· Create a Digital Learning Environment Inventory. It should address the following questions.
2. How does your school make use of school and/or teacher websites? District web pages require teachers to have some knowledge of .html formatting. Many teachers utilize web sites such as Weebly.com or blog sites such as Blogger. Teachers must send update requests to the site administrator to add. Our school has its own web site which is updated daily, and our Athletic Department’s web page is updated on a daily basis with wins, losses, schedule changes, etc. The Media Center website is updated periodically. The school promotes the three pillars of our mission—Excellence, Integrity, and Community—and this includes updates to our new PBIS program entitled The South Pointe Way, which seeks to reward positive behavior with praise. *Update: As of 2014-2015 school year, all teachers and students will be expected to use Canvas, a digital management system managed by Instructure.
3. How are you currently utilizing technology for learning? I have always believed that handheld cellular devices as well as tablets have been invaluable to the classroom. In the past, students have used these devices, as well as laptops, to complete word processing and research assignments. I also utilize PollEverywhere.com from time to time, though I currently use Edmodo and this interface is not needed as much. Edmodo permits me to post notes, assignments, websites to research, and take polls all on the same site. I also utilize my Education Prezi account to present highly interactive PowerPoints with embedded YouTube videos. I have two old desktop computers that students can use, if needed, though they are frustratingly slow. I utilize Promethean board technology for interactive learning sessions, as well as the occasional Jeopardy game.
4. From the list of global e-learning sites included below, which are available and which sites are blocked by your firewall? The only sites that you're required to explore are listed here, but feel free to look at/comment on others on the list that I have attached. Please reserve time to explore these sites and process what they have to offer. Our system only currently blocks SKYPE.
My fellow AP US History teachers utilize the Smithsonian at americanhistory.si.edu in order to find historical pictures and primary documents. Many English teachers, including me, utilize the media literacy site Media Clearinghouse at www.frankwbaker.com in order to help students understand the power of persuasion.
6. Is there a system for evaluating student technology literacy in your school? If so, how effective or helpful have you found the assessment? This system is not currently system wide, but it may be coming. The folks who are part of the initial iPad/iRock roll out have been required to serve in co-hort trainings, where accountability of use and implementation is suggested and extra coaching is provided for those who need additional help. In the freshmen academy, where each child has access to an iPad for each class, are being asked to provide evidence of expertise in at least two academically relevant apps, where they and their students can show proficiency. At the moment, technology infusion is encouraged and administrative evaluations tend to focus on student engagement in the content; thus, teachers who are using relevant technology may have more kids interested in their learning goals.
7. Gather suggestions from students on their ideas for integrating technology into their learning. The feedback from my students lately has been that they think that iPads are better suited for fun and keeping up with friends and games, but a laptop or desktop is easier for them to use for academic purposes. While they enjoy using their phones in class, they also cite that it easy for them to become distracted. In addition, they have stated that they find our many variations in data transference rather confusing, e. g. their 1st block teachers only use Dropbox; 2nd utilizes Edmodo; 3rd uses Google docs; 4th only accepts School Web Lockers. I think they would like some consistency across all classes.
8. What tools that are not presently available, would help to achieve district objectives? We had a change in superintendent occur in mid-October. Our new leader has suggested halting the iPad initiative for high school because he has listened to teachers regarding the problems and interference occurring in secondary classrooms. He has suggested that more investment in laptops may be the appropriate course in high school. What I propose is that no matter what our district should decide whether we are APPLE Macs/iPads or Windows desktops/laptops. Changing back and forth between the two software systems is simply too confusing.
9. Using your Digital Learning Environment Inventory, develop a solution or suggest an improvement customized to your circumstance and curriculum. Create, implement and evaluate one change in a globalized lesson plan to use technology for learning in a meaningful way. (PLEASE NOTE! If you are unable to use technology in your classroom this week, you may do it next week and submit this assignment next week.) To document and reflect on this change, please submit two paragraphs (include these in the same word document as the Digital Learning Environment Inventory): · one paragraph describing your creation and implementation of one change in a globalized lesson plan to use technology and one paragraph evaluating what you learned in the process of creating and implementing one change in a globalized lesson to use technology.
