I am finding the information and resources I need for implementing my goal of promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility. I use my teacher computer and LCD frequently throughout the day to teach new skills, show examples, or research answers. I make it a point to cite whatever website or software I use as soon as the information comes on the screen. My class began Power Point presentations to demonstrate their knowledge of endangered animals they have studied through different websites this week. They are required to post a reference for each slide that reflects any information they recorded from one of these sites. They will also be required to make a copyright slide so they will gain ownership of their own work before publishing it to our shares drive.
I do need to practice and model verifying URL's and valid websites more often througout the day when I use my computer and LCD for instruction. I need to post a sticky note on my computer to remind me of this! This is an important step in helping my students learn how to evaluate websites for reliability, and frequent modeling and reminders will facilitate this learning.
I continue to engage in professional growth and leadership through taking my courses with Walden, particularly this course of Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. I collaborate with my fellow teachers frequently. We share lesson plans, ideas, websites, software, and new hardware and use them them throughout all content areas.
My biggest problem area for this goal continues to be finding the time to train and implement all of the new technology I am learning. I have learned that creating a portfolio on my computer has helped me organize my lessons, handouts, assessments, websites, etc. Now I am working on finding the time to make folders for each unit and transfer files. I am looking forward to trashing all of my stacks of multi-copies of papers on my bookshelves once I complete this - I am the classic 'hoarder' of a teacher. I look forward to taking advantage of technology to clean up my classroom!
A modification of engaging in more of a leadership goal would be for me to provide our district with qualified explanations of why our students should be able to network and give guidelines we could use to monitor this. If our students could collaborate more with each other and me through wikis, blogs, and emails, they would be even more motivated and engaged in their learning.
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Lisa, I can relate to your idea of minimizing your paper files, while you increase and organize your electronic files. One way to save time with making folders for each unit is to create the folder and transfer files as you plan for each unit. For instance, I usually organize and create my electronic files once a week as I create my lesson plans. By using this method, I have been able to get a lot accomplished over time and have felt less stressed about it. I'm not sure if you've already tried creating and transfer files as you teach the unit, but if you haven't then you may want to try that approach and see how it works.
ReplyDeleteHi Jewel!
ReplyDeleteI have been keeping my lesson plans per week in a folder, but I need to transfer them into folders per subject; I believe this would help with future planning of units each year. Right now they are saved on my desktop, which has gotten quite crowded!
I am in the process of creating folders for all of my standards, essential questions, vocabulary, and computer generated handouts for each unit I am teaching this year. I will need to transfer those lesson plans to them. I have so much saved from previous years, that I am also working on getting organized.
Thanks for the great advice! I think I am also going to invest in another flashdrive so that I can save all of these files and work on them at home.