4th Quarter Quarterly Update
Posted by psteffen on April 10, 2007
Give an update from your site about what you have done this spring 2007 – Share how you doing the following at your site:
- Building Capacity
- Incorporating 21st century learning skills and tools
- Differentiating
- Evaluating Effectiveness
Jan said
Building Capacity/Incorporating tools
After our initial inservice, teachers were very excited about the SmartBoard. Most were not aware of the “magic” this technology creates in a classroom. To help keep the excitement going, I offered my classroom for meetings and created lessons to share with the students in second grade during our rotation days.
As projectors were purchased and installed, we downloaded the Smart Softward onto the computers so teachers could become familiar with how they work. Teachers began using a plain white board to simulate a Smartboard. As the SmartBoards are installed, teachers will already be familiar with the tools and program.
Differentiating
Having projectors in many classrooms allowed teachers to reach more students using exciting sites. Teachers were sharing sites between grade levels and many lunch discussions were about the use of these sites to reach students.
Evaluating Effectiveness
As far as a hard copy evaluation – there was none done. BUT – if increased excitement and discussions for and about technology are an indication, I feel the staff is ready for Smartboards and other technology.
We recently had a conversation with our ass’t principal and he wants to set up meetings with the tech coaches after EACH tech coach meeting to keep his awareness up to date. He plans to incorporate technology time on the planned calendar during our early out days for next year. It is a very positive move for Wilson!!!
Liesl Scheffel - Coronado said
Building Capacity
We continue to build capacity through training teachers in unitedstreaming. I would like to try something next year where we ask teachers that are involved in the tech school collaborative to share out what they have learned with their grade-level or department. I think this would be beneficial to all.
Incorporating 21st century learning skills and tools
I was very pleased to hear that we are getting several more SmartBoards in the coming year(s). I really hope to get the recepients of these more involved in the trainings next year. Perhaps these teachers can be “demonstration classrooms” where others can come watch how these tools are being used. Other than that, we need to continue to educate teachers about the different needs of today’s learner and how to best meet those needs in our 20th century-structured schools.
Differentiating
This continues to be a bit of a problem for us. Perhaps next year, when the network should be faster and we will probably have a different focus, we can improve in this area. We do need model differentiation since it is a good teaching practice and we would like our teachers to be more comfortable with it.
Evaluating Effectiveness
We need to compile a short evaluation for our teachers to fill out detailing hwo they used the information we shared at our meetings. This would be useful for the tech coaches to know what teachers did this year, but could also be used as examples of ways to incorporate unitedstreaming into the curriculum.
Katie said
• Building Capacity
We purchased one more SmartBoard. One other teacher has moved the portable board into her room for a semi-permanent position for the rest of the year. My tech spec. and I are working on getting the SmartBoard software downloaded onto all of the teacher computers.
• Incorporating 21st century learning skills and tools
We started a 21st Century skills tutoring club that meets once a week at our school. At this point he has only offered it to intermediate students only.
• Differentiating
I really deal with the differentiation more on a one on one basis. Matt Farris and I have worked real hard this year making sure everyone has what they need and that it works. We got a whole new computer lab installed and it looks great! I really try to focus my planning time on helping train the teachers that seek me out. Next year I will do more of some all school training.
• Evaluating Effectiveness
I plan on sending out a survey to the teachers that will list the technology topics that they would like to see covered next year during my scheduled early out training times. I will focus on what those needs are over the summer and start my training early.
Katie Collins said
Building Capacity
I have been working closely with Kinder teacher, a 5th grade teacher, and with Achieve teachers with all of the Power Point Presentations. All of the Kinder teachers taught their students and gave time for practice with the digital cameras. They have since polished up their presentation for viewing for their upcoming parent night event. I was excited to learn that the 5th grade teacher had all her students take the pictures, had her one student (that usually gets fidgety during class) put the pictures onto the slides. During comptuter class they recorded their sentences for each slide. Then the teacher work on the rest of the presentation; timing, effects, inserting recordings, with her class. She also brought her class into the lab to teach to make pamphlets on Publisher. I asssisted but she did the teaching. More and more of them are taking advantage of the lab time.
Incorporating 21st century learning skills and tools
Our school will be getting two new smart boards for each grade level (except for 3rd because they already have 2)and two projectors (not counting the ones to be bought with the smart boards)for each grade level. Teachers that are receiving a smart board are expected to take district classes on them and I will be working with them as well in helping them to develop and to find neat lessons.
