Blogging demands a more careful approach to writing. Blogging is publishing. Blogging is risky. The likelihood of being misunderstood and/or judged may limit a person's desire to be vulnerable enough to share a frank thought. Coaxing some students to share, teaching them to shape their thoughts, and evaluating the contributions challenge the classroom teacher seeking to integrate blogging. Getting people to think before they speak is an age-old issue, but the consequences of hitting "send" or "post" at an unwise time may be even greater. If teachers and students can initially establish good posting parameters, practice netiquette, and present clear thoughts, then they can benefit greatly from blogging. Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous lines from his essay Self-Reliance may inspire shy or reluctant students to speak boldly:
"Speak what you think now in hard words and speak tomorrow what
tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything
you said today. -- 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' -- Is it so bad then to be misunderstood? To be great is to be misunderstood."
I can encourage productive blogging by presenting discussable topics, providing a clear purpose, establishing clear guidelines for posting, allowing a lot of room for students input, and considering the time requirements and accessibility. Since students are generally sociable, many may enjoy the sharing component of blogging and actually produce a higher quality and quantity of work than when journaling in isolation. Since students do not get better at writing unless they write, any incentive is welcome that encourages thinking, expressing thoughts, shaping thoughts, and effectively responding to others. Although the teacher monitors a student blog, he should let students assume ownership and show initiative. To play off of the title of a current best-seller, teachers must make sure they establish The Purpose-Driven Blog to achieve optimal results.
Concrete examples:
dialoguing with a group who is reading the same book
dialoguing with a group conducting the same experiments
dialoguing with a group who can convey details of a very different lifestyle
using RSS feeds to get the latest on certain topics
accessing others' excellent blogs for information, enrichment, ideas for posting
open possibility for exploration of personal interest; foster lifelong learning
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Blog #11 Excellent Blog Features
Although I hosted our group's portal blog, I did not have prior experience with blogging and felt somewhat inadequate. As I spent time investigating options, I looked for ways to provide an attractive, crisp, easily navigable site. The resulting design is basic, balanced and attractive and reflects the group's academic theme. I spent time investigating gadgets and added polls, a clock, a calendar, and some photos. Another member added the slide show --- which is my favorite addition since it provides several compressed photos without taking up a lot of room. I embedded a Voice Thread project so that members could post their reflections about VT on a VT and was pleased with the results. However, the primary function of blogs is not to look cute; rather, it is to provide a place for discussion. Regarding the discussion aspects, I benefited more from the class discussion postings; they seemed less contrived. However, I enjoyed setting up the group blog and plan to use this new skill and continue to investigate gadgets and ways to embed. I plan to add an RSS feed to a personal blog. I assume that the more I look, the more I will see and can make more sophisticated additions as I gain experience.
Blog #11 Personal Blog Benefits
Although books can be engrossing entertainment, even the best works seem to lose some of their gleam when imposed on students. My posting to the group blog has been somewhat like reading an assigned book: I realize blogging is a great thing, but because posting was one of many assignments, blogging often felt like a chore. I suspect that at least some of my group mates felt the same because several got behind in their postings. At least one benefit of this activity has helped me to see assignments from a student's perspective; being a student helps me to understand and anticipate my students' reactions. Students sometimes actually enjoy assigned books. Likewise, regarding both the discussion postings and the blog requirements, when I came across interesting topics and had something to contribute, the exchanges did not seem like assignments. Therefore, my goal as a teacher would be to use blogging at carefully selected times when the topics and exchanges would seem to be the most lively and engaging. Despite time constraints and a heavy workload, I realize what powerful communication tools blogs can be and look forward to using them in the future. Until I get a job, I will probably be the one adding to and monitoring a blog on my husband's church website. Learning is enhanced through sharing, and blogging provides a great opportunity to share.
Blogs appeal to me as educational tools for several reasons. One component is the asynchronous nature of blogs which allows people to participate at convenient times or when they have had time to mull over an idea. Blogs also create an audience whose presence may cause students to be more careful and intentional in their writing. Finally, blogs provide a record of who has responded and how ideas have evolved.
Blogs appeal to me as educational tools for several reasons. One component is the asynchronous nature of blogs which allows people to participate at convenient times or when they have had time to mull over an idea. Blogs also create an audience whose presence may cause students to be more careful and intentional in their writing. Finally, blogs provide a record of who has responded and how ideas have evolved.
