What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?
The biggest lesson I have learned has been to make sure that the technology is fulfilling a need and not just serving as bells and whistles. When I arrived in my classroom in January I was thrilled to find out that I have a SMARTBoard. I set out to learn how to use it. I searched for lessons and tutorials and began using them with my class. I quickly learned that not every lesson is improved with technology. While some of the lessons were fun, they were not necessarily better in terms of meeting the goals and curriculum standards. This class has made me look for a purpose for the technologies I choose to incorporate.
How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
I got a new computer at the beginning of this course. I am thrilled with my new laptop, which is also my first laptop, but I did run into a few problems. The labs that I had completed for 810 and 811 were not done on this computer. There were times when I needed something from another class and had to go back and redo the labs to make sure my computer was equipped to perform the required task. My new computer also came with Windows 7 which my husband seemed pretty excited about, but has its disadvantages. There have been certain assignments for which the labs did not work. The podcast assignment for instance took some research to complete because the software I needed to download was not designed for Windows 7. The lesson here is that while technology can have real advantages in the classroom, relying on it can be dangerous and having a plan B is a good idea.
How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?
I have impressed myself with the number of new technologies I have learned about and even created. Each new assignment has been a challenge, but has given me confidence to try new technologies with my students. I have not implemented all of the technologies that I have been exposed to in my classroom, but I can call on them when I need them because they are now in my arsenal.
Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
We began using my wiki this week to teach the third graders at my school about test taking strategies, specifically the QAR method. It will be a few more weeks before we finish the unit, but we are off to a great start and the students are really doing well with it. I look forward to completing the unit and finding out whether or not my technology resource prepared my students for comprehension tests.
I will enjoy the month off from classes to concentrate on my classroom and my own family, but I am really excited about the summer cohort. It will be great to be back on campus and in Erickson Hall again. I’m sure it will be a whirlwind and the two weeks on campus will fly by, but if the summer courses are anything like the classes I have taken so far I will learn a lot and come out inspired.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Project Evaluation
How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here?
This project was challenging for me but I’m really glad I did it. I floundered a bit a first when my searches did not turn up what I was looking for. One thing I would have done differently (if not for the perimeters of the course) we taken more time. Obviously, given the nature of the course, we had to keep ourselves moving along. If I were doing a project like this on my own I would be able to adjust my timeline a bit as I needed to. Another thing I would change is that I would seek out the advice of my colleagues and ask if they could provide me with resources. I was able to find a limited number of teachers who had wisdom to share on the subject of test taking strategies, but there may have been resources right in my building.
What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?
I learned that what you think you are looking for may not be the best answer to a problem. While I wanted an already existing program that my students could use to hone their test taking skills, what I ended up with was more suited to my particular class and the classes of my fellow third grade teachers. My wiki turned out to be material that was more suited to my need. While I like the idea of finding a program like Study Island and will continue to investigate it’s advantages and disadvantages, my wiki is helping my kids tackle a very specific problem in a setting which allows me to
In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?
I know that I will use wikis in the future. I got a lot of experience using wikis in this course and I now see them as a great resource for collecting and sharing information on a given topic. When I have my own classroom whether it is this fall or a year or two down the road, I will be incorporating wikis as well as blogs and a website into my classroom. I am happy with how fluid a wiki is and how easily I could add to and modify it. I can imagine using wikis in other subject areas as well as I build a classroom library of resources.
This project was challenging for me but I’m really glad I did it. I floundered a bit a first when my searches did not turn up what I was looking for. One thing I would have done differently (if not for the perimeters of the course) we taken more time. Obviously, given the nature of the course, we had to keep ourselves moving along. If I were doing a project like this on my own I would be able to adjust my timeline a bit as I needed to. Another thing I would change is that I would seek out the advice of my colleagues and ask if they could provide me with resources. I was able to find a limited number of teachers who had wisdom to share on the subject of test taking strategies, but there may have been resources right in my building.
