The value of the GAME Plan is its systematic approach to new challenges. While I do reflect on my teaching, considering the impact of each lesson (and the divide that sometimes occurs between my expectations and reality), I could be more proactive regarding taking on new goals. The GAME Plan provides a structured means of identifying an appropriate goal, taking action, monitoring and adjusting progress, and evaluating my process (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
I am particularly pleased that in this class we integrated the GAME Plan with technology goals (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). Technology opens a vast number of doors for educators, providing opportunities—both for us and our students—that were impossible only a few years ago. At the same time, technology comes with numerous challenges: What applications best suit my students and our learning objectives? Do I need to be proficient with a certain piece of software before I introduce it? What are the potential pitfalls with a specific technology? The questions can seem endless.
At any given time, I have lists of Web sites, blogs, and other online services that I want to learn more about. The GAME Plan gave me the opportunity to make real, focused progress on several of these items. While I would not say I have mastered either the Web quest or the issue of fair use, I am much more proficient and comfortable in both of these areas. My students have benefited from the opportunity to complete the Web quest and by receiving better instruction about intellectual property rights.
I am particularly happy that my students were able to complete their Web quest before this class ended so that I could include some final evaluative remarks. Because this was a new approach to learning for all of them, there was a steeper learning curve than I had expected; there were some students who were lost simply because they didn’t bother to read the instructions. By the end of the first day, most understood what was expected of them. However, this was an important point for me to note. At the beginning of next year, I will create a simple Web quest that introduces the students to me, the class, policies, and so on. This will provide them with necessary information at the same time that it sets the expectation that they will need to be willing to work for their answers.
Students began to turn in their Web quest products (a memorial to Anne Frank and the Holocaust) today. Although I haven’t yet graded them, I am pleased by the effort and creativity students put into their work and the amount of thought they put into their written reflection. After I have evaluated their work and held an end-of-unit debriefing with my students, I will use this knowledge to further tweak the Web quest so it is improved for next year’s students.
Another immediate step I will take is evaluating my students’ grasp of citations as they finish creating their commercials. I have been monitoring the notes they take for their bibliographies; some have been more diligent than others, so it will be enlightening to see how well they do with their final citations. This is an area that we can continue to study, however. Next year, I will begin the discussion of fair use and correct citation earlier in the year so we have more time to build these skills.
Experiencing success in these new undertakings has made me more confident about choosing new goals to pursue. I plan to collaborate with my media specialist on lessons in creating electronic book talks (a goal we meant to work on this year); I also plan to find an appropriate means of helping my students develop electronic portfolios (another goal that has been too long neglected).
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A GAME Plan for Students
I have to admit, my concern with using the GAME Plan with students is the first step—setting goals. So many adolescents lack educational goals; they expect to be told what to do so they can do it and move on to the next thing. I’m afraid that some of this comes from the educational process. We are so concerned with covering content and meeting objectives that our students have little say in what they would like to accomplish during the course of the day. I think it will take careful modeling to help students recognize appropriate and meaningful goals that will help them with their long-term plans.
During the past two days my students have begun the Anne Frank Web quest I chose to develop as one of my personal GAME Plan goals (http://questgarden.com/122/42/5/110404073307/index.htm). The problem that became immediately apparent is that many students were not willing to take the time to read the instructions and follow them. Part of the responsibility for this I take upon myself; next time I will be more deliberate in introducing the activity. However, the lion’s share of the responsibility does rest on the shoulders of my students. It is much easier to ask “What do I do next?” than to take the time to the instructions, find one’s place, and analyze the next task. We have got to break students of this habit, though, if we want them to be critical, capable thinkers.
With this in mind, I would like to use the GAME Plan to address Standard 4: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). I would like to develop some lessons that require students to work through a series of challenges. To begin, I could create a situation where all materials needed to complete the challenge are readily available if the students follow the instructions. When they master that, the challenges could become steadily more complex, requiring students to rely more on their own problem-solving skills to locate answers. If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them.
