Online Learning in K-12 Schools

As I wrap up my master's degree program of Integrating Technology into my Classroom, the task at hand is how I can get my collegeaues to also do the same. Below I have prepared a media presentation as I move forth with this effort:

http://prezi.com/h9-syx8c1r9q/online-learning-in-k-12-classrooms/

Resources:
www.moodle.org
www.rcampus.com
www.wecollaborizeclassroom.com
www.youtube.com

Reflection of GAME plan

At the start of my current master’s course, Integrating Technology Across All Content Areas, I was challenged to develop a GAME plan,(G-Goals, A-Actions, M-Monitor, E-Evaluate) in accordance with The National Educational Technology Standards. The two indicators I chose almost eight weeks ago to improve upon in my classroom were, Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and secondly, Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. The reason that I narrowed it down to these two amongst several was because I was trying to push myself and my students outside of comfort zones.

I teach high school physical education. I have mostly freshmen students with beginning P.E. courses, except for my weightlifting classes which are advanced with upperclassmen. Challenging this wide range of students to become more creative was a struggle at some points, but very beneficial at other times.

To meet my two goals simultaneously I created a project for my weightlifting class involving flip video cameras. Students that excelled in weightlifting were eager to perform the lifts while those that were good with the cameras and editing were anxious to tape their classmates. All in all each student was required to trade roles, but still this project catered to their needs. We used them for assessment for correct form and safety.

Learning and growth that I experienced aligned with how much I was able to meet the needs of my diverse learners by creating more well rounded lessons. I was excited to see all students taking interest and I was able to see many students in a different light as they showed off their talents with the videos they created. It taught me appreciation for other venues of learning, something I had not stepped outside and done in awhile.

Some immediate adjustments that I will make is the assessment process of my project. Because this was a bit of a social networking project I feel that I did not get a good read on what they were doing as individuals. Maybe a peer evaluation would help with this.

Developing a GAME plan and blogging about it was an encouraging experience. It broke large tasks into smaller goals and kept me thinking about the transformation that was taking place. By blogging I was able to receive feedback and good input also.

Helping my students create a GAME plan

After revisiting the International Society for Technology in Education website I could see how closely the teacher technology goals and student goals are related. For the past weeks of a current master course I have centered my classroom around improving upon two goals in order to better integrate technology into my physical education classroom. I did this using a GAME plan strategy which stands for:
G-Goals
A-Actions
M-Monitor
E-Evaluate (Laureate 2009).

Now as I look at the technology standards for students:
Creativity and Innovation
Communication and Collaboration
Research and Information Fluency
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Digital Citizenship
I would like to help them develop their own GAME plan in my classroom. I believe with my help they can set goals, carry out actions, monitor their personal progress and evaluate their learning in anyone of these areas, but I would like to concentrate on Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making. I believe these are essential 21st century skills that can be applied anywhere in life. I would like to challenge them to a physical fitness problem, but one that is within their reach and have them develop a game plan. Maybe this could look something like a unit on better nutrition. Using technology they could utilize digital resources such as calories counters, pedometers, BMI meters, etc. to make them more aware. We could gauge their progress for several weeks outside of class and see what lifestyle changes they make based on these tools they are working with.

GAME plans and meeting technology standards can only enhance my physical education classroom. This is just one of the many ways that I can envision how.

Joel Peterson



Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Spotlight on Technology: Problem-Based Learning, Part 1. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.
www.iste.org

Continuing with my GAME plan

I started a GAME plan a few weeks back to carry out in my physical education classroom. GAME stands for:

G-Goals

A-Actions

M-Monitor

E-Evaluate (Laureate 2009).

My GAME plan aligns with two indicators that I am working towards to integrate technology into my classroom. Those two indicators from The National Standards are to:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

In my weightlifting class the students have been videotaping each other in order to help one another on their form which is vital in order to perform lifts properly and safely. It has turned into quite a nice assessment tool for me also because now I circulate more during class and assist and then use to the footage later to grade my students on their techniques.

Recently, I have tried to take this a step further by integrating the technology and problem based learning at the same time. My thought was that this week I can have my students try new lifts, but they must figure them out first themselves, always keeping safety in mind. They could research this online and then still use the cameras to record what they are doing. This turns the lesson around from teacher directed to student directed and I am curious to see how this will work.

I am continuing to work towards my same goals but have learned a lot along the way. Motivation for students comes in different forms, just like adults in general. They have their areas that highly interest them and so I am excited at how much this really has turned into Universal Design Learning. I am reaching more students in my physical education setting then I ever have because I am using unconventional tools and I am developing digital age experiences for them.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Spotlight on Technology: Problem-Based Learning, Part 1. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

www.iste.org

Evaluation of my GAME plan

I feel the best assessment comes in the form of reflection. As I began my career as a physical education teacher I approached it with a lot of teacher directed activities. I thought what kind of a teacher I was would be reflected in my students being on task and looking productive and organized. Earning my masters degree in technology integration has changed my focus a bit.

As I evaluate my GAME plan this week, I can see that I am making strides towards meeting the National Educational Standards of integrating technology because I am more aware of it than ever. I have made more connections in my building lately with technology teachers and media specialists in order to make things happen in my physical education setting.

Recently, my coursework has allowed me to take a closer look at problem-based learning. This is a teaching method that I struggle to integrate because I sometimes don't want to give up control. Dr. Ertmer discusses this in our resources and I can now see that I need to make some changes all around to improve my teaching. I believe that a problem-based learning approach may be the answer to how to improve upon my GAME plan goals:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Still tying in my recent integration of flip video cameras, I can see how a PBL approach would inspire student creativity and learning.

As I said earlier, I believe sometimes the best form of evaluation is reflection. Since integrating more technology my students seem more engaged and generally more enthusiastic about class. Some students who may feel inhibited by their physical ability seem more confident to be contributing to my classroom in other ways. Some that lack coordination have been able to show off other skills with videotaping and editing in our weightlifting class.

Now that I have integrated more technology, I need to further work on my assessments. Reflections from my students and feedback seems to be a great starting point for now though.

Joel Peterson

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Spotlight on Technology: Problem-Based Learning, Part 1. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

Monitoring my GAME plan Progress

I work best in stages. As a new dad, football coach and high school physical education teacher, I like to approach things a little at a time and so that is how my GAME plan has been going. I think about it a little bit every day. I have been looking at two National Standards to better integrate technology into my physical education classroom. Over the weekend I browsed through my lap top (while watching the Cleveland Browns, of course) and was enlightened on how to better meet these two goals:
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Both are critical for taking my classroom into 21st century learning.

The creativity factor I have decided will come in the form of flip video cameras that my students can use to take footage and creatively edit as part of my curriculum of my weightlifting class. My school is limited, but we do have a few of these cameras and the students love to use them. This would help them with form and give them the drive to be more competitive. I surfed the internet and found Prezi (www.prezi.com). This looks like a really cool site that would give my students the opportunity to create something better than a slideshow, more like a movie production!

Next, I am looking at my second goal, especially in relation to this week’s resources. I found that I can assess my students in four different ways: forced option, open-ended, performance-based and project-based, all while tying in technology (Cennamo 2009). Recently, I have become more acquainted with Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com). This program would allow me to assess my students in a couple of these ways using technology. There is so much to integrate. It seems overwhelming at times as I work towards meeting two National Standards in my classroom.

The questions I have now are, once I use these tools in my classroom, have I succeeded? How often should I be integrating them and still keep physical activity at the forefront? I will keep searching.

Joel



Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Carrying out my GAME plan

To review, I am currently earning my master’s degree in Integrating Technology into my Classroom, which for me is a physical education setting. More often times than not people are quick to criticize how I am possibly making this connection. However, when I started this program over a year ago, my reasoning was that I am always going to need to know how to use technology no matter where I go in life and so here I am. Currently I am looking at Dr. Katherine Cennamo’s GAME plan, which stands for:
G-Goals
A-Actions
M-Monitor
E-Evaluate (Laureate 2009)
Currently, my GAME plan is to strive to improve upon two indicators. I would like to meet the National Standards by helping my students to be more creative in my classroom. Also I would like to better develop digital learning and appropriate assessments.
To carry this out, the resources I will need include the flip cameras as I had discussed earlier. Also my students will need to upload the footage into a computer so we can view it together to use it as a critiquing aide for the weightlifting unit that I want to integrate it into. We could get creative with this by using Windows Movie maker and allowing my students some time to edit their footage and even put it to music. I have to be cautious though about how much stationary educational time we are spending versus kinesthetic which is my number one priority.
To further incorporate more creative lessons I have been utilizing the web and specifically physical education blogs. These offer great suggests as more and more teachers tap into 21st century learning. One in particular that has caught my eye is http://www.sparkpe.org/blog/. What do think? Am I getting closer to meeting my goals?
Joel Peterson


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
www.iste.org