YadaBlog

Unlike the other academic teams that have a direct role in improving scores at Hampton, we have a supporting role. And we have already done a lot in our supporting role e.g. PearsonSuccessnet training for the staff, teacher web-page training, the on-line parent survey taken during American Education Week, and Hampton’s web-page.

Our roll continues. Performance Indicator 8.1  of the SIP states, “All…will have access to technology to support student achievement, a highly qualified teaching staff, and stake holder involvement in the educational process.” This goal identifies “survey teachers regarding technology integration skills,” and “provide professional development based on results of the survey” as two skills for us to complete. Susan, didn’t you do a survey earlier this year for this? If not, we can get some data from the most recent survey everyone was invited to take for the MSDE Technology inventory. If you have results, Susan please post them along with recommendations so we can start some plans. I will print the MSDE survey and put it in your mail boxes for you to read. But either way the first skill is completed (waaaahooo!)

Now the fun part, staff development. One area that is low on this survey is “Use a course management system (such as Blackboard, eCollege, WebCT), or collaboration tool (such as FirstClass) to support the delivery of instruction and facilitate communication with students” under “Administrative and Productivity Use of Tech by Teachers”. Seventy-two percent of our colleagues taking the survey said “never” to this. Now, Patricia will be ordering InterWrite Tablets for us to use in classrooms and one aspect of this technology can “facilitate communication with students” by enabling the teacher to save notes in a PPT format to be copied and sent home or, better yet, uploaded to a web page for access at home. When this comes, Susan, me and any of you who are interested and would like to train the staff can explore its uses.

Another “technology” that would help us facilitate communication with students is a blog like this. The administrator of the blog not only shares information as one would with a website, but he/she would enable the users of the blog to take an active role in communication by commenting. Not only would a blog “facilitate communication with students,” but once taught how to properly use a blog, students could;

Communicate or interact with others in the classroom, school, or outside of school (e.g. using e-mail, bulletin boards, discussion areas)? Use your best judgement based on what you know about you students computer use outside of school. (MSDE Inventory Survey)

This item on the survey 50% of the people taking it respond “never.”

These are just some ideas of possible directions for us. I am sure you have other ideas. Please read the survey results put into you mailboxes (I tried to link the results to this post but SurveyMonkey wants $19.95 before it will let me do that. Sheez!) and post a comment with what you think.

Consider this analogy. A blog is to a website as a walkie-talkie is to a radio. Like the website, the radio just “transmits” information. Similarly, the blog, like walkie-talkies, allows one to transmit and receive information from those using it. Likewise, we learn more if there is a two-way transmission of information, or there is a give and take of ideas. Hence the reason for Yadablog. We will share ideas to learn. We wil start by sharing ideas for what we need to consider when using Yadablog. This will lead us to developing guidelines. Once we have guidlines in place, we will share some our poetry making comments about our classmates work to help them make their poetry better.

In the computer lab today we made UYN posters. What is UYN and how can you do it? Which Wizzy Wig do think is the most frightening?

Go to http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexfl.htm if you forgot.

Share this sight with you parents. It has some help information to help you stay safe on the internet.

Yadablog is on its way! Thank you for the comments and encouragement from the previous post. Look for more in the days to come and for more details about our end of the year celebrations. Also, please share this with other Hampton Fifth grade families.