Lessons Learned

Throughout the course, integrating technology into the curriculum I have learned how to use many web 2.0 tools effectively in my instruction. Most importantly, I have learned that in order to use technology effectively, I must be proactive and plan ahead, I must be knowledgeable about how to use the web 2.0 tools, I must be adaptive to meet the needs of my learners, I must be culturally sensitive to adapt the technology to meet the needs of my students, I must be collaborative to find new, innovative ways to integrate technology into the curriculum, I must be make decisions about what technology to use, I must be a leader to integrate technology more extensively and assist others, and most of all, I must be reflective in order to continuously improve my teaching strategies.

As I completed online discussions with my classmates and the required projects for the course, I met the course objectives of being a part of an online learning community, reviewing learning theories and technology standards to evaluate technology proficiency at my school, creating and evaluating lesson plans that incorporate technology, and developing an instructional unit that meets a defined need and incorporates technology. Meeting these objectives have helped me to gain a better understanding of how, when, and why I should technology in my own classroom. I am leaving this class with a deeper comprehension of how to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum. I have enjoyed blogging about my experiences, and I hope to continue sharing my ideas and reading the ideas of my peers to find new, innovative ways to use technology in my classroom. Technology is constantly changing and it is up to educators to commit to being lifelong learners of how to integrate technology into the curriculum in order to prepare the future (our children) with the 21 century skills and knowledge that they need to be successful members of society!

PBL Proposal

In my most recent project, I collaborated with peers in my class to design a project-based learning proposal integrating reading into other content areas using technology. We used Google Docs to share our ideas and work together to provide examples of PBL that could be used across all grades at the elementary school level.

Our activities did not focus purely on tests scores, but rather they focused on creating engaging activities that involve students' literacy skills in an effort to improve their reading, while fostering a love for reading and encouraging them to be lifelong learners.

Here is a link to our wiki which includes the articles we used, activities we created, and our project proposal for Chapel Hill Elementary school.
PBL Project Proposal Wiki

Movie Maker

Throughout the last project, I created a movie addressing character education. Using the Movie Maker software is a great way to get students engaged and it allows them an opportunity to publish their work and share their ideas!

Here is the video that I created (with the help of my students):



Windows MovieMaker can be used to create mini-movies about various subjects (especially historical figures and procedures for how to complete math problems). I could also have Windows MovieMaker available in my class as a tool for students to use for performance evaluations of content areas of PBL for a variety of different units.

Some of the challenges for completing this project included student involvement/participation and finding appropriate visuals to use within the movie. Many of my students still have not returned permission slips, so some could not participate in the audio recording aspect of the activity. Also, due to my student’s lack of previous exposure to audacity, the use of the software required my assistance and was not completed independently. Next time, I need to make sure to model a lot before allowing them to try and use the tool by themselves. Finally, I had a bit of difficulty searching for pictures that matched the narration of the movie. I knew what I wanted in my head, but it was a little time consuming to find the picture that was most appropriate for the message.

I have had previous practice using this tool though my video production class I took last spring. I know how to do a lot with Windows MovieMaker and I feel like it is a fairly easy tool to teach young students. In my past experience, I have found that it is best to teach them one step at a time. For example, the first time they create a movie they might just have pictures with no video or sound. Then as they get more and more practice, I begin to model how to perform other tasks on Windows MovieMaker. As a learner, I have found that it is very important to create a storyboard and gather all of your visuals and audio clips before you begin the creation of your movie. The storyboard is the brainstorming part of the activity and it should be completed before starting the actual movie.

Although there are some challenges, they are far outweighed by the advantages of this tool. The possibilities for students are endless, especially after they begin feeling comfortable using the tool! I would recommend this software to any teacher, and the best part is...it is already installed on every windows desktop! Free! It doesn't get better than that!!!