So far, I have set Goals (G) and took Action (A), now it is time for the M in the GAME plan which is to Monitor my progress towards achieving my goals (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I am satisfied with the steps that I have taken towards accomplishing my two goals. I am finding useful information and resources through online searches, from colleagues and in the course materials. I would not say that I have met my goals yet, but I am making progress. I am still working on my action plan since I have not yet finished learning and exploring my topics. At the same time I am continuously monitoring what I am learning. “In reflecting in action, you’ll continually think about and modify your current behavior based on the thought processes that occur simultaneously with the action. This relates to the monitor component of the GAME plan” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
Monitoring Goal #1: Learn more about WebQuests and how to create my own that will support my high school math curriculum.
So far I have searched and explored existing WebQuests. I have also looked at suggested links from fellow classmates and read portions of the course text. The table 4.1 on page 56 which describes how to develop a WebQuest was helpful (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). From all of these resources, I have learned about what WebQuests are, how I could use them and I become familiar with typical layouts, designs, and features. I have also learned that most of the existing WebQuests are not what I am looking for so I would definitely need to design and create one of my own.
I have located sites that offer templates to make the creation of a WebQuest easier. I have not yet created one myself (which was part of my action plan) but I plan to try it on one of these websites. I have modified my original action plan slightly. I think that I am going to try to create my first quest using a very simple topic just so that I can go through the steps of the actually creation. My second attempt is when I will really think about the details more in depth. I originally was going to use one of my real units but I think that may be too ambitious. There is a lot of planning for what I am going to include and expect students to do which will take some time. For now, I am going to focus more on learning the WebQuest itself. Once I successfully create one for a dry run then I will concentrate on creating one for my class.
Thirteen ed online had a great site about WebQuests http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index.html
I even found a WebQuest about WebQuests http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestwebquest-es.html
Monitoring Goal #2: Learn more about digital portfolios (electronic portfolios) and how to use them to assess my high school math students.
I have an idea what digital/electronic portfolios are because of our ePortfolios here at Walden and I would love to set one up for my classes. I took some time to explore the features of our portfolio, how it is laid out and what is included. I also searched online and in the course text for more information. Chapter 1 had some useful information and I looked through the portfolio exercises throughout the book (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). From this information I got some ideas about what I would like to have students include and I started to think about how much freedom I would give them about choosing work themselves. One of the sites that gave me some useful information is http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml.
I searched for sites that host portfolios (not very thoroughly yet) but what I think I decided was that I would have students save their work to a CD or a flash drive instead of online. I was unsure about which ones online could be trusted and it would take more research to find out. If anyone knows of a reliable portfolio site, I would appreciate any suggestions and advice.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
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Vicky. I can see many benefits for having students submit portfolio assignments. We are required to do a writing assignment with students each grading period and we are expected to collect and display student samples. An electronic file would be a good way to keep up with all of this. I definitely see that electronic submissions by students is something I want to try. The biggest obstacle is finding the time to set it all up initially. Once I can do that, it would be an organizational aid for me and the students. Cathy Petty
ReplyDeleteVicky,
ReplyDeleteI am not too familiar with online portfolio sites, including Walden's. I actually find that the Walden portfolio site to be confusing and challenging to navigate. I do not know how I even figure out where to place my artifacts at the end of each course, that is how confusing I find it. However, I find that saving work to a flash-drive or a CD is a good alternative for the time being. I am wondering if a wiki would also be an alternative for an online portfolio or Google Docs? I have not used Google Docs before, but from what I know, it is a place where a person can store their documents for future use. Students can also keep digital files stored within a wiki that showcases their progress throughout their schooling. They can then use their wiki as a place for prospective colleges and employers to visit and view their work.
Vicky
ReplyDeleteWe are also implementing a student portfolio component to our curriculum. We, as a Business Department have decided that our students need to begin keeping one. We have something called a 'completer' where the students will have taken at least four courses in a certain cluster such as 'finance or marketing or hospitality & tourism' and they should have a portfolio of work to show their progression through the program. Many colleges are requesting these now as part of the application process. For now we are having the students save their work to the school network in their personal file and then we are transferring it to a cd.
I have been working recently with 7th graders on creating web-based portfolios. We are using a school based Intranet which unfortunately means that parents will not have immediate access. The webpage portfolios will be saved to a CD for each student at the end of the year. I am hoping that our intranet becomes a password protected extranet so that parents could have access but our IT and information assurance folks are currently blocking all attempts to make this a reality.
ReplyDeleteLike Ray, I also know of a teacher who is utilizing webpage based portfolios that are saved on the school’s common drive. I believe the students are using MS publisher for creating them. These will also be saved to a CD at the end of the school year.