So, how will I do this Integration Project....
This is somewhat of a mystery for me because I am currently not a part of the k-12 community. However, I do work with teacher preparation at a university in Georgia, so I do have some ideas.
I think I'd like to go back to my roots as a high school English teacher and explore the possibilities of creating a lesson that could be used in an American Literature course... I could design the plan so that students read Miller's The Crucible, do research and relate the panic/hysteria to modern events, and create podcasts over the course of 2 weeks relating the information in the play to what they are observing about modern life and the lessons learned by reading Miller's brilliant work. If I were still in the classroom, this is the kind of project I would LOVE to assign.
Also, I could create a model plan- I am currently teaching a course to faculty members here at KSU. The semester-long class is about developing courses for online. I could create a project that models the integration of technology. Which, when you consider it, would be very helpful. Sometimes, the teaching faculty at larger universities don't employ the use of technology the way they should. As a result, some of our first year teachers, who should be the leaders in technology integration on their respective k-12 campuses, are often unprepared to do what needs to be done as it relates to technology integration.
Just some thoughts...
It may be easier for your target audience to be the class you currently lead. I think we have to show student work and it may be a pain trying to find willing high schoolers to work on the literature project. However, it does sound great. I've never read the play. What am I missing?
ReplyDeleteDo you teach students how to navigate existing online classrooms, like Moodle? I'm curious as to how that course looks. As far as technology integration, I think you're spot-on. It is very time intensive to plan and monitor technology integration at the K-12 level. Also, because technology changes so rapidly, it can be a challange to keep up. Honestly, it's cool and all to do these online assssments, but the truth of the matter is, with time being so tight, it's easier to make a pen-and-paper assessment and grade it myself. Sometimes the powers that be fail to recognize limits, whether they be time, or technology.
Oh...that was from Angie. I forgot that part. Good luck choosing.
ReplyDeleteAngie, read The Crucible. Really. It's great.
ReplyDeleteJordan, I love your ideas! The idea about assigning the play and relating it to events from today would be very powerful for the students, and they would enjoy creating podcasts. It would also get them involved in current events, which is something that not a lot of high school students do.
As for getting samples of student submissions, do you have a friend who is currently teaching who would be willing to implement this project for you? I think someone would have to be crazy to say no to having someone plan such a well thought-out lesson for them.
I also really like your idea for creating a model plan for the other faculty members. I am a very visual person, so seeing something laid out would be beneficial for me.
Good luck with this! I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
I like both ideas Jordan! I completely agree that what you've learned in this program will certainly help those at KSU! I think teachers and professors tend to get comfortable! So if you could develop something easy for them to learn and implement it would benefit them as well as their students.
ReplyDeleteJordan, your ideas are great!! Both projects would be helpful to K-12 students. I like Shelley's suggestion of asking a friend currently teaching to implement your project in the classroom. I also understand the need to provide support to the higher ed faculty in assisting their preservice teachers with technology. Many of the first year teachers often indicate that they were not trained to use the technology that is currently being used by schools. I look forward to reading about your final choice.
ReplyDeleteI think doing something for the instructors at KSU would be better and more applicable than the Crucible project. But, I bet the Crucible project would be more fun. I know that the faculty at KSU might appreciate a good technology injection, as sometimes it is hard to change unless someone shows you how. What tools are you thinking of using?
ReplyDeleteI would love to do the one for a high school English class, but it looks like I will be doing a project for faculty at KSU. Thanks for all the suggestions and comments!
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