Margaret Nerney
EDU 584 – Dr. Grace Ward
December 9, 2009
This has been a very long process wrought with testing frustrations and budget tensions, yet through it all we have been able to develop, and effectively begin to execute, our integrated Wabanaki perspective unit. Paula Roy, Tom Piekart, and I have met on a regular basis to make this project a reality. We will not truly see its outcome until some time in January, but our hope is that the work and time are worth it.
We were not able to get started with our units when we had first anticipated. This was largely a result of NWEA and NECAP testing that took up most of the months of September and October. In actuality, the students were first truly introduced to the unit during their field trip to the ABBE Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine on October 23, 2009. This was not the way that I had originally planned to start the unit, nor would it be the way that I would want to start it again. The kids were not as knowledgeable of the background information that was necessary to truly appreciate the materials and information that they were being exposed to there. According to the kids, the trip was worthwhile and allowed them to better understand the Wabanaki people and their cultural aspects, but they were less informed of the history. Knowing the history would have added to their understanding and bridged stronger connections for them. Tom Piekart, Paula Roy, and I have even discussed ways that we could recreate the experience of the museum at our own school instead of taking the long trip to the museum. It appears that we have most of the resources necessary to do a shared presentation similar to the trade presentation that we attended.
Aside from the field trip, we have spent a great deal of time reading and discussing the book, “Out of the Depths” by Isabelle Knockwood. This novel has worked well as a hook. The kids were certainly pulled in by the heart wrenching stories of the students who attended the schools, which led to passionate discussions and questions about the reasons the school was there and the long-term effects on the people and our society. Their double entry diaries were absolutely amazing. These kids really thought a lot about the perspective of the students, the abusers, and even themselves. Their average scores on this strategy showed that they not only “got it”, but could effectively express it.
The book became a starting point for work with the wiki and connections to the other classes. Our students are starting to explore the life that the Native students left behind through a “seven-year movie” in social studies and the belief systems of the Native hunters through their hunter safety unit in science. We are then able to discuss the differences at the residential school in English. Currently, the wiki is in its beginning stages. I am taking the lead in this area. I have given presentations on how to create the wiki and even signed them all up with accounts. In fact, the account sign-up did not go as smoothly this year, so it took a couple of class periods to do this. After many failed attempts, I even made the beginning wiki for each group and then gave them permission to make changes to it. This seems to be working, as we are almost done with the first full page of the wiki in each group. I just keep reminding myself that this is a new process and there will be issues as we work out the bugs. My colleagues are comfortable and flexible with this as well. They seem to be comfortable having me show them how to use and create this new product, so I am leading the implementation of the unit across the board.
I feel that the integrated team has worked hard together to set clear and achievable goals. We have secured time during workshop days and meet frequently after school. I even chose these same two colleagues to help me with the resource wiki. We work well together because of our unique dynamic. Whenever I needed to touch base with them about something, I just let them know and we stayed to work on it. These colleagues are more than willing to try new things and support others, including me as I struggle through my academic ventures. I think the integrated unit only helped to affirm their dedication to the process as we debriefed about the templates and checked in with each other frequently. We all walked away with the same goals for the implementation of this unit and our students felt the rewards. They know that their three teachers are all working together to make the connections between the three content areas as transparent as possible. In fact, they are eager to start their wiki pages for their social studies and science sections. The activities and materials have proven successful thus far. The students are engaged and excited about learning.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Stage 2 and 3 Collaboration
Margaret Nerney
Integrated Unit Collaboration
Due: May 13, 2009
In discussing Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the Backward Design process with my colleagues, it became clear how important experience is to the field of teaching. Tom Piekart and Paula Roy are two distinguished educators who not only embraced this unit, but also exemplified goal-oriented unit design.
From the beginning of this unit planning process, we agreed that our goal was not only to educate students about the Wabanaki people, but also to stress to them the interconnectedness of our respective subjects. For example, we want the students to hear about the Wabanaki hunting practices in social studies, learn how those practices were handed down through Wabanaki storytelling in Language Arts, and see the effects of those practices on animal populations in science class. It is through this interconnectedness that deeper learning and true understandings can be attained. Over the past few weeks, we have discussed the need to structure one stage 2 G.R.A.S.P.S. to really suggest this interconnectedness to our classes. By all of us using the wiki as a final assessment of their knowledge, those overlapping understandings can be best represented.
