Assignments

Some assignments that do not have a page of their own will be listed here.

Blog Assignment Set up a Blog. You will use this blog to answer reflection questions for class. You will be assigned reflection questions throughout the semester to answer. They will be posted on @DrTerriOU twitter feed, every other weekend and you will be expected to reply by the following Sunday by writing your own reflection. You will answer your question, and sometimes will be directed by the question to respond to another student's blogs. I suggest you follow other's blogs on your dashboard or using an RSS reader like Google reader.

Wiki Assignment Set up a classroom Wiki for one of your classes or a fictional future class. Or set up a wiki that provides professional development materials related to your job mission.

The wiki must have at least 9 pages. The wiki must have at least 4 different embedded video or widget.( ie ... five youtube videos only count as one widget) One page must be rules for use of the Wiki both at home and at school. The wiki can have a theme (recycling, math, language arts, etc..) or it can be a general wiki for classroom management. One page must utilize the power of a wiki and Web 2.0 Technologies in that it invites comment or participation by your audience. Then you will asked to gain that input (even if simulated to show how the wiki works in this fashion). Each page needs to be designed with pictures, widgets, or appropriate visual design for your audience. You will also be graded on having an appropriate theme for your wiki. (ie. that pages are related to some level). One of your 9 pages will be your audio project and another will be for your video project.

=**Twitter Assignment**= You may not be aware that most twitter posts are written and planned ahead of time. While may teachers are using twitter to communicate with students and parents, often the problem is that they are waiting to tweet until the last minute without a plan. Teachers are busy, and so the tweets often become intermittent and not useful.

For this assignment you will create a project for your classroom or learning environment (or future learning environment) that uses Twitter. The tweets need to have a specific purpose - motivation, parent communication, professional development, extra curricular activities, etc... It could be part of a larger tweet plan that includes giving daily homework etc.. but this should be the extra posts.

Then using a program like Hoot Suite,(or a less techy approach - A table made in Word that includes dates) for sending out intended tweets.

When you turn in this project, you will also be expected to include a 1-2 page single spaced (minimum) paper that describes who your audience is, what you hope to be the benefit of the tweets and how you will plan to recruit twitter followers (will you use facebook, as for parents to sign up).

You will also be expected to include recruitment materials to subscribe to your twitter feed. This could be a wiki page about the project, a flyer you may send home. This recruitment material should include information related to:
 * intended content and purpose of the tweets.
 * Why they should subscribe.
 * How you will address privacy and what else you will do with any information you collect.
 * How to subscribe and unsubscribe.

There will be an opportunity to share these tweets among the class (to test them out), and to share selected tweets with the OUEducation twitter stream to share your tweets with other people who are teachers and studying to be teachers.

If it more appropriate, you could plan for a real time twitter activity. In that case a lesson plan would be required which includes how students with special needs will be accommodated and instructional materials for all students during class. Please speak with the instructor if you wish to take this route on this project for more specific guidelines.



Audio Assignment
The goal of this activity is to have you experiment with creating digital content for your students.


 * Identify a need that can be addressed in your classroom by using teacher or student created audio.
 * Write a short paragraph explaining the need.(on your wiki)
 * Write a learning objective that can be easily assessed either using the audio or in response to it.
 * Write a simple lesson plan on your wiki explaining how the audio will be used with objective, activities, assessment, and any accommodations you may need to do. (ELL, IEP, etc.. ) Place this on your wiki.
 * Design an audio file that you can use in that lesson.
 * Create an assessment to assess student learning in the lesson.
 * Create the audio file or an example of what you would like students to do.
 * The audio file should be at least 5 minutes long.(or collectively)
 * The audio file should not break copyright - ie.. no more than 10% of any published work.
 * Add your audio file and assessment files to your wiki.
 * Write a short reflection about what you learned from doing the audio assignment and what you would do differently the next time you planned to use an audio file with learners. (include this on your wiki)

**Each audio lesson plan with assessment is worth 20 pts.**

Video Assignment
The goal of this activity is to have you experiment with creating digital content for your students.


