Reflection

In this class I learned how to incorporate technology to create authentic and creative lessons for my students. Technology can be a great learning tool for students if use correctly. Technology is a great tool for students to maximize their knowledge about the content, and provide them with meaningful engagement in the curriculum. The use of technology can benefit all learners and provide students with real world learning experiences. When student are taking information and applying it to real world situations the learning experience is more meaningful and technology allows for this. Students are able to communicate with others about the content outside of the classroom and they are also able to share the information they have learned. Collaboration is great way for students to strengthen and build upon their current knowledge. Through creating my game plan I realize how great of a tool technology can be in the classroom and how much my student can learn from it. Incorporating the project-based assignments gave student the control of their learning and allowed them to express their learning in creative formats, rather giving a multiple choice test. I do plan on creating more project based assignments for the upcoming school year.  The only thing I would change about my game plan is creating assessment check points to ensure students are learning the appropriate material. As an end of the year project I will select various standards for my students to create a digital storytelling on. I will select the best storytelling and incorporate them into my lesson for the upcoming school year. This school year is basically over because the students take the state test this week and new material is not taught. During this time I like to select key skills that student must  mastered to be successful in the next grade.

Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

I’m currently finding the resources needed to carry out my game plan. I have difficulty finding activities that aren’t game or quiz based. I haven’t checked out one of the sites that were recommended to me. It may have some available resources, since the website have flipcharts for the smart board.  I don’t think my game plan needs to be modified. I want to learn new ways to teach the various parts of speech rather than skill and drill. I want my student to interact with the information creatively. So far I have learned that its important to be part of a group to share ideas and links. I have had so many wonderful ideas shared with me about where I can locate information. It makes it easier to reach the needs of all students when I don’t have to spend hours searching the internet for ideas.  I also learned that it’s important to teach students to become self-directed learners.

Game Plan Resources

In order to carry out my Game plan I will need the following resources: creativity ways to use technology to teach adjective and interactive activities for individual/whole group, game websites to practice the skill, and videos. By using various forms of technology it will help me keep my students in engage. I don't want to use the same method with each lesson because it will lose it appeal to the students. I want my student interactions with technology to be meaningful,effective,and engaging.

Game Plan

My first goal is to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments to help make learning grammar more meaningful for my students. I plan to incorporate more technology to help my student learn and practice identifying the parts of speech. I will search the internet for cartoon like video and use the School House Rock videos more often. I usually select the School House Rock videos that interest me but I will now allow my student to determine the videos. The internet has several of interactive parts of speech games that can be incorporated into my lesson which will keep the student engaged in the lesson. Creating online assessments will allow the students as well as me instant feedback on the students understanding. I tend to use paper assessments and sometimes it’s difficult to return papers back the following day. To monitor my progress I plan to implement at least on video, game, and assessments to each lesson. I will evaluate my learning based on how well by student performed on their assessment compared to previous assessments.

My second goal is to model digital-age work and learning. I have a school webpage that is not being use. It should be used to promote student learning and be a way for parents to communicate with me. I plan to update my webpage with useful links for student and parents. I would like to include online programs that are provided by the school that students have access to at home. It’s important to provide parents with the resources that are being used in class. The parents can use information to help reinforced what is taught at school. I would like to use my website to communicate with parents. I plan to start small and update my webpage at least once a week with a link. Since, the school year is almost over I will spend the summer adding links and videos for the topic that will be taught the 1^st 9 weeks. To monitor my progress I plan to keep a weekly log.  I will evaluate my success by if I updated my webpage weekly.

Testing

Testing

Course Reflection

This course has deepened my personal learning theory because it has provided me with tools to better myself in areas of weakness and strengthen my strengths. I struggle with motivating and getting students to understand that if you don’t pay attention in class or do homework you can’t get upset about the grade you make. I plan on incorporating the effort activity with my students to get them to understand that they have to put work into learning the material to make good grades. I was expose to several different technology resources throughout each week resources and readings. Two of my long term goals is to incorporate voice threads as way for students to review of the content. I plan to incorporate the voice thread for each unit taught after the Thanksgiving break. This will give me time to figure out all of the features of the program. I also enjoyed the virtual field trips an plan to create one for each unit. This will be time consuming trying to find websites that cover the information needed. I plan to spend at least 1 to 2 hrs.  a week to search the internet for virtual field trips. Overall, I'm leaving the course with several technology tools.

Social & Cooperative Learning

Social learning and cooperative learning are very similar. They both have students work together in way to enhance their knowledge in a particular area. Student are able to get a better understand and construct meaning for the new knowledge. Social Learning cooperative is part of the 21^st century thinking skills. Students must be able to think critical, and work together to solve a problem.  I like to put my students in cooperative groups because sometimes students are the best teachers. There have been times that only a few students mastered a concept. I would take the students who mastered it and group them with struggling students. They were the teacher for the day. Eventually, everyone will get a chance to become the teacher for the day. The students really enjoy being the teacher. The student teachers are able to reach most of the students.   When I group kids for an assignments each student has an important part in one student doesn’t complete their part then the project will be incomplete. I don’t like to assign parts like time keeper, recorder, and facilitator. I feel the laziest person in the group would select time keeper, the best writer recorder, and the bossiest person facilitator. Instead, my groups assignments are multitask and each student is responsible for completing their part. Social learning and cooperative learning is effective when used correctly.

Voice Thread

http://voicethread.com/share/2302769/