As for meeting the facets, this will be done through uniquely engaging lessons. Tom Piekart will be focusing on the more hands on approaches of his science curriculum, while Paula Roy will arouse investigation through her inquiry-based explorations. They both have years of experience and time-tested activities that guide their teaching. Tom’s hooks truly exemplify real-life connections. In fact, his trimester will end with students earning their adult-level hunting license. Each individual lesson has a similar real-life hook such as exploring a tree stand or using laser firearms to practice proper tree stand and firearm safety. He seamlessly answers the “why” through his hooks. Throughout the trimester, students will be explaining tree stand and firearm safety, interpreting law books to understand the real meanings of laws and compare them to Wabanaki practices, examining perspective by reading “Fair Chase,” empathizing with different perspectives through problem-solving scenarios, and gaining self-knowledge that will allow them to define their own hunting and environmental ethics. Although Tom has a true strength in logical and kinesthetic learning styles, he is going to work on incorporating more drawing and other right-brained activities in his lessons. Overall, he does a wonderful job of including reading, discussions, jigsaws, guest speakers, and hands on opportunities such as tagging grasshoppers for later analysis; but he knows that he has areas for improvement in daily lessons.
As I mentioned earlier, Paula will be more research and inquiry-based in her approach. She structures her lessons according to Hook, Book, Look, and Took. Hook allows her to engage the students with something relevant to them or interesting about what they are studying. Book represents the resources and knowledge that she will need to bring or that they will need to have. Look involves students applying what is learned to their own lives. Took embodies what can be taken away from the lesson by the student and used elsewhere. In lessons organized in this way, Paula will have students explain tribal origins on a wiki page, compare and contrast (interpret) adaptations to the environment by different tribes around the country, apply their understandings of different tribes through case studies, examine perspective through simulating a European explorers first encounters with Micmac people, empathizing with modern Natives and their quest to hold onto their heritage and culture, and evaluate self-knowledge as they explore current events in order to see past connections and change stereotypical perceptions. Paula answers her ‘why’ through her basis in real-life connections and problem-solving skills. She works hard to prepare students to find the answers to their own questions and to help them to work through their own problems. Even with all of these strengths, Paula is still going to work on the challenge to meet every learning style by focusing less on her strengths, verbal and aural, and more on her weakness, kinesthetic. She currently works hard to do this through fishbowl activities and case studies, but understands that there is room to grow.
Even with their strong educational backgrounds, I have still found areas to help them grow. Throughout the remainder of the school year and at times during the summer, I will be working with both Paula and Tom on using wikis. They have both explored and integrated the use of First Class Ed. in their classrooms to facilitate digital conversations, but I have convinced them that a wiki can provide that same level of interaction in a cleaner format. My hope is that we can create a page for each of them on the sample wiki that I presented to the class. This would be a way for them to really practice what it is to make a wiki and it would give our sample a more finished feel for future classes. I have also agreed to organize our stages 1-3 into a folder for each of them so that we can remember our goals next fall and maintain a united curriculum. It is not enough to know what each of us is doing independently in our own classrooms; we must see our connected elements and capitalize on them.
Integrated Unit Collaboration
Due: May 13, 2009
In discussing Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the Backward Design process with my colleagues, it became clear how important experience is to the field of teaching. Tom Piekart and Paula Roy are two distinguished educators who not only embraced this unit, but also exemplified goal-oriented unit design.
From the beginning of this unit planning process, we agreed that our goal was not only to educate students about the Wabanaki people, but also to stress to them the interconnectedness of our respective subjects. For example, we want the students to hear about the Wabanaki hunting practices in social studies, learn how those practices were handed down through Wabanaki storytelling in Language Arts, and see the effects of those practices on animal populations in science class. It is through this interconnectedness that deeper learning and true understandings can be attained. Over the past few weeks, we have discussed the need to structure one stage 2 G.R.A.S.P.S. to really suggest this interconnectedness to our classes. By all of us using the wiki as a final assessment of their knowledge, those overlapping understandings can be best represented.
