Further Integrating Technology

After setting up my blog, I thought it would be a great idea to create a class blog site. I would utilize this site as a venue where my students could talk about each other’s finished artwork. Students could also display samples of works that they are currently creating in stages to allow peer to peer feedback on ideas that would help facilitate their artwork.  So in an effort to get started, I began to create my classes blog sit. First, I set up the introduction page, which outlined the purpose to of the site and some basic ground rules that the students must adhere to.  Next, I set up the group and sent out an email invitation to invite my students to participate in the blog site.

One of the major problems that I have encountered so far is the student’s unwillingness to create an account for the blog site. I will most likely have to assign a grade to this action to gain more participation. My next, problem, was getting my 3 participating students to proofread there blogs and put more thought into how they are commenting on each others work.

Wish me success as I more forward with this task.

My New Wiki Page

I was able to actually start work on my wiki page for the STEP team. Now I am on a roll. I don’t know if I have the time necessary to create a wiki page for my classes this year. However, I really need to think about how I will incorporate this into my class lessons and teaching. It was cool designing my banner. I was able to start with some basic information and text styles. However, I ran into a problem where part of my page would not edit and change colors and sizes to distinguish topic headings from detailed information. I see that it lacks creativity and does not attract the eye. I need some help, and mostly practice to get used to formatting my wiki.

I really think that a wiki is a great idea for engaging students in the writing and editing process. I just have to find an engaging way to get them into this. My other concern is that my students writing and reading skills are so far below grade level, how effective will they be in editing and helping to create a wiki page? Then on the other hand, maybe they have technological skills far beyond what I am able to assert just by the work that they produce in class. They are able to navigate on the web with ease, so perhaps I am not giving them enough credit as to being able to perform the tasks necessary for a wiki, and complete those grade level tasks.

Orientation

Sharing Technology with Educators Program also known as STEP, wow!! The orientation session was wonderful. I got the change to get to know the teachers who will be sharing this experience with me from my school. In addition, meet other dedicated individuals who are interested in learning how to further utilize technology in their teaching practices. During today’s I learned about the Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students and that sadly that these standards have not been created for the high school level yet. I hope that the standards are created soon because technology is heavily used in the high schools as well and it would be a benefit to the teachers and students.

During our orientation season I was able to set up my Wikispace, which I found a great tool to use as a diary of my technology project that I will create during this professional development process. I look forward to what is to come from this program.

First Step Team Training

Well, we have just finished our very first step training. I am excited about learning some new things in technology. I have a big challenge ahead of me. I am currently not a classroom teacher. My goal is to train other teachers to use the technology. I will be working with Mr. Thompson's Mathematics classes this year. I am looking forward to working with his students but will need to manage my time so that I meet my goals. When I was at James Madison, I had the opportunity to work with STEP team members even though I was not on the team. Now I have the chance to see for my self what STEP is all about. This should be a great adventure.

First Tech Team Workshop

I attended the first workshop for the STEP team. I am excited, but it all seems to be a bit overwhelming to me. There are so many directions for me to follow and I don’t know if I will be able to keep up with the rapid movement of things. One thing is for sure, I am learning information that I would not have taken the initiative to do on my own. I am definitely embarking into new territory and expanding my skills by tackling the world of technology through this. I had no idea that we had technology standards that I can use in the classroom. Now, I have standards that I can include with my lesson plans and address the technological needs of the classroom and my students.

I am also unsure of how I will use my wiki for classroom use. It seems easy enough to create, once I play around with things. I am not sure how this will be of use in my English class. Let me clarify, I need to structure a way of using a wiki in order to address their writing and reading indicators and skills. I am all open to suggestions and ideas to help me be a bit more creative with designing a wiki page for my classes.

Step A New Experience

Being apart of STEP has been great. I have really enjoyed the academic nature of every meeting. I have continued to work on my, wiki although I haven’t devoted as much time as I would like. I think that a wiki is a great tool for the classroom. Right now I enjoy embedding videos from http://www.teachertube.com/. I haven’t worked out the classroom management aspect of using an interactive website, but I’m sure I will figure it out. I know that I would like to integrate the discussion portion of the wikispace into my regular lesson.

I don't know if the best approach would be to have individual class pages,or devoting one entire wikispace to a each class.