Journal #8

Community Service
I posted my community service hours in a previous post a few weeks ago.  Just in case they were overlooked, I've posted them here as well.

Community Service Hours

There have not been many changes to my project since my last post.  Since the dress rehearsal, I took a picture of the Feature Teacher and made a few updates and minor design adjustments.  I feel the site accurately communicates the message I would like to send to the faculty and effectively shows how we, as a school, use technology.

Recently, I was able to lead a Techno Thursday session on Socrative.com.  I feel the session went well and those in attendance gained a great resource for their "technology tool box".  I also had the opportunity to present my Digital Dogs website, and it was well received by the faculty. 

I look forward to the Showcase next week!

Journal #7

This week in studio was the dress rehearsal.  I can't believe it is already time for the showcase!  Time is flying by!  During class on Tuesday, I enjoyed looking at the progress made by the first timers.  Their projects are really amazing, and I can't wait to see the final products in three weeks.

Since I am almost finished with my project, there really isn't anything new to share.  I have a few minor changes to make, and then it will be a finished product.  I will get those things done during my week off work and school.  

I have just finished my community service hours.  Please use the link below to access my hours.
Community Service Hours

For my reading this week, I read back over Wilson's Four Pillars of Practice.  The following passage about the Third Pillar stuck out to me.

Real working conditions result in a complex nest of incentives and disincentives to participate in instruction and apply new knowledge on the job. Instruction may encourage sharing communities of practice...

 

This passage about workplace realities and incentives resontated with me because my prinicpal is always pushing us to be involved with professional learning opportunities.  While much of this occurs during school hours, there are numerous chances to engage in learning outside of the school day.  The morning I presented socrative.com and how it can be used in the classroom during our Techno Thursday meeting.  While this was in no way a requirement, I enjoyed presenting and sharing my knowledge about technology with some of my colleagues.  

Wilson, B. G. (2005). Broadening our foundation for instructional design: Four pillars of practice. Educational Technology, 45 (2), 10-15. Special issue on cultural studies edited by Ellen Rose.

Journal #6

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on finishing the design of my website.  Specifically, the logo at the top of the page has been giving me trouble, so I've been tweaking a new design in Photoshop.  This is definitely one drawback of using a Weebly.  In the next few days, I plan to push the site out to the faculty.  I look forward to seeing their responses and recognition of staff members for their technology use in the classroom. 

In thinking about our reading for this week on Wilson's Four Pilliars of Practice, there were a couple points that resonated with me.  In his discussion of the Second Pillar, Wilson states, "Learning outcomes gained through instruction should relate to the outside world in significant ways—otherwise school learning remains of academic interest only."  In today's classrooms, students should be prepared to succeed in work and life in the 21st century by mastering skills set forth by the curriculum.  As a teacher, I feel that my responsibility is to make learning relevant and applicable so that students can relate what they are learning to the outside world.  

Another point Wilson makes about the Second Pillar is about bringing the outside world into the smaller world of instruction.  He states:

This second pillar, connecting instruction to the outside world, affects the world of instruction as well as links to work. Resnick (1987) spoke of bridging devices like simulations and multimedia resources that could bring features of the outside world into the smaller world of instruction. These second-pillar principles help designers keep in mind the need for authenticity, rich information resources, and links to the world outside of instruction.

In recent years, there has been an increase of "in-school" field trips at my school.  Each year we have several guests to visit our school and present hands-on, engaging lessons to our students.  By bringing the outside world in, students are able to connect to the world outside of instruction and learn concepts not presented in any textbook.  In the ever changing world of technology, the growth of "in-school" field trips is very promising.

 

Wilson, B. G. (2005). Broadening our foundation for instructional design: Four pillars of practice. Educational Technology, 45 (2), 10-15. Special issue on cultural studies edited by Ellen Rose.