Class 11 2/02/07

Your remaining tasks for the Productivity Tools Project are create a worksheet/puzzle and write a reflection on using productivity tools in teaching and learning. For your puzzle or worksheet make sure you include directions and solutions.

PART ONE: FINDING A WORKSHEET

To find a worksheet to customize, there are two useful websites: Discovery School Teaching Tools and Education World. Another interesting place to find a "worksheet" is at Vicki Blackwell's website. Just make sure that you select a worksheet that can be used for your subject area/grade level. Don't just print out a worksheet that you find - make sure to customize it.

PART THREE: Puzzles

You can create a puzzle using puzzle maker.
Creating a puzzle with puzzle maker


PART THREE: WRITING YOUR REFLECTION

The final portion of your assignment (worth 30% of your grade) is the reflection. Here's an example of what your reflection/webpage should look like. Note: the example will have small screen shots (images embedded) in the web page. We haven't had the opportunity to discuss how this is done so we will cover this in a later class.

Here's how you go about doing it:

Create a new page for your portfolio (named " Productivity Tools")- include links to each of your productivity tools objects . Give an explanation for each of your artifacts, what you learned in the development of the artifact, and how it could be used in a classroom.

Then, on the same webpage, explain in detail the types of activities students can do using productivity tools. Your discussion and specific descriptions should focus on activities at a LoTi level of 2 or greater. Make sure to publish the page when you are finished.

The easiest way to go about completing this portion of the assignment is to first talk in general about the products you created - what you learned while creating them and how they could be used by a teacher in your subject area. Then, locate 3 or 4 lesson plans that use the productivity tools and discuss them in detail. The focus of this portion of the reflection is on the ways students can use the tools at a LoTi level of 2 or higher.

There are two good places to go to find sample lessons that use productivity tools:

1. Georgia Learning Connections (select your grade level, select "technology integration" for the subject. Click the "Search QCC button". Then click the "Productivity" link)

2.Microsoft Lesson Plans

Remember that lower grade levels may use tools like Graph Club (for spreadsheets/graphing) and KidPix (for multimedia presentations) instead of Excel and PowerPoint - but you can use these as examples for your reflection.

Don't forget that all of this goes onto a new webpage with links to the objects you created.

Remember: that I will not be available on Monday, Feb 5th (Jury duty). Your 9 objects are to be printed out and the reflections need to be on your Productivity tools web page. All portions of your productivity tools project are due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, Feb 7th. You will turn in a printed copy of all 9 objects that you have created (70% of your grade). You will publish a new web page and your written reflection before the beginning of class (30% of your grade).

Have a nice weekend and I will see you Wednesday, Feb 7th.