The Final Countdown

So here we are at the last week of Technology Tools...and I feel like I've accomplished so much. I must admit that although I wasn't a big fan of reading the textbook, I think it will come in great as a resource for my classroom planning. I did like the formats with the guidelines for incorporating concepts like more critical thinking, problem based learning and creative exercises and the lesson ideas were helpful starting points. The resources referenced are also going to come in handy when I'm searching for new ideas and tools. I think that my students will benefit because I am already starting to take bits and pieces from class and incorporate them this year with larger plans for next year. For example, my midterm exam for biology last semester was a poster project on one of the animal phyla. This semester, the students are creating a book on one of the taxonomic groups that will be written for and shared with our seventh graders. All of the text and artwork must be original so Monday I plan on introducing some of the graphics programs from Week One. The plans for next year are to have the students do more of the planning with us like choosing the grade level of the audience and contacting teachers in the other building to set up sharing times. So I have utilized ideas and theory from the text that I can't really put together all at once, but I can build on from semester to semester.

Week One opened so many doors because I've already put some of the presentation programs to work for me in my absences from the classroom. I blogged about Kids and Cadavers two weeks ago and talked more about how I was able to have a productive class even though I was absent. I'm hoping the trend continues and I'm still working on a way to start video taping some of the lectures and labs for students who were absent to reference or for those who are going to be gone for extended periods to keep up while they are out of the building. Why can't I have students Skype me and keep assignments posted through a Ning or Moodle? Week Two was helpful in that it opened my eyes to the possibilities of collaborative projects that aren't a nightmare to organize with one student having lost their school email passwords, another saving a document at home only to find that the school's programs can't open it, and the person who has all of the information saved to their account absent on the day we're supposed to print and edit to be ready for submission deadlines. In my dream world, all of the students have an account on WriteWith or GoogleDocs and I see hands flying over keyboards, training their mouses - clicking away and I hear the sounds of only happy students excited to be doing something that they consider worthwhile. And then they bring me chocolate... OK so maybe I'm pushing it, but even without the chocolate and some of the other aspects - meeting the kids in the middle would make my day.

Weeks Three and Four really had me implementing some tools I was familiar with (spreadsheets) in additional areas in my curriculum. Science is a natural fit for spreadsheets with all of the data collection and my area of weakness was using the spreadsheet to create charts and graphs to assist in analyzing the data. I am going to make a more concerted effort to not only collect and compile data in spreadsheets but also teach the tools of charting and graphing to all of my students. The tool that was new to me was the database. I can't wait to really start making good use of this tool. I began the NHS documentation of hours and service and the information is so malleable. I can organize to see what seniors are in danger of losing their status because of not having items complete or I can switch the filter and search for the students that have paid their dues and are eligible for scholarships. My next step is to learn how to mail merge so that I can get letters home to parents and students so that they are aware of their status.

Finally, Week Five got my interest piqued as we talked about whether or not schools kill creativity. Things really started coming full circle for me as I was receiving emails with great tech tools, the ideas for modifying my midterms started rolling around in my head and I wrote what was to become my guide for integrating technology wholeheartedly in my classroom. It's easy to blog about and choose bits and pieces to start with but the novelty can soon wear off and then I feel like I'm stuck in that rut again. With the technology plan, I can do all of the little pieces with a much larger focus. Now I'm going to do this as part of something bigger and not just because it was part of an assignment or because it was kind of fun or cool. I'm a checklist kind of person and I love crossing things off of a "to do" list, so my tech plan has become my new list. I'm motivated to start making some of the larger changes so I can say that I made them... and so my students will have the benefit of a teacher who still loves what she does and never quite does the same thing twice