Monday, November 16, 2009
PBL Introduction to Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts
Title: Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts
Goal: Students use Audacity or other tools such as MovieMaker to produce broadcast-style narrations that use their baseball statistics.
Introduction: An authentic way to assess student comprehension requires students to talk about what they are learning. If a student cannot clearly and concisely converse about a topic, he lacks either sufficient content knowledge or the vocabulary to package his ideas. The learning activity Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts provides an engaging way for students to speak both clearly and concisely about their content learning in math class and thereby further their comprehension of mathematics. Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts also provides an opportunity for students to develop their writing skills, public speaking skills and spoken vocabulary. Math and Language Arts teachers collaborate to determine the broadcasts' requirements based on the age and math level of the students; they also collaborate to develop rubrics and activities to showcase the broadcasts. Because students generally enjoy the activities inherent in Fantasy Baseball Math, this enriching language arts activity will generate further enthusiasm and provide an additional "real-world" activity that will bolster student learning. Activities for Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts address several of the Georgia Performance Standards for language arts and math.
Georgia Code 20-2-140 of the Georgia Department of Education provides for enriching curriculum
Georgia English Language standards (abbreviated):
ELA C1 -- use conventions of language
ELA LSV1 -- work in groups
ELA LSV2 -- delivers polished presentation
ELA W3 -- Uses research and technology to support writing
ELA RC3 -- acquires new vocabulary in each content area and uses it correctly
ELA RC4 -- establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas
ELARL4 -- compose technical document
ELARL5 -- understand and acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly in . . . writing
Georgia Math standards
M6P3 Grades 6-8 -- Students will clearly communicate mathematical thinking and use the language of math to express mathematical ideas precisely.
M6P4 6-8 -- Students will make connections among math ideas and to other disciplines.
Goal: Students use Audacity or other tools such as MovieMaker to produce broadcast-style narrations that use their baseball statistics.
Introduction: An authentic way to assess student comprehension requires students to talk about what they are learning. If a student cannot clearly and concisely converse about a topic, he lacks either sufficient content knowledge or the vocabulary to package his ideas. The learning activity Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts provides an engaging way for students to speak both clearly and concisely about their content learning in math class and thereby further their comprehension of mathematics. Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts also provides an opportunity for students to develop their writing skills, public speaking skills and spoken vocabulary. Math and Language Arts teachers collaborate to determine the broadcasts' requirements based on the age and math level of the students; they also collaborate to develop rubrics and activities to showcase the broadcasts. Because students generally enjoy the activities inherent in Fantasy Baseball Math, this enriching language arts activity will generate further enthusiasm and provide an additional "real-world" activity that will bolster student learning. Activities for Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts address several of the Georgia Performance Standards for language arts and math.
Georgia Code 20-2-140 of the Georgia Department of Education provides for enriching curriculum
Georgia English Language standards (abbreviated):
ELA C1 -- use conventions of language
ELA LSV1 -- work in groups
ELA LSV2 -- delivers polished presentation
ELA W3 -- Uses research and technology to support writing
ELA RC3 -- acquires new vocabulary in each content area and uses it correctly
ELA RC4 -- establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas
ELARL4 -- compose technical document
ELARL5 -- understand and acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly in . . . writing
Georgia Math standards
M6P3 Grades 6-8 -- Students will clearly communicate mathematical thinking and use the language of math to express mathematical ideas precisely.
M6P4 6-8 -- Students will make connections among math ideas and to other disciplines.
PBL Reflections
The most consistent theme throughout this project has been "making learning real." I have witnessed in high school seniors how much more interest college application essay assignments and interviewing units elicit than, say, a poetry analysis unit. These senior English students are looking for practical tools to help them reach their goals, so the relevance of a "real life" unit generates natural interest and promotes learning. The PBL experience emphasizes that well-planned, meaningful activities underlie authentic learning. Because it seems that many students lack a general respect for teachers and school, the integration of engaging technology in meaningful problem solving can be of benefit in multiple ways including behavior management. The Fantasy Baseball Math project is supported by research, good pedagogy, and enthusiastic testimony. Part of my contribution was to locate articles for my group's workshop plan. Partly because of our leader's enthusiasm, but also because of what I discovered in the articles, I enjoyed conducting the research and then sharing what I had learned with our group and even with colleagues from my former school. My personal experience is a microcosm of what I hope my students will experience when I introduce and direct PBL: their enthusiasm and interest will overshadow the fact that they are in school conducting research.
