Wednesday, March 13, 2013

GAME Plan


            There are many areas that I want to improve upon in my quest to be a 21st Century Educator.  When reviewing the NETS-T, I chose two areas to focus on building my confidence: 


IV: Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies.

            While I feel that I am proficient in integrating technology into my instruction, I know I can improve upon my use of technology as an assessment tool.  Specifically, I will be looking to “apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students’ appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity: (ISTE, 2008).   I have a tendency to use the same types of assessments for reading and generally the same students are successful from test to test.  Different types of approaches are needed if all my learners are to demonstrate knowledge or proficiency (Coulter, 2008).  My first step in taking action toward using technology as an assessment tool in reading is designing a shared reading task where students respond to an eBook by submitting their response in a document in Google Docs. My goal is start with one electronic assessment in reading every two weeks until it feels natural and I am ready to try another method.  Google Docs will help me keep track of my progress in an organized, digital manner.  

VI: Teachers understand the of technology in PK–12 schools and apply that understanding in practice.

            Giving my students a strong sense of the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology is essential.  In working with a diverse range of students I know that they come to us with varying degrees of preparation, prior experience, and support at home and in the community (Coulter, 2008).   Therefore, I want to focus on applying “technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities” (ISTE, 2008).  To take action to build my confidence in how to support my diverse learners, I will be doing some research on strategies that work with students of different physical/mental abilities since those are the students who I seem to struggle to support most often.  Whatever strategies or ideas I gain, I will implement immediately in our current science unit to test their effectiveness.  Once I discover strategies that work for each of my five students with different mental/physical abilities, I will see if they work in other subject areas.  I will know that I have met my goal when my five students can transfer critical and creative thinking skills into all technology tasks.  By strengthening my confidence in supporting my diverse learners, I will also be modeling to my other students an ethical issue in using technology.

            By focusing on these two areas of my teaching, I know that I will reach my students in ways that I had previously been unsuccessful in.  As Coulter (p.14)  stated “The kid immersed in creative projects has a career in her future; the one responding to rote entry cues is more likely to be stuck in a lower-level job, if the job hasn’t already gone overseas” (2008).  I want my students to have bright futures and not be stuck because of their lack of creative, technology-infused experiences. 



References:

Coulter, B. (2008). Bridging the gap with technology. Connect Magazine, 22(2), 14–15

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

7 comments:

  1. All students have the right to feel successful and enjoy learning. No matter how each student learns, there are many ways technology can aid in the process. I think it is great that you are seeking ways to use technology to address your diverse learners. In my classroom, I had a student who struggles with fine motor skills, so the physical act of writing is tedious. Therefore, he was struggle to complete even the most simple writing tasks. We make having him use a voice memo app on an iPod as a way for him to demonstrate his understanding or share his ideas.

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    1. Thank you Jocelyn for the suggestion! I asked my building's occupational therapist about apps that allow all students to share their thinking. The app she suggested is called Paper Port Notes. Thank you again!

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  2. Katie, I think that using technology as a form of assessment will be a great way to change things up in your classroom. Google Docs is invaluable in regards to the organization that it will provide you as a teacher. It will also help you to view all your students work at one time. I also love the idea of using an eBook. Although I have not personally used one because I am hesitant to lose the excitement of having a book in my hands, I am intrigued by the idea.

    Another suggestion for an assessment idea would be to have your students create a podcast. This puts a new spin on things using technology and provides a new twist on assessment. From an instructor's perspective, the podcast coould be used as a final assessment and as a progress marker.

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    1. Gina,

      It has taken me a few months to get used to using eBooks in my classroom but my students loved them immediately! My biggest piece of advice, is to let kids get used to the programs before you use them for instruction and make your expectations for guided reading VERY clear.
      I think a podcast is another great tool to use for student assessment. I can see podcasts being used by individual students and with collaborative projects. Thank you for the suggestion!

      Katie

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  4. Katie,
    Your GAME plan looks very detailed. I love that you recognize how key assessments are in your instruction. I believe technology can be a wonderful tool in this area. The use of Google Docs will be an easy and versatile way of having your students answer questions, complete assignments, and using a digital format. In my efforts to encourage the use of Google Docs in my schools, I recently shared 80 Ways to Use Google Forms in Your Classroom (http://edudemic.com/2012/10/google-forms-classroom/). This powerful tool allows for many possibilities and the fact that it is all free encourages the use of technology.

    Technology tends to be used in so many areas and for a variety of reasons. One area that I feel these tools support students the most is the ability to help teachers. Diversity is something that each of us must face, but struggle with in delivering the most effective instruction. When we begin to unlock the powers technology has in helping us reach our students, it is amazing to see the opportunities we can provide and what we can accomplish. I wish you all the best as you implement these creative projects and strive to provide the best learning environment for your students.

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    1. Kate,

      Thank you for the Google Forms tool! That will be so helpful when planning future lessons.

      Technology also levels the playing field for many students. I have one student who struggles with reading and writing but can think, create, and collaborate under any circumstances. Using Jocelyn's suggestion of an app that supports those who struggle with writing, my student can share what she knows in a more stress-free manner.

      Katie

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