MET 6203 In the Future...

In the future, I would like to see more interactive technology experiences in the classroom. Taking students out of the book and enabling them to see, hear, tough and interact with the lesson at hand. I believe this creates a deeper connection and allows the students to become a critical decision maker, drawing from a wealth of personal knowledge. Online learning opportunities for students are also important. Giving students the chance to work about grade level, re-mediate, or even have access to information or learning not offered at the school is an exciting prospect. Giving these same students the skill to manipulate the technology is essential. Incorporating keyboarding, Internet research skills, and presentation software in the elementary school has to become the norm. Funding to support student learning and the integration of technology has to be in place.

I recently asked our board for $45,000 for technology! We need to have a better infrastructure and new server! But, if I only had $10,000, I would prototype 2-3 classrooms with technology essentials and work hard to document my students' learning progress through test scores over the year. I would purchase:

2 Smart Board Kits with projector and arm mount - $4,200.00
2 Document Cameras - $2,000.00
1 Student Response System - $3,000.00
1 Digital Camera - $250.00
2 Web Cameras - $160.00
2 Microphones - $100.00
1 Digital Video Camera - $400.00

Total - $10,110.00

This equipment would support a more interactive learning environment and create excitement throughout the school. Currently, we have none of these items!

MET 6203 Module 11 - Portfolios

Portfolios are a great way to organize artifacts that verify professional growth. They provide a record so that personal progress can be assessed. Working portfolios that contain large amounts of work over time can be used to organize lesson plans, pictures, multimedia, and other materials used in the classroom or on the job. As a teacher learns, works through and creates curriculum, portfolios can document instruction that works and ways of adapting that instruction for all students. Assessments portfolios can be used to keep track of individual student progress. Items saved by the students themselves or by the teacher. During my student teaching, I was assigned to oversee this in a fourth grade classroom. Students were both asked to save certain pieces and were able to choose some of their own that they felt best showcased their work. I was surprised at how easy parent/teacher conferences were when the portfolio was used in a student led conference. They were much harder on themselves and more honest. I used student folder on our server to have students archive work over the year, creating a type of assessment portfolio that they are able to save to a jump drive at the end. Resource room and lower achieving students use this to encourage continued progress and I am able to document accommodations.

The showcase portfolio is certainly what teachers bring to job interviews! It is designed to showcase the best work within representative categories. For our kindergarten graduation, I am using voice over power point slides and a small web cam to create mini showcase portfolios for each kindergartner. I is amazing to me how much they have grown over the course of this short school year. My fourth grade portfolios were traditional print based, but more telling information can be stored with a digital portfolio.

I have scanned and saved awards, certificates, letters of recommendation and added multimedia projects in my portfolio. It was set up to follow basic guidelines highlighting Michigan's teaching standards. Now I would certainly focus more on the integration of technology into my lessons and teaching along with spotlighting my role as a technology leader in my building. Certainly the additional training of my graduate course work and being a part of MI Champions will be great additions to a professional teaching portfolio. I also think my goals should be more specific and I would weed through the items I have collected to really pick the best of the best. My reflective statements also need to focus on technology infusion and planning that supports a documented increase in student achievement. Being able to leave behind a digital portfolio with a wealth of information definitely gives an advantage. If you keep up with saving good artifacts and attaching them to standards right away, the creation and fine tuning of a professional portfolio is so much easier.

Module 8 - Classroom Tools/AT

Slater Software has been developing and publishing software for the Special Education market since 1994. Both Jean and Jim Slater wanted to find an innovative solution to some of the problems they faced with their public school special education caseload. PixWriter v3.0 is a software program for early writing intervention. It motivates students to write by providing a picture for most words that they enter. A teacher can easily make and organize picture buttons that also include words. The student may also select picture/word buttons from templates to write. It is easy to hold the shift key and drag words into place to create sentences, complete sentences or write whole paragraphs. Built-in speech gives students immediate feedback on the selections they make or lets teachers create talking documents for early reading experiences. This can be used in the classroom to support individual student writing either in an expressive format or as an additional way to assess student knowledge.

http://www.slatersoftware.com/

I also like an Internet based product called write on line by Crick Software. It is software for writing that virtually re-defines what a normal word processing program can do. This also includes speech software which enables students not only to hear what they have written, but also to listen to the words in both the word bar and the word predictor before writing them. Write Online is more aimed at those who are learning to write but certainly can support those who are already writing. Teachers can include supportive words or phrases in the Words Bars and they become part of the predictive text that shows up as children write. We are always looking for a means of supporting student writing to increase fluency and of course MEAP scores!

