Discuss considerations for system adoption of one of the models (SAMR or TPACK). What do school or system leaders have to take into account when promoting adoption of one of the models?
I think that for my school, the SAMR model is a little easier to understand and implement at this time. Most teachers are not using their technology to the fullest extent and are really only using the Substitution area. By using the SAMR model to show teachers where they fall, it might force them to think about their pedagogy and maybe they will try to push themselves to Augmentation or Modification stages this year.
The leaders need to take into account what stages the teachers are at before they introduce the method so that they can have a plan in place in order to encourage staff members to go up to the next level.
I also think that leaders should be checking in at certain points during the year to assess the changes made to teaching practices. I think teacher should bring a lesson plan already taught to a meeting and have others give suggestions as to how to make it richer or to the redefinition stage. Only then, I can see teachers actually using the model in their planning and trying to make a difference.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
First post for my specialist course!
Question: What is your vision for technology use in education? How does this compare or contrast with the required readings?
I really liked the first quote in the Achieving Excellence required reading that read :
"We want schools ... where students will feel free to dream about their futures, where they are able to connect their passions with possible career options, and where the opportunities and resources needed to support these decisions are provided. "
This quote shares my vision for technology as it enables students to not only explore and find what really interests them but it seems more inquiry based as apposed to traditional teacher facilitated learning. I do envision students of the future to be the ones learning on their own because that is how they will develop problem solving skills which is pertinent for their future careers. No boss ever has liked someone asking so many questions because they are either too afraid to take risks or they do not have enough knowledge to work independently! I find students at the moment are used to the teacher directing their learning and when they get a chance to do something on their own, they are lost and overwhelmed. If they got used to this bit by bit in elementary school, I feel they will be great problem solvers and independent workers by their teenage years. This is a domino effect as if students are confident and engaged in their learning, they will be less likely to want to leave the education system too early thus our 83% high school diploma rate as mentioned in Achieving Excellence (although I find that a bit low, I account for the fact that in the area that I teach, there is probably a 99% diploma rate).
I also envision many teachers using technology in their daily practice. This would mean that they would have the budget to have technology in each classroom as well as the opportunities to teach PD around what teachers should know/use. I was pleasantly surprised in Achieving Excellence that it is a goal of the Ministry of Education to do so as outlined in the following quote:
"Provide new online learning and professional development opportunities for both teachers and students, particularly those in rural and remote communities, ..."
I do know that in my board, consultants are constantly engaging teachers to use more digital resources in their daily practice.
I also like the emphasis on digital literacies on the Digital Learning article and how it is important that we teach how to go online properly and what the implications are if we post/write/say negative or inappropriate things. Even if students don't have a computer at home, they have or will have a smartphone in the future, they already have access to computer at school and the library so they will need to know how to act appropriately online. The problem at the moment with this push for technology in the classroom is the bandwidth in the schools. It is not strong enough to handle soo many devices online at the same time. What ends up happening during class time are students not being able to connect and therefore becoming frustrated that they cannot go along with the class and end up missing important steps in their learning. What I would like to see is state of the art wifi/bandwidth so that these problems do not happen as often.
I really liked the first quote in the Achieving Excellence required reading that read :
"We want schools ... where students will feel free to dream about their futures, where they are able to connect their passions with possible career options, and where the opportunities and resources needed to support these decisions are provided. "
This quote shares my vision for technology as it enables students to not only explore and find what really interests them but it seems more inquiry based as apposed to traditional teacher facilitated learning. I do envision students of the future to be the ones learning on their own because that is how they will develop problem solving skills which is pertinent for their future careers. No boss ever has liked someone asking so many questions because they are either too afraid to take risks or they do not have enough knowledge to work independently! I find students at the moment are used to the teacher directing their learning and when they get a chance to do something on their own, they are lost and overwhelmed. If they got used to this bit by bit in elementary school, I feel they will be great problem solvers and independent workers by their teenage years. This is a domino effect as if students are confident and engaged in their learning, they will be less likely to want to leave the education system too early thus our 83% high school diploma rate as mentioned in Achieving Excellence (although I find that a bit low, I account for the fact that in the area that I teach, there is probably a 99% diploma rate).
