My students will be working on presenting as groups, a chapters worth of material to the class before a quarter assessment to review. They will be responsible of developing their lessons using any format they feel would get the information across to their classmates. To carry out my GAME plan, I need to make sure that the following questions are answered.
What Resources will you need to carry out your plan (video, reading, experts, or colleagues, etc.?)
The resources I will need to carry out my plan include the textbook for starters. If my students are going to be expected to present material from a particular chapter in the book, they will need to read it and go through the examples. From there, depending on what format they would like to present it in for the class to learn, they will need to have access to computers, white board, and any math manipulatives that they feel they need. They can decided to present it by writing out the information on the white board for their classmates to write down. They can also present it using technology in the means of creating a flip chart to use on the Promeathan Board, Powerpoint, etc.
What additional information do you need?
The additional information I will need is to make sure they students are given what they are covering with their group for the other students to learn. I will also have to make sure that they have the needed equipment to present the material. I am going to meet with each group to get an idea of what process they are going with to make sure that I can have everything they need. I can also fit into my lessons maybe one day a week, a short lesson on how to use some of the available software at the school so that they students are aware of them and feel more comfortable using them.
What steps have you been able to take so far?
The only steps I have taken so far is to note what we have covered so far in this current quarter. This will help me decided how many groups there will be with how many students in each. I will not be able to gather any technology equipment as of yet until we have come close to finishing the quarter so that I can schedule the lab if we need it. I can at this point alert the computer tech that we will be coming towards the end of the quarter to work on a project so that she is aware of this.
If I am able to accomplish these items now, it will make the transition into the project a bit smoother.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Developing Your Personal GAME Plan Application 2
My GAME plan using the NETS-T are to look at Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning. By improving on these two, I can teach my students the material using different means.
My GOAL is to increase my knowledge in the different technologies available to me so that I can support the students in using them. I also want to engage them in the activities so that they gain a better understanding of the material. I want to be able to collaborate with my students while using the technology so that we can learn from one another to increase our knowledge together.
My ACTIONS are to use the different technology in my lesson plans when able to. This will give me a different way to teach the lessons along with a different way for the students to learn it. I will work into the lessons how to use the technology so that the students get the most from it.
My MONITORING will come into play when I watch, help, and support the students when using the technology. I will also monitor them when prompting them to try different aspects of the programs to increase their knowledge of the subject matter.
My EVALUATION will happen when I am watching and helping them through the process of using the technology. I will also be evaluating the students use of the technology when they present the project to the class and turn in their copy to me to evaluate. Evaluation will also come into play when I know if the students actually understood the material and the use of the technology to create it.
My hopes in improving on these two standards from the NETS-T is to help my students gain a better understanding of the material and have fun with it at the same time. I am sure I can do some improvement using all five standards, but these two were the ones that I thought I could improve upon the most.
My GOAL is to increase my knowledge in the different technologies available to me so that I can support the students in using them. I also want to engage them in the activities so that they gain a better understanding of the material. I want to be able to collaborate with my students while using the technology so that we can learn from one another to increase our knowledge together.
My ACTIONS are to use the different technology in my lesson plans when able to. This will give me a different way to teach the lessons along with a different way for the students to learn it. I will work into the lessons how to use the technology so that the students get the most from it.
My MONITORING will come into play when I watch, help, and support the students when using the technology. I will also monitor them when prompting them to try different aspects of the programs to increase their knowledge of the subject matter.
My EVALUATION will happen when I am watching and helping them through the process of using the technology. I will also be evaluating the students use of the technology when they present the project to the class and turn in their copy to me to evaluate. Evaluation will also come into play when I know if the students actually understood the material and the use of the technology to create it.
My hopes in improving on these two standards from the NETS-T is to help my students gain a better understanding of the material and have fun with it at the same time. I am sure I can do some improvement using all five standards, but these two were the ones that I thought I could improve upon the most.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Reflection: Final Blog Posting
*Reflect on the "Personal Theory of Learning" you developed in Week 1. Summarize any modifications to your personal theory of learning you have made as a result of your learning in this course. Since the beginning of this course, I still try to bring in life examples to explain the math concepts. I have not made any significant changes to my methods of teaching it since starting this course but I do have a lot of ideas for things I can still do with my studnets this year.
