To gain this knowledge, I have to do an Internet search for resources that can carry me to various Websites that provide professional learning and support, lesson plans and activities. These provisions can be carried out through personal readings, videos and/or virtual experiences. Each avenue will contribute to my professional toolbox of techniques for infusing twenty-first century technologies into my English classroom.
Having taken the step to identify some resourceful Websites with brief overviews of their purposes and content, I have identified the following sites as starters:
- http://www.cast.org/index.html
- http://www.classsroom20.com
- http://www.concord.org
- http://www.edutopia.org/tech-integration
- http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Advocacy/Dons_letter_on_Funding.htm
- http://www.ncte.org
- http://www.teachersdomain.org
- http://www.21stcenturyskills.org
- http://www.thinkfinity.org/home.aspx
In addition to using these sites to gain information, I will use a collaborative learning strategy to gain insight from colleagues on techniques of technology integration that has worked for them. Through collaborative sites like http://www.ning.com and technology blog sites, I can network my way to effective integration of digital tools and resources to promote not only engaging and creative learning experiences but also academic success!
Shirley,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you came up with so many useful sites. How did you garner them? Did you google 21st century skills in education or something similar to that? Like you, I am trying to pick the collective brain of educators via blogs regarding their use of technology in the classroom and I have found google to be helpful. There are many teacher blogs to turn to and some of them have a way to narrow the search even further to technology topics. There is nothing like communicating with another educator to see if a strategy is useful in the classroom. Good luck.
Ruthie Crawford
Thanks, Ruth!
ReplyDeleteSome of them were googled, but most of them had come from previous materials I have used or from classmates' discussions. I have found that there are great ideas out there, and many educators are excited and willing to share them. Collaborative communication is super, and I am excited about the QUEST!
Thanks for your encouraging words!
Shirley
Shirley,
ReplyDeleteWhile looking for a lesson plan for this week's application, I came across some great tools on the Discovery School website. Along with these tools (links below), there are some fantastic lesson plans written by well-educated/experienced teachers. Check them out!
Presentation Tools: http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools-presentation.cfm
Video Tools: http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools-video.cfm
Mobile Tools: http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools-mobile.cfm
Community Tools: http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools-community.cfm
Others: http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools-related.cfm
Have fun exploring! I know I did!
Aundrea Croft
Thanks, Aundrea! I will definitely be visiting these sites for ideas that I can tweak and customize. Collaboration with other educators is a great thing! I am expecting this to be a great exploration, and I will certainly accept all other suggestions.
ReplyDeleteShirley
Shirley,
ReplyDeleteYou really have done your research in achieveing the goals set forth by your GAME Plan. You have selected many good websites that I am familiar with myself. Reaching out to your colleagues is always a good idea since they are a wealth of information. Have you subscribed to all these sites using your aggregator account to keep up to date with all the sites?
Jennifer Ramos-Collado
Shirley,
ReplyDeleteI am totally going to steal your list of websites for 21st century skills. That is a solid list. I love the NCTE site. I had a chance to go to an NCTE conference a few years ago and was blown away...they are definitely effective users of technology...willing to experiment and try new things.
A few I like and have messed around with:
www.animoto.com - this site quickly lets you upload pics and/or music and make a super fast video
www.gcast.com - for creating fast and easy podcasts or recordings.
www.scriblink.com - an online whiteboard for any kind of use.
www.pivot.com - stickfigure animation...sounds non-educational, but we have found myriad uses in my class...and making little stick figure cartoons is pretty fun.
These sites are nowhere near as focused and valuable but do provide specific tools or things you can do in the classroom with students. Best of luck with using technology in the classroom and strengthening your professional learning.
Dan Lollis
Dan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the additions! Every suggestion is considered valuable. As I gathered sites to explore, I was quite pleased with my outcome. I am pleased that someone other than me can profit from my search. I certainly do profit from the works of others. Therefore, we won't call it a "steal" but a friendly collaboration with desirable results. Just studying the information on the NCTE site lets you know that they are awesome with knowledge, vision and optimism. Thanks for your well wishes, Dan, and good luck in your endeavors.
Shirley