Through my GAME plan, I am making progress towards finding new ways to apply digital tools for solving authentic problems. This semester I have the opportunity to do inclusion with the technology teacher, and so far it has been resourceful in meeting my goals. Last week, students used Glogster.com to design a poster in order to express themselves and their interests. This week they will be learning how to use Prezi.com for a presentation on a country. Students have the freedom to choose how they will present their projects. This also meets the needs of customizing assignments for diverse learners, because they have very few guidelines to follow. I have been impressed with how well students have been performing, even with limited guidelines.
I hope I can continue to increase my knowledge of using technology in my courses at Walden, at my school and through my research. Technology definitely opens up opportunities for all students to achieve. The more I can utilize technology within the math curriculum, the better I can meet the diverse learning styles of my students.
Hi Greg,
ReplyDeleteIt’s great that you are planning to teach your students how to use Prezi. During this semester at my school assessments will be project-based. Yesterday in my Spanish class I gave students their project and gave them a range of assessment options such as PPT/Voicethread, movie/ portfolio or 3D model. When I mentioned Voicethread all of them gave a confused look an asked me, “What’s that?”. I smiled and let them know that this is a tool that I plan on introducing to them next week. In the past I used to allow students to use a range of activities to complete projects that would require them to construct something with their hands. However, now I plan on integrating more technological tools at different times to provide students with more options to demonstrate content knowledge. I totally agree with you when you say technology opens up a lot of opportunities for all students and I plan on learning more about different tools to customize and personalize learning for all students.
Alicia
Greg,
ReplyDeleteI always think that it is great to allow students to choose their own way of presenting their artifacts they create. I believe that students will be more creative and the assignment will be more authentic for them if they are able to have ownership of the presentation. I think that it is also an excellent idea introducing new technology to your students, like Prezi and Glogster. I have been introducing my students to new technology as well, utilizing Voice Thread and creating Wiki's as well. I think that these types of activities enhance student learning tremendously. Good luck with your GAME plan.
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy son is having a tough time in math. He has been becoming more and more frustrated and says math is boring. I showed him your post as evidence that math instruction could be different than what he thinks it is. He has now conceded that maybe math can be fun because your class actually gets to do things that, "someone would actually want to do" rather than just formulas with pencil and paper. Your students are lucky to have you. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for your responses and comments. When students have freedom to choose how they create projects they can work towards their strenghts. The more flexible we are as teachers, the more engaged students become towards learning content. Technology is a critical component in providing opportunities for students to customize and personalize their learning.
ReplyDeleteGreg,
ReplyDeleteAfter visiting these two sites they seem to have many good applications and I think that I will be able to use them in some fashion. Great use of the web and thanks for the links. I also believe that technology can change the way students learn and helps students of all different learning styles succeed.
Dave