As for meeting the facets, this will be done through uniquely engaging lessons. Tom Piekart will be focusing on the more hands on approaches of his science curriculum, while Paula Roy will arouse investigation through her inquiry-based explorations. They both have years of experience and time-tested activities that guide their teaching. Tom’s hooks truly exemplify real-life connections. In fact, his trimester will end with students earning their adult-level hunting license. Each individual lesson has a similar real-life hook such as exploring a tree stand or using laser firearms to practice proper tree stand and firearm safety. He seamlessly answers the “why” through his hooks. Throughout the trimester, students will be explaining tree stand and firearm safety, interpreting law books to understand the real meanings of laws and compare them to Wabanaki practices, examining perspective by reading “Fair Chase,” empathizing with different perspectives through problem-solving scenarios, and gaining self-knowledge that will allow them to define their own hunting and environmental ethics. Although Tom has a true strength in logical and kinesthetic learning styles, he is going to work on incorporating more drawing and other right-brained activities in his lessons. Overall, he does a wonderful job of including reading, discussions, jigsaws, guest speakers, and hands on opportunities such as tagging grasshoppers for later analysis; but he knows that he has areas for improvement in daily lessons.
As I mentioned earlier, Paula will be more research and inquiry-based in her approach. She structures her lessons according to Hook, Book, Look, and Took. Hook allows her to engage the students with something relevant to them or interesting about what they are studying. Book represents the resources and knowledge that she will need to bring or that they will need to have. Look involves students applying what is learned to their own lives. Took embodies what can be taken away from the lesson by the student and used elsewhere. In lessons organized in this way, Paula will have students explain tribal origins on a wiki page, compare and contrast (interpret) adaptations to the environment by different tribes around the country, apply their understandings of different tribes through case studies, examine perspective through simulating a European explorers first encounters with Micmac people, empathizing with modern Natives and their quest to hold onto their heritage and culture, and evaluate self-knowledge as they explore current events in order to see past connections and change stereotypical perceptions. Paula answers her ‘why’ through her basis in real-life connections and problem-solving skills. She works hard to prepare students to find the answers to their own questions and to help them to work through their own problems. Even with all of these strengths, Paula is still going to work on the challenge to meet every learning style by focusing less on her strengths, verbal and aural, and more on her weakness, kinesthetic. She currently works hard to do this through fishbowl activities and case studies, but understands that there is room to grow.
Even with their strong educational backgrounds, I have still found areas to help them grow. Throughout the remainder of the school year and at times during the summer, I will be working with both Paula and Tom on using wikis. They have both explored and integrated the use of First Class Ed. in their classrooms to facilitate digital conversations, but I have convinced them that a wiki can provide that same level of interaction in a cleaner format. My hope is that we can create a page for each of them on the sample wiki that I presented to the class. This would be a way for them to really practice what it is to make a wiki and it would give our sample a more finished feel for future classes. I have also agreed to organize our stages 1-3 into a folder for each of them so that we can remember our goals next fall and maintain a united curriculum. It is not enough to know what each of us is doing independently in our own classrooms; we must see our connected elements and capitalize on them.
Monday, April 27, 2009
TPCK Chapter 12 Reflections
Margaret Nerney
EDU 583- Cohort 1
Chapter 12- TPCK in in-service education: Assisting experienced teachers’ “planned improvisations”
Due: April 29, 2009
Improvisation: the most accurate description of the field of education! I see myself as a perpetual contestant on “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Teachers have to think on their feet and adjust their lessons constantly. It does not matter how wonderful the resources you found or how time consuming the planning, the lesson flows in the way of the students’ needs. I do not know how many student questions have sparked passion filled discussions and on the spot researching. From a click of a mouse and a brief discussion of an author, a 6th grade boy discovered his love for the inspiring words of Langston Hughes. With the viewing of the Presidential Inauguration a fifth grade class is made aware of and curious about a previously unfamiliar topic, the civil rights movement. Real teaching and learning takes place in those moments when we allow ourselves to stray from the rigidity of a lesson plan and truly explore the world around us. Teaching is certainly improvisation at its best.