I also envision many teachers using technology in their daily practice. This would mean that they would have the budget to have technology in each classroom as well as the opportunities to teach PD around what teachers should know/use. I was pleasantly surprised in Achieving Excellence that it is a goal of the Ministry of Education to do so as outlined in the following quote:
"Provide new online learning and professional development opportunities for both teachers and students, particularly those in rural and remote communities, ..."
I do know that in my board, consultants are constantly engaging teachers to use more digital resources in their daily practice.
I also like the emphasis on digital literacies on the Digital Learning article and how it is important that we teach how to go online properly and what the implications are if we post/write/say negative or inappropriate things. Even if students don't have a computer at home, they have or will have a smartphone in the future, they already have access to computer at school and the library so they will need to know how to act appropriately online. The problem at the moment with this push for technology in the classroom is the bandwidth in the schools. It is not strong enough to handle soo many devices online at the same time. What ends up happening during class time are students not being able to connect and therefore becoming frustrated that they cannot go along with the class and end up missing important steps in their learning. What I would like to see is state of the art wifi/bandwidth so that these problems do not happen as often.
Friday, December 12, 2014
The end of my Aq course
Hello all,
While I am sad to see the end of the course for the amount of useful/practical work that I have accomplished, I am happy to see the extra work be over.
This course really forced us to think more about how we are leaders within the school system and how to help the staff become comfortable themselves with technology.
One of our projects had to do with a parents night for technology. I have been meaning to do one of these since September but it has been so incredibly busy this year thus far that I let it slip my mind. This assignment was not only quite useful but it enabled me to be ready in case I need to do one in January. Being in a paperless classroom this year, parents are hesitant about the shift in learning and have lots of questions. By starting the year off on the right foot by introducing what the children will be learning and what tools they will be using, parents should have their minds at ease.
The only drawback I see to this type of night is that the school wifi requires students to log in so either we would have to open this night up to both parents and students to learn together or it would be more of a lecture format rather than a "stay to play" night. Another worry is that we may not have enough technology for all the parents who might want to attend. I would either have to limit it to my classes (54 students) or have two possible nights. I think parents would be very keen on knowing how their child's learning will be impacted/heightened.
I also had the pleasure of doing my first WebQuest! While fairly basic, I wanted to get the Hour of Code out there because there are still many teachers afraid to try coding in school. I myself don;t have any formal coding background having only dabbled a bit in html in high school but I was excited to see my students taking risks and making cool little programs! In the new year, I want to see how they react to making their own math app!!!
Well, this is my last official assignment and I have one more week until holidays... or I guess I should say marking season... I really need to catch up and start 2015 on a better foot!
See ya later!
Ashley
While I am sad to see the end of the course for the amount of useful/practical work that I have accomplished, I am happy to see the extra work be over.
This course really forced us to think more about how we are leaders within the school system and how to help the staff become comfortable themselves with technology.
One of our projects had to do with a parents night for technology. I have been meaning to do one of these since September but it has been so incredibly busy this year thus far that I let it slip my mind. This assignment was not only quite useful but it enabled me to be ready in case I need to do one in January. Being in a paperless classroom this year, parents are hesitant about the shift in learning and have lots of questions. By starting the year off on the right foot by introducing what the children will be learning and what tools they will be using, parents should have their minds at ease.
The only drawback I see to this type of night is that the school wifi requires students to log in so either we would have to open this night up to both parents and students to learn together or it would be more of a lecture format rather than a "stay to play" night. Another worry is that we may not have enough technology for all the parents who might want to attend. I would either have to limit it to my classes (54 students) or have two possible nights. I think parents would be very keen on knowing how their child's learning will be impacted/heightened.
I also had the pleasure of doing my first WebQuest! While fairly basic, I wanted to get the Hour of Code out there because there are still many teachers afraid to try coding in school. I myself don;t have any formal coding background having only dabbled a bit in html in high school but I was excited to see my students taking risks and making cool little programs! In the new year, I want to see how they react to making their own math app!!!
Well, this is my last official assignment and I have one more week until holidays... or I guess I should say marking season... I really need to catch up and start 2015 on a better foot!
See ya later!
Ashley
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Advantages and Disadvantages of Blogger
Now I am no where near new to blogging, having made over 7 blogs for all my different hobbies and classes but there are some things that I just don't understand with blogging.
