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Indicators in the NETS-T that need strengthening
1.
Model Digital-Aged Work and Learning
§
Goal-The
goal is to stay up-to-date on the latest technological tools that can
facilitate student learning and achievement
§
Action-The
first action will be to periodically surf the International Society for
Technology in Education (ISTE) and National Education Standards for Teacher
(NETS-T) websites to discover and research data-based tools currently used in
classrooms
§
Monitor-In
order to gain effective feedback, I want to discover efficient data recording
techniques that produce authentic and supportive information. Therefore,
adjustments that need to be made can be implemented effortlessly
§
Extend/Evaluate-Once
the previous criteria has been satisfied, being able to extend the new
techniques and strategies implemented can be done with some ease. The
evaluation process will strictly be based on student engagement and
achievement. I believe once the new hi-tech tools are exposed to students
within the classroom, engagement and focus will increase. Therefore, increasing
the opportunities for students to comprehend the content being taught.
2.
Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
§
Goal-The
goal is to involve as many colleagues as possible to who want to incorporate
more technology in the classroom
§
Action-I
want to begin with my fellow Physical Science teachers. Even though I work with
students with learning disabilities, for the most part, I feel focusing on a
subject will be the most beneficial for students and myself. We have SMART®
Boards in every classroom, but my some of my co-teachers are hesitant to use
them to their fullest potential. So, I will introduce them to some effective
lessons that provide detailed information, along with vivid images that promote
student learning easier.
§
Monitor-In
order to monitor the process, I will invite any feedback, questions, comments,
or concerns my fellow teachers may need. Also, I can involve our designated school
SMART® specialist, who can assist in our advancement of the SMART® hardware and
software.
§
Extend/Evaluate-To
extend the process, I can involve other Special Education teachers who teach in
other subject areas using the same process used for the Physical Science
teachers. Every teacher, not matter the subject area, can benefit from more
technology in the classroom.
Wow, Jason, your blog post reads like an incredibly organized plan! My own meandering post feels comparatively philosophical!
ReplyDeleteUnder your first goal in the Monitoring section, I wonder what you mean by data recording techniques? Do you mean keeping track of what you're learning? I like to use Diigo for that. I find it helps me to group and record the various bits and pieces I find on the internet into something I can revisit easily. Another option is Evernote, which lets you record videos and make notes about them.
Or do you mean actual data recording techniques for example writing down information gathered during a science experiment? If so, I've seen some great results using Google docs. Students can record their data while they are doing their experiments and produce excellent graphs right away, clearing the path for easily writing their reflections.
The very coolest science at school thing I've ever seen is Ray Zahab's impossible2possible (http://impossible2possible.com/home) project. Kids are linked via satellite to students out in the field doing experiments! It's really an amazing program.
I'd also recommend getting out there in the twitter world. If you just scroll through this list of interesting organizations and people (https://twitter.com/#!/who_to_follow/interests/search/education%20science) I think you'll find some incredible sources for current thinking on science and education!
Woods,
DeleteThanks for the compliments! As far as your question goes, I'm referring to your first answer. I am a firm believer in what gets measured, gets improved, so the more data collected the easier it would be to make adjustments. Also, thanks for referring those websites that can be used to extend my technological toolbox.
Thanks again!
Jason,
ReplyDeleteAs I looked through your (GOAL’s) I thought you did a good job. Taking a look at you first indicator needing strengthening I think we all as educator need to continue to stay on top of. Sometimes I get caught up with not modeling for the students because I assume that they’ve used the program being used in another class. In this case, some students may understand the program because they’ve used it and other students may not have used it but are discouraged to say something because other students understand the program and how it works.
I like the fact that in your action plan you said you will surf ISTE and NETS-T to discover and research data-based tools currently being used in classrooms. This may be the best shot of finding out what’s hot and what’s not as far as programs go.
The way you plan on doing your monitoring is similar to mine. You seem to be doing a journal type monitoring to figure out what works and what doesn’t. This will give you the ability to make the necessary modifications needed.
The evaluation process for you should be pretty easy if you completed the journal the way it should have been done. You should be able to see a difference in student engagement and an increase in focus.
Your second indicator needing strengthening is engaging in professional growth and leadership. Your goal for involving as many colleagues as possible looks like a pretty good idea. If everything works, you should all be able to incorporate more technology across the board. It’s good for the students to be exposed to technology in different curriculums so they understand it’s not just one class that advanced technology is being used.
Your action plan sounds great. Exposing those teachers that aren’t very knowledgeable on the SMART Boards is a great idea. You already have a base knowledge as to what lessons the SMART Board can be implemented and can point these teacher’s in the right direction.
Feedback as a means of monitoring should take you a long way. The teacher’s you taught may want to add something to the lesson or found a different better way of using the SMART Board. There may even be a lesson a teacher believes the SMART Board can be used.
The way you plan on extending the process looks good. Extending the invitation to special education teachers could be great for those students.
Heath Oliver response to Jason King
ReplyDeleteYour first goal is to stay up to date with the latest technology tools, which is a great position. I would have multiple actions the one you have is great but I would add a subscription to a magazine that correlates to your field. I am a math teacher and I have one to the NCTM website, which is great and supplies me with valuable information not only on new technologies but ways to use them.
Your second GAME plan is very interesting to me, as I deal with the same issues at my school. There are teachers who are very hesitant to try to learn how to use technology with their students. One of my goals as my school's STEM committee chair is to show the teachers at my school the resources that are available to them and the benefits to using them with students. I also wanted to give them time to play with the technology themselves and become more comfortable using it. One suggestion I have for you, and it seems as if you may already be doing this, is to pick one or two aspects of the technology you're sharing to focus on. Otherwise, people get too overwhelmed and won't end up using any of it. If you're choosing to show them aspects of the SMART board technology, focus on one or two cool features and give them time to become comfortable using them before introducing something new. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMs. Heinemann,
DeleteThanks for the encouraging words! I also appreciate your 'baby step' approach to implementing technology to my coworkers. If I can find something they can connect to and enjoy, the fact that they are using new aged technology will be irrelevant because they'll be focused on improving student learning, which is the main goal. I wish you luck on the role you play in the STEM committee. I'm sure whatever ideas you have your coworkers are going to grasp them with a positive approach.
GOOD LUCK!
Jason,
ReplyDeleteYou have a very detailed game plan. I like your action for your second goal. I work with special education students and I use my smart board. But, the resource teachers and the self-contained LD teacher do not use their boards to the boards’ potential. I have shared with them ideas to make their lesson more interesting. The reason main reason I am told that they do not use their boards to its fullest is time. I agree with you that every teacher can benefit from more technology in the classroom. I will continue suggesting that my coworkers find the time to use the technology (smart boards) in their classes. Good luck in your endeavors. LaVerne
Jason,
ReplyDeleteThese are some things that I remind my colleagues about when I am having difficulty motivating them to use our SMART boards. SMART boards in the classroom encourage interactivity. Teachers can use them for most subjects, from displaying group pictograms for math problems to having the students edit each other's work on-screen.
With a SMART board, teachers can reach out to those students who learn best through visual media. The screen gives teachers a large presentation display area and this is an ideal way of presenting certain types of material such as graphs, pictures and designs.
A SMART board connected to a wireless Internet system can help students who need access to distance learning. For example, students in South Africa were forced to commute great distances to gain access to qualified teachers. With a SMART board, they are able to stay at their local school and interact with the teachers without traveling.
SMART boards can help students with learning disabilities such as autism. According to a study by Towson University, the interactive nature of the SMART board can improve the concentration and performance of students with learning difficulties, even severe ones.