Communication Software Glogster

Here is a Glogster that my classmate, Linda, and I created for our Strategies of Software class. We hope you enjoy it!

(Sorry it doesn't fit very well - This was the smallest size available!)

Developing Multimedia in the Classroom

I created my first Prezi presentation for one of my classes! The topic was "Instructional Methods," and incorporates how technology can be included in each of the methodologies. I also go over copyright information, including fair use policies. Check it out... Hopefully you'll learn something new!

Developing Multimedia in the Classroom

My Solving by Substitution Tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eyJk4DYEh0&feature=youtube_gdata

Here is a fun little tutorial that I got to create for my Master's program. Although it took a REALLY long time to figure out and then get it the way I wanted it, I really like the end product! Now I have something to send parents when they request extra help for their student. Maybe I'll even buy the Captivate program that I created it on so that I can continue making more videos... We'll see as the school year moves on!

Assessments - Yup, the "A"-word of every classroom ...

I hope you liked the video! In case you didn't catch on, today the topic is based on tests – Are they the only objective assessments for student learning?

An article by Linda Suskie states, “What is a ‘good’ assessment? More than anything else, it is an assessment that gives us truthful information; it tells us what our students have truly learned. Students who have truly learned what we want them to will do well on a “good” assessment; students who truly have not learned what we want them to will not do well on it” (2003).

I love Suskie’s words, and think that it marks several key aspects to assessment worth discussing. Often when individuals hear the word assessment, they start getting sweaty palms and their heart starts racing as they think of the word most often associated with assessments – TEST. However, that’s not the only type of assessment that teachers can incorporate into their classrooms, and other assessments don’t tend to create the same psychological issues that the word “test” does.

Take my math classes for instance. The moment I tell my kids that we have a test or quiz, the first thing out of their mouths is, “ah man! Not again!” Then I get to hear moaning, groaning, and complaining until the test or quiz is completed, and the only happy thought they have is that they don’t have homework that night. Is this how I would like reactions in my class to tests and quizzes? Definitely not. But math doesn’t always bring the happiest side out of kids, so I’ve kind of just gotten used to it. The people I work with like tests and quizzes the best to see how much our students are taking in from our classes, but I wish there was another way…

I find that my tests don’t always get the highest scores because of the wording of the questions. That in and of itself doesn’t ensure that a test score is objectionable. I also just had parent teacher conferences, where I talked to several mothers who explained to me the difficulty that their children have with test anxiety. Even when they know as much as they can know about the subject, they still find themselves failing tests simply because of how anxious they get thinking about the importance of that test on their grade. I feel so bad for these students, because then I get to correct their test and see just how hurtful their test anxiety is for their grade. It’s awful!

But back to Suskie’s quote… Her definition of an assessment didn’t say a word about a test! It says an assessment “gives us truthful information … [about] what our students have truly learned.” There are so many forms of assessment that teachers can incorporate into their teaching without even noticing too much of a change… But the change is that they will better understand where each individual is at, making a huge difference in how a teacher teaches, interacts with, and personalizes with every student.

There are many types of assessments. The chart above lists several formative, interim, and summative assessment ideas. In my opinion, no two teachers are the same, so each of us needs to figure out what types of assessments work best for us and our classroom subjects and styles. 

My favorite form of assessment in my class right now is when I make students come up to the board or answer a question. I’m not mean about it (at least not too mean…), because I generally have the kids work with their partners before I tell them to go show me what they did. However, even this objectionable assessment gets nerves riding high. I like that it gets the students to pay more attention (because at least on tests, no one else knows what you got… But if you do something wrong in front of everyone, then EVERYONE knows), but I don’t like how freaked out they get. Just last week I had a student tell me how much he hated my iPod, and how terribly afraid he was to come to my class, just because of the fear that the iPod would choose him that day. I know he was mostly joking, but I also know that there is always quite a bit of truth to any sarcastic comment.

Presentations are one of my favorite forms of assessment that show exactly how much a student actually knows. If a kid is presenting their science fair project to an audience, but mommy and daddy did the whole thing for them, they aren’t going to have a clue what to say. Even kids that have a hard time speaking in front of other people can at least sputter out enough logical reasoning that the teacher knows if they really understand what they’re presenting or not. I had my students give presentations on historical math figures last year, and I’d love to incorporate it again this year, if time will permit. I thought it was not only a great way for me to see how well their research was done, and how much they really understood about the importance of their individual, but they students enjoyed listening to their peers present, and especially all of the food involved with activities and games that the presenters put together.

I know I haven’t gone into too much detail on various types of assessment, but the main point is that teachers (and students) realize that there are more than one way to assess students’ progression. Other forms of assessment include, but are not limited to, interviews, group and individual projects, portfolios, lab reports, spreadsheets, poems, essays, journals, research papers, rubrics, observational data, demonstration and exhibitions, self and peer evaluation, short answer, and bell quizzes. Although I’m unable to incorporate all of these types of assessments within my math curriculum, I would like to improve the amount of variation that I assess my students so that I know who needs more help, and can adjust appropriately.

Suskie, L. (2003, Sept.). What is "good" assessment? Retrieved from http://faculty.ccp.edu/dept/viewpoints/f03v4n1/suskie.html

My Technology-Infused Classroom (or, more accurately, the lack thereof...)

Today’s blog post will be centered around the technology-infused classroom; what it looks like and how I plan on having one.



(Oh, the dream!!!! Someday my class will look like this :)
 

 When I think of a technology-infused classroom, I see a room with desks in the middle, and computers lining any available space along the walls. For my own sake, we’ll say this is a high school math class. I see a teacher who spends time teaching the class at the front of the room on some type of interactive whiteboard, and then turns the students loose to expand their understanding of whatever she just introduced them to. I see several students going to the computers, while several others go to the iPad dock station to grab an iPad to take to their desk to do work on. I see the teacher walking around the classroom, guiding and facilitating the learning of the students, but the students themselves taking charge of their own learning. I see several students working together cooperatively in small groups, helping each other accomplish the tasks. I see some of those students becoming “teachers” with their peers, explaining how to get an answer, and in turn, understanding the material even better.


So the big question becomes: Does my room look like this? Nope. Only in my dreams. But, the good news is, I’m getting there! Right now I teach a class called Secondary Math Essentials, and I was given access to a “reading lab” room, where there are thirteen computers that are lined up along two of the walls. There are sixteen desks in the middle of the room, so it is rare that I go into this room with my classes because I have a class of 19 that won’t all fit at the computers at the same time. I had a talk last week with one of my administrators who had heard that I was not using this lab every day, and when I explained why, she said she would see if the school could afford a few more computers for the room, which also allow my classes to fit a few more students in it. My whiteboard Mimio could be transferred to the other room, but I am more comfortable in my own room when teaching the students. The only time I go into the other room is when I have the students get on CatchUp Math to work on the units that they have been assigned.

 

The other class I teach is Secondary Math II, and that class only sees technology up on my whiteboard with the Mimio. I have wanted to implement the computer software that our textbook contract offers us, but none of the other teachers that I work with for the Secondary II class think we have enough time to do it. I used the software last year, when I taught 8th grade math, and I thought it was really great supplemental practice for my students to catch on to concepts we had learned previously in class. The other issue at my school is that our classes are just too big. Even most of our computer labs can’t hold the 30-45 students that we have in each of our classes. I think assigning the modules as homework would work, since our community is affluent and 95% of the students have access to the Internet at home.

 So what am I going to do to create a technology-infused classroom? The first thing I would like to do is get a few more computers in the room I already have access to, allowing me to teach all of my Math Essentials classes in there where students would have the opportunity (and the time) to work on their assigned homework and their CatchUp Math homework. When an App comes out that I know will help the students in my classroom, I will definitely push to get a classroom set of iPads for myself, and maybe a few other teachers so that we could all share them. Right now I’m working on my ability to show students a new concept, and then let them work in partners to make sure they understand it while I walk around and help with any misconceptions or lack of understanding that anyone might have gotten when I was in front of the class. I actually had my very best class so far in the school year yesterday with my Secondary II kids… I randomly selected kids to answer questions, so everyone was on their toes, ready to answer if they got called on (and NO ONE tells me no… Even a girl who was “starting” to lose her voice. That class knew I was serious about answering the questions!). That happened towards the beginning of class, and I felt like most of the students were more involved the rest of the class. Now if I could just get some more technology involved in that lesson, I might be closer to becoming the teacher I’d like to be one day…


What technologies do you use in your class? Would you consider your class a “technology-infused” class, or do you still need some work like me? If you do need some more work, what are some things you’re working on? Share with me, and we can keep brainstorming together!





A little background on this video... It's not my favorite video that I found, but I thought it was applicable to my post, so I included it. The video I REALLY wanted to post, though, can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz0hNJjFy-M. It talks about Edmodo and Infuse Learning, which I will probably be checking out, because it sounded so helpful. They sold me!

The Impact of Visual Literacy and the Internet in My Classroom

In today’s post, I will be discussing the impact of visual literacy and the Internet on teaching and learning processes within the classroom, some visual-thinking strategies I use (or would like to use) in my classroom, and the role I want the Internet to play in my classroom.

Visual literacy is defined as “the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images (as pictures)” (“Merriam-Webster: an encyclopedia,” 2013). As anyone who has surfed the web at any time in their life is aware, the Internet is jammed full of visuals, and many of those visuals today don’t even need words to convey the message that is trying to be dispersed.

The new generations of learners making their way into the elementaries, junior highs, and high schools have new types of brain connections that have never existed on this planet before. These children don’t know what life without TV, radio, cell phones, iPods or other Apple products, would feel like. Technology has been ingrained within them, and it only continues as they get older and experience more and more technology.

Because of the everyday and normal use of technology in these students’ lives, teachers need to become even more aware of new and innovative teaching and learning processes that will help engage their students into the lessons more. One popular strategy is using visuals. Students today have an uncanny ability to get more out of a discussion over a picture or video than an hour-long lecture. They create emotional attachments to the visual, helping them store the information discussed into an area of the brain that can be accessed easier later on. Students also love using computers, particularly the Internet. Teachers who take this ability and use it to their advantage maintain a stronger engagement with their students. Research projects, math programs, and online classrooms use the Internet to bring the learning to the student without them even realizing what is happening.

One visual literacy strategy that a classmate of mine discussed that I thought was awesome, was a gallery tour. This strategy moves small groups of students around the room, stopping at stations to see, discuss, question, and articulate each visual. Someday I hope to teach a few history classes, and this strategy would be a great review day, where students could be shown items, pictures, or videos about the section of history we just discussed. Another visual literacy strategy that I’d like to make more time in my own classroom for is when I give students a problem from their workbook to solve with a partner (these are all word problems now), I’d like to give them time to get up in front of the class to show how they solved the problem. Giving students the opportunity to express their “way” of solving a problem to their peers allows the other students in the room to see a different way to solve the same problem. In my limited Common Core training, this was one strategy that we were encouraged to incorporate, but time makes it increasingly difficult. However, just yesterday the students were solving problems as partners, and as I walked around the room, everyone was able to solve the problem, but everyone did it in a different way. This visual strategy would allow students the chance to see more than one “right” way to solve a problem.

(I loved this video because it reminds me so much of myself... I talk WAY too much!)

The Internet can be a difficult tool to incorporate within a math classroom, but I have been trying to use it as much as possible. It is a huge part of my Secondary Essentials class that I teach. These students were low-end kids with the implementation of the Common Core last year, and are required by the district to pass off certain sections from CatchUp Math in order to make up math credits lost. CatchUp Math has many vast abilities, including pinpointing concepts that students need extra help and practice in, and then giving that help and practice to the student. No two students have the exact same instruction through CatchUp Math… It is completely based on each individual student and how well they can do on the assessments. My students have homework at least once a week to get on CatchUp Math and work through their difficult areas. I can give quizzes and homework through CatchUp as well, making my job just a little bit easier while saving copy costs.

There is a similar program to CatchUp Math available to my Secondary 2 students through our textbook, Carnegie, but the other teachers at my school are not willing to give up classroom time in order to incorporate it, even as homework, which was my suggestion. It is a useful tool, but the other teachers are already so stressed about teaching the Common Core that they don’t want to have to worry about anything more than that. I understand, but I also think we are doing the students a huge disservice by keeping everything we do in the classroom, and not expanding into their “technology realm.” But I’ll keep pushing for it!

Visual literacy and the Internet can be extremely useful and powerful tools within the classroom. I know I still have so much to learn and so many areas to improve in, but now that my mind is opening up to new technological ideas, I know that my lessons will only improve more and more as this year, and the years following, pass me by. Who knows, maybe one day I'll have my very own classroom set of iPads (my old school had 3 school sets, and I didn't use them once! What a waste!)!

Merriam-webster: an encyclopedia britannica company. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visual literacy

21st Century Students, Instructional Strategies, and Technologies :)

This blog was created as an assignment for a class, so today I will be answering the first blog question for that class.

Describe the importance of using a variety of instructional strategies and the value they add to education of students in the 21st century. Evaluate the role technology plays in the implementation of various instructional strategies. How will this affect your teaching of students?

As a teacher who can relate to my students because of our similarity in age, I know for a fact that teachers who do the same thing day after day become boring, monotonous, and predictable. Students are more engaged when they go into a classroom thinking, "I wonder what Mr. So-n-So is going to do with us today?" As I think back to the teachers that I enjoyed the most, they used a variety of strategies that made learning fun and exciting. But they weren't easy... No, I hated easy classes with assignments that were time fillers because I felt like they were a waste of time. The best classes used a variety of teaching strategies, but they also used a variety of assessments, including multiple choice, short answer, essays, and reports. Engaging classes could get away with requiring more time and effort from me because I enjoyed doing almost anything those teachers asked.

Now that I'm a teacher, I have put quite a bit of pressure on myself to become that fun and engaging teacher for my own students. However, the task is far more daunting than I realized, particularly teaching math. I do - We do - You do is not the only method available, but it tends to be the most productive when teaching several concepts in a short amount of time. Therefore, I need to be more creative, researching and asking colleagues what ideas they have in teaching various concepts, in order to make myself the type of teacher that teaches in a variety of strategies so that my students will be more engaged and successful in math.

Today, I used this video to capture my low-level students' attention. I thought that it would be a great way for them to think about their here-and-now and futures as they imagine them, and compare that to what one of their "idols" encourages them to change about that while they're young. For some students, it was a great exercise that hopefully will have a life-long effect! Ladies and gentlemen... ASHTON KUTCHER!

The key element in my instruction when showing this video was that it was technology. I feel like, in a lot of ways, technology can make anything seem better. Another prime example: By the end of the school year last year, my students were getting bored with the computer software that we did every Friday to ensure that they were understanding concepts taught in class. Whenever students would complain, all I had to say was, "Ok, why don't we go into the classroom and I can teach you something new then," and instantly they would stop their complaining and go back to work... Because the computer software was more entertaining than sitting in class listening to me (which I'm working on changing!).

Technology has an innate ability to engage anyone using it... Just walk around the mall watching people walking around. At least half of the people will have their phone out, be listening to their iPod, or looking something up on their phone or iPad. Albert Einstein feared this age, as is quoted below, but teachers need to prove him wrong by implementing the engagement and versatility of technology into lesson plans that encourage human interaction. I'm working hard to implement more technology into my lesson plans as I continue to explore and experiment with things that I have found. So far, on the first day alone, I will be using QR codes, a PowerPoint presentation, and a lesson using Mimio... So here's to a new year using new technologies! Let the games begin...

Good luck to all the teachers going back to school this month!