Professional Learning Plan

As my journey through the certificate courses comes to an end, it is important for me to reflect on the great technological tools and teaching strategies to which I have been exposed.  Three things stand out as I reflect: my STAIR project, my WPP - Clicker Lessons, and my new Live Binders site for organization.  I will continue to use all three as I teach and learn.

Specifically from this course came the use of the clickers and livebinders.  I feel like I still have a lot to learn in regards to the Smart Response system.  Every time I use them, I take notes and write down my students' comments.  Secondly, I am enjoying FINALLY organizing my resources in my live binder. I have much more to learn and explore with it as well.  In both cases, I plan to sift through the many response lessons and livebinders already in use. 

At this point, I honestly do not want to connect with any other literature or theory.  I feel as though I an full to the brim with new technological resources.  I MUST take some time to sort through and organize all of the knowledge I have gained from the three certificate courses. I have already set up a weekly babysitter so I will have time this summer to delve into these materials.  I have pages and pages of notes including websites, directions, and possible uses.  One of the ways I plan to organize my material is by using Live Binders, which was the topic of my group's tutorial.  Over the course of the past year I have created a wiki, a website, and a blog.  I can include all of these in livebinders as well as important documents, files, and links. 

Between now and the end of the year, I plan to continue working with and exploring files for the Senteo Response Clickers, which were my solutions for my WPP.  I am in the process of creating a pronoun lesson.  Teaching grammar is a challenge with any level of learning, so using the interactive clickers may "spice it up" a bit. I will need help getting more creative with the actual smart lessons that go along with the clickers.  Luckily, we have a clicker training day coming up on May 10 - perfect timing.

Again, to me the most important next step I have to take is organizing this new information and putting it to use as quickly as possible.  I'm afraid that several wonderful resources have already disappeared because I did not document them correctly or save them in a logical place. Using my gloggster account, I created a visiual representation  of my tecnological journey below.

Educational Journey Glog

Part D - Findings and Implications

I was able to implement my WPP, Motivating Middle Level Learners using Clickers, as planned.  For my first lesson using the clickers, I did a review assessment of the first 20 sixth grade common vocabulary words.  The students learned ten words each of the first two trimesters this year.  I taught the words using PowerPoint and packets which the students created.  The class average was 60%.  Besides becoming aware of the low percentage of students who understand the words, I also learned which words were more of a challenge.  I have been working on finding additional resources and examples to use for reteaching the misunderstood words. 
For the last ten common vocabulary words, I created an interactive Smart file with questions throughout for which the students will be using the clickers to answer.  I was hoping that this would keep the students engaged.  Unfortunately, the clickers turned out to be a bit of a distraction the first time I used them.  However, the next day I was much more prepared and proactive about the importance of being quiet while waiting for others to answer the questions.  It definitely went smoother.

I do not have enough data yet to check for growth, but I will take an assessment after we finish studying the words using the interactive smart files and clickers.  This assessment will be equivalent to the review assessment I mentioned above.  If the class average is significantly higher than 60%, my project will have been a success.  Regardless of the results, I will continue to improve my Smart Response lessons.  I am confident that they will enhance my students' learning.  I have already seen qualitative results in my lowest few students.  They usually do not voluntarily take part in the lessons, but they were excited and involved in the lessons using the clickers.

As a person who is constantly having internal dialogues regarding problems in education, I am glad that I was "forced" to take action in the form of my WPP.  The process makes sense and is conducive to finding solutions.  Over the summer, I plan to choose another wicked problem to solve.  I am thinking I may focus on the other end of the spectrum, finding ways to challenge my advanced students on an individual basis depending on their own strengths and weaknesses.  A second wicked problem option we are currently dealing with at my school, and most Michigan middle schools, is weak writing scores on the MEAP.  Both of these are challenging possibilities for projects to tackle this summer.

I learned a couple of valuable lessons as I planned and implemented this project.  An obvious lesson is that I should have tried out the clickers before using them for the first time in class.  We wasted about ten minutes of valuable class time figuring out the technicalities associated with connecting the clicker radar, logging in, and starting/stopping the class and assessment. I would suggest that a person using these for the first time have a few students come in before class and do a trial run.  Another lesson I learned was that you should make a copy of the original lessons and/or assessment.  I didn't want to lose my results so I put the pie charts into the actual question pages and saved.  Unfortunately, I had not made a copy, so when I brought it up for the following class, the answers were there.

As I continue this project in my other language arts classes, I plan to add a few things.  First, I am in the process of revising the smart files I used to introduce the words.  I am currently searching for visual representations and interactive tools in the Smart Gallery to add to my explanations of the words.  Another revision I'd like to make involves the types of questions included in my assessments.  In the lessons mentioned above, I used only multiple choice questions.  I would like to experiment with true and false and short answer questions in the future.

