My GAME progress...

I have finally identified what looks like some really good resources to help me progress in my GAME plan towards becoming more proficient in two NETS-T indicators! The goal this week was to find more resources for use with my middle school science students.


Once again, the first NETS-T indicator I wish to work on is 2B: “Teachers develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.” Two resources that would provide my students an opportunity to become more active participants in setting goals for themselves and assess their own progress are:

1. http://jlab.org/index.html,

which contains great teacher and student resources in lower right, in the box labeled science education;

2. http://iq.poquoson.org/

also contains quizzes for students to practice skills used in the classroom, in any content area.

http://gphintz.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/

The second NETS-T indicator I wish to work on is 4a: “Teachers 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.” Two resources that I have located which look promising for use with my students are:

1. http://www.nsteens.org/,

which appears to have some lesson plans which might be engaging for students in learning about Internet safety;

2. http://isafe.org/,

which is a website promoted by my school system and which teachers are required to use to complete professional development to become aware of the dangers of the Internet.

http://product-safety.com/internetsafety.html

I encourage anyone that is able to, to help me explore these and provide feedback. If you know of additional resources which would be appropriate for middle school students, please let me know! 

Thank you!

Resources and Information for My GAME Plan

My post last week was about developing a GAME plan for becoming more confident in two indicators of the NETS-T. This week, I am taking a look at the information and resources I might need in order to carry out my GAME plan.

Once again, the first indicator I am working on is 2b: “Teachers develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.” I have said that my action will include a better understanding of my students’ diverse learning styles, which will help me to provide opportunities for them to practice with a variety of technology tools and skills, pinpointing the ones that they feel confident in using. In order to carry out my GAME plan for this indicator, I will need to access information from previous years’ summative assessments and behavior logs. I will also need a plan for implementing formative assessments throughout the year. Additionally, I will need to have access to, and follow, students IEPs and 504-plans to ensure special needs of students are being met. Ahead of time, I will need to ensure that I am comfortable using Wikis, Blogs, and Discussion Boards, and that they are set up and ready to go when I want to use them. Additional resources I am interested in trying in order to develop a technology-enriched learning environment is polling software and personal response clickers.

The second indicator I am working on is 4a: “Teachers 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.” I have said that the action I will take to achieve this goal is to develop and implement an introductory lesson on What the Web is, how to use it, and how to be smart about it. I would like for the lesson to include computer basics, Internet basics, how to search the Web, and how to use information found on the Web. Additionally, I feel that I need to go further to inform students of the legal issues of the Web and how to be safe about using and posting on the Web. In order to carry out my GAME plan for this indicator, I first need to ensure that I am fully aware of the legal issues of the Web, and work with my School-Based Technology Specialist (SBTS) in order to develop a lesson plan to use with students. I plan to use my SBTS as a resource not only in the planning stages, but to have them in my classes, assisting with the delivery of the lesson as well. I need to access such resources as ethical and acceptable use policies and ensure that my students (and their parents) also have access to them. I will also need to ensure that I have access to, and feel confident in, using the technology platform that will be used to deliver the lesson, as well as the student technology (laptops or desktop computers) for students to practice with during the lesson.

If anyone can make suggestions on information and resources I have overlooked, please leave comments! Thanks!!

References:
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

Establishing a GAME Plan for NETS-T

Ensuring that teachers are confident in the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) has never been more important. We will do our students a disservice by not become proficient ourselves in 21-Century technology skills, and infusing them seamlessly into our lessons. In order to continue doing this, I have identified two NETS-T indicators in which I feel I need more work in order to become more confident and proficient to support my students.

The first indicator is 2b: “Teachers develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.” The action I will take in order to achieve this goal includes understanding my students’ diverse learning styles, providing opportunities for students to learn a variety of technology tools and skills, find the ones that they feel confident in using, and encouraging them to try new ones with which they are not familiar. I also need to prepare myself for the reality that I probably do not have all of the answers, so my students may be the experts in using technology that is introduced to my classroom, and that is okay! I plan to monitor my progress through student observations and reflections throughout the learning process, assessment of student projects and assignments, as well as formative and summative assessment data. In order to evaluate and extend my learning I will use assessment data to drive my instruction, as well as to drive my choice of technology tools. I will also self-reflect on how my teaching has adapted to fit the needs of my students and on what I have learned in the process.

The second indicator is 4a: “Teachers 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.” The action I will take to achieve this goal is to develop and implement an introductory lesson on The Web: What it is, how to use it, and how to be smart about it. The lesson will include computer basics, Internet basics, how to search the Web, and how to use information found on the Web. Students must also be aware of the legal issues of the Web and how to be safe about using and posting on the Web. This is something that must be done before I can launch any inquiry-based unit, for my own peace of mind! In order to monitor my progress, I will observe student use of the computer and Internet, and use formative and summative assessment data to drive my instruction and to help me determine when students are ready to move to the next level, or into an inquiry-based unit. Evaluating and extending my learning will be a continuous process with this indicator. As my students and I move through this lesson and put into practice what has been learned, there will be issues and new lessons that will crop up and cause me to pause or take a step back. I am anxious to self-reflect and evaluate my own learning and progress in this area, as it is new territory for me! I have always assumed that my students are learning about this indicator from someone else, but I can no longer assume that, but must assume responsibility for my own students’ learning of technology, even if I teach science.

