My UDL, DI & Technology Experience

My UDL, DI and Technology Experience
This has been an exciting course. I have picked up many new ways to employ technology in multiple forms at the same time. Through UDL and DI, my students will be able to receive information, process it and then generate multiple forms of output that can measured for assessment and grading. With the flexibility of UDL, DI and technology, my students have already begun to employ these skills in the development and publication of our school newspaper. We are a small team, but we all bring a diverse number of resources to the table. With us working together, we can get large amounts of articles completed in a short period of time. We also get interviews, pictures, games and others newspaper pieces done because we are doing things we enjoy doing.
Going forward, we will also be looking into adding a video component that will be responsible for generating a live news feed from our web site. This will just be one more component of our UDL, DI and technology classroom. Through the use of a flip video that I will soon purchase for the school we will be able to shoot direct digital video and sent it straight into our Adobe Flash video production software.
Before this class, I was quite stubborn about using UDL and DI. Not because I did not support the program, but because I did not see how it could be used in my school. After learning more about it in this class though, I have gained a new understanding that even at my school it can be used. I am in a challenging school. We have a huge migration rate. Our students are extremely distressed financially. Many of them never see a computer unless it is my computer lab. I am so thankful for this class, now I understand that I will be able to use the UDL, DI and technology no matter where I end up or at whatever level I will be teaching in the coming years.
Anyway, it has been a wonderful time in this class and I cannot wait to finish up this this program so I may begin the next stage of my academic career as a Doctoral candidate here at Walden University. I am planning to enter the Ph.D. in Education – Technology Education program with a specialization in the study of Distance Learning of some sort. This is in no means set in stone, but it is something that intrigues me and the Florida Virtual High School would be a great place to start studying.

Game Plan Reflection

Game Plan Reflection
OK…This has been a wonderful learning experience over the past 7 weeks. It has allowed me to do something that most have probably not had the opportunity to do. I have actually been able to apply my parts of my plan in practice in the beginning of the new school year. In just the past week, I have begun collaborating with fellow teachers on a much stronger situation.

This has been a wonderful experience. I cannot wait to try the rest of my plans that have been created and modified through the help of classmates here at Walden. This should make for an exciting year in my computer lab as I then eventually train my students to do the same in planning and training themselves to plan for longer times.

Thank you for all your assistance. Keep in touch through the blog. I will certainly do the same. Have a great short break and I look forward to seeing many of you in the final bundle of classes as we near the completion of our Masters of Science Technology Integration in the Classroom degree. 

Linking NETS for Students and Teachers

NETS-S and NETS-T are intertwined. Just as we as teachers need to better ourselves in the use of technology in the classroom. So do we need to concentrate on how well we know things over how well our students are learning things? No, those two things go hand in hand. Just as I mentioned in my GAME plan, I often learn best when I am doing hands-on work with my students. Working together makes us both better.

At the same time, I will have my students come up with their own game plans. It will be an enlightening experience for them as they consider for themselves, what they know and wheat they need or want to know. We will start with some guidelines as to what kind of change we are looking for, but eventually, the plans will each be unique to each and every student. Once I have those students’ game plans, I can then design the technology learning based on what the students want to learn and need to learn.

Our first part of the game plan will be to determine which part of the Lions Den newspaper they wish to work on. I will have a list of topics to start with like: news, current evens, sports, comics and other obvious ideas. Once we start working on the game plan, students will add topics, and ideas.

I am putting this up early. I look forward to your replies.

Extensions from original GAME Plan

 What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? What goals are you still working toward?

With the restoration of my previous job and my incorporation of new technology, I have begun to learn and understand many of my academic goals. One of the best changes is to have communication amongst teachers at their leisure. I will be establishing an academic wiki that is linked to our school site. Teachers will be given rights to add in information or correct posts when available.

As for the links to administration, there is still work to do. We took care of one problem through an email option, but perhaps through even more open doors, we will cure any ills that still exist at my school.

 Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?

I am not ready to add any new goals at this time.

 If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?

I will continue to extend my learning by employing what I have learned in my computer lab this coming year. As we begin a new school year, I will have students up and learning in my technology amphitheatre. I will be including cable in the classroom, Netflix, webcasts, video conferences between buildings, and as many other things as I can find. When students complete my course, they will be familiar with not only the basics of computers, but also the use of applications in their regular classroom.