S3 - Mobile Learning Lab

2.0 Cell Phones in Education

After trying polleverywhere in my classroom, I have mixed feelings about cell phone use in school.  While my students were using their phones to take the poll I heard one of my students say, "Cool!  I can't wait to start using cell phones in class.  I will totally do what I am not supposed to be doing without the teacher knowing!"  I am hoping that the more we use them in educational ways, the more our students' sense of right and wrong will kick in. As they realize that this resource really does enhance their education, hopefully they will become more enthusiastic about learning with the help of their own technology.  I agree with Sandra Hines' opinion that the kids already have cell phones in school, and many of them can text secretly.  Why not let them have them out where we can see what they are doing?
*Link to discussion in Classroom 2.0 Blog

Poll Everywhere
For this assignment, I had my first hour get out their cell phones.   They were incredibly excited to be able to bring them out of hiding in a classroom.  We have a strict rule about cell phones.  (If we see them, we are supposed to take them until the end of the day.) So, this was a treat.   We are currently working on parts of an essay, so I asked the question, "What is the last sentence of the first paragraph?"  The results are provided below. 

For the next question, I tried an open-ended response, "What is your favorite color?"  It was fun to see their results "live", and the kids were able to get creative.  Although, because I let up and we were having some fun, one student got carried away and wrote, "Chicken farts."  I am wondering if there is a way to tell who wrote the responses. Regardless, this would also be a good way to let the students ask questions after a lesson.

All in all, I think there will be a place for cell phones in education, but before I do so, I have a couple of concerns that must be addressed.  How do we handle the fact that not all students have cell phones? I had students share, but those without were clearly jealous. How do I prevent inappropriate responses to open-ended questions?

Some other tools I explored were wiffiti, flip cameras, and mp3 players.  First, I liked the ability to choose cool backgrounds on wiffiti.  This could be used for sparking discussion on a topic, character, setting of a story, or political cartoon(persuasive writing).  I like that it can be accessed from anywhere so this could be assigned as homework.   Next, I checked out flip camera ideas.  With my flip camera (that I have not used yet), I can have students act out passages from text we are reading, create commercials persuading the audience to buy/believe in their products/ideas, or present booktalks.  Lastly, I checked into using mp3's in the classroom.  We could use these to search for and listen to podcasts on the topics we are studying or books we are reading.

Other Mobile Learning Tools
In addition to the concerns I already addressed regarding cell phones, there are a few challenges associated with the other tools mentioned in the previous paragraph. I only have one flip camera, so my entire class will have to share.  We will overcome this by creating a chart for usage.  With mp3 players, there is the issue of the "haves" and "have-nots".  I would have to group students so that there is at least one mp3 player per group.  I will also have to purchase mini speakers for the mp3's for multiple listeners or at least splitters so more than one set of headphones can be plugged in.

There are exciting things happening with mobile learning, and I feel lucky to be in the forefront of this technology in education movement.

Part B - Storyboard and Script

Here are the storyboard and script for my section of our group project.  I am in charge of the middle section where we show a specific example of a binder currently in use.  I chose the public binder of Brenda Knight, a 9th Grade English Teacher. She did a wonderful job of organizing material for her classes in a way that will be helpful to students, parents, and colleagues. 

Storyboard

*As for transitions, I am going to consult with my group in order to maintain consistency throughout our presentation.
Script

*I will read the notes that go along with each slide in a conversational tone using a clear voice and even tempo.

Part C: Implementation Journal

Click here to hear my Implementation Journal Podcast.

The following graph shows individual percentages on the common vocabulary review of terms 1-20.  The class average was 60%. 

This is a sample of one of the questions on the preview of terms 21-30.  Eighty-six percent of my students do not know the meaning of coherence, which means I will need to spend more time teaching and showing examples for his term. 

I have subscribed to my podcast in iTunes. 
See screenshot below:

Glogster

Part B - Application of TPACK

The technology I have chosen, Senteo Response Smart lessons, will support my teaching strategies as I address the problem of inspiring my middle to low level language arts students.  The lessons I plan to create are interactive from beginning to end.  In the introduction phase of my lesson, as I present the common vocabulary terms, I will use a Smart file.  I will randomly call students up to the board to move objects, pop virtual balloons, and spin cubes as we explore the grade level vocabulary.  I also intend to have a poll near the beginning of the lesson in which I poll the class for the prior knowledge of each of the ten words I am introducing.  They will use the clickers to post their answers which will be compiled into a chart for immediate viewing followed by discussion.  Lastly, I will assess the students' knowledge of the definitions at the end of the lesson using the clickers.  I will know right away which terms I need to review before assessing again.

The technology will make the content more accessible by allowing for various means of representation of the terms.  Using several different creative Smart tools to display the content will make it more visually appealing.  The students will also have the opportunity to come to the Smart Board and draw their own pictures and symbols for each word.  Lastly, as I stated earlier, the ability to assess students' knowledge and receive immediate feedback (thanks to the clickers), will allow for review of misunderstood information. The anonymity of the clickers will reduce threats and make the environment more conducive to learning.