Part of developing these skills requires a certain work ethic, of course, and I worry that I am not sufficiently influential in my students’ lives to shape that work ethic.
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for students 2007. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
During the past two days my students have begun the Anne Frank Web quest I chose to develop as one of my personal GAME Plan goals (http://questgarden.com/122/42/5/110404073307/index.htm). The problem that became immediately apparent is that many students were not willing to take the time to read the instructions and follow them. Part of the responsibility for this I take upon myself; next time I will be more deliberate in introducing the activity. However, the lion’s share of the responsibility does rest on the shoulders of my students. It is much easier to ask “What do I do next?” than to take the time to the instructions, find one’s place, and analyze the next task. We have got to break students of this habit, though, if we want them to be critical, capable thinkers.
With this in mind, I would like to use the GAME Plan to address Standard 4: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). I would like to develop some lessons that require students to work through a series of challenges. To begin, I could create a situation where all materials needed to complete the challenge are readily available if the students follow the instructions. When they master that, the challenges could become steadily more complex, requiring students to rely more on their own problem-solving skills to locate answers. If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them.
Part of developing these skills requires a certain work ethic, of course, and I worry that I am not sufficiently influential in my students’ lives to shape that work ethic.
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for students 2007. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
Monday, April 4, 2011
GAME Plan: So Far, So Good
What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? What goals are you still working toward?
I’m glad I chose the Web quest as a goal; it is a skill I had read about and considered for a long time but never made myself investigate. I’ve found that it is not as intimidating as I originally thought and that there are many quests that can be adapted easily. I look forward to trying out my first quest with my students next week.
I had a block of time today to devote to tweaking my Web quest. I made some minor changes, including rewording “Web log” to “response log”; since my students cannot blog, I will give them the option of writing their responses on a printed log or typing their responses on an electronic log which can then be submitted to my online dropbox.
I had already checked the links to ensure they were working properly, so I thought I was finished with that step…and then I remembered last week’s problem with student access to the FreePlayMusic site. I realized I had checked the links under my teacher-level access; when I checked using student-level access, I discovered that several of the links could not be reached. I found alternate sites for those resources. While I was checking links, I also discovered a few sites that were better than the ones hyperlinked in the original quest, so I changed those as well. I spent some time playing around with the features (changing the look of the site, adjusting font sizes, and so on) to build my comfort level.
I modified the rubric as well, as I mentioned in last week’s update. My students will not be presenting their work to the class, so I eliminated that category. I created a category for reflection. Once students complete their memorial, they will take some time to write a reflection that explains why their memorial is appropriate and the choices they made as they progressed through the project. Reflection will help students evaluate the decisions they made—and their effectiveness (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009).
I’ve decided to keep the quest on QuestGarden for now, at least. It’s easy to use and offers tools to help me evaluate my own work.
I’m at a standstill for the moment on the issue of digital citizenship; my students have had to take a break from their commercials due to scheduling issues. (State science testing takes over the computer lab this week, then a county-based extended writing assessment occurs next week.) We will return to the commercials the following week; at that point I will be able to evaluate how well my students are managing the issue of citing sources and creating a correctly-formatted bibliography.
Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself? If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?
While I am still working on my first set of goals, I’ve given some thought to new goals, particularly the standard of engaging in professional growth and leadership (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). Since I’ve started my graduate work, I haven’t taken advantage of many professional development opportunities in my district; there simply isn’t enough time in the day. While I value my learning at Walden—especially in its immediate applicability to my job—I also look forward to being able to take part in local workshops and training that support our available resources. In addition, I hope to extend my work with both our local and state reading councils; I have offered to take over the maintenance of the state council’s Web site next fall.
One of the original extensions I set during week two was to share appropriate online resources with the school community. I have offered to share the Anne Frank Web quest with another eighth grade reading teacher; as soon as I complete and publish the quest, it will be available online. (I’ll post that link here when it’s ready.) I recently learned that a district-wide space was recently created for file sharing among the members of the ELA department, so I plan to share some useful links and documents on there as well.
