Final Wicked Problem Project

Text of your problem: 

The important educational need that I am seeking to address is parent involvement and communication. Parents are partners in education and it is fundamental that they are involved and aware of what is going on in the classroom with their child. It is a teacher's job to have constant communication with the parents to they are aware and involved in their child's education


 Text of your solution:

I teach in a district where almost all families have computers or cell phones with internet access. This year in my class all parents had internet access. Parents that that email would be the most effective way to communicate with them throughout the school year. After thinking about this I thought that a classroom website would be an effective form of communication. Parents would be able to check it often and refer back to it when needed. My plan was to create a website where I could give curriculum updates, list important dates, and also show parents what their child has been working on and doing at school. A classroom website would increase parent communication.

 Text of the TP, TC, & PC

TP Knowledge is “knowledge of the existence, components, and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in teaching and learning settings, and conversely, knowing how teaching might change as the result of using particular technologies.” The technology that I have chosen to support the methods of parent communication is a classroom website. A classroom website will help parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom. Parents will also be able to use it as a resource to help their students with their education. There will be links and information provided about ways for them to support their child.

 TP Knowledge is “knowledge of the existence, components, and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in teaching and learning settings, and conversely, knowing how teaching might change as the result of using particular technologies.” The technology that I have chosen to support the methods of parent communication is a classroom website. A classroom website will help parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom. Parents will also be able to use it as a resource to help their students with their education. There will be links and information provided about ways for them to support their child.

 PC is “concerned with the representation and formulation of concepts, pedagogical techniques, knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn, knowledge of students’ prior knowledge. At curriculum night next year, I will model and explain how to use our classroom website. This will give parents an understanding of how the site will be used and will also guide them in how to use it. After modeling how to use the website to the parents, I will also show the students where they can find resources to use. Students will be able to find and use the resources on their own. After modeling how the website will be used, parents will be able to email or talk to me about any questions they have about how communication will take place in the classroom.

Professional Learning Plan

Here is a link to my Professional Learning Plan.

Group Leadership Project

1. What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial?  Why?

We choose to deliver a tutorial on how to create a blog.  The tool that we used to deliver this tutorial is Camtasia.  We thought this would be a great program that we could use screen shots to teach how to use a blog.  It worked very well to compile all of the parts together. 

2.  What did you learn during the development process of the final product?

Before completing this project I was not very familiar with Camtasia.  This assignment helped me to learn how to use the tool and how it is pretty easy to use.  I have thought of ways I can use this to teach students.  

3.  What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?

If I had to do develop a similar product again, I would explore more of the features that Camtasia has to offer.  I feel like I was just beginning to learn how to use it and am excited to try different things with it.   

How to use Blogger

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Wicked Project Part D

•                Formative: Did the project get implemented as planned?

The project did get implemented as planned.  It was a tough project to complete with such little time left in the school year. I had to quickly create a website that parents would be able to use to keep updated with the classroom happenings.  After creating the website I had to communicate with parents how to use the site and what the site would be used for.  After parents were aware of the website they begin using it to find information. 

•                Summative: Evidence of success in addressing the problem of practice.

When talking to parents about their thoughts of the website, I heard very positive feedback.  They felt like they were up to date, in the loop and knew what was going on.  They told me they thought it was an easy way to be informed.  Parents liked that all the information was in one place and did not have to look in many places for the updates.  Parents were happy with the use of a website. 

                          

•                How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here?

I would approach another project of this type differently giving myself more time to implement in the classroom.  I felt rushed and felt like I could have been more detailed for the parents.  More time would help me to concentrate and develop the project before implementing it.  

•                What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?

It is important to have a backup plan for your project so that it will benefit it all people.  For example, if the parents in my class did not have access to a computer I was planning on sending home a paper copy of what was on the website has on it. 

In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do

I will create a website to use at the beginning of the year to support parent communication.  Starting at the beginning of the year will show parents what to expect.  I will be able to explain what to expect and how to use the website at curriculum night with all the parents.  I am excited to start the year out with open communication and using a website to communicate with parents.  

Wicked Part C

Here is a link to my podcast about the implementation of my Wicked Project.

Part B: Storyboard and Script

Our group used Google Presentation in order to create our storyboard and script.  Here is a link to our storyboard

Each person has a different part of Blogger they are focusing on.  Here are the different parts each person will focus on:
Aubrey: Setting up a new account, starting your blog, and design options
Nancy: Creating a new post
Lisa: Adding links and images
Kim: Adding comments and sharing

We will each use Camtasia to record our section of the project.  After completed we will send them to one group member who will put them all together for the final product.