tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.comments2012-09-30T22:18:21.843-05:00My Learning Journey into Technologyloliverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-18172721715028519422012-09-30T22:18:21.843-05:002012-09-30T22:18:21.843-05:00Whitney,
Thank you for your response. I am playi...Whitney,<br /><br />Thank you for your response. I am playing around with www.polleverywhere.com and have discovered that there is a paid option that allows teachers to use data to create reports that can inform instruction. I don't know if we have a budget for that, but it may be less expensive than buying a whole system.<br /><br />Lauriloliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-86965890217595179222012-09-30T22:16:48.823-05:002012-09-30T22:16:48.823-05:00Debbie,
Thank you for your response. I have seen...Debbie,<br /><br />Thank you for your response. I have seen Historypin and thought it was very cool. It might come in handy when doing a global cuisine class or researching Housing styles around the world. However, the type of curriculum map I am referring to is a type of template where standards, objectives and learning goals, activities, and assessments are aligned and used as a tool for lesson planning. I am updating them with the common core ELA standards and am currently adding the NET-S standards. It definitely makes it easier to do so when teaching the class at the time.<br /><br />Thank you for you comments. Lauriloliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-33238888787821201532012-09-30T16:06:10.030-05:002012-09-30T16:06:10.030-05:00Lauri,
I am not one to use forced choice assessm...Lauri, <br /><br />I am not one to use forced choice assessments either, except when I have to (state exams). However, I have student response systems and they are great for formative assessment. It is a quick easy way to see what your students did or did not understand that day and the students really enjoy using them. I know ours have the option for students to "text" short answers too, so it doesn't have to be multiple choice. The data comes right to your computer and you can have it projected on the board if you want to. I hope you get your hands on some! Good luck!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-16399213710397515392012-09-29T20:22:12.545-05:002012-09-29T20:22:12.545-05:00I completely understand about being stretched too ...I completely understand about being stretched too thin. I still have over 100 essays to grade for my classes. However, I noticed your comment "updating the curriculum maps is going to work best while I am teaching the classes". I wonder if you have ever used historypin.com? In this program, you use GoogleMaps and GoogleEarth and can "pin" photos or see photos others have "pinned" at a particular place. You can also see photos of a specific place, like a street corner, then and now. You may find this helpful while doing your mapping.<br />Debbie<br />Mrs. Carchidihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06332353260675567128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-5091379224569449352012-09-23T16:53:51.475-05:002012-09-23T16:53:51.475-05:00Whitney,
Thank you for the link on the digital sk...Whitney,<br /><br />Thank you for the link on the digital skills that teachers should have. There are some really intriguing ideas and I plan to share this with my PLC. In order to meet the needs of our diverse students, teachers need to know how to use technology in their classrooms (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). We just need the time to do it.<br /><br />Lauri<br /><br />Reference <br /><br />Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Video Six: Meeting Students Needs through Technology Part Two. [DVD] Supporting information literacy and online inquiry in the classroom. Baltimore, MD: Author.<br /><br />loliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-41613289323187646452012-09-23T16:50:27.505-05:002012-09-23T16:50:27.505-05:00Angie,
Thank you for the link to Edutopia's m...Angie,<br /><br />Thank you for the link to Edutopia's multiple intelligences quiz and for sharing what you do in your PLC. Our PLC is designed to be data driven, so whatever we choose to focus on must support improving the literacy strands from the state reading test results. My school has not met AYP and so we are still working on bringing up test scores. The teachers in my group bring in resources as well. This is one of the personally gratifying parts of the PLC, to collaborate with my peers. Of course, technology is one of the resources we are looking at in order to engage students in reading more non-fiction and increase their literacy skills. It is a natural fit.<br /><br />Lauri <br /><br />loliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-28655483017213427952012-09-23T16:43:21.002-05:002012-09-23T16:43:21.002-05:00Liana,
Thank you for your comments. The curricul...Liana,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments. The curriculum maps and lesson plans are supposed to be collaborative, however, the other woman in my department claimed to be technology deficient. She did not know how to put information into the templates and I ended up doing all of the maps. I have always kept my lesson plans up-to-date using Word because it makes it easier to adapt changes as I make them. I have most recently been adding the Common Core standards and Technology standards as I tweak my lessons. It seems to be an efficient way to do things as I teach a lesson, to update them with the standards. <br /><br />This is not best way to do things, however. I have been learning about backward design, which requires you to start with the standards, determine assessments, and then the instruction that you will use to meet those standards. As I develop new lessons, I am using this method, however for the lessons that I am just updating, I am looking at what standards fit. Here is a link to a backward design template and more information, if you are interested.<br /><br />http://digitalliteracy.mwg.org/curriculum/template.html<br /><br />Lauriloliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-72793672386173436942012-09-23T15:46:50.255-05:002012-09-23T15:46:50.255-05:00Angie,
Thank you so much for those resources.