I always introduce The Universal Declaration of Human Rights to my SAT Preparation students who are always required to write their own Declarations of Independence to help model argumentative writing, so I always like them to see other models. This year, I directed students to www.rock-your-world.com and combined lessons one and two of the curriculum entitled “Exploring Human Rights and Finding What Sparks You.” I read the various articles aloud, and then played videos one and 4 and demonstrated how to write a response explaining how the visual imagery helped them better understand the article. The lesson plan asked students to go through the rest of the videos independently and that they should choose to describe and analyze their most and least favorites. In my class, they did this on their cell phones.
I have two classes of SAT Preparation, and I did not make this same mistake again. For the B Day class, I required them to take notes from the Promethean board, and then they could re-watch those that struck them or, conversely, did not appeal to them. I instituted this change because out of 20 students, 4 could not access the videos on their phones, 3 students forgot to bring their headphones, and 3 students complained that their screens just weren’t big enough to really see the videos. In addition, during the 1 hour portion of individual viewing time, the wifi crashed twice. I do not know of perhaps the data load was too high or not, or if the server was having issues, but the students told me that they would have preferred to watch on the big screens. I listened to their feedback. Regardless, both classes reported understanding the articles much better, and a few students said they really thought slavery had ended with The Emancipation Proclamation. The videos, indeed, helped promote necessary awareness and empathy, keys to global education.
- What tools, software, operating systems, and equipment are available in your school and classroom? (including but not limited to: videoconferencing, streaming, photos sharing sites, video sharing sites, document sharing sites, podcasts, blogs, wikis, social networking sites, etc.)
2. How does your school make use of school and/or teacher websites? District web pages require teachers to have some knowledge of .html formatting. Many teachers utilize web sites such as Weebly.com or blog sites such as Blogger. Teachers must send update requests to the site administrator to add. Our school has its own web site which is updated daily, and our Athletic Department’s web page is updated on a daily basis with wins, losses, schedule changes, etc. The Media Center website is updated periodically. The school promotes the three pillars of our mission—Excellence, Integrity, and Community—and this includes updates to our new PBIS program entitled The South Pointe Way, which seeks to reward positive behavior with praise. *Update: As of 2014-2015 school year, all teachers and students will be expected to use Canvas, a digital management system managed by Instructure.
3. How are you currently utilizing technology for learning? I have always believed that handheld cellular devices as well as tablets have been invaluable to the classroom. In the past, students have used these devices, as well as laptops, to complete word processing and research assignments. I also utilize PollEverywhere.com from time to time, though I currently use Edmodo and this interface is not needed as much. Edmodo permits me to post notes, assignments, websites to research, and take polls all on the same site. I also utilize my Education Prezi account to present highly interactive PowerPoints with embedded YouTube videos. I have two old desktop computers that students can use, if needed, though they are frustratingly slow. I utilize Promethean board technology for interactive learning sessions, as well as the occasional Jeopardy game.
4. From the list of global e-learning sites included below, which are available and which sites are blocked by your firewall? The only sites that you're required to explore are listed here, but feel free to look at/comment on others on the list that I have attached. Please reserve time to explore these sites and process what they have to offer. Our system only currently blocks SKYPE.
- Skype www.skype.com
- iEARN www. iearn.org
- ConnectAllSchools http://www.connectallschools.org
- Peace Corps Speakers Match http://wws.peacecorps.gov/wws/speakersmatch/
- ePals http://www.epals.com
- Global Nomads Group www.gng.org
- Omprakash http://www.omprakash.org/about
- Primary Source www.primarysource.org
- Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org
- Outreach World http://www.outreachworld.org
- The UN Works http://www.un.org/works/
- Global Education Conference http://www.globaleducationconference.com
- Online Newspapers http://www.onlinenewspapers.com
- CANVAS
My fellow AP US History teachers utilize the Smithsonian at americanhistory.si.edu in order to find historical pictures and primary documents. Many English teachers, including me, utilize the media literacy site Media Clearinghouse at www.frankwbaker.com in order to help students understand the power of persuasion.
