Friday, February 26, 2010

Reflection: Final Blog Post

The GAME plan process helped keep me focused on specific NETS-T goals regarding technology integration into the mathematics classroom. Often math is overlooked as being more paper and pencil work, but throughout the weeks I found websites and technology software to help with instruction. The interactive website for Percent Shopping including the internet activity and middle school resource for collaborative project ideas provided authentic learning experiences for students.

The reflection process of the GAME plan allowed for a realistic look at the progress made with the curriculum and integration. It addressed moving forward and improving my professional development to assist others in the building with technology. One way is collaborating through a multiple class math project with another teacher in the building. The technology allows for collaboration between students and information, but I realized the wiki also helps collaboration with other teachers. The digital resources of using a wiki or blog give students practical experience and exploration with mathematical concepts that would be difficult to address (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). The instruction and learning of math curriculum changed throughout the GAME plan as it moved toward a community of learners who can connect with real world applications by applying technology and reflecting on what was learned.

A few ways technology will impact my classroom is by developing critical, creative and collaborative learners. One immediate impact is the use of an interactive glossary for geometry terms in the next chapter. Students will provide written explanations of terms along with a video clip or image of an appropriate example. The activity gives students the opportunity to be creative and solve problems while working together with digital media. The detailed video will be added to Teacher Tube.

Another way of technology integration as a result of this course is the real world math examples that students can share with written steps and drawings or video. Students are often intrigued by skateboards, so finding the mathematical description for speed and incline to jump a specific distance would be a practical application and motivate them to learn the formula.

The final results from learning throughout this course are reflection on assessments and what students’ needs are in the classroom. Technology allows for an organized and quicker method to gather data in a formative or summative assessment either through handheld devices, software graphing or parent communication through a class website or email (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). It also provides a way for students to demonstrate understanding of a recipe and fractions without a kitchen. Technology changes instruction by teachers being able to address students’ needs through individualized learning (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). The integration of multimedia tools benefits students by giving them support with text at their level, visual assistance or with auditory information. These different tools would be challenging to provide students with on a regular basis in the classroom if technology wasn’t available. The spotlight throughout this course has been on technology. It has helped be become a better teacher through the participation in this blog, the wiki project and class discussions in this course. I can’t wait for my students to have these same experiences in their classroom.


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 Learning.

Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Ertmer, P., Program: 3 Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences With Technology. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Educational Video]. Los Angeles: Solution.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

As I reflect on the GAME plan process, it helped me stay focused and identify specific standards in relation to technology and education. The process strengthened my understanding of digital citizenship and designing innovative math lessons. The feedback from colleagues helped guide and clarify the process along with evaluating the progress throughout the weeks. The process is a skill that students need to be taught for success in the classroom. According to Cennamo (2009), “teaching students the GAME plan process will support self directed learning in the classroom.” Students learn to set goals, plan their actions, monitor their actions and evaluate their progress.

To facilitate the learning of the National Standards for Students (NETS-S) in the classroom, the GAME plan is an effective way. The standards are selected and students can identify a particular standard of interest or as a class they can identify a group goal. After the goal is selected students can brainstorm some ways to put the plan into action. One of the first goals to address could be digital citizenship, so students understand cultural and social issues related to technology (5.a), including the practice of safe, legal and responsible use of information. As they communicate and collaborate through digital media with mathematics. One website that has been helpful in providing safe websites for parents and students is Digital Resources. This provides students and parents with updated issues regarding technology. As students become more aware of their actions and locate other resources. It is time to monitor their actions, by participating in a class blog or wiki to display what they have learned about the standard. The blog and wiki become the assessment of students’ understanding and they can receive peer feedback to monitor their attitude towards technology. The last part of the process involves student evaluation and using a digital assignment such as a class blog or wiki gives students a clear understanding of where they were in the beginning to the progress made throughout the year. As students complete the GAME plan it will be important for them to address other standards and make changes as needed.

The National Educational Technology Standards for teachers (NETS-T) mirrors the students’ standards, so as teachers make a conscious effort to meet their goals. Students can attain their own technology standards in the classroom. The important concept is to make students aware of what they need to learn and they can encourage technology usage and develop ideas in the curriculum, too. The standards enable teachers to meet curricular standards and support students’ interests, creativity and motivation to learn in the classroom through authentic instruction (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). It will become more student-centered and less teacher-centered, as students develop their own GAME plans and start asking thought-provoking questions.


