Was it all worth it?...Of Course!

At the beginning of this course, I set goals to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in two National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) set forth by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) (ISTE, 2007). I felt that I needed to become more proficient at presenting technology-enriched lessons that allowed students to pursue their individual curiosities while modeling fluency in technology to my students. Though these goals sounded simple enough, I soon realized that implementing them would require a little more planning, preparation, and patience than I was initially giving.

After reflecting on my progress the first two weeks, I decided that success would not come naturally – I had to make a conscious effort to progress forward. That is when I decided to turn a new class I was forming into my own opportunity for learning. I arranged for us to meet in a computer lab every day for approximately thirty minutes, no pen and paper would be required, and these students would become “experts” right along beside me. We set our own goals as I outlined the plans I had for them, and though some of them looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language, I promised them that blogs, wikis, and digital storytelling would soon be things they would become comfortable with and enjoy doing. By setting these goals with my students, it made me accountable for my own progress. I accepted the fact that I did not have to be an expert before I introduced my students to these activities, I could learn alongside them. In fact, my students showed me how understanding and forgiving they were when obstacles came up and I had no solutions. They really seemed to enjoy helping me help them! I now realize that I don’t have to be an expert before I try to teach my students a new activity, I only have to have an understanding and a willingness to jump in and explore right along with them.

Because of the experiences garnered from setting goals and monitoring my progress, I no longer will hesitate to implement technology into my classroom practice. I don’t want to use technology just for the sake of technology (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009), but I do want to use it as a way to enhance learning in the language arts classroom (Cennamo et al., 2009). While I realized before this experience that I could take any writing assignment and move it into the computer lab as a way to “integrate technology,” I know realize the learning that comes from responding to online text, writing for an authentic audience, and responding to real problems and projects in an effort to find solutions and enhance the world in which our students live (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). When I can create learning experiences that include these certain criteria, I can enhance the learning that my students achieve. But, before I could do this for my students, I had to realize that my own learning could parallel theirs; it didn’t necessarily have to supersede it. My progress does not have to have a specific target; it is an on-going process that will reach certain peaks, and then continue in a new direction. But most of all, I learned that my students do not expect me to be an expert on everything; they are comfortable just knowing that I am learning along with them and together we can find answers, solutions, and pathways toward our goals.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (1 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2007). NETS for students 2007. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Ertmer, P. (Speaker). Spotlight on technology: Problem-based learning, Part 1. [DVD]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD.

It's Not How Well You Play the Game, It's How Good You Look In the Uniform

Progress is a funny thing; the first step is definitely the hardest one to take, but it usually initiates a little momentum. I do believe I've got a little momentum going! My students each selected a news story that posed a problem or dilemma they felt worth learning more about. Then, they were able to form groups of common topics to begin researching. They will officially begin the research tomorrow, knowing they are going to create a digital story for a solution/suggestion presentation. After reading and viewing this week's resources, I cannot wait to begin using digital storytelling in my classroom.

Now, I realize this does not sound like a lot of headway in my GAME plan, but you have to consider that my students are now entering the computer lab and immediately logging on and going to the website we are working off of, they are posting comments on their own every day, and they are asking questions about the upcoming things we will be doing. They are excited and enjoying this class! These students were formerly in a study hall type of class where they spent the thirty minute time period reading, getting make-up work, or being tutored. They started this class feeling as though they were being punished and made to work when others were not, and now...they want to be in the class! That certainly backs up a lot of the things we have heard throughout the courses at Walden.

The other interesting thing was when I unexpectedly got to visit with our Superintendent of Curriculum and tell him about the plans we were implementing in this class. He was a little surprised and taken back, and he said he certainly wants to keep up with what we are doing and see some of the results. That does add a little pressure, but hey, I always work better under pressure., I am really getting into some of the things I have been learning about, reading about, and listening to my classmates talk about.

So, tomorrow we begin researching,and then on to digital storytelling, posting to wikis, solving the world's problems, rocket science, brain surgery, etc., etc., etc.

Jane

Even a snail leaves a trail....

