3.2 Managing Digital Tools & Resources
Candidates effectively manage digital tools and resources within the context of student learning experiences. (PSC 3.2/ISTE 3b)
Artifacts:
Sharks' Cove
Reflection:
Sharks’ Cove was a website developed specifically to organize and manage digital tools and resources for Shiloh Point Elementary learning community. The purpose of this site was to assist teachers and students in accessing online resources that supported content of every academic area for specific grade levels and provided teachers with short overviews of different web-based applications. The site was created in Dreamweaver, one of the tools available to teachers and students in the county, to demonstrate a possible use of this digital resource.
The content on the site was divided by grade level to make it easier for students to locate web resources appropriate for their ages. Digital resources on each page were grouped into subject categories. To keep a commonality among different grade levels, each subject included similar areas. For example, English Language Arts was divided into Writing, Phonics, Reading and Comprehension, Spelling, and other skills. For students in primary grades, images and larger fonts were used to simplify the process of locating resources by younger learners. Digital resources located on grade-specific pages were chosen from recommendations on Twitter, teachers and students’ suggestions, and personal evaluations. The Research tab was the most visited page on the site. Students used this link to access kid-friendly search engines, online encyclopedias, and royalty-free music and image resources to use for different projects. The website became a landing place for students as the Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative was introduced in the school and students were not automatically directed to NetTrekker, a search engine supported by the Forsyth County Schools.
The pages for teachers included links to all online resources provided by the county. Additional pages were designed to support adult learning about inquiry-based learning, lesson ideas, strategies and tools for teaching with technology integration, and other professional resources. These pages became a place for teachers to locate a possible digital tool and/or resource that would be appropriate for a specific lesson or instructional idea. Online safety and digital citizenship grew to be important components of today’s education. The Safety Online page was developed as a tool to manage digital resources that supported these topics and helped teachers, students, and parents develop basic knowledge and skills.
Sharks’ Cove was built a few years ago, but managing and updating digital resources has been an ongoing process. Although the site contained a multitude of resources for teachers and students, I realized that the graphics, layout, and the maintenance process became outdated. The site needs remodeling and a fresh look to compete with modern online world, and transforming it with new tools like Weebly or Wix would be a step to improve this tool for managing digital tools and resources for teachers and students in the school.
Sharks’ Cove was a website developed specifically to organize and manage digital tools and resources for Shiloh Point Elementary learning community. The purpose of this site was to assist teachers and students in accessing online resources that supported content of every academic area for specific grade levels and provided teachers with short overviews of different web-based applications. The site was created in Dreamweaver, one of the tools available to teachers and students in the county, to demonstrate a possible use of this digital resource.
The content on the site was divided by grade level to make it easier for students to locate web resources appropriate for their ages. Digital resources on each page were grouped into subject categories. To keep a commonality among different grade levels, each subject included similar areas. For example, English Language Arts was divided into Writing, Phonics, Reading and Comprehension, Spelling, and other skills. For students in primary grades, images and larger fonts were used to simplify the process of locating resources by younger learners. Digital resources located on grade-specific pages were chosen from recommendations on Twitter, teachers and students’ suggestions, and personal evaluations. The Research tab was the most visited page on the site. Students used this link to access kid-friendly search engines, online encyclopedias, and royalty-free music and image resources to use for different projects. The website became a landing place for students as the Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative was introduced in the school and students were not automatically directed to NetTrekker, a search engine supported by the Forsyth County Schools.
The pages for teachers included links to all online resources provided by the county. Additional pages were designed to support adult learning about inquiry-based learning, lesson ideas, strategies and tools for teaching with technology integration, and other professional resources. These pages became a place for teachers to locate a possible digital tool and/or resource that would be appropriate for a specific lesson or instructional idea. Online safety and digital citizenship grew to be important components of today’s education. The Safety Online page was developed as a tool to manage digital resources that supported these topics and helped teachers, students, and parents develop basic knowledge and skills.
Sharks’ Cove was built a few years ago, but managing and updating digital resources has been an ongoing process. Although the site contained a multitude of resources for teachers and students, I realized that the graphics, layout, and the maintenance process became outdated. The site needs remodeling and a fresh look to compete with modern online world, and transforming it with new tools like Weebly or Wix would be a step to improve this tool for managing digital tools and resources for teachers and students in the school.