I found this latest course, Using Productivity Tools Effectively, had a lot of useful information and provided me with several ideas that I have applied or plan to use in my work. The topics included using graphics programs, spreadsheets, evaluating lesson plans that integrate technology, software evaluation, and using google sites (to name a few). As you can see, there was a lot of territory covered through the six week course and all of it useful information that I hope to use throughout my career.
Of all of the topics covered throughout this course, I have been able to immediately apply what I have learned about google docs and sites. I've used google docs since I began my coursework in the masters program, but I had not experienced using google forms. I had an opportunity to create a google form in order to survey my staff prior to an all staff meeting about our HOTS and 21st Century Skill focus of the month. I was able to take the results of that survey to create charts to graphically represent their responses. It was a fantastic way to gather information in a fast, effective manner and allowed me to come to the meeting prepared to facilitate a conversation about thestaff chose to integrate into their lesson plans.
I have started working on developing a google site for internal communications with the staff. I am still working out the details to determine exactly what areas to focus on, but I think it will be a great tool to communicate events, deadlines, general announcements, etc.
One of my favorite topics in this particular course has to do with fostering creativity and developing a problem-based learning environment. I think it is one of the most challenging ways to teach, but also has the potential to be one of the most rewarding. I believe it is important to put students into the driver's seat of their education and develop ownership in the learning process; which is what can happen in a PBL environment. It takes a lot of prep work, as well as a non-traditional teaching approach, but it provides students with real-life experience researching topics and developing products; and those experiences will stay with them longer than cramming for any test.
As I said, there were many topics addressed throughout this course; many of which I can apply to the work I am currently in. I think the prospect of what can happen in education when technology, creativity and curiosity are tapped is very exciting! I strongly believe it is critical for educators to create real-life learning opportunities for students in order to prepare them for life beyond the classroom, and integrating technology in a creative, inquisitive environment will help meet that goal.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A bit of Google Sites, a dash of creativity and a pinch of TLP
This week in our class we learned about another resource available through Google: Google Sites; we also viewed a video that takes a look at how schools are "killing" creativity; and finally, we were asked to put together a Technology Learning Plan (TLP). As always, I found each of these activities to be useful and relevant to the work I do as a supervisor and trainer.
I just finished reviewing the video: Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY . I thought Sir Ken Robinson had an interesting perspective that made a lot of sense as I reflected on my own experience as a student in the public school system, as well as the students I see in schools today. I have, for quite some time, believed the school structure to be out dated and in need of a revision to meet the needs to today's learners. One of his points in the video is that we start out as risk takers full of creativity, but over the years "we get educated out of creativity." I liked how he described the school system as being set up to produce college professors, whom he described as living "in their heads." His story about the woman who was identified as having learning problems early on in her life ended up becoming a world famous and wildly successful choreographer; all because her different learning style was properly identified and fostered. It makes me think of all of the students I see in our Title I program who are considered "struggling learners" simply because the areas that the schools have identified as important are not how these kids learn.
Earlier this week I worked on creating a Google Site as one of my assignments for this class. I have never created a website because the last time I looked into doing something like this, it was quite the ordeal that required a lot of time and expertise in html. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to create a site--I had some trouble with the layering of the various pages and will need a little more practice to get things right (intentionally). Overall, I am really excited about the potential uses for Google Sites in my work. I plan to continue to work with it and figure out ways I can use this tool to communicate with my staff. I think it could be extremely effective to be able to keep all information in one central location and cut down the amount of emails that are currently our main vehicle for getting announcements out to our staff.
Finally, I worked on a TLP this week, which I think will be extremely useful in the work I do. It seems like things are in constant motion and many times I have to make reactive decisions based on the emergency of the moment. The Technology Learning Plan was a good exercise to reflect on how technology is currently being used in my work, and then to put a plan in place with goals that are reasonable. I find the use of lists and goals help me stay focused and gives me something to refer back to over the long term, which means I will be more likely to follow through with the plan and find success. This is something I can see doing on an annual basis, since I think self-assessment is important in my goal for continuous improvement.
