For our first web conference, my group decided to use the program Vyew. Previous to the conference, we individually played around and got comfortable with the program so that when it came time to meet all together it would be more successful. I set up a room for us to use and e-mailed the link to that room to my group members Laura, Megan, and Kevin. My group members and I agreed on Saturday May 28th at 10:00 am EST as the date and time for us to meet. We all logged into our room around the same time with no major issues. I was at my parents’ house and Laura was out of town as well so our slower connections kicked us off a few times, but overall it worked out logistically. We used the webcam, microphone, and chat features as well as document sharing, comments, and sticky notes. We could not locate a built-in recording option with Vyew, so I offered to record our session using Jing. With Jing, the screen recording only lasts 5 minutes, so I had to break our session video into about 6 chunks. I told my group I would figure out a way to put them together into one video.
If I could do this web conference differently, I would use a program that had a built in recording option that did not have a time limit and also formatted the video for easy sharing and uploading to youtube. As our CEP 812 instructor displays, web conferencing is such a good way to stay connected to students when class is over or when a classroom is not accessible. I think I will look into getting a subscription to a web conference service such as Adobe Connect and hold online office hours, especially the night or two before a test or due date for a major assignment. This would help students who have conflicts with staying after school for help and/or those students who may be too shy to stay after for help or ask questions in class. Students could also collaborate using web conferencing if they can’t all be together or if they want to record their computer screens for an assignment.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
UDL lab
I used the Universal Design Lesson Guidelines Checklist to evaluate the effectiveness of my original instructional design lesson plan. I found that about half of the standards were met with my lesson, while the other half were not. I uploaded my UDL checklist to my AFS space.
Here's the link to the pdf of my UDL checklist:
https://www.msu.edu/~sande194/CEP811LSandersUDLChecklist.pdf
Here's the link to the pdf of my UDL checklist:
https://www.msu.edu/~sande194/CEP811LSandersUDLChecklist.pdf
WICKED PROBLEM PROJECT - PART B - APPLICATION OF TPACK
1. What is the TP knowledge for the solution?
When determining the educational need for my students, I immediately thought of my Integrated Geometry Strategies students. This is a support math class and many of my students lack the motivation to learn, which affects their behavior in class. Their current need is engagement in their lessons, which should increase their motivation. I chose to use the Student Response Devices as a way to engage my students in their lesson, to allow them to receive immediate feedback, which should in turn motivate them to get more correct answers the next time around, especially if I add the element of competition to the lesson. With the availability of immediate feedback, I will be able to address the educational needs of my students and/or alter my lessons and examples if necessary.
2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution?
The nature of the TC knowledge was more difficult to determine because I will be using my technology for a final exam review lesson, not necessarily to teach content. However, standardized testing is a major component to the Integrated Geometry curriculum. Something that should help my students achieve success on these assessments is the practice of answering multiple-choice questions along with the ability to quickly see their results. Because the Student Response Devices that students will use allows for only multiple-choice answering, this should help them better learn test-taking strategies for these types of questions. It will be interesting to see how students react and learn by not writing or bubbling in their answer, but by sending it to the computer system via their clicker.
3. What is the PC knowledge for the solution?
The teaching approaches that I will use during this review lesson that specifically address the Integrated Geometry Strategies course are focusing on students’ prior knowledge from previous lessons or courses, as well as other helpful out-of-classroom knowledge. Because this is mainly a review lesson, addressing misconceptions will be another pedagogical approach I can use. Also, since my students’ need falls under engagement and motivation, having multiple representation of questions, answers, and feedback will help cover a wide range of the learners that I have. Keeping the lesson moving with minimal distractions will also keep my students focused and engaged with the content.
When determining the educational need for my students, I immediately thought of my Integrated Geometry Strategies students. This is a support math class and many of my students lack the motivation to learn, which affects their behavior in class. Their current need is engagement in their lessons, which should increase their motivation. I chose to use the Student Response Devices as a way to engage my students in their lesson, to allow them to receive immediate feedback, which should in turn motivate them to get more correct answers the next time around, especially if I add the element of competition to the lesson. With the availability of immediate feedback, I will be able to address the educational needs of my students and/or alter my lessons and examples if necessary.
2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution?
