Post & Presentation for Emerging Tech Class

I have put together a presentation for the teachers at my school to get them interested in having a class site on RCampus. They have bee saying they don't have enough time to work with their "red zone" students who are in the bottom 5% of their class. The site would not be for those students, since they need one on one time with the teacher. It would be set up for the other students in the yellow and green who may need some remediation which can be done in a learning center, like the computer.

KART ART

Traveling around with my Art cart has been an eye opener. It takes a bit of planning to make sure you're fully loaded and have enough material to get through to your prep. The big test is tomorrow when we paint in the Kindergarten for the first time. Project s for them need to be rather simple so they have an artifact to take home. They don't really get an art grade, so it's more skill building. My 1st to 3rd grades are starting to work with colors, mixing, warm and cool, complimentary,etc. It's going fairly well, the usual students who like to goof off will see the effects on their report cards. So far...so FUN!

A Fresh New Start

The new year starts Tuesday and I will be traveling from room to room with a cart full of art. It is something that I thought would happen 5 years ago when I first Interviewed at Falconer School. We shall see what happens as I start this journey. I just hope my beat up body can take the walking. Drawing is what we'll start with, just so I can get an idea of how this will work with the amount of time for travel and set-up/clean-up. Only time will tell if it is a hit or a miss.

Reflection week 8

- Reflect on the GAME plan you developed and followed throughout the course.
as I look back on my GAME plan, I don't think I would change my goals, just how I would go about reaching them as I have changed teaching positions. I would still have my students attaining their Fine Arts standards using technology to explore areas of the Fine Arts that they are interested in pursuing.
- Summarize any new learning that resulted from your following your GAME plan and explain what impact your new learning will have on your instructional practice.
What I really got out of following the GAME plan was that it is very adaptable because you are constantly monitoring and reflecting on it as you proceed. This creates a new mindset for how you think about, plan and develop lessons with technology in mind.
- Describe any immediate adjustments you will make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration in your content area(s) as a result of your learning from this course.
I have been offered a new position this Fall which take me out of my computer lab and sets me up with a mobile lab of laptops to go to each class that I will service. They basically created the position specifically for me as they knew I have a Fine Arts/Music background along with my love for technology. I went from thinking about integrating core subjects like Science and Social Studies, which get the least amount of attention in the homerooms, to thinking about how I can approach that from a Fine Arts with technology integration standpoint. I have so many new ideas about using video, graphic arts, animation, voice-threads and more to make the Arts seem more relevant and current to this tech-savvy generation of students. I am looking forward to using technology to share my love of art and music with my students.

More Blog matters-week 7

I decide this week to add this goal From NETS-T to my GAME Plan:
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
I will be able to do this through my web page by posting announcements, links to my blog and e-mail. I hope to incorporate video and slide shows of students projects throughout the school year. I won't be able to monitor how well this will work until I have access to all my tools at work.


http://lab-205.falconer.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?gid=1478351&sessionid=d8d7356d5fe5b5a78a5dbde767b2f6dc

Just after originally posting I found out that I will no longer be teaching in the Primary Computer Lab. So check out the link to my lab before it gets taken down. I guess what I've learned about using the NETS-S standards over the past 2 years is that the children will pick up and become proficient with the technology at hand by practicing with the different programs. I will put this to the test as the students who I taught some of the basics to will be my students for Fine Arts/Technology with integration. I will try to implement some of the goals from my original GAME plan but have to excecute that plan from a different approach.

GAME plan T.O.

I have not had much time to do anything with my GAME plan other than work on the lessons for our weekly assignments, and even that has had to take a back seat to caring for my wife who recently took a fairly bad spill down our back steps. That being said I have found some things in our text that are similar to lessons that I have previously used on recycling that would fit not only my GAME plan for the Unit but the GAME plan I set out to accomplish in this blog.

Blog On

I think that working on a Problem Based Learning lesson for this week’s assignment falls right in line with my GAME plan goals. I need to find an authentic lesson that my young students can relate to and utilize my lab to complete. I probably won’t be able to put it to use until at least November as the first few class sessions are going over and reviewing the basics of computer lab procedures, familiarizing the classes with the programs accessible from their desktops and properly saving files. Once we can get past that stage I feel I will be able to test drive my plan on the students and monitor their progress so I can see where to tweak it.

GAME Plan moves along

What I am finding out while developing this GAME plan is that there is a wealth of options out there for implementing new technology into my lab. I am finding different free technology by subscribing with an RSS feed on my blogger page. I bookmark what might work in my classroom and see what my students might be able to use. What I am finding a bit difficult is monitoring and modifying because I am not currently using some of this technology because we are on break. It is hard to say what will work for any particular group of students when you cannot get any feedback from those students. I have definitely adjusted my mind-set after going through these graduate courses as to what my expectations for my students are. I want to make sure that they believe in their minds that using this 21st century technology, they can do whatever it is that they imagine in their minds.

