Blog: What theory, discussion and/or application from this course most impacts your ongoing action research project?
Backwards design is the number one impact on my life in teaching, and my action research project. The ARP gradually changes every cycle because I have found myself changing. My views have been changing in respect to what I value as a teacher and what I feel my students should learn.
While I have always known that backwards design existed (recent teacher ed. graduate), I rarely found time to spend on it. Teaching can be a whirlwind, and it's important to create a list of how and what is important to you in your practice. It's just that: a practice. We must change and design our curriculum to suit our student needs.
The second most important piece that I value is using differentiated instruction. I currently use it in my classroom and daily routines, but I really see value in differentiating in my ARP. Students are exploring how to use the Internet in relation to web searches and I think that my student pairings and expectations are different per pair. Some need additional attention, but in all, I expect that all students will understand my essential questions (or in this case, research questions).
Showing posts with label ARP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ARP. Show all posts
Friday, April 11, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
EDC 665 - Week 8 Blog
In your ARP, are your learners engaged in their learning? Why or why not?
My students are engaged in their learning through my Action Research Project. As a matter of fact, it is entirely designed around their learning and make their experiences connect to information they have learned in class.
My students are given "scavenger hunts" with their partners for my cycle #2 and are sent to explore areas of the Internet. Most of the questions are to be found out by researching and many are open-ended. The great thing about them researching is that it relates entirely to what they are learning, or have learned in class.
I've also noticed that many of my students haven't been given the tools to be good researchers before. They've never figured out how to find interesting information online that is not drab like a textbook. I am hoping that given their inherent curiosity for learning, that they may not be turned off by textbooks and discoveries when they can find very cool things just by researching. I also want them to see that it can be done by them... even at 9-11 years of age.
I've recently sent them on discoveries (my hands off, I walk around to make sure content is appropriate on screens and answer questions both partners cannot figure out together) to solve math problems using Google, decrease search results by doing advanced searches on volcanoes, narrowing down their resources by searching Google images to find out information, cracking the code on true and fake websites, and the list continues. They've even been using del.icio.us and have recently begun using our class blog to blog about their learning, comment, and show others great things they have discovered.
My hope in the future is to get them involved in webquests and become experlike novices of researching on the web!
So far... it's all hands on. I love it!
My students are engaged in their learning through my Action Research Project. As a matter of fact, it is entirely designed around their learning and make their experiences connect to information they have learned in class.
My students are given "scavenger hunts" with their partners for my cycle #2 and are sent to explore areas of the Internet. Most of the questions are to be found out by researching and many are open-ended. The great thing about them researching is that it relates entirely to what they are learning, or have learned in class.
I've also noticed that many of my students haven't been given the tools to be good researchers before. They've never figured out how to find interesting information online that is not drab like a textbook. I am hoping that given their inherent curiosity for learning, that they may not be turned off by textbooks and discoveries when they can find very cool things just by researching. I also want them to see that it can be done by them... even at 9-11 years of age.
I've recently sent them on discoveries (my hands off, I walk around to make sure content is appropriate on screens and answer questions both partners cannot figure out together) to solve math problems using Google, decrease search results by doing advanced searches on volcanoes, narrowing down their resources by searching Google images to find out information, cracking the code on true and fake websites, and the list continues. They've even been using del.icio.us and have recently begun using our class blog to blog about their learning, comment, and show others great things they have discovered.
My hope in the future is to get them involved in webquests and become experlike novices of researching on the web!
So far... it's all hands on. I love it!
Monday, February 18, 2008
EDC 665 - Week 7 Blog
For your ARP, how did you select the technologies that you are utilizing? How have your learners responded thus far?
For my ARP, I selected the Internet in general as the main technology I am using. In teaching fourth grade, I realized that many of my students were intrigued with the Internet, but were not wise in using it. When asked if they knew even the most simple things about web browsers, and search engines, many had little to tell me about why they chose the technology they did other than to play a few video games and "google" topics of interest.
With a wide range of students in my classroom at all levels of understanding, I made the decision to teach them to be more conscious Internet consumers and show them the WHY of what they are using.
After having Gary Stager as a professor last semester, I was also taught that technology is essentially anything that is assisting you to fulfill a need. Given this definition, I am also using student pair groupings to encourage students to work together with a common mind and goal to "solve" the "problems" I give them.
So far, they have only visited the computer lab at our school once but they are enjoying it and learning a lot. I spoke to a few students after our last Wednesday's session and they were really enthused about what they were learning. This Wednesday will be another visit.
More updates to come! I have another fun day planned for them this week that includes using Google to solve math problems, using Google images to research and using advanced google searches to find factual information and weed out information that may be incorrect.
I am hoping to make my students great (and smart) consumers of the technology they already use (but don't fully understand).