Here are the advantages and Disadvantages in my opinion of Blogger:
Pros:
Some Bloggers in the technology world who I have bookmarked their sites are:
ICT 4 Kids
Brian Aspinall's Blog
Free Technology for Teachers
Here are the advantages and Disadvantages in my opinion of Blogger:
Pros:
- Easy and fast to post
- Fairly dummy proof to start up (gets more complicated when you change layouts)
- Visually appealing
- User friendly
- Can post pictures, videos and links
- A google app
- URL does not tend to be too long
Cons:
- You cannot upload documents so if using this site for a classroom, you need to have additional software to help you with that
- you are limited in the layout changes and designs do not always work out so they take time to master
- You are limited to the columns on the side and cannot always place items where you want them to go
- Pages which you can make are fairly 2D and cannot do much with them
Some Bloggers in the technology world who I have bookmarked their sites are:
ICT 4 Kids
Brian Aspinall's Blog
Free Technology for Teachers
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Reflection on my course thus far
These last couple of weeks have been concentrated on technology for special needs students. After having completed all of my assignments and reflecting on what we have looked at this far in the course, I have come to the conclusion that I still don't like to differentiate for a few students when I have far more students who are not officially identified or have parents who didn't want to "label" their child in my classroom. Don't take it as that I don't want to help anyone, but more along the lines of I want to help everyone become successful. It is far more difficult to differentiate for a few than to do it for everyone. My way of accommodating is to give every student the same piece of technology and it is up to them how they choose to use it. Instead of using smart ideas with some, I use it with all students as they will all benefit from the structure. If I need to give extra time to one student as mentioned in his IEP, why can't I give extra time to others as well since I have to stay in for recess anyway! I just don't like seeing non identified students struggling because their parents don't want them to be labelled. Struggling is struggling no matter how you call it.
I have seen some great new programs that I have had a bit of time to test out thanks to having taken this course. I cannot say that all this is new to me as I try and keep up with the ongoing technology changes (especially with google drive! STOP changing it!) but at least this course is designed to have you choose things at your comfort level which helps me be able to look at programs that I have never had the time to look at until now.
It is obvious from the discussion had in the discussion forums that we are all here to further engage our students and through that our commitment is definitely apparent (Standard of practice #1 Members are dedicated in their care and commitment to students.) and that we strive to further our own knowledge with the direction the world is turning (Standard of practice #2 Members recognize that a commitment to ongoing professional learning is integral to effective practice and to student learning).
What I would love to do, is be more in depth with some newer programs and maybe even tackle how we approach paperless classrooms in the math world as it seems as though there is not much mentioned about paperless math in the world. What does it look like? Who has successfully gone through a year without using paper for math concepts like Geometry and Data management?
These are just some things on my mind at the moment now that I have a couple more minutes not clouded by report cards!
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Assistive Technology: "Necessary for some, good for all"
As I finish my learning module on Assistive Technology, I am to reflect on the quote above. I resonate with this quote because I acknowledge that everyone learns differently and it is up to the teacher to show the same lesson in a variety of different ways in order to "hook" the students. I have quite a few non identified students who definitely need extra care so why do I need to spend more time with my identified students when I know there are plenty more who need it too? This is where technology comes in. In my board, we are lucky enough to have google apps for education for all students and staff. I am definitely taking advantage of it this year with all my students. Yes assistive technology is great, but why only for some? Everyone should benefit! Of course some programs and software are not available to everyone but this is why I like to look at web 2.0 tools to find something similar so that all students can benefit. That way, not only am I not getting confused because everyone is using something different, but also the students can use their app/program to their comfort zone.
Another thing that I think benefits the students is the ability to give them a choice on how they want to be assessed. If they need to do an oral presentation, they can record themselves and show a video, they can use software that they know (ie. powerpoint, slide rocket, slides etc.) or they can do the traditional way of standing up in front of the class and presenting. Just because a student doesn't feel comfortable standing up in front of others, does not make them less intelligent from the next child.
This module really reminds me of the new show called "Canada's Smartest Person". This show tests contestants on their multiple intelligences and really shows that people are smart in their own way. I have downloaded the app for my students and they test themselves on a daily basis. They become so confident when they see where they lie in their "smarts". One student came up to me and told me she scored 100% in social smarts... She tries extremely hard in class but doesn't get the best marks. I told her that she will rock when she gets older because many jobs need people with social skills. This in turn makes her more confident and everyone goes home happy.