The nature of the TC knowledge was more difficult to determine because I will be using my technology for a final exam review lesson, not necessarily to teach content. However, standardized testing is a major component to the Integrated Geometry curriculum. Something that should help my students achieve success on these assessments is the practice of answering multiple-choice questions along with the ability to quickly see their results. Because the Student Response Devices that students will use allows for only multiple-choice answering, this should help them better learn test-taking strategies for these types of questions. It will be interesting to see how students react and learn by not writing or bubbling in their answer, but by sending it to the computer system via their clicker.
3. What is the PC knowledge for the solution?
The teaching approaches that I will use during this review lesson that specifically address the Integrated Geometry Strategies course are focusing on students’ prior knowledge from previous lessons or courses, as well as other helpful out-of-classroom knowledge. Because this is mainly a review lesson, addressing misconceptions will be another pedagogical approach I can use. Also, since my students’ need falls under engagement and motivation, having multiple representation of questions, answers, and feedback will help cover a wide range of the learners that I have. Keeping the lesson moving with minimal distractions will also keep my students focused and engaged with the content.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
WICKED PROBLEM PROJECT - PART A - A NEED OR AN OPPORTUNITY
1. What is the important educational need that you are seeking to address?
I teach an Integrated Geometry Strategies math course to 10th graders. Strategies is a math support class that students take in addition to their regular math class if they historically have trouble with math. With this being a remediation class, I have a collaborative teacher assist me in helping our students gain a better understanding of the concepts required of them. We do a lot of previewing and re-teaching of material but also allow students to play review games and complete projects. My collaborative teacher and I have tried many differentiated instruction ideas, however, we have not been able to fully engage our students to learn the curriculum which in turn produces behavior issues.
2. How you plan to address this educational issue with technology?
I have found that games work well with my group of students because of their competitive nature and the motivation they get from winning. However, I feel that students are only engaged in these activities based on winning and not on the learning. I want to come up with a way to assess my students’ learning but also keep them engaged in an activity. This is where technology comes into play. From doing research and having discussions with colleagues, I decided to utilize student response devices with my group of strategies students in order to engage them in learning the curriculum. I will also be able to see directly if their engagement effects their learning based on their results from the response devices.
3. Logistics of solution
I will use the response devices during the last week of instruction with my Integrated Geometry Strategies students. I have access to a class set of CPS response devices, so each student will have their own to use in my classroom. They will see each multiple-choice question appear on my smart board, have a limited amount of time to answer the question, and lock in their results by sending their answer via the response device. The questions that students will be answering with the devices will be review questions for their math final exams the following week. I will tell the class that the use of this technology will be contingent on their appropriate behavior in class and while using the devices.
4. Relevant research and resources
The research that I located has helped me to understand what a student response system is, how they are used in classrooms, and what effect they have on student learning, which will help with the implementation of my project. I was recommended a few of the resources by my CEP 812 instructor, Susan Wright, and found a few of my own by searching through the MSU Library and google’s Scholarly Articles .
Roger C. Lowery, a Ph.D. from UNC Wilmington, wrote a paper titled “Teaching and Learning with Interactive Student Response Systems: A Comparison of Commercial Products in the Higher-Education Market”. He suggests that this technology is designed to “create an engaging and inviting learning environment that will maximize active learning” and student participation. In his paper, he mentions the main benefits for using the student response devices: they improve student learning and teaching effectiveness. Dr. Lowery quotes other’s research on the topic which concludes preparation and alertness are increased and that participation comes from all students when using the devices. Even though Dr. Lowery conducted his research in a college setting, many of the benefits the student response devices produce with that age group can be shared with high school students.
Another source that focuses on use of the student response devices is “Teaching with Student Response System Technology: A Survey of K-12 Teachers”. This research was created based on a questionnaire for K-12 teachers about their experience with the response system. One main finding that I will be taking into account with my Wicked Problem is the type of value I place on the technology. According to the authors, “teachers who valued the system for its feedback to them and time-saving affordances would use it for judging whether students had mastered particular concepts, while teachers who sought to increase student attention and stimulate discussion would tend to use data from the system formatively to adjust their instruction.”
The last resource I chose is “Classroom Response Systems: A Review of the Literature” by Carmen Fies and Jill Marshall in which the authors discuss the various evaluations others have created on the student response devices. Some of the benefits that were included in this review were that classes that used the devices were “more interactive, more engaging, and more enjoyable”. It was also noted that teachers and students became “more aware of the condition of the students’ understanding, ultimately leading to more responsive instruction and to better understanding”.
