I currently do not plan to modify my action plan. One thing that I have learned so far is how many resources are available out there for teachers to use and the different ways that they can be used. Another thing that I have discovered while conducting this GAME plan is how much teacher's really need to know about the resources they are using in order to successfully implement them within the classroom. I have been trying out these technologies and working through them myself before exposing them to my students because I need to be able to help them when they need it. This has become a very time consuming task, therefore, I am taking it one step at a time because it can be overwhelming. I too am the self-directed learner trying to learn how to incorporate these new technologies within my classroom. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009, p.7) have stated that "as a self-directed lifelong learner, you'll be able to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes that inevitable will occur during your professional career, keep your skills up-to-date, and better meet the needs of your students today and in the future".
I
have only worked with concept mapping once with a handful of students during
the summer. I would like to use this technology within my regular classroom but
cannot decide if it would be better to have students work in pairs of larger
groups. Has anyone used concept maps or similar software with large groups of
students before? Would you recommend a small group setting or pairs only? If
anyone has some insight I would greatly appreciate feedback.
References
Cennamo,
K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc.,
Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Aneta,
ReplyDeleteI have used software similar to concept maps in my classroom. I teach at the high school level and have two computer carts for my room, which made this possible for my classes. What I found to work for my classes was to have the student’s first work individually so that all students have the opportunity to learn and use the software. This prevents situations where one student does most of the work and does not let the others in the group use the software. Then the students worked in groups of three. Each student brought what he or she produced to the group and shared it. The group then had to create a final group product. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertner (2009, p. 38) state that student gains from working in small groups is likely due to “a number of different factors including the opportunity to observe more advanced others think through a problem or perform a task, and thus provide models of the knowledge construction process; the ability to divide complex tasks into smaller more manageable parts; and the opportunity to receive feedback from; as well as give feedback to, multiple others.” Hope this helps?
Shelby,
DeleteThanks for your suggestions! I like how you had your students work independently and then in small groups this does seem like the ideal situation for my class and students as well. Although with having less than four weeks left in our course I will not have enough time to allow students to do both. I will probably have to give in somewhere because time has definitely become an issue.
Aneta,
ReplyDeleteI know that I am totally in the boat of not wanting to share something with the students with which I am not totally familiar (I coach soccer, and they always ask me to coach something else, but I have no idea how to play another sport, let alone coach it). We talk in these blogs and other classes about a bunch of different on- and offline technologies, but if I do not know how to use it or how to troubleshoot for students, I tend to shy away from that technology.
We did concept mapping before for projects, and I had pretty significant success in smaller groups (the students were looking at various facets of the 1950s for presentations). Not sure if that is helpful, but it certainly keep their attentions focused.
- Dan
Hi Dan,
DeleteYou are right many educators tend to shy away from using technology within the classroom because they do not know how to use it. Exploring new technologies can be time consuming as well and teachers begin to feel overwhelmed. I think that it is important to make this a priority and to learn a new technology that can be used within the classroom to support student learning. Thanks for sharing how the concept map worked out for you and your students!
Aneta,
ReplyDeleteI also think it is very important for me to be familiar with a program or digital technology before I work on it with my students. Just last week I found an online Jeopardy game to use for a test review and I spent about two hours playing and reviewing the program until I became familiar enough with it to feel comfortable presenting it to my students. As it turned out the students really enjoyed playing the review game and the interaction it provided for them.
Tracie
Tracie,
DeleteIt's great that your students enjoyed playing the review game. These digital technologies can really be time consuming however when you see them work out in the classroom it's fantastic. It lets you know that the time you put in to familiarize yourself with the technology has paid off in the end.