What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?
I learned that what you think you are looking for may not be the best answer to a problem. While I wanted an already existing program that my students could use to hone their test taking skills, what I ended up with was more suited to my particular class and the classes of my fellow third grade teachers. My wiki turned out to be material that was more suited to my need. While I like the idea of finding a program like Study Island and will continue to investigate it’s advantages and disadvantages, my wiki is helping my kids tackle a very specific problem in a setting which allows me to
In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?
I know that I will use wikis in the future. I got a lot of experience using wikis in this course and I now see them as a great resource for collecting and sharing information on a given topic. When I have my own classroom whether it is this fall or a year or two down the road, I will be incorporating wikis as well as blogs and a website into my classroom. I am happy with how fluid a wiki is and how easily I could add to and modify it. I can imagine using wikis in other subject areas as well as I build a classroom library of resources.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Project Implementation
Click here to listen to my podcast.
Transcript:
The goal of my TechQuest was to find a program which would help my third grade students better prepare for test taking. I had hoped to find a program which would help my students learn to read for better comprehension and also to learn how to go back through what they have read and find the information they need to answer the related questions.
After many searches I found only a few options. The first was Accelerated Reader which my school currently uses. My problem with Accelerated Reader is that it does not actually teach test taking strategies. Instead, it simply asks question about selected books and keeps track of the points they earn for correct answers. The other programs that kept appearing during my research are Study Island and Raz-Kids. Each of these programs are intended to be adopted by schools or districts and have a cost involved. I am currently working as a long-term sub, so I am not in a position to ask for funding or to attempt to implement a program as I will most likely not be in the building next year. Furthermore, I’m not sure that either of these programs really fit the description of what I was looking for which is a group of lessons addressing how to approach reading questions on tests as well as on their assignments.
I finally decided, with the help of my instructor, that I would create my own resource in the form of a wiki. I can use my wiki to teach a test taking strategies unit with my students. The other third grade teachers that I work with plan on using this resource also, as we will all be doing end of the year assessments in the coming weeks. Our team plans on beginning the unit the first week of May.
I have had to adjust my direction a few times since I began this assignment. I thought I would have an easier time finding resources. Many of my searches turned up tips for taking standardized tests such as get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast. They did not offer skills practice. They also tended to focus more on high school and college aged students and therefore were not appropriate for my 8 and 9 year olds. I have managed to find some websites that have great strategies, and I am excited to try them with my students. I look forward to further implementing my project in the coming weeks.
Transcript:
The goal of my TechQuest was to find a program which would help my third grade students better prepare for test taking. I had hoped to find a program which would help my students learn to read for better comprehension and also to learn how to go back through what they have read and find the information they need to answer the related questions.
After many searches I found only a few options. The first was Accelerated Reader which my school currently uses. My problem with Accelerated Reader is that it does not actually teach test taking strategies. Instead, it simply asks question about selected books and keeps track of the points they earn for correct answers. The other programs that kept appearing during my research are Study Island and Raz-Kids. Each of these programs are intended to be adopted by schools or districts and have a cost involved. I am currently working as a long-term sub, so I am not in a position to ask for funding or to attempt to implement a program as I will most likely not be in the building next year. Furthermore, I’m not sure that either of these programs really fit the description of what I was looking for which is a group of lessons addressing how to approach reading questions on tests as well as on their assignments.
I finally decided, with the help of my instructor, that I would create my own resource in the form of a wiki. I can use my wiki to teach a test taking strategies unit with my students. The other third grade teachers that I work with plan on using this resource also, as we will all be doing end of the year assessments in the coming weeks. Our team plans on beginning the unit the first week of May.