Reflection: Teaching New Literacy Skills in the Classroom

Integrating the teaching of new literacy skills into my 8th grade science curriculum is not only necessary, but it seems that it will be rather seamless. This might be the most striking revelation I have had as a result of taking my most recent master’s class, “Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom.” Rather than this being “just another thing” to add to my often overwhelming list of “things to do” during the school year, this course has provided a platform on which to do the things I already do, or that I must do, better.

In developing a lesson plan for teaching new literacy skills, I was able to think critically about each moment of learning in the classroom. One of the most difficult parts of developing my lesson plan was in determining my methods for assessing student acquisition of new literacy skills…how am I going to KNOW that they have learned what they need to in order to effectively use new literacy skills in the classroom, and in their daily lives, not just in playing with information, as they might on social networking sites, but in working with information to accomplish something with meaning and purpose (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008)?

One professional development goal that I have deals with a recent opportunity I had to attend Space Academy for Educators, sponsored by Honeywell, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. First, let me encourage all math, science, and technology teachers to apply for this amazing opportunity…it was life-changing for me! There are many, many ways for me to integrate what I have learned in this master’s course with what I learned and experienced at Space Academy with what I currently teach. The goal of the Space Academy program is to inspire teachers to inspire students to excel in the areas of STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math). The space program needs today’s students to be tomorrow’s experts if the U.S. is to continue to be a world leader. Inquiry-based learning provides the framework and platform for students to master new literacy skills, as well as content skills, needed to accomplish their goals. I plan to continue to develop my proficiency in using new literacy skills myself by conducting research, performing searches using the techniques I have learned in this course, and using the results of my searches to make things happen. Additionally, I would like to use new literacy skills to integrate new skills and lessons learned during my time at Space Academy to inspire my students in STEM education areas. When my students see me getting excited about learning and using what I am learning to make change happen and to do great things, then perhaps they will be inspired to do the same!

References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program 13. Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom [Motion picture]. “It’s Not about the Technology”. Baltimore: Author.

U.S. Space and Rocket Center

Huntsville, AL

Evaluating Research Methods

Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.

Analysis: I have identified this research method as a Qualitative Case-Study, as it uses face-to-face methods of data-collection, it is narrative in nature, observation-based, and tells a story with a focus on a particular issue (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics—age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.

Analysis: I have identified this research method as Quantitative True Experimental. Random sampling is done to choose students so that there are no major differences between groups. The subjects are students in two classrooms, the target population is groups of fifteen students with similar demographics, and the sample is chosen at random. Additionally, the research is being used to “determine the effect of one factor on another” (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, pp. 24 & 103).

Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.

Analysis: I have identified this research as Action-Research. The focus is to determine the influence of attitude on the value of peer mediation. Data is collected through a counselor and by a method deemed appropriate by them. The data is then analyzed and a program is put into place, with the purpose being to reduce office referrals (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, pp. 174-177).

Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known—either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.

Analysis: I have identified this research method as Explanatory Design Mixed-Method. Quantitative data is first collected and analyzed. This data is explained by qualitative data collected through follow-up interviews after the post-test (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, pp. 162).

References:

McMillan, J., & Schumacher, S. (2008) Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program five. Quantitative Research Methods [Motion picture]. Introduction to educational research.. Baltimore: Author.

Research Questions and Methodology

Continuing off of last week’s work in developing a research problem statement, this week I have worked to develop research questions which will help me to identify the method for my research. First, let me restate my research problem statement:

I plan to determine the impact of an attendance call-out system for secondary school students on the number of unexcused tardies when compared with schools that do not use a call-out system.

Who: secondary students
What: schools that use an attendance call-out system and those that do not use a call-out system
Why: determine the impact on the number of unexcused tardies

Research Questions:

1. What attendance call-out programs exist for secondary schools? (Descriptive)
2. What is the relationship between the use of a call-out system and the number of unexcused tardies? (Relationship)
3. Is there a difference between the number of unexcused tardies for schools that have a call-out system and schools that do not? (Difference)
4. What is the timeframe for implementing a call-out system before a change in tardies was noted? (Descriptive)
5. What is the cost for implementing a call-out system? (Descriptive)
6. Do the benefits of a call-out system outweigh the cost of implementing it? (Relationship?)

Based on these research questions, I have determined that the method of research that best fits my problem is the Quantitative Nonexperimental Comparative Method. I have chosen this method because it is described by McMillan and Schumacher (2008) as a design in which the researcher determines if a difference between two or more groups exists in relation to that which is being studied (p. 25). The focus of my research would be to determine if schools that utilize an attendance program which generates parent contact (phone, email, etc.) have lower numbers of unexcused tardies than schools that do not utilize such a program.

I welcome suggestions and comments so that I know if I am on the right track...thanks for visiting!

References:
McMillan, J., & Schumacher, S. (2008) Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson.

Educational Research Problem

As part of my master’s program I am enrolled in Introduction to Educational Research. The first step in the research process involves developing a problem statement about an area I would like to research in technology and education. Following is my problem statement:


I plan to determine the impact of an attendance call-out system for secondary school students on the number of unexcused tardies when compared with schools that do not use a call-out system.

Who: secondary students
What: schools that use an attendance call-out system and those that do not use a call-out system
Why: determine the impact on the number of unexcused tardies