The process of developing my personal game plan and successfully implementing it can best be achieved through a step by step process. Initially it appears to be an overwhelming task, however, when broken down into steps the process becomes manageable. I am taking the advice I give to my students when ever they feel intimidated by the scope of a project. “A step at a time will get you to where you need to be”
The first performance indicator I have chosen to focus on for improvement is: Indicator #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.
According to Dr. Peggy Ertmer confidence is an important variable when teaching technology. If I am to successfully promote innovative thinking, and inventiveness then I must be comfortable as well as confident in my own abilities to make use of the technology needed to facilitate the experiences. My plan is to introduce one additional piece of technology to my bridge building lesson which will promote student reflection, planning, and creativity. The powerpoint program can be a useful mindtool which will fit this situation nicely. Computers are available on a daily basis so I will always have access to this technology. Cennamon, Ross, and Ertmer (2010) describe a mind tool as “a computer application that enables learners to represent, manipulate, or reflect on what they know” (p.56).
The important part of using technology as a teaching tool is to be comfortable with it prior to implementing it into the lesson. Students can sense when a teacher is hesitant about doing something new. The action I will take to achieve this goal is to become more familiar with the powerpoint program by running through each step of the lesson as if I were a student, remove any pitfalls, and create a working sample which I can use as a teaching tool. I will monitor my progress by comparing results of lessons conducted prior to the implementation of the new technology with results of the revised lesson. I will be looking for an increased level of student engagement, creativity, and problem solving.
The Second performance indicator I have chosen to focus on for improvement is: Indicator #4 Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
This goal gives me the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers in my school. Teaching safe and ethical use of digital information has become a top priority at many schools. My goal is to prepare students for high school and beyond. Eagleton and Dobler (2007) mention that: “to prepare today’s students to be successful in school and to compete in tomorrow’s workplace we had better start teaching them to be web literate”(p.119) .
My classroom is the perfect setting to promote and model digital etiquette as well as proper social interactions as they relate to technology. Students too often cut and paste information without giving proper credit to the author, or post inappropriate information on sites such as facebook.
To achieve this goal I would first need to become more educated in this area. My librarian is highly skilled in the area of referencing material and creating citations. I believe we could work as a team to teach these skills to all students at our middle school. Internet safety is touched upon by a local police officer who does a presentation once a year. I would like to collaborate with the officer and take this into my classroom where they have the use of computers.
Monitoring and evaluating my progress in this area will be a challenge. My learning will be extended through collaboration with my peers; I believe we could all learn from each other. I am open to any suggestions on how to evaluate my progress.
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). “Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences with Technology, Part 1” [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.
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In evaluating your progress, you can measure whether or not you have reached your learning goals. You can start by asking yourself questions like; did I collaborate with the police officer and how did I use it in my classroom? You can also ask yourself if the lesson was successful and how you know that. Using questions to reflect on your teaching is a great way to assess your progress.
ReplyDeleteModeing digital etiquette is a great teaching tool. Social networking programs like Facebook and texting have encouraged people to communicate non stop. This communication has created or enhanced poor social habits or digital etiquette. Students post and tag photos of others, critize and share critical comments without merit or proof. It is very important that we instill good habits such as crediting authorship of pictures, graphics and written words.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you have the perfect classroom setting to use digital tools. It does make it easier on the teacher and also the student when they have easy access to the internet. Students also need to know how to use the information online responsibly and give credit to certain sources found on the internet.
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