Standard II. Planning and Designing Learning Envirironments and Experiences
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
A. design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
B. apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.
C. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
D. plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.
E. plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.
II.A
Artifacts: This is my lesson, Paint the Town.
Reflection:
Developmentally appropriate levels of difficulty are considered in planning content and processes (i.e., cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development).
Capturing student learning and excitement is motivational and contagious. As an ITRT, I try to keep a student’s developmental stage in mind as I plan lessons. I researched on line the developmental stages of a fourth grader as I planned a lesson integrating a very difficult fourth grade SOL. According to The American School Counselor (http://www.schoolcounselor.org/) The attributes of a fourth grader are:
- Want to put some distance between themselves and adults, and may rebel against authority.
- Need to be part of a group.
- Seek independence.
- Possess a high activity level.
- Can express a wide range of emotions and verbalize easily.
- Can empathize.
- Can think independently and critically, but are tied to peer standards.
- Begin to increase their sense of truthfulness.
- Are typically not self-confident
After reading the characteristics of a fourth grade I designed my lesson so that students will be able to complete the task independently yet feel challenged. I also wanted them to feel successful.
Learning activities apply multiple technology-enhanced instructional strategies that includes student use of technology
Students used technology in a variety of ways. They demonstrated that Standard 5, the ability of using technology tools, while completing the web quest. They then used Microsoft Paint, a free program that I feel is much overlooked in the classroom, to draw maps. This demonstrated their proficiency with Standard 3, the use of technology productivity tools. They uploaded their maps and composed a web page thus showing a grasp of Standard 4, technology communication tools. Students were actively engaged in each part of the lesson. The hands on use of Microsoft Paint made a very difficult SOL, identifying the regions of Virginia, it borders, and waterways, much easier to understand.
Technology resources and strategies are selected that include attention to diverse learning styles, special education needs, and language acquisition.
This lesson was designed to be used with two specific classes. Neither class had any severely special need students. In one class there were two students in Title I, each of these students reading independently on a low third grade level. In the second class there were four students in Title I. One of the four students is reading on a second grade level, two on third grade, and one is reading on a fourth grade level but has very low comprehension. Knowing that fourth graders want to be successful yet feel very self-consciences, I allowed students to choose partners while working on the web quest. This allowed struggling students to still feel victorious on the research part of the project. All in all, this project was very fruitful. A six weeks County assessment showed mastery of these SOLs for the classes that took part in this lesson. The teachers I used the lesson with took it farther during the year, coming back to the map to add Native American Language Groups, Virginian Products, and referring to the map for SOLs dealing with Virginia during the Colonial and Civil War eras. I was excited when one teacher confessed that she had never thought of using a paint program with fourth graders but had begun to think of many ways it could be of use.
II.A was granted a meets expectation on 7/3/06
II.B.
Artifacts
This is a link to my research
sternberg.doc This is my review of the research
This is a link to my lesson, Civil War
Leadership_Expertise.ppt This is a power point created by Sternberg.
Reflection:
Unit plan consistently demonstrates application of current research on teaching and learning with technology in the design of the lessons and in the learning environment.
After all the research I did on integrating technology and differentiation I decided to commit myself this school year to creating technology rich lessons that incorporate the best practice of differentiation. The attached artifact is a lesson I did based on Sternberg since I wanted to work more in this area. The lesson consisted of a PowerPoint with inserted video clips, and graphic organizers. The PowerPoint slide show was provided to fifth grade teachers at the start of their Civil War unit during a grade level meeting. The slide show can be used at individual computer by single students or small groups of students. The teacher can also use the slide show to lead a whole group lesson. The entire slide show was put together based on the Virginia Enhanced Scope and Sequence. At the end of the lesson there is a set of slides with three tasks that students can choose from. The first task was geared to the creative mind. Students were given several sites to browse which contained music from the Civil War Era. Students were to listen to a given number of songs and completed a graphic organizer which guided them in understanding how music of this time demonstrated the perspectives of individuals at this time. Students were then given a list of criteria to meet and were asked to compose a poem or song demonstrating these criteria. They were instructed to use the narrate tool from Movie Maker to record their song. For students who needed the assistance copy write free music was provided for the students to base their song. (ie. 3 blind mice) The analytical minded student was given several websites with illustrations of political cartoons. After browsing the various cartoons, students were asked to fill out a graphic organizer. They were provided with a set of criteria and asked to draw their own political cartoon. At the end of the lesson there is a set of slides with three tasks that students can choose from. For the practical minded students, several websites were provided which contained links to actual journal and diary entries from the Civil War. Students were asked to browse these letters while completing a graphic organizer. They were to then given a set of criteria to meet and asked to use Microsoft Word to compose a letter, journal, or diary entry as if they were a person living during the Civil War. I used the slide show with several teachers; the results were positive scores on the 9 week assessments. Other teachers used it by themselves and reported that the lesson was easy to follow. The students were motivated and engaged.
