One of my fellow students suggested focusing on one goal (activity) at a time. I think this is a good idea to ultimately reach my goal and not do too much. Sometimes, less is more. I am going to focus on using computer tutorials and videos inside and outside of the classroom.
To carry out my GAME plan, the resources I will need will consist of my colleagues, and computers via the computer room, the classroom, and/or at home. My colleagues are going to be a big asset to reach my goals. They will help give me an outsider’s opinion about what I am doing in the classroom and whether using the tutorials are ultimately benefiting my students. Through my own research and resources my colleagues have used, I will make a list of the best possible videos for tutorials. This is aid in reinforcement of lesson for students who are struggling or absent. I can also use tutorials to introduce a lesson or reinforce a topic before a new lesson.
Additional information may consist of what my students know and already know. I need to ask myself, are my students progressing and benefiting from the video tutorials or do I need to do just as much instruction and reinforcement with or without the tutorials. I also need to consider how I incorporate them into my lessons. I am tight on time now and I need to implement them without losing a lot of time in the classroom.
So far I have been able to talk to my colleague about some of the resources they use and if they know where I could find videos. I have searched through Jefferson Math Project (jamp.org) to see what type of videos each topic has. I think this website would be valuable because I already have a link to the website on Edmodo, where I have class websites set up. I can post links to the videos every day when I post the homework to reinforce what we did in class. This will be great for all students that are absent.
Any additional ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I think it is a great idea to tap into your colleagues and use them as a resource. Too often, we forget that other teachers might have great ideas to offer us because we frequently get wrapped up in the world of our own classrooms.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea for using tutorials or videos in your classroom (especially when considering whole group instruction) is to use the tutorials for students to take notes from (I'm not sure if this works in your classroom). For example, my class is beginning their unit on drama. We are completing the state test last week and this coming week, so I did not want to overwhelm students with notes. Instead, I found a video about the basic elements of drama through Discovery Education (which I think my district has to subscribe to). I then provided students with an outline of the information that I wanted them to expand upon while watching the video. The students loved it! We took a short quiz on Friday, and everyone did really well. Students told me they really enjoyed feeling as though they were interacting with the note-taking rather than just copying the information that I had up and ready for them.
You might also want to look in to students' prior knowledge of technology before you begin. You might find that some students are proficient in some of the technologies that you thought they wouldn't know, or have no clue about ones you thought were basic. I gave my students a simple typing assignment to see what they could achieve in Microsoft Word, expecting them to be masters. However, in the end, I realized I needed to teach and model the smallest aspects of the technology.
I think I suggested these resources last time, but I have found SchoolTube and Discovery Education to be very helpful in my own classroom.
Good luck!
Caitlin
Caitlin,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your suggestions. I like the idea of students using the tutorials to take notes from. This makes the learning more student centered and I can step back and be more of a facilitator. I will definitely check out those resources. I do have to look into my student’s prior knowledge in terms of technology. I am sure that none of them have really ever had to type anything math related. If they are to type these notes or anything, they have to be familiar with how to input different symbols and fonts.