Emerging Technologies: Moodle

http://emergingtechnologiesmoodle.wikispaces.com/

This wiki is a secondary creation of a project on emerging technologies that resulted from a digital tool malfunction. The voicethread site that all of this information was on went down as I was finishing the last slide and I have been unable to reconnect for the past hour. Therefore, I am forced to go to plan b with this project and create a wikipage. I do apologize if the information looks like it was prepared for a voicethread presentation. There really is nothing like having computer problems when creating a persuasive presentation on why teachers don't incorporate technology.

Reflection

The ending of a Walden course has arrived once again. With that ending, as always, there comes a need for reflection on topics covered, lessons learned, and resources discovered. This course focused on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI). The major difference between this course and its predecessors was the use of a social network consisting of classmates. Discussions were held each week to share various resources on DI and technology. While there were many suggestions for technology implementation, I feel that focusing on a few will help me be realistic about implementation in the classroom. Trying everything only leads to confusion or the use of technology for varied teaching methods criteria.

As I don’t want to be the teacher who is always in the computer lab but my students only use one type of media, I have chosen a few resources to try implementing next year. The most popular resource in the social network appeared to be Survey Monkey (an online survey creation program). I will be using this to gain information about student backgrounds and preferences in the beginning of the school year. While I have used paper handouts in the past, I know that this will be more efficient as the review of the work can be done while checking my email (a task that happens much more frequently than reading a stack of papers).

The one resource that I am most excited about is a free webpage design located at http://www.wix.com/. This site allows you to create a simple website for free with easy navigation and copy/paste options. While I would eventually use this for a student project, my focus for this year will be to design a web quest for my U.S. history class. Most web quests I have found do not differentiate for students with special needs. Essentially there are no options for reading, skills, or interest levels. While students may enjoy using the computer to search for information, that does not guarantee their success if they cannot navigate or understand the sites.

I will be implementing these new resources during this school year. However, the overall change that I will be focusing on is getting to know my students. I already design my lessons to include various learning styles. By learning the preferences of my students earlier in the year, I hope to create more student driven lessons that are specific to this year’s classroom environment. Students will always vary but that does not mean that planning for learning styles rather than specific student groups will always work. Granted, I realize that every student does not need an individual lesson plan. Nevertheless, I should have a plan to know each individual student.

Reflection

As the school year closes (my last day is June 24th) so does my graduate course on integrating technology across the content areas. As always with a blog integrated course, I am required to reflect on the products and processes introduced in the past eight weeks. So now I tackle the last task before I can officially put the lime in the coconut.

My game plan started with a focus on building leadership skills and understanding assessments. Unfortunately, the timing of the class and the truncated schedule did not allow for my GAME plan to come to full fruition. Whether my goals were ripe or not, I was able to make some improvements in my assessment skills with minor improvements in my leadership abilities. The process was worthwhile for future practice while the requirements may have been frustrating at times due to the circumstances of my own district as budget cuts and new administration guidelines limited my options for implementation of my GAME plan.

I was able to learn more about the development of technology assessments as well as their uses in driving instruction and teaching evaluation. This will help in both the creation of new assessments and the execution of ones that have already been made and tested. Unfortunately, I was also able to learn that new administration often results in a loss of power and leadership roles for teachers for at least a short period of time. I hope that opportunities will be made available in the future, but I am stuck on that part of my GAME plan for right now.

I have already begun to plan for next year’s lessons in a more formatted approach that will allow me to prepare for the tests without losing classroom flexibility. Furthermore, I have started to design three technology integrated projects that I can use in various subjects. This will allow me to integrate technology into my lessons without losing focus on my content area.

GAMEs in school

Not surprisingly, most students in eighth grade understand the concept of standards in curriculum. These students have spent their entire educational career under NCLB which was instituted when they were kindergarten. They have grown up with the process and probably know just as much about objectives as many teachers. Furthermore, many have become interested in teaching as a possible future profession and are more likely to listen about curriculum and modern teaching practices when mentioned in passing. Therefore, I see no problem in introducing a GAME plan for them to advance their skills in the NETS-S standards by teaching them about each acronym. The technology goals can be explained with an emphasis on fluency, citizenship, and concepts (standards 3, 5, and 6). While creativity, critical thinking, and communication (standards 1, 4, and 2) are important, eighth graders still require instruction in the basic skills of use and safety. Then I would explain the GAME plan process and students could chose one standard they would like to focus on and develop their own plan. Depending on how confident I am in being able to get resources for the students to practice their skills, the single standard could be the goal for the year or the year can be split into the different standards with various projects that focus on each standard. This would involve a great deal of planning on my part, but I think the students would respond well to knowing what the purpose of the lessons was while viewing their own progression as technology students.