Because I am not currently teaching, I am not able to give my own lesson plan a test drive with actual students. I imagine that implementing this plan would involve careful planning with the math instructor(s), giving very clear directions (provided in the plan), and having some adult volunteers to assist students who would need to work outside of class to make their recordings while I was conducting class. The adult volunteers would mainly help to keep students on track and focused so that each group could make recordings in a timely way. My experience has shown that video cameras and microphones generate student enthusiasm, so I would expect that students would be very engaged.
Because I am not currently teaching, I am not able to give my own lesson plan a test drive with actual students. I imagine that implementing this plan would involve careful planning with the math instructor(s), giving very clear directions (provided in the plan), and having some adult volunteers to assist students who would need to work outside of class to make their recordings while I was conducting class. The adult volunteers would mainly help to keep students on track and focused so that each group could make recordings in a timely way. My experience has shown that video cameras and microphones generate student enthusiasm, so I would expect that students would be very engaged.
PBL Resources
Read and annotated by Jane and Zena, these ten articles support both Dan Flockart's Fantasy Sports Math program and general project-based learning. Add to the list with more articles or websites. Keep the ball rolling!
Barr, J. (2006, December 9). Fantasy football adds up. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2680335. Fantasy sports math, begun by Dan Flockhart, inspires and engages at-risk students. Math based on fantasy football helps students --- even girls and nonathletic students --- to engage by giving meaning to the math that they are supposed to be learning. Schools have reported increases as high as 45% on standardized tests after using Flockhart's method. Links to videos included in article.
Botkin, B. (n.d.). Play ball -- and be smarter than a fifth grader. The Times Standard. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from Fantasy Sports Math.com: http://www.fantasysportsmath.com/pdf/TimesStandardArticle.pdf. Dan Flockhart's fantasy sports math methods are progressive, effective, and fun. Fantasy sports math uses the statistics from real teams. Students plug these stats into formulas and equations. Flockhart created the method to "narrow the gap between the haves and the have nots" and feels that every inner city school should be using his program.
Chen, C. (2008). Why do teachers not practice what they believe regarding technology integration? Journal of Educational Research, 102(1), 65-75. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from http://search.ebscohost.com. The teacher is the key factor in technology integration in the classroom. Three reasons contribute to the inconsistencies found in teachers’ expressed beliefs and practice. The Ministry of Education in Taiwan encourages teachers to utilize technology by providing technology-rich environments. Teachers’ beliefs impact their decision-making process in choosing technology for the classroom.
Clyde, L. (2005). Educational blogging. Teacher Librarian, 32(3), 43-45. Retrieved October 30, 2009, http://search.ebscohost.com. Blogs can aid teacher-librarians in scaffolding communication and research skills for learning. Blogs also provide structure in communication in the way they are organized with the most recent communication posted first. Blogs are currently used as learning projects for the classroom. The quality of the blog provider should be considered prior to project implementation.
Dyrud, M., Worley, R., & Flatley, M. (2005). Blogging for enhanced teaching and learning. Business Communication Quarterly, 68(1), 77-80. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com. Blogs are considered a mainstream communication tool that is both trendy and functional. Writers may link to other sites to support ideas. Add-on tools such as audio posts are also popular ways to link material to blog sites. Blogs may facilitate the sharing of ideas amongst students and efficiently manage time spent creating a blog.
Gilbert, A. (2005). Blogging 101—Web logs go to school. CNET Online News. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from CNET website http://news.cnet.com/Blogging-101--Web-logs-go-to-school/2100-1032_3-5895779.html. Teacher Clarence Fisher will update his students’ blogs in addition to his regular grading tasks. Fisher believes that his classroom’s blogging project will engage the students. Blogs must overcome being viewed only as journals but rather as learning tools. Fisher has experienced responses to posts from people locally and as far as South America.
