In order to plan lessons that employ digital tools to create valuable learning experiences, I am going to need more than just my everyday school supplies. I already have access to a SMARTBoard, wireless laptops and the LCD projector and regularly employ them. But I need to use other, less accessible technologies like the CPS systems, digital cameras, scanners, airliners, and websites that are not allowed by our Board of Education like YouTube.com in addition to the aforementioned tools. Furthermore I plan to use the strategies in the texts we have read throughout our Walden coursework and will continue to look for advice through authorities in technology integration, professional organizations, and networking communities for new ideas for use in my classroom. I especially would love to hear from my classmates about what works in their middle schools or social studies courses!
I have not yet used the GAME plan lesson format for preparing lessons, but many of the components are similar to the format our county uses now. It will be advantageous for me to upload this document to Google Docs where my colleague and I can access it easily during our planning time. Additionally, I am going to share this with my team so that we can all work to integrate technology and reach more of our learners through this UDL compatible format. One area I did make an advancement in was in sharing my use of technology to communicate with parents with my principal. I showed my principal the benefits and possibilities that having a class wiki provide versus her support and encouragement of using schoolnotes.com with other teachers. And I let her in on the handy way to post notes via our online grade book reporting system. She was impressed and I was encouraged to keep working toward my goals and I look forward to further monitoring my progress.
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I too have been interested in YouTube for my classroom. There are some very beneficial videos that you integrate into your lessons. Do you know if this is even a possibility when this site is blocked by the county? Let me know what you find out. What were the reactions of the parents after showing them your class wiki?
ReplyDeleteThat is great that you were able to show your principal more information about wikis. Was your principal able to have you conduct a professional development opportunity to the faculty? It's great that your school embraces technology. I feel that my school has some resources, but they just don't know how to use those resources. Not every teacher has a SMARTboard in their classroom so there is an unequal disbursement of technology.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that our district will ever consider allowing access to YouTube. I can understand why it is blocked, but it is true that there are valuable resources on it as well. When I find something that I want to use from YouTube, I simply download it at home and then I can use it in the classroom. Also, if you want to post to a video-sharing site, consider using either TeacherTube or SchoolTube. Both work the same way as YouTube, are allowed by our district with no restrictions, and are designed for educators.
ReplyDeleteHello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteMany parents appreciate my class wiki as a resource where they can double check what their child is telling them about assignments and announcements from class. Our principal has conducted training sessions on using schoolnotes.com, but expressed an interest in having me show the other teachers wikis. Our librarian has one for the media center and supports this as well.
Erica, I have to be honest and say that we do not all have SMARTBoards in our classrooms either. Last year we started out with three, one of which was mine to use. This year, thirty new SMARTBoards came to our school, leaving about 20 teachers in the building without this tool. The principal determined which classrooms housed them based on interest levels of the teachers in integrating technology. Of course, anyone who does not have a SMARTBoard of their own is welcome to borrow one from another teacher, but many of those who don't have them don't really want one, or as you said, know how to use them.
As far as getting certain sites like YouTube unblocked, I have not had as much support. Again, our librarian has been helpful in getting approval for me to use blog sites, but not all videos on You Tube are available, even if they are educationally valuable. Susanna, your suggestion to check out alternative sites is a great one that I will have to remember in the future.
April - I have been using TeacherTube for awhile, but I just learned about SchoolTube in the past week. Both are great sites for educational videos to use in your lessons or to use as examples for your students who may create their own.
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