Honestly, two weeks ago I would have had absolutely no idea what a computer-based instructional object was. To me a stAIR was something that was attached to my front porch and a WebQuest could have been an adventure Harry Potter went on. But now, my eyes have been opened and I can proudly say that I know a stAIR is a "stand alone instructional resource" that a teacher creates to help motivate and educate students using the computer to provide immediate feedback in a scaffolding format on a particular topic.
I have also learned that a WebQuest is an inquiry-based activity that students complete using online resources that have been pre-selected by their teacher to find valuable information for an authentic assignment. This allows the students to spend more time on task instead of using their time to hunt for information online.
Obviously, like all educational tools, if done properly and with forethought,these learning objects can be very beneficial and provide a great opportunity for students to use for independent study.
There are some considerations that have to be made when planning and integrating these instructional objects into your curriculum. I think two of the greatest challenges are to design these learning objects so that they will meet a wide range of student abilities and learning styles. The teacher has an opportunity to use these objects effectively to educate the lower-level students in a non-threatening way and challenge the more advanced students to do some higher-level thinking.
Of course this has to be scaffolded into the design and the plans need to incorporate a multitude of teaching strategies to keep the student engaged and motivated. There is a caution that teachers should not use these objects for rote tasks and simple thought processing. The students will tire of the activities and it won't challenge them appropriately.
Checks and balances should also be "installed" in both types of objects. The students need to be held accountable for the information and ch alleged in the tasks asked of them each step of the way. Re-teaching and re-directing are critical components to incorporate as the information is scaffolded through the learning object. This will give all of the students the opportunity to benefit from the program at their own pace.
I have found some exemplary WebQuests and posted the links above to click on quickly. They are listed under the "Great Sites to Check Out" title on this page or you can cut and paste them from below.
Title: Putting Your Math Skills Into Use!
Site: http://questgarden.com/93/41/7/091209181014/
Summary: This WebQuest is very well organized and thought provoking. The task is for the students to design their own deck on a budget. They are applying math to real world situations at every turn. I love the fact that it answers the age old question of "Why do we have to learn that?"
Title: Lewis and Clark Expedition
Site:http://questgarden.com/88/01/6/091116114213/index.htm
Summary: Again, a very well organized and thought provoking WeQuest. It takes the idea to a whole other level for the students to explore. Students are asked to be explorers and their goal is to really relate to and "become" the explorer. It's not just researching the "what" but also the "who" and "why" of the explorer.
Title: Understanding the atom
Site: http://questgarden.com/91/03/9/091113174533/index.htm
Summary: The idea is that the student has been chosen by the Museum of Scientific Discovery to create an exhibit about atoms. This topic is very abstract and most students need some hand son experience with the topic of atoms and molecules in order to understand them better. This WebQuest gets the students involved on more than on level and incorporates different learning strategies throughout.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Traditional Web Pages vs. Blogs
Traditional web pages are great when you are looking for information and facts etc. There you will find static information. However, when you are using a blog you can have connections and discussions within a community of members with similar interests. It is a great forum to share information in a safe environment with peers that can add to and comment on news that is relevant to you and your community members. This is much more personal and relevant then a traditional web page.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
YIKES! 39 Pages of Motivation to get Technology into your Teaching Life!
Yes, I knew technology was important . Yes, I knew there was some expectation for teachers to use it in their classrooms and for professional development. But, NO, I did not know there were 39 pages with almost 20 specific technology benchmarks intertwined for teachers that directly address the use of technology in our profession. I just about blew out my printer when I printed it out. I know I have been out of the teaching world for a while but the formality of these expectations is new to me. Who knew that Michigan had benchmarks for teachers assessment of technology usage that was so explicit and rather involved. I have now familiarized myself with them and I am thanking my lucky stars I chose Educational Technology as my masters program or else I may be up a creek without a paddle, if you know what I mean. If you would like some exciting reading check out this website from the State of Michigan to see what I am talking about. Happy reading!
http://michigan.gov/documents/mde/PSMT_SBE._Approved._5.13.08WebA_236811_7.pdf
http://michigan.gov/documents/mde/PSMT_SBE._Approved._5.13.08WebA_236811_7.pdf
Monday, November 16, 2009
New Thoughts on how to make Technology NOT so Overwhelming!
I just finished reading and reflecting on an article (What Teachers Need to know about Technology) by a man named Yong Zhao and I took away some very valuable lessons on how not to make the use of technology not seem so overwhelming.
First of all he summarized it quite eloquently when he said that teachers need to “adapt technology instead of adopting it.” We need to be in control of the technology and not let the technology control us. The more depth of understanding we have the better we can use it effectively in our classrooms. The goal is not to learn and memorize the usage of tons of technology but to focus on a few types of technology that are applicable to the teaching you are already doing and that solve a problem for you, not create a new one. Technology should really be absorbed into what you are teaching not be the focus or distract from what you are doing.
Not all problems can be solved by using technology and one of our goals as educators is to identify which problems can be solved by using technology, what technology can be helpful, and how to use the technology in an efficient way to help solve the problem at hand. The more you apply technology into your every day teaching and the more training you receive in different areas that are applicable to the subject areas you teach, the more you will be able to manipulate the technology to meet your needs and not the other way around.
The more I reflected on my reading I began to realize that the goal is not to know every trick in the book when it comes to technology. Let’s face it that would be impossible. But instead to know what tricks are the most helpful to you and your students based on what you teach and how you teach. Knowing a few technological tools inside and out and how they enhance what you are teaching is more valuable than having tons of technology at your fingertips that you don’t use appropriately.
