More GAME plan

In preparation for my GAME plan, this week has been about exploring various web sites online. I spent some time at Webs.com and toyed with web page design there. The site is really easy to use and it is free. I set up a web page to model the poetry pages we will be creating this fall, but I will have a hard time moving further along without my students to use as guinea pigs.

Next, I spent some time surfing for information and ideas about Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In the spirit of my ISTE-based goal of “designing and developing digital-age learning experiences and assessments”, I have begun digging into the concept of problem-based learning. According to the Illinois Math and Science Academy’s PBL Network web site, PBL is “focused experiential learning organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems”. We certainly all have a lot of problems; my task this week was to choose one and write a problem-based lesson. I have chosen to center around our recycling needs in Hamilton.

As I write the lesson, I have come up with some great insights into my instructional practice. First of all, I love the usefulness of the Internet for shifting the classroom into a student-centered environment. As my class works to clarify, analyze, research and present solutions to our problem they will work as self-directed teams, leaving me to facilitate and guide. Since my ultimate goal is that my students “will, over time, assume full responsibility for their own learning” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 30), the Internet is invaluable for helping students find knowledge without me handing it to them. I am also excited for the authentic learning that can take place during problem-based learning. By presenting my students with a real-life issue that affects their community, I am giving them an opportunity to take part in “authentic intellectual work” that has “value beyond school” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 35).

My next steps require me to be a step ahead of my students. I need to start researching the background behind our recycling problem. I need to make community connections to I can get some experts in to help my students understand the issue we will be exploring. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Wish me luck!
Kris

Resources:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
Introduction to problem-based learning. (2010, March 30). PLBNetwork: Collaborative Inquiry in Action. Retrieved July 27, 2010 from http://pbln.imsa.edu/model/intro/ )
Project Based Learning: The Online Resource for PBL. (2005). Buck Institute for Education: Boise State University Department of Educational Technology. Retrieved July 27, 2010 from http://pbl-online.org/default.htm

GAME Plan Progress

Now that all my summer jobs are over, I have had a chance to sit back and reflect on my GAME plan. I was pleased to realize that I am well on my way. I have already created a web quest for my To Kill a Mockingbird unit, and have ideas for web quests for other novels we read. I have plans to create an in-class web site to discuss poetry throughout the year, which will teach my students how to set up web sites for their historical fiction novels later on. I plan to insert lessons I have created about web safety and etiquette and reading the web while I teach the class the poetry sites. I will use MyAccess as a tool for writing practice. Overall, my classroom will be a much more digitally-centered environment than ever before.

Next steps- I am still struggling to figure out how to design and use a wiki. The wiki we created in a previous course was way over my head. I plan to start playing with the software right away. I would also like to begin using the CPS machine more often. I also need to go back through the plethora of assignments I have completed for Walden classes, finding the lesson plans and making them more accessible.
My final action plan involves getting more access to computers. I can demonstrate web site building using my computer and projector in the classroom, but I will need to get a few computers put in my room for student use. I have contacted my tech guy and he says he can set me up with some laptops, but I have to assume that they will be older and not so effective. I envision myself and my colleagues eagerly waiting at our computers until the lab sign-up page is created, then trying to be the first ones to fill in our names for the whole year. There may be bloodshed, but I think I stand a good chance of getting the labs. A little motivation goes a long way.

Help from my classmates- Does anyone remember the web site we found when researching graphic organizers? I remember finding a great site with a huge variety of organizers that I wanted to use while we study vocabulary next year. Did anyone bookmark it?

Thanks!
Kris

ISTE 2010

Catching up on my RSS feeds today, I was struck by how useful RSS can be. One of my favorite bloggers and a personal hero, David Warlick, has quite a few posts waiting for me. Warlick just attended the ISTE 2010 conference where he used his iPad to take copious notes for those of us who were unable to make the trip.
Warlick adds direct quotes, summaries, pictures, video clips and insights from the conference, where revolutionaries in technology and education inspired and reflected on practices. I felt almost as if I had attended myself.
If you haven't added 2Cents Worth to your RSS feed, get on it. Warlick is an exceptional blogger.

