2013-14 Technology Goals

 

Technology Goals - 2013

·         Goal One - Move from Substitution to Modification/Redefinition 

o   I will use the I Pads to modify lessons with the use of technology.

o   I will teach with intention as I think about the lessons that use the ipad. If the students can complete the lesson on a piece of paper, it is not modified enough. If the students need their device to add pictures/links/voice than they are modifying the lesson.

o   Example – Cause and Effect Lesson

o   Educreations App – The students will be given an example of a situation. Andrew does cannot find his homework. The students will search for pictures that represent the possible causes for this problem.  Causes -sister took it, dog hid it, left it on the bus. The students will then find pictures for the possible effects. Effects – Teacher is upset, Must stay in at recess and do it again, Mom finds it and brings it to school. Students complete the slide show with voice throughout each slide explaining the causes and effects.

o   Augmentation! Students share these on Schoology so their peers can see several cause and effect slide shows from their peers.

·        Goal Two – Field Trips

o   I will travel to different places/environments as much as possible. Through the projection of the web, students can explore different places. They can travel to an apple factory, watch stars in space, see the Golden Gate Bridge, explore the west and discover any place they can imagine.

o   I would like to use Google Earth as much as possible. Through these field trips, students will experience a deeper understanding of what they are being taught. This type of technology allows them to see places without the travel expensesJ. 

·        Sharing

o   Sharing a project/ lesson or point of view is so important. That leads to many discussions about what they are learning and why it is so important. Students feel proud of their final production and enjoy sharing it with their parents and peers.

o   Schoology – I would like to post several examples of projects and lessons to schoology. Parents can view and discuss their projects. Their peers can also view their projects to gain more knowledge/interest too.  Schoology is a great place to share and it is limited to our classroom.

Marzano Reflection - Best and Worst of Times

Before I read Marzano’s chapter one of What Works Best in Schools, I reflected on what I thought were the worst parts of public school today. The first thing that popped into my head was my colleague’s comments of, “Remember when.....” When I first started teaching, I was on a team with four others. They each had over twenty years of experience. Two of them have already retired and one is retiring this year. They talk about how parent involvement has changed and how the freedom to teach what you think is beneficial has diminished. Another negative comment has been how kids do not have the creativity and work ethic like they used to have. On the positive side, they have shared how the kids know much more information and are academically advanced compared to where they used to be. The biggest complaint of all is that public schools and parents are not letting kids be kids. It is hard for me to judge what I have seen over time, because I have only been in the system for 8 years. In my opinion, I feel that the worst part of the times that we teach in are the influences of standardized testing. We put such an emphasis on these tests that we forget our main goal; to build lifelong learners. We are in the best of times because of the information that is at our fingertips. We can expose our students to any culture, place, animal, etc. with the click of a button. We are able to share strategies and concepts with each other and there is never enough time in a day to teach all of the creative lessons that we have access to.

            Marzano’s chapter helped me realize that during every time period people have thought that we are in the worst of times. Research in the 60s identified that public schools account for only 10 percent of the variance in student achievement leaving the other 90 percent up to background characteristics. This data was shocking to me and totally contradicted what I thought home life looked like fifty years ago. The TIMSS study was thought provoking also. I don’t understand why our 4^th graders performed moderately well compared to the 12^th graders who performed poorly. What changed in education for those students between those years? I do agree with Marzano that teachers and schools must use data and specific strategies to build successful curriculums that lead to successful students. We should use what we know to do our best to be highly effective. Figure 1.4 on page 10 was the most influential piece of this article for me. I completely agree that schools, parents, and students must come together to value those factors. If each one of those factors is met, our students will have a better chance of being successful. I feel that judging our schools is similar to judging our bank accounts.....we always want more. J

Technology Connections!

The SAMR model is very familiar to me. Our media specialist introduced us this model last year. I was very disappointed when I realized that I was stuck in the substitution phase of technology. I was substituting math apps for flash cards, educreations presentations for poster creations and so on. I made it a goal for myself to change my lessons so the technology involved was not just a substitution for the techniques that I already use.

We have added two more I pad carts this year. Second grade now has their own cart! That is probably the largest obstacle at this time. If you do not have the technology to use in your classroom daily, it is hard to make huge daily changes. We do use the projector with splash pad every day. The kids can be taken to different worlds through the internet in one click. My students love the connections that can be made through internet access. We play skills games, watch brain pop videos, visit author pages, glace at different cultures and connect with each other. I received a projector in my class about five years ago. The kid’s jaws dropped to the floor the first time we explored the internet on the big screen! Now, this exposure to everything so quickly is the way these kids have grown up. This is the way they were introduced to learning, so it is not new or special. All information is at their fingertips!

Teaching new technology is fun and exciting, but also frustrating at times! When each child has their own device, it is very challenging to get them all on the same page. On Tuesday we created book reports through Animoto. The kids loved it, but several things went wrong. There are so many steps and it is so hard to make sure they do not click or save the wrong way. We made it through the first one and I know the kids will have awesome success the next time that we do it! I included a sample of my example if you would like to try it too! The wrote their ideas on the worksheet before we got the ipads because we had limited time with the ipads. This animoto video is once again substituting a written book report. Although it is a substitution, it also teaches them so much about using technology to share. They had to pick their own music, write in their text in a creative way, take pictures and arrange their slides in a specific sequence. They shared these videos with their parents and I asked for a few volunteers to post on schoology. They can share these with their classmates to build knowledge and connections.

 

Book Report - Sample

My favorite technology addition is Schoology! I love connecting with my parents and students through this blog program. It is so easy to share pictures, updates, spelling lists, websites, homework and so on! Such as easy and quick way to connect! A parent just told me at conferences that she feels so connected to what her child is learning daily. It is so important for parents and teachers to be on the same page!

Connections

The most meaningful piece of the fall conference was the opportunity to make connections. I enjoyed the time; surrounded by others with the same teaching passion. It is nice to talk with other colleagues from different areas and schools. We can see how much we have in common and the differences that we experience. We all have the same goal in mind, and that is to support and teach kids!

The Action Research sharing was the most beneficial for me. As I was learning about my group’s topics of concern and interest, I realized that I could make some of those same changes within my classroom. One teacher talked about the importance of choice. Her students can work and learn in their choice spot. She has several different seating choices for her kids. They pick where they feel the most comfortable to learn. Another teacher is working on fluency within her classroom and she is using reader’s theatre to tackle that skill. She had some very useful ideas to share. Another learner from the cities is studying how boys learn best. At this age, boys and girls are SO different! I hope to learn more from her too! She said that boys learn best through repeated reading strategies. I had never thought of that!

We worked together in a community to share and learn. The environment was safe and welcoming and I am excited to learn from these other teachers!

Differentiation Tool

 

 

 

After reading the differentiation articles, I realized that I differentiate by ability most often. I rarely use learning styles or interest inventories to teach my students. That is why I decided to create a menu that focuses on several different learning styles that my students might have. The articles also stressed the importance of student choice. This menu offers nine different choices for my students. I teach our new vocabulary words every Monday. I usually assess their knowledge of the new words through sentences, a vocabulary grid or a vocabulary journal. This routine seems very dry and I can tell that my students feel that this process is very repetitive. I hope that this menu will boost my student’s interest in their new vocabulary words!

At the second grade level, I feel that it is very important to demonstrate and guide my students through new types of lessons. I have decided that I will show and assign one menu option a week until I have covered all eight. I have already covered four of the options, so I only have four left! My students will then use the menu for the rest of the year. I hope to see some creative projects come out of the student choice option! I showed my kids the menu and explained that we are moving towards student choice vocabulary work. They are very excited!

Backwards Design Plan

The best part about my backwards design plan is that it helps me teach with intention. I am focused on the BIG idea. My backwards design plan has pushed me to plan for higher order thinking to take place. Through this BD plan my students are moving past the remembering skills and moving towards skills such as analyzing and synthesizing. I feel that the literature that we reading is more than a story that they are reading from the outside. They are becoming a part of what they are reading. They are connecting to the characters in the stories. They are finding similarities and differences between characters and themselves. They are putting themselves in the same situations and exploring how they would have solved the problem or reacted to a strong part in the story. I feel that my excitement for teaching has increased. I am eager to hear their reactions and interpretations of the stories. I really want them to gain true, deep knowledge from the stories we are reading. This is a change from my past goal of having them find success on the Thursday comprehension test. It is enjoyable to teach intentionally!

I have a hard time fitting in all of the activities/lessons on my BD plan. How do you fit it all in?

How do you get all kids to participate in meaningful book discussions?

Action Research Abstract

How will the implementation of literature studies affect comprehension among “gifted and talented” second grade readers defined as those students reading two grade levels beyond their chronological age?

The question guiding my research is as follows: How will the implementations of literature studies affect comprehension among “gifted and talented” second grade readers defined as those students reading two grade levels beyond their chronological age? Through my review of literature I found that gifted and talented student’s comprehension skills improve with 1) focused discussion groups 2) high order questioning 3) literature logs and 4) appropriate literature giving students choice. Skill development for me includes the organization of literature studies which focus on the six levels of Blooms Taxonomy. Discussion questions along with literature logs reflect each level. Students are focusing on one level every two weeks. Each week their literature log and discussion questions build in complexity. The students will be assessed through their literature logs and through their discussions with their literature groups. A take home piece is also included in this study. Students take home the discussion questions from each level to help increase their comprehension of the books they are reading at home.

Through my research I hope to increase my student’s comprehension of literature. My hope is that when they discuss or write about their literature without any prompts, they reflect using the higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy such as analyze or synthesize. I hope to build their love and interest as well as their comprehension of literature.

AR Plan Questions

When is the final report due, and when do all of my collections need to be found by?

Can I show a video of my students discussing books during the spring conference?

 What are some suggestions you have on how to build on this concept when the 12 weeks are over?