The focus of this week’s blog post is to monitor my personal GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010). Steps have been taken toward meeting the goals established for learning about technology and technology resources. The four questions below are used to reflect upon my learning.
Are you finding the information and resources you need?
Information and resources have been found and are continuing to be found. Electronic copies of documents such as the rubric for effort in physical education class are now available on the physical education classroom website. Also, a monthly physical activity calendar is available for students, parents, and staff to use to help promote health and fitness outside of school hours. This website is available to everyone throughout the world, not just local community members, which increases globalization of our world and has potential to allow people to participate in these activities and communicate ways to be healthy and fit (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010).
Do you need to modify your action plan?
Modification to the action plan may be needed if an approved blog site cannot be found for the physical education website. Surveys, questionnaires, and email will still be available even if a blog site cannot be found.
What have you learned so far?
Collecting forms to be able to use student pictures on the website takes time and effort. Many students and parents are very quick to fill out the consent form and return it. However, there are some parents that have still not returned their consent form. Contacting the few people in charge of the technology in the school district also takes time and patience because they are so busy helping out the thousands of other staff members in the school district.
What new questions have arisen?
Should homework be assigned so students can use this physical education website? If so, should it be mandatory and used as part of their final grade or should it be optional and used as extra credit? What if not all families have easy access to a computer or the internet? If a blog is used for student assessment, how will the blog posts be monitored and assessed? Assessment is more than the assigning of grades and serves a critical role in monitoring and evaluating the academic progress of students (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010). A rubric and practice sessions may be needed before considering this assessment as part of students' grades. If homework is done at home, how can teachers be sure that the work is done by their students and not by someone else?
The goal of these blog posts is to explore strategies for seamlessly integrating technology into the content area. A classroom website is one way to do integrate technology into the classroom and the appropriate steps are being taken to accomplish this goal. More information about the development of my GAME plan and the implementation of my GAME plan can be found by reading the two previous blog postings written below. More information about ISTE’s Educational Technology Standards for Teachers can be found on their website by clicking here.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
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Brian,
ReplyDeleteI have also only had some success with getting parents to return permission slips for their child's picture to be on the website. I have also gotten one slip back where the parent chose "no." I called them up and asked if it would be okay if their work along with first name could be on the website. They said they would agree to that, but I had to resend home a permission slip and have not gotten it back. Have you tried calling some of the parents you have not heard from? Sometimes if I can explain what I am doing and why I am doing it, parents are a lot better about giving their permission. You might want to give that a try.
Your questions on homework are valid. There is always that fear that a student might not have internet at home to complete the assignment. In the past, I have taken a survey prior to giving the assignments. That way I know if I should proceed with that homework. If I only have one or two students without internet access I can work with them so they can still complete the assignment.
Shannon Eno
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI was able to relate to each and every question/concern that you mentioned in terms of your website. I used to assign homework (never on a website) to my students when I saw them twice a week. Now that i see them once a week, it is difficult to collect and grade homework in a timely fashion. I can see the advantage of having the students complete homework online, however with my students that could be a problem. Only 35% of our students have internet access at home. This is certainly unfortunately and I must admit that I am still surprised every time I receive an email from a parent.
We also have a difficult time receiving consent forms (or any other forms for that matter) from our parents. Last year, I posted photos and videos of my fifth grade ballroom project and I found myself sifting through the photos and video, making sure that the students that were going to be shown online had turned in their technology consent forms.
I agree that a rubric and practice session would definitely assist your students with the process of accessing your website either at home or in school. Do you plan on providing the site to the entire school? I'm not sure if your school has family fun nights or PTA functions but it may be a good idea to present your website at an event in which the parents are already present.