Week+6+-+Topic+1+-+Content

=Topic #1 - Content=

Describe a professional development activity that you could do with teachers in your school to increase their understanding of technology for 21st century learning.

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 * Your name:**
 * Your school:**
 * Description of Idea or link to product URL:**

Our Problem of Practice, the crux of the "whole school" aspect of the SIP, focuses on student motivation and decreasing student apathy. Each group would be asked to create a lesson or unit that would use a new web 2.0 technology, would focus on a specific content standard that we have been failing in for the School Report Card, and would allow students to be more actively engaged in their own learning. The ideal project would be to create a unit that could be adapted to the various areas of the content or one that would specifically focus on the action team goal. For example, the Reading/Writing Action team has a focus on vocabulary acquisition - because that is where our students continue to fail on the OGT - and already has a list they draw vocabulary from every week. Currently each teacher teaches the vocabulary in their classrooms in whatever way they deem best. Their goal would be to create a unit which incorporates the list with technology where students have to use technology to learn and understand the words. Teachers could investigate using google docs or another collaborative writing application where students can write, share, edit and discuss each others use of the vocabulary. A program could be created where the students use clickers to check comprehension quickly, to see how many are learning and using the vocabulary - this could be a pre-test or post test, or simply a word check. Students could be asked to use digital story-telling to use the words in a real-world application. In order to present the unit, teachers would create the lesson through collaboration on a wiki and then use a presentation format to share the unit with the staff. One of the end goals in all of this is to get the staff to think about using technology in their units even though the technology may not be immmediately available in their classrooms. Students, for the most part, do have access to the Web 2.0 tools, and if they don't teachers can make it available to them. Teachers need to realize that we have to learn in order to help our students learn, and right now our student motivation to learn is pretty much nil. We need to invigorate their desire for education, and in so many ways technology is a path to do that. Another goal is to expose teachers to all kinds of web 2.0 tools in a focused as well as superficial fashion. The focused use will allow for personal knowledge and experience - something that can be shared with another staff member who has a technology epiphany. The superficial exposure would be to just get staff in the realm of having seen it and been shown how to use it - if they want to use it, they can certainly approach a teacher on the team to learn more. In the end, teachers will have knowledge of a wiki and at least one other web 2.0 tool that they can then utilize with their students. For me, exposure is a starting point. But, I can't make them use any of the knowledge I put before them, as I am sure you are all aware.
 * Jennifer Beaven**
 * Firestone High School**
 * Description of Idea or link to product URL:** The teachers in our buidling already meet in action teams which focus on a SMART goal in their respective content area throughout the year for our School Improvement Plan. Using these groups, the teachers could be involved in a year long professional development program that helps the staff learn to use the technology of the buidling and better use Web 2.0 tools. Each of the members of our grant team is actually the leader of the different groups and could be the individual who best facilitates the discussion and direction the groups head. Initially, each facilitator would present teachers with the challenge, making it a part of their SMART goal. Facilitators would share a description of Web 2.0 and a project that they have created with one of the many Web 2.0 tools. Staff members would be given a month to investigate - not necessarily learn or use - a selection of Web 2.0 tools (only a selection because they will be overwhelmed quickly and then shut down). From that selection they could choose one or two tools to use to create an appropriate unit, focusing on content, pedagogy, and technology. At a specific point, toward the middle to end of the school year and after many collaborations via a wiki, the action teams can present their unit to the staff.

Ruth Anker Cambridge High Schoo Description of Idea: I would like to present a workshop on wikispaces for our teachers. I think wikispaces could be a very powerful tool for our teachers. Each teacher could create their own wikispace. On it they could include their class rules, expectations and overall syllabus. They would be able to create and monitor student accounts. Teachers or select students coul post class/unit notes on the space. Teachers could post additional links to outside reading or to tutorials or their own worksheets. Wikispaces seems to be pretty easy to use and students could interact with it. I think this would be more manageable for teachers than a website for several reasons. Websites generally cost teachers money or they have to ask for server space etc. I really like the idea of students being able to interact with it. Students who miss class would be able to access and see notes and link to homework instead of the attendance office having to send around homework requests. Parents would be able to access and see what students are working on and when the student says they forgot the assignment the parent can link to it quickly. I know this is idealic but it would reduce many excuses that we hear. I think wikispaces is also a way for teachers to organize their materials and even to share with each other. Additionally this is a tool all of our teachers could use now, not just our grant team.

**Akron Ellet HS**
Idea: I would first do some sort of survey to see what Web 2.0 tools my staff is already accustomed to and then I would group the teachers by having at least two people that were familiar with the Web 2.0 tools in each group. Then as a group they would go to a computer lab and research web 2.0 tools. They would then come back to a whole group setting and present out their findings. As a group, we could then compile a list of all of the Web 2.0 tools that are available and then create a "Hot List" of all the links that would be available on our school website for the teachers to refer to.

Working in one of the departments responsible for professional development in the district, especially on the technology integration with curriculum end, I have a different perspective. I am thinking a combination of a blending course and PLC small group interaction. I would like to see a groups come together with a flexible agenda maybe focusing on one technology topic (i.e. SMARTboards, ipad, google docs/apps) for a few weeks meeting 2 or 4 times. Also the group would work asynchronously via an OLE (moodle, wikispaces, schoology) to maintain a continuous dialogue and a place to share and ask for ideas. Most of the time I hear there is never anytime. So maybe we need to be more like what we are trying to do with the students. A continuous learning environment were ideas are shared and expanded.
 * Your name: Fred Masuoka**
 * Your school: Akron Public Schools**
 * Description of Idea or link to product URL:**

Kevin Smith Cambridge High School Description of Idea:

I would like to do a professional development on Student Response System. There are a few teachers who are familiar with this technology who could help me demonstrate. It would be good to give the teachers a short tutorial on how they work.. I do not think most teachers in my building understand how this provides instant feedback for the teacher.