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.
Matthew,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are doing a great job of reaching your goals. I understand that it can be difficult to fit in all your ideas/plans when there is testing going on. We are all preparing for the NYS testing this spring at my school, which can make it difficult to fit everything into the school day!
I love your idea of having students create their own websites/e-portfolios. Students are able to use technology to create a product that will showcase what they have been learning, which is wonderful!!
Liz
Mathew,
ReplyDeleteWhen two techno minds get together it can create magic in the classroom. Joining partner with your coworker to create a survey. Personal websites and e= portfolios the students can collect their work in digital archive, reflect and celebrate their learning and teachers can provide formative feedback.
Liz,
ReplyDeleteThe website/e-portfolio is more work than I expected. There is a lot to monitor and there is also the liability after the school year is over. Although I have total control of their sites now, if I chose to let them take the site over when the school year is done, then they are on their own. It is a lot of responsibility for a young child. It would almost be a waste if the site was terminated at the end of the year, so I have a lot of preping to show them.
Matt
Shameen,
ReplyDeleteThere are so many resources that my coworker and I use. We're also part of the same moodle and an online magazine where are students publish essays they write during the year. They are allowed to read each others work and post comments and even rate the work. They love it and it keeps them in touch. They can also publish the work to become searchable on Google. There is a lot of resources out there.
Matt