This idea might be simple explanation, but I think it is the most feasible and straight-forward lesson which they should respond to in a positive manner. It allows them to feel trusted as young adults with higher educational material.

This is the GAME that never ends

Q: If you see a dead horse and you have a stick, what do you do?
A: Talk about your GAME plan!

Seriously, I am really beginning to wonder how this graduate course would run when school was in full session rather than shutdown mode. Actively working on a GAME plan, writing lesson plans, blogging, and posting discussions each and every week is draining enough with relaxed classes. Imagine what it would be like after straight teaching for several hours a day. But it is what it is and neither the instructor nor the students have the key to freedom until we get the course survey in two weeks.
To that end, I will now answer the required questions for week 6:

Q: What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? What goals are you still working toward?
A: I have learned a great deal about the use of technology to create and give assessments. Between programs and projects, students can easily prove their competency and understanding of material. Furthermore, they may have more interest in performing well if the information is presented in this new fashion. I am still working on developing my leadership skills which will take time and experience. I will just have to watch for opportunities as they arise.

Q: Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?
A: Another goal I would be interested in is to help inspire student creativity. So many students are used to looking for the perfect way to do their work just as the teacher wants. I would like my students to create something in their own image. There really shouldn’t be a right or wrong way to learn if the information is being properly understood and retained.

Q: If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?
A: There is no overnight change to be made with a GAME plan. I will continue my methods of research and interaction in order to develop my skills in assessments and leadership. The learning process never really ends (even for teachers). I am sure that my confidence will build along with my ability level and the GAME plan will naturally progress as long as I continue to monitor and evaluate my growth as a professional.

Q: What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
A: I believe that the best way to learn new material and skills is through collaboration. This is especially true when the skills you are trying to learn focus on your interaction with others regardless of their age.

Surviving the GAME

I teach on the third (top) floor of a middle school that has no air conditioning and a majority population that is still in the problematic hygiene stage of their lives. The oppressive heat wave matched with a calendar that is dwindling days away at a snail’s rate has created a great deal of tension. Melt-downs are now figurative and literal. Thus, I will readily admit that this week has involved more of a survival plan rather than a GAME plan. Luckily, part of my survival plan involved giving my students an assignment that required the computer lab which is one of the only air conditioned rooms in the building. This allowed me some free time to discuss my technology goals with the building computer technician. In reference to this week’s questions about the little I have been able to achieve here is a quick synopsis:

Q: How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
A: I have met with the administration and computer technician about the common assessments our department is developing. This has created a good basis of knowledge and the building technician now recognizes me as the person to go to with new information about the assessments as I have become the spokesperson for my grade level. I feel comfortable with exploring the assessments more and plan to do so next year. Of course this is dependent of whether or not I will have a job next year which they still haven’t told me.

Q: What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
A: I have learned that I am expected to teach to the test as stated by my curriculum head. However, I cannot teach to the test if the programming is still flawed. Therefore, I have to continue teaching with my own methods until all the glitches can be worked out. I can also try creating some small quizzes that involve computers as a practice method for myself and the students for the common assessments which will eventually be all on the computer.

Q: What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
A: I still have no opportunity for learning about professional development leadership roles. Perhaps next year will provide more fodder for my GAME plan. I am beginning to wonder about the various methods of professional development that occur in different districts. This is the first year we are having PD days after school ends and next year we will have seven throughout the year instead of four. I am curious to learn how other districts work as an understanding of this may make me a better candidate for a leadership role in the future.

Q: How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
A: I can use the added responsibility from the assessments to work on my leadership skills. By combining the two goals, I will at least gain a little experience in both before the year ends. Otherwise, I would have to put my leadership goal to the side excepting research.

GAME plan round 3

Paula Abdul sang a song about taking two steps forward and three steps back. The music video had a cartoon cat dancing with her. I am starting think that dancing with cartoon characters must be similar to working within a school district. This year, our district seems to always be walking around a corner where someone (the budget) is waiting with an ACME mallet. Needless to say, this makes working on GAME plans and graduate studies a little trying at times.

