New & Emerging Technologies Reflection

As I look back on the courses that I have learned from, in the quest to complete my Master's through Walden U. I feel better equipped to move forward into a leadership role within the school community that I am a part of. The learning activity that I worked on last week made me plan for the obstacles that would present themselves. Instead of reacting to the barriers that come up, I am prepared to break down those barriers. The Prezi presentations and voicethreads that i have created I will share with my administrators and colleagues ti influence their own change. I have built up a strong case to convince administration of the benefits of integrating technology into our classrooms, particularly as it pertains to Lemke's & Coughlin's, change agents. With the wealth of information available to our students, we as educators must show them how to filter out all the misinformation(2009. Students will search for knowledge we are not the only presenters of knowledge. Our roles then become that of guides. They want to learn about a particular topic we must lead and point them in the right direction.

There is so much technology available today to engage all learners. The world has "shrunk" because we are able to connect with others across the world and timelines. It is necessary to be aware of emerging technologies that we can take advantage in our classrooms. I have to be more aware of the new gizmos that are coming up. There are a number of ways that I have found to stay on top of the future. A couple that i have found that I have found are a blog http://www.emergingedtech.com/ and the website http://www.techlearning.com/. By scanning these as well as other resources I can find new and exciting ways to engage all learners and develop 21st century skills in all my students and colleagues. The better prepared we are as a school community, the better our students will be prepared to jump into the future by solving problems and coming up with creative solutions to problems that we have yet to see or hear of.

These past months I have gained much knowledge and received a lot of support from my fellow classmates/cohorts. I wish you all the best and hope to work with you again as we strive to reach the goal of educating our students for the future.

Luis


References
Lemke, C., & Coughlin, E. (2009). The change agents. Educational Leadership, 67(1), 54–59.

Online Learning in K-12 Schools

Here is my Prezi presentation for this week's application.
Spotlight on Emerging Technologies

http://prezi.com/hf4l6w_zmztr/spotlight-on-emerging-technology-online-learning-in-k-12-schools/

Let me know what you think
Luis

Spotlight on Emerging Technology: Online Learning in K-12 Schools on Prezi

Final Reflection EDUC6714

Throughout this course I have learned so many new strategies an added many new tools that I can incorporate into my classroom as I reach all the different learners that will walk through my doors. The first that comes to mind is the creation of a NING to be used by the school staff. Our school year has just ended and there are many changes in store our school for next year. We are losing our tech coordinator. I want to be more of a leader in our school so that teachers feel more comfortable with integrating technology in their own classrooms. The NING would be a central place where staff could learn from each other and share their own knowledge, projects and ideas with the rest of the school community.
The next tool that i have picked up from during this course is the Natural Reader program shared by our group member Erin Middendorf. It is a free text-to-speech program that will be very useful for my 2nd graders that struggle with reading content written on a 2nd grade reading level. I have used the KidBiz3000 website, there students can use text to speech tool to listen to the text that they have trouble decoding. It is limited though only to the passages made available to them. the Natural Reader program makes it possible for me to write sentences, passages in a word document and then be available to be "read" by my students.
The final tool that I will use is Prezi presentations this was shared during our group chat by Scott K. I decide to create a Prezi of my own. I had a great time doing and look forward to having my students using it to show what they learn throughout the year. Students can use their creativity to show their deeper learning.
Thank you to all members in Group #3. Your ideas and resources are invaluable.

UDL & DI Wordle

A Wordle showing UDL & DI

Prezi on Universal Design for Learning

I completed my first Prezi. It is about Universal Design for Learning.

Here is the link
http://prezi.com/dp-tvssfl56j/
in case you can't see it here.

Let me know what you think.
Thanks

Why Use Universal Design for Learning? on Prezi

Reflecting on EDUC 6713

Whew these have been some interesting 8 weeks. The GAME Plan has now become a permanent part of my own learning. It has provided me with a focus for my learning. I can now move forward and continue on my path of life-long learning. I started my GAME plan by focusing on Standard #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership and Standard #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, (ISTE, 2008). The most positive thing I have learned is that there are colleagues even though it would be great to have more, that are willing to learn of new ways to integrate technology into their classrooms. Being able to meet with them to show them how to use wikis with their students is exciting. 


I have gained new ideas for using digital storytelling in the content areas, my favorites are hybrid animals,  showing fraction shapes and creating PSA's for the school community. As we continue after all the testing in our schools I will be use these projects to engage my students during a time that is difficult to motivate students. I have also be able to create unit plans to integrate technology within problem based learning. I look forward to incorporating this new knowledge during the next school year, as long as the budget cuts do not affect me.  