Unit plan documents appropriate and complete citations for the research used. Journal entries reflect the challenges of applying the research to classroom practice.
As a mentor for Amherst County Public schools I have been privileged to take part in intensive training concerning differentiated instruction. When I took the job of ITRT I began researching how technology and differentiation fit together. I was told by many that just by the nature of technology itself, I was differentiating. Technology may reach many of the intelligences but what I discovered was that since technology lessons are not about the technology itself but rather the standards targeted for instruction, technology lessons are not necessarily differentiated. There are many ways, tools, and strategies for differentiating. One method in which I was weak in using was incorporating Sternberg’s Triarchic Intelligences. Sternberg maintains that people problem solve in one of three ways: creatively, practically, and analytically. Persons with a creative bent will be divergent thinkers who are able to deal with novel situations. Those who are practical will be more “street smart”, having the ability to shape one’s own environment. An analytical person will be more logical; they will be more traditional in the verbal and mathematical processing.
II.B was granted a meets expectation on 7/21/06
PS: More from Sternberg
April_06.pdf
technologies_for_working_intelligencies.doc
III.C
Artifacts:
This is my Technology Implementation Plan. If you do a really good job on this, you can use it for II.D, II.E, and V.B.
Reflection:
It is important to know what technology resources are available to you, both within your school and within your division. Furthermore, it is necessary to identify what available tools best serve your instructional needs. I have attached a word document that lists most of the available hardware and software resources in the buildings I serve. I included examples of how these resources could be used. I also listed online resources that I have used with teachers and students this year. Included in the list are examples of my favorite webquests and scavenger hunts as well as some of my favorite communication projects and test prep sites. Some of the webquests I have actually created. When creating or locating sites to be used with students I critically analyze the site. I use the four A’s when looking for sites: accessible, accurate, appropriate, and appealing. It must first align with the Virginia Standards of Learning. It must also be on a readability level that is understood by my students. I also make sure that there is some type of accountability that the student is to turn in to his teacher since I may not have an immediate opportunity to explain to the teacher what the students were working on. A website must be of quality, the information accurate. I also take into account the speed with which the site loads. If it is too slow, students will loose interest in the task. I do not want a site that will work one day and not be there the next. And all sub links must be in order. The site must also be appealing to students. Pictures, colors, and sound effects are good.
II.C was granted a meets expectation on 4/24/06
II.D
Artifacts
My Technology Implementation Plan
Lesson: Smarty Pants
Lesson: A Memory of Me
Reflection:
Classroom management plan considers the location of technology resources in planning learning activities to make best use of resources for every learner.
My technology Implementation/Management Plan shows that I have inventoried hardware, software, and online resources to assure that I make the best use of resources to plan activities which support student instruction. I have included photos of the various labs. When planning tasks for students it is important to be aware of how the physical layout of the classroom will impact student learning. In all the buildings I serve, the computer centers are arranged in a box or horse shoe around the room. The drops for the computers provide for no other arrangement. Although this hinders some students from seeing the LCD display, I feel that over all it is not a bad arrangement since it allows me to freely move around the rooms and to be able to see all students.
Three of the four schools have wonderful labs and I never have any problems. In one school, Temperance, I daily have a problem. This school is last on the line and when the line comes in, it is split into small hubs which are not big enough to handle the data. I have been told that the lab is being redone this summer. I look forward to better performance.