La...Angie, <br />Thank you so much for those resources.<br /><br />Lauri,<br /><br />You make an excellent point about the different learning styles of students. With so many different learners, we are forced to differentiate if we want to successfully reach each student. Luckily, with technology, differentiation is becoming easier. It is still difficult, but as you said, technology can support your diverse classroom. Here's a pretty cool link that has suggestions for 21st century teachers: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/33-digital-skills-every-21st-century.html<br /><br />I hope you are able to use some of these to differentiate in your classroom. I have the same issues you have with filtering. There have been many times I have wanted to use something for class on the Internet but our school has it blocked. I hope your school will work with you so you can use these resources. Good luck & thank you for your post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-89208021925063663012012-09-22T22:56:08.841-05:002012-09-22T22:56:08.841-05:00Lauri,
You have shared some great ideas and you s...Lauri,<br /><br />You have shared some great ideas and you seem to be well on your way to putting your goals into action. From what you have shared about your experience it seems that the most important thing is for me to be an expert about the curriculum into which I plan to implement the use of technology tools effectively. I really like the idea of using the curriculum maps and lesson plans. Do you develop these things by yourself, is it a collaborative effort, or they provided? I am not yet very efficient with my delicious account but, I really the idea of bookmarking and using the account to help organize links to various resources. Are these links for teacher use, student use, or both?<br />As you mentioned, I have really benefited a lot from even the online PLC through Walden. Your ideas are very inspiring and I have gathered some great ideas for things I need to do to take action. You have truly given me a different perspective and I true idea for what it is going to take for me to improve in this area as well. I need to have that conversation with my media specialist. I know that there is a filtering system for my county but, there may be some options available. I need to know what technology is already there and what technology is needed in order for my students to be successful. Great post! Thank you!<br /><br />Liana G.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-19207720957095333052012-09-22T21:55:14.368-05:002012-09-22T21:55:14.368-05:00Lauri,
I like how you are going to assess the lea...Lauri,<br /><br />I like how you are going to assess the learning styles of your students to better understand which technology resources would work best. I know that Edutopia has learning style quizzes to take and also this website includes an online quiz as well: http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml<br />Both sites allow students to take online learning style quizzes. In my PLC group we are all evaluating different resources and then discussing them when we meet every other week. We realize what works for one teacher will not work for another, but it helps to gather feedback from other teachers that teach the same demographic of students. Do you think your PLC group might be interested in something like that? It makes it a little easier when you have support navigating through all the technology resources out there! It sounds like you are a passionate teacher and it seems like you are off to a great beginning in reaching your goals.<br /><br />Angie MurphyAngela Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12590372923099174955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-32282265722993094522012-09-16T18:06:05.135-05:002012-09-16T18:06:05.135-05:00Whitney,
Thank you for your comments. I think st...Whitney,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments. I think student engagement is a universal problem for teachers who want to make sure their students are getting the content. Cennamo et al (2009) stated that teachers are highly instrumental in the effectiveness of their lessons and need to "create a culture of thinking with an inviting classroom environment" and be open to to students' creative ideas (p. 80). I think that is why ongoing monitoring and evaluation are so important in the success of our lessons.<br /><br />Lauriloliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-9317137942979558542012-09-15T20:57:14.006-05:002012-09-15T20:57:14.006-05:00Lauri,
I like that for your "actions," ...Lauri,<br /><br />I like that for your "actions," you plan to use a blog, wiki, etc. This is something I've recently started implementing in my classroom (a blog and a twitter, actually). I have found that just having students post on a blog rather than write me a paragraph and turn it in is more engaging for them. Maybe they treat it differently because they will have an audience that isn't just me. They seem to enjoy it more. Pen and paper just doesn't have the appeal that a computer has. I struggle with the same things you discuss in your first paragraph. As an English teacher, sometimes I really struggle to make my curriculum interesting to students. Of course, as an English nerd, I think it's great stuff. That enthusiasm sometimes helps. As we know, English just isn't everyone's favorite. The more technology or creative learning we can incorporate, the better we can "hook" our students. Best of luck to you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-68427356280338440712012-06-17T12:28:14.300-05:002012-06-17T12:28:14.300-05:00I agree, my learning theory did not change. It was...I agree, my learning theory did not change. It was enhanced by all that I have learned.<br />I think your goals sound great. I love excel! I have to say, I honestly use it daily!!! I do not use it with my students as much as I should. I taught a class to teachers this June on Excel. Next year I am teaching a two day class on excel. Please feel free to email me or contact me via my blog if you have any Excel questions.Prudy Jo's Technology SpEd Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05100581939459861706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-3828863184491685312012-06-04T10:33:25.594-05:002012-06-04T10:33:25.594-05:00Danielle,
