To Increase Creativity or Not?

My project is going to be “A Day in the Life” of a Native American. Students are going to work in groups and choose a particular tribe they would like to learn more about. They will find facts and pictures related to their tribe. The pictures they find will be put into a PhotoStory to represent the facts they find. These facts will be put into a script and written from the perspective of a Native American.  They must use higher-order thinking skills to portray their tribe and not simply regurgitate facts. They will present their projects to the class. Since each group will be researching a different tribe, students will fill out an information chart to gather facts about the other tribes while watching the presentations.

Another piece of creativity or innovation that I could implement is student choice of presentation material. Students could have a choice of PhotoStory or some other tool similar to that. However, for this project I think that element is best saved for another project. This will be the first time students are introduced to PhotoStory, so I think that will be a challenge in itself. After students have been introduced to this software, they will have a better idea of what there is to work with for a later time.

Blog 5: Assessment

I feel that assessment is very important to student learning. When I was in the classroom I would plan a pretest and a posttest for my students. This was important because it would show growth or areas I needed to re-teach. That was a form of summative assessment I would practice. I also think that formative assessment is just as important. After teaching lessons I would do a quick formative assessment to check for understanding. Now that I am in the media center, assessing is little trickier. I do feel that I am still assessing, however I do so in a more informal way. I feel that my assessment is through observations. I teach students skills to become self-directed learners and as they visit the media center, I observe to see how they use those skills. If I notice that those skills are not being used correctly or even at all, I might suggest to the teacher to bring their students in for a class, or address the individual student. I wonder though is the only way that I can assess students as a Media Specialist? This is a concern of mine, because I have a flexible schedule which works on a as needed basis for classes. How can I truly assess a group of student who I do not see on a regular basis? Any thoughts?

Blog 4: Project-Based Learning

After reading the articles about project-based learning (PBL), I am not so sure that I have actually implemented a true PBL activity in the classroom before. Diane McGrath (2002) defines PBL as “teaching and learning around projects that are driven by an authentic question or problem that is central to the discipline/curriculum, involves the building of a community of learners, and culminates in the presentation of students constructed work to an outside audience” (p. 42). I feel that I have incorporated parts of this teaching style into my teaching when I was in the classroom, but I had factors of control that did not allow me to fully call it PBL. I think I honestly was scared to let the students have that much control and freedom when I as in the classroom because I was afraid of not meeting the standards. After reading these articles, I have a different opinion about that now. I should have let them experiment more themselves and ask questions to drive their own thinking. They would have been more motivated to learn something in a way that they would like to learn. I do agree that it probably does increase student test scores. I do think this type of learning works better with older students though. They are able to work more independently from the teacher to find answers to driving questions. I find that younger students are still unsure of themselves and still seek approval from their teachers. Hopefully by completing this implementation project I will be able to feel more comfortable with the teaching approach.

Reference:

McGrath, D. (2002). Getting started with project-based learning. Learning and Leading with Technology 30(3), 42-45.

Blog 3: Understanding LoTi Levels

           Unfortunately I had to miss class last week due to my school’s curriculum night. I was really looking forward to discussing LoTi more and understanding the different levels. However, I did go back and listen to the archive. I do feel better now that Won explained each level and gave an example of each one. My biggest struggle was between the levels 3 and 4. It seems like a level 3 is teacher-centered and students do not have much choice. But level 4 is student-centered and students have more choice and ownership of the project at hand. Knowing more about these levels, I will be able to narrow down my decisions about my project more this week I hope. I will also be able to find more examples and confidently be able to identify their LoTi levels.

            I took the LoTi Questionnaire last week and it was interesting to see what I found. It turns out that I am a level 6 for my personal computer use. This makes sense because I feel like I have to trouble shoot technical problems at my school quite a bit since I am the Media Specialist. Also, I enjoy using technology, so this would make my level higher than someone who tends to shy away from using it. My other levels were pretty low. This was not a shock too much to me since I do not have a group of students I consistently teach on a day-to-day basis. My current instructional practices level was a 1 and my LoTi level was a 2. Again I think this is due to the fact I do not teach students everyday. The questionnaire said that my goal should be a level 3. However, I am striving for a level 4 since that is the minimum level our project should be. I think it would be interesting to find out how other Media Specialists compare and what they do to increase their levels. 

Blog 2: A Couple of Technology Integration Examples

The past few days I have been searching for examples of lessons that integrate technology into them. I focused mainly on trying to find 4th grade Native American lessons. However, it has been hard to find these lessons with an LoTi 4. I am also having a hard time distinguishing between levels 3, 4, and 5. They seem so similar to me. I plan to continue investigating these levels more and trying to understand how to label lessons. I hope that we will discuss this more in class this week.

1. Fact vs. Opinion and a PhotoStory

Overview: Students use photos and PhotoStory software to show understanding between fact and opinion. This lesson could be used in conjunction with a Native American Unit to show misconceptions presented about Native Americans.

Target Audience: 3^rd - 5^th Grade

Technology Utilized: PhotoStory, Computer with Internet

ISTE Standards:

1. Creativity & Innovation: Students must create a PhotoStory using pictures they find on the Internet to show misconceptions.

2. Communication & Collaboration: Students work together in groups to

create their PhotoStory and effectively communicate why they chose their pictures.

3. Research & Information Fluency: Students will search websites for pictures and use PhotoStory to organize their materials and present their ideas.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving & Decision Making: Students need to use critical thinking skills to demonstrate why their chosen pictures are

considered misconceptions of Native Americans.

5. Digital Citizenship: Students must search appropriate websites for pictures while keeping a positive attitude to promote learning.

6. Technology Operations & Concepts: Students must be able to navigate the Internet to locate their pictures and troubleshoot any issues that may arise with obtaining pictures for their presentation.

LoTi Level: The LoTi level for this project is a level 4a. Students could use real pictures found on the Internet. In groups students use high-order thinking skills to discuss and demonstrate why these pictures are considered misconceptions or accurate depictions of Native Americans. Students must have a good understanding of the different tribes studied in the 4^th grade.

2. Native American PowerPoint Presentation

Overview: Students will research a particular Native American Tribe. Once they have gathered the necessary facts they will create a PowerPoint presentation.

Target Audience: 4^th Grade

Technology Utilized: Computer with Internet, PowerPoint software

ISTE Standards:

1. Creativity & Innovation: Students will create a PowerPoint presentation of the information they find on their assigned tribe.

2. Communication & Collaboration: Students work together in groups to

research and build a PowerPoint presentation about Native Americans.

3. Research & Information Fluency: Students will search websites for information regarding their tribe and organize the information into a Powerpoint.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving & Decision Making: Students must be able to decide what information is pertinent for their presentation.

5. Digital Citizenship: Students must practice safe and responsible search skills while researching their tribe.

6. Technology Operations & Concepts: Students must be able to navigate the Internet to locate information about their tribes.

LoTi Level: The LoTi level for this project is a level 3. Technology is used to help master content, but the lesson is teacher-driven.