 What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?

Trial and error always works for me. I love to come up with lessons and if they succeed, awesome, but if they fail, then they go in the “round file.” I am never personally attached to my lessons. There are so many tools out there for students to try and learn from that it may vary from student to student on which is the workable technique.

New Ideas for My Game Plan

• How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
My actions thus far have been successful. I have been renewed as well by my job being restored. I do not know how yet. Perhaps I will find out how, perhaps not? As I prepare for the coming year, I have been and continue to be switching my lessons over to the format we have used in this and the previous class. All I have to do now is find enough topics to inspire student learning in a self-directed fashion.
• What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I have learned that students learn best when they are provided a starting point and ending point, but are allowed to find their own way there. Students who are forced to do a particular thing may be coming up short because they are either not interested or they may have a better way to express what they have learned.
• What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
I still need to find a way in my crazy schedule to meet with teachers and include their discipline into technology. Both as I am doing with my own classes, and as they will do when I am not in the classroom. Here is a question: should I concentrate on the technical skills and acquired knowledge of my students, or on the learned material of the entire lesson? I believe it must be a balance of both, but I have been told to make class “fun” or inspiring. Students in my 7th and 8th grade classes get to choose between six or seven exploratory classes.
• How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
I will attempt to include homeroom teachers and their material in my classroom. In a further attempt to do this, I will use technology to assist me. Everything from email to live chats to video conferences, and I may even open up a blog or wiki to allow teachers to post assignments at their convenience.

New Game Plan Update

• How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
My actions so far are just getting back to basics. My position was restored. I am not sure how yet. I will find out some time here in the near future. Starting with designing a framework of material to be learned by students at various grade levels, I will have to come down and write up lessons. Then lessons will have to be linked to grade level curriculum. The priority has to pivot from administration to education.
• What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I need to organize my lessons into a problem or project based design. Students come to me for an exploratory (optional) class so I need to make the class even more fun and yet educational. At the same time, students still need to know that they are learning material that they can use as they head into high school and further on.
• What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
One question that will always be there is what else is out there? I will never know all that is available for use. I know that. It is an important part of being successful to know when you may need to contact outside sources. Another question would be how many free things can I find that benefit my students? In the same breath, when does it become overwhelming? I do not want to confuse them with over-exposure.
• How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
My current needs are somewhat simple. I need to get that lesson framework designed. From there then, I will work towards incorporating regular grade-level curriculum like the state names and capitals for 4th graders.

Game Plan Update

Well here we are again. After another week, I have been considering what to do and have come up short. Many things I have done include a grant request on Donors Choose. I was just funded in another so hopefully, there will be a chance at getting the projector I need for implementation of my plan.

In another move, I have asked for a large screen TV to be used in either form, as a monitor or TV. They seemed open to the idea up to a nineteen inch model. The delay started when I mentioned possibly needing a larger one for my students to also be able to see from a further distance.

So far, I have not come up with any new questions. I am sure in time to come I will though. One that still concerns me is how do I reach the masses of students? It seems from recent study that working toward the perimeter students allows for me to catch the mass of the students in the middle.

All this would be a lot simpler if I could only know what subject or grade level I was teaching this coming year. It is only two weeks away and I still do not know.

Well, I welcome your suggestions and critiques. Please let me know if I am forgetting or missing something. Perhaps it is so simple that i would never see it when it is going to otherwise slap me in the face.

Another thing I am working on is my aquisition of a Classroom Response System (CRS). With these tools, I would be able to keep accurate and current data on what students know and what they do not. The system I am looking at is not one of the most advanced ones in the market, but it will allow me to track who is answering, what they are saying and respond to any needs that come up from this data. Price may be a factor as well. I am looking into outside funding to purchase such a system. Most CRS systems are a bit pricey for outright purchase, but perhaps I can receive either a matching or grant to further the exposure of my students to technology.