I know that teaching technology in isolation is not always the best use of time. Let’s face it we have so many benchmarks and GLCEs to cover in a year that it can make your head spin! But, how many times have you skipped using the word processor with your students during writing because the slow peck, peck, peck on the computer keys really slows them down and actually hinders the flow of the writing process. Have you ever wanted groups to present something in Power Point but found that teaching the technology itself took away from what you wanted your students to focus on?
Whatever happened to typing class or keyboarding skills? I think that there is a time and place for the teaching of technology in isolation. I think that there should be benchmarks developed for a spiraling of the curriculum in technology. Of course, the question is, where do we find the time? Well, that question is a tricky one. Maybe we rotate kids through in short semesters and they apply the technology they learned from the technology teacher in their own classrooms immediately after learning it on a subject they are studying. For example the class spends an hour a day for couple days on learning Power Point. The next 3 days the students apply their learning by putting together group presentations on the water cycle. Or you could have the younger students take keyboarding skills as an enrichment class before they are expected to use it in the classroom for writing.
These are just some things that I thought were relevant to what I read about today. Goodness knows I don’t have all the answers but it did get the brain thinking about some things. It really does make you look at technology a little differently and hopefully not feel so overwhelmed by it!
First of all he summarized it quite eloquently when he said that teachers need to “adapt technology instead of adopting it.” We need to be in control of the technology and not let the technology control us. The more depth of understanding we have the better we can use it effectively in our classrooms. The goal is not to learn and memorize the usage of tons of technology but to focus on a few types of technology that are applicable to the teaching you are already doing and that solve a problem for you, not create a new one. Technology should really be absorbed into what you are teaching not be the focus or distract from what you are doing.
Not all problems can be solved by using technology and one of our goals as educators is to identify which problems can be solved by using technology, what technology can be helpful, and how to use the technology in an efficient way to help solve the problem at hand. The more you apply technology into your every day teaching and the more training you receive in different areas that are applicable to the subject areas you teach, the more you will be able to manipulate the technology to meet your needs and not the other way around.
The more I reflected on my reading I began to realize that the goal is not to know every trick in the book when it comes to technology. Let’s face it that would be impossible. But instead to know what tricks are the most helpful to you and your students based on what you teach and how you teach. Knowing a few technological tools inside and out and how they enhance what you are teaching is more valuable than having tons of technology at your fingertips that you don’t use appropriately.
I know that teaching technology in isolation is not always the best use of time. Let’s face it we have so many benchmarks and GLCEs to cover in a year that it can make your head spin! But, how many times have you skipped using the word processor with your students during writing because the slow peck, peck, peck on the computer keys really slows them down and actually hinders the flow of the writing process. Have you ever wanted groups to present something in Power Point but found that teaching the technology itself took away from what you wanted your students to focus on?
Whatever happened to typing class or keyboarding skills? I think that there is a time and place for the teaching of technology in isolation. I think that there should be benchmarks developed for a spiraling of the curriculum in technology. Of course, the question is, where do we find the time? Well, that question is a tricky one. Maybe we rotate kids through in short semesters and they apply the technology they learned from the technology teacher in their own classrooms immediately after learning it on a subject they are studying. For example the class spends an hour a day for couple days on learning Power Point. The next 3 days the students apply their learning by putting together group presentations on the water cycle. Or you could have the younger students take keyboarding skills as an enrichment class before they are expected to use it in the classroom for writing.
These are just some things that I thought were relevant to what I read about today. Goodness knows I don’t have all the answers but it did get the brain thinking about some things. It really does make you look at technology a little differently and hopefully not feel so overwhelmed by it!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Power Point Possessed!
OK, I didn't know what Power Point really was until yesterday morning. Yes, I have been living in a cave! My 11 year old told me even she knew how to use it. Ah, to be young. Anyway I downloaded it and got started. Twelve hours later I pulled myself off of it when I started giggling uncontrollably as I made myself dizzy with slide transitions and fly in graphics with sound effects. It was better than a carnival ride I tell ya! This thing could be dangerous and make people throw up if it got into the wrong hands. After I scraped my eyeballs off the computer screen I actually found that I had created a pretty cool slide presentation to share in my classroom at open house.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Analysis Of Technology Project Saves the Day!
This was so cool! In my technology class I just did a 6 page paper on Smart Boards and how they can help meet the needs of teachers and students in a classroom. Well, today when I was subbing I met some teachers that had them in their class and I asked them how they liked them. Based on their responses I could tell they didn't quite know all that they could do with them. I told them about the lessons they can download and use by state benchmarks, grade levels, and subject areas. They had no idea! Luckily I had my paper in my folder and gave it to one of them. We went online together and I showed them how it worked and I even emailed them some RSS feeds to blog spots that have great lesson plans for the Smart Boards as well. Just 3 weeks ago I had NO idea what a Smart Board was, what an RSS feed was or how to blog. It felt so good to share this information with others! They were so happy that they said they would both start requesting me to sub for them:) It is so nice to be in a class where everything I do is immediately applicable to my life!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Check out my first voice thread!
OK this technology is a lot of fun . I can think of tons of ways to use it! I did have a little problem downloading it and embedding it but I figured it out!. I had to change my word doc into a scanned photo for it to work. You can draw on it and comment on it. VERY cool!
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