*Describe any immediate adjustments you will make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration as a result of your learning in this course. Identify two technology tools you would like to use with your students and how the tools will support or enhance your student's learning. I will definitely be adding more technology into my lessons this year along with the up coming years. Even though I teach math, I want to add using a WIKI, blogging, and voice threads. One project I want to do is have my students research and do a project on a famous mathematician. For this project they will use voice threads so that they can present their projects but also have a class period to comment on each others projects. The other technology that I want to integrate into my lessons would be either a blog or a WIKI. I want to have my students read a book that has a story that is geared towards math but fun to read at the same time. They then would have to write in their blog or WIKI about what they have read. It would then give classmates the opportunity to comment on their postings.
*List two long-term goal changes you would like to make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration and outline a strategy for achieving them. First goal is to integrate at least two new technological changes into my classroom instruction this year. This will allow me to introduce the material in a different way that will hopefully help the students understand better. Second goal is to continue with the technological integrations but to then try to add a couple of more technological tools every year after that. The more I can add of technology, the more student geared I can make the lessons rather than teacher geared. I feel the more the students take hold of in their education, the more likely they are willing to try harder. If they are continuously relying on the teacher, the less they are to take control of their learning and become lazy. My strategy for achieving this is to research different lessons I can do to use technology with which will more or less make me use that technology. It will actually help me enjoy teaching the subject even more and help the student enjoy math even more.
*Describe any immediate adjustments you will make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration as a result of your learning in this course. Identify two technology tools you would like to use with your students and how the tools will support or enhance your student's learning. I will definitely be adding more technology into my lessons this year along with the up coming years. Even though I teach math, I want to add using a WIKI, blogging, and voice threads. One project I want to do is have my students research and do a project on a famous mathematician. For this project they will use voice threads so that they can present their projects but also have a class period to comment on each others projects. The other technology that I want to integrate into my lessons would be either a blog or a WIKI. I want to have my students read a book that has a story that is geared towards math but fun to read at the same time. They then would have to write in their blog or WIKI about what they have read. It would then give classmates the opportunity to comment on their postings.
*List two long-term goal changes you would like to make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration and outline a strategy for achieving them. First goal is to integrate at least two new technological changes into my classroom instruction this year. This will allow me to introduce the material in a different way that will hopefully help the students understand better. Second goal is to continue with the technological integrations but to then try to add a couple of more technological tools every year after that. The more I can add of technology, the more student geared I can make the lessons rather than teacher geared. I feel the more the students take hold of in their education, the more likely they are willing to try harder. If they are continuously relying on the teacher, the less they are to take control of their learning and become lazy. My strategy for achieving this is to research different lessons I can do to use technology with which will more or less make me use that technology. It will actually help me enjoy teaching the subject even more and help the student enjoy math even more.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Constructivism in Practice
In this weeks video, Dr. Michael Orey talks about constructivism and constructionism. Constructivism is a theory of knowledge stating that each individual actively constructs his/her own meaning. With this he gives the example of how people perceive a chair. I might have an idea of what a chair is but someone else might see a totally different type of chair than I do. Constructionism is a theory of learning that states people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others. Here he has a teacher talk about a book report she has assigned her class. The class needs to create projects to go with their book (Laureate, 2009).
The reading out of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works gives many good examples using constructionism. Many of the examples used Excel spreadsheets with the students to show their external artifact. One example that I liked was the spreadsheet that was created to help a class realize the different ways to save money and the impact on it. The lesson focuses on compounding percentage calculations and exponential patterns (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This is a wonderful example that I can implement into my math classrooms to help the students understand these types of calculations. This allows the students to use a hands on approach rather than me lecturing in front of them. They will learn more from the spreadsheet than they will with me standing in front of them and develop their own interpretation.
