I consider it a personal conviction to stay on top of the latest technology and resources for teaching. I believe this will offer my students the best education and the greatest advantage for acquiring 21st century skills.
The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) provides indicators that help educators gauge how they are performing. These five standards are meaningful for every classroom and boost the level teaching that is taking place in the classroom.
My GAME Plan is as follows:
Goals: While reflecting on the five standards that NET-S has created I found that I most would like to improve my standing on "Designing and Developing Digital Age Learning Experience and Assessments." I feel comfortable In having my student using technology to create authentic and self-directed learning experiences, I feel that using technology as a resource for assessments is one area that I could use more frequently and appropriately. Situations might be better suited for the use of technology as an assessment tool.
Indicator #3 is another area I would like to improve, Model-Digital Age Work and Learning. Working with first graders I feel that I do not always have the opportunity to expand beyond computer basic to create multi-media and other creative learning opportunities for my students. Sometimes I feel like it might be beyond their grasp because of their lack of exposure to basic computer components.
Action: The action aspect of a GAME plan shows how I will carry out reaching my goals.
Goal #1 of designing and developing digital-age learning assessments is something I belive will take a lo of work. I have use search engines to find more appropriate ways of assessing first grade students using technology and so much seems to be too technological for their limited skills. I have decided the most helpful source maybe to sit down with my schools computer specialist and ask for some specific ideas on what I can use with my students. Also I thought about asking him for some sources that I might be able to do some professional development regarding assessment.
Goal #2 I believe will be taking a leap of faith beyond my comfort zone. I thought about starting out small and creating opportunities as a class to learn two new multi-media or software with students a year. We could learn the ins and outs of the program and create a class project together. I might also need the help of the computer specialist to assist with some of the introductory lessons. This way we can help troubleshoot issues that my arise with first graders.
Monitor:To monitor my progress I plan on placing an area to make sure that I include one digital age assessment in each unit plan. This assessment may be formative or summative. By starting out small I believe it will kick start the momentum to include more as I become comfortable. For goal #2 I plan on creating a survey that the students could fill out that would gauge the level of enjoyment and engagement using the technology more often. I will also ask for ways to improve the two projects we create.
Evaluation: To evaluate on whether or not I accomplished my goals I believe it will come down to reflection and looking at my lesson plans to see if I was able to incorporate new assessments and multi media projects. I will also take this time to look at if my students enjoyed using the tools and areas they felt would improve the learning experience.
I would love to get some feedback on age appropriate assessment and learning projects.
References:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.
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Dear Amanda,
ReplyDeleteStarting out with small steps of integrating technology in the classroom is perfectly acceptable. It gives you time to gain confidence in your own abilities and to see what your students are coming to you knowing how to do. I know you teach first graders, but you never know who may surprise you. Using your computer specialist might also lighten your load.
One form of technology that can be used across the grades is VoiceThread. http://voicethread.com/#home
I am not sure if you are familiar with it, but it allows you to combine audio and visuals together. This is a project that would not require a lot of extensive skills. It could be easily broken down into manageable steps. You could also use the final project as an assessment.
When you visit the VoiceThread site, there are examples you can look at about how people have used the program. One particular example shows a picture that was drawn by a little boy. The picture was uploaded to VoiceThread where the little boy talked about his drawing. Other people commented on the drawing as well. I have used VoiceThread by creating a PowerPoint presentation and uploading it with audio narration. This program gives you a lot of flexibility on how it can be used.
I hope this helps!
Kristin
Kristin,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the suggestion. I have used the VoiceThread site before. I actually have thought about using it with my students, so it is nice to hear someone else thinks it is a good idea. I like that it is a program that could be appropriate for any grade level. The only draw back is that it is a blocked site at my school. We have heavy restrictions on what students are able to access. I can go to our computer person and make a petition on the block being lifted. Thank you so much for the suggestion!
Amanda
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteIt is a blessing and a curse at the same time that so much of the internet's content is blocked from our school computers. Our students are protected from many negative things yet sheltered from many good.
Given your situation, I was thinking about how you could use PowerPoint to do a similar project. Instead of using audio narration, you could have your students type their thoughts. Another good program is Microsoft Publisher. There are templates there that will help you and your students create many different things.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI like your action plan of implementing two multi-media tools or software with your students. It is a realistic goal to set and one what will be beneficial for your first graders. So much of the time we feel like we have to do it all but really, the best way to really teach something is to allow our students to master something. I think your students will do this with the two tools you choose to incorporate in your classroom.
I think Powerpoint is a great tool for 1st grade students. They love adding pictures, animation, and sounds. It is something they can really amke their own.
As for assessments, I too am working on that. Another classmate mentioned using CPS "clickers". We have these at my school and they can give you so much data for each assessment. It might be something you can talk to your technology representative about.
Good luck and great post!
-Ashley Coughlin