This is the fourth week of GAME planning to prepare for the
upcoming school year. As I transition into a new school there are many kinks to
work out but at the same time, I feel I am better prepared as I bring resources
from my old school and from my Walden classes. Adding the many technology tools
to my Delicious account has provided a place to save all the new and old tools.
I retrieved sources from my former school computer and placed them in the
Delicious account and have also added to my Drop Box account. I like both of
these because my former colleagues and I can continue to share resources.
My GAME plan focuses on teaching students the responsibility
that comes with using sources they find online. Last year I shared Bibme.org
with my students with success but this this year I will begin using it earlier
in the year, making it a part of all our projects. I will also create a “stack” in my Delicious
account, making it public so that my students will have access to it.
During this week’s readings, I was reminded that one area of
weakness for me is assessment. As I plan to Skype with my students, they will
journal but in addition to journaling students will also have a checklist. Our Skype time must be planned to limit
wasting class time and the idea of creating checklist will be two-fold. One
list could help students focus on the important questions they want to ask and
want information they want to share. The second benefit will be for me in the
area of assessment. I will use think-aloud the process to help students
organize their thoughts. A checklist could be placed in the journal and used as
a self-assessment. I will create a second checklist similar to the one in our
text, Technology Integration for
Meaningful Classroom Use, on page 155 Figure 7.9 (Cennamo, K., Ross, J.
& Ertmer, P. 2009). I like this one because I can customize it to fit each
project.
So far I have learned that I already use many of the sources presented to me but every week
I see something I can tweak or add to what I am doing. The only question I have so far concerns what
technology I will have available at my new school. This may be a problem that I
will tackle as I get to know my principal and my curriculum director. I do not
expect problems but in this first year I will have many things to learn about
my new state’s focus. My state of WV had a major focus on project-based
learning so I feel I am prepared as I begin my new adventure.
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.
I liked the idea of using your Delicious account to transfer some of your technology tools to your new school. That is a great idea. Even if you were not changing schools this could help, for example your computer crashes or gets stolen (it happened at our school last year).
ReplyDeleteThe other good idea was the checklist or if you want to a more thorough rubric. In the past my mathematics students have sometimes asked for Rubrics for projects. I always assumed they were for writing/English/social sciences. Last year I created one for my end of the year projects and not only does it help students organize and check off their steps, it also allows them to grade their steps to some extent.
Good luck at your new school
Scott
Scott,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. Good for you for using rubric in math!! I agree that a rubric can help students get organized and see their progress. Maybe in math it takes some of the pressure off to be perfect. For example, they can still get a A even if they are not perfect on every single math step. Once students understand a rubric, I think they like them.
Shelley
Shelley,
ReplyDeleteI like your journal idea. Last year I did journals using a blog. For the students to know what to do and what I expected in their blog journals, I issued a rubric that stayed in thier folder and I also posted it in the computer area. I think that most kids prefer rubrics over checklists because rubrics can be more specific as to what the teacher wants from them. It is definitely beneficial for students with disabilities who have know exactly what to do for an assignment.
Amanda,
DeleteI agree 100% on the rubric. I think it is key to any good project. Students have to understand what the goal is or what the expectations of the finished product are. I always go over the rubric with my students and I really like having them use to assess themselves and each other. We did a major PBL at the end of last year and as students presented, I had each student score as we watched the presentations. In almost every case, the scores students gave we almost exactly what I gave. It was a great equalizer. One of my brightest students had slacked off and made a joke of the who project. He was humiliated when it came time for him to present. He wasn't finished with his presentation and had not even done all the necessary research. His classmates and I scored him around 36/50 if I remember correctly. It was a good lesson for him. Many of my students with learning disabilities scored much higher than he did. This boy was use to straight A's without much effort and his C brought down his 9 weeks grade.
I love rubrics!
Thanks for your comments!!
Shelley
Shelley,
ReplyDeleteI also use a tool such as Delicious to keep track of all of my shortcuts and technology tools. It is helpful to be able to access them from anywhere as well as having the capability to have your students access it.
It is hard moving to a new school, but it seems as if you have the tools you need to get started using technology no matter what they have available. In the beginning, I am sure your creativity will have its major benefits.
I also like the idea of using the checklists to help keep everyone focused. For me, I use a checklist for everything, so this is right up my alley! I think it will be a great benefit for everyone to ensure you are ready and have completed everything.
I look forward to seeing your next update!
Thanks,
Nicole
Thanks, Nicole.I am a list maker and I am trying to get my students to learn to be more organized. As a middle school teacher I think that might one of our biggest responsibilities!Checklists and rubrics are great tools for both students and teachers so that we are all on the same page.
DeleteShelley