 * Identify a need that can be addressed in your classroom by using teacher or student created video.
 * Write a short paragraph explaining the need.
 * Write a learning objective that can be easily assessed either using the video or in response to it.
 * Write a simple lesson plan on your wiki explaining how the video will be used with objective, activities, assessment, and any accommodations you may need to do. (ELL, IEP, etc.. ) Place this on your wiki.
 * Design a video file that you can use in that lesson. (This can be a video made by students or you modeling what you would want students to make)
 * Create an assessment to assess student learning in the lesson.
 * Create the video or an example of what you would like students to do.
 * Add your video and the assessment materials you make on your wiki.
 * Write a short reflection on what you would do differently the next time you make a video or try to use one with your learners.

**Each video file and lesson plan with assessment is worth 20 pts.** == = = **Classroom Needs Analysis** One of the important parts of designing a learning activity for a classroom is to identify a need. A needs analysis is a description that is rich and thorough that decribes a need in your classroom, workplace, or other learning setting. What evidence is there to justify that its a need, what has been done to address it, and what are the ramifications of this need. (ie.. does it interrupt student learning?) etc.. You are to write a 3 or more page single spaced paper outlining a need that you see in a class that you think a technology might help you address. Include in your description at least a half a page description of the classroom, the teacher, and the students. //Think - Could I identify this classroom if I was wandering down the hallway?// Make sure to be honest about the learners in the classrooms.. (ie.. there is never a class of just 2nd graders - there is a class of 2nd graders - 3 of whom are not English speakers, two have IEPs for specific disabilities, and 2 only attend about half the time .. etc.. ) Be very descriptive. This will lead up to either the teach yourself a technology project or a unit plan where you will plan to teach with a technology. You are orienting me to your audience. Also see this chapter on defining your learners - it may give you ideas on what to discuss. Scoring will focus on a clear description of the needs in the learning environment linked to the clear description of the learning environment.. If multiple needs are discussed, is a priority discussed for the needs and what is the rationale? Make sure to focus on the rationale - We want Ipads because we have none is not enough - how would ipads benefit your learners socially, educationally, cognitively, experientially etc.. Rationale is very important.

FINAL PROJECTS - MEET WITH DOCTOR CULLEN 1 ON 1 TO DISCUSS PROGRESS ON THESE NO LATER THAN APRIL 1st.. (IE.. YOU MUST HAVE SOME THINGS STARTED BEFORE THAT MEETING) ** Professional Development Plan Project **


 * Task:** You are to create a professional development plan related to your technology skills using the ISTE Standards for Teachers as a Model.

Under each category include the following sections: · Skills I already have in this category. · Issues in my classroom or daily work or my general skills as a teacher that relate to this category. (I.e. why do I need skills in this area) · Short-term professional development plans to address the needs. (include a due date or time line for addressing the concern) · Long- term professional development to address these needs. (Include a due date or timeline for addressing the concern.) · Self-Assessment or goal – How will you measure that you successfully achieved a goal. o Some suggestions could be: § Plan to do a collaborative project with another teacher and ask them for feedback. § Set a goal of what you will be able to do by a certain time. § Identify resources and how often you will use them.
 * Format**: Take each of the major categories of the ISTE standards for teachers.(or ISTE standards for Administrators for Bill)

Here might be a rough example: Under Standard V - Professional Practice · Need: You need to better communicate with parents. · Goal: You want to use a Wiki to improve parent communication. · Create something that you can measure: By this time next year, I will have been able to create 4 different Wiki pages and will feel comfortable updating it weekly. · Short term Plan: I will make a wiki and play around with it. · Long Term Plan: I will find and watch as least 4 videos, subscribe to a master teacher’s wiki, or participate in a learning community about wiki by checking it weekly or subscribing to their RSS feed. · Assessment: First you would see if you have 4 pages and you could survey parents to see if they use it.

=Final Project=

The Teach Yourself (Someone) a Technology Project or The Unit Plan Project
This final project will require you to teach someone how to use a new technology or to use a new technology in class with your students.

The Unit Plan project requires you to learn a new technology and incorporate it in a unit and teach it to your students.
Both projects require reflection and evaluation. The teach someone else project also requires you have the "someone else" fill out an evaluation of your instruction. (Might be too much power to ask your students on the Unit Plan! :)