Developing information literacy, technology skills
Image by Keith Kingsbury
One of the most important elements in this unit is information literacy. However, the focus is not on teacher-centered instruction in information literacy; rather, it is on student-centered exploration, discovery, discussion and sharing of information as well as resources. This is part of the pedagogical shift in teaching this unit that I am relying on in order to help my students become better versed in locating valid, reliable and accurate information. For example, 21 Things for Students has a great section on digital footprints that students can go through to help them understand more about how their presence on the Internet may affect their digital reputation. Since my approach to this unit involves student discovery, it is imperative that my students be able to search the Internet for information. Sites like Infoplease and Cyber Sleuth for Kids will give students a safe alternative to open Internet search engines. Students would then post information or links to relevant sites on the class Ning. It is my goal for students to be the primary source of information and to allow them to do this as individuals and in small groups.
Resources like MeL.com offer links to lesson plans for teachers that have videos, resources and other pertinent information for almost every subject. These resources can be used to generate discussions or lead students to information that they may not have been able to find. These resources can also be given as homework or to extend student learning.
For more information on information literacy and technology skills, visit: http://informationliteracy2convenient.weebly.com/
Resources like MeL.com offer links to lesson plans for teachers that have videos, resources and other pertinent information for almost every subject. These resources can be used to generate discussions or lead students to information that they may not have been able to find. These resources can also be given as homework or to extend student learning.
For more information on information literacy and technology skills, visit: http://informationliteracy2convenient.weebly.com/
Meeting the diverse needs of your students, assistive technologies, particularly through the idea of Universal Designs for Learning (UDL)
Image from: http://goo.gl/wMI74
According to The National Center on Universal Design for Learning, the UDL guidelines can be broken down into three components:
1. Provide multiple means of representation
2. Provide multiple means of action and expression
3. Provide multiple means of engagement
Focusing on a student-centered approach means that students have been given control and responsibility for their own learning. This strategy fits in nicely with the concepts within the UDL philosophy. Students now have choices on how they search for, learn about, view and present information. UDL calls for teachers to keep the diverse needs of students in the forefront when planning lessons. I plan to assign small group work based on student interest in various topics. For example, if we are looking for the definition of digital reputation, one group can look for several written definitions, while another group can look for a video explaining what a digital reputation is, and another group can look
for examples of digital reputation in the news.
Digital media provides greater availability to assistive technologies. Audio versions of written (typed) material are generally available. If they are not, alternatives like using a reader program are easily managed by using Ipads for students that have these needs. Ipad reader is free and built into every Ipad. Several dozen Ipads are available through our district’s Information Center which is adjacent to our computer classroom.
The final video project is designed to be done in small groups. Students will be able to choose what role they will play in the
process. There are elements that will have to be done in order to complete the project that cater to UDL. Students can choose to participate in direction, storyboarding, script writing, acting, videotaping or post-production of the segment.
The class Ning will also reflect the guidelines outlined within UDL. Students are not limited to posting only one form of media.
Instead, they will be able to choose how they get their information as long as they share it with the rest of the class. Student will be able to link multiple forms of media to the Ning. This means that, however they choose to get their information, they will be able to contribute to the group discussion.
For more information on Universal Designs for Leraning, visit: http://jjams-udl.wikispaces.com/
You might also check out the book Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe free through http://elibrary.mel.org/
1. Provide multiple means of representation
2. Provide multiple means of action and expression
3. Provide multiple means of engagement
Focusing on a student-centered approach means that students have been given control and responsibility for their own learning. This strategy fits in nicely with the concepts within the UDL philosophy. Students now have choices on how they search for, learn about, view and present information. UDL calls for teachers to keep the diverse needs of students in the forefront when planning lessons. I plan to assign small group work based on student interest in various topics. For example, if we are looking for the definition of digital reputation, one group can look for several written definitions, while another group can look for a video explaining what a digital reputation is, and another group can look
for examples of digital reputation in the news.
Digital media provides greater availability to assistive technologies. Audio versions of written (typed) material are generally available. If they are not, alternatives like using a reader program are easily managed by using Ipads for students that have these needs. Ipad reader is free and built into every Ipad. Several dozen Ipads are available through our district’s Information Center which is adjacent to our computer classroom.