Mr. O's Game Plan Equipment

My resources are not of large quantity. With the Gaggle accounts, I will only need time to get the student e-mails and blogs setup for student management. It will require a few computers in the classroom to allow for student updating and activity. Starting a new Blog or perhaps Wiki will simply require the time necessary for proper site development. As I am getting better at this, it is becoming simpler and quicker for me to take care of this issue.

As an over-arching need for me and students, time management will make a huge difference between the success and failure of almost all my other plan changes. As long as I can keep my online information updated and available to students, I will know that student learning will be able to continue at any point. I know my middle schoolers are receiving daily planners, but I am not sure what the elementary school students are receiving if anything. Perhaps, it would be best if I stocked up on hundreds of two pocket folders that can be easily replaced throughout the school year for each student.

With my virtual field trips, I will be in need of some equipment. I can come in a couple forms. Either a twenty-five or larger inch monitor/TV or a projector that can be hooked my classroom teacher’s computer. Either way, I will set it up so that I can play cable TV in the classroom and movies or videos from various sources like Netflix or TecherTube to the students at any notice. As a further extension, I will need, but also have a webcam that will allow for conferencing with schools and students across the city, state and country.

Money needed is minimal. A few hundres would do it.

Mr. O's Game Plan

Mr. O’s Game Plan

As I Am Now

Let’s start by looking at each of the NETS-T standards for any possible weaknesses that could be addressed here. Under standard one, sub-standard “d” dealing with collaborative knowledge and structure is a place where I could use some skill development. It is not a matter of I cannot do it, it is simply a matter of knowing or learning what to use in the new age we are in now. There are so many options ranging from email to video conference to voice threads that it is sometimes hard to know where to begin. Another one that I can use some updated help with is not so much a weakness as it is a search for ideas. This is standard two, sub-standard “b” where teachers are to allow and encourage students to take control of their own time management and skill development. Here is another area for improvement, standard four, sub-standard “d.” In this area, I need to expand outside my lonely little school. I need to learn to collaborate with teachers and other classes around the country and globe. I would be remiss if I ignored any part of standard five. All of these sections are open to improvement. As a teacher, it is incumbent upon me to keep growing and changing as the technology and learning styles change.

Moving Forward

One way to improve my collaborative skills would be to pick a method or two and run with them. Once they have been mastered, then perhaps add another one. For example, I am considering the use of Gaggle email for my class and a blog for my students. Are there any other ideas? In my next search for improvement, I will be providing students with digital time management option, but my resources are limited. Ideas here would be greatly appreciated. Something that will help students learn to understand how to make the best of their time throughout the school day and at night doing homework. A planner would work, but I am not sure how you would link that to any sort of technology standard. How do I work on this one? In this new age, teachers must be the access point for many students who cannot see outside a twenty square block area that is the home of almost all our students. In this effort, I will be showing them and taking them on virtual field trips as often as possible. I am sure that sites like Time For Kids, Discovery and National Geographic will be a good start, but I am looking for more. Where can I go today? With learning standard five, I am looking for ideas, groups to join, sites to visit and so on. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

How Will I Evaluate

My evaluation of growth will be an ongoing thing. On a daily, weekly and monthly basis, I will do self-checks and ask for input from colleagues at school to see what they may have noticed concerning changes in my technical teaching abilities and that of the students they may also have. Because evaluation is a key to improvement at any level from students to doctors, it is important to remember that input can come from anywhere. So be open to receiving comments, they can serve as a spectacular guide.

How Will I Extend

In simplest terms, my game plan will never end. Yes, there will be breaks, with successes and failures, but learning and living will be continuous with me. Hopefully, I wil be able to encourage others around me to do the same. If I can do that to just one other teacher or even current student who becomes a teacher then my work was a success.

My Initial Recommendation

If you have not seen or checked out my school site, it is at: http://libby.cps.k12.il.us Under that is a section on “Talking Technology” where there are numerous web sites on subject matter, professional development and so on. Please feel free to check it out. I look forward to hearing back from any and all of you.