Technology cannot stand alone, it must be integrated into that daily educational improvisation. Judith B. Harris highlighted the ways in which we fail to do so as well as highlighting some of the shared activities that lend themselves to the proper integration. Proper integration starts with letting go of integrating all of the time and embracing the tool only when necessary and appropriate. I hear so many teachers shifting their lessons to include technology as a presentation of research without ever taking a step back and looking at the damage that can cause over the long run. As part of the Research Methods course with Dr. Griswold, my partner Meg and I are researching the ways to bridge the gap in post-secondary writing needs and secondary writing expectations. Through our research we have determined that there is a deficit in writing skills that is not only impacting college freshman, but also those in the workforce and military services. Yet I listen time and again as people brag about making the traditional research paper more enjoyable by removing the tedious writing component. Where is a student to learn how to write effectively if not in school? Why is it better to have them create a Ning, documentary film, or wikispace? What are we giving up for the sake of engagement and entertainment? I too have fallen into that trap, and yet I am one of the first to complain about dwindling writing proficiency. I think one of the most important points that Harris raised was that of the “why” integrate. Replacement is not always the answer. What is the purpose of the project? What is the skill that the student will need to be successful? Chances are that their professor or employer would rather the student be able to research and support ideas and have well reasoned responses than to be able to wow them with a pretty slideshow transition and regurgitated views of others. In focusing on the creative tools, we often forget to help students focus on creative thinking.
EDU 583- Cohort 1
Chapter 12- TPCK in in-service education: Assisting experienced teachers’ “planned improvisations”
Due: April 29, 2009
Improvisation: the most accurate description of the field of education! I see myself as a perpetual contestant on “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Teachers have to think on their feet and adjust their lessons constantly. It does not matter how wonderful the resources you found or how time consuming the planning, the lesson flows in the way of the students’ needs. I do not know how many student questions have sparked passion filled discussions and on the spot researching. From a click of a mouse and a brief discussion of an author, a 6th grade boy discovered his love for the inspiring words of Langston Hughes. With the viewing of the Presidential Inauguration a fifth grade class is made aware of and curious about a previously unfamiliar topic, the civil rights movement. Real teaching and learning takes place in those moments when we allow ourselves to stray from the rigidity of a lesson plan and truly explore the world around us. Teaching is certainly improvisation at its best.
Technology cannot stand alone, it must be integrated into that daily educational improvisation. Judith B. Harris highlighted the ways in which we fail to do so as well as highlighting some of the shared activities that lend themselves to the proper integration. Proper integration starts with letting go of integrating all of the time and embracing the tool only when necessary and appropriate. I hear so many teachers shifting their lessons to include technology as a presentation of research without ever taking a step back and looking at the damage that can cause over the long run. As part of the Research Methods course with Dr. Griswold, my partner Meg and I are researching the ways to bridge the gap in post-secondary writing needs and secondary writing expectations. Through our research we have determined that there is a deficit in writing skills that is not only impacting college freshman, but also those in the workforce and military services. Yet I listen time and again as people brag about making the traditional research paper more enjoyable by removing the tedious writing component. Where is a student to learn how to write effectively if not in school? Why is it better to have them create a Ning, documentary film, or wikispace? What are we giving up for the sake of engagement and entertainment? I too have fallen into that trap, and yet I am one of the first to complain about dwindling writing proficiency. I think one of the most important points that Harris raised was that of the “why” integrate. Replacement is not always the answer. What is the purpose of the project? What is the skill that the student will need to be successful? Chances are that their professor or employer would rather the student be able to research and support ideas and have well reasoned responses than to be able to wow them with a pretty slideshow transition and regurgitated views of others. In focusing on the creative tools, we often forget to help students focus on creative thinking.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
TPCK Chapter 11 Reflections
Margaret Nerney
TPCK Chapter 11: Guiding pre-service teachers in developing TPCK
Chapter 11 was certainly not written with the in-service teacher as audience. Margaret Niess clearly directed her essay to those in charge of teacher preparation programs at the University level. Yet, I was certainly able to glean a sense of how to assist future student teachers that might be placed in my classroom. It was clearly asserted that pre-service teachers need the experience of real classroom settings and real classroom problems to grow and evolve into effective teachers. I agreed with much of Niess’ recommendations, however, I disagreed with her assumptions that pre-service teachers would not be digital natives or that they would need substantial observations to understand the mental workings of tech. savvy, modern students.
As a twenty-seven year old teacher, I have not found myself out of touch with my students or fearful of their technological fascinations. I am very comfortable with, and aware of, their personal and educational technology devices and habits. I grew up with computers and the Internet, and even now feel excited to try out the latest gadgets or technological trends. This leads me to completely challenge the notion that those entering the field will be unaware of technology as a tool or lacking the ability to truly understand the needs of today’s students. If I have been teaching for five years and don’t feel disconnected, I doubt that someone with more classroom opportunities and experiences with technology will either.
