I know I said this last week, but so far I have learned that this whole GAME plan process takes time and practice. Not only have I learned those two things, but I have also learned a little bit more about my students and their parents. I can now begin to see where I stand with my students and parents.
I am still seeking the question of whether my students and parents will adapt to communicating via technology. I asked myself if they will be dedicated in moving towards this communication direction. Also with my first goal, I would like to see which digital tools are being overused and which tools I can introduce to my students for them to become more comfortable in using them.
I will adjust my plan to fit my current needs by taking “baby steps.” I plan to try an incorporate some different types of digital tools in my classroom, but not all of them. I also plan to try a small part of communication with my parents via technology I figured I would solely rely on technology once a month or I will kind of see where my parents comfort levels stand.
Caryn,
ReplyDeleteSurveying your students and parents was a great idea. I might incorporate that into a unit for my GAME plan. This is a great way to keep your GAME Plan flexible if needed.
If I had to select a communication tool that was overused it is texting and e-mail. I'll bet many of these students have not created a blog or a podcast. Those that are adept at such communication methods can easly help the students create their own blog or podcast.
Yes, the GAME Plan process definitely consumes time. Your "baby steps" approach is definitely wise as it will allow you to adjust your GAME Plan if needed.
Shawn
Good idea with the survey tool. If you have not actually given the survey yet, it might be interesting to also provide the option of taking the survey online. I wonder how many parents/students would access the survey through that medium. www.kwiksurveys.com is one website you could use for this purpose.
ReplyDeleteAs you determine how you will more effectively communicate with parents, you should check out district resources you already have. For example, many districts issue teachers a sharepoint page in which students and parents can stay updated on classroom activities and assignments.
Jeff
You are so right when you discuss the idea of taking baby steps in your approach to meeting GAME plan goals. I like your idea of addressing the issue of parental communication as a first step. Often student have computer technology at home but parents do not allow them access or parents themselves do not feel comfortable with the technology they have. While some parents are computer savvy and are able to help student strengthen their technology knowledge, there are just as many households where technology is underutilized. It seems the ultimate goal of problem based learning is students as self-directed learners (Laureate, 2010). This does not mean that they will find the tools necessary to pursue challenges at home, nor the support from their parents in their pursuits. Your idea of addressing the aspect of communication first is a good one. Last year, for the first year, I introduced a classroom blog to our instruction. I find that parents do not access it as much as I had hoped. Next year I will make a bigger issue at the meet the teacher night, when all the parents are in attendance, to instruct them on its use.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). “Spotlight on Technology, Project Based Learning Part 1”.[Motion picture]. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. . Baltimore : Author
A survey is a great way for you to analyze your students’ skills and how many students have access to technology at home. If you discover that technology is more available at home than you initially thought, you can assign work involving technology for homework. Also its important that you know how much experience they have with technology. I work in an urban district and I have many students who come from countries that are poverty stricken or have little educations. It is important for me to know how what skills they do have technologically so I can provide extra support. Surveys are necessary to review your students’ familiarity with technology.
ReplyDeleteCaryn-
ReplyDeleteI think that doing a preliminary survey was an excellent idea. This will allow you to find out the needs of parents and families at your school. At my school we have several families who do not have internet access at home, or they have dial-up since we are a rural school and this makes it hard for them to access online grade systems, and our school website with individual teacher pages, and ways to contact the parents.
What do you think you could do at your school or in your community to raise awareness about the technology you are using in your school, and how can you provide the same resources for families without internet access?
~Ellen Kehs
Caryn,
ReplyDeleteI particularly like the fact that you included parents in on your survey about awareness and comfort levels with technology tools. In fact, I wish I had done something like this before launching my class wiki. Even though I sent a parent letter explaining how the wiki worked and how it would serve as a class portal for parents to view announcements and student work, as well as providing a means of communication, only a handful of parents have ever visited the site. At this point, I’m not sure whether this is due to lack of access or unfamiliarity with new technology or because this is typical for parental involvement on the middle school level. I can see now that having parents participate in a techno-survey might help me understand what some of the problems are, as well as how to make the wiki more inviting to parents.
Thank you for sharing your insights,
Mary