I.  TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS.

Teacher demonstrates a sound knowledge of technology operations and concepts.  (A,B)

I have integrated technology into my students activities, as well as my own activities.  During this unit, Ms. Bias and I collaborated to develop an explorer unit with technology integrated into it.  We used technology to write parent letters, to develop a power point presentation to present the explorer unit, and to research explorers on the internet.   Exhibit 3 shows Ms. Bias giving the power point presentation to the class. 

I assisted students in the lab as they researched on Microsoft Encarta and the Internet, wrote a rough draft on Microsoft Word, and edited the rough draft to write a final draft.  Exhibit 4 shows students researching in the computer lab.

II.  PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EXPERIENCES.

Teacher plans and designs effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology.  (A,B,E)

     By the time a student reaches the fifth grade at Keeler, he/she has done research on the Internet and composed works on Microsoft Word.  The computer allows the student to be productive and allows for student diversity in technology abilities.  Ms. Bias and I circulated in the lab while students researched and wrote explorer biographies.  Samples of students' work is shown in Exhibit 2

III.  TEACHING, LEARNING, AND THE CURRICULUM

Teachers implement curriculum plans, that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning.  (A,B,C,D)

The explorer unit we created applied technology to fifth grade Michigan curriculum Standard and Benchmarks in Technology, Language Arts, and Social Studies.  These content standards can be viewed in the unit Overview. 

We used technology to support learner-centered strategies.  The technology met the diverse needs of students.  Some students were only capable of doing minimal research and writing a short paper, while others did extensive research and wrote very detailed papers.  One may see the difference in explorer biographies in Exhibit 2.  

Students higher level thinking skills were challenged as they researched and evaluated articles to make sure details of the explorer's life were covered and as they analyzed which were the key points of the explorer's life.  Ms. Bias and I circulated in the lab to assist students with research and writing.  Ms. Bias can be seen assisting a student in the lab in Exhibit 4

IV.  ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION.

Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies.  (C)

I used multiple methods of evaluation to determine students' appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication and productivity.  Articles found on Microsoft Encarta and the Internet were to give details of the assigned explorers' lives. Ms. Bias and I looked evaluated articles chosen by students to determine if needed details were included.  Student rough drafts were read for evaluation and suggestions were made for improvement.  A final assessment was made on student writing in the final draft.  Oral presentations were evaluated with a rubric.   I use "First Class Grade Book" to compile student assignments and grades.  Student project points were recorded and graded in the grade book.  The Assessment Rubric can be seen in Exhibit 1.

V.  PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.

Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice.  (A,B,C,D)

I used technology resources to develop my own learning in this unit.  This was the first power point presentation I put together.  Ms. Bias and I collaborated to find an interesting way to present the Explorer Unit to the class.  This was also the first time I  had students compare articles for content.  I had to evaluate the articles along with the students to determine if needed details were included.  One can see Ms. Bias giving the power point presentation to the class in Exhibit 3.  

When Ms. Bias and I collaborated to put the unit together, we had to evaluate and make decisions regarding the use of technology within the unit to support student learning.  We decided on the lessons and added appropriate technology.   See the Explorer Unit Plan in Exhibit 1.

By applying technology to this unit, students were more productive.  The unit became student-centered instruction and their attitude toward the unit was positive. It seemed as though they worked harder on every aspect of the unit.  

During the unit, I communicated with parents about student expectations, grading, and the final presentation.  I feel parent-school communication is necessary to nurture student learning.  I use technology communicate with parents by publishing a weekly newsletter, sending home mid marking progress letters from the grade book I use, and writing parent letters to keep parents informed of current events.  I communicate with peers and parents through E-mail.  One can see an example of this in the parent letters in Exhibit 1.  

VI.  SOCIAL, ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND HUMAN ISSUES.

Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and apply those principles in practice.  (A,B,D,E)

At the beginning of the school year, I discuss the ethical and legal issues of technology.  Even though we have a filter on our computers in the lab, students were given options of sites to visit to access information on their explorers and they were to visit those sites only.  See Exhibit 4 which is a picture of Ms. Bias writing the web sites students can visit while researching explorers on the Internet.

Some students in the Redford Union District do not have computers at home, and some lack typing skills.  Using the computer allows students to work at different paces and ability levels.  Ms. Bias and I  circulated in the lab to assist those who need help researching and writing.  In Exhibit 4 Ms. Bias is assisting a student with research on the Internet.

Students each have their own computers in the lab.  I direct students in computer operation during use and I remain in the lab with my class at all times to promote safe and healthy use of the computers.

During the school year, my class is scheduled to go to the computer lab once a week for fifty minutes.  We have two classroom computers, one of which students have access to all the time and the other is a teacher computer.  During our explorer unit, we added an extra day per week to allow students who needed extra time to work on their report to type or research.  Students frequently use the classroom computer to research or type.  Exhibit 4 shows students working in the lab on research.