I stand at the front of my classroom and finish giving the directions to today's project. My students are trying to find are trying to find which planet in our solar system would be viable for supporting life. They will need to find the different characteristics of each planet, decide their needs, and be ready to support their claim to their classmates. The computer labs are full, the planet books in our classroom are outdated, and the students have decided that using a wiki would be the best way to organize and store their data as a group. The groups gather in their own space and start their research. They search the net for data, each working on their own section of the needed information. The internet is available on the Ipod Touch that are at their desks, they can research and collaborate with their group right from their desk. The Ipod is available for ¼ the price of a laptop and far more portable. The Ipod would also give my students a way to create their final debate about their planet which they could make in the form of a podcast to be shared with the class at anytime.
In the final class of my Master's Degree we were to find a new emergent technology and show how it could increase student learning. The Ipod is the piece of technology I chose because of the amount of ways that it could be used in the classroom. Students could be searching, listening, and processing information throughout the day. The technology would work with our current wi-fi set up in our building and would be portable enough to be used even on school grounds while doing an outside experiment. They are durable enough to be used by several years of students and would allow students to access their work wherever they can get wi-fi. The Ipod also has several applications that would give students practice on skills, or learning games when they are done with their school work.
As a new technology that is slowly making it's way into the schools of the future, we can start the change now. I have written a grant proposal for the new Ipod to join my 'bag of tricks', now the job is to seek funding and continue to integrate this tool ( I have one currently) into my plan for student learning.
-Melissa
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Online Learning: Got MOODLE?
After exploring the LMS (Learning Management System) called MOODLE, I created a presentation to explain it's benefits to my colleagues. My presentation has been created using a program called prezi.com. Please view the presentation below.
-Melissa
-Melissa
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Reflecting with DI and UDL
Seven weeks ago, I was invited into an online group to be used during a course in my Master's degree. At first, I felt overwhelmed with one more social network to stay on top of, but now that I have spent the semester with my group I have found that it is a great resource. Throughout the course, we have each added resources to our discussion board as we covered the different areas of Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The sources are ones that can be used daily in the classroom to enhance instruction and create lessons that reach all learners. Social networking has allowed for a safe place to share with classmates and leave a collaborative list of resources to be used after the class is over this week. I plan to check back on these resources often and use them as I build new units in my classroom instruction.
During the semester, we also integrated technology into our DI lessons. In my room, I have created lessons that have been differentiated to meet the needs of my students using our building DI coach and resources found to enhance lessons. The technology that I have encountered during my classes with Walden and that are available in the relatively young building that I work in, I have several opportunities to integrate technology into my classroom activities. For example, my students are researching biomes on the internet this week and have several choices for presenting what they have learned. Some of those choices include a slideshow, a wiki, and a 'poster' made on Microsoft publisher. My plan is to continue to design lessons that challenge students at their level and allow them to present information using technology available to our students.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Looking back
As I reflect on the past eight weeks of this course, I have noticed some changes in my classroom. Firstly, my students have started the process of making their own GAME plan goals for the trimester and are responding well to following those goals. I had the students make goals for academic, behavioral, and technology goals. I overheard a student checking her goals with a friend during morning warm-up the other day. It will be interesting to see if the enthusiasm continues through the trimester until March. We will check back with them often and 'remind' ourselves of what we are shooting for.
The second area that I notice a change is the new integrating tools that I have found over the course of this class. I am excited to 'play' with digital story telling and bring it into the current curriculum as a way of allowing students to process their learning and present it to others. The way of thinking when I stand a the front of my room has also changed, as I ask myself, "Who is collecting and presenting the information, me or the students?"
Time will tell how these new tools will work for me and my students. I am guessing that they will enhance my teaching and my students learning!
-Melissa
The second area that I notice a change is the new integrating tools that I have found over the course of this class. I am excited to 'play' with digital story telling and bring it into the current curriculum as a way of allowing students to process their learning and present it to others. The way of thinking when I stand a the front of my room has also changed, as I ask myself, "Who is collecting and presenting the information, me or the students?"
Time will tell how these new tools will work for me and my students. I am guessing that they will enhance my teaching and my students learning!
-Melissa
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
GAME plans for students
This fall, the staff in our building was given a list of technology skills that would help us be effective and efficient. All staff was to go through the list and decide where we feel competent, proficient, or not in my bag of tricks. The list included everything from opening a Word file to creating and maintaining our own website. The list was a survey to be used to create our technology goal of the year, a staff development requirement.
In this master's program, we were asked to find another area of technology standards to create a goal and GAME plan to work on throughout the course. The plan that we have reflected back on in the last two months. Checking back and checking progress,as well as making adjustments along the way.
Bringing the skill of the making goals and reflecting back on them into the classroom, is a new goal to add to my list. As we have started a new trimester this week at school, it seemed like a perfect time to make new goals. I had my students make four spots on a piece of paper, creating spots for two academic goals, a behavior goal, and an open goal to be used for any area including technology. The final goal is the important one in this case. The students had to think about what we are doing in our technology class and where they would like to improve their skills. For example, several students have goals to improve their creativity in the projects that we are making, to go above and beyond the typical files. Some students added keyboarding skills to their goal.
