Throughout
this week, I have made some progress towards meeting my GAME plan goals. However, one of my goals will need an
extended period of time to take effect. While
I don’t feel the need to modify my plan, I do feel that the second goal,
helping other staff include technology in their classrooms, will require me to
continue working throughout the next school year.
My first
goal which involves collaborating and working with other colleagues in my
district has already begun. Today, one
of our middle school teachers came in to work with my first grade students to
teach them how to create their own movies in iMovie on their iPads. They will collaborate together again
throughout the week as they work on their reflective movie about the school
year. I was impressed with how quickly
and easily the middle school students were able to teach the younger students,
and my first grade students were completely enthralled in what their older “friends”
had to show them. In addition, it was suggested by a colleague
in this course that I consider using this idea to have the students reflect on
their learning throughout the school year.
This is a great idea that I plan to implement next year as it will help
provide a deeper understanding of my students’ work as they reflect on their
progress every few weeks. Since this
project has started going so well, I’m also looking forward to finding other
ways to collaborate with other grades.
As my
second goal involves discussing and helping colleagues become more involved
with technology and the school year is coming to an end, I feel this goal will
need to be worked on more at the start of the next school year. At that point, I will be appointed the added
position of being the technology coordinator for the elementary building. This involves helping to train the other
teachers on new technologies being implemented within the building such as our
new internet phone system, automated substitute program, and the new carts of
iPads being implemented in certain grades.
Some of this will require me to take some training this summer of which
I am already registered for. As I keep
working on the progress towards this goal, I have noticed that some teachers
have been more interested in the new technologies we will be implementing next
year and are already coming to me with questions. However, I’m hoping the trainings I take this
summer will enable me to fully answer their questions.
Hi Matt,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new position. I think that it is great that you are taking time to share your knowledge of technology with other teachers in the building. I like how you are expanding collaboration between classes. Many times, I just think of the collaboration that occurs between two teachers. The teachers are sharing ideas and experiences. But, you have taken this one step further and got the students involved. This is a nice way to build in a social skill development activity for students that also meets many academic content standards. The students are learning to communicate with each other, give clear directions, listening and be patient.
Nice post,
Jessica
Jessica,
DeleteI agree the middle school students learned a lot about how to be patient and of how to clearly express what they wanted the first graders to do. Of course, the first graders were in awe of the "big" kids helping them too!
Matt,
ReplyDeleteReading your blog posts one can see why you have been offered to be technology coordinator. You always share a great initiative involving colleagues and students around collaborating and working with technology. Having older students teaching the young ones is a really good idea. Not only because you decentralize from one teacher the task of teaching the little ones how to use the tool but because the bigger ones reinforce and test their knowledge through sharing it. In addition, I´m sure that for the smaller students having those students who they might see as their models showing them how to do something has to be thrilling.
Good luck with your new position next year. You might have some hard times but I´m sure that as long as you keep going with the enthusiasm you reflect in your posts, everything will turn out into a success.
Maria
Thanks Maria,
DeleteI'm looking forward to the added position. Of course, still working in the classroom on top of that may prove to be a challenge. I'm hoping that eventually the administration will see the need for a full time position! If you're going to dream, you might as well dream big!
Matt
Matt,
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the new position. I held that position for a while until they cut it out of the budget. :( I hope that your school district will value the need for such a position more than mine did. I know you will be wonderful at it!
As the beta tester for the iPads at my school, I am going to try to convince our technology purchaser to add iMovie to our iPads. I think it would be wonderful to have students be able to film and edit on the same device. That eliminates a lot of cord hunting!
~Kristy