Taking the time to review my GAME plan I feel progress is being made. After investigating the International Society for Technology in Education's (2008) and standard 3.b "collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation". I have learned through my personal class blog that these goals can be obtained. Real authentic learning is taking place. One area I have taken from this exercise is that students can have a stake in helping classmates learn content.
Additional goals I have are to have some impact on my fellow teachers as a mentor in standard 5.d by engaging in professional growth and leadership in my school and professional community. One of my departmental colleagues has joined in with me in the blog and his classes and mine are really buying in to this form of 'educational networking'.
At this point I have not gotten much response from parents. Students are to give their parent's the password so the parents can follow the blog and their childrens involvement. To date only one-third of the classes parents are participating. I have told class members if parents have to ask me for passwords it not be good. My goal is to get more parents involved in the coming week. I plan to try and expand the blog to another school in our system also this week and by the end of the semester beyond our county.
John
HS Health
Refences:
Cenamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use; A Standard-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
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It is great that your Blog is working out for you. I was wondering if you were to have an afterschool session for parents in the computer lab to show them how to use your Blog if you would have any of them show up? I know that is the hardest factor to live with, getting the parents to participate. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/25979 has an article from The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement offers some research-based advice and resources to help. I was thinking that this might give you some ideas. It is hard to get parents to actively participate in the elementary grades and it gets even harder the older they get. I think it is great that you are working to expand your networking and including other teachers.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
Deborah
John,
ReplyDeleteYour blog concept is a great one that is going to slowly change the way our students interact. You said that only one third of parents are involved, are there reasons as to why? For example, when considering doing a blog with my students, I know that many do not have the internet capabilities from their home. Also, being in an urban area, I know that many of my students are being raised by single parents who are working a majority of the time, so in turn my students become the parents to their younger siblings. These are just some factors I had to consider, and was wondering if we share some of the same issues on why parents are not involved on the high school level? Have you thought about providing students will an incentive to have their parents participate? I know that sometimes, more likely the freshman than the seniors, I offer a free homework pass or two points on a test if they attend back to school night. Maybe offering an incentive would have the kids pressure their parents to participate?
Kelli
P.S. Hope your feeling better, as a first year coach that was/ and still is my greatest fear.
Kelli and Deborah,
ReplyDeleteFirst thanks for viewing my blog and for your suggestions and comments. I can use all the help I can get. This blog has been a lot of fun and very educational for me. My purpose was somewhat based upon what we do in this class and to build a community of learners and to facilitate a paperless classroom (one of the encouragements from our local system). Parents are slowly becoming more involved. Currently, as of Friday, we have 85 parents who have contributed out of our 200 or so students. I announced in early January through my school web site, and followed that with a letter sent home through the mail about our private blog not published to the web. Access for the parents come throught the www.classpress.com site and with their childs username and password. Both students and parents know that students have to share their username and password with their parents and if parents contact me for that information our process will not be as successful. Stay in touch and please make suggestions, I am learning more than my kids.
Thanks,
John