I have had to adjust my direction a few times since I began this assignment. I thought I would have an easier time finding resources. Many of my searches turned up tips for taking standardized tests such as get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast. They did not offer skills practice. They also tended to focus more on high school and college aged students and therefore were not appropriate for my 8 and 9 year olds. I have managed to find some websites that have great strategies, and I am excited to try them with my students. I look forward to further implementing my project in the coming weeks.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Internet Research for TechQuest Project
I began searching for a program similar to Accelerated Reader, but with more in-depth questions. My intention was to fins a program which would ask questions more like the ones that appear on standardized tests. While I am not a big proponent of teaching to the test, they are a part of what we do and more importantly crucial to student success. I was hoping to find a program which I could use on the SMARTBoard. I planned to go through questions with the class and discuss strategies for attacking questions which are troublesome as well as how to go back and find the answer in the text in an efficient manner.
I began my search in Google because it has always worked as a good starting point for me. I typed in “test taking strategies” and other similar phrases. I found a lot of sites that had tips for preparing for tests. Most were intended for older students preparing for tests such as the SAT and ACT. Since my intention was to use the SMARTBoard I decided to include that in my search. I found some valuable resources to use during a test taking unit, but not a program designed for this purpose. I searched EduHound because it was mentioned in one of the Sunday evening recorded sessions, but much to my surprise it kept telling me that no matches were found.
The one of the programs which did keep reappearing was Study Island. I checked out a few of the links to find out more. I learned that Study Island is a program that must be purchased by a school or district, not something that a teacher can simply subscribe to and use with their students. I was disappointed, but upon giving it more thought not very surprised that I could not find a free program.
I decided to try to assemble a wiki that I could pull from to teach test-taking strategies especially at the beginning of the year when students are preparing for the MEAP. I feel that students can always benefit from these strategies, so I plan to continue to use my wiki throughout the year to strengthen my student’s confidence answering questions about information the read.
While looking for a program I found some references to a strategy called Question-Answer Relationships or QAR. This strategy breaks questions down into four types and gives ways to deal with those types of questions. One very helpful website for learning about this strategy is http://www.readingquest.org/strat/qar.html. I plan to look for more resources like this one for my wiki. I also came across a website for Roanoke City Public Schools. Their website http://rcps.info/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=17746, has lots of SMARTBoard lessons for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, including one for QAR.
My focus has taken a turn since beginning this project. My intention was to find a program to use with my students. The only programs I could find were expensive and were intended for entire buildings or districts. As I am a guest teacher and not a full time employee, I am not in a position to request that sort of thing. The wiki I create will be something I am able to use in whatever position I end up in next year.
I began my search in Google because it has always worked as a good starting point for me. I typed in “test taking strategies” and other similar phrases. I found a lot of sites that had tips for preparing for tests. Most were intended for older students preparing for tests such as the SAT and ACT. Since my intention was to use the SMARTBoard I decided to include that in my search. I found some valuable resources to use during a test taking unit, but not a program designed for this purpose. I searched EduHound because it was mentioned in one of the Sunday evening recorded sessions, but much to my surprise it kept telling me that no matches were found.
The one of the programs which did keep reappearing was Study Island. I checked out a few of the links to find out more. I learned that Study Island is a program that must be purchased by a school or district, not something that a teacher can simply subscribe to and use with their students. I was disappointed, but upon giving it more thought not very surprised that I could not find a free program.
I decided to try to assemble a wiki that I could pull from to teach test-taking strategies especially at the beginning of the year when students are preparing for the MEAP. I feel that students can always benefit from these strategies, so I plan to continue to use my wiki throughout the year to strengthen my student’s confidence answering questions about information the read.
While looking for a program I found some references to a strategy called Question-Answer Relationships or QAR. This strategy breaks questions down into four types and gives ways to deal with those types of questions. One very helpful website for learning about this strategy is http://www.readingquest.org/strat/qar.html. I plan to look for more resources like this one for my wiki. I also came across a website for Roanoke City Public Schools. Their website http://rcps.info/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=17746, has lots of SMARTBoard lessons for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, including one for QAR.