For my ARP, I selected the Internet in general as the main technology I am using. In teaching fourth grade, I realized that many of my students were intrigued with the Internet, but were not wise in using it. When asked if they knew even the most simple things about web browsers, and search engines, many had little to tell me about why they chose the technology they did other than to play a few video games and "google" topics of interest.
With a wide range of students in my classroom at all levels of understanding, I made the decision to teach them to be more conscious Internet consumers and show them the WHY of what they are using.
After having Gary Stager as a professor last semester, I was also taught that technology is essentially anything that is assisting you to fulfill a need. Given this definition, I am also using student pair groupings to encourage students to work together with a common mind and goal to "solve" the "problems" I give them.
So far, they have only visited the computer lab at our school once but they are enjoying it and learning a lot. I spoke to a few students after our last Wednesday's session and they were really enthused about what they were learning. This Wednesday will be another visit.
More updates to come! I have another fun day planned for them this week that includes using Google to solve math problems, using Google images to research and using advanced google searches to find factual information and weed out information that may be incorrect.
I am hoping to make my students great (and smart) consumers of the technology they already use (but don't fully understand).
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Presenting Data - Florida trip
Our group finished presenting our data on the google groups document we created for Action Research. Here are the steps we took:
1. Compare and analyze the data collected through Survey Monkey.
2. Select and divide cadres to group members.
3. Meet and discuss options for presentation.
4. Research education trends based on popular information per cadre.
5. Create graphs and clean up document.
Here are some things we learned from this presentation:
1. Create a basis for the words we analyze in the data.
2. Multiple people should be able to interpret the data in the same way given the words used, etc.
3. Since we focused on self/learner/mutual benefits in the definition of action research, we should be able to easy mark self/learner/mutual... in some way.
4. Use the same research materials throughout to make the research "controlled."
5. Give the information for each graph explicitly (n=). Make sure the numbers are defined. If only two questions were used and one of the two were answered "yes", the graph would show 50% answered yes... clearly the data should not be shown in this manner without addressing the number.
Overall, I learned some great things. Most importantly, www.aera.net seems like a great resource for further AR needs.
1. Compare and analyze the data collected through Survey Monkey.
2. Select and divide cadres to group members.
3. Meet and discuss options for presentation.
4. Research education trends based on popular information per cadre.
5. Create graphs and clean up document.
Here are some things we learned from this presentation:
1. Create a basis for the words we analyze in the data.
2. Multiple people should be able to interpret the data in the same way given the words used, etc.
3. Since we focused on self/learner/mutual benefits in the definition of action research, we should be able to easy mark self/learner/mutual... in some way.
4. Use the same research materials throughout to make the research "controlled."
5. Give the information for each graph explicitly (n=). Make sure the numbers are defined. If only two questions were used and one of the two were answered "yes", the graph would show 50% answered yes... clearly the data should not be shown in this manner without addressing the number.
Overall, I learned some great things. Most importantly, www.aera.net seems like a great resource for further AR needs.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Teaching, Grad School, Thanksgiving update
I am feeling very excited about the culmination of our 1st real semester in grad school! I don't feel like the summer semester counted too much as it was really short. I am enjoying learning so much... and never being bored. Haha.
Teaching has been fine... except that I am never actually teaching. My principal has placed me (and the other 2 competent teachers at our school) on multiple committees which means we are never in our classrooms! We are either at the district for trainings or we are writing for our California Distinguished School award. We finished the rough draft and are now going to peel it apart, connect ideas, etc. We are also recruiting one of my students' parents who teaches at our feeder middle school to edit for us.
Funny classroom story for the week: One student was absent and I had another student give her the words for her spelling test. My kids are awesome at spelling... so it's almost a joke. About 25 of the 31 have an A+ in spelling. Anyway, I had a boy give her the test... and he took a peek at the upcoming test's bonus words. These words are selected by me... just randomly from whatever we learned throughout the week. Anyway, he told the rest of the class in private... thinking I'm never going to find out. Turns out I have ONE honest kid who emailed me with this information. I never busted anyone... just simply changed my bonus words to INTEGRITY, HONESTY, UNACCEPTABLE, CHEATING. Too bad I had a sub yesterday. I would have loved to have seen their faces. :)
For Thanksgiving, I am driving up to N. Cal with my parents and Elliot. During this nice 12 hour trip, I plan to bring my laptop and do some serious revisions to my lit. review.
I am close to being done with the conversions of videos for Gary's class and I worked very hard on the SL project for Bill's class... that I am looking forward to presenting on Monday. I need to work for Margaret's class and design my ARP plan and clean up my lit. review this weekend/through Thanksgiving.
