PROJECT An Application Toolbox for use at Williamstown Middle/High School, and perhaps beyond my school
The overall goal of my project is to design an on-line course which showcases the use and application of various Application Tools to students and faculty. Background
My students have very little computer knowledge or experience. Many of them do not have use of a computer at home. Since there is a wide disparity in background and skill level in the student body, my hope is to put together a series of on-line application orientations so that students who know them are able to move on, and students who do not could begin with the application tutorials they need to be able to work on projects I assign in class. This will free up my time to work with individual students, and is the best change I will have at employing a flipped-classroom technique in my current work environment.It is also my plan to have my tutorials be sensitive to students with varying needs around Accessibility, and to practice course design sensitive to students with physical and/or emotional learning challenges.
ANALYZE How do you know there is a need for your course: I am convinced that successful use and mastery of technology applications will provide students with a wider variety of options to improve their knowledge and demonstrate their understanding of schoolwork in all subject areas. With a common set of applications all students are familiar with, or could quickly become proficient with through taking a portion of my on-line course, there would be more possibility for group projects and versatility in student response to classroom assignments. I do not have enough time to spend with each student and this will help me have more time available to work with students who need help and support, as well as possibly free up time to work with staff members who are unfamiliar with these tools in the future. What types of learning you seek to achieve: I hope to create a "networked student" out of each and every one of the students in the school ultimately in a Couros-type model of learning. I will begin with a variety of presentation tools in my course development. I hope each student will achieve mastery and understanding of each Application in the Toolbox through the course of what will probably be several years time. I hope to teach students about a community of support for one another within the classroom around use and understanding of the tools. I hope for their projects to be meaningfully shared beyond the school to the community and globally in some way. What prerequisite knowledge will be needed: I have spent the almost two months working with the students assessing their comfort level with various applications and gaining an understanding of the Technology program prior to my arrival at the school. Each student has a basic understanding of Google Apps and Microsoft Suite, and some have experience working with photo and video editing. A few of the high school students have used less familiar applications such as Wordle and Prezi. Students entering my technology classes will need to be able to type proficiently, login to their Google accounts and use basic Google features (documents, sharing, etc.), and navigate search engines. They will need to possess a basic comfort level with the Windows environment, saving and retrieving files, making folders, and navigating around the various drives on their computer or working in the Cloud. Who is your learner and what are his/her needs: My learners are students at my school and potentially staff members of the school. My students need the opportunity to be successful and engaged in something they care about, and technology will provide a more successful way of helping them gain knowledge. They need to feel supported and be able to take steps towards the goal of better understanding and this website will hopefully provide many resources to help them use the tools some students may already know. For students who know the application, hopefully there will be the opportunity for them to understand it more deeply or to take it to a new level. Time Analysis: My students will be able to do the work for each individual section of the course (ie. a particular application) within the course of one or two periods of class time (total time 1.5 hours.) If they have a study hall or free period, they could cover it in one day. If students are able to do the work at home, then they could use the classroom time to work with other students on a group project or get help from me.
DESIGNPerformance Objectives: (Major Course Objectives - must fill out each one)
Vermont Technology Standards Framework
Vermont Grade Level Expectations
Vermont response to Common Core
WMHS Student Expectations
Damon Course Exceptions: The overarching goal is for students to possess a common language around technology applications which assist them in their learning, and to achieve the goal of lifelong curiosity about technology and the skills to learn for themselves how to use and apply new applications to their lives in meaningful ways.
Task Analysis:
Identify which Applications to showcase at the beginning stages of the project. Initially I am thinking presentation applications: Prezi, Voicethread, Google EPortfolio.
As I progressed with the project I realized that the first part of the common language involved the tools necessary to work with web media and production and the classroom Communications. Additionally I wanted the communications section to consider Accessibility and the global classroom concept.
I attended Vermontfest and later signed up for the Iveca training, to get the background and take initial steps towards having an interchange with students from another country.
I designed the site to have the communications area on the side of all the pages for easy access.
Prerequisites:
Students will
1: Prezi (the other applications will have similar features)
The Prezi course provides students with an orientation about what a Prezi is through various You-Tubes, some information about Prezi in the News and company background. They will see some examples of award-winning Prezi's and then build their own.
First the students will individually collect the web media components and text for assembly of a Prezi, then in class they will participate with building it on the Smartboard together adding their parts.
As a group we will animate the Prezi.
After this step the students will create a Prezi of their own about a topic of personal interest.
Formative Assessments are class participation and helping one another, Blog entries about their trials and tribulations learning to use the various tools of the course (web media and communications sections), and a pier assessment half-way through the development of their Prezi posted to their classroom Wikispace.
As a Summative Assessment the students will fill out a rubric and then create a Google Survey in which they ask ten questions about their Site and get Usability information from 5 individuals not from their school. They will post in their Blogs about how they will make changes and what they learned.
2: Voicethread
3: Google EPortfolio
Assessment:
Formative Assessments for each Application:
Checklist
Peer Progress Assessment
Summative Assessments for each Application:
Self-assessment
Student Project Assessed with Rubric
Instructor Feedback for each Application
Google Survey
Small and Large Theories:
Strategies: Student Activities:
Resources:
Google Applications
Wikispace
Wordpress Blog
DEVELOP Instructional strategy Gather your media and resources
Draft your activities
Build out first unit or two
Make frequent adjustments
IMPLEMENT Test the first unit or two on us
EVALUATE Feedback from classmates
Assess the direction you are going and as a result finish course.
PROJECT
An Application Toolbox for use at Williamstown Middle/High School, and perhaps beyond my school
The overall goal of my project is to design an on-line course which showcases the use and application of various Application Tools to students and faculty.
Background
My students have very little computer knowledge or experience. Many of them do not have use of a computer at home. Since there is a wide disparity in background and skill level in the student body, my hope is to put together a series of on-line application orientations so that students who know them are able to move on, and students who do not could begin with the application tutorials they need to be able to work on projects I assign in class. This will free up my time to work with individual students, and is the best change I will have at employing a flipped-classroom technique in my current work environment.It is also my plan to have my tutorials be sensitive to students with varying needs around Accessibility, and to practice course design sensitive to students with physical and/or emotional learning challenges.
ANALYZE
How do you know there is a need for your course: I am convinced that successful use and mastery of technology applications will provide students with a wider variety of options to improve their knowledge and demonstrate their understanding of schoolwork in all subject areas. With a common set of applications all students are familiar with, or could quickly become proficient with through taking a portion of my on-line course, there would be more possibility for group projects and versatility in student response to classroom assignments. I do not have enough time to spend with each student and this will help me have more time available to work with students who need help and support, as well as possibly free up time to work with staff members who are unfamiliar with these tools in the future.
What types of learning you seek to achieve: I hope to create a "networked student" out of each and every one of the students in the school ultimately in a Couros-type model of learning. I will begin with a variety of presentation tools in my course development. I hope each student will achieve mastery and understanding of each Application in the Toolbox through the course of what will probably be several years time. I hope to teach students about a community of support for one another within the classroom around use and understanding of the tools. I hope for their projects to be meaningfully shared beyond the school to the community and globally in some way.
What prerequisite knowledge will be needed: I have spent the almost two months working with the students assessing their comfort level with various applications and gaining an understanding of the Technology program prior to my arrival at the school. Each student has a basic understanding of Google Apps and Microsoft Suite, and some have experience working with photo and video editing. A few of the high school students have used less familiar applications such as Wordle and Prezi. Students entering my technology classes will need to be able to type proficiently, login to their Google accounts and use basic Google features (documents, sharing, etc.), and navigate search engines. They will need to possess a basic comfort level with the Windows environment, saving and retrieving files, making folders, and navigating around the various drives on their computer or working in the Cloud.
Who is your learner and what are his/her needs: My learners are students at my school and potentially staff members of the school. My students need the opportunity to be successful and engaged in something they care about, and technology will provide a more successful way of helping them gain knowledge. They need to feel supported and be able to take steps towards the goal of better understanding and this website will hopefully provide many resources to help them use the tools some students may already know. For students who know the application, hopefully there will be the opportunity for them to understand it more deeply or to take it to a new level.
Time Analysis: My students will be able to do the work for each individual section of the course (ie. a particular application) within the course of one or two periods of class time (total time 1.5 hours.) If they have a study hall or free period, they could cover it in one day. If students are able to do the work at home, then they could use the classroom time to work with other students on a group project or get help from me.
DESIGNPerformance Objectives: (Major Course Objectives - must fill out each one)
Task Analysis:
Prerequisites:
1: Prezi (the other applications will have similar features)
2: Voicethread
3: Google EPortfolioAssessment:
Small and Large Theories:
Strategies:
Student Activities:
Resources:
DEVELOP
Instructional strategy
Gather your media and resources
Draft your activities
Build out first unit or two
Make frequent adjustments
IMPLEMENT
Test the first unit or two on us
EVALUATE
Feedback from classmates
Assess the direction you are going and as a result finish course.
Self Evaluation
Reflection