674+Discussion+Questions

==**__Discussion Question 1 - completed during Weekend One __**==

What do you know about using technology with students? //My use of technology with my students has improved greatly during my time at Marian. I am better at planning on how to use technology effectively with my students in the classroom. I know and understand that there needs to be a clear purpose for the use of technology and it must be motivating. In the last semester of school I created an online book club on moodle with the help of our district's technology coordinator. I set it up so that students would have discussion questions to work on weekly and a mini-project to try. I also set up a weekly blog for students to have book discussions with their group. This was more difficult to monitor becuase they used it so much. Setting up criteria ahead of time was important and I also found that students sharing thier blogs was beneficial for others to see how it could be done effectively. Through this experience I learned that my consistent feedback as a teacher will drive student motivation. Even with the use of technology, diligence and constant use are important.//

What do you want to know about using technology with students? //I would like to know how I can best use the smartboard I have on a daily basis. I am searching for different activities, assessments and whole class uses for it. I also am interested in learning more about programs and websites that are out there. I know the possibilities are endless, so sometimes becuase of this I give up searching and stick with what I know. Other times I hit the jackpot, but I find that doing a 'google' search isn't always helpful. I would like more reliable websites and resources to tap into online. One area of focus for me is recreating hands-on experiences online. EdHeads is a nice site for this, but I'm sure there are more. I wonder if I can create something that is similar. The claymation video the second weekend sounds interesting and may connect with some of what I am searching for.//

==**__Discussion Question 2 - completed during Weekend One__ **==

Look at the Essential 21st Century Skills List - Select one skill and discuss how you already meet this skill via your current instruction.

Creativity and Intellectual Curiosity is an area that I feel I do well now through book club. When students are in a book group they learn to communicate about what they are reading in a variety of ways. I begin the year by guiding and modeling these discussions, but as students become more familiar with the expectations, they take charge of the discussions. They learn to see other view points about the story and are free to make their own thoughts and opinions heard. Some days I guide the discussion more with a question of focus and other times students discuss and share in a variety of ways with the group. It's amazing how and what they share as time goes on.

Select another Essential 21st Century Skill that you may NOT already touch upon and project how you might be able to meet that need in future instruction.

I would personally like to work on communication skills, especially in the area of multimedia. I would like to use wikis and blogs better in my day to day lesson planning. Last year I skimmed the surface with a book club blog, but there is so much more I can do with both forms of multimedia. I could create a blog for just about anything next year. I envision using one for science where students would respond to a question or overarching thought about an area of study. I could create a math wiki in which my students could add to a critical thinking problem in order to solve it as a whole class. A wiki might also be appropriate to use for planning or creating a writing piece. Each student could have their own wiki to start the process. We could also create a class story this way. There is so much more that I can do next year with what I have learned so far. It's a matter of testing it all out and diving right in next year.

==** __Discussion Question 3 - to be completed one week after the Weekend One__ ** ==

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This is a quick time lapse video of radish seeds sprouting. I would use it after students grow their radish plants in the classroom to reinforce the life cycle of a plant.

==**__Discussion Question 4 - to be completed Saturday/Weekend Two__ ** ==

I have learned so much about using technology with students. First and foremost it will be important for me to make sure I can support the technical aspects of a project or to have students in charge that know the program or activity. I have found that students often are more savvy than I am with much of the technology, so if I have a few students work though using some of the technology ahead of time they could help others. Even though the claymation took time, I would like to try it with my students this year. I think the kids would have a blast working with a partner or small group on it. After we do one 'mini' version in the classroom I could add it to my list of book project choices for the school year. I am excited to look through all of the websites more. I found a lot this weekend for my science units -- virtual fieldtrips, interactive games and more. Now my brain is officially melted...