1. Identify the problem.
1.d. - identify trends and forecast possibilities.
4.a. - identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
2. Create your hypotenuses.
1.d. - identify trends and forecast possibilities.
3. What tools will be needed to better understanding the problem?
1.c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
English - 5.A.3a – Identify appropriate resources to solve problems or answer questions through research.
6.b - select and use applications effectively and productively
4. Collect pertinent information needed to solve the problem.
1.d. - identify trends and forecast possibilities.
4.c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
English - 5.B.3a – Choose and analyze information sources for individual academic and functional purposes.
5. Evaluate the sources found. to decide what is needed and what is not.
1.d. - identify trends and forecast possibilities.
4.c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
English - 5.B.3a – Choose and analyze information sources for individual academic and functional purposes.
6. Choose a tool you will need to model your solution.
6.a. - understand and use technology systems.
6.b - select and use applications effectively and productively
7. Use the knowledge you have to help you create a model of possible solutions.
4.b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
6.a. - understand and use technology systems.
6.b - select and use applications effectively and productively
8. Evaluate your model.
1.c. - use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
4.c. - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
9. How can I persuade ________ using the model I have created?
2.a. - interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
10. How will understanding of the problem help you in the future?
1.d. - identify trends and forecast possibilities.
4.c. - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
11. What skills can you effectively use to work in a group setting to create a persuasive wiki?
5.b. - exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
12. Create a persuasive using facts found from your research on why the district should allow social networking sites during school hours.
3.b. - locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
3.c. - evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
5.b. - exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
13. How does the use of technology effect the way students will be taught in the future?
1.a. - apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
1.d. - identify trends and forecast possibilities.
3.a. - plan strategies to guide inquiry.
4.c. - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
14. Are these changes all positive? Support your answer.
4.c. - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
5.d. - exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
15. What should be done in order to get the problem of cyberbullying under control?
3.c. - evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
4.a. - identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
5.a. - advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
16. Create your list of criteria: What makes a good website?
3.c. - evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
4.c. - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
17. Who is responsible for making the Internet safe for children? Support your answer.
4.c. - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
5.a. - advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
18. Research the effects of children using the Internet. How much is too much? Why?
3.c. - evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
4.a. - identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
5.a. - advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
Social Emotional – 1A.3b. – Apply strategies to manage stress and to motivate successful performance.
19. What are the benefits of using print text for research? What are the drawbacks?
3.d. - process data and report results.
4.c. - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
20. What are my responsibilities when using information from the Internet?
3.d. - process data and report results.
4.c. - collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
5.a. - advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Evaluating My Mini Unit
Complex: Many faceted, nonstructured, open to questions (1.5)
Robust: Concepts are significant, central to understanding the subject (2)
Fascinating: Arouses students' curiosity; relates to their needs, interests, or concerns (3)
Researchable: Is there information available? (3)
Significant to current concerns: Relates to significant social, political, historic, scientific issues (3)
Transferable: Are concepts and skills applicable to other subjects or to life situations? (2)
Boundaryless: Transcends traditional lines of subject/authority, learning entry points, sharing, and reporting on conclusions (3)
Robust: Concepts are significant, central to understanding the subject (2)
Fascinating: Arouses students' curiosity; relates to their needs, interests, or concerns (3)
Researchable: Is there information available? (3)
Significant to current concerns: Relates to significant social, political, historic, scientific issues (3)
Transferable: Are concepts and skills applicable to other subjects or to life situations? (2)
Boundaryless: Transcends traditional lines of subject/authority, learning entry points, sharing, and reporting on conclusions (3)
Monday, February 1, 2010
Conflict Resolution Maybe the Answer
I started teaching technology 14 years ago in the same district that I currently teach. I was one of the original lab managers who, you could say, built the program. I have been through many administrators throughout my tenure and seen many changes with which I don’t agree.
In the beginning my colleagues and I were asked for our input on a regular basis and our opinions on how tasks should be accomplished was taken seriously; we created lesson plans and wrote policies for the district. This went on for many years resulting in, what I felt, and a productive program. In addition to creating curriculum, when I first started in this department I was also responsible for building the school website, fixing hardware and software problems at the school level, maintaining the document server and teaching teachers and students.
Over the years and throughout different administrations, the responsibilities of the lab managers have changed and diminished. This has occurred for several reasons. For instance, the server issue stemmed from some lab managers never learning to set up and/or maintain their document server. When the lab managers controlled the document server it was easier to create individual solutions for unique situations. For example, I have many special needs students, we like them to be as independent as possible so I created usernames and passwords that they could remember. Now with the server being centralized, the district says that is impossible to do for just a few students.
In addition, the lab managers used to have the administrator password to fix teacher and student computers until one of the lab managers gave the password out to her husband. Subsequently, the password was taken away from all the lab managers, resulting in our current situation in which teacher and student computers are not maintained as quickly. Currently, teachers put in a “ticket” to get something fixed and they have to wait until a tech can get to it. The lab managers, meanwhile, have been told that our responsibility is to teach and nothing else.
In applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to this problem, my first step was to recognize if I had the knowledge I needed to perform the necessary skills in maintaining my server and the ability to fix hardware/software. The answer to the lowest level of instructional activity is yes. I then looked at the next to levels, comprehension and application. Again I can exhibit and solve the problems before me and I can translate the information in order to use it taking me to the higher levels.
I created a document to send to the administration to show them my point of view. I explained how I have had no trouble in my school with the server and it was more efficient for my teachers to be able to rely on me to fix their technology problems. I composed a plan to illustrate to them how I planned to manage my time between fixing, maintaining the server and teaching.
After the administration evaluated my letter, the end result was not completely what I had hoped for. What I learned is that sometimes you need to use conflict resolution as your solution in order to not lose “the battle” completely. Getting some of what you need to do a good job is better than getting nothing that you need.
So after talking my administrator we came to a compromise to satisfy both their need to control and my need to give my school the best possible service. We were able to come to an agreement of time I use to teach and time I use to help my teachers with possible problems. In conclusion, sometimes a clear solution is not possible.
In the beginning my colleagues and I were asked for our input on a regular basis and our opinions on how tasks should be accomplished was taken seriously; we created lesson plans and wrote policies for the district. This went on for many years resulting in, what I felt, and a productive program. In addition to creating curriculum, when I first started in this department I was also responsible for building the school website, fixing hardware and software problems at the school level, maintaining the document server and teaching teachers and students.
Over the years and throughout different administrations, the responsibilities of the lab managers have changed and diminished. This has occurred for several reasons. For instance, the server issue stemmed from some lab managers never learning to set up and/or maintain their document server. When the lab managers controlled the document server it was easier to create individual solutions for unique situations. For example, I have many special needs students, we like them to be as independent as possible so I created usernames and passwords that they could remember. Now with the server being centralized, the district says that is impossible to do for just a few students.
In addition, the lab managers used to have the administrator password to fix teacher and student computers until one of the lab managers gave the password out to her husband. Subsequently, the password was taken away from all the lab managers, resulting in our current situation in which teacher and student computers are not maintained as quickly. Currently, teachers put in a “ticket” to get something fixed and they have to wait until a tech can get to it. The lab managers, meanwhile, have been told that our responsibility is to teach and nothing else.
In applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to this problem, my first step was to recognize if I had the knowledge I needed to perform the necessary skills in maintaining my server and the ability to fix hardware/software. The answer to the lowest level of instructional activity is yes. I then looked at the next to levels, comprehension and application. Again I can exhibit and solve the problems before me and I can translate the information in order to use it taking me to the higher levels.
I created a document to send to the administration to show them my point of view. I explained how I have had no trouble in my school with the server and it was more efficient for my teachers to be able to rely on me to fix their technology problems. I composed a plan to illustrate to them how I planned to manage my time between fixing, maintaining the server and teaching.
After the administration evaluated my letter, the end result was not completely what I had hoped for. What I learned is that sometimes you need to use conflict resolution as your solution in order to not lose “the battle” completely. Getting some of what you need to do a good job is better than getting nothing that you need.
So after talking my administrator we came to a compromise to satisfy both their need to control and my need to give my school the best possible service. We were able to come to an agreement of time I use to teach and time I use to help my teachers with possible problems. In conclusion, sometimes a clear solution is not possible.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Problem as I See it!!
At first glance the district I work in is perfect in that there is an abundance of technology. There is a projector, interactive board, document camera and at least one student computer in every classroom. Every teacher in district has a laptop loaded with software: Microsoft Office, iLife, document camera software and interactive board software. So you might ask, “what is the problem?”
There are two problems, the district decides needs of teachers without asking the teachers and has centralized server set and maintained at district office (it used to be the lab managed responsibility to set up and maintain school servers).
The district deciding the needs of the teachers has a two fold result; teachers don’t have a “stack” in it and many times the teachers are not getting the equipment, programs and/or training they need for their program. Putting a projector/interactive board in a reading specialist room is a waste of resources. The reading specialist works with 1 to 4 students at a time, they don’t see the need to work at a board feeling it is not necessary. The district has installed the same set up in the speech therapist room, resource teacher’s rooms and the fitness room. Many times a project would have made the most sense.
Professional development works much the same way, with all good intentions the district puts out a massive amount of courses that the teachers can sign up for and also receive CPDUs. The classes maybe large with speakers that don’t know the teachers and goes at a relatively fast pace; great for the teacher previously comfortable with technology and probably already uses it in their classroom. This scenario is not a good experience for the teacher not uses in the classroom and would like to start. It is also not a good situation if one of the goals is to get these teachers using technology.
The school servers use to be maintained by the lab managers, allowing the school to set up and manage them according to the schools needs. The district has centralized them in the past several years. The problem with that is having one person deal with that many students creates a situation where it is impossible to take individual needs into account. All students must have the same formula for login (student first initial, middle initial, last name), great if the kindergartener or special needs student doesn’t have a long last name. This arrangement can’t take into account that a teacher wants to do a project and needs a particular account set up for her students, allowing them to share documents. Having the servers centralized does not allow the school to configure the server to that schools needs.
Having an abundant amount of technology in a school does not guarantee that the students will have a meaningful experience with technology.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Reflection
The 7th grade classes are well under way with this new Web 2.0 project. I have seen many things that I will have to adjust in order to give them a more positive experience.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Something New for Me.
The Web 2.0 workshop that I attended last Saturday has helped me open my mind to the many possibilities that Web 2.0 has in my classroom. I have already created and started using a lesson using Wikis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
