The focus of my WICKED problem project is to use social networking in the computer classroom as a means of providing immediate feedback to students to help promote achievement. Providing immediate feedback to students is very important in order to keep students engaged in material and motivating to continue learning. It is very important to have a blended solution of this problem by applying the principals of the TPACK.
The technology that I plan on using is a free social networking site like Twiducate or Edmodo. With these social networking sites I am able to create classes, form discussions, post projects and resources, post polls and surveys, and allow students to turn in work. Creating a social networking site for my classes allows me to stay in constant communication with my students. Communication among students and teachers is extremely important, especially when it pertains to providing feedback. Not only does creating a social networking site allow me to provide instant feedback to my students, but it allows students to provide instant feedback to one another.
The content of the computer courses that I teach for middle school students includes things like computer history, using the Internet, creating documents, presentations, databases, cyberbullying, using social media, etc. The problem that I am addressing is providing immediate feedback to students to promote achievement. Using social networking in the classroom I will be able to provide feedback to students on projects, assignments, journals, discussions, and the like digitally and instantly. Also, students will be able to provide feedback to one another using this tool. Using the social network to post polls and surveys relating to content allows students to provide me with feedback on things we have covered and may possibly need to cover again. Working within this instant and collaborative environment will help students develop a deeper content knowledge, ultimately promoting higher achievement levels.
The overall goal of this project is to create a well-organized, virtual work environment for students to use as a means for creativity and collaboration in the computer classroom that allows the teacher and students to provide immediate feedback to one another as a way to increase student achievement. This tool will be used throughout the entire year for management and organization of numerous assignments, not just one.
Sounds like you have put alot of thought into this. Great ideas and application of technology in your classroom. You may want to specify the individual aspects of TPACK, per the rubric. I'm curious to see how this will turn out. I think the students will really dig it.
ReplyDeleteDave Crewes
For this portion, do you plan on replacing aspects of the class with technology like Edmodo, or are you adding it as a supplement? I have experimented with adding Moodle to my lessons, and students feel it is too much extra work on the side, so I switched to only using Moodle for one unit to see how it went. I think social networking sites are great ways to get your students engaged and provide feedback.
ReplyDeleteBoth. It will be replacing how I have been doing bell work and exit surveys. I will also be using it as a supplemental resource for students to use when completing other projects in the class.
ReplyDeleteJeff,
ReplyDeleteThe topics in your middle school class sound really cool. I'm curious, have you decided to use Twiducate or Edmodo? I've heard good things about Edmodo, but haven't heard of Twiducate.