My focus has taken a turn since beginning this project. My intention was to find a program to use with my students. The only programs I could find were expensive and were intended for entire buildings or districts. As I am a guest teacher and not a full time employee, I am not in a position to request that sort of thing. The wiki I create will be something I am able to use in whatever position I end up in next year.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Project Description
Educational Need
I am currently teaching at Country Oaks Elementary in a third grade classroom. My school has four third grade classrooms. The teachers work really well as a team and do their best to make sure that each student gets as close to the same experience as possible so that when they move on to fourth grade they have been exposed to the same material and have has similar experiences. We meet as a grade level almost weekly to discuss things which things are working and which things need to be addressed. The last few meetings our topic has been reading comprehension, specifically on standardized tests.
While no teacher wants to teach to a test, they are a fact of life and are important to student success. We agreed that while we do not want to make test taking strategies a huge part of our curriculum, the students could benefit from being “armed” when they have to take these tests. We decided to try to build mini-lessons into our reading and writing workshops to give the students confidence when faced with the real thing.
Our school uses a program called Accelerated Reader. Students read books and then take AR quizzes, which are usually 10 questions. They get rewards based on how many quizzes they have taken. I agree that the AR program encourages students to read. The students in my class love to get the chance to take a quiz. The questions, however, are very basic. They skim the surface of the material and leave it at that. I would like to find resources that allow students to answer more detailed questions about the material. I would like them to answer questions that go deeper than the names of the characters. I would like to find resources that encourage students to answer questions about the main topic, the problem, the solution, etc.
We also found as we looked at the scores from the last standardized test that students had trouble with questions that were worded “which of the following is NOT…” or “all are true EXCEPT.” I am hoping to find ways that students can practice answering these types of questions and learn strategies to figure out the best answer. I currently use worksheets which students read and answer comprehension questions. We discuss as a class what the best answer is and how to find it. I can’t help but feel, however, that there is a better way out there.
My Plan
I plan to create a wiki which will organize different test taking strategy sites. I will organize them so that when I want to find a certain lesson or technique I will be able to refer to the wiki I have created and find the lesson I need. I will organize the resources and decide how they fit into my daily schedule. I plan to introduce the strategies and practice them daily until I feel the students are comfortable. Then I will back them off a bit, practicing them daily, but in different contexts and for different subject areas. I hope to find SMARTBoard lessons, practice sites, and worksheets.
I plan to work over the summer to add to my wiki. I hope to have a full time teaching position in the fall, so I plan to turn my wiki into a resource that can be used in the fall to prepare for the MEAP and throughout the year as practice. When I return in the fall I will share the unit with other teachers.
Research
There are several sites out there that have links to SMARTBoard lessons. It can take hours and hours to weed through all of the site to find lessons that are appropriate to the information you are trying to teach and to the level of your students. A few of the sites that I have found helpful so far are http://www.edontheweb.com and http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/. I will continue to accumulate resources on my diigo page and begin to organize them.
Common Places of Education
Someone Teaching: The teacher will be teaching for my project. I hope to find resources to facilitate my teaching. I will find ways that other teachers are demonstrating how to read for comprehension. I will also find resources which will offer mini-lessons which will reinforce what students are learning through modeling and discussion.
Someone Learning: Students will learn strategies for reading for comprehension, especially on standardized tests. They will learn the difference between reading for pleasure and reading for a test. Also, they will learn how to go back and look for information in text they have read.
Subject Matter: The subject matter is test taking strategies. Most of my lessons and practice will be built into my Reading Workshop, but I plan to build mini-lessons into all subject areas so that students can practice with different types of text and subject matter.
Setting: My lessons will take place in my third grade classroom. Students will work as a group in our meeting place. They will also work at their desks both individually and as a group using the SMARTBoard.