I just finished reviewing the video: Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY . I thought Sir Ken Robinson had an interesting perspective that made a lot of sense as I reflected on my own experience as a student in the public school system, as well as the students I see in schools today. I have, for quite some time, believed the school structure to be out dated and in need of a revision to meet the needs to today's learners. One of his points in the video is that we start out as risk takers full of creativity, but over the years "we get educated out of creativity." I liked how he described the school system as being set up to produce college professors, whom he described as living "in their heads." His story about the woman who was identified as having learning problems early on in her life ended up becoming a world famous and wildly successful choreographer; all because her different learning style was properly identified and fostered. It makes me think of all of the students I see in our Title I program who are considered "struggling learners" simply because the areas that the schools have identified as important are not how these kids learn.
Earlier this week I worked on creating a Google Site as one of my assignments for this class. I have never created a website because the last time I looked into doing something like this, it was quite the ordeal that required a lot of time and expertise in html. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to create a site--I had some trouble with the layering of the various pages and will need a little more practice to get things right (intentionally). Overall, I am really excited about the potential uses for Google Sites in my work. I plan to continue to work with it and figure out ways I can use this tool to communicate with my staff. I think it could be extremely effective to be able to keep all information in one central location and cut down the amount of emails that are currently our main vehicle for getting announcements out to our staff.
Finally, I worked on a TLP this week, which I think will be extremely useful in the work I do. It seems like things are in constant motion and many times I have to make reactive decisions based on the emergency of the moment. The Technology Learning Plan was a good exercise to reflect on how technology is currently being used in my work, and then to put a plan in place with goals that are reasonable. I find the use of lists and goals help me stay focused and gives me something to refer back to over the long term, which means I will be more likely to follow through with the plan and find success. This is something I can see doing on an annual basis, since I think self-assessment is important in my goal for continuous improvement.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
InTime Video Resource
LESSON PLAN: Using Technology For Vocabulary Development, Reading Comprehension, and Word Identification
I reviewed the above-named lesson from the InTime site, which is a resource of lessons that integrate technology. I like that these lessons include actual video footage of implementation in a classroom in order to get a sense of how it should come across.
This lesson is geared toward elementary students who are working on reading skills, particularly vocabulary development. I chose this lesson because the target audience of students was that of kids who are struggling with the vocabulary presented in the reading selection. There is technology integrated into the lesson in the form of a power point presentation to reinforce what the teachers were introducing to the students, as well as a way to display examples of how to record the information they were gathering. The students also used "Quicktionary" pens in teams to scan unknown words: either in pronunciation or meaning. The final outcome was to develop a computer based game that used baseball as the structure/format, and included the vocabulary the students identified throughout reading the story.
I liked the lesson because it provided tools to help the students take charge of their learning, and the baseball format made it relevant and engage for the students as well. The students were able to identify the words, develop questions to "quiz" their classmates, and in the end they were able to play a computer based game that was based on the words they identified. Very high interest and I would think it helped the students learn and own a whole new set of vocabulary words.
I think InTime is a great online resource for teachers who are learning how to integrate technology into the classroom, and to get fresh ideas for lesson planning.
I reviewed the above-named lesson from the InTime site, which is a resource of lessons that integrate technology. I like that these lessons include actual video footage of implementation in a classroom in order to get a sense of how it should come across.
This lesson is geared toward elementary students who are working on reading skills, particularly vocabulary development. I chose this lesson because the target audience of students was that of kids who are struggling with the vocabulary presented in the reading selection. There is technology integrated into the lesson in the form of a power point presentation to reinforce what the teachers were introducing to the students, as well as a way to display examples of how to record the information they were gathering. The students also used "Quicktionary" pens in teams to scan unknown words: either in pronunciation or meaning. The final outcome was to develop a computer based game that used baseball as the structure/format, and included the vocabulary the students identified throughout reading the story.
I liked the lesson because it provided tools to help the students take charge of their learning, and the baseball format made it relevant and engage for the students as well. The students were able to identify the words, develop questions to "quiz" their classmates, and in the end they were able to play a computer based game that was based on the words they identified. Very high interest and I would think it helped the students learn and own a whole new set of vocabulary words.
