Week Five: Reflections

Well folks, we've made it to week 5 of our online CPE course! 

For our last assignment, we will have some reflection time.  Please share something you have learned/will take with you/has made an impact on you from our time in our class.
Enjoy your spring break!
s

Chapter Four: Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers (February 25 - March 3)

There are several generalizations and recommendations listed for chapter four all dealing with using advanced organizers and asking HOTS questions. 

While there are many great bits of information in this chapter, for purposes of this week's assignment, let's focus on reading one online article.

For the Best Answers, Ask Tough Questions

 (please note the url listed in the book is no longer active, so this is the same article, from a different location)

Discuss your thoughts on the article in the comments section or via email. 

Thanks, and have a great week! 

Let's check in...how's it going?

Hello all!

Hopefully at this point everyone finally has a book and is on track as we begin our third week.  I appreciate your patience through this process. 

Please click on the Voki to listen to the message and give your response--make sure your speakers are on. 

I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC week
:)
 
s

Chapter Three: Providing Recognition (Feb. 18-24)

First, a HUGE thank you to everyone participating--whether you are leaving your comments on our blog, or sending them via email to me.  Even if I don't respond directly to everyone's comments every time, I am thoroughly enjoying reading your comments and gaining from your insights.  I know everyone is busy, and I realize this requires a time commitment---just know you are appreciated!



Chapter 3 covers various ways you can use technology to recognize and reward students. 

Generalizations:

1. Rewards do not necessarily have a negative effect on intrinsic motivation.
2. Reward is most effective when it is contingent on the attainment of some standard of performance.
3. Praise is more effective than tangible rewards.

Recommendations:

1. Personalize recognition.
2. Use the Pause, Prompt, and Praise strategy.
3. Use concrete symbols of recognition.

The chapter goes through using data collection tools, multimedia, Web resources, and communication software in order to provide recognition to our students.

Web showcases are mentioned, with the following examples---note: some of the web addresses have been updated from what is printed in our text, and some are no longer available at all.  Please take a look at these three that remain, and share your thoughts in the comments or via email. 

Mrs. McGowan's Student Showcase

Greeneville Middle School--Celebrations

Kennedy High School Art Gallery

Other recognitions mentioned include:

• online certificates
• audio emails
• video conferencing
• using data collection tools to provide recognition
• using tools such as PowerPoint to create certificates

Do you currently use any of these tools?  If so, what do you think of their effectiveness?  Are there any tools mentioned that you would like to try? 

Chapter Two: Providing Feedback (Feb. 11-17)

Chapter Two: Providing Feedback

Giving student feedback is important, as we all know.  Chapter 2 contains an interesting quote from Harvard researcher John Hattie: feedback is "the most powerful single innovation that enhances achievement---and that it is best given in "dollops" of feedback. 

Generalizations:

1. Feedback should be corrective in nature.
2. Feedback should be timely.
3. Feedback should be specific to a criterion.
4. Students can effectively provide some of their own feedback.

Recommendations:

1. Use criterion-referenced feedback.
2. Focus feedback on specific types of knowledge.
3. Use student-led feedback.

The text discusses several ways to utilize technology in giving student feedback:

1. Word Processing Applications
2. Data Collection Tools (classroom response systems, grading software)
3. Web Resources
4. Communication software (blogs, wikis, email, instant messaging, video conferencing)

Just as our students come to us at various levels of expertise, so it is with educators.  Many of us may be very comfortable using technology---some of us may even be on the cutting edge of trying new things, while others of us are taking tentative first steps to become comfortable using technology in the classroom.  

Remember that it CAN be intimidating to learn new things--especially if those around you seem to have an air of "well, clearly ANY teacher should know this stuff."  I ask that you keep that in mind when reading over comments and responding to the comments of others---just as I want my classroom (which happens to be the MMMS Library) to be a safe learning environment, I also want this online learning space to feel safe, as well. 