Okay, so I'm not sailing through this GAME plan at the speed of sound. Or even the speed of a race car. I'm more along the lines of the slow, slithering snail who doesn't seem to be making progress. You step over him and go in the house. When you come out the next morning, there's a shiny trail that marks where he passed. I like to think I am leaving a shiny trail that will be noticeable at the end of the school year when I reflect back on the previous nine or ten months. Just hope I don't slime anybody in the process!

I have made a little progress, though. The students in my special class have all registered with an online newspaper for tweens and are beginning to browse it for articles and news stories. They made their first postings today and I am anxious to get in there and see what they had to say. After a few days of this, we will step it up a bit. Not sure to what...but a step of some sort. That is the type of progress we are making. We are all snails together, but that is better than staying stagnant.

So, as I move along at my snail's pace, just know that I am learning to be okay with it. I gain confidence with each little step and find a new step to take when the time is right. I usually feel that I am rushing my students, so this is a little different, but together we are leaving shiny trails on the sidewalk. Just as long as we don't get stepped on!

Who Am I Fooling?

Hahahaha!!! I am sitting here laughing at the fact that I am soon to be a graduate of a master's program relating to technology and I have to stop and try to remember how to log onto my own blog so I can create a new post! I will never be a digital native; perhaps the most I can strive for is to be somewhat 21st century literate!

One thing I learned this week was that when you think you know what you are doing...you are probably wrong. But, on the bright side, the earth does not stop spinning and the students don't really care. You just take a deep breath and regroup. I began my class of specially selected students and we will be utilizing an online newspaper for "tweens" for reading and responding. We met for the first time this week and the students seemed to be looking forward to this class. This is going to be a plan-as-we-go and learn-as-we-apply approach, but I am excited because I am forcing myself to incorporate things I have not done before. I also have another teacher working with me who is totally unfamiliar with any of this, so she is also depending on me. Did I mention that I work better under pressure?

Hopefully by next week I can post of the great strides we have made and how we have begun changing the world...one post at a time. Till then...Jane

Suited Up and Sitting on the Bench...

I have no idea why I have continued with the sports analogies for my blog postings, but they seem to work, so bear with me for one more. I feel like a player on a team (any team, as I don’t get into athletics too much) who has gone out because of the cute uniforms, and is now sitting on the bench due to a lack of skill. I must confess to little progress this week. I have great intentions and high expectations…but progress did not progress too much.

One way I am working to meet my first goal of creating digital-age learning experiences and assessments that are technology-enriched is by coming up with a universal design for learning that will be specifically geared toward a select group of students. These students need extra help, more time, direction, smaller group settings, etc., and I will be working with them every day for approximately thirty minutes. I will be doing this in a computer lab and am looking at reading comprehension and critical thinking skills for the focus. I did re-read the chapters of our text that focused on the universal designs for learning and I can say that I have a better understanding than I did last week. There was a little progress! My desire is to come up with a good place to start with these students. This will be entirely up to me, and can go in any direction I think would benefit these students, but I am just not sure where to start. To give me a little understanding of where to head, I looked at the weaknesses these students share and know that the reading comprehension and critical thinking skills are common for all of them. Would I be crazy to try and have them work on a wiki? I have never done one with my students and I am honestly scared to death of them…but if we did something like this, I would also be working on my second goal of modeling digital-age work as I would grow in fluency of technologies. Two birds with one stone…my kind of pursuit and progress!

Okay, I need suggestions on using a wiki, what to use it for, and where to begin. If you have done one with students who have not experienced a lot of success in a traditional classroom setting, I would love to hear how it went. These kids are driven to learn and have so much motivation, perhaps if we start, they can teach me!

Over the holidays, I am going to play with this a little more. Get a little more comfortable. If I start one just for fun and practice, you wanna join me???

Accountability...Ugh

Accountability….not something I always want, but probably something I usually need. I can have the greatest of intentions, but sometimes fall short of hitting the mark. That is why accountability can be my friend, if I will let it. So, my accountability is here. Right in this blog. I am going to have to answer for the progress I am making on my GAME plan.