I like to use a rubric to score individ...Danielle,<br /><br />I like to use a rubric to score individual effort and also give team members a rubric to score the efforts of their group members and support their ratings with comments. That helps with assessment, especially if some members have not contributed. I like the peer rubrics because students will often make comments and give insight into the group dynamics that I may have missed. I give an individual participation grade and a project grade, this helps with accountability.<br /><br />Lauriloliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-39564992629779884212012-06-03T21:40:56.070-05:002012-06-03T21:40:56.070-05:00Lauri,
"I know one of the biggest complaints...Lauri,<br /><br />"I know one of the biggest complaints that my colleagues make about cooperative learning activities is that kids do not stay on task and it is difficult to assess individual effort in a group situation, a rubric and the use of advanced organizers will help maintain clear expectations." - What are your thoughts on grading based on group participation? When I do group projects I have a section where the students must fill out that states who contributed what to the project. I never deduct points, as I say from the beginning that everyone receives the same grade on the project, but I am trying to find ways to hold students more accountable. I know wikis allow for the teachers to see who contributed, and therefore I feel that I could base a part of their grade on contribution - as I would have actual documentation - but without documentation I have a hard time with grading based on contribution. <br /><br />DanielleDaniellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14463026270507797688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-18882464437023349282012-06-03T17:58:42.843-05:002012-06-03T17:58:42.843-05:00Whitney, Thank you for your response. I think co...Whitney, Thank you for your response. I think coordinating cooperative group lessons takes practice. The more we practice designing rubrics and lessons and experience the successes and problems that occur, the more we can hone the lessons to better meet everyone's needs.<br /><br />Lauriloliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-91668628557358281152012-06-03T17:34:59.858-05:002012-06-03T17:34:59.858-05:00Lauri,
When I was teaching 1st grade, I used coope...Lauri,<br />When I was teaching 1st grade, I used cooperative learning with my students. Most of it was informal, but I grouped the desks in my classroom so there were 3 or 4 in each group. The group often had to check each other as we were working assignments. It was especially helpful for when I would try to have reading groups. I could get the rest of the class started on an assignment and allowed each group to work together while I was reading with another group. It worked well, although I will not claim to be the best at it. It is a learning experience. I am currently not teaching in a situation that allows me to do a lot of cooperative learning, but I encourage my students to connect with others to study and seek help when a teacher is not around. Thanks for the additional cooperative learning resource. I look forward to checking it out.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />WhitneyWhitney P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06361269716411951963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-17188163507563498172012-06-03T13:22:12.770-05:002012-06-03T13:22:12.770-05:00Stacy,
Thank you for you response. :) We are st...Stacy,<br /><br />Thank you for you response. :) We are starting PLC's next year and I am really excited about the prospect having time built into our schedules to collaborate with peers. I am right there with you in your thinking when it comes to change. I also think it needs to start with the teachers working together to create a environment where students are engaged and teachers are facilitators.<br /><br />Lauriloliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-7038815222058333142012-06-03T12:01:35.129-05:002012-06-03T12:01:35.129-05:00Lauri,
I do, in fact, use cooperative learning i...Lauri,<br /> <br />I do, in fact, use cooperative learning in my classroom. It was until just recently, however, that I mainly used it as a means to 'mix things up'--so students weren't constantly working independently. Therefore, I was not using cooperative learning in the manner in which it was primarily designed. Therefore, after learning as much as I have thus far in this Master's program, I now know the huge benefits that cooperative learning has in the classroom and I'm now more aware of the reasons as to why cooperative learning needs to be utilized. Just thinking about the workplace alone--for example, our school staff is doing a book study on the benefits of professional learning communities (PLCs) where we are learning about the tremendous benefits of collaboration; how can we learn of these benefits for staff and then not expect our students to flourish with such collaboration as well? Many of my colleagues has stated such arguments as: students need to be independent thinkers, they need to be able to solve problems on their own, and they need to not rely on other too heavily for their own benefit; while I agree to some extent to these statements I can't help but think that in the workforce a team effort is what will more than likely get things done. Thank you for your great post! :) <br />StacyMrs. Martinezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01177189083245335642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-77662093115619668082012-05-27T20:36:22.182-05:002012-05-27T20:36:22.182-05:00I, too, was delighted to see behaviorism reinforce...I, too, was delighted to see behaviorism reinforced in our resources. As a world languages educator, behaviorism plays an important role in my classroom. Language is at the base of communicative behaviors, and we spend a lot of time in my class repeating words and phrases, practicing communication. I am beginning to see that the effective teacher's methods are an interwoven tapestry of many strategies and philosophies!