A new goal of mine to learn how to use video editing software for more than simply adding titles. I will use my summer to practice on my numerous videos of my daughter. Lord knows that I have enough to practice on.


References
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf" 

Students and Their GAME PLans

How many times have I heard that students do not set goals and are not motivated? What if we show them what they will be capable of after they learn? Let them see what they can do with the use of technology. Give them examples of work presented by other students. Then let them set goals for what they want to be able to do on their own. Have students follow some of their personal interests. They will be more engaged and motivated than reading facts from any book. With these goals set students will use their creativity and innovation skills to make a product as good or better than what they saw. If students also establish their own projects and rubrics, they will also be driven to reach their goals. A student watches a digital story of about what if two different animals were crossed. They then say to themselves, "I can do that. I want to do that." It is a lot more motivating than, " I have to do that because the teacher told me to." The use of GAME plans keeps students focused on the goal and allows them to reflect on their progress and make changes when necessary. Students will take responsibility for their own learning and make gains that they did not think they were capable of accomplishing. The students will amazing themselves as well as each other.

Revising my GAME Plan

Another week has gone by and it is time to review my GAME plan.

The following questions will aid in this process.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? 

I have learned new ways to use blogs and wikis within in my own classroom. I have also made connections with other teachers within my school community that are interested in integrating technology in their classrooms. I have also learned how to prepare PBL's that are relevant to my students. I have also become more comfortable with tech tools that can be used by my students to aid in their learning.

What goals are you still working toward?

I am continuing to search for more tools to use within my classroom to engage students in meaningful learning. I am also working on a "manual" to share with my colleagues so that they will feel more comfortable integrating technology in their own classrooms.

Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?

With the impending district wide testing as well as the layoffs that are about to occur, I don't plan on adding any new learning goals. During the summer I will focus on NETS-T #4 d.

I will work towards networking with teachers from other cultures. I have requested that ePals be approved within my district.

What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?

I will attend conferences and/or workshops that promote integrating technology within the classroom as well as try out new emerging technologies.

This has been a very enjoyable learning experience.

Luis

Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

As I continue to monitor my progress with my GAME plan, I see that I am making very good progress towards my goal of becoming a leader within my school community. I have more "meetings" scheduled with my colleagues that have shown an interest in integrating technology in their classrooms. My disappointment is not being able to pull in some of those other colleagues that a resistant to the idea of technology in their classrooms. I have made a change in my plan of attack to try to reach those teachers. I have prepared a frequently asked questions list to share with those staff members in the hope that they will see a reason to try "something new".

This week's have provided me with more tools to use in my classes, to develop and strengthen critical thinking and problem solving skills. I particularly like the possibilities of the Patch tool from NCTM's illumination website.
My students can benefit from the practice of pattern recognition and creation.

A question that comes to mind is how do I ensure that students that are behind or have IEP's do not become distracted by the "cool" activities and thus miss the content that they need to learn? How do I get those same students to rise up to meet the challenges that a presented in a problem-based learning activity? I will ask other teachers about any strategies that they use with these same type of students.

Where Is My GAME Plan Headed?

As I put my GAME plan into motion to become a leader within my school community, I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction of some colleagues. Last week our principal asked me to share anything that I was doing to integrate technology in the classroom, at a staff meeting. Though I was a bit nervous because of some the negative feelings that that exist within the school. During the week a few teachers have come to ask me how to incorporate a blog or wiki into their classroom. They where impressed with what I had done with my students. Another teacher who is also working on a masters in technology wants to collaborate on a project videotaping lesson to use as a resource for the staff. Some teachers in the first grader wanted to find out how they could use VoiceThread with their students. I am very excited about the idea of being a facilitator for the staff members that are willing to take the leap.

I don't see any need for modifications at this time, but I do have some new questions. I what to learn more. Something that I have added is how to use a Whiteboard. We have a 3 boards in our building, which are not being used to their potential. They are solely glorified marker boards. It makes me sad to see that happen.

The second part of my GAME plan has taken on the planning stage of activities that will be used after some of the high stakes testing that will take place in the next month. The pacing guides end before the end of the school year. A colleague and I have planned a collaborative project between our classes 2nd and 3rd grades.
I look forward to the challenges ahead.

Luis

March Madness

I just waned to share the fact that this is my favorite time of year.
I will be glued to CBS on the tv or online.
LET'S GO ORANGE!!!

