Unfortunately, this has been a pretty tough couple of weeks to make sure my GAME plan has been coming along. New York City has been giving the city wide Acuity tests and it has really been consuming a lot of our time. With that said, I have done the best that I can, and it is actually pretty good under the circumstances. First of all, I created and gave out the surveys about knowledge on computers. I actually reached out to a fellow fifth grade teacher and we wrote it up together. We are both part of the same technology grant in school and he liked my idea. Two heads are always better than one.
There has been a lot of SMART board training going on in our computer lab the past month, but I have worked out a pretty nice schedule with the technology teacher and the school principal. Our tech teacher is also the UFT leader so he has UFT meetings and preps throughout the week that I have been able to book for lab time. I have bumped it up from two 50 minute periods a week to four. 200 minutes of lab time gives me a lot more freedom to accomplish what I want. In that time, my students have kick started their personal websites/e-portfolios. I have also been going into more depth with Internet safety because I plan on doing a lot of research with them.
Just last week I began a workshop with my CTT co-teacher that gets into all of the CTT teaching models. We are both new too CTT, so we are trying to learn as much as we can. We have been talking about new setups with our room and with our teaching delivery, but also how we can incorporate as much technology into it as we can (as well as the level that is need... nothing overboard).
So, even though it’s been a busy week and a half in my school, I am still trying to get things going for myself and for my students. So far... so good. I guess I can not complain.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Carrying Out My Game Plan
After reviewing my GAME plan that I wrote about last week, I have realized that I am in good standing with the actions that I have been currently taking. That does not mean that what I have done is enough. In order to keep my students up-to-date with the latest technology skills and requirements that further education and careers are requiring, I need to make sure to keep them focused and exposed. First, I need to use the computer lab time that I have to expose them to multiple technological resources. In the past, I have showed them how to create things like a podcast or blog. I am familiar with so much more and I want to expose them to that. The digital media that I can present to my students will help provide great flexibility with planning, implementing, and assessing activities based on learning (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009).
In addition, I will also need to know what type of background each of my students have in the use of computers and other technology. I will create a basic survey that asks questions like who has computers and Internet at home. Although I do this in the beginning of the year, the new survey will go into more depth. Since I have exposed them to a few new methods, I will ask about blogging and other specific examples. I want to know how much they have learned already, how comfortable they are, and what they want to learn in the future.
Since I am the general education teacher of a CTT classroom, I will also need to make sure that my coteacher is always on the same page as I am. That means working with her to make sure that she is just as valuable a resource to our students as I am. Together, we can make exemplar pieces that give our students an idea of what we are expecting as well as gives her the knowledge and readiness for technology as well.
I am confident that I have been moving in the right direction all along with my GAME plan, even though I only wrote it last week. I feel like I have been working towards this goal using this plan much of my career, but now that it is written down, I can monitor, as well as modify what I am doing and how I will achieve my goal.
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.
In addition, I will also need to know what type of background each of my students have in the use of computers and other technology. I will create a basic survey that asks questions like who has computers and Internet at home. Although I do this in the beginning of the year, the new survey will go into more depth. Since I have exposed them to a few new methods, I will ask about blogging and other specific examples. I want to know how much they have learned already, how comfortable they are, and what they want to learn in the future.
Since I am the general education teacher of a CTT classroom, I will also need to make sure that my coteacher is always on the same page as I am. That means working with her to make sure that she is just as valuable a resource to our students as I am. Together, we can make exemplar pieces that give our students an idea of what we are expecting as well as gives her the knowledge and readiness for technology as well.
I am confident that I have been moving in the right direction all along with my GAME plan, even though I only wrote it last week. I feel like I have been working towards this goal using this plan much of my career, but now that it is written down, I can monitor, as well as modify what I am doing and how I will achieve my goal.
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.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My GAME Plan
The NETS performance indicators that I would like to work on and strengthen are:
1a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
5c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.
GAME plan stands for goals, actions, monitor, and evaluate and extend. The NETS standards that I chose I feel are the most important to me in the position that I am in at school. A lot of what needs to go on at school is active and creative thinking. Technology can surely help that. I also want to help bring as much technology and support that I can to my school to help support student learning. Here is my personal GAME plan. The first statement will reflect NETS 1a while the second will reflect NETS 5c:
Goals: To help promote, support and model creative and innovative thinking I want to use more of the fantastic resources and software tools that we have in our computer lab. I want to make sure that I have enough lab time scheduled during the week so that the students get a chance to use software like iMovie or Garage Band to create digital movies or podcasts to present and showcase. I want them to have the freedom to be creative with all of the tools that the computer, and even the Internet provide.