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-62118810094512903832012-05-27T18:34:43.006-05:002012-05-27T18:34:43.006-05:00That is a question I have often wondered. I think ...That is a question I have often wondered. I think it has to do with who helps foster the desire for life-long learning. My father is an engineer and would always allow me to help him when he was working on something in the garage. My mom is a nurse who also allowed me to ask many questions and showed me new things. I also fortunately had many excellent teachers throughout elementary, middle, and high school.Whitney P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06361269716411951963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-63297116824412356332012-05-27T12:41:56.652-05:002012-05-27T12:41:56.652-05:00Whitney,
Thank you for your comments. I was the ...Whitney,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments. I was the same way as a child and was forever trying to figure out how to do things and back then all I had was the family set of encyclopedias and the Book fo Knowledge series. I wonder what makes some people more engaged in life long learning than others...?<br /><br />Lauri Ololiverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-70154908398407295762012-05-27T09:41:07.546-05:002012-05-27T09:41:07.546-05:00Lauri,
Thank you for your insights! You reminded ...Lauri,<br />Thank you for your insights! You reminded me that these theories should not be thought of in isolation, but as working together in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning. If we are doing our jobs, we should be using more than one theory, and many do go hand-in-hand as you suggested.<br /><br />I was always inquiry driven growing up. If I had a question, I usually stopped at nothing until I found an answer, unless it was a question that did not necessarily have an answer. I was always the child who took things apart to figure out how they worked, although sometimes I was not so good at putting them back together. Ha! I think that is one of the beauties of constructionism. Students are fostering the desire to become life-long learners because they are so highly engaged in the process of building an artifact and seeking answers to their questions.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />WhitneyWhitney P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06361269716411951963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-83086888600207978922012-05-26T15:20:06.390-05:002012-05-26T15:20:06.390-05:00Stacy,
I absolutely love rubrics and here is the ...Stacy,<br /><br />I absolutely love rubrics and here is the reason why. It makes a teacher's job so much easier when students know exactly how they will be assessed on their projects and assignments. I found rubrics rather intimidating in the beginning, however, as I started looking around the Internet for examples and began to tweak what I found, it got easier for me to begin to create my own. Rubistar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/) looks like a great site for making your own rubrics as well as the other resources listed for rubrics in our text (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuh, & Malenoski (2007, p.32).<br /><br />Good luck! :)<br /><br />Lauri<br /><br />Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.loliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284619934368404259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2912979184927956880.post-5109951822157217212012-05-26T11:38:20.114-05:002012-05-26T11:38:20.114-05:00Lauri,
What a great activity you did with your s...Lauri, <br /><br />What a great activity you did with your students! It sounds like such a realistic activity for the students to carry out--as fast food and obesity are so prominent in our society today. I'm sure that the students really got into it and learned a little more about their own health in turn. <br /><br />As far as challenges for me, using a rubric ranks high up there. I have not used rubrics before, however I do know there are numerous benefits in doing so. Students will know exactly what is expected of them and what they have to do in order to obtain a certain score. Teachers will have an easier time grading such projects and artifacts if there is a rubric tied to it. So, my short-term goal is to begin the next school year with rubrics--taking baby steps until my students and myself are more familiar and comfortable with them!<br /><br />The benefits of constructionism can be endless! In a roundabout way, teachers have the opportunity to do less--acting as a facilitator and taking a backseat while the student is the driver and in charge of his or her own learning. Many might see this as a challenge but I see it as a huge benefit. When students are more in charge of their learning I think they tend to be more engaged and do a much better job with the task(s) at hand. Giving students some lead way can pay big dividends! That is why constructionism and constructivism are my favorite learning theories. <br /><br />Thank you for your great post! :) <br /><br />StacyMrs. Martinezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01177189083245335642noreply@blogger.com