Evaluating my GAME plan…..
I am pleased with the progress of my GAME plan. Developing a learning project that incorporates technology can appear to be an enormous task. But sometimes the time it takes to complete the project is shortened because of the technology. My biggest concern is that I will not incorporate the appropriate technology for the project. This week’s reading assignment helped me see that I am using technology when I ask my students to type their essays. When I am using the SmartBoard in my classroom to review literary terms, I am using technology. Although I am restricted from using blogs, wikis, podcasts, and digital story telling programs right now, I can still prepare my students for the 21st century with the tools I have available to me.
I would like to modify my GAME plan by broadening my goals. ISTE goal number 2c. states, “Teachers will customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources” (ISTE, 2008). This summer I want to develop a method of writing for students who struggle to write a complete sentence. I am going to look into some story starter programs. If anyone has a suggestion, I would appreciate the feedback.
The administrators in our district are using data to determine instructional needs for individual schools. To incorporate “assessments that align with content and technology standards” our district uses a program called Acuity (ISTE, 2008). Assessment is done completely online and provides data that I can use in my classroom. The program provides students with a pretest and a posttest each quarter and individual test results, class results, and the standards students are not proficient in. With this information, it is clear to see what areas need to be addressed. I plan to find additional software programs that track student progress and present it to our IT Department for approval.
I think I am ready for THE NEXT STEP in my plan.
References:
ISTE NET-S and Performance Indicators. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteI share your concerns over whether or not I am using the appropriate technology for a certain project. I know that technology should be used to enrich the lesson and that the lesson should not be used to enrich the technology (Laureate Education Inc., 2009); but I find that I am so focused on using the technology because it is my new hurdle to jump that it is sometimes difficult to focus on maintaining the integrity of both the lesson and the technology. I trust that this process will become easier as we all become more familiar with using technology within our classrooms. It sounds like even though your use of technology is somewhat restricted, you are managing just fine!
I am very interested in the Acuity program that your district uses. My district uses data obtained from student’s scores on end of the year state administered tests to measure teacher effectiveness. I would really like to have data on hand that shows pretest scores to compare the results for a more accurate measure of teacher effectiveness and perhaps more importantly, student growth. Do you know how I could obtain some more information on the program? I plan to conduct my own research, but any pointers would be helpful, thanks!!
Emily Mehlenbacher
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences with Technology Part 1. [DVD]. Baltimore, MD (Author).
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteLike Emily, I also worry if I am using and/or recommending the "right" technology, but I also worry if I am teaching a lesson the right way so that my students get the most out of it. I think that teachers worry about such things because we care and we want what is best for our students.
Likewise, like any new skill that we are attempting to learn, we tend to think about it every step of the way until it becomes second nature. After reading your discussion and blog posts, I have a strong suspicion that this will become second nature in no time at all. Just the same way you are able to decide what to have the students read or write and similar to the way that you have learned what type of assessment to use given your objective, this will also come to you.
Acuity sounds great. I am going to check it out and mention it to my new school! Thanks for the head's up!
Our district uses software to assess the students every 9 weeks. We see the progress of the students and areas where they struggle. I agree with Bruce that teachers worry because they want everyone to succeed. Students love using new types of technology and it will become second nature to ourselves as we continue to use the programs. There is no magic formula to determine the appropriate technology for every performance goal. In fact, a variety of technologies can be used equally well in a multiple content areas (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
ReplyDeleteReferences
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.