Halpern, D.F., Aronson, J., Reimer, N., Simpkins, S., Star, J.R., & Wentzel, K.(2007). Encouraging girls in math and science. IES Practice Guide. National Center for Education Research 2007-2003. Retrieved from Galileo. This research study reports that one recommendation for encouraging girls in math centers on "sparking and maintaining greater interest" in math by providing experiences and an atmosphere that develops interest. Activities that avoid gender stereotypes are beneficial. Project-based learning requiring group work and novel tasks promotes long-term interest. The study provides a checklist for activities that a teacher can implement in his classroom without first necessitating system-wide change.
Lonergan, M. (2007, Spring). The case for creativity in math education. Horace , 23 (2). Retrieved from Galileo. While seeking to make math classes relevant and more effective, Mark Lonergan's math department at Boston Arts Academy infuses creativity into cohesive projects that include the four Cs: content, connection, choices, and co-authorship. Students respond well and cease to ask how will they use the math in the real world. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from Galileo.
McPherson, K. (2006, November 27). Football scores big in classroom. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from Fantasy Sports Math.com: http://www.fantasysportsmath.com/pdf/FootballScoresBig.pdf. One student enthusiastically says regarding fantasy sports math that "it's better than math because it's less about math and more about the yardage." Students learn about math by engaging in formulas and equations with sports statistics. They do not have to know about a sport to play; students who are familiar with a sport serve as team captains.
Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT blogging: A framework for blogging to promote higher order thinking. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com. Blogging promotes Higher Order Thinking through a theoretical rationale that encourages students to approach technology autonomously. Blogs helps students to gather information to solve a problem. To begin a blog project involves a four-step process. Each step involves both traditional and higher order thinking levels.
Barr, J. (2006, December 9). Fantasy football adds up. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2680335. Fantasy sports math, begun by Dan Flockhart, inspires and engages at-risk students. Math based on fantasy football helps students --- even girls and nonathletic students --- to engage by giving meaning to the math that they are supposed to be learning. Schools have reported increases as high as 45% on standardized tests after using Flockhart's method. Links to videos included in article.
Botkin, B. (n.d.). Play ball -- and be smarter than a fifth grader. The Times Standard. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from Fantasy Sports Math.com: http://www.fantasysportsmath.com/pdf/TimesStandardArticle.pdf. Dan Flockhart's fantasy sports math methods are progressive, effective, and fun. Fantasy sports math uses the statistics from real teams. Students plug these stats into formulas and equations. Flockhart created the method to "narrow the gap between the haves and the have nots" and feels that every inner city school should be using his program.
Chen, C. (2008). Why do teachers not practice what they believe regarding technology integration? Journal of Educational Research, 102(1), 65-75. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from http://search.ebscohost.com. The teacher is the key factor in technology integration in the classroom. Three reasons contribute to the inconsistencies found in teachers’ expressed beliefs and practice. The Ministry of Education in Taiwan encourages teachers to utilize technology by providing technology-rich environments. Teachers’ beliefs impact their decision-making process in choosing technology for the classroom.
Clyde, L. (2005). Educational blogging. Teacher Librarian, 32(3), 43-45. Retrieved October 30, 2009, http://search.ebscohost.com. Blogs can aid teacher-librarians in scaffolding communication and research skills for learning. Blogs also provide structure in communication in the way they are organized with the most recent communication posted first. Blogs are currently used as learning projects for the classroom. The quality of the blog provider should be considered prior to project implementation.
Dyrud, M., Worley, R., & Flatley, M. (2005). Blogging for enhanced teaching and learning. Business Communication Quarterly, 68(1), 77-80. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com. Blogs are considered a mainstream communication tool that is both trendy and functional. Writers may link to other sites to support ideas. Add-on tools such as audio posts are also popular ways to link material to blog sites. Blogs may facilitate the sharing of ideas amongst students and efficiently manage time spent creating a blog.
Gilbert, A. (2005). Blogging 101—Web logs go to school. CNET Online News. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from CNET website http://news.cnet.com/Blogging-101--Web-logs-go-to-school/2100-1032_3-5895779.html. Teacher Clarence Fisher will update his students’ blogs in addition to his regular grading tasks. Fisher believes that his classroom’s blogging project will engage the students. Blogs must overcome being viewed only as journals but rather as learning tools. Fisher has experienced responses to posts from people locally and as far as South America.