The problem with which I am dealing is students who lack motivation, so I hope to keep my students engaged by using a variety of interactive tools.  As I mentioned above, there are many cool Smart tools that can be combined with the Senteo Response Smart lessons.  Getting students out of their seats throughout the lesson is a pedagogical method that is much-needed for the middle to low level learners I am targeting for this project.  Activating prior knowledge is another pedagogical strategy aimed at processing the content and supporting memory of the definitions.  Finally, by using the clickers to answer questions throughout the lesson, students can begin to monitor and manage their own comprehension.

Part A - Brainstorm Session

Our group met for a brainstorming session today, April 8th, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.  We met in a Vyew room titled Group Two's Room.  Unfortunately, there is no record tool in Vyew, so we took screenshots.  Luckily, Jeannine recorded a segment of our meeting using Jing and sent us the link which I have provided below.  All group members, Jeannine Baum, Gary Brumbelow, and I, were present.  Here is a link to the Jing recording of a portion of our meeting:
Group Two 4/8/11 Meeting #1

After a bit of brainstorming, Live Binders is the technology we chose to teach.  Gary and I had previous interest in Live Binders, and Jeannine has actually started using it recently.  She opened her account and showed us some examples.  See screenshot below:
Live Binders Example

We decided to break our tutorial into three parts*: I. Introduction and How-To (Jeannine), II. Detailed Example of Use (Molly), III. Brief Conclusion (Gary).  Over the course of the next week, we will each work on our parts, ultimately creating a PowerPoint and an audacity file for our own sections.  For the next step, Gary will splice them all together into a finished tutorial.  We will meet again on Wednesday, April 13, at 1:30 in our Vyew room.
*Group Assignments Screenshot

The meeting went relatively well in Vyew, however, Adobe is a much nicer way to meet online.  By much nicer, I mean more user-friendly.  We experimented with a few of the tools in Vyew.  We used screen sharing in order to let Jeannine show us her Live Binders account.  I shared a document by uploading a microsoft word document for the purpose of brainstorming.  I was hoping we would be able to work in the actual document collaboratively (like google docs), but this was not the case.  Although, we were able to type on the room's screen over the document which is captured in a screenshot below. Lastly, another negative for me was the audio lag.  There seemed to be a couple second lag after we spoke, so we ended up talking at the same time often. 
Uploaded Document Sharing

There is definitely more to discover in Vyew, and we will continue to do so in our future group meetings.  I will record using Jing next time.  We also need to figure out the screen sharing a little more.  It is a bit confusing.  We were so focused on figuring out our topic and assignments that we did not experiment with Vyew very much.  Next time, maybe we can explore some of the other features. 

As for possible uses for me outside of this course, I am still trying to think of ways I might be able to use Vyew in my own class.  With sixth graders, there are limits to the amount of internet use I can assign/expect outside of school at this point.  I will have to continue to ponder ways I could apply this tool to my teaching.  However, it would be great for collaboration with colleagues during the summer when it is difficult to find time to meet in person.  In our next few meetings, I'm sure ideas for use will come to me.

Part A - Description of Need or Opportunity

As a middle school language arts teacher, I have a wide variety of learners of many different skill levels.  We have spent quite a bit if time focusing on the lower students and the higher students, but not as much time on the students in the middle.  For this reason, I am choosing to focus on my middle level learners for this project.  I plan to use their class, language arts, as a pilot in which I will implement the use of Senteo Response Clickers. 

Luckily, I already have a set of clickers in my room.  I have not tried them yet because I have not had the proper training.  This is the perfect opportunity for me to force myself to make time to learn how to use them on my own.  I know that by using them, my students will be more engaged in lessons.

I plan to create two lessons incorporating the clickers.  The first lesson will be a common vocabulary review.  We have 30 words that every 6th grader must know by the end of the year.  Currently, I use PowerPoint to teach the words and review them.  The students copy the words, definitions, and visuals in their own packets.  When we review, we simply go through the PowerPoint again.  I can see boredom seeping out of their faces as I present the material.  Interactive clicker use will engage them and provide me with immediate feedback. I also plan to use the clickers for teaching grammar which is extremely hard to teach in a creative and engaging manner as well. 

Because I share the clickers with my department, I will not be able to use them at anytime.  I would like to get a routine - possibly one day a week or every other week for a couple of days in a row. 

Online, I was able to find some blog posts written by teachers currently using the clickers.  Some ideas I found include: game show style lessons and opinion polls.  I also learned that you can create charts immediately to show students the results and take action to fix misunderstandings right away.

I will create two lessons during this class: common vocabulary and an element of grammar.  After this course, I will continue to create lessons using the clickers.  I also plan to share my new knowledge with my colleagues, and I will help them to create their own lessons. 

I am excited to put this plan into action.  I have been looking at the blue Senteo Clickers case in my closet for almost a year now, so this will be a great opportunity for me.  I have no doubt that my students will definitely benefit as well.

Upon completion, I will compare the results of the Common Vocabulary section of the 2nd Tri. Exam with the results of the 3rd Tr. Exam in order to see if there was any growth because we used the clickers instead of my previous method, powerpoints and packets.  I also reviewed the previous terms using the clickers, so I can do the same at the conclusion of this set of terms to compare the results.