My Reflection on Information Literacy and It's Use

This has been an interesting class. Revelations have occurred, but more frequently than not it was confirmations of what I had believed in for quite some time. As a technology teacher for nine years, I have seen quite a few changes in not only the material that is taught, but also the use or lack their of which homeroom teachers have been willing to invest into linking technology into their primary lesson plans. My greatest revelation occurred when I found that many people say the same thing, and even are correct in their data, but some sources can get lost in the mixing in of commercial banners, pop-ups, how busy a web site is, and even the structure of a site can make a huge difference in whether information can be found. In general, it is best to straight to the source when doing research.
As I move forward heading back into the classroom, it will be interesting to see exactly how I can put my past experiences outside the classroom to work. My teaching practices were somewhat different given the resource role I held in the past years. Now, my knowledge of literacy skills and practice will be put to the test as I will be doing my own projects with my own students. Being my own direct instructor will truly allow me to test all that I have learned in this and all my previous classes. Rumor has it that I will be teaching math and science. If so, then we will be doing a large amount of research based projects. While I believe the students need to learn their basic facts, they also need to know how to use and interpret them.
Unit lesson plans are the way to go. I cannot wait to learn more on developing large unit lesson plans and am preparing to begin development of more of them. In that vein, I will be attending some professional development workshops, possibly over the summer, to provide more ideas about what students would enjoy and learn from at the same time. My goal is to share ideas and gather in experiences from other teachers to assist in finding the topics that students enjoy. Admittedly, not all topics are enjoyable, but we can work towards making them less painful. Students are generally eager to learn. They simply need the guidance and attention to get their minds working in a way that perhaps they did not consider.

Voice Thread of Web Site Tour

Here is the link to my voice thread from our assignment concerning an audio web tour.

http://voicethread.com/share/1180745/

Enjoy!

Steve

Proposed New Topic

I plan to review the breakdown and momentum of spending on technology in the classroom throughout the City of Chicago and national comparisons for increase or decrease in per pupil costs with a breakdown of labor, equipment and administration.

1) Are we spending more per pupil on technology throughout Chicago?
2) How do we compare with other districts throughout the country?
3) What is the breakdown of technology costs during a school year?

Research Questions

Hello,

I am dong both, as I am on a Track E (year round school). I have 2 weeks off here in late March and Early April. I will be going to my parent's home for a few days and then spending the Easter season with my fiance here at home. It will be quite a bit of fun in both situations. I am getting a flight, train ride and fun time out of all this.

Planned Research Topic

I plan to explore the feasibility of moving standardized and classroom testing into the 21st Century. Testing in its current form does not sync with how our children think today. As a result, testing will be more accurate with the implementation of an online testing system. Based on skill level, this research will be targeted at third to twelfth grade.

Research Questions:

1) Does the technology exist for students to be tested using computers rather in paper form?

2) Is there funding to support such a change in standard operating procedures from paper to computer testing?

3) Is there a measurable advantage to testing students in electronic form?

4) Are there methods to grade electronic format tests for extended response answers?

5) Who should make this decision, federal, state, district or school governance?

Any more ideas? I am also posting this on my blog at: http://stukb.blogspot.com/

My Research Topic

I plan to explore the feasibility of moving standardized and classroom testing into the 21st Century. Testing in its current form does not sync with how our children think today. As a result, testing will be more accurate with the implementation of an online testing system. Based on skill level, this research will be targeted at third to twelfth grade.

Reflection of Learning Styles and Theory

Throughout this course, I have learned about many different ways to teach and been shown devices to use when introducing students to ways of learning. I have learned that teaching can be done in many ways and each has its own place in a teaching practice.

There are the different ways of teaching subject material from Direct to Indirect Instruction. Another comparison would be Instructional and Learning Theories of teaching. With the direct or instructional theory, students are to follow along with the information presented by the teacher. While this form has its place, it is not the best way for students to learn. Students learn when learning theory takes hold in any classroom. Students learn through hands-on projects and problem-solving techniques.

With the introduction of the Voice Thread, a whole new door of how to employ Learning theory has availed itself. Students have always made PowerPoint presentations for me,. but now they have an extra step that will allow them to take what they have just made and share it with the classmates in a whole new way.

As I said, changes have already started to take place in my classroom. I have the students reply much more on their own direction. One concern is how to set it up so that students do not have to worry about age limits on blogs and such. It can limit whether or not a student can actually do my assignment. Are there any age appropriate ones out there. The only one I have come across is Gaggle.net, but unless they have added blogging, it was only email.

