Tai Kimmerly
Tammy Maginity
CEP-812 - Apply Educational Technology to Practice
08/19/11
Wicked Problem Project
First of all, I would like to apologize to all of you
who have been eagerly awaiting my post. I had some insane technical
difficulties. You know the kind. My computer and I nearly parted ways via my
car tires. My hard drive became so overloaded that my computer would not record
anything. It even got to the point where it wouldn't let me uninstall programs
because it didn't have enough space. So, many hours later, I have several
videos for you. Normally, I would have converted them and linked them all together
in one nice video, but it turns out that I no longer have the resources. So,
here is my wicked project.
My problem and solution are focused on my method of
recording every day assessments. Normally, I record assessments on class
seating charts. Since I have 17 classes and 7 different areas to assess, that
is approximately 119 different seating charts per marking period. That is if I
only assess each area once. That is a lot of paper. To solve this problem, I
knew that I would need a computer. However, as a music teacher, almost none of
my assessments take place with me at a desk. Since most of my seating charts
and plans are created on the computer, it would make sense to keep them there
as well as their corresponding assessments.
I will be focusing on how a tablet can be used in an
elementary music classroom as a grade book tool using Excel spreadsheets. This
first sheet is simply a master seating chart. There is also a sheet for every
area that I have to assess. Above each student’s name are three boxes. This
gives you three opportunities to assess students within each assessment area.
Each sheet looks exactly like this, except for the last. The last sheet is a
summary sheet. It averages all of the grades upon entry. So, when it comes time
to enter grades into your report card system, all you have to do is transfer
the averaged grades.
What is the TP knowledge for the solution?
What is the TC knowledge for the solution?
What is the PC knowledge for the solution?
This technology supports my pedagogy in one main way. It
will allow me to keep accurate records while assessing students in a meaningful
way. Sometimes, recording assessments gets in the way of the actual assessment
and affects the results. Using a tablet will allow me to have quick access to
assessments and records without getting in the way of teaching.
While the use of a tablet will not directly affect the
content of my lessons or the curriculum, it will allow me to focus more on my
teaching of that content and the student learning. For this particular
situation, the technology does not affect the content, except that it makes it
easier for me to teach and record assessments.
The idea of this solution is that students will notice
it less. This will allow me to have my class files that I need open and ready
for the day so that I will be able to seamlessly assess students. For instance,
if I am assessing singing voice, I can simply have the students lead the class
in a song and I can jot down notes while I play the piano without them being
any the wiser. This will not be used for one specific lesson, but daily. It is
difficult to show the pedagogy and content knowledge because this is not geared
toward one specific lesson, but daily activities.
Wicked_Part_One
Wicked_Part_Two
Wicked_Part_Three
Wicked_Part_Four
Using Tablet PC's in Music Education
Excel Tutorials
http://www.fatwallet.com/
Excel Grade Book File
Tai, this is a really great presentation! I am sorry that you had difficulties with embedding the vids. Nothing like a tech setback is there! I had to lol at your comment about the prospect of your pc's demise. :) Been there!
ReplyDeleteYou have a great solution to your wicked problem and I can't imagine that it won't be successful! You did a great job of taking the viewer through the problem, solution, setbacks and all. Great information! I will have to let our music teacher in on your tablet solution. ;)
Wishing you the best Tai!
Tai,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your Wicked Problem Project certainly turned wicked at the end with your technical issues! However, your presentation looks great. I am very impressed with the scope and your ambition. I think that you will be able to successfully implement this into your teaching seamlessly. You have figured out many of the details that would make it difficult to start, particularly the formulas. Those alone are time consuming, but you seem to have it all under control. I look forward to hearing how your trial run goes. I think students will initially be interested in what you are doing with the tablet computer, but once they realize it is part of your teaching tools, they will no longer see it, but it will be something that you simply use. I really enjoyed working with you this term. You have a lot of great ideas, and you're so willing to share what you know! Also, in reply to your comments on my final blog post, I used QuickTime to record my screen capture and moved through my PowerPoint. I then imported that file into iMovie, edited it, and then exported the file. From there, I uploaded it as an HD movie to YouTube and then embedded that file. It made it easier than Jing because I didn't have to worry about the five minute limit, and it seems as if I am becoming addicted to embedding videos into my blog. Have a great school year and keep us posted on your progress!