I'm also looking forward to watching The Comedian! :)
Teaching has been fine... except that I am never actually teaching. My principal has placed me (and the other 2 competent teachers at our school) on multiple committees which means we are never in our classrooms! We are either at the district for trainings or we are writing for our California Distinguished School award. We finished the rough draft and are now going to peel it apart, connect ideas, etc. We are also recruiting one of my students' parents who teaches at our feeder middle school to edit for us.
Funny classroom story for the week: One student was absent and I had another student give her the words for her spelling test. My kids are awesome at spelling... so it's almost a joke. About 25 of the 31 have an A+ in spelling. Anyway, I had a boy give her the test... and he took a peek at the upcoming test's bonus words. These words are selected by me... just randomly from whatever we learned throughout the week. Anyway, he told the rest of the class in private... thinking I'm never going to find out. Turns out I have ONE honest kid who emailed me with this information. I never busted anyone... just simply changed my bonus words to INTEGRITY, HONESTY, UNACCEPTABLE, CHEATING. Too bad I had a sub yesterday. I would have loved to have seen their faces. :)
For Thanksgiving, I am driving up to N. Cal with my parents and Elliot. During this nice 12 hour trip, I plan to bring my laptop and do some serious revisions to my lit. review.
I am close to being done with the conversions of videos for Gary's class and I worked very hard on the SL project for Bill's class... that I am looking forward to presenting on Monday. I need to work for Margaret's class and design my ARP plan and clean up my lit. review this weekend/through Thanksgiving.
I'm also looking forward to watching The Comedian! :)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Second Life Project, Learning Adventure #6, ARP project... updates
The SL project is going well... although slow. I have never in my life spent so much time building things in virtual environments. I swear it took me a few hours to get walls to line up. Regardless, what my room has come to is something I am proud of. Todd and I teamed up with Papert and Csikszentmihalyi (although Todd is the master and has essentially taken the Papert room on his own) and has helped me with the scripting for my room... and the game idea.
I am proud of how hard some people are working at this project. The structures are impressive... but even more impressive is the amount of single-handed work that some are placing on the project. I tried my hardest to create everything in my room. I love to see what others have done as well.
Learning Adventure #6 sounds cool... but it's hard to get a lot of this done in a distributed learning environment like this one. Again, being in a VirtCamp setting is such an easier way to handle these types of team projects. We are meant to find presidential campaign clips download them, find a conversion/compression/storage ability for next year's group to tackle. I can't wait to read their blogs about this and see what they come up with. The perks of the OMET program and how learning doesn't stop upon the diploma. I can already see myself becoming addicted to their thoughts, reading their reflections, etc.
The ARP is slow right now. I was pretty discouraged at Margaret's comments on my Lit. Review. I know there was plenty to be corrected, but I guess I saw this project as more of a constructivist writing/research/action project that I wasn't going to be judged so heavily on the writing part. Considering I know my strengths and weakenesses as a writer, I didn't enjoy the feedback much... but I never really do. That's part of my reflection here... learning to handle the heat, (I guess). I also see writing and research as a subjectivist activity where the writer is not always seen as great in some eyes, and wonderful in others. Could be why some people like certain authors and others can't stand them.
It gives me new light in offering criticism to my students on their writing.
Trecking along... feeling a bit overwhelmed and know I still have many months to go! Looking forward to getting pumped up again in January at the FETC conference.
I am proud of how hard some people are working at this project. The structures are impressive... but even more impressive is the amount of single-handed work that some are placing on the project. I tried my hardest to create everything in my room. I love to see what others have done as well.
Learning Adventure #6 sounds cool... but it's hard to get a lot of this done in a distributed learning environment like this one. Again, being in a VirtCamp setting is such an easier way to handle these types of team projects. We are meant to find presidential campaign clips download them, find a conversion/compression/storage ability for next year's group to tackle. I can't wait to read their blogs about this and see what they come up with. The perks of the OMET program and how learning doesn't stop upon the diploma. I can already see myself becoming addicted to their thoughts, reading their reflections, etc.
The ARP is slow right now. I was pretty discouraged at Margaret's comments on my Lit. Review. I know there was plenty to be corrected, but I guess I saw this project as more of a constructivist writing/research/action project that I wasn't going to be judged so heavily on the writing part. Considering I know my strengths and weakenesses as a writer, I didn't enjoy the feedback much... but I never really do. That's part of my reflection here... learning to handle the heat, (I guess). I also see writing and research as a subjectivist activity where the writer is not always seen as great in some eyes, and wonderful in others. Could be why some people like certain authors and others can't stand them.
It gives me new light in offering criticism to my students on their writing.
Trecking along... feeling a bit overwhelmed and know I still have many months to go! Looking forward to getting pumped up again in January at the FETC conference.
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