What is the TP knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)
The technology I've chosen is to incorporate e-Portfolios into my class and hopefully school. The technology will make the content problem more accessible for the students by teaching them to organize their work on the computer and to use blogging for reflections. My technology coordinator and I will model using e-Portfolios and then we will be guides on the side.
Some of the questions I have considered about the teaching on e-Portfolios follow.
Is there enough computer access for this?
Yes. I cannot always get into the computer lab, but there are extra openings in the computer lab available for me to reserve for use. Additionally, I am very fortunate to have 6 working computers in my classroom. The children will be able to rotate the use of these for e-Portfolio work.
How do I build independence?
Dave, my tech. coordinator, and I will model it for them. Then they will work on it with us being at their side for help and support. We will also partner up students by putting a stronger computer user with one that has more computer challenges for greater independence on both their parts.
Will they get frustrated?
I don't believe they will. They are already saving their work into their own folder and have learned not only to always save it there, but also how to retrieve it. I believe this would just be the next logical step for them.
The area some students might have some frustration in is the blogging. I will encourage the students to put quality responses in their reflections by blogging. To start them off in this area I will have questions for them to answer, some text and some multiple choice. I think this will be helpful for them as they start because they are not used to sitting at a computer and typing in their thoughts. Most of their work is done ahead of time and then typed in. If, even with questions to guide them I am not getting the kind of quality responses I want I will have them write it out first at the beginning. My goal right now is to do more with blogging so this should help.
Assessment?
As this is a year-long endeavor, Dave and I will be assessing their progress on a regular basis. We will have rubrics to guide the children and they will have a formal assessment at the end of each trimester. Their final assessment will be their final portfolio.
My presentation to the faculty and administration will be by Power Point. I will use Survey Monkey to get their feedback. After I look at the results, I will discuss them with Dave, and share the results with administration to discuss further implementation. Hopefully the faculty is on-board. If not, I will go ahead and use e-Portfolios on my own as a model to others.
What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about representation.)
The children will be learning how to save, capture, and eventually scan work from across all content areas into their e-Portfolios. This will be an authentic way for them to use computers. It will be an area of organizational growth from where they are now. Currently the students save all their work in their own folder on our school server. This ensures their work accessibility from any computer in the school and separate from other classes and other childrens' work. However, in their folders their work is not organized at all, by this time of the year there is a lot of work in their files and other items they have saved. Using e-Portfolios will not only be a way for them to showcase their work but to organize it. It will also give them the knowledge and ability to eventually take their written work and put it in the same place. This will be another area of growth for them.
Right now the children at our school write written reflections on a regular basis in many content areas. It will be new to them to use blogging as a way to write reflections. It takes skill to type and put original thoughts down at the same time. This will be a great new skill for them to develop. I also think it will be very interesting to have them comment on some of their classmates blogs. I am confident this will make the content of their reflections in their blogs that much better.
The fact that parents, grandparents, etc. will be able to easily view the student's work is wonderful. Now they are only able to do that only if they visit the school.
What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?) Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.
I believe the students will enjoy very much using e-Portfolios. They love to do anything on the computer! Kids are great at exploring and being risk-takers on a computer. After we show them and model e-Portfolios they will be more than ready to go and try it. Many children exhibit very good problem solving skills when using computers. I believe being guides on the side is perfect for this. Being put with a partner is also a very authentic way for them to add to their content knowledge. The more children use computers in an authentic way to get something done, the more they will learn, and the more knowledge and skills will remain with them.
Showing growth during the year and over the years is a state and national standard. The students and parents will be able to view this growth on a regular basis by visiting the school site or by having their child copy their e-Portfolio onto a zip drive and bring it home. I believe parents don't get the full impact of what we are doing at school until they actually see it...especially with computers. This will give them a wealth of information.
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