Tech Walkin' It Out!

Policy, Procedure, and Safety!  Those are three things that have played an important role in my college career.  Chapter 10 covered policies, copyright, academic honesty, security, and safety.  Those are all important factors to consider when using technology in classroom.  Many school districts have acceptable use policies in place when technology is involved in the classroom.  Acceptable use policies are a schools line of defense in preventing unsafe, illegal, and unethical use of school or district’s technology resources.  The district has a document in place that that outlines what acceptable use of technology is.  They also have internet protection that blocks inappropriate internet sites.  The school district I work for has an information technology department and there technology policy is located on the district website.  Copyright is also an important topic when dealing with technology in the classroom.  There are laws in place to prevent people from copying material that does not belong to them.  Public Law 94-553 is the current copyright law in place that has to be followed when using technology for teaching and learning.  This is information that I am familiar with but it will be new to my students and it is important that they understand it.

It is important that students understand the importance of academic integrity.  Academic integrity encompasses a variety of topics.  Those topics include plagiarism, cheating, and security.  My teachers in high school stressed how it important it was to NOT plagiarize and my college professors stressed it even more.  My motto is when in doubt cite and cite everything that you did not originally create on your own!  That way there will be no confusion about plagiarism.  Internet safety is also very important.  Without internet protection a computer can become infected with spyware, viruses, malware, and Trojan horses.  There are several highly effective software programs that can be downloaded to prevent the computer from becoming infected.  Cyberbullying and cyberstalking cases are on the rise.  Students have been hurt physically because they have been victims of cyberbullying.  It is important that students understand how serious cyberbullying/ cyberstalking is, that they know not to do it, and that they understand the consequences of their actions if they participate in it. 

Walk Day 2......

            There are numerous technology tools that can be used in the classroom.  When using various sources of technology we have to keep in mind how effective that technology will be when it comes to student learning.  Several questions come to my mind when I think of how I can use technology in my classroom.  What sources of technology will I use?  Will students be able to properly use the technology?  How will students answer questions?  What will the rubric for the assignment be?  Those are all questions that I ask myself when thinking of how I can use technology in my class. 

            There are several ways that students can demonstrate their learning when using technology in the classroom.  One of those ways is open ended response formats.  Open ended response formats are short answer or essay questions that require students to formulate a written answer.  Before using these types of questions it is important to think about how your students will respond.  These types of questions do not take a lot of time to answer however, grading them can be a little difficult because there can be more than one correct answer.  A second way that students can use technology in the classroom is performance based assessments.  These assessments require students to demonstrate what they have learned.  This can be done by having student’s record interviews, recoding small group discussions, and for the teacher to evaluate his or her teaching.  A third way is to use project-based assessments.  These types of assessments can be used in summative and formative settings.  The formats and assessments listed above are used to facilitate learning through the use of technology in the classroom.  Some of the technologies that can be used to support performance and project based assessment include: concept maps- a graphic technique used for representing student understand, simulations- can provide access to learning activities that may be difficult to create in the classroom, and portfolios and work samples- examples of work that can be compared to competencies or standards.

            When teaching it is important to communicate goals, objectives, expectations, and the grading rubric to students at the beginning of each lesson that is being presented to them.  One way to grade student work is by using a scoring key.  A scoring key is generally used when grading multiple choice and true/ false assessments.  There are set answers and student work is graded according to those answers.  Rubrics/ checklists are used to grade open-ended questions, essays, problem-based learning projects and portfolios.  When using rubrics and checklist, the evaluator is looking for specific tasks the student completed.  Students are usually given the rubric or checklist prior to completing the assignment so that they know what is expected of them from the evaluator.  The results from students work and assessments should be used to drive instruction.  If students are scoring well on assignments then they are learning the material.  If not, the teacher can look at specific areas that may need to be re-taught.  This will also allow teachers to see what students need to be pulled back for small group instruction.  All the information in this chapter was very informative and once again made me think about how I can apply this in my classroom.  I am learning amazing information that can really get my students active in their learning!

           

Tech Walk 101..... The beginning

             Last weeks reading informed me of how to support students using technology in the classroom.  It is very important for teachers to plan their instruction, but planning becomes that more much more important when technology is involved.  When planning you have to examine your resources, design student guidelines, think about the tasks students will compete before, during, and after the assignment, and have a backup plan incase of a technological mishap.  When giving students assignments using technology it is important to guide them through the assignment.  Giving students step-by-step guidelines will minimize confusion and ensure that students are on the right track while completing the assignment.  It is important that students know what is expected of them before completing the assignment so it is important that the teacher clearly communicates expectations to the students before they begin the assignment.  These are the steps that I take daily with assignments that do not involve technology.  It is important to kick it up a notch when involving technology so that students understand what they are doing and that they stay on task.

            I previous took a class that taught me about Universal Design for Learning (UDL).  UDL is a theory that teachers can remove barriers to learning by providing flexibility in terms of options for materials, methods, and assessments.  I not thought about how technology tied into the theory.  By using UDL you can tie digital media, audio¸ and video into the format.  Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer state that UDL framework is based on the multifaceted nature of the brain, specifically the recognition, strategic, and affective networks (141).  This is all new to me!  There are three networks that influence learning: recognition networks- we rely on this network to recognize letters, words, people, sound, and smell,  strategic networks- we rely on this network to follow a plan, execute, and monitor your actions, affective networks- relate to feelings and emotions and can influence ones motivation for engagement with a particular goal, method, medium, or an assessment.  I was not familiar with these networks but now that I am it will help me better understand how my students learn and how to affectively plan their instruction.  I am a special education teacher and some of my students have specific learning disabilities.  Learning about the three networks is important because some of my students may struggle with applying all three networks and by knowing their area of need/difficulty I will know how to plan effective individual instruction. 

            There are numerous sources of technology that can be used in the classroom.  For special education students who have verbal and physical limitations assistive technology is very important.  Some of the assistive technology used by students with special needs includes mobility and positioning aids, sensory tools, daily living tools, environmental tools, instructional tools, computer access, communication tools, and motivational tools.  These tools are very important in assisting students with special needs in their everyday lives.  I use minimal assistive technology in my classroom but none of my students require it.  I previous worked with students with autism who were non-verbal.  Some of them used the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and others used telecommunication devices.  It is important to keep the use of assistive technology in mind when working with students who have special needs.

             

                

Walk Day 1

Today was the first night of GED 628 Using Technology to Support Student Learning.  Tonight’s class really made me reflect on how technology has evolved over the years.  I can remember technology being very minimal in my elementary school days and now as a teacher, there are limitless possibilities.  I can remember having one computer, an overhead projector, and chalkboards (yes, chalkboards!).  Now we have SMART Boards, iPhones, and iPads.  I received a SMART Board in my classroom this past school year and it changed the way I delivered my lessons to my students.  I plan on taking a SMART Board training in the near future to help me learn how to navigate the devise. 

I’m excited about my tech walk and I am looking forward learning about all the technology that I can use in my classroom.  I hope that the technology will help me differentiate instruction, promote student engagement, and make learning meaningful for my students.  In today’s class we learned about the history of technology.  It was interesting to hear about how technology has changed over the years.  Dan asked the question “Have classrooms changed over years?” and when I began to think about it I thought yes.  As my thought process continued and we discussed the topic I realized that classrooms really have not changed.  My goal in this walk/journey is to learn about new ways to incorporate technology in my classroom to meet my student’s educational needs.