What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
The learning approach I’ve taken—searching the Web and talking with experts—has worked well for my two initial goals. Monitoring my progress has been helpful as well, as was setting a timeline for implementation. I anticipate that this approach will work for my newer goals as well.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
I’m glad I chose the Web quest as a goal; it is a skill I had read about and considered for a long time but never made myself investigate. I’ve found that it is not as intimidating as I originally thought and that there are many quests that can be adapted easily. I look forward to trying out my first quest with my students next week.
I had a block of time today to devote to tweaking my Web quest. I made some minor changes, including rewording “Web log” to “response log”; since my students cannot blog, I will give them the option of writing their responses on a printed log or typing their responses on an electronic log which can then be submitted to my online dropbox.
I had already checked the links to ensure they were working properly, so I thought I was finished with that step…and then I remembered last week’s problem with student access to the FreePlayMusic site. I realized I had checked the links under my teacher-level access; when I checked using student-level access, I discovered that several of the links could not be reached. I found alternate sites for those resources. While I was checking links, I also discovered a few sites that were better than the ones hyperlinked in the original quest, so I changed those as well. I spent some time playing around with the features (changing the look of the site, adjusting font sizes, and so on) to build my comfort level.
I modified the rubric as well, as I mentioned in last week’s update. My students will not be presenting their work to the class, so I eliminated that category. I created a category for reflection. Once students complete their memorial, they will take some time to write a reflection that explains why their memorial is appropriate and the choices they made as they progressed through the project. Reflection will help students evaluate the decisions they made—and their effectiveness (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009).
I’ve decided to keep the quest on QuestGarden for now, at least. It’s easy to use and offers tools to help me evaluate my own work.
I’m at a standstill for the moment on the issue of digital citizenship; my students have had to take a break from their commercials due to scheduling issues. (State science testing takes over the computer lab this week, then a county-based extended writing assessment occurs next week.) We will return to the commercials the following week; at that point I will be able to evaluate how well my students are managing the issue of citing sources and creating a correctly-formatted bibliography.
Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself? If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?
While I am still working on my first set of goals, I’ve given some thought to new goals, particularly the standard of engaging in professional growth and leadership (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). Since I’ve started my graduate work, I haven’t taken advantage of many professional development opportunities in my district; there simply isn’t enough time in the day. While I value my learning at Walden—especially in its immediate applicability to my job—I also look forward to being able to take part in local workshops and training that support our available resources. In addition, I hope to extend my work with both our local and state reading councils; I have offered to take over the maintenance of the state council’s Web site next fall.
One of the original extensions I set during week two was to share appropriate online resources with the school community. I have offered to share the Anne Frank Web quest with another eighth grade reading teacher; as soon as I complete and publish the quest, it will be available online. (I’ll post that link here when it’s ready.) I recently learned that a district-wide space was recently created for file sharing among the members of the ELA department, so I plan to share some useful links and documents on there as well.
What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
The learning approach I’ve taken—searching the Web and talking with experts—has worked well for my two initial goals. Monitoring my progress has been helpful as well, as was setting a timeline for implementation. I anticipate that this approach will work for my newer goals as well.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
GAME Plan Progress: Small Steps
The Web quest is moving forward bit by bit. I have checked the links on the QuestGarden Web quest I found, and all are working. The task as it stands includes writing responses in a web log; since my students do not have individual web logs, I need to decide how to manage that element. That could be as simple as having them create a Word document containing their responses and submitting it to my drop box when it is complete.
I want to modify the evaluation rubric somewhat. As it is currently written, it emphasizes the web log responses. I would prefer to make this more of a project-based based assessment as described by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009). While the research and thought that goes into the final product will be part of the assessment, more weight will be placed on the final product and how well students synthesize information as they create a new representation of their learning.
The next step, then, will be to modify the rubric and decide where to house the quest.