One project I have incorporated into my classroom that uses the constructionism learning theory would be having the students take a section of the chapter to teach themselves. I have them group into 3-4 students in a group. From there, they are assigned a section of the chapter to create a lesson with. One part of their creation of the lesson is to incorporate some type of technology into it that would allow the other students to be able to participate with. They have fun with this lesson at the same time learning about the subject matter. This project also implements an aspect of constructivism by allowing the students to construct their own meaning of the material to present to the class.
In most classrooms today, constructionism is being implemented more than constructivism. If both are used, they can result in a good effective lesson with students allowing them to learn at their highest potential.
DVD: Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). “Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology."
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
The reading out of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works gives many good examples using constructionism. Many of the examples used Excel spreadsheets with the students to show their external artifact. One example that I liked was the spreadsheet that was created to help a class realize the different ways to save money and the impact on it. The lesson focuses on compounding percentage calculations and exponential patterns (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This is a wonderful example that I can implement into my math classrooms to help the students understand these types of calculations. This allows the students to use a hands on approach rather than me lecturing in front of them. They will learn more from the spreadsheet than they will with me standing in front of them and develop their own interpretation.
One project I have incorporated into my classroom that uses the constructionism learning theory would be having the students take a section of the chapter to teach themselves. I have them group into 3-4 students in a group. From there, they are assigned a section of the chapter to create a lesson with. One part of their creation of the lesson is to incorporate some type of technology into it that would allow the other students to be able to participate with. They have fun with this lesson at the same time learning about the subject matter. This project also implements an aspect of constructivism by allowing the students to construct their own meaning of the material to present to the class.
In most classrooms today, constructionism is being implemented more than constructivism. If both are used, they can result in a good effective lesson with students allowing them to learn at their highest potential.
DVD: Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). “Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology."
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Cognitivism in Practice
Cognitivism is how someone processes information. In the text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors give many good examples of how technology works with cognitive learning.
In Chapter 4, Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers, the authors start by explaining what the items of the title of this chapter mean. Cues are explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience. Questions perform the same function as cues by triggering students' memories and helping them to access prior knowledge (Pitler,Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This chapter tells teachers to use more visuals to help the students understand and remember the material being taught. Teachers need to also use organizers to help keep the information in order. If items are just written randomly with out any organization, the students are going to just become confused and not remember a whole lot of what they have been taught. One way to organize it would be to use a mapping tool. The students can see what items connect to each other. Another good technology items to use would be videos and graphs. I know when I teach math, I try to use as many visuals (graphs, charts, etc.) to help the students to not only visualize the material but to help them remember it better. Virtual tours would be a great concept to use for a visual. The students will be able to see first hand what you are talking about without having to step foot near the place. Chapter 6 goes into talking about summarizing and note taking.
I have learned from students coming into my class that they are not taught how to note take in class. There are some technological ways that can help students learn to take notes and keep them organized at the same time. One way mentioned was having the students blog about the information taught to them in class. Blogging is a way for student to not only talk about the information from class but to do some peer to peer teaching. The text talks about an item to help students understand what they are reading that I was not aware of. They talk about an option in Microsoft Word called auto summarizing. This tool allows the student to input the material that they are reading and with a couple of clicks with the mouse, the program summarizes the material for them. One other technological concept on note taking the text mentioned is the mapping tool again. They state that it is a good tool to use in note taking because it keeps things organized. When using the mapping tool, the student can start with the main idea of the material and then branch off of that the supporting details. The mapping tool will then put the information into an outline making it clearer to the student what to write about.
Technology is a very helpful tool in many ways. I find that the applications that this text mentions to help students with note taking, summarizing and organizing are real helpful one. I want to incorporate some of these items into my own classroom this year. I am even going to share some of these options with my colleagues in case they are not aware of them. It can help them help the students understand better and keep themselves organized.
