I haven't updated my blog in quite sometime, so I wanted to ease back into it by posting some quick and easy tips on how to make things easier in your role as a teacher to integrate technology into your instruction.  Here's my first attempt at making it easier.

Reflection week 8

One of the things that I have learned throughout this program, not just the course is the need for not only using technology within the classroom at a variety of capacities, but also the need for using it in appropriate manners similar to the ways that students will use in the near and distant future. I really like the idea of using Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVE’s) within the classroom, and would like to pursue using them for various activities. Depending on the program, the cost could be minimal and yet the quite valuable to students who can use it effectively.

Not only did I learn about the ideas behind MUVE”s, but I also learned the importance using new technologies to not only help students learn in the classroom today, but also to get them to use technology in hopes to prepare them for using technology for jobs that have yet to be created.

Overall, I have begun to reflect on my current teaching strategies and to try to find new ways to integrate technology. When I look back on all that I have done in the last two years, I realize I use technology more in my classroom than our technology teacher does in his. I do my best to try to get students to use technology and am constantly trying to find ways to use technology in the classroom. For example, I have been, and will continue to push for having email addresses for all of our students. Although the teachers I have been working with and I have been unsuccessful, there is a growing number of us that believe we should be doing more for the students than we do.

In order to make my life easier, I have organized my handouts and some of my notes on my webpage through the school. Students have used them several times, and tell me that I actually need to make them more entertaining with the beginnings. It makes my life a lot easier and I can help students in more ways. I have also posted all of my assignments online for students to download and use, making turning in missing work a great deal easier.

As technology continues to evolve, so do my teaching strategies. I hope that as new technologies continue to emerge, I can keep helping my students become more prepared for their futures while using technology. As I continue to surf some blogs such as technology4teachers, I hope I can learn a great deal about the new and emergent technology to stay more informed.

LMS

The Voicethread below focuses on using LMS within our school, and some possible reasons for it's use. For those who do not know what LMS stands for, they are Learning Management systems, such as Blackboard, Moodle, or RCampus.

http://voicethread.com/share/1021708/

Enjoy!

Reflecting on UDL and DI

As the class winds down, I tried to sit and think about the things I have learned, the ideas I have had, and the concepts we have discussed. Although I have not mastered the ideas of DI and UDL yet, I feel that I have a more in-depth understanding of the methodology of DI. I think what is important to understand is that although the ideas are quite simple to understand, the whole process of differentiation is quite complex. Not only can you differentiate in the areas of process or procedure, but also in the variety of learning styles and other methods based on the population dynamics of the class. I am finding that with my new group of students I just started with, they are completely different than I had expected, which will not allow me to differentiate my lessons using the same plans from last semester.

One of the things that I have already begun to do is stockpile tools for differentiation. As one of my school district's "pioneers" in a differentiation program, I think it would be a valuable idea, so that I can present the information to my colleagues when possible. This is definitely something that I am glad we were able to do through the social networking aspect of this class. By doing this, it has already given me a head start on the organizational aspect.

Another aspect of my instruction that I have begun is to create more podcasts. I started to make these two weeks ago, when I was snowed in at my house. They are short little clips that discuss a topic we discuss in class, and hopefully can be used by my students to help them understand the material in more detail.

I know that the process of learning how to differentiate is a long one, but I think since I'm already started and have a fair amount of resources at my disposal, it is definitely something worth pursuing.

GAME Plan Review

In thinking back over the length of the course, I have thought about what I really took away from the GAME Plan. What it comes down to is that I have reinforced the idea that I need to plan into my year ways to improve my teaching strategies and methods. In regards of technology, I have not learned too much new information, with the exception of how to make video podcasts using VoiceThread.

One of the things that I have learned in the course, and will use in my next semester's course is to use online collaboration when I cover genetics. The lesson plan I developed for my "Traits and Punnett Square" lesson. I will use online collaboration to have my students see how traits are passed through generations, and that not all dominant traits are more prominent in populations. This lesson will be quite beneficial, and I will use it in the future.

As my schedule opens up (hopefully soon), I will begin to update my calendars more frequently and provide more podcasts for my students so that they can focus on the information they may have missed or not understood in class.

Overall, I thought I picked up a few good ideas in the class, and will use them when I can in the future.

Happy Holidays!

Using the GAME plan for students to learn NETS-S standards

Throughout my building, I am one of the teachers who is labeled an “Outside thinker.” As I attended a workshop yesterday, I was told that I am the epitome of the phrase “think outside the box.” And rightly so, throughout this school year, I have been trying a variety of new tools and tricks and have had amazing success with them. I think it would be a good idea to have students build a portfolio throughout their course and have them tie in the NETS-S standards as part of their portfolio. My strategies this year have been focused primarily on project based learning through differentiated lessons and activities, which has made each student’s learning experience quite unique. As the semester is winding down, I am starting to think of final assessment methods to coincide with the learning methods we have used throughout the term. As I was doing so, I realized that it would be quite beneficial for students to plan out and build their portfolio throughout the year.

One of the Virginia SOL’s options students can use is demonstrate their mastery of the standards is to create a binder that demonstrates their understanding of the materials in the course. As I read more about differentiation and hear several views on the matter, I realize this style of learning is quite beneficial for students, so that they can demonstrate their abilities in other methods than standard based assessments. Using a portfolio would be quite interesting to cover all standards, not just the science content standards, but also the NETS-S as well. In order to do this, I would have a list of the standards and have the students fill in a way they want to be assessed to cover each standards, and a reason as to why. This way students could plan out their learning, as well as suggest various forms of technology we could use as a class to complete various projects as well.

I am still toying with the idea, but I think it could have a great deal of potential in the future if I can organize my thoughts more effectively.

NETS-T and building on my plan.

As I work towards my GAME plan, I realized that I have some things that I have done that would be beneficial for my students. One of the first things that I have done was adapt a voicethread to include an instructional video that the students can watch to cover the content on DNA. Making videos such as these would be beneficial tools for students that are struggling with content, or that have missed a day. My goal is to make one of these each for the major points of the standards that I cover in each unit.

One of the areas that I would love to try to establish in my classroom is to set up a virtual learning environment, where students collaborate with other students, not just in our school, but in other schools as well, throughout various times in the day. I learned this week about how teachers collaborate with other schools and it is quite beneficial for all students (Laureate Education Inc, 2009). I want to try to create a learning environment for all of my students. My biggest concern is the giant mountain I have to overcome to get started with this. Our school is not to supportive of social networking in regards to learning because of some previous situations, so I need to convince them that these endeavors would be beneficial to our students. One of the points that Vicki Davis made was how using online collaborative tools really helps to differentiate lessons, which is one of the biggest areas my district is trying to promote this year (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). Hopefully that approach will work out best for me.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009a). Program nine. Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Collaboration. Part 1. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.