Technology for All

The three principles of UDL state that students should be offered options in acquiring and expressing knowledge as well as tailoring instruction to students interests, readiness level, and learning profile. The resources that have been gathered through the Differentiation Station assignment are on-line and program tools that help to address UDL's three principles. My colleagues and I have researched, tried, and tested numerous sites that can help make content accessible for all students. I plan to use the surveys and learning profile assessments at the beginning of the year as well as many of the graphic organizer and web quest sites to differentiate instruction as the year progresses. There are also many drill and practice as well as independent study web sites that are available to reach all readiness levels.

I have always used technology in my classroom to differentiate instruction; however, I focused it mostly on the advanced learners and those who could use continued practice, leaving out the largest middle group. I plan to offer differentiation to all students and allow choice in learning and production. To do this I will provide access to the content in a multimodal fashion and have links available to handouts and digital media on our class website. I also plan to allow for student choice during assessments when students are asked to demonstrate their understanding. It is important that students are able to show what they understand in a method that both interests them and highlights their strengths. Differentiation Instruction begins with a mind set that I hold dearly and continues through giving students the support they need to be successful in the classroom. I plan to maintain a positive attitude and lead by example. Each student will know that I care and believe in their ability to succeed. I am excited to use the survey I created on survey monkey come September with my incoming fourth graders. From there I will have some insight into their goals as well as learning preferences that can be used to help differentiate instruction as the year progresses.

Ready or Not....Technology Here I Come!

Throughout New and Emerging Technologies I have realized that it is my responsibility as a teacher to keep abreast of new and emerging technologies that can support learning and content in the classroom. I have developed lesson plans that demonstrate my ability to use emerging technologies such as MUVE's, digital storytelling, online collaboration, and digital gaming. I now understand that I need to be the change agent that drives positive growth in my classroom in school. I plan to collaborate across grade levels with colleagues to form a technology team in my school and create a public file on the network where teachers can share technology lessons and sites that have been successful in the classroom. I hope to pull hesitant teachers into trying technology through lunch room and student chatter. This year will be my first year collaborating with a partner fourth grade class through voice threads and podcasting. I am excited for this opportunity and hope that it catches onto other teachers and grade levels. I have registered for course offerings through my district on digital storytelling and teaching the 21st century learner. Rather than shy away from new technologies, I will now give them a try, reflect on the outcome, and make necessary changes. I know to access much of the emerging technologies I need the permission and support of my administrators. To help them see the vital role technology plays in the classroom and the need to dedicate time and money to new and emerging technologies, I will invite them into the classroom to see the level of engagement, differentiated learning, and authentic problem solving that technology provides. This class has taught me that it is not okay to accept status quo, you cannot wait for technology to land in your lap. I owe it to my students and myself to seek out what emerging technologies are available to help each individual reach their potential and be prepared for the uncertain future.

NJ Voki

Global Digitalized Learning

I have been preparing a presentation to give my colleagues on the importance of 21st Century On-line learning. Please feel free to provide feedback as I will be presenting it to my peers in September.

Thank you, Courtney

Here is the link to my slide show.

http://www.slideshare.net/derosac/gdl

Change is Good

I am definitely like most in that I benefit from stating my goal either out loud or in written form. Being able to remind myself of my goals or have conversations with others about my goal helps keep me focused and honest. My original course goal has remained consistent throughout this course; however, as I implement the programs into my classroom next year I may find changes that need to happen to accommodate the learners in my room. My goals for the upcoming year are to identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability and to use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture students learning. Most of my progress has been focused on my second goal of using technology to communicate and collaborate with the global community.

So far I have experimented more with class blogs and have signed up to take courses in powerpoint, moodle, digital storytelling, and other 21st century skills necessary in today’s classroom. My new learning will help me incorporate technology into everyday instruction and help me be more able to facilitate students in their learning. I hope to use technology to access enhanced components or lessons tied to our curriculum that were once not available.

My instructional practice will immediately change in that I will be communicating with students and their families through a class blog. I plan to use digital story telling and to communicate with another fourth grade classroom in the district. This will allow my students to present their work to a larger audience and to authentic feedback. These tools will enhance the content instruction dictated by the curriculum.

Thank you for keeping me focused and on track,
Courtney DeRosa

Playing the GAME

The student and teacher standards for technology both intertwine technology throughout all aspects of learning and everyday experiences. Both standards focus on creating digital citizens and using creativity to foster creativity. The standards require both students and teachers to be flexible and creative in using technology. They require persistence and patience with learning new things. Applying the standards often puts the teacher in the student’s shoes and vice versa.

Many students are familiar with making goals in sports, on New Years, and some even with school. One major benefit of teaching and implementing the G(goal) A (action) M (monitor) and P (plan) plan is to help students realize that it is okay to modify a goal, take small steps, or even change it all together. What is essential is to never lose sight of having a goal.

I plan to use the GAME plan when creating a classroom blog. For most students this will be their first experience with a class blog and also my first using one with students. We will both need to be creative; use critical thinking and problem solving, and we will all be digital citizens. We will use the class blog to collaborate and communication with another 4th grade classroom and each other. It should be a wonderful experience for all of us!

The X’s and O’s of the Game Field

Technology has been implemented into my everyday teaching. I permit students to choose how they wish to present their knowledge or final product and provide as much access to the classroom computers and lab as time allows. This is a change in my instructional practice as I have learned that choice and technology increase both student engagement and motivation.

The new learning goals I have set for myself include designing authentic lessons and that incorporate digital tools and promote self-directed learning. I am planning to set up global learning communities to provide access to a larger audience and the ability to express themselves in the method of student’s choice. With the diverse learning styles and abilities of my classroom I plan to address their needs by using learner-centered strategies and access digital resources.

