Visiting the Website for the International Society for Technology in Education, standards are listed and described for teachers. As teachers engage students and improve learning, these standards need to be met. There are some areas in which I am more confident than others.
I feel that I am the strongest in the last three standards: Modeling Digital-Age Work and Learning, Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, and Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. I am constantly modeling technology in the classroom. I use a white interactive board to save all of my notes. When students are absent, I email them the notes and the assignments. I also keep a digital copy of assignments on a shared drive on the schools network, so that special education teachers have access to student’s assignments. I display ethical use of technology to my students. Sources are documented and internet usage is monitored in the classroom. Engaging in professional growth is easy for me. I like taking courses and learning new things. I also spend a lot of time researching the internet or “grilling” my tech-savvy husband for new ideas to use in class.
Even though I feel like I do a pretty good job with technology, there are still areas that I need a lot of help with. I am mediocre at designing and developing digital-age learning experiences. I come up with wonderful ideas, but may not always be able to implement them in the way that I would like. Sometimes it is the lack of resources and other times it is a behavior issue within the classroom. We use calculators on a daily basis. They are used to explore and investigate discoveries in math. I do very well with exploration activities in the calculator. I try to facilitate student learning, but the creativity part is often lacking. With so many objectives to cover and a state end of course exam quickly approaching, it is difficult to find room for anything extra. I hope to do a better job of incorporating more activities into my lessons.
I plan to strengthen the two areas in which I am lacking first by setting goals. I have a goal to make use of the resources available to me at school. Even if I have limited computer lab time, I can make good use of it and I can also check out the laptop cart from time to time. Another goal is to dedicate time in each lesson to teach my students about a new technology. A third goal is to give my students more opportunities to be creative.
The next step is to take action and then monitor. In each week’s lesson plans, at least one class will be devoted to a lesson involving technology. I will reserve computer lab time or the lab top cart on a weekly basis. Incorporating technology does not mean my students will not receive the lesson in the content I am teaching, it should enhance the lesson. Once I began action with the students, I will make adjustments as necessary.
I will then evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson. Did it cover what I wanted it to? Did the students receive a real learning experience? Were they given the opportunity to be creative? Are there any changes that I need to make? With much planning and little foresight, I can meet the standards set by the International Society for Technology in Education.
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
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Lisa -
ReplyDeleteI think math naturally lends itself for a technology based classroom; however, you have to have the right group of students and the resources. Not all groups of students can handle the freedom and the complexity of lessons with technology. When it can be used it is extremely beneficial for the students.
Do you have a computer or handful of students computers in your classroom that can be used at stations? I have found that learning stations allow for an organized setup for technology based lessons, freeing the teacher up to assist different groups of students.
Good luck!
Bethanne
Bethanne,
ReplyDeleteI have one computer for student use in my classroom. To do a class assignment, I would have to sign up for the lab. We only get half a class block, once a week. I can check out the laptop cart every once in a while. My calculus students do well with such assignments. However, my lower level classes cannot stay on task. Many of them try to visit other websites. It takes a lot of effort and much monitoring. I do not want these students to miss out on the opportunities to learn 21st Century skills. I just have to be very strict with watching them while in the lab.
Lisa
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your ideas about the whiteboard. I like the idea of sharing your notes with absent students through email. I would like to try this with my Smartboard. I currently print off the screens and hand out the notes to my absent students when they return. I too feel that I should use technology more in sharing with my special education department.
You have done an outstanding job with the evaluation section of your GAME plan. You have asked good questions that really seek out answers to developing a good technology lesson plan. May I use these? By the way, what classes do you teach?
Rhonda
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I like about the GAME Plan is that we begin by setting clear goals. Sometimes I think that we get so involved with wanting to introduce technology to our students that we forget technology is the tool and it becomes our goal.
I'd be interested to know what your objective is first, and then how you use technology to meet that objective.
Miyeun
Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteI am happy to share ideas with you anytime. I teach AP Calculus which is a year long class and then I have 2 low level Algebra 1 classes. Next semester, I will be teaching 2 Algebra 2 classes.
I miss my Smartboard. We have a no name brand at my school now. You can even record your voice on lessons with the Smartboard.
What are you teaching? It would be great to share ideas!
Lisa
Miyeun,
ReplyDeleteMy objective is to use technology to teach the content of mathematics. The objective for my students will change depending on the topic covered.
Lisa