A minor problem occurred with the FreePlayMusic site. Until this year, teachers and students had the same level of Internet access; any site that was blocked to a student was blocked to me as well. Now, I have to remember that just because I can access a site does not mean it will be available to students. I mentioned FreePlayMusic to my students the other day, and when one of them tried to open the site we realized it was blocked. I was lucky in that we weren’t ready to work with music at that point, so I had time to request the removal of the block. It was a reminder to me that I have to be more diligent in checking resources for student accessibility before we are about to use them.
I reviewed the articles on fair use that I found a few weeks ago (Starr, 2010). There is still a great deal of controversy and misunderstanding when it comes to copyright and fair use, especially when we are working with new technologies. A key idea to keep in mind is if someone’s use of copyrighted material interferes with the owner’s potential income, it is more likely to be problematic. Another important element (and this is one I will stress with my students) is that the user must give credit for any copyrighted materials used. Another, which I had not considered before, is that no more than two copies of the project may be made; one can be held by the creator, while the other can be stored in the school media center. I will continue to research this issue to discover whether there are further details that could impact our procedures as we work on class projects.
I am pleased with the progress I’ve made so far. I have not only identified two areas of technology that were weak points for me, but also have taken steps to build my knowledge and comfort. There is still progress to be made, but the process so far has reminded me that the first step is often the hardest.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Starr, L. (2010, May 25). Education World. Copyrights and copying wrongs. Retrieved March 14, 2011 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr280a.shtml
I want to modify the evaluation rubric somewhat. As it is currently written, it emphasizes the web log responses. I would prefer to make this more of a project-based based assessment as described by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009). While the research and thought that goes into the final product will be part of the assessment, more weight will be placed on the final product and how well students synthesize information as they create a new representation of their learning.
The next step, then, will be to modify the rubric and decide where to house the quest.
A minor problem occurred with the FreePlayMusic site. Until this year, teachers and students had the same level of Internet access; any site that was blocked to a student was blocked to me as well. Now, I have to remember that just because I can access a site does not mean it will be available to students. I mentioned FreePlayMusic to my students the other day, and when one of them tried to open the site we realized it was blocked. I was lucky in that we weren’t ready to work with music at that point, so I had time to request the removal of the block. It was a reminder to me that I have to be more diligent in checking resources for student accessibility before we are about to use them.
I reviewed the articles on fair use that I found a few weeks ago (Starr, 2010). There is still a great deal of controversy and misunderstanding when it comes to copyright and fair use, especially when we are working with new technologies. A key idea to keep in mind is if someone’s use of copyrighted material interferes with the owner’s potential income, it is more likely to be problematic. Another important element (and this is one I will stress with my students) is that the user must give credit for any copyrighted materials used. Another, which I had not considered before, is that no more than two copies of the project may be made; one can be held by the creator, while the other can be stored in the school media center. I will continue to research this issue to discover whether there are further details that could impact our procedures as we work on class projects.
I am pleased with the progress I’ve made so far. I have not only identified two areas of technology that were weak points for me, but also have taken steps to build my knowledge and comfort. There is still progress to be made, but the process so far has reminded me that the first step is often the hardest.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Starr, L. (2010, May 25). Education World. Copyrights and copying wrongs. Retrieved March 14, 2011 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr280a.shtml
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
GAME Plan Progress
One of the critical elements of the GAME plan is monitoring my work thus far to determine whether I am making sufficient progress toward my goals (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). It would be especially easy to fall into the procrastination trap right now, with both the end of the third quarter and parent conferences approaching. In addition to monitoring, I want to modify my action plan by setting more specific goals regarding GAME Plan 1, the Web quest.
Now that I’ve spent some time researching Web quests, I feel much less apprehensive about creating one. Since the format remains the same despite the purpose of the quest, once I have created a template I can adapt it for reuse easily.
I signed up for a trial account with QuestGarden, since I discovered several Web quests there that I can adapt to my Anne Frank unit. My next step is to experiment with the services the site provides to determine whether continuing the paid account is worthwhile. (The subscription price is quite low, so I imagine the full-access account will be more than worth the cost.) Last week I saw that Anthony uses a Google site to house his Web quests; that is a possibility as well. Hosting my Web quests on either QuestGarden or Google, rather than exclusively on the school server, will mean that they are available to students from home as well as from school, a huge benefit when students are absent or when computer lab time is at a premium. Nonetheless, I will need to ensure that students have adequate computer time during class, since there are students who do not have easy access to the Internet outside of school.