In order for me to evaluate and reflect on current research, I want to always be up-to-date on what is going on in technology and education in New York City. Currently, I am part of a three year grant that has been bringing wonderful equipment and training to me and my school. I want to stay updated and research other programs and grants, including Teachers Choice and different title grants. The more exposure I have with these organizations, the more technology I can bring to my school.
Actions: I will need to make sure that I teach and train all of the students using any sort of software or Internet source. It is always hard to find time during the day with so much concentration on reading, writing, and math. I will need to request a certain amount of lab time during the week and possibly some after school sessions with students. In order for any project to be a success, the students have to be familiar with the equipment and software.
I will need to perform my own research on what is available to New York City public schools. I work in a high needs, inner-city area, so there is a lot of support out there. It will require a lot of time and research to gather and produce. I hope to be able to promote it to my colleagues and administration to get everyone on board with bringing the latest and most up-to-date 21st century tools to our school. The money and support are out there, and I want to find it.
Monitor: In order to monitor the progress of how students handle this form of work, I will have “digital” conferences with them. In the computer lab at school, from the main station, I can use Apple Remote Desktop to have access to their screen while video chatting. That way they can show my what they are doing on their computer, what it looks like, and we can see each other. I can also take control of their desktop to guide them.
I will need some help in monitoring the progress of research. I will bring the technology professional learning team that I am part of in to help me. Together, we can share with each other what we find and put together any information that we have to better ourselves and make for a stronger support team.
Evaluate and Extend: I obviously need to show my children how motivated I am to use technology to help me in my life and during the school day. I also need to always have exemplars to show them all the fun things that we can do to be creative and actively engaged in what they are doing. By me researching everything that the City of New York has to offer my school, I can potentially keep the students of today and the future always aligned with technology and getting them prepared for their future.
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
1a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
5c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.
GAME plan stands for goals, actions, monitor, and evaluate and extend. The NETS standards that I chose I feel are the most important to me in the position that I am in at school. A lot of what needs to go on at school is active and creative thinking. Technology can surely help that. I also want to help bring as much technology and support that I can to my school to help support student learning. Here is my personal GAME plan. The first statement will reflect NETS 1a while the second will reflect NETS 5c:
Goals: To help promote, support and model creative and innovative thinking I want to use more of the fantastic resources and software tools that we have in our computer lab. I want to make sure that I have enough lab time scheduled during the week so that the students get a chance to use software like iMovie or Garage Band to create digital movies or podcasts to present and showcase. I want them to have the freedom to be creative with all of the tools that the computer, and even the Internet provide.
In order for me to evaluate and reflect on current research, I want to always be up-to-date on what is going on in technology and education in New York City. Currently, I am part of a three year grant that has been bringing wonderful equipment and training to me and my school. I want to stay updated and research other programs and grants, including Teachers Choice and different title grants. The more exposure I have with these organizations, the more technology I can bring to my school.
Actions: I will need to make sure that I teach and train all of the students using any sort of software or Internet source. It is always hard to find time during the day with so much concentration on reading, writing, and math. I will need to request a certain amount of lab time during the week and possibly some after school sessions with students. In order for any project to be a success, the students have to be familiar with the equipment and software.
I will need to perform my own research on what is available to New York City public schools. I work in a high needs, inner-city area, so there is a lot of support out there. It will require a lot of time and research to gather and produce. I hope to be able to promote it to my colleagues and administration to get everyone on board with bringing the latest and most up-to-date 21st century tools to our school. The money and support are out there, and I want to find it.
Monitor: In order to monitor the progress of how students handle this form of work, I will have “digital” conferences with them. In the computer lab at school, from the main station, I can use Apple Remote Desktop to have access to their screen while video chatting. That way they can show my what they are doing on their computer, what it looks like, and we can see each other. I can also take control of their desktop to guide them.
I will need some help in monitoring the progress of research. I will bring the technology professional learning team that I am part of in to help me. Together, we can share with each other what we find and put together any information that we have to better ourselves and make for a stronger support team.
Evaluate and Extend: I obviously need to show my children how motivated I am to use technology to help me in my life and during the school day. I also need to always have exemplars to show them all the fun things that we can do to be creative and actively engaged in what they are doing. By me researching everything that the City of New York has to offer my school, I can potentially keep the students of today and the future always aligned with technology and getting them prepared for their future.
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Inegrating Technology Across the Content Areas
Hi everyone and welcome to my blog. I can not wait to get everything started!
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