Overall, the resources encouraged me to go forward with my Wicked Problem Project in hopes that I see positive changes in my students behavior, engagement, and understanding of the curriculum.
5. A plan for the portion you will implement during this course and the portion you will implement after this course completes.
Since my school year will be over May 27, my students will be using the devices for the majority of each day’s lesson during the last week of instruction, May 16 - 20. During the first few days, students will be working independently to answer questions I pose on the Smart Board to gain an understanding of how to use the devices. This will also allow me to evaluate the progress and learning of my students individually and offer additional instruction if needed. As a reward for good behavior and participation in the independent response lessons, I will conduct a game in which students will work in teams to answer questions during the last day of instruction. Seeing as my school year culminates prior to the end of this course, I plan to implement lessons that utilize the student response system more regularly with my strategies students next school year in order to better engage them in learning the curriculum.
6. How would you know you were successful?
To evaluate the success of this plan, I will have to look at several facets including my students’ learning and my effectiveness as a teacher due to the student response devices. The evidence that will tell me if this plan was a success is the engagement and motivation of my students to learn the curriculum. I will be able to tell if students are engaged if they actively participate, seek to understand why they got a problem incorrect, and get excited to use the technology. By using this system, I will be able to monitor my students’ individual responses and track their progress and students will get immediate feedback. I will also be able to tell when a majority of students have a misconception about a question and can address it on the spot.
I teach an Integrated Geometry Strategies math course to 10th graders. Strategies is a math support class that students take in addition to their regular math class if they historically have trouble with math. With this being a remediation class, I have a collaborative teacher assist me in helping our students gain a better understanding of the concepts required of them. We do a lot of previewing and re-teaching of material but also allow students to play review games and complete projects. My collaborative teacher and I have tried many differentiated instruction ideas, however, we have not been able to fully engage our students to learn the curriculum which in turn produces behavior issues.
2. How you plan to address this educational issue with technology?
I have found that games work well with my group of students because of their competitive nature and the motivation they get from winning. However, I feel that students are only engaged in these activities based on winning and not on the learning. I want to come up with a way to assess my students’ learning but also keep them engaged in an activity. This is where technology comes into play. From doing research and having discussions with colleagues, I decided to utilize student response devices with my group of strategies students in order to engage them in learning the curriculum. I will also be able to see directly if their engagement effects their learning based on their results from the response devices.
3. Logistics of solution
I will use the response devices during the last week of instruction with my Integrated Geometry Strategies students. I have access to a class set of CPS response devices, so each student will have their own to use in my classroom. They will see each multiple-choice question appear on my smart board, have a limited amount of time to answer the question, and lock in their results by sending their answer via the response device. The questions that students will be answering with the devices will be review questions for their math final exams the following week. I will tell the class that the use of this technology will be contingent on their appropriate behavior in class and while using the devices.
4. Relevant research and resources
The research that I located has helped me to understand what a student response system is, how they are used in classrooms, and what effect they have on student learning, which will help with the implementation of my project. I was recommended a few of the resources by my CEP 812 instructor, Susan Wright, and found a few of my own by searching through the MSU Library and google’s Scholarly Articles .
Roger C. Lowery, a Ph.D. from UNC Wilmington, wrote a paper titled “Teaching and Learning with Interactive Student Response Systems: A Comparison of Commercial Products in the Higher-Education Market”. He suggests that this technology is designed to “create an engaging and inviting learning environment that will maximize active learning” and student participation. In his paper, he mentions the main benefits for using the student response devices: they improve student learning and teaching effectiveness. Dr. Lowery quotes other’s research on the topic which concludes preparation and alertness are increased and that participation comes from all students when using the devices. Even though Dr. Lowery conducted his research in a college setting, many of the benefits the student response devices produce with that age group can be shared with high school students.
Another source that focuses on use of the student response devices is “Teaching with Student Response System Technology: A Survey of K-12 Teachers”. This research was created based on a questionnaire for K-12 teachers about their experience with the response system. One main finding that I will be taking into account with my Wicked Problem is the type of value I place on the technology. According to the authors, “teachers who valued the system for its feedback to them and time-saving affordances would use it for judging whether students had mastered particular concepts, while teachers who sought to increase student attention and stimulate discussion would tend to use data from the system formatively to adjust their instruction.”
