We meet for approximately 25 hours during this class. Although I do present new information each day, the majority of class time is left for individual teachers to pursue their own special project in a supported environment. This project is an ideal chance for you to learn something new or to continue new learning efforts, to design a technology infused lesson/unit, or further explore any of the topics we learn about during the week. In the past people have built webpages, developed their Blackboard courses, learned new pieces of software, created instructional videos, designed new curriculum, created practice achievement test items or other formative assessment items, as well as many other different projects. On Tuesday you will give a brief “project share” to the class concerning what you are doing. On Friday you will present the progress of your project sharing more specifics of your project and the progress that you made and new learning you acquired. Specific materials you’ve created should also be shared.
Data Analysis and Implications for Improvement
Data analysis allows us to look back and see how our students did on specific tasks. It is most powerful when we use it to guide our future instruction. By the end of the week you will need to apply what you learned in this class to analyze the data available to you. Your assignment should include a look back (ie how your students performed and any specific observations you have about those results). More useful to you will be your statement of how last year’s results will impact your teaching this year. To do this you will need to think about your own teaching last year as well as the results of the students that you will be teaching this year (ie how did they do before coming to you and what implications for instruction does this have?). I also ask that you briefly share your “discoveries/plans” in your share out on Friday.
This assignment needs to be sent to Dr. Ault, Dr. Knudson, your building administrator, and me via email before leaving on Friday.
* Ideally your data assignment would guide/intertwine with your Independent project
Why Don’t Students Like School Blog Posts
Throughout the week I will be sharing information from Dan Willingham’s book Why Don't Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom. Willingham tells us that we learn what we think about at the time of the learning (this will make more sense later) so in following with his ideas I would like you to post comments to the techtuneup blog concerning each section as we review it related to the information presented and what you are thinking about Willingham’s information about learning.
2 Million Minutes Blog Posts
Throughout the week I will be sharing the documentary 2 Million Minutes. The hour long movie attempts to draw a comparison between US, Indian, and Chinese education systems, the students which participate in those systems, and the societies which support those systems. I would like you to post your thoughts/reactions/reflections about each section as we watch it to the techtuneup blog.
Power Up Your PLN
How do you get “better” as a teacher? Willingham talks about the difference between experience and practice. If you are in this class I would argue that you are a practitioner…you are here with the intent of getting “better” of improving as an educator.
We will go into more detail with “practice” when we discuss Willingham. One cannot improve without feedback. One cannot continue to learn without continue to building their knowledge base and although I don’t have an assignment for this I hope each teacher would consider their sources for new learning and how they can expand or perhaps focus their new learning sources.
How do you get “better” as a teacher? Willingham talks about the difference between experience and practice. If you are in this class I would argue that you are a practitioner…you are here with the intent of getting “better” of improving as an educator.
We will go into more detail with “practice” when we discuss Willingham. One cannot improve without feedback. One cannot continue to learn without continue to building their knowledge base and although I don’t have an assignment for this I hope each teacher would consider their sources for new learning and how they can expand or perhaps focus their new learning sources.
New Tools
Throughout the class I will be presenting a variety of new tools for you to consider using personally, professional, and with your students. It is my goal that each of you try out one of the new tools (or tool new to you) and incorporate somehow into your independent project and brief share out on Friday.
Discussion Board participation/TechTuneUp Blog
There may be times in class that I need to hear everyone’s voice or ideas about a specific topic. This will be done via a discussion board or the techtuneup blog (techtuneup.blogspot.com) in which all participants can read and comment to each other to keep conversations going. I will announce if I’ve anything for discussion.
There may be times in class that I need to hear everyone’s voice or ideas about a specific topic. This will be done via a discussion board or the techtuneup blog (techtuneup.blogspot.com) in which all participants can read and comment to each other to keep conversations going. I will announce if I’ve anything for discussion.
Any resources and handouts given in class will also be shared in on techtuneup.blogspot.com.
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