As I continue on this journey to explore and work toward my GAME plan I am discovering new information and resources that I believe will be valuable in the classroom. This week was the last week of school for students at my school this week. As I think back on this year, and toward my first goal, I try to think of lessons that would be enriched by using technology.
A technology tool I discovered at our district in-service on Friday is a website called quizlet.com. The basic membership is free. This site is all flashcards. You can create your own set of flashcards as well as use sets that others created. The thing I like best about these flashcards is that students can use them in a variety of ways. They can use them like traditional flashcards, they can scatter and match them, or they can select multiple-choice answers. Once students have studied the flashcards, I can use the multiple-choice quiz to run a wireless responded with to give a summative quiz. I think this site is a fabulous way to learn or practice story vocabulary, math terms, multiplication facts, science and social studies vocabulary, parts of a plant, and the list could go on. I am really excited to begin using quizlet.com next year.
Another resource that I would like to look into is the handheld computer to perform running reading records with students that was mentioned in our text this week. I have done the paper version of this assessment, but this version seems less time consuming and easier to collect progressive data. “Running records of an entire classroom of students can be completed in less than a class period, and data from these records can then be aggregated and reported almost instantaneously- something that takes much longer to accomplish by hand.” (Cennamo, Ross, Ertmer 2009, p. 147)
My school district has implemented the use of “Thinking Maps.” These are graphic organizers. I would love to see these in computer software. My students would benefit from being able to use digital pictures from the Internet on their graphic organizers as well as being able to save them, share them, and compare them. Thinking Maps could also be a great formative and summative assessment tool for me.
As an educator, I am continuously learning new strategies and ideas to use in my classroom. My second goal is something I feel is vital to being an effective teacher. I will always need and use professional development. This course and colleagues in this course are providing me with new information each week. I feel that I still need to branch out to search for online educational blogs and communities online. I have not done this yet. Has anyone found beneficial educational communities online that they enjoy?
I believe I am headed in the right direction with my action toward my GAME plan. I do not feel that it needs to be modified at this time. I will continue to reflect upon lessons that will become enriched from technology for my students. Does anyone have other suggestions on technology that works well at the elementary level? I will also continue to look for more outlets for professional development.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Wow thanks for sharing the quizlet resource. This is definitely something I will be using in my class next year. What a great way to develop tools for my students to use to study. Also I love that there are many sets of cards already made that I can use with my students. I wonder if you can import pictures to cards or if it is just text. I also love that is reads the cards for students. That could be a great tool for ELL students.
ReplyDeleteHi Nick,
ReplyDeleteYes, I am very excited to try quizlet with my students next year. You can import pictures if you have the paid version of quizlet. However, even with the free version, there is a database of pictures you can search through to use. I believe they are from creative commons and copyright approved. At least that is what the trainer in my session told us. Enjoy exploring the site!