In the next few months, we will look back on the plans that we have made to meet our goal and check to see if our goals are reasonable and reachable. Some adjustments will need to be made, but with monitoring we should be able to keep on the track of the original goals. So off we head in the direction of growing and learning!
Melissa
In this master's program, we were asked to find another area of technology standards to create a goal and GAME plan to work on throughout the course. The plan that we have reflected back on in the last two months. Checking back and checking progress,as well as making adjustments along the way.
Bringing the skill of the making goals and reflecting back on them into the classroom, is a new goal to add to my list. As we have started a new trimester this week at school, it seemed like a perfect time to make new goals. I had my students make four spots on a piece of paper, creating spots for two academic goals, a behavior goal, and an open goal to be used for any area including technology. The final goal is the important one in this case. The students had to think about what we are doing in our technology class and where they would like to improve their skills. For example, several students have goals to improve their creativity in the projects that we are making, to go above and beyond the typical files. Some students added keyboarding skills to their goal.
In the next few months, we will look back on the plans that we have made to meet our goal and check to see if our goals are reasonable and reachable. Some adjustments will need to be made, but with monitoring we should be able to keep on the track of the original goals. So off we head in the direction of growing and learning!
Melissa
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Goal growth and adjustment
On we go with the adventure of making a GAME plan and working toward completion. I have continued to search for real-world activities that fit into my curriculum without too much or too little for my students. So far, I have learned that there are a lot of resources available, but the time that it takes to sort through, try out, and make usable the good sources is overwhelming and daunting. I have decided to take this on one piece at a time and devote thirty to forty-five minutes a week to finding and analyzing sources for upcoming units. That may be a lofty goal considering the time of the year that is upon us, but it is a start.
Based on NETS-T goals for teachers in the digital age, I am looking toward a goal that takes my current GAME plan of bringing real world problems to the classroom and connects it with building assessments to evaluate learning. As these new problem based learning situations are integrated, the assessments that are currently in place may not fit, or may need to be adjusted to evaluate the learning. This new goal will probably be slowly worked toward as each piece is added to the curriculum.
This process has been interesting for me on the other side of the fence as a student, but has just reiterated how important goal making is and how valuable of a tool it can be if used correctly. I am heading back to my classroom to have my students build goals for the new trimester that started today and organize a way for us to ensure that we look back often at the progress of these goals. I also would like to stick a flexibility piece into my students’ goals so they can adjust and grow with their goals.
-Melissa
Based on NETS-T goals for teachers in the digital age, I am looking toward a goal that takes my current GAME plan of bringing real world problems to the classroom and connects it with building assessments to evaluate learning. As these new problem based learning situations are integrated, the assessments that are currently in place may not fit, or may need to be adjusted to evaluate the learning. This new goal will probably be slowly worked toward as each piece is added to the curriculum.
This process has been interesting for me on the other side of the fence as a student, but has just reiterated how important goal making is and how valuable of a tool it can be if used correctly. I am heading back to my classroom to have my students build goals for the new trimester that started today and organize a way for us to ensure that we look back often at the progress of these goals. I also would like to stick a flexibility piece into my students’ goals so they can adjust and grow with their goals.
-Melissa
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Looking into space
As I have started to teach a unit about space that I have taught several times before, I would like to redesign the unit to include more real world problems that my students can relate to. The students need to be able to share differences in the planets, talk about revolution and rotation and the changes they cause, and the moon's relationship with Earth. One area that I have explored to help my students relate is to investigate which planet would be the next best place for us to create a civilization.
In my search for supplemental activities, I have found that the information online varies greatly when it comes to measurements and information due to the problem of making accurate measurements. This is an obstacle when sending students online to find information. I will have to search and direct students toward certain sites to help them get accurate information. For example, I have been using the NASA website due to the fact that it seems to be up-to-date with newest findings.
One question that I have that I will be working on is continuing to facilitate the project while ensuring that students are finding accurate information and recording it correctly. One area that may get in the way is the difference in measurement styles, such as miles and kilometers. During class we will have to discuss the differences and why the two types are used in the same measurement.
Well, I am off to bring more real-life problems to help my students understand an abstract subject of space and the vastness of what we are talking about. As we started talking about planets for the first time today, the students were asked which planet was the largest in the solar system and a student replied that Earth was the biggest. We have a lot to learn about space, so off on our adventure we go.
In my search for supplemental activities, I have found that the information online varies greatly when it comes to measurements and information due to the problem of making accurate measurements. This is an obstacle when sending students online to find information. I will have to search and direct students toward certain sites to help them get accurate information. For example, I have been using the NASA website due to the fact that it seems to be up-to-date with newest findings.
One question that I have that I will be working on is continuing to facilitate the project while ensuring that students are finding accurate information and recording it correctly. One area that may get in the way is the difference in measurement styles, such as miles and kilometers. During class we will have to discuss the differences and why the two types are used in the same measurement.
Well, I am off to bring more real-life problems to help my students understand an abstract subject of space and the vastness of what we are talking about. As we started talking about planets for the first time today, the students were asked which planet was the largest in the solar system and a student replied that Earth was the biggest. We have a lot to learn about space, so off on our adventure we go.
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