Goal One Frame

<body background="_themes/ricepapr/ricebk.jpg" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#666633" vlink="#333366" alink="#990000"><font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <p align="center"><i>This page uses frames, but your browser doesn't support them.  Therefore the information has been arranged for your viewing in a generic format.  Sorry for any inconvenience.</i></p> <p align="center"><img src="_themes/ricepapr/aricerul.gif" width="600" height="10"></p> <p align="center"><img src="_derived/Goal1Frame.htm_cmp_ricepapr010_bnr.gif" width="600" height="60" border="0" alt="Goal One"></p> <p style="line-height: 115%" align="justify"><i><font size="3"><b>To provide each student with an opportunity in Visual Art and Technology Education that is exciting, memorable, and applicable to his or her world, and tailor the instructional delivery to meet the needs of all students regardless of learning ability.<br> <br> </b> </font></i> </font><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr><td valign="baseline" width="42"><img src="_themes/ricepapr/aricebu1.gif" width="15" height="15" hspace="13"></td><td valign="top" width="100%"><font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <p style="line-height: 115%; margin-right: .5in" align="justify">Determine learning difficulties that may hinder a student's ability to acquire knowledge;</font></td></tr> <tr><td valign="baseline" width="42"><img src="_themes/ricepapr/aricebu1.gif" width="15" height="15" hspace="13"></td><td valign="top" width="100%"><font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <p align="justify" style="line-height: 115%; margin-right: .5in">Utilize alternative methods of instruction to provide students with a variety of learning; and,</font></td></tr> <tr><td valign="baseline" width="42"><img src="_themes/ricepapr/aricebu1.gif" width="15" height="15" hspace="13"></td><td valign="top" width="100%"><font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <p align="justify" style="line-height: 115%; margin-right: .5in">Provide students with real-world applications in their problem solving experiences.</font></td></tr> </table><font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">Prior to entertaining the thought of obtaining a specific graduate degree or receiving any instruction on integrating educational technology into my classroom, I was approached to participate in a special program that would forever alter my approach, perception, and dedication to improving instruction, as well as ultimately, inspire me to pursue additional research in curriculum development and assessment through formal study at the University of Delaware.  My involvement with the National Science Foundation grant program, Project UPDATE <i>(Upgrading the Practices of Design And Technology Education)</i>, as sponsored through The College of New Jersey empowered a select group of teachers, like myself, to use integrated science, math, and technology concepts in the delivery of their required curriculum.  Through these Contextual Learning Units <i>(CLUs)</i>, students would receive the necessary tools, materials, and knowledge to tackle real-world dilemmas using problem solving strategies and critical thinking skills coupled with their perceptions from past experiences and of their current environment. </p> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">My particular participation in <font face="Wingdings"><a href="CurriculumConstruction.htm" target="_self">&</a></font> <b>TCED 592: </b> <i>Curriculum Construction - Extended Theory and Practice</i> and <font face="Wingdings"><a href="Eval%20in%20Tech%20Ed.htm" target="_self">&</a></font> <b>TCED 691: </b> <i>Evaluation in Technology Education - Assessing Student Capability</i> furnished my instructional 'bag of tricks' with an overwhelming supply of teacher-tested techniques and university-researched strategies, and provided a springboard from which I could conduct further investigations in a tailored area of focus.  Approved as transfer credits for <i>The Study of Teaching</i> and <i>Models of Instruction</i> core area classes, these two classes in addition to an earlier UPDATE offering, TCED 581: <i>Technology Education Workshop</i>, established a foundation for my attempt at overhauling the entire structure of my visual art and technology education classrooms.  Through observation of technology education classrooms across the United Kingdom and inquiry into their National Design and Technology Standards program, tutelage from Cambridge University professors instilled an awareness of the need for implementing alternative instructional methods into American classrooms to accommodate our students' various learning styles.  Furthermore, existed the quest in preparing or producing competent individuals for release into our society who could work cooperatively as well as individually to assess situations and solve real-world problems. </p> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">United with providing adequate and fair assessment procedures for such program revisions and implementations was my internal desire for introducing educational technology into my classrooms.  Upon conclusion of the first UPDATE course, I was fortunate to have enrolled in a seminar presentation of <font face="Wingdings"><a href="Internet4CurrApps.htm" target="_self">&</a></font> <b>EDUC 632:</b> <i>Using the Internet for Curriculum Applications</i> during a spring in-service day gathering within the Caesar Rodney School District.  Presenter, Pat Sine immediately drew upon my personal and professional interests in incorporating 'computers' in the delivery of my curriculum.  Preparation and design of mini-Web Quests and implementation of 'safe' surfing strategies for students became nearly impossible to comprehend in just one day; I desired more knowledge and extended practice in this new field of study that I recognized as an avenue to fulfill my instructional interests in meeting my students' needs.  Therefore, I enrolled as a Continuing Education student in the graduate version of the aforementioned course, and embarked on a two-week marathon to discover an alternative to the ordinary means by which I serviced my students interests. </p> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">Bound by commitment to authoring curriculum materials during the fourth and final summer gathering for Project UPDATE, I placed my formal graduate enrollment in the back of my mind, but continued to incorporate the issues, concerns, and techniques introduced by Pat Sine into my curricular interests and the design of future Project UPDATE <i>CLUs.</i>  Though the above courses afforded me the opportunity to utilize alternative instructional methods through the effective use of mainly computer hardware, I desired additional tools to pre-assess or survey my students' instructional needs.  Several course offerings at the University of Delaware as well as an off-campus computer seminar in computer-based instruction offered such opportunity for exploration that I did not hesitate to pursue both directions.  