I am currently teaching at Country Oaks Elementary in a third grade classroom. My school has four third grade classrooms. The teachers work really well as a team and do their best to make sure that each student gets as close to the same experience as possible so that when they move on to fourth grade they have been exposed to the same material and have has similar experiences. We meet as a grade level almost weekly to discuss things which things are working and which things need to be addressed. The last few meetings our topic has been reading comprehension, specifically on standardized tests.
While no teacher wants to teach to a test, they are a fact of life and are important to student success. We agreed that while we do not want to make test taking strategies a huge part of our curriculum, the students could benefit from being “armed” when they have to take these tests. We decided to try to build mini-lessons into our reading and writing workshops to give the students confidence when faced with the real thing.
Our school uses a program called Accelerated Reader. Students read books and then take AR quizzes, which are usually 10 questions. They get rewards based on how many quizzes they have taken. I agree that the AR program encourages students to read. The students in my class love to get the chance to take a quiz. The questions, however, are very basic. They skim the surface of the material and leave it at that. I would like to find resources that allow students to answer more detailed questions about the material. I would like them to answer questions that go deeper than the names of the characters. I would like to find resources that encourage students to answer questions about the main topic, the problem, the solution, etc.
We also found as we looked at the scores from the last standardized test that students had trouble with questions that were worded “which of the following is NOT…” or “all are true EXCEPT.” I am hoping to find ways that students can practice answering these types of questions and learn strategies to figure out the best answer. I currently use worksheets which students read and answer comprehension questions. We discuss as a class what the best answer is and how to find it. I can’t help but feel, however, that there is a better way out there.
My Plan
I plan to create a wiki which will organize different test taking strategy sites. I will organize them so that when I want to find a certain lesson or technique I will be able to refer to the wiki I have created and find the lesson I need. I will organize the resources and decide how they fit into my daily schedule. I plan to introduce the strategies and practice them daily until I feel the students are comfortable. Then I will back them off a bit, practicing them daily, but in different contexts and for different subject areas. I hope to find SMARTBoard lessons, practice sites, and worksheets.
I plan to work over the summer to add to my wiki. I hope to have a full time teaching position in the fall, so I plan to turn my wiki into a resource that can be used in the fall to prepare for the MEAP and throughout the year as practice. When I return in the fall I will share the unit with other teachers.
Research
There are several sites out there that have links to SMARTBoard lessons. It can take hours and hours to weed through all of the site to find lessons that are appropriate to the information you are trying to teach and to the level of your students. A few of the sites that I have found helpful so far are http://www.edontheweb.com and http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/. I will continue to accumulate resources on my diigo page and begin to organize them.
Common Places of Education
Someone Teaching: The teacher will be teaching for my project. I hope to find resources to facilitate my teaching. I will find ways that other teachers are demonstrating how to read for comprehension. I will also find resources which will offer mini-lessons which will reinforce what students are learning through modeling and discussion.
Someone Learning: Students will learn strategies for reading for comprehension, especially on standardized tests. They will learn the difference between reading for pleasure and reading for a test. Also, they will learn how to go back and look for information in text they have read.
Subject Matter: The subject matter is test taking strategies. Most of my lessons and practice will be built into my Reading Workshop, but I plan to build mini-lessons into all subject areas so that students can practice with different types of text and subject matter.
Setting: My lessons will take place in my third grade classroom. Students will work as a group in our meeting place. They will also work at their desks both individually and as a group using the SMARTBoard.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Draft 1 of Project Description
The school I am currently teaching in has four third grade classrooms. The teachers really work as a team to make sure that each students get as close to the same experience as possible so that when they move on to fourth grade they have been exposed to the same material and experiences. We meet as a grade level almost weekly to discuss things that are working and things we need to address. The last few meetings out topic has been reading comprehension, specifically on standardized tests.
While no teacher wants to teach to a test, they are a fact of life and are important to student success. We agreed that while we do not want to make test taking strategies a huge part of our curriculum, the students could benefit from being “armed” when they have to take these tests. We decided to try to build mini-lessons into our reading and writing workshops to give the students confidence when faced with the real thing.