My comfort level may be, in part, from my own interests, but I know a large part is also from my excellent methods courses here at UMF. During my teacher training, I was required to address the use of technology in the classroom and was encouraged to integrate technology in all of my methods courses. So TPCK is not foreign to me or even new. At first, it was difficult to teach differently than I learned, but that is easily overcome when you are exposed to the multitude of affordances by these new technologically inclusive methods. What I have found new and interesting are the ways in which to think about TPCK. I hadn’t thought of the inclusion of technology as declarative, procedural, schematic or strategic, but I see the benefit of assessing its use in this way. I have not spent enough time analyzing the ways in which I use technology or the ways in which I am meeting technology standards. This is certainly an area for growth, as I am teaching my students these skills for use in their real lives. I realize that my comfort level makes it hard for me to remember to stop and explain the technology as a skill at times. I assume deeper understanding of the programs, even word processing programs, than is truly there. Kids really do need those step-by-step lessons at some point in their schooling. In fact, it struck me that one should worry more about those who lack the experience of those new methods courses than those who have had the enriching opportunity of a technology inclusive training program. We are the ones that need to learn how to slow down and teach technology as its own content when necessary.
Seasoned teachers, like many of my colleagues, are the ones who need more in the way of focused technology groups, as indicated in the pre-service training. We are the ones who would benefit from content specific teams to explore new technologies and then reflect on the inclusion of those new technology laden methods in our classrooms. It is not enough to train the next generation. What about those of us in the field? How long will it really be before all of the teachers with limited technology skills are out of the profession? Should education wait that long for change? Should mandates be established that require the integration of technology? These are the real questions that apply to my educational sphere.
TPCK Chapter 11: Guiding pre-service teachers in developing TPCK
Chapter 11 was certainly not written with the in-service teacher as audience. Margaret Niess clearly directed her essay to those in charge of teacher preparation programs at the University level. Yet, I was certainly able to glean a sense of how to assist future student teachers that might be placed in my classroom. It was clearly asserted that pre-service teachers need the experience of real classroom settings and real classroom problems to grow and evolve into effective teachers. I agreed with much of Niess’ recommendations, however, I disagreed with her assumptions that pre-service teachers would not be digital natives or that they would need substantial observations to understand the mental workings of tech. savvy, modern students.
As a twenty-seven year old teacher, I have not found myself out of touch with my students or fearful of their technological fascinations. I am very comfortable with, and aware of, their personal and educational technology devices and habits. I grew up with computers and the Internet, and even now feel excited to try out the latest gadgets or technological trends. This leads me to completely challenge the notion that those entering the field will be unaware of technology as a tool or lacking the ability to truly understand the needs of today’s students. If I have been teaching for five years and don’t feel disconnected, I doubt that someone with more classroom opportunities and experiences with technology will either.
My comfort level may be, in part, from my own interests, but I know a large part is also from my excellent methods courses here at UMF. During my teacher training, I was required to address the use of technology in the classroom and was encouraged to integrate technology in all of my methods courses. So TPCK is not foreign to me or even new. At first, it was difficult to teach differently than I learned, but that is easily overcome when you are exposed to the multitude of affordances by these new technologically inclusive methods. What I have found new and interesting are the ways in which to think about TPCK. I hadn’t thought of the inclusion of technology as declarative, procedural, schematic or strategic, but I see the benefit of assessing its use in this way. I have not spent enough time analyzing the ways in which I use technology or the ways in which I am meeting technology standards. This is certainly an area for growth, as I am teaching my students these skills for use in their real lives. I realize that my comfort level makes it hard for me to remember to stop and explain the technology as a skill at times. I assume deeper understanding of the programs, even word processing programs, than is truly there. Kids really do need those step-by-step lessons at some point in their schooling. In fact, it struck me that one should worry more about those who lack the experience of those new methods courses than those who have had the enriching opportunity of a technology inclusive training program. We are the ones that need to learn how to slow down and teach technology as its own content when necessary.