Good News: I was able to meet with my curriculum head and administrator to discuss issues with the common assessments currently being used. Besides voicing my own opinion, I was expected to collect information from other teachers in my grade level. This allowed me to take a leadership role while working on the creation of assessments as well as designing the computer implementation of the tests. I am scheduled to meet with the technology instructor in our building to review a prototype for a computerized version of the common assessments. The science department will be the guinea pig subject before other subjects are given computer-based tests.

Bad News: The option of collaborations and workshops developed by teachers has been eliminated for next year. While there was a survey sent around for general interest in particular areas of professional development, all the days have been planned out for the upcoming academic year. They will all focus on grading programs, common assessments, and interpreting data from standardized tests in order to influence instruction with the school goal of obtaining annual yearly progress (AYP) which we did not get this past year.

So to answer this week’s questions:
Q: Are you finding the information and resources you need?
A. Yes, I have worked with colleagues in several areas to advance my GAME plan in the realm of assessments.

Q: Do you need to modify your action plan?
A. As long as it is not an immediate action plan, I can continue with what I had started. I can still ask other teachers about the procedure for developing workshops while planning my topic area. I might not get a chance until next year to present it, but the effort will still be worth it.

Q: What have you learned so far?
A. Action plans need alternative route options if they are to succeed. I still have the same goals, but I need to adjust the actions I choose to obtain them.

Q: What new questions have arisen?
A. I am wondering if obtaining leadership roles is easier when the district is not in a major budget upheaval. I have often heard of people complaining that they are not chosen because they do not have experience, but the only way to get experience is if they are chosen. I understand wanting tried and true leaders in a time of crisis. However, I wonder how long I will have to wait to get my turn.

GAME plan set up

As everyone who enjoys the cinema knows, you cannot have action without first cueing the lights and camera. Likewise, one cannot attempt an educational action plan without determining the necessary components of such plan. This week’s assignment essentially asks what I need to accomplish my GAME plan (tech resources, collaboration, and specific actions). As my game plan focuses on developing assessments and leadership skills, my greatest need will be for research. This will involve both paper and online searches of current educational journals for the varying standards used in assessments in the state. Collaboration with grade and content level colleagues would provide the most useful information, but other teachers within my district are also a valuable resource in discussing the success and failure of different forms of evaluation. In terms of leadership, I believe the greatest resource would be my department head as he could help in identifying core curriculum that could be addressed through technology. Furthermore, he has the experience of creating professional development workshops and collaboratives for the past few years.

One specific piece of additional information I need is how computerized testing is actually implemented. My school was able to get a computer program set up this year, but it was only for the multiple choice math assessment. I wouldn’t feel comfortable designing a test that involves technology that I have never used before. Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2009) note the increased reliance upon data to develop and modify instruction. Lessons are supposed to be altered to raise scores. However, if the test and/or answer sheet is created incorrectly, the data becomes skewed and instruction suffers as a result.

I would also need to learn the process that one has to undertake in order to create a workshop program. Creating an informative and worthwhile presentation would be rather futile if I was unable to gain permission through the proper channels to run the program.

Currently, I am part of the planning commission to review the common assessments used by our district. Since they were only implemented within the past two years, I am on the same level of understanding as the other teachers within the group. This has helped my confidence in suggesting changes and discussing complaints from myself and other teachers who give the tests within my building. While I see success with these first steps, I know my leadership goal will be harder to attain as our professional development program is being completely revamped by our administration for the upcoming year.

My learning strategy will be based upon opportunity. Not only will I become involved in collaborative groups that I have avoided in my first years of teaching, I will also seek out opportunities to broaden my technology information base. This will help me develop the skills to think in new terms and practice flexibility in my professional life. Having a set time to research and contemplate novel ideas is not necessarily the best or only method.

Reference:
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.

GAME plan

Once again, I am enrolled in a graduate course that utilizes blogs as a means of communication and sharing between classmates. For this particular assignment, the students have been asked to develop ways to become more efficient in meeting national education technology standards and performance indicators for teachers (NETS-T). The idea is you use the “NETS” to catch yourself from inappropriately or inadequately using technology. Well, truthfully, that may not have been the actual goal of the acronym, but it definitely makes sense.

