Bells Ferry Elementary 2014 Technology Workshop Lesson Plan

Creating your Classroom EduBlog! by Elizabeth Kelli Nastasi

Learning Objectives:
Participants will become familiar with the ISTE (NETS) technology standards
for teachers and students and how these standards tie to the new
common core standards currently being implemented.
Participants will create an EduBlog account and be able to navigate the
basic features of the website.
Participants will create an interactive platform to communicate with
parents, students, and the community about what is occurring within the
classroom.
Participants will discover how to use EduBlog to increase student
engagement and parental involvement.
Participants will create goals for ways to implement this technology into
their own classrooms as a way of promoting students learning and
creativity, addressing diverse learning styles, and enabling the students to
manage their own learning.
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NETS-T Standards Addressed:
Standard 1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity Teachers use
their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to
facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation
in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and
inventiveness

b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic

problems using digital tools and resources
c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify
students conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative
processes
d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with
students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and
Assessments. Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning
experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to
maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and
attitudes identified in the NETSS.
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital
tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all
students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active
participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own
learning, and assessing their own progress.
c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students diverse
learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and
resources.
Standard 3. Model digital age work and learning Teachers exhibit knowledge,
skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global
and digital society.
a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current
knowledge to new technologies and situations
b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using
digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students,
parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats
d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to
locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support
research and learning

Standard 4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility Teachers

understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving
digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional
practices.
a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital
information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual
property, and the appropriate documentation of sources
b. Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered
strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and
resources
c. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions
related to the use of technology and information
d. Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by
engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age
communication and collaboration tools
Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership Teachers
continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and
exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and
demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.
a. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative
applications of technology to improve student learning.
b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion,
participating in shared decision making and community building, and
developing the leadership and technology skills of others.
c. Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a
regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools
and resources in support of student learning.

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Materials:

Promotional Flyer
iPads, Desktop computers, or Individual Computers with Internet Access
NETS-T Standards Handout
NETS-S Standards Handout
Chart Paper & Markers
Start Up Cheat Sheet Handout
Creating your EduBlog Prezi Presentation
Why use EduBlogs? Prezi Presentation
Editing your CobbLearning Blog Handout
Agenda

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Workshop Procedure:
1. Introduce the workshop by restating our school goals of: parental
communication, differentiation, and our school is a 21st Century school so
we need to be incorporating technology daily. Refer to the workshop
agenda for participants to know what to expect out of this technology
workshop.
2. Review the results of the pre-workshop survey that was taken before the
professional development.
3. Teachers will receive a copy of the handouts: NETS-T and NETS-S
Standards. Have teachers think about and highlight the standards that
they already implement in their classrooms. Discuss standards that may
not be currently implemented.
4. Discuss how one of our main goals is to incorporate technology, while also
engaging parental involvement. Present the Prezi Why Use EduBlogs? to
the teachers.
5. After discussing the benefits of EduBlog, discuss the district switch from
TypePad to Edublog, and how much simpler and beneficial it is going to
be.
6. Start Creating your EduBlog Prezi while teachers navigate to
www.cobblearning.net
7. Using the Creating your EduBlog Prezi presentation, introduce
participants to the basic features of EduBlog while participants follow
along by creating their own EduBlog account. They will need to register

and wait for a temporary password to be sent to them. This process can
take up to 5 minutes.
8. While waiting for participants to receive their login information, show
participants my classroom EduBlog and all the features that are beneficial
for provoking parent engagement, and elements that can involve
students use of technology inside and outside of the classroom.
9. After the participants set up an account, and receive their temporary
password via email, continue with the interactive videos in the Prezi
presentation to set up basic features of their EduBlog. Pass out the Start
Up Cheat Sheet handout to the participants to use as scaffolding support
to go along with the presentation.
10. Have participants follow along with creating an EduBlog classroom blog
on their laptops. Participants will set up their blog by: creating an
account, editing their comment settings, publishing their first post, and
changing their blog theme to match their teaching personality.
11. Encourage participants to start basic with their EduBlog, and really think
about what elements they would like to include on their blog. If they want
to add documents, website links, or pictures, this is something they can
begin gathering or creating, and bring back to our next EduBlog
workshop session.
12. To summarize this workshop, participants will discuss with their table groups
things that they would like to include within their blog and write it on their
chart paper like a Word Splash.
13. In closing, remind teachers that this is an on-going professional
development that we will be revisiting with an intermediate EduBlog
workshop, to help facilitate and instruct how to use some of the more
complicated features of EduBlog to enhance your classroom blog. Pass
out the Editing your CobbLearning Blog handout to participants as a
cheat sheet for EduBlog for when they are in their classroom, and
encourage them to contact instructor for questions, or individualized help.
14. Lastly, have participants take the post-workshop survey.
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Evaluation/Assessment:
Informal Assessment: Instructor will informally assess participants on their
understanding of the basic features and uses of EduBlog by observing the
participants as they create their own EduBlog classroom blog. Guidance,

additional instruction, and redirection will be provided for participants who

seem to struggle with the basics of the program. For those participants that
seem to quickly master the basics of EduBlog, or for all those interested, they will
be presented with the opportunity to attend an intermediate workshop to
understand more complex features that can be utilized within the EduBlog
platform.
Formal Assessment: Participants will complete the pre- and post-workshop survey
and results will be analyzed and evaluated by the instructor. Participants will also
be able to comment anonymously on the specific coach, their style and
strategies. This information will be used to guide more productive and efficient
technology workshops in the future.
Follow-Up Observations: Participants will be observed periodically to ensure
understanding of the program with little technical problems. Participants are will
also be encouraged to set up follow-up technology instruction with the
instructor in grade-level groups, or individually. Participants can reflect and gain
information from the instructors coaching website, and also set up
appointments for additional support.