Heather
MS-Math

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 Learning.

Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Cennamo, K., Program: 2 Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences With Technology. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Educational Video]. Los Angeles: Solution.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The GAME Plan- Revising The Plan

As I review the NETS-T standards of promoting and supporting a creative and innovative use of technology in the classroom (1. a) and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility (4. c). I have learned so far that applying a diverse approach to instruction meets students’ needs in understanding mathematical concepts. The use of interactive websites and hands on material engages the students in the learning and motivates them to work harder. By modeling digital citizenship in the classroom, using a wiki shows students to think differently about the internet and possibilities. It incorporates collaborative thinking and social interaction from a diverse student population along with a respect of information found online. Students start to care about others and their intellectual property or ideas.

The goals I am still working on are becoming better equipped with technology and ideas for using it in the classroom. To prompt stronger student discussions using a class blog has helped and is a resource for students to start thinking about a question or concept (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). While working on my lesson plan this week, I found a website for educational networking for math concepts Online Math Resource designed for middle school students. This website provides a perfect opportunity to join and interact with other teachers around the world giving students an authentic audience to give and receive feedback (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). It also provides me with proven online collaborative projects and a resource for developing other ideas.

Based on the NETS-T goals, another standard that I would like to participate in is engaging in professional growth and leadership in my school and professional community (5. d). As technology is an effective and vital tool to teaching, others in the teaching profession need to be aware of the possibilities. Using facebook as an option for reaching a large population and working with other professionals to solve complex problems or receive ideas is a goal that I would want to achieve to become a better teacher. Then taking my knowledge and sharing it with others in my building, so students have a better middle school experience compared to traditional textbook teaching. This standard becomes my next goal to modeling and implementing technology in my profession.

The learning approach for my next goal includes supporting learning by doing. Technology provides a powerful tool to represent information in an audio, visual and video form. Technology gives students access to people and resources or locations that would be impossible to get without it (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). It provides students with a meaningful learning experience and gives them time to reflection on what was learned. As a teacher, it is valuable to model this approach to learning and show others the aspect of trying new ideas in the classroom.

Heather
MS-Math

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 Learning.

Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Davis, V., Program: 10 Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences With Technology. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Educational Video]. Los Angeles: Solution.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The GAME Plan- Evaluating Your Progress

As I continue to work towards my GAME plan it is clear that a conscious effect needs to be made to constantly seek new information. The effectiveness of my actions ran into a few issues due to technology limits by students at home and approval by administration. The main access the class has to technology is my teacher computer or a lab that is booked mainly by a career and computer class. My principal likes the idea and is behind the initiative of creating a class site that students can collaborate and share ideas. The support definitely leads me to think that it will work out.

After our graduate wiki was set up, the tutorials sent to my email helps build my confidence in the potential of implementing one in the classroom through Wiki Help. There are many ideas to improve and create other options for students to show what they know. I have learned that you can add audio and video to the page and a calendar to keep students current on when assignments are due. The discussion tab is one aspect of a wiki that I think will improve students’ learning, because it provides a good way for students to reflect on what has happened or to negotiate with each other (Richardson, 2009).

I still need to learn to show students what it means to be a part of a process. Being a part of a wiki and showing the enthusiasm for working together to create information as a group. Sometimes teachers work in their rooms and are busy getting the daily tasks done that little collaboration takes place until the one in-service day or meeting where some group effort needs to happen to accomplish a goal. The wiki takes the time issue away, so I am looking forward to collaborating with other teachers through our lesson plans. It is great to have some other insight into a lesson. Some additional questions come from helping students grasp and interact with different representations, such as diagrams or graphs including percents. They have the concept of percents and discounts, but being able to graphically represent the increase in costs of items over time is missing. The further exploration of the concept is necessary for students to actually understand the material. The other thought is tools that are too complex can also present a problem for students with no background experience, so balancing this issue seems challenging (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009).

The focus needs to remain on adjusting to the needs of my students for the digital world and engaging them in technology to improve their understanding of mathematical concepts. The idea of using problem based learning as a way to challenge the students in their understanding of percents should promote high order thinking skills, so this will be my next step along with improving my skills using a wiki.

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 Learning.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wiks, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.