At each of the schools I serve there is a computer lab which is equipped to handle an entire class. Two schools have wireless labs but the labs only have 13 laptops. This means students must partner up. I rely on the teacher’s judgment to manage this since I am in there usually as assistance only. None of my schools have things like a class set of Palms, digital cameras, etc. Computers are it. I plan on writing a grant next year to purchase cameras and microphones. The county ITRTs have convinced the division to purchase scanners for each school next year. This year when scanning had to be done, I brought in my own to do so.
Classroom management plan incorporates use of technology resources as an integral part of the design of lessons and units. The design provides easy access to technology resources with maximum convenience and efficiency.
This year I do not think I could have survived without my LCD projector. I asked the county tech to create for me a “shared folder”. Each week I needed to have the students access this folder to save and pull up their work. I also put shortcuts to specific websites in the folders if I differentiate a lesson. I often leave personal notes in a child’s folder or specific step by step directions for a task to be completed. These shared folders can be pulled up from anywhere in the county so even if I am not at the school I can help a child complete an assignment.
I do not have to manage much of the technology hardware; this is the responsibility of the Library Media Specialist. This was made plain to us at the beginning of the year. For specific lessons I have had to make my own adjustment. For example, in the schools where I am the computer teacher, I have each computer numbered and have assigned each child a number. In small baskets that stay beside the computer I have each child’s head phones in a zip-lock baggie.
Technology support procedures and plans are in place for coping when technology does not perform as anticipated. The procedures and plans provide alternatives that do not compromise students’ ability to meet the objectives of lessons or units.
There is nothing worse for a child than to look forward to a task only to find that it cannot be completed due to computer malfunctions. I have a list of back-up plans that are detailed in my TIMP. I also have included a flowchart that I use with teachers when their computers are not working. Some of my favorite back-up plans include interactive Power Points with older children. Fourth and Fifth grade students love Power Point. My younger students enjoy KidPix (I have used this successfully with older children as well.) This program is very versatile. This is probably my all time favorite program.
II.D was granted a meets expectation on 8/4/06
III.E
Artifacts
My Technology Implementation Plan
Lesson: Hungry Thing
Lesson: A Memory of Me
Reflection:
Lesson plan integrates management of technology resources into the overall student management plan for lessons and units.
This year approximately 300 3-5 grade students in the four schools I worked in created digital stories based on personal narratives they had composed in the regular classroom. My students wanted to narrate their own stories. This was going to be difficult since after searching around I discovered that only one of my schools had microphones. I asked permission and was allowed to borrow a set of 10 microphones from the one school that had them. I then mapped out a plan so that each school would be narrating on a different day. It took me two weeks to visit each school to provide time for the 300 students to complete the narrations. I explained the hindrances to the students and enlisted their help. We came up with the plan of only one “do-over”. Students were partnered up and given a microphone to share between the two of them. Each student was given 15 minutes. During that 15 minutes the student was to record his narrative, listen to it and then re-record only the part (if any) that was unsatisfactory. All three hundred students took this seriously and I only had in the entire process, 32 need a chance to have a “do-over”. Of these 32, I must admit that I gave 4 a third “to the PC.
Lesson plan assesses prerequisite technology skills needed to obtain learning objectives and integrates them into learning experiences focused on content objectives.
Attempting a digital story process with kindergarteners or first graders is a daunting task. I did indeed take this task on however with approximately 40 kinders and first graders. Before starting this I needed to make sure they had the prerequisite mouse skills of point, click and drag. I had visually been observing all year and waited until the second part of the year to begin such an undertaking. Coming back over from Christmas break, I ran a check to make sure that students had not lost any of the needed skills. To do this I used a web site which correlated to the story. Not only did this remind the students of necessary computer skills, it also made them familiar with a web site they could use as an anchoring activity if they finished early. I met with the kindergarten and first grade teachers and spent some planning time making sure I understood what would be assessed for meeting SOL criteria. I was told that at the time of the storytelling, the kindergarten students should be able to dictate one or two complete sentences. Students in kindergarten and first did not use a rubric as we were experimenting to see if digital storytelling could be worked in to support English SOLs.
