will attend my next conference March 3-5 in Raleigh, North Carolina. I am also mentoring 7 other teachers in the use of technology as a tool for engaging students in a safety and mobility curriculum. This process is on-going as I provide both remediation for my peers as well as participate in trainings myself. As a relatively new college graduate, I realize that my awareness of the use of technology still leaves room for growth. I am committed to using these tools as I realize that my students will live in a global world.

week 5

A key component to the success of my GAME plan is professional development. I recently registered for the NCTIES to be held during March, in Raleigh, North Carolina. I have discovered that keynote speakers for the event have information posted on the conference site and their blogs present many useful “how to” documents as well as videos, powerpoints, and tutorials. One such presenter is Mr. Clif Mims. His site, Learning Telecollaboratively, offers content that could literally take weeks to digest. One of the tools employed by this site is Slide Share. This tool allows me to download information I find. Then, I can refer to it later. For instance, one presentation that I found to be particularly interesting was one related to uses of the Flip camera in the classroom. There were sample projects and ideas for integrating this simple tool into classroom instruction.

I now have access to a number of technological tools. However I do realize that I need to continue growing my ability to use these tools to create learning experiences for my students. Organizing my instructional time to fully engage my students while ensuring that objectives are being met continues to be my greatest challenge. However, the resources I am discovering on line are definitely helpful to me.

Another question I have relates to creating lesson plans in a format that is acceptable to my schools administration. We are asked to submit lesson plans by grade level for review. The format for these plans is in the form of a template. Interestingly, working to have my inquiry lessons “fit” into this format is a challenge that I am presently experiencing. It seems that I am working to make my technology fit into an analog device (the template).