The learning approaches I plan to try are digital storytelling, voice thread exchanges with another in district classroom, and setting up and maintaining a classroom blog site where students have access to a discussion board, class notes, and a class calendar with updated events. I am excited about the endless possibilities that technology provides and can only imagine its effect on the student’s motivation and engagement.

Courtney

GAME Progress

I recently received confirmation of my attendance to a summer institute on 21st century learners. My district is also offering a summer class on digital story telling in the classroom which I plan to attend in August. I am looking forward to continuing my progress on learning technologies place in my classroom.

I have learned that students need an audience to present their work and receive feedback. The internet and tools such as digital storytelling and voice threading are a great way for students to share their work without infringing on privacy policies. Also, this opens the door for collaboration amongst students and responding to feedback.

My plan has been adjusted due to privacy policies as well as school politics that I need to work around. The technology specialist has been little help and has turned to avoiding me to get out of answering my questions or helping with the progress. That has made me turn to outside resources. I am also currently in the process of applying for a grant to open a computer lab in my school that is not used for instruction so would be available for student use any time of day. I will keep you posted on the progress being made.

And Action

Since establishing my game plan I have been researching local organizations, businesses, and conferences that can help further my knowledge of technology applications for student’s success. We were recently told our placements for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year and I will again be teaching in an inclusion fourth grade classroom. To ensure that I am able to help each learner meet their potential I found a local Assistive Technology conference and have filed the necessary paperwork to attend. I have also found valuable web resources and blogs to keep abreast of up to date research and methodologies at http://www.assistivetechnologycenter.org/ I also went on the New Jersey State Department of Education and found links to state sponsored sites as well at the following address: http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/divisions/operations/education/assistive.html

To meet my goal of using technology to increase communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture students learning I have paired up with a fourth grade teacher from another in district school. We plan to collaborate between classes by setting up a podcasting site. Students will create podcasts of content material covered and will share it across schools. The receiving school will then be the audience that will be able to provide feedback to the creators. Since this will be done using the internet, parents will also be provided the web address and will be better attuned to what their students are learning in school and will also be able to provide feedback.

The question that remains is when working with students and publishing work in a public domain how can I stay within the confidentiality parameters? I have tried to collaborate with my schools technology specialist, but have not been successful getting support. My next step is to venture out on my own by seeking clearance and guidance from my building administrator. I will keep you posted!

Time for Action

In order to meet my goal of using technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture students learning, I need exposure and practice with current technology programs. The resources I will need are continued research of current trends and attendance to conferences and seminars. Success with technology will come with patience and practice.

To be successful with technology one needs to be flexible and confident in experimenting with different soft and hard ware. Therefore, what I need most is the time to experiment and implement technology into classroom practice and communication. My main goal is to meet the needs of all learners and to prepare students to be successful in the uncertain future.

The steps I have taken so far are familiarizing myself with blogging and podcasting sites and functions. Also, I am earning my degree in integrating technology into the classroom which has exposed me to many new programs and allowed me to practice using them. I am also registered to attend a conference this summer on how to support the 21st Century Learner. I plan to continue to implement new programs each year and to seek out support from colleagues and professional organizations.

GAME

The two NET indicators I chose were II-A: Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability and V-D: Use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture students learning. My goals are to learn how to better evaluate technology for use in the classroom setting and to find a way to use technology to communicate outside my classroom.

The first action I have already started is to work towards earning my masters degree in Integrating Technology in the Classroom. I have learned about blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts, voice threads, and the level of engagement that can be reached through implementing technology in the classroom. I also plan to attend a summer seminar on the Excitement for 21st Learners. The seminar is to introduce free technology resources available for all teachers to use in their classrooms. I am hoping to learn about programs that can be used to enhance the curriculum to increase student engagement and interest (Laureate, 2009).

I will be able to evaluate the resources presented for appropriateness in my classroom by asking 3 questions; what content information do my students need, what instructional strategy will I use, and what resources do my students need? (Cennamon, Ross, Ertmer, 2009). My district has a strict privacy policy that does not allow access to blog sites from school computers. Therefore, I will have to appeal to my district or access my communication site from home. I will monitor my progress by my success rate with implementing both programs to enhance my students understanding of the curriculum and my ability for my students and I to communicate with an audience outside the boundaries of the classroom.

Each year teachers in my school are asked to develop and evaluate their PGIP, (professional growth implementation plan). My plan for this year is to research and implement technology to both enhance the curriculum and to globalize student work. I will extend my learning by continuing to search for and attend seminars based on implement technology and problem based learning. I also plan to research articles that will introduce me to new methods and software available. Technology is forever changing and therefore, staying abreast of current trends takes constant effort.

References;

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.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program four. Enriching content area learning experiences with technology part I. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

21st Literacy Reflection

Throughout this course I felt justified in much of my teaching. However, one striking revelation I had is that how to find, evaluate, and synthesize on line information needs to be directly taught to students. Students are not yet educated consumers and need to be taught how to be critical evaluators. Teaching how to search for information using a variety of search terms, use the ABC's of evaluating a web site, and synthesizing information from multiple sources are all necessary skills for future success in school and career.

From this day forward I plan to directly teach these skills using the think aloud method. I will demonstrate the steps and thinking that occur when searching for information. I will then continue to how to use the ABC's of evaluating web sites. Also necessary will be how to read a website when all information may not be necessary and tools like the find search that can direct you to a particular answer. Also, the students use graphic organizers to help organize and synthesize the information gathered.

One professional development goal I have for myself is find additional ways to help students evaluate and synthesize information gathered. I plan to incorporate the ABC's learned in this class as well as additional strategies learned through research. Once students are critical consumers I would like them to be able synthesize and use the credible information. I am looking forward to applying the information I have already learned and researching to take it further.