I think InTime is a great online resource for teachers who are learning how to integrate technology into the classroom, and to get fresh ideas for lesson planning.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Spreadsheets, Software, and Promoting Creativity Through PBL
Since our last class meeting, the focus of our coursework has covered what initially seemed like several unrelated topics: Using spreadsheets, evaluating software, creativity in the classroom and developing/facilitating problem-based learning opportunities. Now that I've completed all of the activities can see the connections between these seemingly disconnected topics.
I'll start with spreadsheets, because I have been using them for years. The way in which I have used this particular tool has evolved as I have learned more about it's capabilities and how powerful it can be in telling a story about data. When I first started teaching I used spreadsheets as an organizational tool: I would create tables or charts of information, usually containing text rather than numbers, and would print the spreadsheet to be used as a hard copy worksheet. As I got to know more about spreadsheets, I learned the sorting and calculating capabilities; and realized just how much I was under-utilizing this application. In my current role as an educational supervisor I use a data collection tool that allows me to run reports on any or all of our sites' Title I programs. The data is exported into a .csv file, which I then convert to a spreadsheet. Within the reports I use filters to really drill down and conduct an analysis of the data. I am also able to very easily create graphs and charts within the same spreadsheet application, which is an extremely powerful way to tell the story of the good work that happening at our various Title I sites. Needless to say, I rely heavily on spreadsheet applications and I anticipate I will find new ways to gain more productivity from this tool as I continue to use it. Even though I am not using spreadsheets in a classroom setting, they have unlimited uses for both teachers and students--it's basically a blank slate and the objective of a project or lesson will determine how it will be used (planning/organizing, tracking information, final output, etc.).
Software Evaluation is another topic addressed this week and one I would like more information about. We reviewed an evaluation form that can be used to help guide the process of selecting software that is appropriate for various purposes. In our study group, we talked about the software selection process in our work environments, and the overall feeling was that we had an idea of how software was selected but were pretty far removed from the process. The fact that the people actually expected to use the software have very little, if any, input is a concern. I know from experience that it is not always possible to involve people at all levels when making program decisions, but when it comes to educational software I firmly believe in giving the teachers an opportunity to test it out before full implementation. I feel like we just scratched the surface on this topic and hope it will come up again during our coursework.
Finally, the topics in our text had to do with fostering a creative classroom environment and providing opportunities for our students to learn with problem-based learning projects. As I read these chapters it made me realize what I initially got into teaching to do: when I graduated with my degree in Education and headed out to become a classroom teacher, I had visions of a creative classroom with students working collaboratively in a project based environment. Unfortunately, that was not the reality of what I experienced and had very little support from the more experienced staff or administration to transition from a teacher-centered traditional classroom setting. One of the most challenging aspects of moving into a student-centered classroom philosophy is teaching the students the techniques of working together to produce a final outcome; but it is also one of the most important and relevant skills students need to develop in order to be successful both in and outside of the classroom. We need to help students learn to think on their own, rather than just repeating what they've heard. Students have to learn to think outside of the box and understand that there is more than one way to look at the same topic...but the teachers have to also learn a new role in the classroom in order for that to happen. Allowing students to be creative and produce things that are "not the normal response" is a great way to foster critical thinking--and it can be a learning experience for the teachers and other adults to hear the thinking behind the students' thinking process. Unfortunately, there are still many teachers and adults who ask those one-answer questions and unknowingly shut down creative thinking in our children.
As I looked at these topics in isolation, I wasn't sure they had any connections but I can now see that they do: In today's classroom it is up to the teachers to develop learners who will be successful in today's world. In order to do that, a teacher's role has to change from provider of information to a co-collaborator and facilitator in the learning process, which comes naturally in problem-based learning. We also want to encourage and support creativity in our students and in order to do so, it is important to provide the scaffolding necessary for them in the learning process--selecting appropriate software resources, and providing appropriate tools such as spreadsheet applications among others will allow students choices in how they work though the learning process.