Halpern, D.F., Aronson, J., Reimer, N., Simpkins, S., Star, J.R., & Wentzel, K.(2007). Encouraging girls in math and science. IES Practice Guide. National Center for Education Research 2007-2003. Retrieved from Galileo. This research study reports that one recommendation for encouraging girls in math centers on "sparking and maintaining greater interest" in math by providing experiences and an atmosphere that develops interest. Activities that avoid gender stereotypes are beneficial. Project-based learning requiring group work and novel tasks promotes long-term interest. The study provides a checklist for activities that a teacher can implement in his classroom without first necessitating system-wide change.
Lonergan, M. (2007, Spring). The case for creativity in math education. Horace , 23 (2). Retrieved from Galileo. While seeking to make math classes relevant and more effective, Mark Lonergan's math department at Boston Arts Academy infuses creativity into cohesive projects that include the four Cs: content, connection, choices, and co-authorship. Students respond well and cease to ask how will they use the math in the real world. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from Galileo.
McPherson, K. (2006, November 27). Football scores big in classroom. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from Fantasy Sports Math.com: http://www.fantasysportsmath.com/pdf/FootballScoresBig.pdf. One student enthusiastically says regarding fantasy sports math that "it's better than math because it's less about math and more about the yardage." Students learn about math by engaging in formulas and equations with sports statistics. They do not have to know about a sport to play; students who are familiar with a sport serve as team captains.
Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT blogging: A framework for blogging to promote higher order thinking. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661. Retrieved October 30, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com. Blogging promotes Higher Order Thinking through a theoretical rationale that encourages students to approach technology autonomously. Blogs helps students to gather information to solve a problem. To begin a blog project involves a four-step process. Each step involves both traditional and higher order thinking levels.
Blog #10 Technology that Support Online Learning
Technology can provide valuable, authentic learning opportunities. Students can access people, classes, and information from sources formerly inaccessible. The possibilities are endless through thoughtful, principled use. My experience has revealed that a hybrid version of elearning is most helpful to students and is supported by Vygotsky's idea of a mentor guiding learning through ZPD. Students need modeling and guidance to make good decisions. Elearning can provide greater opportunities for some students to participate. Teachers new to integrating technology also need guidance and mentoring from veteran users of technology and/or useful websites such as those provided by Lindsay and Davis who term themselves "teacherpreneurs" (Boss & Krauss, 2007, p. 131). A novice needs to start small and let success build on success. As in most learning situations, teachers and students should start with the end in mind and make wise decisions about how to proceed. Because elearning involves discovery, teachers should be somewhat flexible with plans, the acquisition of information, and the direction of a project. However, careful planning at the beginning can prevent some problems --- a teacher should just expect to make some changes along the way. This openness to flexibility is consistent with the EAST model that promotes student leadership (p. 136).
PBL Article Blog #9
A benefit of project based learning is that it demands the sharing of knowledge and ideas. When students become more accustomed to talking about discoveries, this dialogue may continue away from school. When students get home after a day of passive receptivity (taking notes, listening, watching), it's little wonder that their answer to "How was school?" is a terse "Fine," or worse, "Boring." However, students engaged in PBL, or as Boss and Krauss (2007) term "passion based learning," may have more to talk about. For instance, Mark Lonergan in his article "The Case for Creativity in Math Education" reports how students stop asking how they will use math in the real world when he and his colleagues infuse their math classes with relevancy and creativity. Lonergan's math department at Boston Arts Academy infuses creativity into cohesive projects that include the four Cs: content, connection, choices, and co-authorship. Math students learn the content on a deeper level because of the connections to "real life" and because of the project based approach that promotes interest, discovery and interaction. A further example comes from Dan Flockhart's Fantasy Sports Math. Many testimonials and articles support how much more engaged both students and parents are when the math lessons and attached to statistics from fantasy sports teams. Both of these examples support how relevant, creative approaches to learning can stimulate interest and shared learning even among at-risk students.
Barr, J. (2006, December 9). Fantasy football adds up. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2680335.
Lonergan, M. (2007, Spring). The case for creativity in math education. Horace , 23 (2). Retrieved from Galileo.
Barr, J. (2006, December 9). Fantasy football adds up. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2680335.