The word prediction is driven by Crick’s “Word Flow” technology. It makes intelligent predictions as to the word the user is going to enter next, and gives point-and-click access to the most likely words. The level of vocabulary assistance can be tailored to individuals or to groups. The software will even give you statistics about the writing. In addition, the software lists spelling errors and shows the corrections and the context. It can even detect if passages of text have been copied into the writing. Since it is available on line, a student can use the program at home or at school. Teachers can add in comments and mark the work online. Meant to be used across the curriculum, the software can be set up to include crucial vocabulary in all subject areas. Student work can be stored online or on school machines. One of the many features is that you can even use the online software if you are not connected to the Internet for a couple of days!

http://www.cricksoft.com/uk/writeonline/

MultiMedia

As the technology teacher I use multimedia on a daily basis in my classroom. All of my students use Power Point to present facts and ideas. Most recently, I had my kindergartners create one PP slide with their name and choice of a favorite item they could not live without. We had read a story and watched a DVD just prior to their creation to give them ideas about a special stuffed animal, blanket or toy. We are now using the voice feature of Power Point to record their story in their own words. Our final assessment piece will be a story, created and read by kindergartners. I have also used Publisher on several occasions to create brochures that went along with a 4th grade regions project and with the 5th grade school newsletter. It is very easy for the students to update a Publisher template off the student file portion of our server and link the finished document to our school website. Our school principal has also just begun to use Publisher to send out his "Weekly Word" newsletter. Unfortunately our school video camera is not digital (we need an upgrade) but I have used my personal camera and video camera to record classroom events and play back student presentations. It always amazes me the insight they have into how to make other student's presentations better. Music is so important to the students at Woodmont. We constantly create raps and lyrics to go along with important lesson concepts and I occasionally play music to set the mood in the computer lab. On Wednesday, we will be recording Fox 2 News as they come to Woodmont to broadcast live from our 2nd grade classrooms. We earned the honor of having our student letters to Obama delivered to the President himself by one of our local representatives.

I want to continue to use Power Point and the voice recording options to excite students creating reports. I would also like to have the 3rd and 4th grade create a games challenge using power point and the slide hyperlink and transition features to reveal answers. Finally, the 5th grade will be continuing to utilize the versatility of Publisher to create graduation invitations for our Kindergarten, invitations to our Peace Makers project and the opening of our nature trail.

The digital camera and scanner has been a recent favorite technology project for my students. They love to take a picture, especially backgrounds, scan the pictures into the computer and then use a drawing program to draw themselves or other items into the picture. We have had alot of fun doing weather reports, taking pictures and comparing them from day to day. Finally, I have been scanning and saving student work into digital files to create student portfolios. These will be saved on personal flash drives at the end of the year.

MET 6203: Module 5 - Spreadsheets

I was amazed at how little I knew about the capability of spreadsheets! My first year at Woodmont Academy, the PE teacher emailed me a spreadsheet she had created to calculate and track student grades. I remember trying to figure out how to change formulas to suit my needs and doing some things by calculator. I wish I had taken the time to find and use the tools! Our Power Grade system shows me a spreadsheet like grade book that averages student grades. This is a feature that I must turn on withing the system. Right now, we run on 4 quarters with all work weighted equally and each quarter counting as 25% of the student's final grade. All I have to do to change this function is to indicate how much of 100% for the term the assignment or test is worth. I like that if I want to copy this information into an Excel sheet, all I have to do is cut and paste. I use this to let classroom teachers know what outstanding assignments students have and to give them updated progress report information. It is easier for me, at this point, to have the classroom teacher stay on top of the students for missing work! I have used and taught Excel to 2nd and 3rd graders as a way to input simple data (counting skittles) and creating a chart to display that data. The specials schedule and technology inventory was also done using an Excel spreadsheet this year. I have also used spreadsheets to create phone lists.

The students in our elementary school have not had much training with spreadsheets, which I hope to change. They have used this format to collect survey information, data for certain math and science projects, classroom library and video inventories and for making charts and graphs. I love the idea of using the spreadsheet design to have students create budgets. The fifth grade just talked about opening a school store and Excel would be a great resource for me to show them.

I would like to try to use a spreadsheet for my lesson plan template and to create game boards and crossword puzzles. I do have a great online template for puzzles, but Excel is a fun option for myself and students to use. Teaching the students to use it has become easier as they understand how to look for things in the toolbar and just play around! I am sure more ideas on how to use this software will present themselves as my classes go along.