References:
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
In Chapter 4, Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers, the authors start by explaining what the items of the title of this chapter mean. Cues are explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience. Questions perform the same function as cues by triggering students' memories and helping them to access prior knowledge (Pitler,Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This chapter tells teachers to use more visuals to help the students understand and remember the material being taught. Teachers need to also use organizers to help keep the information in order. If items are just written randomly with out any organization, the students are going to just become confused and not remember a whole lot of what they have been taught. One way to organize it would be to use a mapping tool. The students can see what items connect to each other. Another good technology items to use would be videos and graphs. I know when I teach math, I try to use as many visuals (graphs, charts, etc.) to help the students to not only visualize the material but to help them remember it better. Virtual tours would be a great concept to use for a visual. The students will be able to see first hand what you are talking about without having to step foot near the place. Chapter 6 goes into talking about summarizing and note taking.
I have learned from students coming into my class that they are not taught how to note take in class. There are some technological ways that can help students learn to take notes and keep them organized at the same time. One way mentioned was having the students blog about the information taught to them in class. Blogging is a way for student to not only talk about the information from class but to do some peer to peer teaching. The text talks about an item to help students understand what they are reading that I was not aware of. They talk about an option in Microsoft Word called auto summarizing. This tool allows the student to input the material that they are reading and with a couple of clicks with the mouse, the program summarizes the material for them. One other technological concept on note taking the text mentioned is the mapping tool again. They state that it is a good tool to use in note taking because it keeps things organized. When using the mapping tool, the student can start with the main idea of the material and then branch off of that the supporting details. The mapping tool will then put the information into an outline making it clearer to the student what to write about.
Technology is a very helpful tool in many ways. I find that the applications that this text mentions to help students with note taking, summarizing and organizing are real helpful one. I want to incorporate some of these items into my own classroom this year. I am even going to share some of these options with my colleagues in case they are not aware of them. It can help them help the students understand better and keep themselves organized.
References:
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Behaviorism in Practice
In the chapter about reinforcing effort from Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors makes a great statement. They state that "effort is the most important factor in achievement" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). I am constantly telling my students that they need to put forth some effort to get anywhere.
In the text, they show you different ways to get your students to correct their own work so that they can see that effort equals achievement. Many students do not believe that if they work harder that their grades will improve. The rubric that is in the text is a great item to use. It currently shows students how to grade themselves and then they take the information and graph it. I teach math and to have the students look at a graph is a great visual for them to see growth.
"Homework and practice give students a chance to review and apply what they have learned" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This is exactly the way that I view homework in my math class. When I give an assignment, I give it as practice. This allows the student to work on the material outside of class. If they find that they are not understanding, it gives them an opportunity to come to class the next day and ask questions.
The technology that is discussed in this chapter is a great resource. They correlate to instructional strategies and behaviorism by giving the students another way to learn. One technological item they talk about is using spreadsheet software. Spreadsheet software is a great way to show graphs. If the students take the information from their effort/achievement project, they can use a bar graph in a spreadsheet to get the visual to see their improvement.
Adding technology will help increase the understanding and effort put forth by the students. The more effort you can get from them, the more achievement you will see.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: McRel
In the text, they show you different ways to get your students to correct their own work so that they can see that effort equals achievement. Many students do not believe that if they work harder that their grades will improve. The rubric that is in the text is a great item to use. It currently shows students how to grade themselves and then they take the information and graph it. I teach math and to have the students look at a graph is a great visual for them to see growth.
"Homework and practice give students a chance to review and apply what they have learned" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This is exactly the way that I view homework in my math class. When I give an assignment, I give it as practice. This allows the student to work on the material outside of class. If they find that they are not understanding, it gives them an opportunity to come to class the next day and ask questions.
The technology that is discussed in this chapter is a great resource. They correlate to instructional strategies and behaviorism by giving the students another way to learn. One technological item they talk about is using spreadsheet software. Spreadsheet software is a great way to show graphs. If the students take the information from their effort/achievement project, they can use a bar graph in a spreadsheet to get the visual to see their improvement.
Adding technology will help increase the understanding and effort put forth by the students. The more effort you can get from them, the more achievement you will see.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: McRel
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