Wednesday, May 20, 2015

What tools could be used in my classroom to help me integrate technology effectively?

Google Classroom is one of the most recent additions to my class. It is a very useful tool that you can use to create and organize assignments, have immediate feedback, and allows for real time communication with classes outside of school hours if the need arises. Google Classroom seamlessly integrates Google Docs, Drive, and Gmail. If you are a GAFE school, this is incredibly helpful addition to your toolbox because it automatically creates a Drive folder for each assignment and students can see what's due on their assignments page. Instructors can see who has and has not completed assignments and provide direct feedback to individual students. 
I  also use online certification testing software for the students in my class. I teach  Computer Repair and Maintenance. My students use Certiport Online Testing to study for and take their certification exam at the end of the year.This is an effective way to measure student comprehension.
Another excellent tool is Camstasia. I have used this video creation/editing software sporadically in the past but plan to to use it in a "Student Teacher" project the second semester next year. Students will create a lesson plan, a comprehension assignment and an instruction video of the topic they will be teaching to the class. they will then edit and post their video on a YouTube channel.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Technology Integration Matrix

1. Where would you rate yourself in each area?
I split my work day between teaching a computer repair class and working in the technology department. Because of the nature of my job and what I teach I feel like I am very easily adaptable to new and changing technology.I enjoy using it in my classroom and constantly see possibilities for future lesson plans. Saying this, I still feel limited by what the school corporation is able to provide in the way of technology. I feel that currently I am in the adaption phase but quickly moving into the Infusion stage.

2. Where do you think you could reasonably be at the end of the next grading period?
Our school will be 100% 1:1 in the next school year. We also just recently switched over to being a completely GAFE ( Google Apps for Education) school. I am already seeing this have an impact in my classroom.In the next school year I can start moving more into the Infusion stage. With the collaborative capabilities of Google and the

3. What steps will you need to take in order to make the growth happen?
I will need to incorporate more collaborative projects in my curriculum. I want my students to realize the learning potential of the internet as opposed to just the gaming/video aspect of it. I will also need to have more labs and assignments that are completely web based.