Sheila

Professional Development at Chester Academy

Name:Sheila Marcoux Title:Special Education Teacher/Case Manager SAU:Chester #82 Grade Level:6 District:Chester Content Area:Special Education/all content areas School:Chester Content Domain: ?
 * Section 1: General Information **

Course Unit: The focus of my Web 2.0 project will be to create a professional development wiki space for Chester Academy. My intent is to provide a venue where the staff can share information that they have learned from professional development activities.
 * Backward Design Unit Planning **
 * Unit 2: Standards and Learning Goals **

//**Unit 3:**// **Instructional Design: Wikis and Blogs** A wiki for the staff of Chester Academy to share professional development experiences. My intent is to provide a venue where the staff can share information that they have learned from professional development activities. Education professionals are continually adding to their individual toolboxes. However, we don't always get a chance or have the time to share this information with each other. This wiki will allow us to do just that at our own convenience!

//**Unit 4:**// **Instructional Design: Podcasting** //**Develop an idea for a learning activity that uses podcasting to provide students with experience and practice performing or producing what you indicated would convince you they learned the standard.**// I could have students use podcasting to share their experiences in the sixth grade with the upcoming fifth graders. They could record something like,"A day in the life of a sixth grader." They could share their experiences and enthusiasm about Enterprise City or Science Camp. Students would have to create a rough draft of what they are going to record for prior approval by the teacher. How will this activity connect to the performance or product you need to see students demonstrate? I want to see students demonstrate self confidence in oral communication. There are many aspects of presentation that this level could work on, such as capturing the audience's attention, speaking loud enough, using props and not hiding behind them, and making eye contact. An activity like this can be recorded, and then critiqued, then rerecorded. The students could compare their first try and see improvement which would boost their confidence and performance in oral communication.

Regarding my Chester Academy Professional Development wiki- I can add links to podcasts that are either directly related to a workshop, or indirectly related, but on the same subject, thus giving teachers more resources.

//**Unit 5:**// **Instructional Design: Videos and Multimedia** //**Develop an idea for a learning activity that uses video or multimedia resources to provide students with experience and practice performing or producing what you indicated would convince you they learned the standard.**// How will students use the video or multimedia in this unit? For my Chester Academy Professional Development Wiki, I have already used YouTube. I linked Lee Lefever's "wiki's in plain english." to my home page to educate the staff about wikis. I could do the same with students with almost anything. I like Lefever's videos because they are short and sweet. A quick, simple way to get the info out there. How will this activity connect to the performance or product you need to see students demonstrate? If the students can learn about something in a quick, multisensory way, then they can show their knowledge quicker and move on to bigger and better things. Additionally, students could record a video of a presentation and/or group project. The recording and presentation/placement on YouTube would (I think) excite and engage students.

//Unit 6:// Instructional Design: Google Apps //Develop an idea for a learning activity that uses one or more Google Apps to provide students with experience and practice performing or producing what you indicated would convince you they learned the standard.// How will students use the Google App in this unit? As I mentioned in my week 6 post, I would certainly use Google Earth in the classroom. I could use it as a virtual map. When reading a book and a location is mentioned, I could (or have the students) go right to that location and get background information about it. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">How will this activity connect to the performance or product you need to see students demonstrate?

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//An alternative to developing an idea for your students is to develop an idea for using one or more Google Apps with your colleagues.//

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">How would you and your colleagues use the Google App? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;"> I could use Google Docs to collaborate on a cross curricular unit. Each teacher could add their content and work from there. I could use Google Apps to store a database of common, or similar IEP goals and/or accommodations for use by all educators that are given access.

**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">How would this help or enhance your professional life? ** **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">By sharing a database of common IEP goals, my colleagues and I would save time. **

//**Unit 7:**// **Instructional Design: Digital Citizenship** //**Develop an idea for a learning activity that teaches some aspects of digital citizen ship that might apply to the student use of the various Web 2.0 tools you chose above and social networking.**// How will this activity give them a better learning experience using the Web 2.0 tools? Certainly direct instruction in copyright/citing sources would be applicable here. Another activity would be to directly teach evaluation of websites. Another activity would be to directly teach/show the difference between authentic popups and scams. Some of the virus scams look very real! How will this activity relate to the internet policies already in place at your school? I guess I don't really know much about our internet policies except that middle school students have their own sign-in and therefore can be monitored. I also know that some websites are blocked on the student network.