Since my students will begin reading Anne Frank tomorrow, I should have plenty of time to modify a Web quest to use as an end-of unit assessment. I have not yet given myself a specific timeline for accomplishing this goal, so I will set that now: by Sunday, I plan to have analyzed the links on the existing Web quest and noted what changes need to be made. The following week, I will begin modifying the quest to fit my students’ needs. By setting up a specific schedule, I can keep myself on target rather than letting this slip to the bottom of the “to-do” list.
I have made some progress on GAME Plan 2 (ethical use of digital information) as well. I collaborated with the media specialist to create a mini-lesson on how to avoid copyright infringement, and we delivered the lesson to one class today. She created some reference sheets for the students on MLA guidelines for Web sites, music, and images, which are the three digital sources my students will be using on their upcoming Movie Maker commercial. I modified the reference sheets and put an electronic version on the school server where students can access them from any school computer.
A few days ago I received a reply to my email to FreePlayMusic.com. I learned that we can use the music on the site as long as it does not go beyond the school building. This will suit our needs well, as we plan to keep these movies within our school community. The media specialist and I ensured that students understand why we have these limitations; they seemed receptive to the idea of fair use.
Still to be conquered in the coming weeks: Creative Commons and the copyright/fair use articles I referenced last week (Starr, 2010).
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Starr, L. (2010, May 25). Education World. Copyrights and copying wrongs. Retrieved March 14, 2011 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr280a.shtml
Now that I’ve spent some time researching Web quests, I feel much less apprehensive about creating one. Since the format remains the same despite the purpose of the quest, once I have created a template I can adapt it for reuse easily.
I signed up for a trial account with QuestGarden, since I discovered several Web quests there that I can adapt to my Anne Frank unit. My next step is to experiment with the services the site provides to determine whether continuing the paid account is worthwhile. (The subscription price is quite low, so I imagine the full-access account will be more than worth the cost.) Last week I saw that Anthony uses a Google site to house his Web quests; that is a possibility as well. Hosting my Web quests on either QuestGarden or Google, rather than exclusively on the school server, will mean that they are available to students from home as well as from school, a huge benefit when students are absent or when computer lab time is at a premium. Nonetheless, I will need to ensure that students have adequate computer time during class, since there are students who do not have easy access to the Internet outside of school.
Since my students will begin reading Anne Frank tomorrow, I should have plenty of time to modify a Web quest to use as an end-of unit assessment. I have not yet given myself a specific timeline for accomplishing this goal, so I will set that now: by Sunday, I plan to have analyzed the links on the existing Web quest and noted what changes need to be made. The following week, I will begin modifying the quest to fit my students’ needs. By setting up a specific schedule, I can keep myself on target rather than letting this slip to the bottom of the “to-do” list.
I have made some progress on GAME Plan 2 (ethical use of digital information) as well. I collaborated with the media specialist to create a mini-lesson on how to avoid copyright infringement, and we delivered the lesson to one class today. She created some reference sheets for the students on MLA guidelines for Web sites, music, and images, which are the three digital sources my students will be using on their upcoming Movie Maker commercial. I modified the reference sheets and put an electronic version on the school server where students can access them from any school computer.
A few days ago I received a reply to my email to FreePlayMusic.com. I learned that we can use the music on the site as long as it does not go beyond the school building. This will suit our needs well, as we plan to keep these movies within our school community. The media specialist and I ensured that students understand why we have these limitations; they seemed receptive to the idea of fair use.
Still to be conquered in the coming weeks: Creative Commons and the copyright/fair use articles I referenced last week (Starr, 2010).
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Starr, L. (2010, May 25). Education World. Copyrights and copying wrongs. Retrieved March 14, 2011 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr280a.shtml
Monday, March 14, 2011
Carrying Out the GAME Plan
This week I will take a closer look at the resources and information I need to carry out my GAME plan effectively.