Differentiating
It sounds like our school is in the same boat with Liesl. It has been a very frustrating year with computers for some; especially for those that recieved brand new computers at the beginning of the year and now are experiencing the hard drive frying or monitor dying out. They keep asking me when we are going to be getting better computers. I am trying not to get frustrated when I give new ideas and get “Well, give me a reliable and a fast working computer and I will be more than happy to try it out”.
Evaluating Effectiveness
I have taken care to read all of the comments made on the surves and have been working on addressing the concerns/questions. Many of them wanted various sites regarding reading, writing, and learning English. I made a Delicious site to reflect that adn e-mailed it out. Soon I will be getting together with various grade levels with the end of the year reflection. Hopefully, I will get more than 2 responses as I did in January when I asked them to specify their knowledge of United Mainstream, their usage of the computers in the classrom, and of what they would like for me to help them with during 2nd semester.
ASSET Group said
Building Capacity –
Mesa Verde – Teachers are getting excited about receiving SMARTBoards. They are interested in taking classes from district. The collaborative group found lessons and videos related to their curriculum and shared with their grade level. I sent out e-mails with links to SMARTBoard lessons for Spring.
Holaway – We are receiving four more unexpected SMARTBoards and our teachers are also very excited. We are requiring those teachers to take classes. The collaborative found that they spent most of their time familiarizing themselves with ASSETT. However, they all are very excited to incorporate it into their curriculum next year.
Differentiating –
Mesa Verde – I provided one-on-one help to teachers when needed. I forwarded information about technology classes and provided grade level resources to teachers.
Holaway – This quarter we have had several work days provided after school and/or Saturday. This allowed me to give small group and one-on-one support.
Evaluating Effectiveness -
Mesa Verde – I am going to send a “survey” asking what teachers would like more time to learn about. The collaborative group went well.
Holaway – The tech collaborative group felt that they need to do more to support me next year and all agreed to. We are going to have “commercials” at our staff meetings to entice teachers to take advantage of “Tech Tuesdays” at our school or take district classes.
Cindy said
Building Capacity
Teachers are taking what they are learning and using it in their classes–and allowing students to teach them some things as well! One example: Our two eighth grade teams are doing integrated projects on the Holocaust. Students are working in groups to put together lessons to teach their classes. Students are including audio, voice overs and weblinks in their PowerPoint presentations. They are incorporating videos and using online sites to create puzzles and worksheets. Many groups are creating historical news podcasts.
Many teachers are using UnitedStreaming in their classes. All teachers have completed their Curriculum Maps. All but 4 teachers have webpages in TeacherWeb.
Since all of our science teachers have new curriculum and very little in the way of materials, we have designated the computer lab as the Science Lab. In this way, the science classes are able to use as many online resources as possible. Science Lab
Differentiation
We have differentiated our technology staff development. First, teachers voted on what they most wanted training in, then we have offered Tech Choices days based on their requests. Teachers picked between ASSET, SmartBoard, and TeacherWeb on each Tech Choice day. They can continue to attend the same topic each time, or choose a different topic. The feedback has been very good. Patti and Peggy were wonderful to help us out in making these offerings so all of our teachers could attend sessions that would help them grow in their use of technology.
Incorporating 21st Century Skills
(Please see the building capacity section above about the student projects…)
Also, we have been working school wide to build the global awareness of our students. The 21st Century Skills class has been studying genocide and the social/political situation in the Darfur region of the Sudan. They are taking some social action: presenting on the topic to all of the social studies classes; creating a video to show school wide; promoting a letter writing campaign in the 6th and 7th grade LA classes; and raising funds through a bake sale and basketball shootout.
Evaluating Effectiveness
We will study the results of the district survey, analyze our TLA results, and conduct a survey with students and staff.
Monica Schott & Irene Barrantes said
Fourth Quarter Update:
Building Capacity
We have given an Advance PowerPoint and Excel Workshop. Teachers were shown how to bring animation and movies into PowerPoint. They were shown how to incorporate PowerPoint especially in their Reading lessons. Teachers were excited to experiment and test this knowledge with their students.
Incorporating 21st century learning skills and tools.
Our school is finally in the 21st century. Two of our Teachers have received Smartboards. Because the students have become so interactive with the boards, they have moved up to the 21st century as well.
Differentiating
Every teacher has applied their knowledge of PowerPoint to the students. Consequently, the students have grown in their knowledge and comfort zone in presenting with a PowerPoint presentation.
Evaluating Effectiveness
The strength is that we had focused in one area and because of each grade level representative; we had staff buy-in to Microsoft. There has been increased excitement in using Microsoft and the staff responses have been positive.
Laurie Celaya said
Building Capacity/Incorporating Tools
This year has been a hard year for technology. Our school has been focused on creating school wide and then department wide Power Standards this year Inservices have focused on the creation of these and there has been no time set aside for technology inservices other than a meeting with new teachers at the beginning of the year.
Differentiating
I have provided training on Easy Grade Pro and Webedit to all new teachers and one on one instruction for any teachers who wish to learn a new skill, hone skills with known programs, and helped troubleshoot any technology questions and problems that occurred during the year.
Incorporating 21st Century Skills
Our goal for next year is to create technology Power Standards that will be used in cooperation with the school’s newly created department Power Standards. On an individual basis, teaching teachers how to load worksheets and handouts onto teacher websites will be taught next year.
Evaluating Effectiveness
In going over the teacher surveys, I find what I expected. There is a lot of frustration over lab space. Basically, teachers are upset with the lack of upgrade in our 203 lab. The computers there are not able to access the server. This means student work may not be saved, may not be accessed from the teachers’ computers or any other computer on campus, and with the older computers, there is no way for a student to save their work on jump drives. If the 203 lab was upgraded and could be used effectively, I think a lot of the concerns over lack of computer space would be solved as that lab would now be usable by all teachers for whatever work they wish the students to do rather than only used by teachers with a one day assignment or project.
I would also like the district to replace the MAC computers. They were bought/ordered with the premise that the district would upgrade and service them as needed just like the PC’s. No one was told if you order these instead of PC’s, you will be cut off from service and required to buy PC’s from your own school budget. If the district technology department made the universal decision to switch everything to PC’s and Microsoft, then they should be responsible for replacing of the MAC’s they no longer want us to have. It is like the district installing new carpet in all our classrooms and then telling us it is no longer acceptable and needs to be replaced at our expense.
mwarrick said
Building Capacity
Leisl and I held our last training using unitedstreaming where we presented how to create quizzes either incorporating a video or not. This allows teachers to provide access to a video without having a student account or simply give the students an online quiz. The unitedstreaming website will even grade your quizzes and keep track of the responses in your My Content Folder. Pretty nifty! Through our training, these teachers should be confident enough to take this knowledge to their respective grade level colleages.
Incorporating 21st century learning skills and tools
Coronado is asking all its teachers to provide evidence of incorporating 21st Century skills at least 6 times per year through submitting lesson plans, a log, or filling out a form Liesl and I created.
We also have multiple links on our website that point teachers to resources involving 21st Century Learning and we had Peggy Steffens give the big presentation about 21st Century Learning. Many of classrooms are becoming “21st Century Classrooms” by installing Smartboards. Many of these boards are being donated through the community.
Differentiating
We have teachers teaching our students to do everything from blogging, searching the internet, united streaming and on.
Evaluating Effectiveness
During our last training, we used unitedstreamings abilities to create and give a quiz to our participants in the unitedstreaming group. Although we haven’t crunched any numbers or fully read the results, it was cool to use the very technology we were teaching them to gather data from our group. We will use this to improve our training for next year which will most likely center around the use of the Smartboard.
Until next year….
Robert Walling said
Building Capacity/Incorporating tools
During the final section of the year, Painted Sky has been working on creating interactive lessons and saving them to a school database. Teachers were trained to create lessons using all the tools of SMART notebook. They were also shown several examples of quality lessons. As new SMARTboard set ups were purchased, the amount of training and, now, lessons created were taken into account before placing a SMARTBoard in that particular classroom.
Differentiating
Teachers were not required to come to the trainings if they have already been creating lessons. Trainings were offered to those who needed them. More experienced teachers were allowed to create lessons in their own classrooms.
Evaluating Effectiveness
As of today, we currently have 52 lessons or activities in our database from all grade levels and specialists. More and more teachers are using the boards in the labs to demonstrate use of the technology. It has been a great year at Painted Sky!
Barbara Robeson said
Building Capacity – Capacity has been continued to be expanded with the training & use of Unitedstreaming.
Incorporating 21st century learning skills and tools
SMARTBoards are now in three classrooms & a fourth one is waiting to be installed. We have a waiting list for those wanting them. Many teachers on staff have projectors & are utilize them within their classrooms on a regular basis.
Differentiating – Now that projectors in many classrooms, it’s allowed teachers to reach more students, using exciting sites. Sharing between teachers about great sites & lessons has been a part of lunch discussions with ideas of how to better reach students.
1:1 help to teachers was provided when needed. Information about technology classes & grade level resources were provided to teachers. The Donaldson’s Teacher Resources, etc. were upgraded/modified as comments & suggestions were made. After hearing from the PTO board, we have it set for them to have their own WebPages beginning with the 07/08 school year. 1:1 lessons will occur soon after school is out. These pages will be set up with a submit for approval option so that they may be reviewed prior to publication by the Amphi/Donaldson Tech Coach.
Evaluating Effectiveness – I read the comments made on the surveys and discussed those concerns/questions with Anita. Most of the comments were targeted toward getting more computers in the classroom & upgrading the lab. These issues are beyond my control.
noble23 said
Canyon Del Oro High School
Comment from 3rd Quarterly Update:
We have decided to have individual teachers with smartboards meet with the teachers in their departments to discuss how smartboards can be used in their classes (i.e. Math teachers are going to use smartboards differently than English teachers.)
As a result, many departments have decided to write cirriculum, as a group, incorporating the smartboard into their lessons. I will keep all tech coaches in the loop when lessons are finished (hopefully these teachers will be willing to share.)
Digital Photography and Digital Video are again topic that keep springing up for me. Projects ranged from PSAs for the library and counciling office, panoramic photographs for the groundskeeper, to televised candidate speeches for student body elections. Teachers have grand ideas, but don’t know were to start or how to incorporate these ideas into their everyday lessons. I believe this could be a topic for tech coach collaboratives next year.
Like the begining of the year, lots and lots of questions about Easy Grade Pro. Mostly about printing final reports and end of the year stuff like that.
I have recieved multiple emails and calls thanking me for my help and make sure to check up on the teachers that I’m not too sure about. I think everyone is okay, at least for now. I will try to create evaluation forms for next year, but for now that’s going to have to do…
Lee Street
Susie said
Building Capacity
We are currently building capacity at Harelson by educating teachers on up to date techonolgy advances and resources.
21st century
Harelson is in the process of installing 3 new projectors and SMART boards in two Intermediate rooms and one in first grade. Last month we have our final 5th grade room instalation of 21st centruy tools.
Differentiating
I am hoping that the tech coach next year will do a better job at instruction and differentiating the learning of teachers. This year I really differentiated by answering specific teachers questions on a one on one basis.
Effectiveness
I have evaluated the district survey and looked at the areas to focus on next year. I will meet with the next tech coach and go over those results at the begining of next year or at the latest when I return from maternity leave in October.
wpike said
Building Capacity
We are using Title I funds to mount projectors and smart boards in classrooms on a permanent basis. This way more students and staff have access to smart boards, either mounted or mobile. The increased usage in the technology comes from student results.
21st Century
Students and staff are becoming more adept with the technology and are creating more and more intricate, thought provoking presentations. The more students are engaged and motivated, the better the product. Students are becoming better users of technology as they work on their research and presentation skills.
Differentiating
Each user is at a different level. The more advanced users also help the more challenged users. It gives the chance for teachers to teach their peers as well as learn more about what they know.
Effectiveness
The usage and presentation skills are incredibly high. Students are becoming more critical thinkers as they work on new knowledge. As students are more engaged and are exposed to more engaging lessons, greater achievement occurs.
Betsy Wilkening said
(Sorry this took so long, I took a much needed surfing break last week.)
Building Capacity
In the middle school at Wilson we are looking at acquiring more SMARTBoards.
We now have one in the computer lab. It was installed right before the computer lab shut down for MAP testing. Of those few teachers who were able to use it, they were really excited about it. The REACH teacher also received a new board which is not yet installed. We have received funding from PTO to match the grant from the 21st Century program to purchase an additional board for the middle school. I do not yet know where this will be installed. Next year we are working on purchasing for science teachers.
Differentiating
This year I was able to open up my room for a few days out of the year for other teachers to use to teach their classes on the SMARTBoard. I am hoping to be able to do that again next year, plus have the additional board in the computer lab. We provided another short training session in the computer lab which allowed the teachers who attended to use SMART Notebook software on the board. We are hoping that more of them, especially the teachers with projectors start to use the software in their classroom.
Incorporating 21st Century Skills
As teachers start to use more tools like United Streaming and Smart Notebook, we have set up server space to share files. We hope to grow this and make it an effective tool next year both in the middle and elementary school. My own students were fortunate to get my 4 grant computers in my classroom with a month of school left. They were used by my students in a variety of ways including podcasting, researching computer models of climate change at UA website, and they participated in the International Polar Year discussion board. Students in other classes were also able to drop in on days the computers weren’t busy and use it for other classes and during study hall.
Evaluating Effectiveness
Next year we hope to be more proactive in increasing technology use and providing technology at Wilson. We have set up a technology committee with teachers, administrators and parents. We are planning a technology showcase night at the beginning of the year for the community and are going to actively pursue grants to obtain new technology. Our vice principal has assured us that the technology coaches will have time to present updates at our school staff meetings.