Technology Successes this past school year

Self evaluation is a positive tool for seeing where you are and where you are going. So here is how I stand:

Technology Successes for school year 2006-2007
1. 1-1 laptop environment for all classes (American History, World History, and World Geography)
2. completion of two major projects per class including WWI comic books in American History and Digital Memory Books for a historical novel in World History
3. online testing via Quizstar.com for World Geography and at least three tests each for other two classes as well as using turnitin.com to check for plagiarism in writing
4. beginning of web 2.0 journey by reading several key books such as The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts by Will Richardson, and Classroom Blogging by David F. Warlick
5. starting this blog and trying to feel more confident in writing more assertively
6. agreeing to write a new grant for high school to incorporate blogging, wikis, and podcasting into teaching
7. trying to learn more about Google Earth and Google maps and how to use them in the classroom particularly for projects
8. attending the NECC convention Georgia this summer
9. trying to push the edge of the envelope by learning technology skills such as taking an online class about Microsoft Word and using a lot of new web 2.0 sites I read about

Things I really need to accomplish to get to the next rung on the technology ladder:
1. include more web 2.0 aspects into my teaching and revamp projects to include these; that will entail discarding some of the things I have done in the past and incorporating new ideas
2. incorporate more online testing into each subject and to continue using turnitin.com
3. continue to personally blog and start commenting on ideas brought forth by other bloggers and perhaps commenting on their blogs
4. do a podcast this next school year using that VFW essay contest
5. attempt to do a project using a wiki
6. learn enough about Google Earth and Google maps to do projects in World Geography using these
7. write the grant well enough to get the funding
8. continue to learn how to use flickr, bloglines, and other tools to stay abreast with emerging technologies

Crash Course in another technology

My newest challenge this month is to learn how to use a palm pilot to some degree in time for the NECC convention. The Diocese is loaning each member of our Grant Team one for the duration of the convention. Since school is now out, I will focus on that for a few days. The backup plan is just to take notes and manage myself the old fashioned way--via a binder. We'll see how quickly I can gain a comfort zone with this new technology.

Atlanta Bound

As the school year ends an exciting new adventure awaits. A team of three from our school will travel to the NECC convention in Atlanta, Georgia to experience all the new ideas in using technology in education. We will be writing a new grant for our school upon return based on using laptop computers in the classroom on a 1 to 1 ratio. Two of us on the team are teachers and one is the technology coordinator. We two teachers, one a Junior/Senior English instructor, and myself, a social studies teacher, have been using laptop computers in our classroom for two years. We have done some very interesting and creative projects and felt very successful. However, we need to move up to the next rung of the ladder and learn the web 2.0 technologies. The diocesean office has even loaned us palm pilots which we have no clue how to use but will hopefully learn before we board the airplane. It is a brave new world and we are excited and determined to conquer it.

World War I Comic Book Project Completed

This school year the main technology connected project in American History for 11th graders was a comic book based on events and people in World War I. Now that they are all turned in and graded, I am most pleased with the quality of the work. Out of 59 students encompassing both semesters, I had 16 fabulous projects that are historically correct, well researched and documented both for sources and pictures, wonderfully designed both visually and organizationally, as well as having an appropriate moral and individual comic genre type effects. These projects were completed in class on laptop computers having about 45 minutes per class period for a period of about 1 month. Some students chose to also stay after school and continue working. One of the rewards of teaching is seeing the high quality of critical thinking and design that students are capable of achieving when challenged. I am ending the year with this class feeling like we really accomplished something.

Connecting to Technorati

Once again I am stretching my comfort zone and trying to keep up with all the new web tools by connecting this blog to technorati. I hope the world wants to hear what I have to say; the least of which I can more completely hear what the world is saying. Technorati Profile

Teaching myself new technologies and ideas for the classroom

I was just reading David Warlick's blog and was struck by the post of May 9th about teachers resisting technology and waiting for someone to teach them how to do something using the computers. I see that often in my own world; I have been guilty of it myself at times. He writes that teachers should just get with the program and teach themselves what they need to do. We are involved in a process of learning and need to keep up with the digital world of our students. I am trying to do just that in preparation for writing a new grant for my classroom. I have read books and blogs and see the vision; now I have to just jump into the pool which can't be totally done until new Internet policies are written at our school and the new server is set up. Hey, I just learned how to insert a link into my blog. Now I have substantiated my thoughts with a reference. I have achieved success today in a minor way.

World War I Comic Books due at the end of the week

As the semester starts drawing to a close, our second technology connected project is coming due this week. Friday, May 11, 2007 is the due date for turning in your comic book based on a World War I topic. Each day before Friday, extra points will be added based on how early you manage to get the finished project into my hands. Don't forget to fill out your rubric and include the proof of your printed source. So far the ones that have been turned in are meeting most of the established criteria. I am anxious to see them all.