Weekend GAME update

I believe there is so much information out there for teachers to use and learn from, that I will be searching this weekend to find other educators who have tackled, dribbled, or thrown this professional development idea around. Obviously I will be modifying big plans to a smaller one. I have learned that it still can be done despite poor school budgets. People make it happen. I could fold up and remove myself from the game, or stay in. I chose to stay.

I like that West Ed site. It has substantial information to share with colleagues. The rubistar is another supportive site for educators. Language arts teachers would like this site. Our tech geek at school who works one planning period to fill in for a technology person they took away sent me information about Google Squared: http://www.google.com/squared. This is a new and quick way to search by typing in key terms and having relevant searches pop up that are a bit more managed. I tried it. I typed in the words, color activities for education and one of the sites that arrived was the National Gallery of Art. It took me to the exact page. Try it. My tech friend said they are still trying to work kinks out, but I thought it was great. This would provide me with some fast links for professional development ideas, specifically in technology for educators. Let me go plan that play.

I'll keep you posted on what I find. Thanks for reading.

Halftime

During half time, the team and the coach regroup and figure out a new strategy to play against the team that is beating them. For my GAME plan, it is time to take half time and reflect on what I know now and the limits placed on the situation. Lynn and I will have to choose the most relevant information and strategies to share with our faculty during faculty meetings. Our county instructional technologist expert told me to give snippets of information about technology in the classroom to the faculty. The outlook is grim when it comes to money. Presently our update for technology will come in two rounds. Round one will take 3 days and include updating the computers in each class. Additionally projection systems with audio and voice amplifications will go along with the set up.

Protest continued the delay of the 21st century updating for our county. The vendors that were not chosen felt neglected and filed a complaint. This delayed progress and it took time and lawyers to fix it. Off the cuff, this technology installment will employ twenty people for 3 years.

I acquired this information by attending a quarterly SAC meeting this week. With my interest in technology on the rise, my principal invited me. Our assistant superintendent spoke brilliantly about lack of funding. A parent asked about maintenance for these new tech tools, and the cost of bulbs and upkeep of technology was an issue discussed. These are issues. I personally know of a teacher at our local high school that does not allow her team to use the LCD. She does not want to burn the bulb out. I burned my first bulb out after a year and a half of constant use.

I will be excluded from round one as the only art teacher at the school. Although, I may get an updated LCD projector in my ceiling to alleviate the messy cords and too short a cart to properly align with the screen that exists in my no closet classroom. The second installment will arrive less then a year later with the hope that the previous teachers will have perfected the use of the E instructional Mobis with pads and will be able to share their knowledge.

Modifying my GAME plan will include a teacher survey to find out specifically what teachers desire to learn. Questions proposed to teachers in my survey for pre-faculty sharing would be: Would you like to learn about the differences in search engines? Would you like to apply various applications to your content areas such as graphs for math? Would you like to use blogs and wikkis for collaborate lessons? Would you like to know about free software for concept maps and data gathering. If you have any suggestions about creating this survey I am open to suggestions.
Perhaps this new strategy will bring me success and satisfaction. Presently, I feel like I have been benched.

Playing GAMES are not Always Fun

This is the short version of my progress for my GAME plan. The plan has been shortened. I learned tonight through a SACs meeting that when our school's system has been updated, we will only meet tech standards equal to that of the year,1998. Due to stretched budgets, stretched staff, and realities that will follow in my next blog journal, the GAME plan may become snippets of shared knowledge at faculty meetings. I originally wanted to plan an in-service. After talking with Mrs. Miller, the lead technology person from our county, faculty meetings are the only outlet to take. I could volunteer hours of free structural advice and planned activities. No. Perhaps I could stay on track with my GAME by mailing instructions to the staff after presenting at a faculty meeting. Doing something is better then nothing.

Field GAME Strategies

Friday I found a niche of time to speak with my tech partner. We concluded that our next step is for me to write a short letter to the lead technology teacher in the county. I plan to implement that letter Sunday. Including this woman's expertise prevents me from waisting precious time. It is necessary to analyze the entire project I have my eyes set upon.