Seasoned teachers, like many of my colleagues, are the ones who need more in the way of focused technology groups, as indicated in the pre-service training. We are the ones who would benefit from content specific teams to explore new technologies and then reflect on the inclusion of those new technology laden methods in our classrooms. It is not enough to train the next generation. What about those of us in the field? How long will it really be before all of the teachers with limited technology skills are out of the profession? Should education wait that long for change? Should mandates be established that require the integration of technology? These are the real questions that apply to my educational sphere.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
TPCK Chapter 8 Reflections
Margaret Nerney
EDU 583- Cohort 1
Chapter 8- Placing the magic in the classroom; TPCK in art education
Due: April 1, 2009
Even though I am an English teacher, this chapter was by far the most engaging and applicable to my classroom. I am swimming with creative ideas and engaging resources to explore. Right from the start, Nancy DePlatchett identified those necessary skills our 21st learners need and found ways that we could achieve them. She seems to understand that much of the arts are now being swept into the core content areas to be integrated by unprepared teachers rather than being taught in the art or music classrooms as was previously the case. I find it hard to accept that our nation is going to brush aside the potential genius and creative expansion of the mind through the arts for rote memorization and standardized tests, but that day is here. What Platchett effectively achieves, is a bridge between the arts and the core content areas. Just because the program is cut, doesn’t mean that the skills have to be lost.
While reading through the many pages of suggestions and resources, I was struck by the options before me because of the one-to-one laptop initiative. My kids have the world at their fingertips with the click of a mouse. When the anecdotes about “What did you learn this year” were shared, my mind began working out all of the things that I would so desperately like to incorporate in the future. This Masters course has provided me with so many new skills and free resources to enrich my classroom. It can allow me to connect to the other people in my district in ways that I did not realize were possible. This year I would like to see my class working on a Fablehaven blog with the students of Strong, so that they are better able to work on a larger blog around the district read book House of the Scorpions next year. It is not enough to share our thoughts in a group of 12- 20 students. I want them to challenge and be challenged by the minds of others.
The arts allow for a sense of expression that the English Language Arts are not able to do on their own. Kids need the experience of multicultural dances and music as well as the exposure to the many forms of artistic expression. I know that I do them to some degree, but I have always felt that they were “playing” and almost felt guilty about taking the time to explore them. This chapter really affirmed my stance on the integration of the arts in the core classrooms, but it also reminded me that I can’t always do it all alone. I am looking forward to approaching the physical education teacher about joining in our Wabanki perspective unit. I am sure that he would be willing to work with the rest of our staff to incorporate some traditional Wabanaki dances into his curriculum. It might even benefit out unit to approach the steel drum and music teachers about working in some traditional drumming in their content areas. With the help of some of the great resources found in this chapter, I think that we can all feel more prepared to incorporate new and culturally informative practices into our content areas.
From the suggestion of shadow puppet theatre (http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/shadowpuppets/) to the information about educational search engines (Thinkfinity), I know that I am more informed and more excited about technology integration. In my view, this chapter was by far the most informative and inspiring. There are things that I am going to try now and there are things to research and plan for later, but no matter when it happens, my teaching will improve.
EDU 583- Cohort 1
Chapter 8- Placing the magic in the classroom; TPCK in art education
Due: April 1, 2009
Even though I am an English teacher, this chapter was by far the most engaging and applicable to my classroom. I am swimming with creative ideas and engaging resources to explore. Right from the start, Nancy DePlatchett identified those necessary skills our 21st learners need and found ways that we could achieve them. She seems to understand that much of the arts are now being swept into the core content areas to be integrated by unprepared teachers rather than being taught in the art or music classrooms as was previously the case. I find it hard to accept that our nation is going to brush aside the potential genius and creative expansion of the mind through the arts for rote memorization and standardized tests, but that day is here. What Platchett effectively achieves, is a bridge between the arts and the core content areas. Just because the program is cut, doesn’t mean that the skills have to be lost.
While reading through the many pages of suggestions and resources, I was struck by the options before me because of the one-to-one laptop initiative. My kids have the world at their fingertips with the click of a mouse. When the anecdotes about “What did you learn this year” were shared, my mind began working out all of the things that I would so desperately like to incorporate in the future. This Masters course has provided me with so many new skills and free resources to enrich my classroom. It can allow me to connect to the other people in my district in ways that I did not realize were possible. This year I would like to see my class working on a Fablehaven blog with the students of Strong, so that they are better able to work on a larger blog around the district read book House of the Scorpions next year. It is not enough to share our thoughts in a group of 12- 20 students. I want them to challenge and be challenged by the minds of others.
