Contrary to the title below, the following is a Gabcast "post" that I recorded about the Podcasting Ed Tech Session - please take a listen!
Gabcast! Scavenger Hunt #19
Enjoy!
Lynne
Friday, November 30, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
What would I use from what I've seen...
Hello Blog Readers!
I've just returned from visit #3 to David's classroom at Kensington Woods charter school, and this time I focused on David's use of a class web-site http://www.couplands.net/ to provide info to students (and parents). I questioned students about their use of the website and most students said that they used it to check their grades (and for missing assignments) or for finding assignments. Some said that their parents use the website as well. David said that he updates the website almost daily for assignments and usually weekly to transfer reports from Zangle that show grades and assignment completion. He told me that the web-site offers him the ability to save time in class by "always having the same answer" for student that need assignments or want an update on their grades. Unfortunately, there is a task in transferring from Zangle to the website because student names need to be removed from the reports. I would encourage you to take a look at his web-site. He has set it up with a syllabus for each class, assignments, grades and a link for the Robotic Club that he sponsors. He also includes a nice link to his Appalachian Trail hike, which I thought was a nice personal connection.
The Robotics site actually was pretty amusing, showing some animated "games" created by students. To me this was a good example of ways to engage those otherwise perhaps "disengaged" students that are the creators or technology for this generation - they made cool stuff without attending Jeff & Liz's wonderful Tech Workshops!
As a parent, I use the website that my son's teachers have set up and find it very useful. My husband probably checks it nightly to see if Ben has accurately recorded his homework in his planner. We can also use it to see what activities he has done during the day (great dinnertime converation starter when you kids say "I don't remember what we did today"...). Ben is in 6th grade and one of the teachers updates the site daily for the whole 6th grade staff. Check it out at http://benjaminlaframboise.blogspot.com/
In response to Jeff's questions from my last blog post, I do feel that some of the technology I've seen at Kensington Woods enhances learning. I also think that each teacher will have their own style and what works for one teacher might not work for another. I think a Web-site will be part of my teaching practice. I like David's use of the CPS "clickers" for homework correction - but I think that the usefulness in Math is probably better than it would be in Chemistry. I would really need to weight the prep time needed for setting up the CPS vs. the learning goals that students will get out of it. From the little I saw of the SmartBoard, I would really like to try using one and see a direct application in Chemistry. It would be like using a blackboard that is capable of saving the written solutions and merging it with a datashow projector.
I will also add at this point that "old fashioned" technology items (blackboard & chalk, overhead projector) seem like the most straighforward and useful teaching tools that I have witnesses so far in my observations. David uses the overhead projector daily in his lessons to work out problems for students and likewise, my mentor Mr. Morgan uses the chalkboard almost exclusively. These 2 teaching tools allow the student to see how you solve a problem and take note is "real time". I sure that I will use them along with other more "technology based" tools in my teaching practice.
Maybe a mix of old & new will work for me!
I've just returned from visit #3 to David's classroom at Kensington Woods charter school, and this time I focused on David's use of a class web-site http://www.couplands.net/ to provide info to students (and parents). I questioned students about their use of the website and most students said that they used it to check their grades (and for missing assignments) or for finding assignments. Some said that their parents use the website as well. David said that he updates the website almost daily for assignments and usually weekly to transfer reports from Zangle that show grades and assignment completion. He told me that the web-site offers him the ability to save time in class by "always having the same answer" for student that need assignments or want an update on their grades. Unfortunately, there is a task in transferring from Zangle to the website because student names need to be removed from the reports. I would encourage you to take a look at his web-site. He has set it up with a syllabus for each class, assignments, grades and a link for the Robotic Club that he sponsors. He also includes a nice link to his Appalachian Trail hike, which I thought was a nice personal connection.
The Robotics site actually was pretty amusing, showing some animated "games" created by students. To me this was a good example of ways to engage those otherwise perhaps "disengaged" students that are the creators or technology for this generation - they made cool stuff without attending Jeff & Liz's wonderful Tech Workshops!
As a parent, I use the website that my son's teachers have set up and find it very useful. My husband probably checks it nightly to see if Ben has accurately recorded his homework in his planner. We can also use it to see what activities he has done during the day (great dinnertime converation starter when you kids say "I don't remember what we did today"...). Ben is in 6th grade and one of the teachers updates the site daily for the whole 6th grade staff. Check it out at http://benjaminlaframboise.blogspot.com/
In response to Jeff's questions from my last blog post, I do feel that some of the technology I've seen at Kensington Woods enhances learning. I also think that each teacher will have their own style and what works for one teacher might not work for another. I think a Web-site will be part of my teaching practice. I like David's use of the CPS "clickers" for homework correction - but I think that the usefulness in Math is probably better than it would be in Chemistry. I would really need to weight the prep time needed for setting up the CPS vs. the learning goals that students will get out of it. From the little I saw of the SmartBoard, I would really like to try using one and see a direct application in Chemistry. It would be like using a blackboard that is capable of saving the written solutions and merging it with a datashow projector.
I will also add at this point that "old fashioned" technology items (blackboard & chalk, overhead projector) seem like the most straighforward and useful teaching tools that I have witnesses so far in my observations. David uses the overhead projector daily in his lessons to work out problems for students and likewise, my mentor Mr. Morgan uses the chalkboard almost exclusively. These 2 teaching tools allow the student to see how you solve a problem and take note is "real time". I sure that I will use them along with other more "technology based" tools in my teaching practice.
Maybe a mix of old & new will work for me!
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