CEdu 521: Week 1 of Learning with Technology: Effective Teaching Strategies

I am very excited to start CEdu 521 because it feels like the right time to take the next step in our graduate school process. We certainly have learned many new technology tools since we began this program in October. Now, as was emphasized in class, we need to apply this new knowledge in authentic and effective learning strategies for our students.

As a business education teacher, I now recognize many opportunities to move my students to higher LoTI levels. The LoTI PowerPoint, survey, and Project Analysis Guide all brought me to the realization of how much more I can do in this area. During class Tuesday night, I found myself constantly brainstorming on how to enhance many class computer projects at North Junior High. Our Financial Life Skills Budget Project could be enhanced by allowing students to share in a wiki or blog (with fellow students and/or parents) if they were within budget and why or why not. They could also share what surprises and decisions they encountered while also thinking about what changes they would make in future months. Until last night, I have never thought about how important an audience would be in raising the Budget Project from LoTI Level 3 to Level 4. The Project Analysis Guide handout was right on when it stated, ". . . real audiences will intentionally raise the level of expectation for the quality of student work."

The main hurdle to this student sharing would be finding a method that meets the approval of our building and district tech people. We use Gaggle's standard paid subscription service for e-mail units in our 8th grade Computer Applications course. Gaggle also has a blog feature that we have not used at North. I will pursue this option, in terms of approval and any additional costs. The real-life skills my students learn when preparing their own budget (seeking apartments, cars, clothes, food, personal items, insurance, loans, etc.) is something they love to share verbally with neighboring students in the lab. The ability to share this decison-making process online with their peers and parents and post comments would be such a real-world, authentic addition to the Budget Project.