Local, State, and National Technology Standards

Edgartech, Peace, Love and Happiness, and a stuttering problem are the only things I found on my school’s website. The first two identify employees who no longer work in the district. The third refers to our staff directory where several teachers are listed twice and some teachers aren’t even listed. Some teachers have no contact information listed. The last update on our technology bond was from September 2009. I have requested information regarding the district technology plan and I am still waiting to find out where that document is hidden. The department chair for math has indicated she has some leads on where I can get some information. Since I was unable to locate Grand Ledge’s Technology plan I will use a tech plan from Rockford High School.

According to the National Educational Technology Plan (NETP), there are 5 essential components of learning powered by technology. Those five things are Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure, and Productivity. Our school website indicates that our technology department has one simple goal: To provide superior support and service to each staff member and student. What does this mean? It means when you get a kernel error, they will reimage your computer. It means when your battery won’t hold a charge they submit the warranty for you. Michigan’s Standards have these 5 goals; Teaching for Learning, Leadership, Professional Learning, School and Community Learning, and Data and Information Management. Rockford has 7 goals.

All three plans have a common theme. Get technology in the hands of students and incorporate that into instruction and evaluation. All three plans recognize the importance of technology in the future of education. The NETP states that technology will “better prepare and enhance educators’ competencies and expertise over the course of their careers.” I believe that technology will be a major factor in shaping our educational future and based on these three plans, they agree too.

http://edgartech.edublogs.org/

http://www.glps.k12.mi.us/ourdistrict/administrativedepartments/informationtechnologyservices/

http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010

http://www.rockfordschools.org/Resources/PDF/RPS/RPS2007-10TechnologyPlan.pdf

Picture: http://portfolio.opseth.name/colin-opseth-portfolio/standard-3/

The Greatest. . .

Wayne Gretzky, Barry Sanders, Michael Jordan, Dr. Gary Ebrecht. What do those four names have in common? They all have defined what I know in regards to their craft. The first three are obvious. . . Sports heroes I grew up idolizing. They defined what I know and how I feel about their sport. What about the fourth one? What sport did he play? None. He is the most influential professor I had in college. What I learned from him defined much of who I am today. He taught me that education is more than just content. He helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses and how to use theme to become a highly effective teacher. I have been out of college for 7 years and I his influence is still one of the prominent factors of who I am today.

            As I read through the Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers I am reminded of many of the things Dr. Ebrecht taught me. He taught me that education is 95% people skills and 5% content. He also said “3 glows and a grow.” Which means at least three compliments for every 1 constructive criticism. I see the 7^th Standard of the Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers as a golden gateway to making education about the students. The face of education is going to change drastically in my lifetime. It will be necessary to accommodate our changing world. Technology allows us to provide more dynamic learning experiences. We are no longer limited by what’s in front of us. We can connect worldwide anytime and anyplace.

            After last Monday’s class I was watching some educational videos and I came across one that had a couple of interesting points. In Dan Brown's Open Letter to Educators, he said that education is changing because access to information is changing. In the past we had to pay for knowledge. As time goes on, the cost of information is approaching zero. No longer do we have to attend a central hub where all the knowledge is, we can get it online. As stated in the RSA YouTube video, “Great learning happens in groups. Collaboration is the stuff of Growth” I completely agree with this notion. My blog posts are much better because I can look at other posts and get ideas. My teaching is also better because I can collaborate with my colleagues who are willing to work a little harder to make our school better.

www.theRSA.org , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U Accessed on February 5, 2011.

Brown, Dan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P2PGGeTOA4 Accessed on February 4, 2011

Picture: http://www.digitalbattle.com/2010/05/27/michael-jordan-to-cover-nba-2k11/

http://michaelmindes.com/wisdom-wayne-gretzky-quotes

http://blog.mlive.com/highlightreel/2008/05/detroit_lions_great_barry_sand.html

Cell Phones: Positive or Pest?

Last year during homework time in class I saw a girl who had her cell phone out. I had just finished yelling at another student for texting in class. I walked up to the girl preparing my verbal assault on this disobedient young lady. I started with “WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?” She smiled at me and said my homework. The whole class was silent waiting for the rest of my tirade. They all knew what was coming. She didn’t even have her book out. Before I speak my next sentence she simply handed me her phone. I looked at the screen. . . She had loaded the online textbook and indeed she was doing her homework. What a great use of technology. She had brought her book home on the first day of class and she left it there in case she ever had questions on her homework. Her cell phone served her as a great educational resource. She could do homework anywhere.

                  Our school has a strict no cell phone in class policy. . . enforced by a few teachers in the school. I have considered using cell phones to conduct surveys in math class. I had trouble using the PowerPoint option for the questions, so I haven’t taken advantage of that yet. As technology makes things easier in regards to teaching and work, it also makes things easier for negative aspects of life as well. Cyber bullying and sexting are two things that are becoming easier and more widespread. YouTube, Facebook, and cell phones make things easier in so many ways.

                  One of the main reasons that I am pursuing a Masters in Educational Technology is because I believe that is the way to reach today’s students. I feel that if I present my content to them in their format, they will be more engaged in what I am trying to do. I have made attempts to use iMovie, YouTube, iTunes, PowerPoint, blogs and the Internet to make my content connect with the Millennium Generation. Some of my colleagues have taken advantage of Facebook. I look forward to learning more about technology and safe and effective ways to connect with my students. 

Instructional Strategies for Technology Lesson Plans

15) X squared minus the quantity 42. 16) The quantity x plus 4 squared minus twenty. 17) Two times x squared minus twenty. That was me 4 years ago reading the answers to the previous days homework problems. 4 years ago I had no projector. No digital answers to homework problems. No book online. And my computer took me 5 minutes to take attendance . . . and that is if it even worked on that given day.

                  Thanks to a wonderful technology bond, our school vaulted into the digital age. Now we can access our book online. We can post homework answers and solutions. Projectors allow us to save precious minutes every hour. Apple computers make many tasks simple and efficient.

I struggled to determine how I was going to incorporate technology into my lesson plans. I first considered not using any at all and comparing that to how I normally teach, but I knew what those drawbacks would be. I did not want to punish my students by not using my normal technology. I finally decided to use existing educational software and compare that to a review assignment from the textbook. I then remembered that I have Camtasia software on my computer. Camtasia is software used for a screencast. Our Special Ed department recently received SMART Boards, so I located on that I could use with one of my classes. The intent was to record the review lesson. SMART Board would allow me to capture notes over the review problems. I was then going to post the review lesson to YouTube.

                  After I decided what technology I was going to use I went back and identified the primary strategies that I was going to use. For the technology lesson I was using Reinforcing effort and providing recognition. For the non-technology lesson I was using Homework and Practice. Both lessons have a secondary strategy of Cooperative Learning.

                  My question is which method will have the greatest impact on student achievement. I used a pre-test and post-test asking about student confidence levels to determine perceived impact. Once the test is given I will compare the results of that to see which one had a greater impact.

                  My concern with the homework assignment is I can’t gauge how well the class as a whole understands most concepts. Students work at their own pace and I mostly answer individual questions. When I do get the same question several times, I can address the whole class and clear up the confusion, but for the most part I can only assess individuals on individual concepts.

                  My concern with the educational software is that students will miss the point of learning. My Students get really competitive and they all want to win. Even though each student is required to complete the problem on their own, I am only able to check the group answer. I have to trust that each member is responsible for their own learning.

                  I did some research to see what kind of impact the technology would have and I found a report by John Schacter. Mr. Schacter’s briefing was an analysis of many other studies that have been conducted. He stated that 4^th and 8^th graders that used math games had increased math achievement as well as an increase in positive school climate. He also stated that on average students were 3 to 5 weeks ahead in achievement of students who used drill and practice. One downside is that the technology users scored lower on drill and practice sections of standardized tests.

                  I like the use of educational software games as a review. It allows me to get through a lot of content in a class period. Many times I will use a combination of the two. It will be interesting to see the results of my study.

Accessed on February 5, 2011. The Impact of Educational Technology on Student Achievement. What the Most Current Research Has to Say. Schacter, John. http://www.waynecountyschools.org/150820127152538360/lib/150820127152538360/impact_on_student_achievement.pdf

Picture: Accessed on February 5, 2011 http://www.joesdaily.com/2009/08/01/courtesy-of-the-fail-blog/

Action Theory: Which Review Method is Better?

Rule #1 Cardio, #2 Double Tap, #3 Beware of Bathrooms, #4 Seatbelts. That is what my colleague learned at our last day of professional development. He sat next to me for the 6 hours and watched Netflix. As I sat in the Balcony of our 800 seat auditorium I saw well over half of the participants grading papers, using their computers, or texting. The afternoon was much worse as attendance dropped by about a third.

            So what was the topic that was so terrible? Dr. Tammy Heflebower from the Marzano Research Laboratory. I was shocked at what I witnessed. I was shocked that my colleagues wouldn’t find what was being presented as valuable and want to try to learn something to become better teachers. I couldn’t believe that my colleagues would do that to our school.

            My next question was why are they all leaving? What makes them think it is okay to skip out on a valuable presentation? I found it a great opportunity to reflect on my own practices. My question was answered as I quietly slipped out to use the restroom. In the hallway outside the auditorium their were about fifty people, including our administrators. As I made my way through the crowd, I was stopped by one of my administrators and what ensued was a 45 minute conversation about basketball.

            If the leaders of my school do not see value in professional development, why would the staff have any investment in self improvement? This is one of the arguments brought up in the article “Action Research: An Educational Leader’s Guide to School Improvement.”

            As I read through the article, I realized that I conduct action research on a regular basis. Before, after, and during a lesson I am always asking myself what went well and what needs improvement. I also spend a lot of time discussing these things with a few of my colleagues.

            Here is my action research plan for my lesson plan. I want to see which of two review methods are more effective. The first is a review game where each student answers a question, the students discuss their answer as a group and decide on a final answer. Each group gets points for the correct response. The second method is an assignment given from the book. I walk around the room offering help as needed.

            The two main strategies that I am using are Reinforcing effort and providing recognition and Homework and Practice. Both methods use cooperative learning as a secondary strategy. I used a pre test and a post test that asked questions regarding the confidence level of 5 main types of problems from the unit.

Zombieland. Fleischer, Ruben. (Director) 2009. Sony Pictures.