Resources for the GAME plan

What I need to set up for my classes in order to allow them to explore real world issues would be a class blog that would link them to current events and other things that may be of interest to the students. By setting up the blog I could get feedback from the students on what they would like to learn more about. I could also solicit ideas from my colleagues as to what could also tie into what they are studying back in their homerooms. I have not been able to do too much on my plan this week as some family health issues have taken away from my computer time. If I am back in the same teaching situation in the Fall, I will have access to online encyclopedias, Safari Videos and Brain Pop animations to help the students find out more about their topics.

GAME Plan

My GAME plan for boosting my proficiency in NETS-T would have to focus on these two indicators:
1.b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
And
2.b. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
My goal would be too have my students be able to work independently on web-based projects that interest them. My action would be to model using the tolls for a research project at each grade level, gradually preparing them for becoming self-directed learners. I would monitor my progress by assessing if the students are becoming more and more independent with each project. At each assessment I would determine what is working well and what needs to be reworked or augmented in some way. I would continually look for new technology to introduce to the students so that many different learning modalities are incorporated.

A Turnaround

The course I am taking now, has me looking at things from a different perspective. Usually I am trying to fit the content to the software programs that need to learned. With this course I have to try and look at it from the classroom perspective, how do I use technology in the content areas. It would be nice if the classrooms had the necessary technology to link up a whole class. Our school is fortunate to have portable laptops that can be sent to classrooms for use.

Reflection on New Literacy Skills

Reflecting on the New Literacy Skills

I think the most striking revelation that I had about teaching new literacy skills to my students was how ill-prepared we ourselves are as an institution to really teach these new skills effectively. Throughout our discussions it is apparent that many districts are simply restricting or blocking access to the tolls necessary to meet this challenge. Instead of sheltering the students from the evils of the internet, we should be teaching them how to use their new skills and judgment to weed out the bad from the good. If they are not exposed to and given guidance on using these new literacy skills they will not know how to deal with it when they do have to put their knowledge to the test in the working world.
With the knowledge I have gained from this course, I intend to expose my students to the internet at a younger age than I currently do. Having them practice inquiries that meet their needs. That is of course, if I still have a job teaching computer lab. If not, I feel that I am much better prepared to utilize these new literacy skills in a self-contained classroom environment.
I would like to learn more about using Wikis and blogs to work with other students around the country and the world to collaborate on projects that affect the students’ communities. I feel that these are the skills that the students will need in the future and the best way to acquire these skills is to practice them. I would also like to share what I have learned this term with the other teacher’s in my school, so we can begin to build a network of collaboration and cooperation within our building. We could start small by having the grade levels work together creating Wikis that they can use throughout the year. We can them connect with other schools in our district and around the world so that our students can practice their newly developing literacy skills.

Comic Life PD

Went to the Peggy Nottebart Nature Museum Tuesday to get to know Comic Life software. We got to roam around the Nature Center and take photos to use in a comic strip depicting one of the Science Standards. It was a blast and I think my students will really enjoy using this program. We got 62 free licenses for attending.

Purpose Statement

I plan to determine if screen casting will help Third Graders complete their projects in a timely manner. This is an important step in determining if some of the new technology, like screen casting, will improve students’ understanding of basic steps in programs like Power Point or Word. I feel that having this extra helper to go to when students are in doubt will allow them to work independently. If this type of assistance proves beneficial, it can be implemented to all grade levels.

Research in class

Pursuing my degree in Technology in the classroom has opened my eyes to many possibilities to help my students become accustomed to using all the tools in the computer lab. With this in mind what I’d like to research is the use of screencasting in the lab so the students will have the ability to view the process again and again if they need to go through the steps in different applications. I am constantly reteaching how to do these steps, especially on long term projects, where students pull ahead or fall behind the pack. I would like to see, if given the opportunity to access the screencast during the project, if it would help the students stay on task and be able to complete the assignment in a timelier manner.

Reflection

Reflection

After completing this course, it has shown me a couple of things. First, it has shown me that many of the things that we do in my classroom are in line with the learning theories we covered in the past seven weeks. It has also shown me many new tools, as well as ways to utilize these tools that I had not done in the past.
As far as being in line with the learning theories we studied, some of the lessons that I use, like the Chicago web quest, fit the constructionist learning theory in which the students learn by building their own artifacts and presenting them to the group. We follow some aspects of the behaviorist learning theory by rewarding the students for successful completion of repetitive skills practice programs, like Education City and Key Skills.
What I have really become more aware of is evaluating the technology as an instructional tool or a learning tool. I recently attended the Illinois Computing Educators conference in St Charles Illinois. I sought out sessions in which technology was used as a learning tool as opposed to an instructional tool and picked up some great ideas for future projects. A couple of the ideas are to have students use screen casting to teach each other shortcuts or techniques they use while working with the programs on our server. The students can also develop pod casts to share some of the knowledge they have gained studying various theme units for the following year’s class to use as a resource. I also would like to incorporate student produced video in a similar manner. Having them develop video versions of stories they are reading to share with their class and classes that follow. These are a few of goals that I would like to attain with my students in the next couple of years. Not only will the students develop technology skills but by reviewing, revising and redoing the content they have learned to present it to others in one of these multimedia formats, they will be building lasting connections to the content in their minds.

