Action Plan July 6th, 2012

I. Overview of Project: I decided to create a wiki for my homeroom class. Next year, my school is embarking on a multi-age classroom orientation. As a result of this and the future curriculum changes, the focus will be more on project based learning (PBL) or inquiry based learning. This wiki will hopefully serve as a platform for students to share their learning and link to other aspects of technology. Also, this will be open for parents to see what is occurring in the classroom and help guide them towards learning for skills rather than II. What did you learn about yourself? Strengths, interests, preferences, and needs.

I have worked with the district techies, the district student support director, my administration and my peers at Springwood Middle School to develop a greater breadth of technological use in the classroom. III. How will you use what you have learned this week to continue with your own personal/professional growth?

I too have used the toolbox analogy as a support vehicle for my students. Technology is not the solution but it can certainly be transformative in supporting student needs. Over the course of the summer, I will be investing time and energy in distilling some of the apps into a presentation for my peers. There is too much material out there and many feel overwhelmed with the day to day process, let alone have the energy to explore many different facets of technology.

IV.

When back on the job what will you incorporate into your day to make learning accessible and engaging for all?

More open ended projects, especially in math (this will take time to develop) Sign-out laptops for students to use in research (need to look at how this can be done without
wasting valuable class time) Have a physical and digital planner + allow students to take pictures using their smart phones/ iPods Incorporate more digital sites, such as the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

V.

What do you hope to share with your school (staff/ parents/colleagues)? The use of a wiki for classroom projects how it can be set up in a way that becomes a digital portfolio of a students learning Also, using a classroom blog so that one student each day will record the key learning in the classroom A Quick and Simple Guide to Android and iPad apps, with an emphasis on improving engagement

VI.

You have learned a great deal this week. Do you think what you have learned might impact your district? If so, what is one way this may happen? What might you do to share what youve learned beyond your own classroom?

There probably will not be a significant impact. There has been a substantive shift in the use of technology in my district. We have gone to web-based Kurzweil, laptops for student support, and a more extensive use of supports within the classroom. Still, there is always room for improvement and new innovations. The use of free web-based supports may have an impact with colleagues, students, and parents. VII. Many tools (programs, add-ons, websites) were discussed this week. Which tools have potential to make a BIG difference in your world? Why?

Making the links between some of the learning styles/ modalities of my previous students and how some technologies and apps can better support their learning. The key of course is for them to become more independent rather than dependent on others for support.

Voice-to-text Programs (there were many quality free ones)

The typical student has difficulty with fine motor-skill and typing; this will allow a student to be evaluated on their Reading Programs (this will help those with Kurzweil (both as an assistive technology for reading but also for scaffolding written output) Storybook Programs (such as Puppet Pals for the iPad) Math Games Lesson supports (such as on CK-12, WebMath, etc.) o

VIII.

What is one goal you have for using technology either for yourself or your students when you are back on the job/classroom?

Really? One goal? This has been my ongoing learning goal for the last four years, to incorporate more technology into the class. It worked exceptionally well in the classroom when I taught at Ballenas for my Civics 11 students. There was a buzz and they used the technology to continue class discussions into the evening. When I moved back to the middle school, I had a more difficult time to conceptualize how to best work technology into my class. The results were mixed, as developmentally some students needed supports, which were not present at the time. With voice-to-text programs being offered for free (and programs that will read what has been typed), this was the Lucy to my technology evolution. The challenge will be to make sure that too much is not tried out at once. My main goal will be to implement Web 2.0 skills into my classroom using my wiki and blog. I am excited to see how this will work. In addition, I want to try some of the new apps and share them with my students.