The biggest thing I have learned/figured out, is that I need to map out a timeline for my projects. This timeline would not just be for my students, but more or less for me when planning and try and coordinate that with available computer lab time. Without computer labs access, most plans would have to be reworked to accommodate those that do not have internet access outside of school. My plan if that was to happen would be to give students approximately 3-5 days to respond to question or an assignment posted online. This would allow those who do not have internet access time to get to a friends, local library, family members, etc., without having to do it by the next day. Any long term project at this point, without time in the lab, would be pretty much obsolete because of such circumstances.
Goals I would set for myself, would include:
1. Making sure there is a allotted time reserved in the lab for a project
2. Making sure that I meet my timeline set to be ready to be in the lab.
3. Making the most of the time in the lab that we have, so that little has to be done outside of school.
4. Continue to plan well, including making sure all accommodations for my students can be met.
Finally, I would want to make sure that I have everything set up including a list of websites and information readily available for all students. This could be setup through google docs, Blackboard, a wiki, or even a blog.
Again, I look forward to feedback from fellow colleagues as to what I may be forgetting or what I may not have thought about!
Thanks in advance!
Mike
:)
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Those are some good ideas. Especially the multiple days to make responses to accommodate students that do not have computers in the home. I will have to apply that as well as I move forward into the coming year.
ReplyDeleteWe are starting our first week on Monday and it will be interesting to see how much of what i have learned I can apply in the shortest amount of time. Perhaps not this week, but certainly the following week, Aug. 16, I will be introducing some new software and my tech team to the students in the middle school.
I cannot wait to see my new skills implemented as kids begin.
Yes, it's always difficult to get the resources, such as a computer lab. The problem is that many don't see the great value of computers in education. Would a pencil be as useful if you had to go to a pencil lab to use one. Another obstacle in getting technology into our classrooms is that many teachers don't know how to utilize the technology, even if they did have. I think greater learning would happen if each student got to use a laptop. Computers aren't that expensive, especially the netbooks that are coming out now.
ReplyDeleteI am planning on using facebook for my class. It combines blogs, podcasting, and RSS feeds and it's popular with today's students. The only problem is that it is blocked at school computers.
Good luck,
Richard
Resources are always going to be hard to come by especially since we are teachers. I feel like there is so much money in the world going to things that do not make that much sense.
ReplyDeleteI am finding out the same thing as you are, I need set some time lines for myself. I think that the hardest thing is going to be implementing all the things that we have learned during these courses. It is one thing for us to be able to do it, but teaching it to students is a whole new ball game. Good luck and have fun in school.
Those are two things you'll definitely want to have in order. Making a list of resources you'll need and putting them in a central location that your students can have access to makes their lives easier (and yours, since you'll have to field fewer emails). A wiki page like we're using for our lessons can help out there, or there are several sites devoted to links.
ReplyDeletePlanning has always been one of my challenges as a teacher. I look at some teachers who have every day of the year planned out and wonder how I could ever do that. It's tough because I'm always getting new ideas but more so because every class is different, and some just need more time. As far as the computer lab goes, some of the best advice I received from my mentor teacher was just to sign out days in advance. You can always fill them even if you have no idea what you will use them for. There have been several times that I came up with a great idea only to see it shelved because there was no lab space. I haven't had that problem since receiving that advice.
I have been in a classroom where the teacher gave the students an assignment (on Study Island) and they had almost a week to complete the assignment. We also took the students to the computer lab initially to show them how to use the program and occasionally to work on an assignment also. I think that this is the best option because as you stated, not all students have access to the Internet at home. This little fact is what often holds me back from using more with technology and projects (or communication with parents through a blog). Great ideas!
ReplyDelete