Innovative+Project

=NETS*T for Innovative Project=

**1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity**
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers... .....a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness .....b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources .....c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes .....d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers... .....a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity .....b. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress .....c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources .....d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers... .....a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations .....b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation .....c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats .....d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning

** 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility **
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers... .....a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources .....b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources .....c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information .....d. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools

** 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership **
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers... .....a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning .....b. exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others .....c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning .....d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

= = =Reflection for Innovative Project= .....I have incorporated this new project right into my Integration Plan because everything about the project is new. .....Because the idea of online collaboration is only in its very beginning stages for us, everything about this project is new to almost all of the students. Today when I started 5th grade on mind maps, I heard three kids in different areas of the room all say "Aw, cool!" at the same time. I may be creating monsters for the other teachers because now the kids have been exposed to the same old boring, monotonous tasks using technology and they are loving it! Coming down the hall after Title I today I happened to glance at one of the displays in the upper grade wing and they had hand-drawn flow charts hanging. I think the kids will be begging to do them on Mind42.com from now on. Because I don't see the kids every day this project will be ongoing until the end of the school year. I will be addressing the 7th graders this week about their participation in this project. Everything is rolling nicely, the kids are excited, I never have to ask them to get quiet or get back to work, and I am enjoying it as much as the kids. Several are accessing their work from home to show their parents, make some updates, and check on their "Stumpers". The Stumpers are brainteasers I have started posting on their wiki to help them get into the habit of checking the discussion boards. The only issues we are facing have to do with inconsistent access to the network. This is an issue because that is where they are working on the PowerPoints - it is a little difficult to continue working on things you can't access. Most of the assessments for this project are self and peer assessments. I have checklists and a rubric also being worked on. All-in-all, I'd say this project is a success!