6. Is there a system for evaluating student technology literacy in your school? If so, how effective or helpful have you found the assessment? This system is not currently system wide, but it may be coming. The folks who are part of the initial iPad/iRock roll out have been required to serve in co-hort trainings, where accountability of use and implementation is suggested and extra coaching is provided for those who need additional help. In the freshmen academy, where each child has access to an iPad for each class, are being asked to provide evidence of expertise in at least two academically relevant apps, where they and their students can show proficiency. At the moment, technology infusion is encouraged and administrative evaluations tend to focus on student engagement in the content; thus, teachers who are using relevant technology may have more kids interested in their learning goals.
7. Gather suggestions from students on their ideas for integrating technology into their learning. The feedback from my students lately has been that they think that iPads are better suited for fun and keeping up with friends and games, but a laptop or desktop is easier for them to use for academic purposes. While they enjoy using their phones in class, they also cite that it easy for them to become distracted. In addition, they have stated that they find our many variations in data transference rather confusing, e. g. their 1st block teachers only use Dropbox; 2nd utilizes Edmodo; 3rd uses Google docs; 4th only accepts School Web Lockers. I think they would like some consistency across all classes.
8. What tools that are not presently available, would help to achieve district objectives? We had a change in superintendent occur in mid-October. Our new leader has suggested halting the iPad initiative for high school because he has listened to teachers regarding the problems and interference occurring in secondary classrooms. He has suggested that more investment in laptops may be the appropriate course in high school. What I propose is that no matter what our district should decide whether we are APPLE Macs/iPads or Windows desktops/laptops. Changing back and forth between the two software systems is simply too confusing.
9. Using your Digital Learning Environment Inventory, develop a solution or suggest an improvement customized to your circumstance and curriculum. Create, implement and evaluate one change in a globalized lesson plan to use technology for learning in a meaningful way. (PLEASE NOTE! If you are unable to use technology in your classroom this week, you may do it next week and submit this assignment next week.) To document and reflect on this change, please submit two paragraphs (include these in the same word document as the Digital Learning Environment Inventory): · one paragraph describing your creation and implementation of one change in a globalized lesson plan to use technology and one paragraph evaluating what you learned in the process of creating and implementing one change in a globalized lesson to use technology.
I always introduce The Universal Declaration of Human Rights to my SAT Preparation students who are always required to write their own Declarations of Independence to help model argumentative writing, so I always like them to see other models. This year, I directed students to www.rock-your-world.com and combined lessons one and two of the curriculum entitled “Exploring Human Rights and Finding What Sparks You.” I read the various articles aloud, and then played videos one and 4 and demonstrated how to write a response explaining how the visual imagery helped them better understand the article. The lesson plan asked students to go through the rest of the videos independently and that they should choose to describe and analyze their most and least favorites. In my class, they did this on their cell phones.
I have two classes of SAT Preparation, and I did not make this same mistake again. For the B Day class, I required them to take notes from the Promethean board, and then they could re-watch those that struck them or, conversely, did not appeal to them. I instituted this change because out of 20 students, 4 could not access the videos on their phones, 3 students forgot to bring their headphones, and 3 students complained that their screens just weren’t big enough to really see the videos. In addition, during the 1 hour portion of individual viewing time, the wifi crashed twice. I do not know of perhaps the data load was too high or not, or if the server was having issues, but the students told me that they would have preferred to watch on the big screens. I listened to their feedback. Regardless, both classes reported understanding the articles much better, and a few students said they really thought slavery had ended with The Emancipation Proclamation. The videos, indeed, helped promote necessary awareness and empathy, keys to global education.