GAME Plan 1: master the design, adaptation, and implementation of Web quests
Indicator 2c: customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011);
GAME Plan 2: develop a better understanding of the acceptable use of digital information in a school setting in order to clearly relay it to students
Indicator 4a: advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011)
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). Nets for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Meeting students’ needs with technology, part 1. [DVD]. Integrating technology across the content area. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Starr, L. (2010, May 25). Education World. Copyrights and copying wrongs. Retrieved March 14, 2011 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr280a.shtml
GAME Plan 1: master the design, adaptation, and implementation of Web quests
Indicator 2c: customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011);
- Resources Needed: I need to spend some time searching for sites that will help me create Web quests—preferably something simple so I can get started quickly.
- Information Needed: What lessons would be best suited to a Web quest? I would like to incorporate a Web quest into my Anne Frank unit; will I have time to do so since we’re starting the unit next week? Teacher Chan Gray (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009) mentions using technology at the end of units; perhaps I could I use a Web quest as a culminating activity to help students review before assessment.
- Steps So Far: I have not taken many steps so far. I have reached out to my new learning community, however, which has brought me some fresh resources, so I have a starting point.
GAME Plan 2: develop a better understanding of the acceptable use of digital information in a school setting in order to clearly relay it to students
Indicator 4a: advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011)
- Resources Needed: I want to find more sources that students can use without fear of copyright infringement. I plan to talk to the media specialist at my school about activities to help my students understand how (or if) they may incorporate information and images located online in their own work. I want to find resources that help convey clearly the concept of fair use.
- Information Needed: I hope to get a better understanding of Creative Commons; I frequently see it cited as a great source for copyright-free images, but when I first reviewed it, determining acceptable use was not as simple as I had expected it to be. I want to implement discussion of digital citizenship before my students begin creating their public service announcements.
- Steps So Far: I emailed a contact in the technology with questions about fair use for schools. He deflected my comment to the supervisor of media specialists, but I have not gotten a response from her. I found a series of articles on copyright and fair use (Starr, 2010) that looks promising; I hope it helps clarify my understanding. I have emailed FreePlayMusic.com to clarify the terms of student use; part of it indicates that it is free to students; another section indicates that a license must be purchased.
My learning strategy will consist of searching the Web (for Web quest sites; for sources of images and music that are appropriate for school use; and for clarification of fair use) and communicating with experts. I hope that for these two GAME plans this will be sufficient, but I understand I may need to adapt my strategy if my self-evaluation reveals less than satisfactory results. Ongoing self-evaluation will be another strategy that I will employ in order to monitor my progress.
I look forward to hearing from my colleagues; I know that you will be a most valuable resource as I develop this plan!
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). Nets for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Meeting students’ needs with technology, part 1. [DVD]. Integrating technology across the content area. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Starr, L. (2010, May 25). Education World. Copyrights and copying wrongs. Retrieved March 14, 2011 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr280a.shtml
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The GAME Plan
After I reviewed the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011), I found I was fairly comfortable with many of the indicators. However, several stood out to me as areas that I either want or need to explore further.
While I frequently incorporate technology into my lessons, I want to focus on using technology as a means to reach and engage all students, regardless of their learning style or ability. The Web quest is a strategy that I have considered using on several occasions, but, because I am not familiar with the technology, have shied away from it in favor of other, more comfortable practices.
I realize that a Web quest will present my students with a more flexible means of accessing information in the computer lab, especially in more diverse classes where a “one size fits all” approach is likely to fit none well. The Web quest will provide a way to “scaffold or support…students’ use of the web as a tutor” (Cennamo, Ross, &, Ertmer, 2009, p. 55).
The second area is one that has been particularly troublesome for me: determining what digital information can be used in the classroom and how it should be cited. There is an attitude among many students (and some teachers as well) that if something is on the Web, it is appropriate for anyone’s use in any way. Intellectual property and fair use are issues we need to actively discuss with our students; while it is unlikely that anyone will bring legal action against a middle schooler for the unauthorized use of an image, such actions can and certainly do result in copyright infringement charges out in “the real world.”