The arts allow for a sense of expression that the English Language Arts are not able to do on their own. Kids need the experience of multicultural dances and music as well as the exposure to the many forms of artistic expression. I know that I do them to some degree, but I have always felt that they were “playing” and almost felt guilty about taking the time to explore them. This chapter really affirmed my stance on the integration of the arts in the core classrooms, but it also reminded me that I can’t always do it all alone. I am looking forward to approaching the physical education teacher about joining in our Wabanki perspective unit. I am sure that he would be willing to work with the rest of our staff to incorporate some traditional Wabanaki dances into his curriculum. It might even benefit out unit to approach the steel drum and music teachers about working in some traditional drumming in their content areas. With the help of some of the great resources found in this chapter, I think that we can all feel more prepared to incorporate new and culturally informative practices into our content areas.
From the suggestion of shadow puppet theatre (http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/shadowpuppets/) to the information about educational search engines (Thinkfinity), I know that I am more informed and more excited about technology integration. In my view, this chapter was by far the most informative and inspiring. There are things that I am going to try now and there are things to research and plan for later, but no matter when it happens, my teaching will improve.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
TPCK Chapter 10 Reflections
Margaret Nerney
EDU 583- Cohort 1
Chapter 10: The role of TPCK in physical education
Due: March 25, 2009
At first glance, I would have missed the need for technology in the physical education classroom. I was of the mindset that the kids were mostly hands-on and real world. I believe that this is one of my areas for improvement. I need to broaden my definition of technology and its variety of uses. I limit myself and the tools available by keeping that narrow view of technology as a laptop.
This chapter certainly spent a great deal of time reflecting on the importance of technology for data collection. This felt so foreign to me. The only “data” I collect is in the form of grades that I enter into PowerSchool. I see that the physical education teacher would certainly need more data than that. The idea of utilizing pdas to ease the burden of data collection made perfect sense, but I agree that the cost of those materials would not be easily justified. It made me wonder how many other teachers could benefit from their use and why we don’t have more sharing of these devices. If we were all trying to use the same tools, we would have more grounds for justifying the cost.
When I first read that there is a great deal of technology used in the gym, I could only imagine “Dance, Dance Revolution.” Again, I limited myself to a video game and its minimal benefits. It never occurred to me to view bikes, stair steppers, and other such machines as technology. These are certainly expensive, but it would seem that with the rising obesity rates that the needs for health and wellbeing would out-way the financial burden. I know that our physical education teacher at the high school certainly promotes individual programs and technologies that meet each students comfort level. “Dance, Dance Revolution” seemed to be the hit that got everyone off of the benches and into action. This is what we need. In a world of Nintendo Wii where kids can throw their own bowling balls and participate in action packed softball games from the comfort of their own homes, we need to meet them half way, if not all the way there.
I know that my classroom will never be as mobile and hands-on as physical education, but I can still learn to be more open minded about the uses of technology and what constitutes it. I was just thinking about all of the supplemental aids that I could be utilizing to meet some of these kids part way. I could try to include more use of the smartboard to allow them the opportunity to get hands-on and feel more engaging. The important thing for me is to keep my eyes and mind open while navigating this wide-open technology sea.
EDU 583- Cohort 1
Chapter 10: The role of TPCK in physical education
Due: March 25, 2009
At first glance, I would have missed the need for technology in the physical education classroom. I was of the mindset that the kids were mostly hands-on and real world. I believe that this is one of my areas for improvement. I need to broaden my definition of technology and its variety of uses. I limit myself and the tools available by keeping that narrow view of technology as a laptop.
This chapter certainly spent a great deal of time reflecting on the importance of technology for data collection. This felt so foreign to me. The only “data” I collect is in the form of grades that I enter into PowerSchool. I see that the physical education teacher would certainly need more data than that. The idea of utilizing pdas to ease the burden of data collection made perfect sense, but I agree that the cost of those materials would not be easily justified. It made me wonder how many other teachers could benefit from their use and why we don’t have more sharing of these devices. If we were all trying to use the same tools, we would have more grounds for justifying the cost.
When I first read that there is a great deal of technology used in the gym, I could only imagine “Dance, Dance Revolution.” Again, I limited myself to a video game and its minimal benefits. It never occurred to me to view bikes, stair steppers, and other such machines as technology. These are certainly expensive, but it would seem that with the rising obesity rates that the needs for health and wellbeing would out-way the financial burden. I know that our physical education teacher at the high school certainly promotes individual programs and technologies that meet each students comfort level. “Dance, Dance Revolution” seemed to be the hit that got everyone off of the benches and into action. This is what we need. In a world of Nintendo Wii where kids can throw their own bowling balls and participate in action packed softball games from the comfort of their own homes, we need to meet them half way, if not all the way there.
I know that my classroom will never be as mobile and hands-on as physical education, but I can still learn to be more open minded about the uses of technology and what constitutes it. I was just thinking about all of the supplemental aids that I could be utilizing to meet some of these kids part way. I could try to include more use of the smartboard to allow them the opportunity to get hands-on and feel more engaging. The important thing for me is to keep my eyes and mind open while navigating this wide-open technology sea.
TPCK Chapter 5 Reflections
Margaret Nerney
EDU 583- Cohort 1
Chapter 5: An integrated framework for educating world language teachers
Due: March 25, 2009
This chapter was distinctly different in its focus on teacher training instead of student technology training or use. It also felt more content driven, but seeing that my content area is actually English and not world language, this made it quite difficult to apply to my own classroom at times. I did, however, appreciate the general idea that teachers need more training and experience with technology to be able to use it to its fullest within the classroom. I myself have seen a shift in my own teaching following the technology course that I took a couple of years ago through my district and the courses that I have been taking here at UMF as part of my Master’s program. I started a few years ago with simple iMovie options for projects, which then turned into a large scale Madman and Genius documentary Film Festival! As I grew more comfortable with the technology, I felt more comfortable teaching my students how to use it therefore improving their interest and quality of product. Now I am moving into the realm of wikis and blogs in hopes of improving the level of feedback that my students can obtain on their work and to expand their audience. The teacher’s comfort level, knowledge, and confidence with technology really do impact the integration in the classroom.
As far as real-time communication technology, I too would like to include more of this. I wasn’t completely surprised to see that the use of video conferencing, chatting, and emailing was improving language learners skills. It seems only natural that the students would need to practice the skills they are learning in a real way with a real audience to truly improve their performance. I, in fact, want to use video-conferencing and a form of “chatting” to enable my students to communicate with the students of my best friend who will be teaching internationally for the next two years in South Korea. We want to help our own students to experience cultural differences and nuances through real interaction. We also thought that giving the students a real audience would aid in the quality of their writing and other products. We are still working things out and don’t have plans to put this into motion until next year, but we are looking in this new direction.
Although this section was particularly hard for me to relate to, I appreciated the suggestion that teachers can’t do this on their own and that they need strong role models and pre-service opportunities to really work with and feel comfortable with these new tools. It is certainly a whole new world with a whole set of new expectations and new opportunities.
EDU 583- Cohort 1
Chapter 5: An integrated framework for educating world language teachers
Due: March 25, 2009
This chapter was distinctly different in its focus on teacher training instead of student technology training or use. It also felt more content driven, but seeing that my content area is actually English and not world language, this made it quite difficult to apply to my own classroom at times. I did, however, appreciate the general idea that teachers need more training and experience with technology to be able to use it to its fullest within the classroom. I myself have seen a shift in my own teaching following the technology course that I took a couple of years ago through my district and the courses that I have been taking here at UMF as part of my Master’s program. I started a few years ago with simple iMovie options for projects, which then turned into a large scale Madman and Genius documentary Film Festival! As I grew more comfortable with the technology, I felt more comfortable teaching my students how to use it therefore improving their interest and quality of product. Now I am moving into the realm of wikis and blogs in hopes of improving the level of feedback that my students can obtain on their work and to expand their audience. The teacher’s comfort level, knowledge, and confidence with technology really do impact the integration in the classroom.
As far as real-time communication technology, I too would like to include more of this. I wasn’t completely surprised to see that the use of video conferencing, chatting, and emailing was improving language learners skills. It seems only natural that the students would need to practice the skills they are learning in a real way with a real audience to truly improve their performance. I, in fact, want to use video-conferencing and a form of “chatting” to enable my students to communicate with the students of my best friend who will be teaching internationally for the next two years in South Korea. We want to help our own students to experience cultural differences and nuances through real interaction. We also thought that giving the students a real audience would aid in the quality of their writing and other products. We are still working things out and don’t have plans to put this into motion until next year, but we are looking in this new direction.
Although this section was particularly hard for me to relate to, I appreciated the suggestion that teachers can’t do this on their own and that they need strong role models and pre-service opportunities to really work with and feel comfortable with these new tools. It is certainly a whole new world with a whole set of new expectations and new opportunities.
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