"Simply being able to use technology is no longer enough. Today's students need to be able to use technology to analyze, learn, and explore. Digital age skills are vital for preparing students to work, live, and contribute to the social and civic fabric of their communities."
NETS-S, International Society for Technology in Education
As an advocate for the integration of technology in best teaching practices, I wholeheartedly believe in setting an example through my own teaching practices. Whether leveraged as a tool for instruction, student collaboration, individual 'making-meaning' or assessment, I strive to implement technology thoughtfully within my curriculum. Below is a collection of resources my students and I have created throughout the course of this school year.
Course Webpages as Communication Tools: Using the sites linked below, I maintain open lines of communication with my students, parents and staff, manage a variety of digital tools for student use, and create a technology-rich learning environment that maximize student use of digital tools and resources.
Co-Teaching the Digital Design Process, with Student Exemplars: Given the incredible opportunity to co-develop and co-teach a unit entitled "Energy of a Revolution" with the Grade 9 Science teacher, I served as both the History teacher and as the technology facilitator. As a content-area teacher, I focused on the way in which new inventions/technological revolutions are predicated on human need and the way in which they impact humankind. As the technology facilitator, my student learning objectives centered on the digital presentation of the design process wherein students determined a current issue to address and applied the design process in developing a solution to the issue. Students developed a Glogster to present the design process and the impact of their proposed solution. Several students engaged in the extended challenge, by designing a 3D version of their design through Google Sketchup. Click here to find an incredible exemplar student project.
Technology Mediated Lesson Implementation and Video: In an attempt to develop consistency in our teachers' online presences, several teachers piloted Edmodo as their primary means of content-sharing and student communication. Below, my Practicum Lesson Plan is detailed (viewable PDF), along with my analysis of the quantitative and qualitative measures of its success (video).
New Literacies: Freedom Trail Project: Because the skills essential to being a critical historian are analogous to online literacy and critical thinking, I decided to incorporate my Freedom Trail Project into my learning in the New Literacies course. In our American Revolution unit, Grade 10 students conducted historical research online in order to serve as a tour guide on the Freedom Trail in Boston. Their performance at the actual site wil be their final product (communication of online research), which is a culmination of digital research (including Skype interviews with experts), critical evaluation of material discovered, and synthesis of historical details and perspectives on their historical site and events.
New Literacies: Online Reading Comprehension Assessment (ORCA): Recent studies indicate a significant gap between the skills required to navigate the complex information resources available through the Web and the skill set modern students possess. In order for these skills to take center stage in our classrooms, educational stakeholders must be convinced that the difference between traditional and nontraditional texts exists (and therefore require distinct instructional solutions) and that the skills necessary to grapple with such different texts must be addressed in our education system. Assessments like ORCA provide insight into the ways in which digital literacies stand apart from traditional literacies and serve as a possible (albeit imperfect) means of measuring our students' digital literacy levels.
Multimedia: Designing and Publishing an APP: In an attempt to leverage technology to address an current classroom issue, I designed an app, published through Apple iTunes and Google Play. Below, please find the narrated walkthrough of the app and its design, along with the theoretical grounding for its implementation.
Tutorials for School-wide Student Use and Differentiation Strategies: The collection of evidence below offers insight into the ways in which I use digital tools for communication and collaboration (teacher feedback), leverage digital content and learning networks to support student learning and select (Edmodo) and develop adaptive/assistive technologies for students (IEP Modifications and 508 Compliance Checks).
Teacher Feedback on Student Infographic Project
Tutorial on Setting Edmodo Notifications, Distributed to Student Body
Differentiation- Guided Lecture Notes for Students with IEPs
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