So far…not a whole lot. But, I have made a little. In regards to my first goal of designing and developing digital-age learning experiences that are technology-enriched and speak to individual interests of my students, I have decided to find out more about the Universal Design for Learning. My school is trying to target specific students, especially ones in certain sub-groups, as a way to make AYP this year. They have called in some big guns and paid big bucks to learn that raising the scores of certain students of certain sub-groups will lead to this goal. We are supposed to be identifying these particular students and working with them during an advisory period. I have decided to try and find some type of Universal Design for Learning that would allow me to take some of the students with the most difficulties into a computer lab and work specifically with them. One of my principals thinks this would be a great idea, but I have yet to really understand what Universal Design for Learning is. So, my goal this week is to gain a better understanding, while figuring out how to utilize this for a very diverse group of students. If anyone has a clear understanding of this, or any suggestions in using this with students who struggle in school, please feel free to share with me.

I can’t wait to tell you next week what I have learned...Jane

The Game Plan

A good coach is going to have a game plan for his athletes. A great coach is going to also have one for himself as he not only works to lead his players to victory, but strives to continually improve his own skills. The same principle applies to teachers; we spend time each week on lesson plans with the goal of having our students master predetermined standards and benchmarks. This can be the aim of a good teacher, but a great teacher is also going to have a game plan for his/her own growth and development. As nice as it sometimes sounds, obtaining a license does not mean the end of professional growth. Likewise, professional growth should not be purely for the sake of professional advancement. Increasing skills, abilities, and knowledge should be a lifelong learning process for every teacher in every classroom.

With technology and its implementation becoming so fundamental and foundational in every aspect of today’s society, our students must be exposed to its characteristics and possibilities whenever possible. To implement this, however, the teacher must also become a master of these skills and abilities. Since there is no need to wait until mastery is achieved to incorporate technology into the classroom, teachers can develop a game plan that enables them to learn, practice, and grow right alongside their students.

Looking over the National Educational Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) that the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) unveiled in 2008, I find a couple that seem doable enough, but I must admit there are a few that I am having trouble implementing in my classroom. For instance, I think the first one, to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, can be met fairly easily. One of the surest ways would be to get online and research and read about ideas from other teachers. To meet some of the others, however, I need to create my own game plan as a way to set goals, determine the actions I will take, monitor my progress, and then evaluate and expand my learning.

Goals: I want to become more efficient at designing and developing digital-age learning experiences and assessments, specifically ones that are technology-enriched while allowing students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals. Another goal of mine is to model digital-age work and learning by demonstrating fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

Actions: Implementing the first goal will be more difficult for me as I tend to want to control what the students are doing. My district also requires close adherence to the curriculum and teaching the text with fidelity. I will, however, begin to look for opportunities where I can meet the objective while allowing students as much choice and cutomization as possible. An example will be when we begin our unit on persuasive writing and techniques. I will give the students freedom in choosing their topics and the form of presentation for assessment in persuasion. By giving them leeway in their subject and staging, I believe I can expect more passionate and persuasive appeals. To help meet the second goal of modeling my own knowledge and skills, I will continue with my education through Walden University, while taking advantage of any workshops offered by my district. I will also attempt to practice some of the collaborative skills with other teachers who are experienced or who desire to learn the same things.

Monitor: In an attempt to monitor my progress, I will keep this blog current with the actions I am taking and their successes or failures in my learning experiences. I will have to hold myself more accountable now that I am posting this online, knowing that my classmates will be reading and following my progress.

Evaluation and Extension: The easiest way to evaluate my progress with the first goal will be by reflecting on the lessons of the unit and determining whether I was generous enough with the students in allowing them to choose their own passions for persuasion. Also, I can look at their successes with the lessons and see if there was a significant improvement in their participation and engagement. For the second goal, I will be able to look at my own progress and note the level of comfort I achieved. If I can successfully model fluent usage of technology systems, I will know I was successful in my game plan. At these points, I will know if I need to extend my plan, modify my actions, and monitor my growth more carefully as a means to greater growth as an educator and self-directed life-long learner.

Designing a game plan such as this will be the foundation for my growth as an educator. It will also give me direction in meeting the NETS-T set forth by the ISTE. If I expect my students to become self-directed life-long learners, I must ensure that I am first one who can be a role-model for them.