Planned Improvisations July 6, 2006
Posted by lrjohnson in : NECC2006 , add a commentPlanned Improvisations: Technology-Supported Learning Activity Design in Social Studies
Different type of session, one of the speakers is participating via videoconferencing! Check out their web site to get the actual presentation!
Gave a quick review of traditional approaches to Prof. Development
Pockets of amazing things going on in the classroom but for the most part not technocentric. Technology focus but not integration.
Focus is on student’s curriculum standards – content-centric
Shluman’s pedagogical content knowledge
Intersection of teachers content knowledge, pedagogical and technological knowledge
Decisions based on students learning needs and preferences
Taking that intersection and going from there! All of it fits together
Planning and teaching are context dependent, but is really lots of improvisation though not in as much detail
Think of teaching planning as Jazz
Tried and true are riffs
Learning activity plans as lead sheets
Project/unit plans as fake books
Use all the different teaching approaches and integrate them as a planned improvisations
Students needs in central focus, close by standards and contextual factors and digital tech included, all are interdependent
To do this…
Planning Aids: Activity types
Like the idea of designing an exhibit. Would work as a great activity for students to teach the other students
There are several examples of projects on the web, be sure to get their powerpoint!
Need to think about the students needs as we assign projects, not all are effective in small groups or larger groups…
Acknowledge the interdependence, think about the activity types as you plan, let them assist in the planning
Tech interwoven rather than the focus. They plan to work on more lessons. They had 2 in their PowerPoint that look great.
Discover the Mathematical World of GIS
Posted by lrjohnson in : NECC2006 , add a commentDiscover the Mathematical World of GIS
This session was a total surprise and can’t wait to go back and hook a teacher that is already really into google earth and other satellite stuff. Now he can go a huge leap forward and collaborate with our math teachers. The potential is limitless for incorporating real world math problems for the students. Be sure to go to the NECC program page and get their presentation. You can do that by just typing in the name of the session in the search box.
They started with the explanation that GIS is not GPS but that GPS can be a part of GIS. It is a layering of information to put it in simple terms. The potential for students to create real world problems and solutions is wide open. They gave examples of where GIS is being used… CDC, Homeland Security, NOAA, Fire Safety, Law Enforcement, Urban Planning. As you can see there are many ways to have Math and other subject areas collaborate using this info.
The relevance of this in teaching students is for them to visualize data. You can download Arc Explorer from http://www.esri.com/aejee It is the java edition for education. One of the first Math concepts to using is scale and making conversions.
They also showed us the Shodor Education Foundation web site that has curriculum materials to support Math. They have several online games that focus on specific math skills such as using coordinates.
Introducing the Read/Write Web: Challenges, Opportunities, and Implications
Posted by Debbie Stafford in : NECC2006 , add a commentIntroducing the Read/Write Web: Challenges, Opportunities, and Implications
Presenter Tim Wilson, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools
This session focused on opportunities and challenges of the Read/Write Web also known as Web 2.0. Instead of a tour of websites, Tim introduced the concept of the Read Write Web in terms of the Educational Opportunities and Challenges for Education.
I especially enjoyed the section on Educational Opportunities as it gave me some ideas for incorporating into some teacher training. Three areas were outlined; curriculum planning, classroom management, and assessment
Under challenges, he acknowledged the safety issues and stressed the importance of schools being able to shut down the site/program by using “your own server” to host these applications. However, one “risk” of not utilizing these “new” applications is the risk of “perception among students that the school curriculum does not reflect the real world and the inability of teachers to effectively utilize technology with their students.”
The main web sites show during the presentation were;
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/ and Technorati http://www.technorati.com/
Tag: NECC2006
AASL in the News
Posted by ayucht in : AASL Officers , add a commentCheck out this great article about Linda Williams, our illustrious immediate-past president:
County librarian shares spotlight with first lady, as published in The Capital (MD) newspaper on June 28, 2006.