- Reflect on how your personal learning network has changed and grown during the course of this workshop. Discuss your plans for how you plan to continue to grow your learning network and how you hope to contribute to the professional learning of your administrative colleagues.
Final Project Action Plan
1. Name of Organization: Benjamin Davis Elementary School, Decatur, Al. ( my former school when I was teaching)
2. Project Title: Find Your Strengths and Shine!
3. Project Location: My classroom and other classrooms throughout the school
4. Contact Person: Carrie Hart
5. Contact Information: Carrglenn@aol.com
6. Project Timeline: January-May 2015
7. Amount Required- possibly none/possibly a professional development day/s
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Benjamin Davis Elementary School is a small k-2 magnet school. Our school provides extra specialized classes and approaches teaching in many different ways for every learner. Technology has been a big push and is growing by the day. It is in the teachers and the students hands. It is readily available and encouraged to be used in everything.
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
Due to the fact that there are so mant types of technology available some teachers and administrators feel overwhelmed. There are so many different programs or "gadgets" to learn that they never feel they truly master one of them. Therefore, they need to create their own PLN's and focus on ONE type of technology at a time to master.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
- Have teachers and administrators develop their own PLN while continually addressing my own.
- Have teachers and administrators pick out their strengths in technology or the one also etc they would like to become stronger in and focus on that.
-Have teachers and administrators break into small groups based on focus where they will learn and investigate more.
These breakout groups will ocurr over several months while learning is happening.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN:
- Everyone will meet in small focus groups based on their technology focus.
- Each person in the group will take part in sharing what they know with the others.
- Many hands on activities will take place after initial discussion and investigation. (Ex: SmartBoard Focus- using the board, exploring sites on the board, creating documents and interactive activities on the board)
PROJECT MONITORING AND EVALUATION:
There will be a chairperson for each group that will report what they have worked on at their session or meeting. They may share a few tidbits at a faculty or grade level meeting. They will also have to try and implement what they are learning in their own classroom. In May each group will share the key facts they have learned. Each group will share and discuss with each other, while learning about many different types of technologies.
DOCUMENTATION AND SHARING RESULTS :
I will keep up with each group throughout the process and see how they feel about their progress. I will try and observe some of their implementations in classrooms and have others do the same. Mostly, hearing their feedback and hopefully their newfound sense of confidence in what they are learning more about, will give me the best feedback there is.
After the project is complete, I will post notes and videos from each group showing what they learned and tried in their classroom so that all can see.
Each group would also be able to add to their PLN's as they are learning from eachother.
PROJECT BUDGET:
The only cost that would possibly be necessary is the price for substitutes for professional development days. One substitute per teacher would be needed, for 3 different days- at the beginning of the project, the middle and the culmination. The school system and the school PTO allocates funds for situations like this.
These meetings could also take place during grade level meetings, faculty meetings, or after school.
ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This is a great time for everyone to learn from eachother but for those that do not feel completely confident with a certain technology tool to really feel successful. This is something that could be continued throughout the summer in a workshop or the next school year.
