My Personal Technology IEP

I chose to write my Individualized Education Plan (IEP) based upon my lack of knowledge on operating a Mac and any software that Mac’s use.

My Goals:
Andrea will be able to adequately navigate a Mac and will demonstrate this proficiency by

• being able to open applications by using Finder
• using iworks suite including pages, numbers, and keynote
  (A keynote presentation, import a graph from numbers, and pages for the script of my project)
• able to export slides from Keynote into imovie
• complete a digital story using imovie

To demonstrate that these goals were met, I created a final project using imovie.

Using this newly acquired knowledge, I have designed a series of lessons that will integrate this technology into my content area, mathematics. I will use my imovie as a sample for my students to see a final project idea and I would then have the knowledge to confidently lead them through the process. Click here for the full lesson plans.

Lesson 1: Rough Draft Idea
Lesson 2: Rough Draft equations, chart, and solving the system of equations two ways
Lesson 3: The script
Lesson 4: Begin Keynote
Lesson 5: Using numbers to make a graph, finish Keynote
Lesson 6: Export Keynote as jpeg images into imovie and begin voice over
Lesson 7: Bring it all home- complete project

I would consider myself to have sound technological skills on a computer. I can usually fix things, change things, and generally get around close to an advanced user. Come to think of it, I am actually quite proud of my computer and technological skills and those skills have served as an advantage getting the jobs that I’ve had. But all this information was on one platform: a PC. To enter the world of Mac’s and not even be quite sure how to open a program was a difficult transition for this apt user. I’ve spent this last semester learning basic navigation skills and using some basic software that is MAC specific. This task was met with intense frustration at moments, me actually trying to read help bubbles for assistance, and a more persistent attitude that I can and will be proficient with all computers. At the beginning of this project, I simply struggled with knowing PC shortcuts and knowing that I could do something special with a line of text, but not being able to find that function on the Mac. Luckily I have now conquered my frustration and feel ready to face the world.

I began by working on my own digital storytelling project to accustom myself to various software I was hoping my students would soon be able to use. This experience helped immensely because I had an unmatched empathy to the students who were frustrated and felt the task might be impossible. Upon completion of my digital project, I then moved forward with the project in the classroom.

Students worked in teams and on the first day were given project overview, rubric, and rough draft.

The Drawbacks:

This project ended up taking a little more time than I had originally thought. It was originally only going to be 5 lesson days but became 7 lessons. I believe I was most shocked to see gaping holes in students understanding of technology and basics on how software is used. This is not to say that they are not wildly proficient in technology, but their expertise is related to different software. The other obstacle of the project was the constant monitoring that was required to ensure students were on task. I used Remote Desktop that enabled me to view what students were working on, close programs that were not applicable, or send messages for them to get back on task. At one point I put a rotating monitoring screen of the students laptops on the overhead projector for other students to monitor as I moved about the classroom. This project was completed with 3 sections of Algebra 1 students and both my host teacher and I played vital roles in assisting students at every turn.

The Positive Outcomes:

The 1 to 1 laptops were part of a grant effort where each freshman this year was assigned a laptop for educational use. This project integrated the laptops effectively into the classroom giving student opportunities to use technology to advance their own learning. Also the project allowed for a wide range of student creativity to surface which is sometimes rarely explored within a mathematics classroom. The situations and problems that the teams of students choose were of a wide variety representing a plethora of student interests. The math was solid and was reinforced several times throughout the project ensuring that they could solve a system of equations in several different ways. This was also a good project in working with a team member farthing my personal philosophy of being able to talk about math to help students be able to grasp it in a deeper and stronger reality.

A wide range of final digital stories were turned in. I have chosen a variety of projects to show the full spectrum of what a final product could look like (or should look like).

Sample Student Videos

(You will need to sign into TeacherTube or create a free account to view my student's work).
Two pretty good ones: Megleen Issues - Storage Rental Space Options and Justin's Musical Dilemma - Downloading Music

Two "other" ones: I need a tan! - Tanning Salon packages and
Pet Washers - Dog grooming