EDTC 614 integrating technology into the curriculum
Reflection
My first artifact consists of several lessons I created incorporating technology. The first lesson is a collaboration lesson plan I created with the help of my school’s technology teacher and librarian. The students are completing an ABC book using various resources. I feel this lesson plan is well thought out and incorporates technology enhancing my lesson of letters and objects that begin with that letter. This lesson is very detailed and includes many elements for students to be successful. I have various ways the students are self-reflecting including creating
and comparing rubrics, going on a gallery walk and having class discussions. I have lots of informal assessments such as checklists and anecdotal notes. Using technology in this lesson gives my kids the opportunity to think, reflect and talk about the letters of the alphabet and imbed a deeper understanding of this learning. The end project will give my children a sense of appreciation, pride and accomplishment. They will be so excited to show their parents what they have done! This will give them positive reinforcement, which will carry them through to their next big challenge in life.
and comparing rubrics, going on a gallery walk and having class discussions. I have lots of informal assessments such as checklists and anecdotal notes. Using technology in this lesson gives my kids the opportunity to think, reflect and talk about the letters of the alphabet and imbed a deeper understanding of this learning. The end project will give my children a sense of appreciation, pride and accomplishment. They will be so excited to show their parents what they have done! This will give them positive reinforcement, which will carry them through to their next big challenge in life.
The second lesson is on word families. I am particularly proud of this lesson because I taught it and my kids loved it. They loved the idea of rotating to a computer during our morning work -stations. I liked the word family book I created that went along with playing a game on the computer. This gave the kids a purpose for playing the game, and at the end I have evidence of their learning. The rubric on the back of each page was an excellent way for my kids to stop and reflect on the sentence they wrote. The lesson also has components of Marzano’s strategies as well as fun activities to reach all my learners like Happy the puppet and a bib dancing game.
My next artifact is a rubric I created for my morning work stations. I have used this rubric with my kids and have one hanging up at the front of my class. I refer to it every once in a while when my students need a reminder of my expectations during centers. I think rubrics are a great assessment and self-reflection piece because not only is it a great communication device, but also when the students create them, it gives them more responsibility and ownership of their work. It also keeps everyone’s thinking on the same page instead of students interpreting what I might say differently.
Another artifact I had to add was my book-marking site Protopage. Protopage has been a life- saver. Starting in this class I have added bookmarks to all the sites I’ve been too throughout my Regis classes. This has been an invaluable tool. I add and refer back to these bookmarks on a daily basis. There is so much on the Internet and my Protopage is an excellent way to organize for quick reference. I have also created one for my school classroom that my colleagues and I add to when we need to share resources on subjects we teach that we want to be able to refer back to each year.
NETS*T Standards
*Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
*Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
*Model Digital Age Work and Learning
*Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
*Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
21st Century Skills
*Creativity and Innovation
*Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
*Communication and Collaboration
*Information Literacy
*Media Literacy
*Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
*Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
*Model Digital Age Work and Learning
*Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
*Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
21st Century Skills
*Creativity and Innovation
*Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
*Communication and Collaboration
*Information Literacy
*Media Literacy
Research
I have learned that collaboration plays a critical role in instruction. Collaboration among students enhances their achievement by allowing them to talk, reflect and think critically while exchanging ideas. Collaboration also increases interest in the students by giving them more ownership of their own learning. Collaboration among teachers enhances student’s achievement, because they are coming together, sharing ideas and strategies to improve their own teaching. I had an “ah-ha” moment when creating one of my collaborative lesson plans with our technology specialist, Mr. Flick. He did not realize that most my class (with the exception of two) knew their letter names and sounds. Yes, they still need practice with fluency and knowing the sound quicker, but they do recognize all the letters. Typically, Mr. Flick teaches “typing to tots” after Christmas, so every child can recognize letters on the keyboard. After planning our lesson together, he realized that he could step up that program earlier in the year for my class. Collaborative communication enabled Mr. Flick to discover how quickly my students learned the alphabet. My students will definitely benefit from our collaboration.
My understanding of technology integration has had a major impact in the setup of my daily center rotations and classroom instruction. Before this class, I used my three computers in my room as an incentive for finishing work early or to use during Friday “fun day.” In one of the online lessons I critiqued, I learned a new strategy on how to use the computers effectively even if you only have a few computers. I now rotate my computers as part of my daily literacy centers. When it is time for the children to rotate to table number two, the children that have a red line under their name on the rotation chart go to the computers, while the remaining children go to table number two. The next day they switch, so in a week I have every kid in my class going to the computers for two 20-minute sessions. I also found a great database called Raz-kids where my kids are able to access and read books at their reading level. At the beginning of the year my students will play games to reinforce literacy skills I am teaching. Then the second half of the year, when they become readers, I will have them reading online books. I feel like the computers are part of my daily routines now, and not just an extra add on.
Resources