Teaching, Learning, & Assessments
"Technology Coaches assist teachers in using technology effectively for assessing student learning, differentiating instruction, and providing rigorous,relevant, and engaging learning experiences for all students."
(From the ISTE NETS-C website).
Documentation of my work in the area of Teaching, Learning, and Assessments is listed in the items below.
Integration of the Moodle Learning Management System - ISTE NETS-C 2g, 3c,
During the winter or 2005, I started experimenting with Learning Management Systems, specifically the open source LMS called Moodle. After installing the system on one of our own servers, I showed the system and its educational potential to a few teachers that always want to try out something new. From that time on, I have been training teachers on the system and they have been integrating it into their curriculum. This has taken a recent fast-track as we are a 1:1 device district in our middle school. Teachers are at 100% agreement that a 1:1 scenario needs some sort of LMS to really make a successful program. With so many teachers jumping on board with Moodle, and each teacher seems to want something different from the system, I created a full Moodle course just for teachers called "Managing Moodle." This course room has text and video tutorials, interactive simulations, peer sharing wikis and discussion boards. Teachers can go to the Moodle course at anytime to learn more about Moodle. Moodle is widely used for its ability to perform formative and summative assessments.
(From the ISTE NETS-C website).
Documentation of my work in the area of Teaching, Learning, and Assessments is listed in the items below.
Integration of the Moodle Learning Management System - ISTE NETS-C 2g, 3c,
During the winter or 2005, I started experimenting with Learning Management Systems, specifically the open source LMS called Moodle. After installing the system on one of our own servers, I showed the system and its educational potential to a few teachers that always want to try out something new. From that time on, I have been training teachers on the system and they have been integrating it into their curriculum. This has taken a recent fast-track as we are a 1:1 device district in our middle school. Teachers are at 100% agreement that a 1:1 scenario needs some sort of LMS to really make a successful program. With so many teachers jumping on board with Moodle, and each teacher seems to want something different from the system, I created a full Moodle course just for teachers called "Managing Moodle." This course room has text and video tutorials, interactive simulations, peer sharing wikis and discussion boards. Teachers can go to the Moodle course at anytime to learn more about Moodle. Moodle is widely used for its ability to perform formative and summative assessments.
Technology Grants Across the Curriculum
Through the years, the grant process has been an unexpected impetus for educational change. Many grants have specific requirements (science projects, research-based, "out-of-the-box" ideas, etc.). Grants also have features such as research-based requirements and the use of evaluation and assessment tools. These grant features require teachers to think about how they can implement these methods within the projects they propose. Even when we do not receive a grant, pedagogical changes will often still occur by just going through the grant process. After finding teachers that are interested in a specific grant, we brainstorm creative projects and how to implement it. For the most part, I write the grants based upon the idea from the consensus of the group. All teachers and administrators must be on board prior to the grant submission. Listed below are some of the grants we have been awarded over the years and how they were implemented.
Through the years, the grant process has been an unexpected impetus for educational change. Many grants have specific requirements (science projects, research-based, "out-of-the-box" ideas, etc.). Grants also have features such as research-based requirements and the use of evaluation and assessment tools. These grant features require teachers to think about how they can implement these methods within the projects they propose. Even when we do not receive a grant, pedagogical changes will often still occur by just going through the grant process. After finding teachers that are interested in a specific grant, we brainstorm creative projects and how to implement it. For the most part, I write the grants based upon the idea from the consensus of the group. All teachers and administrators must be on board prior to the grant submission. Listed below are some of the grants we have been awarded over the years and how they were implemented.
- Race to the top in the Middle School (awarded in 1998-1999). ISTE NETS-C 2a, 2b, 2c, 3f, 5c
A cross-curricular, multi-grade level project, students across the state of Ohio shared their local history with each other through the website Ohio History Is Alive! All middle school students and all curriculum areas took part in relevant and engaging learning activities that centered on Ohio History. My part in this project was co-creator of the grant, create and maintain the budget, purchase and deploy technologies, train staff on new technologies, and create and update the project website. - Race to the Top in the High School (awarded in 2000-2001) ISTE NETS-C 2d,
Grant Abstract - Lesson Plan Template - Actual Teacher RAC Lesson Plans
Using the RAC instructional model (Research - Analyze - Communicate), teachers created technology-rich, relevant and rigorous engaging lessons for students in grades 9-12. All teachers and students participated and it not only created a huge surge in the use of educational technology, but inspired many teachers to adjust their pedagogy for the onset of these new technologies. My part in this project was to teach the RAC model, write the grant, create the budget, purchase and deploy technologies, train staff on new technologies, and create the website of lessons. - ING Unsung Heros Grant (awarded in 2009) ISTE NETS-C 2c,
This grant, titled "Get Real! - R & R Projects," was a proposal with many ideas on how to create relevant and rigorous lessons that incorporated technology and produced an authenticate project that would fulfill a need in the local community. A main outcome of this project was an adjustment in teaching pedagogy to not only incorporate technology, but to create authentic learning environments. My part in this grant was the proposal idea, getting teachers on board, writing the grant and budget, purchasing and deploying items, and staff training. - Dominion Environmental Grant ISTE NETS-C 2c, 3f, 5c
Targeted towards environmental awareness, the high school science teachers decided to focus on watersheds. The project, called “Go with the Flow," proposed to take students out of the classroom and put them into the real world where they would gather, analyze, hypothesize, and communicate their findings of local watersheds. The project goal was to increase awareness of environmental issues, how their activities affect water quality, and encourage them to become involved in community outreach projects to educate others on these critical environmental issues.My role in this grant was to write the grant, budget, purchase, and deploy new equipment, arrange specialized training for the science equipment, build the website, organize the field trips, and so forth.
Learning Styles Inventory ISTE NETS-C 2e, 2f, 2h
All students in grades 3-12 were given a learning styles inventory to see how students learn best; visual, tactile, auditory, etc. The data received from the vendor was a text .csv file that needed sorting to allow teachers to make sense of it. From the data, I annually created an Excel spreadsheet for every class. Data was displayed in both numeric and graphic formats. Teachers were able to use this data to better understand the various learning styles of the groups of students they encountered throughout the day.
All students in grades 3-12 were given a learning styles inventory to see how students learn best; visual, tactile, auditory, etc. The data received from the vendor was a text .csv file that needed sorting to allow teachers to make sense of it. From the data, I annually created an Excel spreadsheet for every class. Data was displayed in both numeric and graphic formats. Teachers were able to use this data to better understand the various learning styles of the groups of students they encountered throughout the day.