The final video project is designed to be done in small groups. Students will be able to choose what role they will play in the
process. There are elements that will have to be done in order to complete the project that cater to UDL. Students can choose to participate in direction, storyboarding, script writing, acting, videotaping or post-production of the segment.
The class Ning will also reflect the guidelines outlined within UDL. Students are not limited to posting only one form of media.
Instead, they will be able to choose how they get their information as long as they share it with the rest of the class. Student will be able to link multiple forms of media to the Ning. This means that, however they choose to get their information, they will be able to contribute to the group discussion.
For more information on Universal Designs for Leraning, visit: http://jjams-udl.wikispaces.com/
You might also check out the book Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe free through http://elibrary.mel.org/
Social and ethical uses of technology (particularly digital equity, intellectual property, and copyright) and healthy practices in the use of educational technology
Image by Keith Kingsbury
All of the students in our district sign an Electronic Use Agreement prior to the beginning of every year. We disable all student accounts at the end of the year and only re-activate them when they turn in the agreement. No student can access our network without turning in this agreement. Students are given clear guidelines and expectations about how the Electronic Use Agreement applies to all computer and network activity in my class and the district. I spend at least one class period going through what it means, how it applies to my class and then answering questions about the policy.
Legal and ethical issues that are covered in this unit have been thoroughly explained in previous sections. However, it should be noted that this is not the only unit that will address legal, social, copyright, safety, ethical, or other related issues. These issues will be covered many times in many different formats in multiple units. As a district, we bring in a guest speaker on Internet Safety every year who addresses all students in the seventh through nineth grades. Someone from the Michigan Attorney General's office comes every other year. Their website can be found here. It has great resources, handouts, videos and activities that can be used anytime.
This unit specifically addresses some of the aspects of digital citizenship. As a class we will be exploring, discovering and discussing legal and ethical issues involving student practices of posting and contributing to the discussion and dialogue of the Internet. All of the activities that we will be doing through the course of the unit will focus on safe and healthy practices of online participation. We will not
only be talking about these issues as a class, but students will be discussing them in small groups as well as actively participating in our social networking dialogue. I will have prepared for my students several resources that they can look at on the Internet but will reserve them for use only after students are asked to seek out/discover them on their own as part of the unit participation. I am hoping that a student-centered approach will yield most of the resources that I have chosen.
For more information on social and ethical uses of technology and healthy practices in the use of education technologies, visit: http://chi-phi-mu.weebly.com/index.html
Also take a look at one of my websites that was created in MAET 2011 (created with Kim Powell and Angela Clark-Pohlod) on Copyright and Creative Commons as another resource on these areas. http://copycreatefair.weebly.com
Legal and ethical issues that are covered in this unit have been thoroughly explained in previous sections. However, it should be noted that this is not the only unit that will address legal, social, copyright, safety, ethical, or other related issues. These issues will be covered many times in many different formats in multiple units. As a district, we bring in a guest speaker on Internet Safety every year who addresses all students in the seventh through nineth grades. Someone from the Michigan Attorney General's office comes every other year. Their website can be found here. It has great resources, handouts, videos and activities that can be used anytime.
This unit specifically addresses some of the aspects of digital citizenship. As a class we will be exploring, discovering and discussing legal and ethical issues involving student practices of posting and contributing to the discussion and dialogue of the Internet. All of the activities that we will be doing through the course of the unit will focus on safe and healthy practices of online participation. We will not
only be talking about these issues as a class, but students will be discussing them in small groups as well as actively participating in our social networking dialogue. I will have prepared for my students several resources that they can look at on the Internet but will reserve them for use only after students are asked to seek out/discover them on their own as part of the unit participation. I am hoping that a student-centered approach will yield most of the resources that I have chosen.