This all makes a lot of sense and I am a firm believer in these ideas, but I am also a realist and know it takes a lot of work and practice to get it working properly. Thankfully there are many very dedicated educational professionals out there who also see the importance of this type of learning and will stick with it long enough to see success.
I'll start with spreadsheets, because I have been using them for years. The way in which I have used this particular tool has evolved as I have learned more about it's capabilities and how powerful it can be in telling a story about data. When I first started teaching I used spreadsheets as an organizational tool: I would create tables or charts of information, usually containing text rather than numbers, and would print the spreadsheet to be used as a hard copy worksheet. As I got to know more about spreadsheets, I learned the sorting and calculating capabilities; and realized just how much I was under-utilizing this application. In my current role as an educational supervisor I use a data collection tool that allows me to run reports on any or all of our sites' Title I programs. The data is exported into a .csv file, which I then convert to a spreadsheet. Within the reports I use filters to really drill down and conduct an analysis of the data. I am also able to very easily create graphs and charts within the same spreadsheet application, which is an extremely powerful way to tell the story of the good work that happening at our various Title I sites. Needless to say, I rely heavily on spreadsheet applications and I anticipate I will find new ways to gain more productivity from this tool as I continue to use it. Even though I am not using spreadsheets in a classroom setting, they have unlimited uses for both teachers and students--it's basically a blank slate and the objective of a project or lesson will determine how it will be used (planning/organizing, tracking information, final output, etc.).
Software Evaluation is another topic addressed this week and one I would like more information about. We reviewed an evaluation form that can be used to help guide the process of selecting software that is appropriate for various purposes. In our study group, we talked about the software selection process in our work environments, and the overall feeling was that we had an idea of how software was selected but were pretty far removed from the process. The fact that the people actually expected to use the software have very little, if any, input is a concern. I know from experience that it is not always possible to involve people at all levels when making program decisions, but when it comes to educational software I firmly believe in giving the teachers an opportunity to test it out before full implementation. I feel like we just scratched the surface on this topic and hope it will come up again during our coursework.
Finally, the topics in our text had to do with fostering a creative classroom environment and providing opportunities for our students to learn with problem-based learning projects. As I read these chapters it made me realize what I initially got into teaching to do: when I graduated with my degree in Education and headed out to become a classroom teacher, I had visions of a creative classroom with students working collaboratively in a project based environment. Unfortunately, that was not the reality of what I experienced and had very little support from the more experienced staff or administration to transition from a teacher-centered traditional classroom setting. One of the most challenging aspects of moving into a student-centered classroom philosophy is teaching the students the techniques of working together to produce a final outcome; but it is also one of the most important and relevant skills students need to develop in order to be successful both in and outside of the classroom. We need to help students learn to think on their own, rather than just repeating what they've heard. Students have to learn to think outside of the box and understand that there is more than one way to look at the same topic...but the teachers have to also learn a new role in the classroom in order for that to happen. Allowing students to be creative and produce things that are "not the normal response" is a great way to foster critical thinking--and it can be a learning experience for the teachers and other adults to hear the thinking behind the students' thinking process. Unfortunately, there are still many teachers and adults who ask those one-answer questions and unknowingly shut down creative thinking in our children.
As I looked at these topics in isolation, I wasn't sure they had any connections but I can now see that they do: In today's classroom it is up to the teachers to develop learners who will be successful in today's world. In order to do that, a teacher's role has to change from provider of information to a co-collaborator and facilitator in the learning process, which comes naturally in problem-based learning. We also want to encourage and support creativity in our students and in order to do so, it is important to provide the scaffolding necessary for them in the learning process--selecting appropriate software resources, and providing appropriate tools such as spreadsheet applications among others will allow students choices in how they work though the learning process.
This all makes a lot of sense and I am a firm believer in these ideas, but I am also a realist and know it takes a lot of work and practice to get it working properly. Thankfully there are many very dedicated educational professionals out there who also see the importance of this type of learning and will stick with it long enough to see success.
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