WEEK 4: GAME Plan Progress
Planning and developing a process ahead of the game is challenging! So many details!
Does anyone have journal ideas for a unit on persuasion? (I want to have the journal prompts entered for the 4-week unit before the students begin the process.)
I am also working on a power point to explain the process of effective research. The students will use only the internet to explore their topic. The recent class we had on using technology effectively is really helping. However, I am not sure I am covering the basics from the point of view of a student. I think I will use some of the students in the summer school classes to “test” this process and make sure I have covered all the necessary details.
I have a concern and want to know if other schools have a similar issue: cell phone and Facebook use in the classroom. My high school changed the policy regarding cell phones this last year, allowing students to use their phones in the before/after school, in the halls during passing period, and during lunch. Cell phone usage during class is discouraged and many teachers will deduct class participation points if students have their phones out in class. Also, Facebook is blocked on the district server. Of course, most students know how to get around the block, but they are not supposed to use the site on academic computers. And again, some teachers hold fast to this rule, while others, like me, don’t police the web site usage. In fact, many times my yearbook students need to access Facebook to capture photos of sporting events other students have posted. Before I begin the process of utilizing these tools, I want to know who and how social networking is used in other classrooms. I am assuming that the district is changing their position on this topic because they are hosting the workshop this summer, which I am taking, on “Social Networking in the 21st Century Classroom. However, I want to learn how other teachers are currently using this process in their classrooms.
After this week’s resources on assessments using technology, I also think I need to modify my GAME Plan by adding steps from standards 2, 3, and 4. Presently, my GAME Plan includes strategies for my professional growth and leadership, standard 5, so I am prepared for instruction using technology. I also want to focus on Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity because students need to think of technology as a tool for communication, research and learning, and a resource for creating authentic assignments for assessment. Now I think additional goals need to be added to complete the process. However, I worry that I’m trying to do too much at once.
Is it possible to implement the ISTE standards one at a time or is it better plan strategies that incorporate all or at least one from each standard? I would really appreciate some ideas on what is the best practice for teaching these technology standards. What do you think?
Georgana:
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are headed in the right direction! So many "unknowns" when it comes to integrating technologies into your classroom, don't you think?
My district's cell policy leaves a great deal of "wiggle room." Students are not supposed to be using them at all throughout the day. Many administrators and school board members (who set policy) are more concerned about the camera feature on the phones then the calling/texting capabilities. I am not sure how we would deal with the many possible inappropriate situations that could arise in areas such as the bathrooms and locker rooms. I know students believe that they just cannot live without their mobile devices, but what if a student was to snap a picture of me, without my knowledge, and post it to Facebook....
My district needs a much more clear and enforced policy as far as I am concerned. Now, as for Facebook, I think it would GREAT to have a class page. Students could log in, communicate with each other (and me) outside the classroom walls, anytime! But as for now it is also blocked on at my district.
Your GAME plan seems to also be evolving and growing! My strategy as far as learning about new technology and implementing it my classroom has been to take it one step at a time. We have so many other items on our plates that taking on too much technology at one time can be dangerous. I found that if I tried to dip into two many new technology pots, I became overwhelmed and my students would suffer. The GAME plan layout I think supports this thought. It makes us focus on one clear goal. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer put it well, “as a self-directed lifelong learner, you’ll be able to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes that inevitably will occur during your professional career…” (2009, p 7).
~Jess Cook
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross. J., and Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A Standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
You are certainly progressing. I do think you should focus on the more narrow goals. It doesn't mean you can't do things that will support other standards, but if you worry about the details of all the standards, you will have a hard time moving forward.
ReplyDeleteYou will find that many actions and lessons involve more than one standard, so you can go back and tweak things for multiple standards later. Summer school will be a great opportunity to test your plans.
My last school did not allow cell phone use in class, nor does my current school. It was enforced more strongly in my last school, and we needed it because kids would cheat during tests all the time. I used to collect the phones in a box at the start of class and return them at the end. If I didn't, kids would be texting or phoning in the wood shop with power tools running around them, which is pretty unsafe.
My current school is a bit more lax with less of an issue during exams, due to the student population. Most of these kids are sincere about their education. One teacher found that as the day went on, the test scores were higher with each class. Kids were talking and texting to help kids in later classes. He told them that the high scoring class would get ice cream at the end of the week. This really made a dent in the over-sharing.
I love that our kids are more into helping each other than into competition, but they need to know where to draw the line.
We do block access to on-line games and to FaceBook and Youtube. Teachers can get Youtube. If we request it, we can get Facebook.
Our school has web based collaboration tools, so we don't need FB. I think FB is way too distracting for most people to handle in school.