Integrating Technology

Goal of the Group: To learn about new methods of technology to use and enhance lessons with students.(voice threads, webmax, blackboard, wiki, embedding video into power points…)

 

L.Bedian, B.Baker, A. Rudolph, J. Corona, M. Duessler, K. Knapp, J. Burlingame, M. Lodico, J. Renaud, C. Holt, D. Benner, O. Mars, M. Rudolph, C. Loukides, A. Brown.

 

We meet at the beginning of each session, broke out into smaller groups to learn and test different types of technology.  We then met at the end of the session and discussed what we thought of the particular topic, discussed positive and negative impacts for each classroom.

 

Impact on Student Learning: We feel we have a variety of technology tools to use in our individual classrooms.  One should note that many of these items are difficult to navigate and use without more technology tools/items available in our classrooms and blocks removed from our system.  Our current blocks severely limit our use of technology and that of our students.  Media carts are helpful, however the limited amount of them also make using technology difficult.

English – Technology

 

The goal of the group was to evaluate/ learn different forms of technology that can be used in the classroom.

 

O. Mars , R Zisa and C Tait.

 

Our process in this group varied. Some of our time was used to simply ‘play around with’/ try to learn different forms of technology (i.e. Blackboard). Some of our time was also devoted to evaluating web resources available from the library, and finally we devoted part of our time to discussing how we have used technology in our class, discussed what was/n’t effective about that, and strategies ways this could be improved in the future.

 

Impacts on student learning is that technology can be incorporated into the classroom more frequently and efficiently.

Writing Centered Classroom

Students utilize peer response groups (and actually learn how to constructively respond to support one another’s writing) to work through pieces.  Additionally, we’d like to focus some of our time on alternatives to grading student writing — ways to increase student output while managing the subsequent paper load.  This group won’t be based directly on any one touchstone text — mostly research articles, mixed in with good chapters from appropriate texts here and there and collegial discussions on what’s working for others and what’s not/how to improve.

D. Dymond, T. Wood, C. Stone

We’ve made writing groups and peer review more effective, more focused and more central to the writing process used by our students in the classroom.  An additional plus of being in this group is that we (Claudia, Teresa, and Davia) used the  various techniques and prompts we’ve read about and discussed to transition our students,  seniors especially, toward more independence in seeking input on their own and autonomy as they prepare to go on to college or the work place. 

 

Developing protocols, language and procedures for getting feedback from peers and/or writing groups.  Providing students with a more critical eye and ear for their own writing as well as for others’ writing.

 

High School Literature Linked to Student Learning

The purpose of the group:
1.  study literature trends in titles not approved and also recently published titles
2.  have volunteer students review and discuss books
3.  teachers in our group read and discuss teaching possibilities
4.  seek approval from the board on new titles as one component of the group

R. Zisa, A. Wein, B. Autrey, C. Ottalagono, K. Sherwin, D. Geurin, D. Benner

Our group set forth with the task of broadening our literature offerings at the high school, with the understanding that offering a current, rich and diverse curriculum on literature would enhance student learning, student interest and ability to read different texts, and meet the needs of a changing population. 

 

We investigated multiple possibilities for new and different literature, pursuing some, placing some on hold and abandoning some.

 

We also had lively discussions of the literature.

 

We asked students for input via informal surveys on what they read for their free choice reading.

 

We searched for and found published research to justify our pursuit.

 

We would like to continue with this study group next year.

 

Improving High School Reading Comprehension

The purpose of this group is to discuss and develop strategies that support services staff can use to increase student reading comprehension across different curricular disciplines.  We will be discussing two different groups of students- students who are relatively skilled decoders who have difficulty extracting information from text and students who are poor decoders who can’t read most of the texts used in high school classrooms.  We will be looking at the work of Kelly Gallagher, Joan Sedita and others to help us come up with strategies that we can implement when working with students.  We will also be looking for easier to read materials that allow our weaker students to continue practicing their reading skills, while learning through text.

L. Nissenbaum, C. Claus, J. Ouckama, K. Dayton, J. Larkin, J. Gilbert, C. Gallagher, S. LaFond, M. Martin, C. Charbonneau, J. Hehir, Z. Ocasio, K. Rybij, K. Birch, S. Baldwin

Connecting across multiple disciplines was a definite accomplishment that enhanced the professional development of all members. The discussions that occurred were deemed helpful and purposeful. Several Key 3 Routine methods were utilized and implemented in the classroom. Students benefited from mini-lessons designed around identifying main ideas, categorizing, note-taking and summarizing. Supplemental materials to serve content area teachers were researched. Professionals came together around the Kelly Gallagher videos to broaden awareness and expand upon ways in which to utilize reading in the classroom. Word activities (Take Two and Word Doctor) were learned and shared with students and colleagues.

 

Many are interested in pursuing Reading across the Curriculum further in one way or another. The frequency of meeting time seemed the largest deterrent to our meeting greater success. Many found this study group to be a worthwhile pursuit, but it was not determined whether members would continue with this particular course of study or branch out to another.

 

Blackboard – English: Using Blackboard in Teaching and Learning

The goal of our group is to look at Blackboard use broadly: How does using Blackboard affect our teaching and student learning? That way individual teachers can focus on various ways they use the technology in their teaching.

 A. Salamone, N. Benton, G. Gnirrep, O. Mars, J. Mapstone, C. Mazura, D. Shuttleworth

We feel very good about our progress as far as teachers feeling more and more comfortable integrating this technology into our instruction. We know that this strengthens our curricula in ways that excite and engage our students in the environment that they are most comfortable.  Several of us have been struck by the difference in class discussions of topics after students have collaborated on-line in their Discussion Groups. Through the acts of writing and sharing and clarifying questions for each other about material, students’ thinking and contributions have been at a much deeper level. It was noticed when we did not do this kind of activity, the level of discussion and involvement from each student was noticeably different (and not in a good way!) On-line discussions/activities with peers before class enriches the face-to-face classtime and learning.  A Social Studies teacher (J. Mapstone) had his ninth graders in small groups on-line to “tackle” a very difficult reading about India. Together, students were able to make “much more sense” out of it than they have in past years (when they didn’t collaborate on-line for these chapters.) Another teacher used Blackboard to set up Wiki formats to promote collaborative authoring of papers. Students contributed ideas and suggestions to group members while creating their own sections of content which, in turn, were revised/improved by their peers. Another teacher has students posting papers for group members to read while giving feedback to the writers. Students then considered the comments and suggestions and further revised their papers making the pieces much stronger. Many of us use the Digital Dropbox for assignments which facilitates another level of ongoing “conversation” with our students through our feedback/responses to their submissions which we send back electronically to them. The “electronic portfolios” which students are keeping through their dropboxes have been invaluable repositories, neat and always available at our fingertips. This has been another of the many positive impacts Blackboard has had on student learning.

 

We will work to continue to grow in confidence and mastery of the many tools that Blackboard offers for the 21^st century classroom.  Possibly, we would seek to bring in someone who uses Blackboard in her/his classrooms in new/exciting ways that would enrich our current knowledge/understanding of its many possibilities for our teaching and our students’ learning. (Jon Mapstone mentioned a teacher at Burnt Hills who he knows is doing great things with this environment.)