The slidecast below is the culmination of my Wicked Problem Project. Our assignment was to take the four parts (A,B,C,D) which have been previously posted on this glog and combine them into a slidecast using only 10 slides. The slidecast that I have created is a very detailed look at the entire project to help my colleagues and any other educators who may view it to better understand the entire scope involved in a wicked problem. I hope that anyone who views this will find the information useful if they were wondering about the value of using Glogster EDU in their classroom or if they would like to plan their own technology integrated solution to a problem or need they may have at their own school.
You can find a transcript of this slidecast at this link
Here is a brief summary of the project and how it fits within the TPACK model:
Description of Need: I identified a need within my second and third grade classroom for a hands-on activity that could be used as an assessment tool for any subject matter.
Solution: I chose to use a free web 2.0 tool called Glogster EDU so students could create online posters to demonstrate their knowledge of material.
What is the TP Knowledge for the solution?: Glogster EDU supports the use of a hands-on learning activity that can also be used as an assessment tool by having the students make online posters.
What is the TC Knowledge for the solution?: Glogster EDU is a versatile tool that can be used to make online posters for any content area that I teach in my classroom.
What is the PC Knowledge for the solution?: With Glogster EDU, students are much more motivated to actively participate in their learning knowing that once they can show proof of their learning on a pre-planning page, they will then be able to get on the Glogster site to create their poster. Making online posters provides students with an activity which can be differentiated for the various skill levels of students. The visual, audio, and textural elements provided by Glogster is also very appealing to students and whole process of making a "poster", whether online or not provides for a fun-filled way for students to develop their problem solving skills.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Professional Learning Plan
I have created a podcast to share my professional learning plan. Podcasting was one of the most difficult concepts I had to figure out during this course and it took me several days of research to discover just exactly how to make one for my purposes. It is also a tool which requires us to remember how to store our documents "in the cloud", another step that I am working on remembering how to do. So in celebration of my ability to conquer this tool on my own, I have chosen it to deliver my professional learning plan to you.
You can access my podcast by clicking on the link below. Enjoy!
http://www.msu.edu/~stemendi/proflearningplan.mp3
You can access my podcast by clicking on the link below. Enjoy!
http://www.msu.edu/~stemendi/proflearningplan.mp3
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Group Leadership Project: Final
For our Group Leadership Project, we chose to create a professional development tutorial for others in the educational field on the use of Glogster EDU, a free Web 2.0 tool. You can find the final product at the following link:
http://voicethread.com/?#q.b2163294.i11535717
Question 1: What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial? Why?
Our professional development tutorial is a two part slidecast which was created with the use of VoiceThread. The first part of this tutorial introduces the viewer to Glogster EDU and explains why a teacher would choose to use this tool in their classroom. The second part of the tutorial then takes the viewer through a simple step-by-step process in how to create a glog (an online poster with media capabilities) using Glogster. We chose to use VoiceThread because one of our team members was very familiar with its capabilities and because it was supposed to be easily compatible with other media tools. This was an important feature as each of the two parts would be created by different people and not all of us were familiar with VoiceThread. Originally, we had intended to create the second part as a screencast video tutorial but we had trouble finding a free web tool that VoiceThread would accept, even Camtasia Studio didn't work! Ultimately, the group member who ended up recording the second part decided to do it as a slidecast using Photostory because he was most comfortable with this tool. It would then be linked together with the first part using VoiceThread.
Question 2: What did you learn during the development process of the final product?
I learned how to use a couple of new tools - AnyMeeting as a conferencing tool and Camtasia Studio as a screencasting tool. I also learned about the importance of developing a storyboard to help in the production process of the project. I had never done a storyboard before nor did I know what one was. However, I now know that the storyboard serves as a sort of "blueprint" to show how illustrations or pictures tie in with the script.
Question 3: What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?
Although we encountered multiple road blocks during several phases of this project, most of those problems stemmed from group members having different background experiences with using the many web tools out there and, of course, the compatibility problems. Given the timeline we had to work with, I don't think we could have done anything differently to avoid these problems. We were in constant communications with each other - helping out where ever we could, lending advice to one another, and helping to make group decisions. I do believe that some of our problems started right at the beginning during our brainstorming session. Because of the difficulty we were having with the tool we used, being able to effectively communicate each person's thinking was a struggle and actually created some confusion at the beginning of the project which ate up some of our time.
http://voicethread.com/?#q.b2163294.i11535717
Question 1: What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial? Why?
Our professional development tutorial is a two part slidecast which was created with the use of VoiceThread. The first part of this tutorial introduces the viewer to Glogster EDU and explains why a teacher would choose to use this tool in their classroom. The second part of the tutorial then takes the viewer through a simple step-by-step process in how to create a glog (an online poster with media capabilities) using Glogster. We chose to use VoiceThread because one of our team members was very familiar with its capabilities and because it was supposed to be easily compatible with other media tools. This was an important feature as each of the two parts would be created by different people and not all of us were familiar with VoiceThread. Originally, we had intended to create the second part as a screencast video tutorial but we had trouble finding a free web tool that VoiceThread would accept, even Camtasia Studio didn't work! Ultimately, the group member who ended up recording the second part decided to do it as a slidecast using Photostory because he was most comfortable with this tool. It would then be linked together with the first part using VoiceThread.
Question 2: What did you learn during the development process of the final product?
I learned how to use a couple of new tools - AnyMeeting as a conferencing tool and Camtasia Studio as a screencasting tool. I also learned about the importance of developing a storyboard to help in the production process of the project. I had never done a storyboard before nor did I know what one was. However, I now know that the storyboard serves as a sort of "blueprint" to show how illustrations or pictures tie in with the script.
Question 3: What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?
Although we encountered multiple road blocks during several phases of this project, most of those problems stemmed from group members having different background experiences with using the many web tools out there and, of course, the compatibility problems. Given the timeline we had to work with, I don't think we could have done anything differently to avoid these problems. We were in constant communications with each other - helping out where ever we could, lending advice to one another, and helping to make group decisions. I do believe that some of our problems started right at the beginning during our brainstorming session. Because of the difficulty we were having with the tool we used, being able to effectively communicate each person's thinking was a struggle and actually created some confusion at the beginning of the project which ate up some of our time.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Wicked Problem Project-PART D: Findings and Implications
An indication of a good educator is the amount of reflecting they do on their students' learning and the teaching strategies they employ in their classrooms. If the learning is not at the desired level, teachers need to identify the actual problem before they can begin thinking about any types of solutions. Once a solution has been chosen and implemented, it should then be assessed as to its level of success in resolving the problem.
For this CEP 812 project, I have identified a "wicked problem" in my classroom - that of finding a more accurate assessment tool that can be used in all subject areas to determine my students' level of learning. I have chosen to use Glogster EDU, a free online educational tool, as my solution, not only because it can be used as an assessment tool but also because it often becomes a motivational factor for students in taking a more active role in their learning which is also a desired response to the use of this tool.
In determining if Glogster has been an effective solution for my problem, it will be important for me to begin collecting data on my students' learning as well as their levels of involvement in lessons and discussions before fully implementing my solution. I can do this by keeping a daily record on who is contributing answers, comments, or questions during our whole class discussions and plotting scores from pretests, conferences, and tests administered during their first science unit. This will provide me with a baseline for the level of daily involvement that is occurring in science as well as the level of knowledge being displayed by my students at the beginning of the school year without the use of Glogster. I will continue to keep the same ongoing records during our second science unit which will run congruently to when my students are learning to use Glogster. I am expecting to see some type of improvement in scores and involvement in discussions at this point because students will be aware that they need to show me some type of learning on the pencil and paper outline before being allowed on the computer to make their glog. Upon our return back from winter break in January, we will be starting our third science unit, and when students will be using Glogster on their first independently completed glog. Again, records will be kept during this third unit.
Although any improvement in scores and active involvement in classroom discussions will be an indication of some type of success, ultimately, I'd like to see 80% of my students (16 of my 20 students) demonstrating mastery of the GLCE's outlined in the Michigan Curriculum Standards for that science unit. I plan to keep records and daily journal entries through the entire 2011-2012 school year and chart the results for each of the four science units. I will then report the final outcome on the effectiveness of my solution to our dean at the end of the school year and discuss with her what other factors may have contributed positively or negatively to the results. I would then like to find an appropriate forum for presenting my findings and our class' experience in using this particular technology tool in the classroom with staff and parents from our school.
For this CEP 812 project, I have identified a "wicked problem" in my classroom - that of finding a more accurate assessment tool that can be used in all subject areas to determine my students' level of learning. I have chosen to use Glogster EDU, a free online educational tool, as my solution, not only because it can be used as an assessment tool but also because it often becomes a motivational factor for students in taking a more active role in their learning which is also a desired response to the use of this tool.
In determining if Glogster has been an effective solution for my problem, it will be important for me to begin collecting data on my students' learning as well as their levels of involvement in lessons and discussions before fully implementing my solution. I can do this by keeping a daily record on who is contributing answers, comments, or questions during our whole class discussions and plotting scores from pretests, conferences, and tests administered during their first science unit. This will provide me with a baseline for the level of daily involvement that is occurring in science as well as the level of knowledge being displayed by my students at the beginning of the school year without the use of Glogster. I will continue to keep the same ongoing records during our second science unit which will run congruently to when my students are learning to use Glogster. I am expecting to see some type of improvement in scores and involvement in discussions at this point because students will be aware that they need to show me some type of learning on the pencil and paper outline before being allowed on the computer to make their glog. Upon our return back from winter break in January, we will be starting our third science unit, and when students will be using Glogster on their first independently completed glog. Again, records will be kept during this third unit.
Although any improvement in scores and active involvement in classroom discussions will be an indication of some type of success, ultimately, I'd like to see 80% of my students (16 of my 20 students) demonstrating mastery of the GLCE's outlined in the Michigan Curriculum Standards for that science unit. I plan to keep records and daily journal entries through the entire 2011-2012 school year and chart the results for each of the four science units. I will then report the final outcome on the effectiveness of my solution to our dean at the end of the school year and discuss with her what other factors may have contributed positively or negatively to the results. I would then like to find an appropriate forum for presenting my findings and our class' experience in using this particular technology tool in the classroom with staff and parents from our school.
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