Student to student feedback can be an invaluable tool--especially in an online situation as it is really the only way to have a "conversation".  Please DO feel free to respond to the comments of others in this class.  :)

Please discuss in the "comments" or via my campus email the following:
Out of the 4 ways listed to deliver student feedback (other than the grading software, which we all have access to) which do you like/dislike?  What are your favorites and why?  Do you find that you have the tools/training to use them, or is this an area that you feel needs improvement?  Is there a tool listed that you would like to challenge yourself to use or use more often?


image from: http://www.canstockphoto.com/images-photos/feedback.html

Week One, Assignment One (February 4-10)

Off we go, on our first of 10 weeks of this class.. . I've included a lot of background from the chapter this week, as I know not everyone has received the book yet. 

Chapter One, Setting Objectives

This chapter covers the instructional strategy of setting objectives to focus on establishing a direction for learning.  Pitler's recommendations:

1. Set learning objectives that are specific but flexible.
2. Allow students flexibility in personalizing the learning objectives or goals.
3. Communicate the learning objectives or goals to students and parents.
4. Contract with students to attain specific learning objectives or goals.

The text also states, "Research shows that when students are allowed to set some of their own learning goals, their motivation is higher than when they pursue only teacher-set goals.  Technology enhances the goal-setting process by providing organizational and communication tools that make it easier to clarify the learning objectives.  Technology also gives teachers access to resources that can help them identify and refine standards and objectives." 

The following technologies are mentioned in chapter one as far as setting objectives:

• word processing applications
• organizing and brainstorming software
• data collection tools
• Web resources
• communications software

Please address the following in the "comments" section:

I'm interested if any of you have used any of the online rubric creators mentioned, and if so, what you thought about them? If you haven't ever used these, please play around with one of them to see how you like it, and let the group know. 

p. 36 lists 5 blogs. I've included links to the ones that seemed to still be up and running.  Please choose one (or both) to visit and let us know what your thoughts are.  Is this something you already currently use with your classes?  Do you think it would be beneficial for you? 



Room 613 Talk: Mr. Hetherington's 6th Grade Social Studies Class

Mr.. Wright's 3rd grade Class


Do you utilize email for parent communication (or for those of you teaching older students, with your students themselves)?  Have you found it to be effective?

Please remember your comments are due by midnight Sunday night!

Sonja

Welcome!

Welcome !

This blog has been created especially for the NacISD educators enrolled in the "Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works" course Spring 2013.

I'm excited to facilitate this course this semester, and hope that everyone is able to get something practical out of it, and to grow more comfortable using technology in your own classroom instruction. 

Please feel free to contact me through this blog, or via our campus email if you have any questions or concerns at any time throughout this class, or if there is anything specifically you would like me to address.  While I certainly do not have all the answers, I can usually figure out who does---and bring that knowledge back to you (I guess its the librarian in me!)

• Each Monday morning I will have a new blog post that will include the assignments for the week.  Please make sure you are checking each Monday morning for them. 
• All assignments will be due the following Sunday evening.  Assignments will generally be easiest to complete using the "comments" section.  In order for this to work, for you to get credit for your work, you will need to make sure I can tell who you are--so if you don't have a Google account, you might want to go ahead and create one.  If you already have one, and your "signature" isn't obvious (mine is Mrs. S, for example) shoot me an email. 
• Keep in mind that blogs, by their very nature, are NOT private---so be honest in your answers, but only put out there what you are comfortable with people seeing  (a great lesson for our students who seem to post anything without thought to who is seeing what).

If you have any difficulty with this process please let me know through campus email and I'll try to walk you through it. 
At some point, our DSC may require that I move the coursework into OpenClass or Moodle.  Since there have been SO many issues with getting our online classes up and running this year, I decided to go ahead with creating my own blog as I am very familiar with it, it is easily accesible to everyone, its free, and they are great to create for using with your own classes (depending upon the age group you teach, you may want to use something other than Blogger, but that is for another post.)  Basically, I know you are all probably just as busy as I am, and quite frankly I don't want to disrespect your time-----so we are getting started today, with this format, and will continue to use it until I'm told otherwise. 

and so, we're off on our grand learning adventure...


Sonja





image from : http://dragonimages.net/picture/515-flaming-dragon.html