The last resource I chose is “Classroom Response Systems: A Review of the Literature” by Carmen Fies and Jill Marshall in which the authors discuss the various evaluations others have created on the student response devices. Some of the benefits that were included in this review were that classes that used the devices were “more interactive, more engaging, and more enjoyable”. It was also noted that teachers and students became “more aware of the condition of the students’ understanding, ultimately leading to more responsive instruction and to better understanding”.
Overall, the resources encouraged me to go forward with my Wicked Problem Project in hopes that I see positive changes in my students behavior, engagement, and understanding of the curriculum.
5. A plan for the portion you will implement during this course and the portion you will implement after this course completes.
Since my school year will be over May 27, my students will be using the devices for the majority of each day’s lesson during the last week of instruction, May 16 - 20. During the first few days, students will be working independently to answer questions I pose on the Smart Board to gain an understanding of how to use the devices. This will also allow me to evaluate the progress and learning of my students individually and offer additional instruction if needed. As a reward for good behavior and participation in the independent response lessons, I will conduct a game in which students will work in teams to answer questions during the last day of instruction. Seeing as my school year culminates prior to the end of this course, I plan to implement lessons that utilize the student response system more regularly with my strategies students next school year in order to better engage them in learning the curriculum.
6. How would you know you were successful?
To evaluate the success of this plan, I will have to look at several facets including my students’ learning and my effectiveness as a teacher due to the student response devices. The evidence that will tell me if this plan was a success is the engagement and motivation of my students to learn the curriculum. I will be able to tell if students are engaged if they actively participate, seek to understand why they got a problem incorrect, and get excited to use the technology. By using this system, I will be able to monitor my students’ individual responses and track their progress and students will get immediate feedback. I will also be able to tell when a majority of students have a misconception about a question and can address it on the spot.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
MERLOT peer review
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=78197
Quality of Content:
1. Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
Yes, the website contains a collection of articles, applets, puzzles, and problems with valid information.
2.Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
Yes, there are plenty of resources for high school math, specifically algebra and geometry.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
1. What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
a. Explanation or description of the topic/stating the problem
b. Demonstration of the curriculum/exploration of the problem
c. Practice using the curriculum/analysis of the outcomes from solving the problem
d. Applying the curriculum to "new" problems/application of the outcomes to other problems
Mainly, the website’s materials can be used as explanation and demonstration tools, where the author writes information about various math concepts and includes applets to illustrate mathematical ideas. The author does allow users to apply the curriculum in some of the problems as well.
2. What is (are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?
Depending on what link is chosen, the learning objective is to first read the information provided by the author about the math topic. Next, there is a problem, puzzle, or applet that allows users to demonstrate that they understood the material. For example, “Factoring with the Factor Tree” gives users a brief written tutorial on the concept of factoring. Then below is an applet designed for users to build their own factor tree, demonstrating that they understood how to factor numbers.
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)?
Learners can vary in age from middle school to high school level mathematics. The topics under the subject can also be varied because the website contains many different concepts. There are certain links that are also applicable to college-level students.
4. Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
This resource definitely helps to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics, but may not necessarily be a replacement for actual lessons.
5. Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
Yes, the website has an immense amount of resources for many math topics covered in high school math and beyond. A teacher can readily integrate the applets or puzzles as an extra visual aid in a lesson. Also, the teacher can include a link to the resources on his or her teacher webpage for students to use for extra help.
6. Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
Yes, as mentioned, the website contains a verbal explanation of the math topic, a related problem to answer, a puzzle to complete, and/or an applet to explore.
7. Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
The topic of math is easily identified on the home page. However the goals are not listed up front. The user will have to open the link to see what the learning goal is.
8. Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
It will be easy for a teacher to add this resource to many lessons or create lessons around many of them.
Ease of Use:
1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?
The general layout is consistent and visually distinct. The left side of the page lists the topics of math, when you click on a topic the applets, problems, and puzzles are listed in alphabetical order. It also notes if the application uses Java, Flash, or html text.
2. Does the user get trapped in the material?
On the bottom of each page, there are navigation buttons that get you back to the pages you were previously on. It might be a good idea for the author to include these buttons on the top of the page as well since each page is lengthy.
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material?