Voice Thread

http://voicethread.com/share/897266/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

This week we looked at Cooperative Learning as an instructional strategy for social learning. I think it works well for multimedia projects such as video where smaller groups can work on the various parts of the project and then bring it all together in much less time than would be possible for individual students. The main thing you have to be careful with for this type of activity is to clearly define the roles of each group and each student within the group so that everyone is contributing. We need to “help students understand what is expected of them and how their participation will be evaluated.” (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007, p.141)
Cooperative Learning also works well for Web Quests, because the group members can research parts on their own and then bring them back to share with the other members of the group. Taking this to the next step with technology would be having the students share their findings with the other groups using a blogs, wikis or even a chat room. That way they could post the links where they found their information with the others so they would have access to the information for themselves.




Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Constructionism with Technology

Dr. Orey talks about using Power Point as an instructional strategy by letting the students construct a Power Point presentation. Students build this artifact and also build their own schema about the idea they are dealing with in the presentation. We use Power Point in the lab to do similar projects. With the younger students you show them the basics of putting together a few slides so they become familiar with the program. It isn't until you let them explore on their own through trial and error that they really become open to the possibilities that this tool offers. Another technology tool that lets children loose with a constructionist instructional strategy is MOOVL. It is an animation program that lets the students create objects that have a wide range of properties like heavy/light, soft/hard, sticky/slippery etc., that they can then manipulate on screen. It allows them to explore how things will interact with each other based on these properties. You could make predictions on how the objects will react and then have them create them to test the hypothesis.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.

http://mywebspiration.com/go/311091
Here's the link to my Concept Map.

Cognitivism in Practice

This week, we explored two instructional strategies,“Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking.” The concept mapping with the use of Inspiration and Kidspiration really help the students see how the ideas are connected. They can literally follow the arrows follow the flow chart. Having this sort of visual reference, instead of just reading text. "Instruction should be well-organized. Well-organized materials easier to learn and to remember." Smith, M. K. (1999) Having the materials organized in such a manner that the students can be lead through the lesson is a must when dealing with 8 and 9 year old children. The idea of combination notes, providing a visual image to correspond to and cue a written concept allows the brain to process the information in multiple ways to help trigger recall of the information. I am surely going to use this when introducing my 2nd and 3rd graders to Powerpoint. I think that these are skills they will build on as they progress to the middle grades.

Smith, M. K. (1999) 'The cognitive orientation to learning', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/learning-cognitive, Last update: September 03, 2009.

In this week's resources, behaviorist theory is explored in two areas. Reinforcing effort is discussed as way to show the students there is a “connection between effort and achievement” (Pitler, 2007, p.156)that can be tracked with a spreadsheet. The program we use in the computer lab called Education City, automatically tracks the effort, progress and outcomes for each class. These can be downloaded to an Exel spreadsheet to give to the classroom teacher. They can see the students’ progress or lack of progress, which can be used to keep a record for remediation plans for school based problem solving and potential student referrals. I automatically reward my students with stickers for achieving 100% correct in any given Education City activity. I also give them stickers for effort based on these spreadsheets that show improvement over time.
As far as the other aspect discussed in the text, homework and practice, I only use practice since not all of my students have computer access outside of my lab. We also use www.starfall.com to practice vowel sounds and reading, like Mrs. Metz’s class (Pitler, 2007, p.196) does in the example from the text. After practicing with their vowel sounds in the Learn to Read section, they also practice using the Key Skills program which rewards positive outcomes with virtual stickers that the students accumulate throughout the year. This can be printed up and given to them at the end of the year. The little ones really enjoy getting these rewards and counting them each time we use the software. This program also tracks their progress over time and shows their percentages for each skill set.
I feel that using these aspects of behaviorist theory helps build a foundation for the Primary grade student use in more creative projects in the Computer Lab.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

2010

2010 is off to a flying start. I am not quite sure if the flight will arrive on schedule or not, it's hard to tell these days, but I am optimistic. We started a writing project today just to get used to using Microsoft Word, a chat room and moving between applications. It is a bit ambitious, but it will give me a good sense of the students who will take this to the next level and the ones that need a bit more help, encouragement and mentoring.