I was required to identify two standards I feel weak and/or less confident in. After review the five major objectives, I would say that I could use improvement with:
1) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
2) Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

I have underlined the areas of those standards where I need improvement. I’ll admit that I never feel completely confident in my ability to master technology, but I never worry that I won’t be able to figure it out. Since I am still new to teaching, I generally find myself behind the curve in many teaching situations. However, unlike some other new teachers, I am more than willing to ask for help. The natural result is that I rarely take a leadership position. Furthermore, my weakest area of instruction has been designing assessments. I teach four classes of heterogeneously grouped students. Therefore, I am often making assessments for students who can barely read along with assessments for students who test into elite private high schools such as Choate (where the Kennedys, Trumps, and various others have attended).

My action plan has already been put into place. Our district has recently increased professional development days. The teachers were polled to find interest in certain topics. I have already signed up for assessments and technology. In addition, I plan to work with the library media specialist along with the computer resource person in my building to utilize the new Smartboard technology we have gotten to develop more technology interactive lessons. Students could be tested for both content and technology skills within the same lesson. As for leadership, I still do not feel comfortable taking the lead. However, I would not mind developing a collaborative for one of the professional development days. I would be responsible for creating the goals and objectives for the programs as well as explaining the desired outcome.

The best way to monitor my progress would be through two major numbers: the class average and my blood pressure. As my assessments become more varied and efficient, students should have more opportunities to exceed. As I learn to take on leadership roles, I would hope that my confidence would rise to a degree where I am not always worried that I’ll teach the wrong way. I definitely could use less stress and more success.

Evaluation would involve determining if my efforts had produced the desired progress. If not, I would need to rethink my action plans for development. If I am successful, I would hope to extend my learning through discussion with colleagues as well as available technology classes. With an ever-changing area, there is always room to improve.

Reflection

As I come to the end of a course on Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom, the time for reflection is once again at hand. While I was asked to discuss a major revelation I had in this course, I cannot honestly say that what was introduced was completely new. Some of the technology was introduced, but there were no real novel ideas. Of course this may be due to the fact that this is my sixth course on educational technology and the guiding factors. However, that does not mean that all was for naught. Rather than a revelation, I found confirmation that had not been attained in any other course. The concept of teaching literacy skills from the very basics was finally addressed in this course. While many assume that students know how to effectively use technology because they have been surrounded by it their whole lives, the truth is quite the opposite. Students need to be taught how to search safely and effectively before more complicated tasks can be accomplished.

This class will influence the way in which I approach technology from now on. A major theory that I have gained is the effectiveness of technology depends upon the teaching of literacy skills rather than the single goal of technology introduction. If students do not know how to effectively use the material, having them complete searches, wikis, blogs, PowerPoints, etc. will instructionally be misguided. Showing students how to do something cool is not preparing them for the world based on this new form of literacy. Teaching them the foundations to these programs will ensure that they can complete future projects using their new and cool skills.

One goal I now have is based upon the closing concept of Dr. Warlick (Laureate, 2009). He states that technology is only as good as the connections made through it. Learning should be a community activity. So many people use technology to shut themselves off from the real world that many do not realize the educational connections that can be made. Making a random friend on Facebook, who you may never see in real life, is a little different than two classrooms working together to complete a science experiment. I would really like to teach my students how to make these global connections. Of course, this would involve my own study into the available technology before introducing my students. My number one concern is the safety of the students. I would also really like it if the project actually worked out. This would require research into the types of communication programs that are available, willing school classrooms to participate, and the successfulness of the program. I certainly would not want to start a project only to find that websites and/or computers were unattainable due to timing or budgets as is often the case these days.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Laureate). (2009). Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. It’s Not About the Technology. Baltimore: Dr. Warlick.

Application 4: Think Aloud Evaluation

This is my first video that includes my evaluation of the website.


This is my second video that includes my reflection on the evaluation.

Please note that I did make a project that combined these two movies into one. I had to post it to teachertube or youtube for the application process. Unfortunately, teachertube moderates the videos automatically and mine is still on the waiting list as of right now. Youtube is naturally undergoing maintenance at this time so I can't post there. Thus I'm left with my blog that did not recognize the mp4 format of the completed video so I'm posting both clips in the hopes that this will be acceptable.