Week 4: Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

In order to accomplish my goals, I have been searching for interactive websites that will enhance learning for my students. In my fifth grade science class we are studying the skeletal system. I found the following websites that will help them learn the bones of the body.

Skeletal System Websites:

http://www.abcya.com/skeletal_system.htm

http://www.anatomyarcade.com/games/matchingGames/MatchABone/matchABone.html

http://www.purposegames.com/game/1009

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/health/anatomy/skeleton/Skeleton_tutorial.htm

I plan on implementing these websites on the interactive whiteboard as well as individual laptops.

One area that I would like to modify in my GAME plan is to add the component of communicating with parents. I would like to develop a website where I can explain each topic we are learning about. I also want to have a section where I am sharing websites that we use in class that students will be able to use at home to reinforce skills learned in class.

I have realized that there are so many digital tools out there and I need to jump on the bandwagon and start using them all in my classroom. Instead of thinking of it as a big task in the classroom, I am beginning to change my mindset as using these tools are just a part of everyday.

Week 3: Carrying out your GAME plan

One of my main goals is to explore different interactive websites and other digital tools that will assist my students in learning. Digital tools can be used with a variety of learners, whether they have a learning disability, are an English as a Second Language learner, or have gifts and talents in certain subjects areas.

In order to accomplish my goals, I need to be able to use a variety of resources. First and foremost, it is important that I collaborate with colleagues and that we share ideas with one another. As a special education co-teacher, I need to work side by side with my colleagues at all times. By taking time out of our day to work together to investigate new digital tools that would work for our students, we are collectively sharing ideas that will ultimately benefit our students. We just received new interactive whiteboards in all of our classrooms. I have been collaboratively working with other teachers to explore new interactive sites that will enhance lessons and learning.

Furthermore, I need to use various resources from the internet that will help me to use different digital tools in my classroom. I can explore different blogs and articles that explore digital options for the classroom. I can check out different websites that would be worth while to use in the classroom.

To achieve my goals, I have actively been exploring and using all of my resources. I will continue to work with colleagues and review digital tools in order to meet the needs of all learners.

Week 2: Developing your Personal Game Plan

After reviewing the NETS-T standards, there are several areas that I wish to learn more about. The two areas I would like to focus on are:

v F Faciliate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity with a concentration on engaging learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments with a concentration on personalizing learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles by using different digital tools

My GAME Plan

Goals: Create a lesson-Think about what the students need to know and what tools can help facilitate their learning.

1. Develop lessons that explore virtual environments that allow students to feel like they are in a real-world experience. For example, being at a Civil war battlefield through programs like Google earth or various websites.

2. Develop lessons that address various modalities to accommodate all learning styles. Create lessons that have students creating or doing something using their voices or music.

Actions-Teach the lesson

1. Connect to virtual environments and implement lessons.

2. Use various tools such as webquests, wikis, podcasts, and blogs to facilitate learning

Monitor-Monitor Student Learning

1. Assess students through formative and summative assessments

2. Develop and implement self-assessments to gain feedback from students on their progress. Use these assessments to modify goals.

Evaluate- Evaluate student progress

1. Communicate with students and discuss use of technology. What could change? What did they like?

References:

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.

Reflection

My Personal Theory of Learning is centered on students and how they learn and what strategies can be used to help the students learn. “Teachers want to transfer the knowledge and skills they currently possess to their students so that they too can embrace, enjoy, and use that knowledge academically, personally, and professionally,” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, pg. 10). Using different strategies while teaching can enhance learning for students and help them learn the skills they need for the 21^st century. In week one of this course I mentioned that students learn best when lessons are differentiated and focus of the multiple intelligences. Using technology is an easy way to differentiate instruction and appeals to several multiple intelligences.

Throughout the course I have learned several new technological tools that work well in the classroom. Next year I plan to incorporate Voice Thread into my classroom instruction. It is easy to use and allows students to create a multimedia project that can only enhance their learning. Another tool that I plan to use is Virtual Field Trips. Kids love to explore new things and what can be better for students then to have them explore new topics through a virtual field trip!

An immediate adjustment and long-term goal to my instructional practice is to use technology more as a learning tool then as an instructional tool. Although the students to use various programs to learn more about topics, I want to incorporate more technology lessons that have the students explore on their own rather than have me explore for them. Another long-term goal is to use Power Point or other programs for students to make their own instructional games. This would be a great tool for students to use with one another.

I have learned many strategies in this course that I will implement in my class next year.

References

Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed. pp. 2– 35). Boston: Pearson.

Social Learning Theories

Collaborative learning is a powerful strategy to implement in the classroom that allows students to work together in various ways. "The instructional strategy of cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning," (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, pg 139). As a teacher, there are many instructional strategies that can be introduced that promote students actively engaging in lessons together. Such activities as creating videos and completing or creating WebQuests are valuable tools students can learn how to use together.

Videos can be created by students using various programs such as Garageband, Voicethread, and iMovie. These programs are very user friendly and allow every day people to create podcasts and videos that can seem complex in nature. Photos, music, recordings, videos, and dialogue can be added to these videos using all of these programs to enhance the project. "Creating a video is a complex task that requires many roles and responsibilities,"(pg. 141). This is a great way to assign students certain roles when working together. When students each have active parts in the learning process, collaboration is bound to run smoothly. A helpful tool to be sure that students stay on task and understand the learning objective and standards is to provide a clear and concise rubric. Rubrics allow students to see exactly what they are responsible for. I believe that students should only be shown the highest category in the rubric so they all know what is expected of them. I do not find it necessary to show them what they need to do to get lower scores because they should all strive to complete the necessary requirements.

Another valuable tool that promotes social interaction between peers are Webquests. "WebQuests are inquiry-oriented activities that allow students in a class or from multiple locations to work together to learn about a particular subject or to tackle a particular project or problem," (pg. 145). I use WebQuests a lot in my fifth grade science and social studies class. What I like best about Webquests is that it requires students to use higher level thinking and problem-solving skills to complete the Webquest. They can also take students on journeys to see places or things that they may never actually see in real life. Recently my students completed a WebQuest on frogs where they were actually able to dissect frogs and study the parts of a frog.

There are many ways to promote the Social Learning Theory in the classroom. Using technology is a great way to increase interaction between students.

References:

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

Voice Thread

My Voice Thread is published in the previous post. If you have trouble accessing it from the blog you can view it at...

http://voicethread.com/share/1190480/