First Steps

Summer is already half-way over, and it’s time to start moving towards my goals. I am lucky that my courses at Walden have started moving me in the right direction. One of my goals for the year is to “Model digital-age work and learning”. For this standard, I need to develop a fluency in technological systems and transfer my knowledge to my students. I have already done the hard work, creating blogs, wikis and web sites as assignments in my classes. This blog has been an amazing learning experience. It has taught me how to organize my thinking to publish it online. My next step for this goal involves the creation of a classroom blog. I would like to create a blog for weekly discussions where my students can meet after school to discuss our content. A teacher-friend of mine from Seattle has a great sample site for this idea. Check out Mrs. Fitz’s web site “You Are What You Blog". Her site inspires me to try this technique with my English classes next year. I just need to work on getting past our tricky filtering program.

For my other goal, to “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments”, I plan to create poetry wikis in class to teach digital publishing. Like Will Richardson points out, “everyone together is smarter than anyone else” (2009, p. 57). I am excited to see my students working collaboratively to analyze and synthesize poetry. This goal will require more assistance. Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom can be a useful resource; I have been rereading it this week. I am trying to find sample student wikis online so I can get an idea about how these sites are set up. So far, I am struggling to find any useable samples. Can anyone help me?

Resources:
Richardson, W., (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for the classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

My Technology GAME Plan

“The primary task of the educational system must be to give learners the right tools and provide them with a critical mind, so that they can ask the right questions and make the right connections. The problem is that the world is not the stable, static place it once was. The world has changed and continues to change” (Jukes & Macdonald, 2007). In the spirit of creating a 21st Century learning environment in my classroom, I have been researching methods for creating self-directed learners. I want my students to be curious about new innovations and have the ability to research and understand the changing world around them. I began working on creating a self-directed learning environment n my classroom last year by guiding my students through the inquiry process. I used the QUEST model (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007) to inspire students to create their own questions, evaluate online resources and synthesize information. I still have far to go towards inspiring my students to think critically. Before my students can become self-directed learners, I need a game plan for becoming more tech-savvy myself.

I have begun my own personal technology revolution at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) web site. This site lists five standards for guiding teachers to implement technology in their classrooms. I will start small next year and choose two standards to implement as I grow as a technology user.
Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer offer a suggestion for creating a GAME plan for self-directed learning. I plan to set a Goal, take Action, Monitor my progress, and Evaluate the results as I implement new technology in my classroom (2009).

Here is the plan:
1. Set a Goal: I plan to take on two of ISTE’s NETS for teachers (2008). First, I will work on standard number two- “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments”. This standard asks teachers to design and implement authentic learning experiences incorporating technology. I will also work on standard number three- “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning”. This standard asks teachers to develop fluency in technological systems and transfer than knowledge to students.

2. Take Action: I am going to start working with technology right away in my classroom. In order to teach web page design and encourage collaborative reflection, each class will create a web page to share our understanding of poetry throughout the year. Since I begin each class with a poem a day, we can build web sites around our explorations of the themes and ideas behind the poems we read. Creating web pages as a group will give me the opportunity to model techniques for creating interesting sites. Later in the year, my students will be able to use these skills for implementing their own web pages about the novels they read. To continue building my own skills, I will keep this blog spot current and share my revelations with the class. I may be able to encourage my students to build their own blog spots. A collaborative reading wiki may be another addition as well.

3. Monitor my progress: As we work together to build class web sites, I will need to constantly be reflective about the process. Are all of my students engaged in helping design our pages? Is everyone getting an opportunity to add insights? Are the students internalizing the value in this process? If I feel that students are getting bored, I may decide to have groups create pages for the site to give more involvement to the class.

4. Evaluate the results: As we near the end of the year, I will take a step back to consider the effectiveness of this project. Have my students become more tech-savvy as a result of these activities? Have they each had the opportunity to create a web site? What are my next steps?

If we want to be effective educators for our 21st Century students, we have a lot of work to do. We have to do more than just educate ourselves on the mass of technological tools available for teaching. We need to also teach our students to ask questions, to consider the validity of the sites they use to find answers, and most of all, to be willing to try new technologies and reach for the knowledge available to them. I feel more confident at achieving these aims now that I have a GOAL in mind. If you would like more information about setting up a GOAL for technological advancement, check out the resources below.
Kris

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.

Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Jukes, I. (2007). 21st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf