Ms. Yorke's
Standard #11: Technology Standards for Teachers
Effective teachers model and apply the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S**) as they design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students and improve learning; enrich professional practice; and provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community.
Summary: Technology is one of the most important parts of modern education. I must include it on a regular basis in my classroom and design lessons around the use of digital learning tools. The technology needs to redefine the material in a way that expands students’ understandings. In this digital age, it is my responsibility as a teacher to promote the use of technology in my classroom and throughout the school.
Artifact 1: Sphero SPRK
2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the Standards•S.
Description: Sphero SPRKs are bluetooth enabled, robotic devices. Students used iPads and the Lightning Lab app to move the devices around and complete a number of mathematics based activities. The devices use block-based coding and are a great introduction to basic programming, making this a fun and effective learning tool.
Artifact 2: Kahoot Quizzes
3. Model digital age work and learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.
Description: Kahoot is a web based application that offers a variety of ways to check for understanding. My personal favorite is the quizzes. The quizzes act as a competition between students, earning them points for each correct answer. My students loved doing Kahoots because it felt like a game to them. I used the Kahoot quizzes mostly as a review tool. It allowed me to immediately check for understanding and stop mid-quiz to explain the correct answers. Students also created their own Kahoot quizzes to play with their classmates.
Rationale: Spheros are an incredibly dynamic and innovative learning tool that rely entirely on the knowledge and use of technology. Students were immediately interested in the Spheros as soon as they appeared in our classroom. The students were motivated to maneuver the devices and apply the mathematical concepts they were learning to program them. Spheros provided a learning opportunity that put the students' understandings into a relevant and engaging context while redefining how they viewed the concepts entirely.
Rationale: Kahoot quizzes are an engaging and motivating way for students to work directly with the content. The students used their laptops to participate in the quiz while I projected it on the SmartBoard. The technology aspect made the quizzes engaging for the students and made it easy for me to review the results and assess where the students needed more instruction. Additionally, as students created their own quizzes, they learned how to use the website while practicing the content.