With the older students, we planned a rubric to meet the necessary SOL criteria. The schools held a large number of Title I students so we kept our rubric very basic. Teachers were looking for sequencing of the story and the creative use of word choice in the older grades. The same rubric was used with second and third graders but we paid more attention to conventions and organization of the writing. No student was allowed to proceed to the DST part of the project unless they had revised their piece to earn at least a B. In this manner classroom teachers were satisfied that the students had the English skills needed to pass the SOL. When the students had processed through the writing of the narrative. I gave them a storyboard. At this time I worked with the Art teacher. She did a unit on cartoons and showed students how storyboards are used in the creation of cartoons. She even brought in a video she had purchased from Nickelodeon’s catalog for Educators. This video demonstrated how storyboards and artwork are combined to create story. The art teacher and I worked with the students on the creation of the storyboards. Students were encouraged to think about the images they wanted to use to tell the story. The art teacher requested they use no more than 7 images. Any more and she felt the story would be too long. Any few than four and she felt the story would be too short. Giving a limit to the number of images forced the students to think about how they would word the story to be concise and yet complete. She and I came up with a rubric to assess the storyboards. The students’ storyboards were required again to earn a “B” grade before students were allowed to move on to using Movie Maker. In using Movie Maker to put together the stories, students were again given a rubric to follow. By this time, they were completely aware of how to read a rubric They had no difficulty.
Typing the final drafts of the personal narratives was required so typing skills were mandatory. Each week students in grades 1-5 are given typing practice. Younger students use a program called PAWS or we may type spelling words. Older students are taken to a website which allows them to move through on their own pace.
I spent some time teaching students a few basics of picture taking. We learned the basic functions of a digital camera. I gave the students a “scavenger hunt” and we went outside and took some photos of the school. Once we came back in, students were taught to upload pictures. Students used Microsoft Paint to “crop” their pictures. Each student submitted three photos to be judged. Pictures taken were peer assessed and we chose two dozen to post on a small bulletin board in the hall.
Students also had a brief lesson on scanning images. Even though I taught students to use the camera, Division policy would not allow students to take the camera home. Therefore, in order to be fair, students were allowed to bring in pictures. The school had one scanner. I have a scanner and there were two parent volunteers with scanners. Students were taught to use each of these scanners. This was an awesome tech lesson as students realized that even though the scanners were different they worked in basically the same manner. I loved it when one student who typically struggles was able to show classmates how to use the scanner his mother brought in from home.
Lesson plan makes provisions for appropriate and flexible time for students to use technology to meet learning objectives.
In a classroom there are no two children alike. During the course of a lesson there will be students who finish earlier than others. Or they may get to a point where, without help, they cannot go any farther. If the teacher is tied up these students lose valuable time waiting. To combat this, I have both online and offline anchoring activities. Online activities consist of several web sites that students can choose from to build skills such as a test prep site or web quest. Offline anchors involved creating PowerPoints to compliment an interactive notebook or a sort created from Microsoft Word. Younger students had Inspiration documents or KidPix activities created by their regular classroom teacher. The four weeks I did the digital stories with the four schools were some of my busiest weeks since I was creating 2-3 learning tasks for each grade level. The strategy of preplanning and upfront preparation did make the daily activities run much more smoothly.
Classroom management plan incorporates planning and development of student products that demonstrate meeting of content and technology standards.
I did not realize how spoiled I was while teaching at Madison Heights Elementary School. That school was very wealthy in grants which provided much technology. After my job change from classroom teacher to ITRT I was moved to the opposite side of the county. This side had limited resources. At the start of the year the four ITRTs spent a great deal of time inventorying resources. This inventory was the basis of my TIMP. In knowing what resources I had available I was able to plan the two lessons that accompanied this standard. The two lessons were very successful and the students received rave reviews from teachers, administrators and parents. One teacher has already approached me concerning next year. She wants to do the storytelling process herself and has asked that I plan with her so that it goes as smoothly as it did this year.
II.E was granted a meets expectation on 10/1/06
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