Lonergan, M. (2007, Spring). The case for creativity in math education. Horace , 23 (2). Retrieved from Galileo.
Blog #8 Technology that Supports Creativity
Boss and Krauss (2007) ask if we can help students to help discover and tell their own stories (p. 50). Accessing information and creating a new product through technology can be very appealing. Because technology provides color, sound, motion, shape, and design, it offers endless possibilities. Tools such as Movie Maker, Voice Thread, Photoshop, and Comic Life provide new media for expression. Whether students are conveying academic information or telling a personal story, they can enhance their projects with technology. Seeing what a tool provides can unlock or prompt a student's creativity. I have found that although students want to use every "bell and whistle" of a new tool, they eventually make better design choices the longer they use something. Providing opportunities to explore and samples to observe allows students to make good choices to represent their ideas. Also, guidelines for good project construction can guide the inexperienced student. For example, the book that Dr. Bray required for his web design class had a lot of "before" and "after" pictures of web pages with editorial comments that helped me to catch on quickly to some aspects of design (Williams, R. & Tollet, J. (2006). The Non-Designer's Web Book, 3rd ed. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press).
Blog 6 Technology that Supports Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Part of using technology to promote critical thinking and problem solving demands that students select appropriate tools to pursue learning. NETS.S delineates specific aspects including planning, conducting, and managing projects while considering a variety of approaches and tools (Boss & Krauss, 2007, p. 184). These specifications are neither surprising nor unusual. After all, when my husband decided to replace soffits and gutter boards, he had to assess, plan, and select tools to complete the project. Not every tool in the garage (or the neighbor's) was appropriate. Certain steps had to be carried out in a certain order. Sometimes Ron had to reassess for best results. He learned as he worked. Likewise, classroom students analyzing and constructing intangible knowledge also need these critical thinking skills. Providing concrete examples (such as carpentry) enables some to see that neither carpentry nor technology tools alone or not used well do not accomplish goals, whereas skillful use of appropriate tools can accomplish fantastic results. I will require students to include in their project proposals specific details about technology that they plan to use and how they plan to use it so that I can redirect them if necessary. I also want to offer tools such as Inspiration and Gliffy that can help them to create spatially-oriented documents that represent their thoughts.
Blog #4 Technology that Supports Collaboration and Communication
Boss & Krauss (2007) ask if "we can give students opportunities to get their own information, develop their own stories, and share these stories with others" (p. 50). The technology that we integrate to promote collaboration and communication into classroom learning addresses these basic literacy concerns and empowers students to discover and share , thereby enriching their knowledge and themselves. Because learning is a social activity, good collaborative and communication tools promote good learning. Teachers cannot know every available tool, but as teachers keep in mind the essential learning functions (p. 52), they can enable students to pursue "passion-based learning" with appropriate tools.
To help both me and my students to become more tech savvy, I will display a chart in my classroom that lists the eight essential learning functions with examples of suitable tools for each category (p. 54). As I make assignments throughout the year, I will also require students to discuss the best way to use technology and how to proceed with their assignments and projects. I expect to add to the chart as these discussions broaden the possibilities and as technological advances are made. Our goal will be to discover new tools, explore what they have to offer, and add to our chart. After students have used a tool, they will evaluate its tool effectiveness and appropriateness for the type of project for which it was used. Becoming "tool savvy" empowers students to get the information they need and to process it in the best way possible.
To help both me and my students to become more tech savvy, I will display a chart in my classroom that lists the eight essential learning functions with examples of suitable tools for each category (p. 54). As I make assignments throughout the year, I will also require students to discuss the best way to use technology and how to proceed with their assignments and projects. I expect to add to the chart as these discussions broaden the possibilities and as technological advances are made. Our goal will be to discover new tools, explore what they have to offer, and add to our chart. After students have used a tool, they will evaluate its tool effectiveness and appropriateness for the type of project for which it was used. Becoming "tool savvy" empowers students to get the information they need and to process it in the best way possible.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
PBL Presentation Pics
Coach White "wowing the audience" by breaking down the Fantasy Baseball strategy to improve math stats for Georgia's students.
TechnoLang team members, Jane and Leah looking on during the presentation.
Referencing instructional activities provided by the team...
Coach White wrapping up the presentation.
TechnoLang Team
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