For more information on social and ethical uses of technology and healthy practices in the use of education technologies, visit: http://chi-phi-mu.weebly.com/index.html
Also take a look at one of my websites that was created in MAET 2011 (created with Kim Powell and Angela Clark-Pohlod) on Copyright and Creative Commons as another resource on these areas. http://copycreatefair.weebly.com
Using Technology to Facilitate/Develop Creativity and Critical Thinking Skills in Students
Image by Keith Kingsbury
According to The Critical Thinking Community website, critical thinking can be defined as
“…the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by,
observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to
belief and action.”
Re-purposing Ning, by using immersion as a catalyst for exploration, gives students the opportunity to exercise both their creativity and critical thinking skills as they relate the subject matter to their own lives. One of the activities that we will do is to evaluate information that is posted to the Ning. This is where modeling critical thinking skills for my students will be exremely helpful. Demonstrating how to determine the validity of sites and information will be essential in helping students understand how to create a process of evaluation for themselves.
The final assessments both call for creativity and critical thinking. Students will have to grapple with how to creatively present the
information they have learned as well as look for logical and metaphoric connections that will relate to both themselves and their audience through their video production segments. The final reflection paper will ask students to conceptualize their digital reputation, relate it to their own observations/experiences, apply what they have learned to their lives, synthesize their reasoning and communicate their conclusions in a well thought out argument.
For more information about creativity and critical thinking, visit: http://msukeytopics.weebly.com/
“…the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by,
observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to
belief and action.”
Re-purposing Ning, by using immersion as a catalyst for exploration, gives students the opportunity to exercise both their creativity and critical thinking skills as they relate the subject matter to their own lives. One of the activities that we will do is to evaluate information that is posted to the Ning. This is where modeling critical thinking skills for my students will be exremely helpful. Demonstrating how to determine the validity of sites and information will be essential in helping students understand how to create a process of evaluation for themselves.
The final assessments both call for creativity and critical thinking. Students will have to grapple with how to creatively present the
information they have learned as well as look for logical and metaphoric connections that will relate to both themselves and their audience through their video production segments. The final reflection paper will ask students to conceptualize their digital reputation, relate it to their own observations/experiences, apply what they have learned to their lives, synthesize their reasoning and communicate their conclusions in a well thought out argument.
For more information about creativity and critical thinking, visit: http://msukeytopics.weebly.com/
Using Technology to Engage in Professional Development & Leadership
Image from; http://goo.gl/lRtvC
Being the chairperson for the Technology Committee in my district requires that I spend a great deal of time looking for resources, taking online classes, developing professional development sessions for the teachers in the district and carefully planning for the implementation of new technologies. I use resources like the MACUL Space to connect with other technology-minded people to ask questions, talk about new or innovative technologies and to learn about how others are working with technology. I also like to stay on top of current news by using an app called Zite which collects and delivers to my Ipad all of the latest news and happenings in the world of technology. Being the go-to person in my district really forces me to read daily and stay abreast of all of the latest trends and issues.
I use a site called Lynda.com to take training sessions on software that may be coming to the district or to learn new software for my own personal development. This is a pay site, but it is well worth the investment. There are other places to take classes
for free like Open Yale Courses and MIT (with a great site for Computer Science and Engineering).
Outside of these sources, I stay connected to all of the technology professionals that I can through social networking, email, GoogleDocs, GoogleChat and by taking as much professional development as my district will allow. We share articles, ideas, information, struggles, successes and help each other with problem solving and planning.
For more information on professional development, visit: http://pd-leadership.wikispaces.com/
You can also see an example of my leadership role in trying to develop a site for app, website and other resources at: http://oetechplace.weebly.com
I use a site called Lynda.com to take training sessions on software that may be coming to the district or to learn new software for my own personal development. This is a pay site, but it is well worth the investment. There are other places to take classes
for free like Open Yale Courses and MIT (with a great site for Computer Science and Engineering).
Outside of these sources, I stay connected to all of the technology professionals that I can through social networking, email, GoogleDocs, GoogleChat and by taking as much professional development as my district will allow. We share articles, ideas, information, struggles, successes and help each other with problem solving and planning.
For more information on professional development, visit: http://pd-leadership.wikispaces.com/
You can also see an example of my leadership role in trying to develop a site for app, website and other resources at: http://oetechplace.weebly.com