I simultaneously applied for admission into the Master of Instruction program in an effort to expand upon the initial improvements to my instructional repertoire, and I have since, barely stopped to smell the roses! </p> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">Dr. Kae Everhart Keister taught <font face="Wingdings"><a href="educational_diagnosis.htm" target="_self">&</a></font> <b>EDUC 680:</b> <i>Educational Diagnosis</i> during the Spring Semester 2000.  After reviewing the course description and recognizing the need for a competent and informed teacher to be well-versed in IEP -- Individualized Education Plan -- meeting terminology, I chose to research both formal and informal pre- and post-assessment strategies to determine possible learning difficulties among middle school students.  Following the design and development of two informal tests, one in reading and another in math, I immediately began to perceive and evaluate certain students in my classrooms from quite a different perspective.   Adapting my existing lessons and providing for new methods in achieving the necessary content objectives for these students concurrently raised overall student achievement in both the visual art and technology education environments.  The act of conducting two <i>Case Studies</i> through the administration of formal assessments provided me with yet, increased supplemental data for techniques to enhance my instructional practices. </p> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">Incorporating these amendments into a recently revised curriculum in both the Visual Art and Technology Education courses soon became second nature as I strived to gather even more information in the development of interdisciplinary curriculum without sacrificing my supporting content areas.  Training in Pittsburg, Kansas at the Synergistic Laboratory and the election to develop computer-based curriculum further enhanced the way that I could facilitate knowledge, specifically in the Technology Education Lab at the Dover Air Middle School.  Once again, recognized as transfer credit from Pittsburg State University, the strategies explored in the computer-based seminar, <font face="Wingdings"><a href="TchgUsingSelfDirect.htm" target="_self">&</a></font> <b>CURIN 840-99:</b> <i>Seminar: Teaching Using Self-Directed Delivery</i>, addressed a vast array of concerns including those most recently researched -- accommodating special needs.  Revising the structure of the modular offerings and providing a tailored sequence of study for each individual student consumed an incredible amount of preparation effort and time.  Nevertheless, once employed by myself, as the instructor, the Student Information System (or <i>SIS</i>) built within the networked system scheduled and maintained all student data relevant to eight modular rotations throughout the semester.  Utilizing additional planning and restructuring, my eighth grade students were able to select desired pathways of study that proved meaningful to them, and facilitated their individual needs in knowledge acquisition while meeting District, State, and National Standards in Technology Education.  As a positive outcome, each adolescent traversed one step closer to evolving as a productive member of our society. </p> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">Though the Winter Session offering of <font face="Wingdings"><a href="developing_interactive_education_materials.htm" target="_self">&</a></font> <b>EDUC 639:</b> <i>Developing Interactive Educational Materials</i> also addressed ways in which to incorporate alternative instructional delivery via multimedia productions using <i>Macromedia Authorware 5</i> (an authoring program), an extended illness prohibited me from fully realizing this software's potential impact in either the tech-ed lab or visual art classroom.  The most effective computer-based instructional system provides for a variety of subject offerings as well as implements various methods of knowledge delivery to address individual learning styles.  While Pitsco and Synergistic have compiled nearly seventy modular units in Math, Science, Technology, Family Living & Consumer Science, Business, Agriculture, and Health issues, a majority of specialized student interests remains untapped.  Therefore, in planning for curriculum delivery via these pre-packaged modular systems, I chose to incorporate ten ready-made units and to design additional teacher-created modules devoted to specific student concerns. </p> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">The stand alone units that survey student knowledge before and after the delivery of the desired content are housed at the four remaining modular areas.  Relying heavily on existing software applications and/or teacher-created Web Quests for information retrieval as well as hands-on activities, the presented material is modified with each rotation to meet the students' needs.  Nevertheless, the interactivity provided at the Synergistic modules is greater and allows for increased organization through the interactive computer system; the stand alone units require that students be extremely systematic in the arrangement of their daily materials for documentation and teacher presentation.  Though I have been witness to teens with impeccable organization skills, the majority require some amount of guidance in acquiring special skills.  Needless to mention, with fourteen content directions occurring simultaneously, I have found it difficult in addressing this aspect within these specialized content areas while providing guidance in computer skills, troubleshooting system failures, and caring for a host of other middle school dilemmas.  An authoring tool, like <i>Macromedia Authorware 5</i>, can truly alleviate such concerns -- provide for increased student interactivity, and organize the student's modular experience through a flow line model of content delivery and data management.  To date, I near completion for one such module, Amusement Park Physics, and plan to implement the instructional software component during the Spring Semester of the 2001-2002 academic year. </p> <p align="justify" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in">Without a doubt, my graduate experiences at The College of New Jersey and Pittsburg State University leading to formal program enrollment and an intensive focus in instructional research at The University of Delaware, have yielded the attainment of my original Statement of Goal One.  Additionally, the reflective process in compiling the Master of Instruction portfolio has created an expansive realm of instructional quandaries upon which I may amend during my future endeavors as I continually seek <i>to </i><font size="3"><i>provide each student with an opportunity in Visual Art and Technology Education that is exciting, memorable, and applicable to his or her world, and tailor the instructional delivery to meet the needs of all students regardless of learning ability.</i> </font> </p> </font></body>