Another week... More monitoring!

**How effective were my actions in helping meet my goals:
Unfortunately, due to school being on summer break, there have not been many actions that I’ve been able to take. Those actions that I spoke of previously have gotten my foot in the door to school and district technology committees, as well as increased my range of skills in using the Promethean Board. One school technology committee member did tell me that the school district’s primary concern when using certain types of technology is accountability. They are worried that once students are given the skills to create something on the internet, some students will abuse this knowledge create inappropriate or hurtful projects for public view. I also learned more about those teachers who have decided in the past to challenge the views of our school district, and I must say, I am not encouraged to carry out my action plan. More research on my part will need to be done, not just about the benefits of certain resources, but also as to the overall mentality of district administration.


**What have I learned so far that can be applied to instructional practice?
Basically at this point, I’ve only learned a few more tools offered by the Promethean Board. There are many assessment and interactive presentation tools that can incorporated throughout my daily lessons. These tools accommodate the diverse student population in my classroom. Some interactive flipcharts are best suited for small group participation while others can be used as a full class lesson.


**What do I still have to learn? What are my new questions?
I know I still have much to learn about the Promethean Board so that I can use it to its potential in my classroom. I don’t think I’ll ever learn everything there is to know as the technology available is always developing. My questions about the Promethean Board now center on what district individuals or workshops are available to more directly learn other tools.

As far as the being involved in technology committees in order to bring change, I still need to learn about current projects, proposals, and issues being addressed. The only new question I have is simple: Is it worth it to challenge the deep-rooted views about technology held my district? Some teachers in the past have been targeted because they (amicably) disagreed. I would also like to know if they are more worried about inappropriate use at the elementary level or if this ban of certain resources stretches even into the secondary levels.

**How will I adjust my plan to fit my current needs?
I’ll only speak to the Promethean Board development. Once I learn the needs of my new class, I will be able to structure lessons with those tools that seem to be most appropriate. This will be contingent upon student interests, learning styles, and overall abilities in each curriculum area. As learned in this week’s resources, problem-based learning is an essential format in any classroom. It increases the students’ abilities to become self-directed learners and collaborate while applying their understanding to various situations, particularly within content standards. The Promethean Board is a great tool to use within the classroom because it engages students and motivates them to participate in different ways.

Still monitoring... Four Questions...

**Am I finding the information and resources needed?
The first goal: I have contacted certain individuals within the district concerning my involvement in the school and district technology committees. Although I have not heard back from anyone, I am confident that at the beginning of the school year, I can attain more information. At this moment, I have not been able to determine what the specific arguments the district maintains against the use of certain types of technology. I understand they are against students publishing work onto the Internet; however, it is unclear as to why the students could not be allowed to use a more private medium while on the computers. Many classmates have offered several suggestions as to software packages that would accommodate the students’ approved usage of these tools. I have even contacted some of the companies and school districts that use these software packages about their benefits to create a rational argument to which my district may listen.
The second goal: To become more knowledgeable about the applications of the Promethean Board within daily instruction, I have begun to watch tutorials on Promethean Planet. Unfortunately, I am not finding many new ideas from these tutorials and will have to wait until I am back in my classroom, surrounded by colleague support, to fully broaden my skills. In the meantime, I’m downloading a lot of flipcharts to modify for my own personal use.

**Do I need to modify my action plan?
It is still too soon to tell with either plan because I’m at home and not at school for summer break. I feel as if these action plans have the potential to allow me to become more of a leader within the technology-community of my district. The steps outlined should enhance my teaching strategies to accommodate all types of learners.

**What have I learned so far?
First, I learned that it will be easy for me take part in the school and district technology committees because generally there is ample demand for involvement but little attention given by teachers. I have also learned a bit more of my district’s technology policies. This will lead to the next section, however, concerning questions that have arisen.
In terms of the Promethean Board, I have learned many ways to change the appearance of the flipcharts and link movies, animation, and applications to each presentation. I have also found many ways to use the Promethean Board as an assessment tool. To correspond with our readings this week by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, the assessment tools available with the Promethean Board involve sharing learning goals with students, align with state standards, involve reflection and self-assessment based on data, provide instant feedback, and allow for class discussions that enable students to improve. The assessments can take many forms, allowing me to reach students of varying learning strategies. The board, based on my research, develops project-based, forced-choice, open-ended, and performance-based assessments depending on the nature of the lesson and involvement of the students.

