Slow but Steady...

A small success!  I have finally been able to locate and speak to my building's IT professional about getting computers in my classroom for student use!  After he deals with the huge list of issues to resolve, he will try to locate a computer or two for my classroom, so I can FINALLY implement the use of my class wiki!  YAY!  The students have been asking for it, and I will be able to open it up to their use.

I have not had the chance yet to research any tech grants for my school.  I'm hoping to spend some time on that this week.  Hopefully if I can find us some funding, I can get us some great tools for our students to learn.

Also, I am working on finding relevant real-world problems for students to solve and explore.  Since we are mostly reviewing pre-algebra concepts right now (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing real numbers and simplifying algebraic expressions by combining like terms), I have not really been searching as diligently as perhaps I should.  My focus has been on getting some learning tools for students to use, and I guess I have to take things one step at a time.  While researching potential grants this week, I will start looking for good tools and problems for students to learn solving equations.

This process is making me more aggressive when it comes to getting what my students need and would like to use.  Talking to my administrators has become a little easier - they are understanding that I am working with my students' best interests at heart, and I am trying to improve our school a little at a time and in my own small way.  It's quite gratifying when students give you a big hug and tell you that they, "...wish there were more teachers like you at this school!"  Hopefully we'll just keep, "baby steppin'" our way to success...

Frustrated and feeling inept...

So far, I am not doing well with using technology in my classes.  Unfortunately, our district has many "antiquated" notions of what encompasses technology.  Being able to utilize our schools' computer lab is difficult (this week is already completely booked - except for during my prep period...go figure).

I have tried meeting with our building's IT person to discuss whether or not we can put an older computer in my room for students to use.  Of course we have only one IT person, so he is busier than a, "one armed paper hanger."  Our building houses both a high school and a middle school, so understandably, he has his hands full! When trying to find anything out I am told to post a "TrackIT" work order, but there are no options for adding computers to my room.  This is something for which I need to meet face to face to discuss!

I am frustrated and trying to find other options.  Too many of my students do not have internet access outside of school, and this makes it difficult to include them in working on any internet-based projects.  If I can get some kind of internet enabled technology in my classroom, I would give them time to work on projects in class, but getting that technology is proving harder than I would have thought.  Working to get approval for using cell-phones/smartphones is taking longer than I would have expected... Bureaucracy is holding my students back!!! EEK!

Keeping abreast of different learning technologies is a bit easier, since I follow several teachers on Twitter and in my Google feed.  There are so many great learning tools out there - I just wish I could make them more available for my students.  Working in an impoverished district can be so emotionally rewarding, but at the same time, so incredibly frustrating.  I want to do so much better for my students and give them the best of everything, but we cannot get it or administration does not even want to try.

I guess you can see that it has been a pretty frustrating week...I am hoping to make some strides in a better direction as the week moves on and into the future...Maybe I can find my IT guy???  Suggestions anyone?!

ISTE NETS-T: Standards for Better Teaching

Looking at the ISTE NETS-T, it is easy to gain a sense of where I stand as a teacher with regard to utilizing technology in my classroom.  Most of my strengths lie under the standards of modeling digital-age work and learning, promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility, and engaging in professional growth and leadership.  Networking with other teachers in order to learn about new technologies and share my own knowledge of technologies is one of my passions.  My students are very excited about the prospect of using technology in the course of learning math, and have even enjoyed a behavior tracking system that I found through my network.

Honestly, the biggest areas of challenge for me include getting my students to reflect upon their learning using collaborative tools, and also designing or adapting lessons to include digital tools.  It would be great to have my students share their thinking and understanding  with their peers in order to engage in discussion and have them work out and clarify any misconceptions as a group instead of looking to me for the "right" answer!

To improve in the area of having students collaborate, I have started my first class wikis.  I am still working out exactly how I will use them, since many students do not have internet access outside of school.  Posting questions and having students discuss their strategies for solving the problem in the discussion section of the wiki is one possibility, but this is hard to work out logistically, since we do not have a one-to-one laptop program and so many students do not have access at home.  I am still working out ways to include my students without internet into the conversation (any ideas?)

In order to improve in the area of designing/adapting lessons to utilize digital tools, I will continue to research and look for ways I can modify my lessons and still remain true to our curriculum.  Most of the technology I currently use in my classroom is the graphing calculator.  I have used our computer lab to show the students Geometer's Sketchpad, but accessing our one computer lab is sometimes difficult, since it is often booked.

I would also like to improve in the area of finding relevant, real-world applications for the content I am teaching.  Students will often look at a problem and ask why they should care, since they are all going to be professional basketball players…  This is a big issue that I would like to work on.  Part of the problem is not having enough time to complete all of my tasks/responsibilities and still have enough time to be creative - right now there are not enough hours in the day…but that will change in a few months!

I plan on keeping abreast of advances in technology by keeping in touch with my network and looking at research.  I will also make sure to keep an eye out for applications of math concepts that would be interesting to my students…I will keep learning as I would like my students to do.


References:


NETS for Teachers. (2008).  International Society for Technology in Education.  Retrieved September 12, 2011 from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx.