As I review and explore my GAME plan, I am attempting to formulate a list
of resources. As far as my objective to
create more relevant technological activities, I have a few favorite blogs that
I visit frequently, which include the following: http://fluency21.com/blog/2013/03/26/50-education-technology-tools-every-teacher-should-know-about/,
http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=4940,
and http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/. I also use the tech resources that Dr. LeBeau
posts in our discussion threads each week.
I do need to focus more on appropriating more technology that I can have
at my beck and call whenever I need it for my students.
My goal on joining learning communities is a bit more difficult. I currently am part of this wonderful Walden
community, but when I go to look for other workshops, conferences, blog groups,
etc., I get overwhelmed. Any assistance
in narrowing down my search would be greatly appreciated.
Cheri,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and your goal. I think after reading you post that I would also benefit from having technology that I would have at my finger tips at the spare of a moment. I do to think that it is rather overwhelming and challenging to find the correct type of resource that you could trust within your courses. Since there is so much out on the web, distinguishing between all of them is so frustrating. I recently found an awsome webcite that if great for all my science courses. Have you seen, tried, or heard of www.quizlet.com. I just love this cite, it contains flash cards, defintions, games, quizzes or test, and ect. You are able to use other educators work on all subjects or create your own. And best of all it takes like a minute to set up a FREE account, yay free, and then you just give the URL to your kids on the part you want them to work on. If you create your own account you can track the amount of time each of your students studied with the cite. I am currently using it in Geology and soon to be in Biology, 7th & 8th grade. I just love it when resources are free and easy. Dont you? Hope this helps you or at least gives you ideas. I would definitately check this cite out thought. Gaurantee you love it and your students.
Ashley
Ashley, I love quizlet! I found it through my son. He came home telling me about this great site his English teacher makes them use. I told my kids about it and they love the games they can play while learning vocabulary.
DeleteCheri,
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great idea to constantly look for resources. Of course Dr. LeBeau, and most of our past professors, provides us with an ongoing list of tech resources that we can use in our instructional practices. There are hundreds of thousands of resources available at any time. However, I think it is extremely important to find two or three that you really like, and that are aligned to what you teach and your teaching philosophy. My colleagues at school have provided some great resources for me, but I rarely use them because most of them are not technology-based. One quick technology-based resource I can recommend for you is www.usatestprep.com. It is site that offers games, videos, benchmarks, and quizzes to help student prepare for standardized tests. It is not free, so you would have to either pay for a bundle of accounts, or ask your principal or district to purchase them for you. As far as professional learning communities, I would first lean on the opportunities afforded by your district. These opportunities more than likely will be catered to your population of students. I teach gifted and accelerated students, so most of professional development centers on these types of learners. However, in the past, most of my professional development opportunities and communities that I joined and participated in dealt with students with disabilities and ESOL students. So again, choose the professional learning communities that best suit your population of students. I think you are well on your way. Good post!
Thanks for all of your recommendations. I will be looking into them.
DeleteHey Cheri, great post I too understand what it is like to need more resources to help develop my project. I would first develop my game plan by first talking to my colleagues and having them help expand my ideas of future technology and how it can help me get more ideas. I too definitly encourage joining a learning community that will also give possible insight on how technology can help with the development of their projects. One website I recommend you use for a online community is http://www.communityworkssinstitute.org/. This site is a way for educators to connect to like minded educators from around the world. The site has a set of tools for sharing ideas and examples of work in the field.
ReplyDelete