I am sooo annoyed that somehow I overlooked posting this blog. I HAD it done before time, but forgot to post it. :( Sorry everyone.
The two NETS indicators that I feel least proficient in would be:
2.c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
and
4.a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources
While I feel confident in learning about and using new technologies to enhance my learning, I do not always feel confident in integrating new technologies into my content lessons. I think that most of the problem lies in that I don’t know all of the different ways that the technology can be used, other than for entertainment or personal purposes. My goal to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in 2.c. would be to research ways other teachers are using technologies in the mathematics classroom. Another goal toward becoming proficient in this indicator would be to research how technologies and other resources are being used to meeting learning style differences.
There are many different actions I could take toward meeting my goals. One action would be to research on the internet for ideas and techniques. Another action would be to sign-up to take technology classes that are being offered in my school district; furthermore, I could also participate in other staff development opportunities that are related to technology in the classroom. A third action I could take would be to ask my colleagues for ideas on how to better incorporate technology into lessons so that they address students’ diverse learning styles while teaching them how to use digital tools and resources
I could monitor my progress by keeping track of how many different lessons I have adjusted to include technology and meet students’ diverse learning needs. (I would also want to document how well the new lessons worked) I could evaluate my actions by monitoring how well the students understood the lesson, and how successful it was. I could extend my learning by continuing to research new ways that technology can be incorporated. Participating/Presenting ideas in staff development sessions would be another way that I could extend and share my learning.
While I believe that students need to know how to exercise legal and ethical technology usage, I do not feel that I am proficient in stressing the point to my students. My goal to meeting the 4.a. NETS indicator would be to learn how to better instruct my students on how to be respectful and ethical when using technology. One action I could take toward meeting this goal would be to communicate with the librarian at my school. The librarian is very well versed in the copyright laws and etiquette, and might be able to point me toward some presentation tools/methods I could use. Another action would be to consult with other colleagues and online for ideas. I think it would also be a good idea to compile stories that demonstrate how people must be careful what they put on the internet because it can be considered slander or bullying (like the kids posting awful things on Facebook) and also the stories about how once something is posted it can never really be removed (like lewd pictures).
I could monitor my progress by checking my lessons to be sure I discuss legal and ethical ramifications before (and during) lessons that include technology. I could also check my progress by periodically quizzing my students on the proper usage techniques we discussed in class (by quizzing the students I could know how well they understand what we cover). The quizzes could also be a method I use for evaluating my learning. I could extend my learning by working with my colleges to create a “proper and safe etiquette when using technology” presentation for all of our school’s teachers to use.
I also teach mathematics and sometimes struggle with incorporating the new technology I am learning about into my class. My biggest problem stems from the ability to access technology in my school. While we have a lot of technology available it can be very difficult reserving the time to access it. This is big challenge for me as I am not a far out planner. I often find things that I would love to use the day before I need to teach that lesson. One thing that I am beginning to realize however is that even in these situations I can still use the technology that I want to. For last couple of years when I found something that I wanted to use I wouldn't use it if I could not reserve the computer lab. But just this week I was able to use tinker plots in my classroom and captive each students by spiting them up having them work in stations. Then I was able to use my single computer to engage students in a discussion and demonstration of how changing values affect the location of mean and median. With the smaller presentation size due to the stations I was able to interact with more students and solicit more student input. I think that this idea of not all students having to use technology at the same time may help you incorporate more technology into your classroom.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are off to a good start. Colleagues are always a good place to start when it comes to gathering information. Also, your librarian should be a very good resource as well.
ReplyDeleteOne resource that I would like to suggest: a local attorney. There are so many legal issues that you could touch upon with your class that it might be helpful to invite an intellectual property attorney to come in and speak to your students. From music downloading to posting photos, today's kids are involved in the Internet in all kinds of ways, and most of them have a very limited understanding of the legal and safety issues surrounding the Web.
An attorney could help bring some of this information to light and explain to the ways in which the students can protect themselves when interacting on the Internet.
Sounds like you have a lot of great goals!
ReplyDeleteI know that when I start to look at things I want to improve on with my teaching I tend to get really lofty with my expectations of myself and what I can do in a certain amount of time. I am wondering if this might be the case here ( I don't mean to be too forward). I have found that writing things down and tracking them with smaller actions and achievable goals is really helpful for me. I will take a large goal like your " research on the internet for ideas and techniques for integrating technology" and pick some areas or types of technology you want to begin trying to integrate. This might help to aid the process in finding a community and set of resources to help you make progress and perform actions in the classroom.
I too struggle with copy write and information integrity. I have not figured out how to support students in understanding the importance of this in the digital age they are going up in. I have found that with facebook and other social media today's students grow up copy and pasting links, information and comments all over the internet not realizing that they may be infringing copy write laws. This is one challenge of our students "growing up in the light" as Marc Prensky suggests in his article Turning on the Lights.
Cheers,
Chris
The 4.a. NETS indicator is one that I am not confident in either. While I understand the important aspects and ramifications of this indicator, it is often times the last thing on my mind when incorporating technology in my class. Your post made me analyze my own behaviors in modeling proper behavior in terms of copyright laws and etiquette. Unfortunately I have never focused a great deal on this indicator in my classroom because I have felt it falls under the responsibility of the technology teacher or librarian as opposed to a classroom teacher, so this really opened my eyes to my responsibility as a classroom teacher. I now understand that our students will never understand the importance of copyright laws if all teachers don’t stress the importance. All teachers need to jump on board in order for our students to take these laws seriously.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever caught a student plagiarizing on an assignment in your class?
Nick.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of having students use technology at different times. Thanks for the suggestion. I have not used Tinkerplots, but it sounds neat; I may look it up soon.
Carrie.
I had not considered contacting an attorney to talk to my students; what a great idea! Thank you for the suggestion. I think the students would see the importance of the rules and laws coming from an attorney. Thank you for your comments.
Hi Chris.
I like your idea of “breaking down” the large goal into more specific parts. I think, like you said, it will help in the integration process because it will make my goals more definite parts. Also, I liked that you mentioned even deciding on certain technologies to use. Thank you for your comments!
Hi Amanda.
Being a math teacher, I too thought that plagiarism was something that English teachers and librarians have to deal with, and not so much something I should stress over. However, is seems logical that it should be important issue for all teachers who have students conduct research, I am wondering, though, how I will find the time to check up on their research. To answer your question about plagiarism in my classroom, I have noticed plagiarism during student research projects; but, the student did not even seem to realize (or maybe care???) that they were plagiarizing. A school-wide plagiarism Power Point would definitely come in handy.