Putting the GAME Plan in Motion

As with any plan, be it a lesson plan or a game plan for a basketball game, it has to be put into effect and information must be gathered, such as the strengths and weaknesses of the students/players and opponents. Looking at my GAME plan I see a need to learn the reasons or concerns that my colleagues have about integrating technology in the classroom.  To accomplish my 2nd goal I need to model the process of learning through investigation. I want to also create a survey to find out some of my students' interests that will guide them through their own learning.

To learn how to become a leader within my school community an to help my students pursue their own curiosities and become active participants, I will read blogs of people such as Will Richardson an expert in the education technology field, as well as websites such as Technology & Learning and eSchool News. I will look for examples of technology integration that works such as those found on the Edutopia website. For my colleagues, I can then create resources that they can use to learn. I can create a blog with FAQs to help them along. I can also share the resources and links to tutorials that are on my delicious account. That is something that I have already begun organizing to make it easier for my colleagues to search through. Another idea that I have to create Screencasts that will help colleagues with tasks they may be intimidated by.

With this in mind I take the next few steps towards reaching my newly set goals.

Developing My Personal GAME Plan

Oh how technology has changed the landscape of education today. No longer do we have a classroom that is totally removed from the outside world. Technology has allowed us to be "connected" to the world in ways that once were thought unimaginable.As educators we have a decision to make on how we want to use the technology that has become available to us. Do we rev up our engines and fire out, to use these new tools to reach our students, or do we turn our backs on the technology and continue as we were. By choosing to do the former we choose to make changes in the way we support our students' learning. It all starts with our own learning.

Marc Prensky(2008) stated that, "Teachers would longer be the providers of information, but instead the explainers, the context providers the meaning makers, and the evaluators of the information that kids find on their own(42). This notion leads me to the two indicators from the NETS-T standards that I would like to develop using my GAME Plan.

The first is standard that I will focus on as one of my GOALS in #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, indicator b. exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others (ISTE, 2008). I will take steps to reach out to my colleagues in my our school community and model for the the benefits of integrating technology into the curriculum. There have always been teachers that have come to me for answer to tech questions, mostly in troubleshooting or how to use a certain software. I want to be able to help them further. I want to break down some of the walls of fear that they have towards using technology in their classrooms. I want to be able to give them the confidence to go forward and use technology to their benefit as well as their students'. When it comes to monitoring and evaluating, my progress towards this goal, I would look for a change in the staff's attitude towards technology integration as well as looking for examples of ways that teachers are using technology to engage learners and expand their knowledge. I would then push to have new technology brought into our school, prove the benefits of this technology to the school community and be trained in how best to use them so that I can model for the rest of the school staff.

The 2nd GOAL, that I want to focus on is Standard #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, indicator b. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable alll students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress (ISTE, 2008). My ACTION would be to learn more about my students in order to understand their interest and guided to as they search for answers to their own questions. With all the State mandated testing that goes on and the rigid pacing calendars that exist in our school district, this will be a challenge. I would Monitor and evaluate, my own progress by the level of engagement of my students as they pursue their own interest and curiosity.

With these thoughts in mind I embark on my GAME Plan to support my own self directed learning.

Luis Martos

References

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf"

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights.Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.

Final Reflection EDUC 6712

My head began to spin as I was reading the list of 21st Century Fluency Skills along with the the new literacy skills that students need to possess. The fact that even though students should already look critically at what they read and are presented with, the enormous growth of the internet has made it even more important to develop these skills. The internet does not come with a safety net. I realize that I must spend a significant amount of time guiding them and helping them develop the skills that will help them look at the vast information available on the internet with a much more critical eye.

The knowledge gained throughout this course, in particular the QUEST model of internet inquiry has pushed me in the direction of project-based learning. These are the two phases that I will focus on within my classroom,, Questioning and Synthesizing. Giving students the ability to inquire about topics that they are interested in will drive them past obstacles that may arise during their research process. By focusing on the questioning phase I can help students get off to a positive start that will carry them onto the final product. The synthesizing phase is key because it helps students make connections to prior knowledge that will aid them in making sense of the information that they will come across.

As for my professional development goals. I want o make technology a integral part of my everyday classroom environment. One way is to become more involved in blogs and social networking, that can benefit my classroom and help build upon my educational foundations. Being a consistent participant will improve my own new literacy skills. I can then be better prepared to model these new literacy skills for my students. Also by building my skills in website creation, podcasting, screencasting, etc, I can continue to build up my bag of tricks.

Screencast of RYT/Dwayne Medical Center Evaluation

Here it is RYT Screencast