A couple long-term goals that I can look into include, but are not limited to more indirect instruction and incorporating a wider variety of technology tools to create media. My goals are all to expand my students abilities. As I am an exploratory teacher, my students are ones that select my class. In that vein, I want them to leave my school with a wide variety of tools to help them be more successful as they left for high school.

In an effort to achieve these goals, I am using these programs upon first sight with my class. They are loving it. My co-teacher Ms. Parker said she has been to high schools where students show up there with no experience or exposure to technology. In today's society, that is such a shame.

I look forward to your comments and will answer or explain any questions.

Have a GREAT next class.
More later.

Voice Thread

http://voicethread.com/share/889739/

This is my Voice Thread link. What do you think? I was going to make more, but it ran out of space.

Social Learning in Technology

Social learning theory is not the way to go in today's society. Students are not ready to learn on their own. Even when they first enter college they are still stuck with the need for structure to insure that the necessary information is gained and employed so that a required result is achieved.

Expecting students to learn by socialization is not an efficient or effective way to learn their material. Only in the latter years of college could such a concept be considered, and then only under specific circumstances.

Technology is no real help here. If anything it can be more harmful than helpful. With the access to bountiful information that exists today, teachers have to keep an even closer eye on what their students are exploring particularly when social learning theory is employed.

Let me know what you think. If I am wrong, please set me straight.

Constructivism in the Classroom with Technology

Constructivism deals with learning and teaching methods. One of the big methods that is used is Problem-Solving. Students are given a problem and then they are expected to figure out the solution and in many cases implement it to see what the result will be. Linking technology to this can be a great marriage. Taking problem-solving education and merging it with technology allows for linking students together from around the world, across the street and in the same room. There are also many applications that have been developed for the specific purpose of conferencing between people of distant locations to provide answers to problems and share information and ideas. Beyond that, students can share real life experiences with certain problems as they may actually be involved with the problem being solved. For example, a student from New Orleans, could have provided quite a bit of information on what was happening when the area was destroyed by a huge hurricane.

It goes beyond just the sharing of information. Students can organize ideas, plan steps to find a solution, and even run a test of the proposed solution to see if it would work. Last week's concept maps along with this week's structuring of lessons to find a solution to an existing problems. In the planning phase, students can use either another concept map or simply outline each step in the process and move along reporting results as they occur. While running this test, students can continue to perform the previous steps to modify and perfect the final answer. All these steps are capable of being done together and shared online or through such applications as Microsoft Outlook or other such office organizational tools.

So, it can be much more efficient, and flexible as the plan remains fluid, but the solution to any such problem must still be checked and rechecked to make sure that it will be operated correctly. Think of a computer program. Years ago, it could only be done by one person, now, they are done in modules and each module can be written independently by a separate individual perhaps in a different language.

Any suggestions????

Pre-fieldtrip post

I am now getting ready to do the virtual fieldtrip with the cognitive tools. It will be interesting to see what the new applications can do. We used a time line creator in school today. It was interesting, but it has a fault for sure. It cannot let you preview it. The final product is only seen once it is printed.

See you again soon.

Behaviorism and Technology

Just like children, many adults do not like or believe in repetition or "kill and drill" as it is commonly called. Unfortunately, it is a necessary evil in the development of student learning. Children should be exposed to as many things as possible in today's age, but they also must still be required to learn the basics of math tables, sentence structure, phonics and the rest. Technology can be a wonderful help in allowing students to learn both in increased exposure and continued repetition.

Homework is another animal that can be demonized to the point that teachers do not want to provide it or parents will not support the completion of it. It is a truly sad day when this happens. In disagreement with many of my classmates, homework is a requirement that can never be allowed to go away. Without the extended exposure of learning outside the school, students will separate their academic lives from their social and family lives at home. This can be a huge problem. Students must practice and include their parents and family in what they are learning. Without the support of the parents, students are left to develop a feeling of helplessness and even homelessness that will dramatically limit their academic abilities.

In other words, keep the worksheets coming and websites developed with interactive homework. Students must practice outside the school and the only way to insure that is to have homework that means something and will get the parents and family member's attention.