Our school uses a program called Accelerated Reader. Students read books and then take AR quizzes, which are usually 10 questions. They get rewards based on how many quizzes they have taken. I agree that the AR program encourages students to read. The students in my class love to get the chance to take a quiz. The questions, however, are very basic. They skim the surface of the material and leave it at that.
I would like to find resources that allow students to answer more detailed questions about the material. I would like them to answer questions that go deeper than the names of the characters. I would like to find resources that encourage students to answer questions about the main topic, the problem, the solution, etc.
We also found as we looked at the scores from the last standardized test that students had trouble with questions that were worded “which of the following is NOT…” or “all are true EXCEPT.” I am hoping to find ways that students can practice answering these types of questions and learn strategies to figure out the best answer.
I currently use worksheets which students read and answer comprehension questions. We discuss as a class what the best answer is and how to find it. I can’t help but feel, however, that there is a better way out there.
While no teacher wants to teach to a test, they are a fact of life and are important to student success. We agreed that while we do not want to make test taking strategies a huge part of our curriculum, the students could benefit from being “armed” when they have to take these tests. We decided to try to build mini-lessons into our reading and writing workshops to give the students confidence when faced with the real thing.
Our school uses a program called Accelerated Reader. Students read books and then take AR quizzes, which are usually 10 questions. They get rewards based on how many quizzes they have taken. I agree that the AR program encourages students to read. The students in my class love to get the chance to take a quiz. The questions, however, are very basic. They skim the surface of the material and leave it at that.
I would like to find resources that allow students to answer more detailed questions about the material. I would like them to answer questions that go deeper than the names of the characters. I would like to find resources that encourage students to answer questions about the main topic, the problem, the solution, etc.
We also found as we looked at the scores from the last standardized test that students had trouble with questions that were worded “which of the following is NOT…” or “all are true EXCEPT.” I am hoping to find ways that students can practice answering these types of questions and learn strategies to figure out the best answer.
I currently use worksheets which students read and answer comprehension questions. We discuss as a class what the best answer is and how to find it. I can’t help but feel, however, that there is a better way out there.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Final Thoughts
When I began taking classes in technology I thought that I would learn about how I could use technology to be a more effective teacher. What I hadn’t considered is how much I would learn that I could use with my students. Or to take it a step further, I have learned ways to facilitate my student’s exploration of technology and take a “guide on the side” role. I have also learned about the abundance of resources available. I learned that if there is a technology that I want to explore or try out there are TONS of teachers who have done so already and they are very generous. They share the lessons that worked and warn you against things that didn’t.
As I learn more about technology I am better able to be selective with the resources I use. Having created my own projects I am sensitive to what I am looking for and what worked for me. I can also recall what I had difficulty with and search for specific areas in which I feel weak.
My biggest goal for myself in this class and all of the technology classes I have taken and will take is to feel more comfortable incorporating technology in my classroom. With the completion of every assignment I felt more comfortable exploring technology with my students.
It’s funny to consider my new goals because so much of what my technology classes have taught me has been brand new. Before this class I had never heard the words StAIR or WebQuest. I suppose my new goal is to be open to the new technologies that I will learn about in my future classes. I am excited to expand my technology vocabulary!
As I learn more about technology I am better able to be selective with the resources I use. Having created my own projects I am sensitive to what I am looking for and what worked for me. I can also recall what I had difficulty with and search for specific areas in which I feel weak.
My biggest goal for myself in this class and all of the technology classes I have taken and will take is to feel more comfortable incorporating technology in my classroom. With the completion of every assignment I felt more comfortable exploring technology with my students.
It’s funny to consider my new goals because so much of what my technology classes have taught me has been brand new. Before this class I had never heard the words StAIR or WebQuest. I suppose my new goal is to be open to the new technologies that I will learn about in my future classes. I am excited to expand my technology vocabulary!
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