1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Teachers:
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
Teachers:
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
Correlating Assignments:Tessellations
This is a great activity that gives students the opportunity to create shapes, extend patterns, and recognize spatial relationships. Students who struggle with numbers will find success in creating a unique tessellation. http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ Tessellate/
Digital Storytelling
Creating a storyboard and using Windows Movie Maker, I created a compare/contrast movie highlighting two people that are 70 years apart in age. In the process, much was learned about multiple generations.
The Story of Mary: Windows Movie Maker
Web Poster Wizard
Create a web poster that can be viewed, shared, and edited with classmates. We created web posters featuring a haiku about a topic important to the student complete with links to expand learning. |
Current Projects:Author Webcasts
We have enjoyed several author/artist webcasts this year. These webcasts have given the students an opportunity to see and hear well-known people talk about the importance of reading, the process of publishing, and get excited about characters in some of their favorite books. Read Now with Taylor Swift http://www.scholastic.com/readeveryday/ essaycontest.htm Meet Winter the Dolphin http://www.scholastic.com/winterstail/index.htm Series Favorites: heroes, scamps, and sidekicks http://www.scholastic.com/teachseries_ collection/video/playercode.html Virtual Field Trips
Thanksgiving week is always a shortened one with a lot of excitement. During this week I create many of our activities around The First Thanksgiving, beginning with a virtual field trip. http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic _thanksgiving/webcast.htm After learning about the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, my students were very interested in finding out more. We found the following virtual tour and it ignited a flurry of learning. Many of the children continued to nurture their curiosity about the Titanic at home! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_5t4-8DXuo |
Goals for the Future:Creativeness and excellent Communication Skills need to be nurtured more than ever in our schools today. We no longer live in a world in which an educator holds the answers that can now be found easily using Google. Today's challenges and problems will need to be faced with new and unique ideas. Students will need to learn to work with others not only in their own classroom, but to think on a more global level as well. One area that I would like to expand on is communicating and thinking collaboratively with other students outside of our school setting.
Many global projects can be found in learning communities like Classroom 2.0, Edutopia, and Technology Rich Classrooms (see NETS-T, Standard 5). Webcasts and Virtual Field Trips
Currently we are in a "view only" stage of virtual learning. We have video and audio of the content, but do not interact with the participants on the other end. Our in-class discussions are terrific, but we could take it up a notch if we could actually visit with others outside of our classroom. It is my goal that next year we would have the ability to participate fully. This means the installation of a webcam on the promethean board, as well as preparation and training with the students on questioning/listening and proper netiquette. |