**What new questions do I have?
I would first like to know if the ActivInspire program that correlates with the Promethean Board is available on all student laptops or just teacher laptops. Next, I’d like to know if grant money from the district foundation can be used toward purchasing software that has been suggested to me. And finally the most prominent question that can only be answered by the district is in regards to the published and circulated technology policy seen by students, parents, and district employees. Why is it suggested within our literature distributed to the community that use and participation of blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc. is strongly encouraged and highly advantageous for our students and yet, in practice, we are prohibited from using many of these tools in the classroom? Other teachers in the district have told me to approach this issue with a significant degree of caution. The district does not seem very open to conversation about this matter, which makes me question if or how I should approach it.

Carrying out the GAME plan...

This all feels like a KWHL! First we set our goals (K) and diagramed our GAME plan with the basics of what it entails. We showed what we know (W) of our current practices, including our proficiency in certain areas dealing with technology. Now we are looking forward in the process (H), focusing on the resources and additional information that will be necessary to accomplish our goals. Both of my initial goals will involve reaching out to other professionals for guidance and instruction.

In terms of the first goal, I will ask other teachers already on the school and district technology committee about how to become involved. I will ask about current projects, proposals, and issues being addressed and align them with any goals I may have after this masters program. I know that I will definitely need to be prepared to talk to the district’s mandates prohibiting certain online resources, such as student-created and updated blogs and wikis. Before doing so, I will need to reach out to professionals outside the district for not just arguments, but safe avenues for student use. I’ll also need to follow up on suggestions with my own research to see what would fit our district. This blog constitutes my only step so far in accomplishing this, and some people have contacted me with software programs and web resources that the district may find appropriate. I’m always open to more!

As for my second goal, this one illustrating my desire become more effective with the Promethean board, I will need to watch tutorial videos that come with the product and seek more one-on-one assistance from other professionals that have found numerous ways to use it in the classroom. Other than the Promethean, the main ingredient in accomplishing this goal is the elusive concept known as “time.” I have already talked to a coworker who has volunteered to share some tips and strategies as well as show me some tools I did not know existed. I hope this will turn into a collaborative approach while creating classroom instructional tools. It just seems like the board is capable of engaging all learners at the same time, accommodating to multiple abilities, interests, and levels of participation.

Developing my GAME Plan

While this degree program has prepared me with many tools to use within classroom instruction, there is still the matter of integrating the tools in a meaningful way while still holding true to the curriculum goals. Technology is definitely a motivational tool and has boundless possibilities within the school year, but the necessity to set goals for myself of where to begin is probably a good idea. Looking at the National Education Technology Standards and Performance Indicators, I feel my GAME plan should focus on the second and fifth standards.

Before I can really begin to use technology in a truly effective and efficient manner, I should first set my goal of engaging in professional growth and leadership (standard 5). The actions necessary to accomplish this goal are clear to me. First, I will have a greater voice within not only the school’s technology committee, but the district committee as well. I will attempt to introduce new technology resources for acceptable integration into each building’s instructional tools. In a similar way, I will formulate and present valid arguments as to why certain web resources that are currently prohibited, such as blogs, podcasts, and wikispaces, would benefit the students and teachers. I will also demonstrate a leadership role by taking over as the chairperson for our school’s Technology Night. In this position, I will be able to guide teachers toward projects that would suit their students and their curriculum. Finally, as suggested by our book, I will learn more about how other teachers have supported student learning in a technology-enriched learning environment. This will not just be in conversations but also possibly professional development opportunities such as conferences that are offered throughout the year. To monitor my progress in these areas, I will journal my activities daily or weekly and reflect on how my progress to that point as well as the next steps I will need to take. To evaluate and extend my learning, I will consistently share information at staff meetings for feedback and possibly assistance while continuing to inform myself and others about the technology resources available.

Since my school has recently put Promethean boards in every classroom, I feel my next goal should be designing and developing digital-age learning experiences and assessments (standard 2). While the first standard is very important and should be a strong focus for any teacher interested in using technology, I already feel comfortable creating opportunities that use digital resources to aid in authentic problem solving, collaboration, and creative expression. As long as I keep up with the numerous resources available as stated in my previous paragraph, I feel confident I can keep creating these learning opportunities. But the Promethean board is different animal. Every day, I find out something else I can do with it. The book discusses how to use the board thoughtfully and effectively on page 93. To achieve this goal I will use the Promethean board for a majority of my instruction. I will use interactive instructional materials within prepared flipcharts and presentations. Students will interact with these flipcharts, create new ones themselves, and share their own presentations with the classroom. This accommodates the many learning styles within the classroom. Formative and summative assessments will be taken using the Activote system, and results of anonymous answers on graphs will be shared with the class to discuss the learning process. I also plan on seeking assistance from someone trained with the board to teach me a few tools here and there to aid in my progress. To monitor this progress, I will journal those resources I find so as to not forget them, and continually incorporate them into activities done on the Promethean board. Seeking assistance will also serve as my extension and evaluation of my progress.