MET 6203: Module 5 - Data Base

I was just involved with the school improvement plan process as part of the whole group and the database committee. We unfortunately had to record ourselves in the "just getting started" area of the improvement plan due to the fact we had not centrally collected and used data to drive school-wide and curriculum decisions. Our primary data base is our Power Grade software where we are able to collect attendance, lunch information, and student academic progress. Testing data was also used in the form of MEAP scores. Prior to this year we had also used the data from Stanford 9 testing, but our new management company decided not to implement the test this year. This will unfortunately not allow us to gather data and analyze trends over a five year period or be able to show student growth from our kindergartners (who where with us when we opened) to our current fourth grade. Teachers also do not have access to school wide data, only the students in their own classroom. We have recently imported data from Power School into the database on our school website, but no training has been offered to guide teachers on how to use that information.

Students use databases when they conduct surveys, create electronic lists of spelling words and work on collaborative projects. We just finished classroom wide collaborative projects for Black History Month where students collected and shared facts. This information was stored using Microsoft Access and other Office Suite features on the student drive of the school server. I observed a class pull from this database and create a whole group time line on Motown legends. Upper elementary students also create their own databases in the contacts portion of email accounts and using excel to create graphs and charts.

I know a successful teacher needs to become more aware of creating, using and sharing data throughout the school. For assessment purposes, we will be purchasing NWEA assessment programming which collects and analyzes data from test results for the teacher. Our school website will need to have complete student data imported and input over the summer so that teachers may have access to quickly change and update information and use data to make classroom decisions. I personally have not done a mail merge and look forward to creating a database separated by grade and class to easily send our homework, reminders, and class information to parents.

MET 6203: Module 4 - Word Processing

I use a computer to create, edit, and print documents on a daily basis. The great advantage of word processing over using a typewriter is that you can make changes without retyping the entire document and I rely on software, as a first step, to check the spelling and grammar within the body of my document. I use word processing to write letters and email, do homework assignments and papers for school, create cards, flyers and worksheets, and create a running record of student progress for portfolios. A weekly newsletter about events in the classroom is a required task for all teachers. The ability to use word processing to create a template makes this task much easier. Email has become a primary form of communication for me and the word processing component within email programs make the appearance and readability of that communication significantly better. I did have an electric typewriter (with an erase feature within the ink cartridge) and can’t believe I ever thought it was the only thing needed to present written work.

Students at Woodmont Academy use Word Processors in the classroom, the computer lab on a weekly basis and infrequently at home. Lower elementary students use this technology to assist in the communication of their ideas on paper. This is done using Microsoft Word and Power Point. I especially use this feature to have them create flash cards. Words are copied from a list, using word processing and then pictures from clip art or student folders are inserted to create deeper meaning. Upper Elementary students include the publishing, printing and saving of documents along with formatting text and layout options to creatively express ideas. Research papers are only one way of assessing what the student has learned. They create brochures and newsletters too. These students also use word processors to email and blog within the classroom and school environment.

I would like for use formatting more extensively to create summary sheets with the space for students to fill in the blanks and take notes. I definitely see the advantages of using processing programs like Write-Out-Loud, Paint, Write & Play, Storybook Weaver, and Inspiration for lower elementary students. The additional graphics would make the instruction much easier on my part! Using word processing to continue to make comments in our on-line grade books would assist in keeping track of student progress. I will attempt to use the Power Grade feature more effectively.

At the beginning of my school year, I began teaching elementary technology for the first time without computers! I had a laptop which docked to a big screen television. Within a few weeks, I began using a portable laptop cart. This enabled me to teach about hardware components but manipulation of the equipment was challenging for the K/1st graders, especially the touch pad! Finally the equipment arrived for the lab and immediately after set-up, I knew it was a disaster. I was using four single core processors, each of which had an "extend" card installed so that the signal was split from the parent unit to six other stations. Each one could independently perform work, but all where using the 1 gig of memory from the parent. As soon as the students began to use memory intensive programs like the Internet and power point, the system began to freeze. This was a classic case of planning for something to go wrong! Until this situation is resolved, I use technology to teach the necessary skills they will need to complete future assignments. We have begun inquiry based research with the older grades to supplement current curriculum and project based learning. The students have discovered the many uses of the Internet and developed their own collaborative rules about staying safe. Website bias has been an issue when technology was used during the presidential campaign to research both candidates, and students have looked at situations where technology has changed the way we live in our society.

I use technology to supplement and enhance lessons. Students are able to see and hear examples in their learning. Technology is also used to practice their skills and provide assessment. A few teachers have used the lab and laptop cart for word processing, Internet based learning sites and project research. We also have an attendance and grading program that is technology based and used throughout the school. I would like to see and pilot some of the other technology that is being used in school districts. As a new member of the MI-Champions program, I will be able to learn more about smart boards, student response devices and document cameras. I also would like to know more about using GPS, wiki's, blogs, ipods, web pages, and cell phones in the learning environment. Web 2.0 sites seem like a great place for students to interact with a user, learn and leave comments. They can collaborate better in small or large groups using technology.