This week the assignment asks me to evaluate:
- How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
My actions, so far, have been signing up for technology seminars to attend at my school district's instructional fair and gathering information on educational technology by using my google reader and iPod for reading blogs and listening to podcasts. I am enjoying the interesting ideas that others have shared, and I hope to be able to tailor some of the ideas to my own classroom.
- What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I read in an article about using digital video cameras in P.E. classes to record student skills and have students and teachers critique the skill/technique together. I have modified this to use in my technology classroom. I used a digital camera to take 7 pictures of various students in each of my 6 classes. I tried to catch some students with excellent touch keyboarding techniques, and others with poor technique. I wanted the students to grade themselves as they see themselves on the Smart Board. I took the pictures yesterday, and engaged the students in discussion today. The discussions were great! The students were excited to see themselves, but even more importantly, they were able to express proper technique and help each other correct short-comings.
- What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
I still have to learn how to adjust the amount of time taken in preparation for the technology assignment, and the amount of instruction each class needs before they begin. One new question would be "Could I give cameras to the students and let them model good technique?" Since this idea worked so well, what else could I do with the digital cameras?
- How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
My plan, so far, does not need adjustment. I need to continue to work on my plan. I will attend the instructional fair technology classes next week, and I will go on with my reading and listening to educational technology information. I am enjoying the GAME Plan.
Donna,
ReplyDeleteI really like the different ideas that you have chosen to pursue. You are showing true professionalism by adapting ideas that could work with other classrooms, and figure out a way to adapt it to fit with your area of instruction. It is also important like you mentioned in your questions to see how you might modify the time it takes to work with this project and by figuring out how the students can best work in the project. Great ideas and I hope that you figure out a good balance for time spent on the different projects. I also think that this will be a good lesson for the students to have about critiquing their skills.
Donna,
ReplyDeleteI just have a question about taking the students' pictures. Does your district have a media policy where the parents sign a permission slip to allow their students to be photographed? We have one. The reason I ask this is that any student that does not have "allow" checked on the form is not allowed to be photographed for anything. Especially something that could be posted on a website. I have found that with our district and technology, it is better to have all of your bases covered.
yes, Tammie, we have a policy that parents can "opt-out" of having their child's picture taken for media publication. I am only using the pictures in my classroom; they will not be published anywhere. In discussing this with my team leader she agreed that since they are not being published or used, except in the classroom, photographing that one student who objected would be ok.
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