Also, she may even offer us the lab up at the main school board building. I hope some good advice and more comes from this. I read Walden's resource site, http://www.wested.org/cs/tdl/view/tdl_tip/25 and will use several of their ideas when this workshop begins. One idea is to encourage staff to share any technology tips they may have. The other is to locate specialists in our school system that may be already using technology successfully to come share.

There is enough substantial support to plan this inservice. Let me get to that letter.

Finding the GAME Field

My GAME plan began last week as I casually spoke to colleagues about their interest in attending an inservice that would offer strategies and tools for teaching students' web searching skills, new literacies, and how to utilize technology for their content area. The feedback is not exciting from the few I spoke to. Morals are down and technology is minimal here at the middle school.

My partner and I were hoping to have a duty day where the teachers stop by on their planning. This would be a required class. Our Principal's mindset is to have this inservice early in the morning or immediately after school. My assistant principal wants to attend this inservice and learn the new literacies. I found this motivating. Understand, that connection teachers have one planning period, which is shorter then the normal planning times. I am trying to figure this out logistically.

To make this inservice meaningful, I have to teach teachers what they want to learn. Before creating permanent objectives, I believe a survey needs to be completed by teachers so that I may rate their competence in technology classroom usage. This survey would also ask them if they are willing to learn.

Another sequential action to take is to contact the head technology person for the county. I would like her thoughts about this idea for Lynn and I to give an inservice on supportive technologies for the classroom and web searching strategies. Perhaps we need to plan it for the local school system and not just my school. Creating a mini-inservice and using it as a dry run would behoove my partner and I to work out the kinks for a greater attended inservice. I am getting ahead of myself but I am a step closer to finding the playing field for my GAME.

Developing A GAME Plan

Developing a Game Plan - V.Perez

Developing my own personal game plan with technology usage in the classroom leads me to believe I need to strengthen a few chosen areas that if practiced, could lead me to become a greater resource for my peers. For week two of our Walden course, we are exploring greater uses for integrating technology across the content areas. An area that I would like to create a GAME plan for is found on the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at:
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_StandardsFinal.pdf

Standard 3, Model Digital-Age Work and Learning where teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

The first performance indicator I would like to strengthen myself in is B-Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. This collaboration will come if I first offer teachers who lack tech skills the opportunity to learn what I know. This is found in Performance Indicator D-model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

My game plan is to set a goal of planning a proposal to my principal for an in-service or workshop for my colleagues. This workshop would allow them to experience applications on the computer as well as related websites that can assist them in integrating technology with their content area. Additionally I believe it is important to teach teachers how to guide students in the new literacies.

The action plan begins by sending out a questionnaire to my colleagues to find out what they want to accomplish. It is important to have participants too. Projecting to a date that allows time to plan is also necessary. Working with another teacher who is experiences and has similar interest in transforming the school is included in this action. Planning will include organizing interactive lessons to accommodate several content areas. Researching how each content area can increase learning is also worth the effort. Preparing resources for the teachers to take with them and leaving with a desire to try technology out is also vital.

To monitor my progress, I would double-check my lesson choices for their value for this in service. I would question a colleague at another school, such as a technology teacher. If necessary, modification can occur. Creating this workshop at my own school will offer me information about what teachers are thinking related to technology and what they would want for their classes. I would also like to research other related workshops and look to see what they include.

During the workshop, evaluations develop while the teachers practice technology applications. They would be encouraged to speak their mind about technologies usefulness and any fears they have had. Effectiveness of the workshop, and how it applies to them would be available. Suggestions are taken to improve designing the workshop for future classes.

To my Walden Colleagues-I would be grateful for any advice you can lend me about setting up teacher workshops. Is it advantageous to do them after school, or in the summer? Have you had teachers sign up and then drop out or not show? Were the teachers willing to work? Did you find your peers critical of your workshop or pleased with the results? What new literacy skill do you think I should put at the top of my to do list for this workshop?

Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry

Walden University's course, Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry was superb. Below are final reflection questions proposed to me, a graduate student who is learning how to integrate technology in the classroom.

Describe your most striking revelation about teaching the new literacy skills to your students because of this course.
Answer;
Walden University's course, EDUC-67121-2 Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom has given me the tools to prepare my students for developing successful research habits when conducting a Web Inquiry. Although I see my students quarterly, the exercises and assessment tools offered in our text" Reading the Web" can maximize their searches. I too can model simple strategies and teach my students how to be proficient with foundational skills such as decoding, fluency, and vocabulary. Web strategies that allow students to access, score, and survey the Web are methods that students at any level may learn and progress. I can encourage my students to take notes, ask questions, and reflect. "Reading the Web" by Eagleton and Dobler displays the Quest Inquiry Model. This illustration is a common sense guide for showing students that questions, understandings, evaluations, synthesizing, and transforming are worth their efforts. I am enthusiastic to share these skills with my students and have already begun. I revel in the fact that I can close the gap between
traditional literacies and the new literacies. The most striking revelation that I have had has been that I have chosen not to fear learning and teaching Internet inquiry. My job is not to know it all, but to take on the new role of scaffolding my students Internet inquiries and to make sure that they self-reflect and self-regulate along the way.

Describe how the knowledge and experience gained in this course will influence your teaching practice going forward.
Answer:
I have improved tremendously with my Internet research because of this course. If only a bit of the content from this course content could be required for all teachers, the new literacies would reach all students. Teachers like Vick Davis http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-teachers-vicki-davis in a rural town proves that the Internet can create resources and learning capabilities in all classrooms. I now realize that there are student-centered, curriculum-based projects on the Internet. There are opportunities in my content area found in Web Quests such as www.whitney.org/jaboblawrence. On this site, students explore various themes associated with this artist's work. A link on this site, http://www2whitney.org/WatchAndListen/Exhibitions/ClaesOldenburgIn shows artist Claes Oldenburg's work being installed with the assistance of many professionals with their expertise. By using these short Whitney museum clips, I will be able to engage an motivate my students to share their thoughts and opinions. In this site: www.artjunction.org/projects/communitystories students and teachers investigate global forces and then based on the research, create works of art or writings. Their goal for this project is to teach students about each other from each other, across geographical, political, cultural, linguistic, or other borders. These spectacular sites offer students the opportunities to connect in many ways. David Warlick, the President of the Landmark Project makes note about English teacher, Carla Beards blog site called, "The English Teacher Web". She posted an article that is titled, "It's Not about the Technology". He responded on his own blog with a counter thought. Warlick on our Laureate video expounds upon this by saying that students can connect to the world of content and do things with it. He believes that technology is about connections and conversations. As I move along in my personal quest to increase learning for my students by engaging them on the Web with experts, other students, museum sites, gallery collections, pod casts, virtual tours, and with each other, I will then be taking strides forward along with my digital learners in this century. The greatest influence that I have gained from Supporting On line literacy as a teacher will be seen as a balancing act of artistic production and thinking skills.

Identify at least one professional development goal I would like to pursue that builds from this course and develops my literacy on technology skills. Describe steps I will take to accomplish this goal.
Answer:
I would like to initiate a teacher in-service that would expose my colleagues to the new literacies that I have been reviewing with this program. I believe that teachers who are in the classroom are not given enough time to explore new ideas that will develop inquiry based lessons. During the in-service teachers would be able to help each other and work on bringing all classrooms into the 21st century. My mission for the in-service would be to have weekly sessions for the teachers so that they can develop lessons while getting the help they need. Too often teachers are given one day to learn new information and then it is never discussed again. Many times, teachers do not incorporate new ideas due to frustration from lack of training.

I recommend to you our course text, Reading the Web. It is a necessary text that provides inquiry skills for you students that you can easily access.

Eagleton,M.B.,& Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.