It is a little overwhelming because there is so much material listed. It’s nice that is in alphabetical order in each strand of math, but it’s not broken down into different categories so you really have to look at the words in the whole title. You could also press ctrl+f to search for specific words you are looking for.
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?
In most lessons, problems, applets, and puzzles, there are solutions given, whether it is a written solution or displayed in the applet when a user gets the correct answer.
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use?
Because there are various types of resources and applications, users have the flexibility to choose the most appropriate type of resource for their learning or their students’ learning.
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?
Not much documentation or technical support is needed for this software. The applications are generally straightforward and contain instructions on how to use them.
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students?
It depends on what types of applications the students are familiar with. As said, the applications include basic instructions on how to use them. Students would have to read and understand these instructions if they are not familiar with the application.
8. Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?
If the teacher can pinpoint the specific applications he or she wants students to use, then yes. If a student is just looking through the website on his or her own, he or she might be overwhelmed by the amount of material. Plus, the website contains math concepts for college math as well, which would not be attractive to high school students.
Quality of Content:
1. Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
Yes, the website contains a collection of articles, applets, puzzles, and problems with valid information.
2.Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
Yes, there are plenty of resources for high school math, specifically algebra and geometry.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
1. What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
a. Explanation or description of the topic/stating the problem
b. Demonstration of the curriculum/exploration of the problem
c. Practice using the curriculum/analysis of the outcomes from solving the problem
d. Applying the curriculum to "new" problems/application of the outcomes to other problems
Mainly, the website’s materials can be used as explanation and demonstration tools, where the author writes information about various math concepts and includes applets to illustrate mathematical ideas. The author does allow users to apply the curriculum in some of the problems as well.
2. What is (are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?
Depending on what link is chosen, the learning objective is to first read the information provided by the author about the math topic. Next, there is a problem, puzzle, or applet that allows users to demonstrate that they understood the material. For example, “Factoring with the Factor Tree” gives users a brief written tutorial on the concept of factoring. Then below is an applet designed for users to build their own factor tree, demonstrating that they understood how to factor numbers.
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)?
Learners can vary in age from middle school to high school level mathematics. The topics under the subject can also be varied because the website contains many different concepts. There are certain links that are also applicable to college-level students.
4. Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
This resource definitely helps to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics, but may not necessarily be a replacement for actual lessons.
5. Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
Yes, the website has an immense amount of resources for many math topics covered in high school math and beyond. A teacher can readily integrate the applets or puzzles as an extra visual aid in a lesson. Also, the teacher can include a link to the resources on his or her teacher webpage for students to use for extra help.
6. Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
Yes, as mentioned, the website contains a verbal explanation of the math topic, a related problem to answer, a puzzle to complete, and/or an applet to explore.
7. Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
The topic of math is easily identified on the home page. However the goals are not listed up front. The user will have to open the link to see what the learning goal is.
8. Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
It will be easy for a teacher to add this resource to many lessons or create lessons around many of them.
Ease of Use:
1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?
The general layout is consistent and visually distinct. The left side of the page lists the topics of math, when you click on a topic the applets, problems, and puzzles are listed in alphabetical order. It also notes if the application uses Java, Flash, or html text.
2. Does the user get trapped in the material?
On the bottom of each page, there are navigation buttons that get you back to the pages you were previously on. It might be a good idea for the author to include these buttons on the top of the page as well since each page is lengthy.
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material?
It is a little overwhelming because there is so much material listed. It’s nice that is in alphabetical order in each strand of math, but it’s not broken down into different categories so you really have to look at the words in the whole title. You could also press ctrl+f to search for specific words you are looking for.
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?
In most lessons, problems, applets, and puzzles, there are solutions given, whether it is a written solution or displayed in the applet when a user gets the correct answer.
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use?
Because there are various types of resources and applications, users have the flexibility to choose the most appropriate type of resource for their learning or their students’ learning.
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?
Not much documentation or technical support is needed for this software. The applications are generally straightforward and contain instructions on how to use them.
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students?
It depends on what types of applications the students are familiar with. As said, the applications include basic instructions on how to use them. Students would have to read and understand these instructions if they are not familiar with the application.
8. Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?
If the teacher can pinpoint the specific applications he or she wants students to use, then yes. If a student is just looking through the website on his or her own, he or she might be overwhelmed by the amount of material. Plus, the website contains math concepts for college math as well, which would not be attractive to high school students.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
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