As much as I know that there are students with learning difficulties, I really try and make a point to offer the same things to everyone also so that the IEP'd student is not singled out as well. Ive had students in the past who refused to work on their SEA equipment because they didn't want to look different than the rest of the students. I don't blame them. As much as it helps them, it sometimes ruins their self-concept. At least with everyone working on the same device, the students who use an extra program or need extra time are not so self conscious with their work because no one is the wiser.
Another thing that I think benefits the students is the ability to give them a choice on how they want to be assessed. If they need to do an oral presentation, they can record themselves and show a video, they can use software that they know (ie. powerpoint, slide rocket, slides etc.) or they can do the traditional way of standing up in front of the class and presenting. Just because a student doesn't feel comfortable standing up in front of others, does not make them less intelligent from the next child.
This module really reminds me of the new show called "Canada's Smartest Person". This show tests contestants on their multiple intelligences and really shows that people are smart in their own way. I have downloaded the app for my students and they test themselves on a daily basis. They become so confident when they see where they lie in their "smarts". One student came up to me and told me she scored 100% in social smarts... She tries extremely hard in class but doesn't get the best marks. I told her that she will rock when she gets older because many jobs need people with social skills. This in turn makes her more confident and everyone goes home happy.
As much as I know that there are students with learning difficulties, I really try and make a point to offer the same things to everyone also so that the IEP'd student is not singled out as well. Ive had students in the past who refused to work on their SEA equipment because they didn't want to look different than the rest of the students. I don't blame them. As much as it helps them, it sometimes ruins their self-concept. At least with everyone working on the same device, the students who use an extra program or need extra time are not so self conscious with their work because no one is the wiser.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Reflection of Learning Module 1
As mentioned in a previous post, I am taking a computers course to upgrade my qualifications for my career. We have been asked to reflect on what we have learned/saw throughout the first module. We read an article about computer labs versus a couple computers in the classroom and found that labs are more effective because everyone is learning at the same time. I would have to agree not only for the learning but also for the teacher to be able to give instructions once (ok twice... lets be real here!)
If I had students at a centre who constantly need my assistance to use the computers, I would go nuts!
Moving on, we looked at our school and board computer policies where I think for the most part, they are up-to-date but need a little tweaking in the future to be applied to students who hack into or are very advanced in their skills. If the administrator does not know a lot about technology, how advanced is the policy?
Moving on, we looked at web 2.0 tools. I use them a lot but I get very stressed when I can't use them all. I have a tendency to need to be an expert on all things technology because staff members are always asking me how to do things but it is impossible with the amount of tools popping up daily! This portion of the course was a bit of a review for me as I have tried to use many of the available websites mentioned. I liked how it was differentiated though to apply to different levels because as I feel very comfortable with sites like edmodo, or blogger, others do not. In part one of Integration of technology in the classroom, because it was in class, we looked at a different web 2.0 site in depth. It allowed me to play and then plan how I was going to use it the next day in class. This item around, I was able to take a look at geogebra to tackle how I am going to teach geometry in math with a paperless classroom. Win, win for me! I had been meaning to do that anyways! I think that is also why I took this course. To "force" me to take the time to look for new things!
Next post, I am going to attempt a math quiz with google forms.. Not course related but stay tuned for my pros and cons!
If I had students at a centre who constantly need my assistance to use the computers, I would go nuts!
Moving on, we looked at our school and board computer policies where I think for the most part, they are up-to-date but need a little tweaking in the future to be applied to students who hack into or are very advanced in their skills. If the administrator does not know a lot about technology, how advanced is the policy?
Moving on, we looked at web 2.0 tools. I use them a lot but I get very stressed when I can't use them all. I have a tendency to need to be an expert on all things technology because staff members are always asking me how to do things but it is impossible with the amount of tools popping up daily! This portion of the course was a bit of a review for me as I have tried to use many of the available websites mentioned. I liked how it was differentiated though to apply to different levels because as I feel very comfortable with sites like edmodo, or blogger, others do not. In part one of Integration of technology in the classroom, because it was in class, we looked at a different web 2.0 site in depth. It allowed me to play and then plan how I was going to use it the next day in class. This item around, I was able to take a look at geogebra to tackle how I am going to teach geometry in math with a paperless classroom. Win, win for me! I had been meaning to do that anyways! I think that is also why I took this course. To "force" me to take the time to look for new things!
Next post, I am going to attempt a math quiz with google forms.. Not course related but stay tuned for my pros and cons!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)