Because my own grasp of fair use is fuzzy, I need to clarify it before I can discuss it with my students in terms they can understand. Providing opportunities to locate appropriate sources and cite them correctly will help students understand that these are choices that must be made deliberately.
The GAME plans for these two indicators follow.
2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
c: customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
Goals: master the design, adaptation, and implementation of Web quests, both to promote student learning and to model my willingness to broaden my own skill set
Take Action: seek out other teachers who have used Web quests successfully; research sites that provide assistance in creating Web quests, take online tutorials; develop a timeline for implementation
Monitor: determine which sites/applications best suit my needs; decide whether additional resources are needed; adhere to timeline, making modifications if necessary
Evaluate and Extend: reflect on successes and challenges of the undertaking; revise Web quest as needed; share Web quest with eighth grade team and reading specialist; share Web quest online
Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources
Goals: develop a better understanding of the acceptable use of digital information in a school setting in order to clearly relay it to students
Take Action: consult media specialist/technology department to clarify what constitutes appropriate use in a school setting; collaborate with media specialist to design lesson on citations for electronic resources; locate appropriate online resources for images, music, and animations
Monitor: reflect on whether resources are clarifying the goal; determine whether there are individuals in the school community that could provide additional information; consider whether I feel capable of clearly conveying the information I have learned to others
Evaluate and Extend: convey sufficient information to my students that they can make informed decisions about digital information use; share appropriate online resources with the school community
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
While I frequently incorporate technology into my lessons, I want to focus on using technology as a means to reach and engage all students, regardless of their learning style or ability. The Web quest is a strategy that I have considered using on several occasions, but, because I am not familiar with the technology, have shied away from it in favor of other, more comfortable practices.
I realize that a Web quest will present my students with a more flexible means of accessing information in the computer lab, especially in more diverse classes where a “one size fits all” approach is likely to fit none well. The Web quest will provide a way to “scaffold or support…students’ use of the web as a tutor” (Cennamo, Ross, &, Ertmer, 2009, p. 55).
The second area is one that has been particularly troublesome for me: determining what digital information can be used in the classroom and how it should be cited. There is an attitude among many students (and some teachers as well) that if something is on the Web, it is appropriate for anyone’s use in any way. Intellectual property and fair use are issues we need to actively discuss with our students; while it is unlikely that anyone will bring legal action against a middle schooler for the unauthorized use of an image, such actions can and certainly do result in copyright infringement charges out in “the real world.”
Because my own grasp of fair use is fuzzy, I need to clarify it before I can discuss it with my students in terms they can understand. Providing opportunities to locate appropriate sources and cite them correctly will help students understand that these are choices that must be made deliberately.
The GAME plans for these two indicators follow.
2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
c: customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
Goals: master the design, adaptation, and implementation of Web quests, both to promote student learning and to model my willingness to broaden my own skill set
Take Action: seek out other teachers who have used Web quests successfully; research sites that provide assistance in creating Web quests, take online tutorials; develop a timeline for implementation
Monitor: determine which sites/applications best suit my needs; decide whether additional resources are needed; adhere to timeline, making modifications if necessary
Evaluate and Extend: reflect on successes and challenges of the undertaking; revise Web quest as needed; share Web quest with eighth grade team and reading specialist; share Web quest online
Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources
Goals: develop a better understanding of the acceptable use of digital information in a school setting in order to clearly relay it to students
Take Action: consult media specialist/technology department to clarify what constitutes appropriate use in a school setting; collaborate with media specialist to design lesson on citations for electronic resources; locate appropriate online resources for images, music, and animations
Monitor: reflect on whether resources are clarifying the goal; determine whether there are individuals in the school community that could provide additional information; consider whether I feel capable of clearly conveying the information I have learned to others
Evaluate and Extend: convey sufficient information to my students that they can make informed decisions about digital information use; share appropriate online resources with the school community
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx
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