POST #2: Challenges to Using Iowa AEA Online Resources

My job consists of assisting home schooling families so I do not necessarily have the challenge of implementing the resources in my classroom. Rather the challenge becomes reaching the parents of the families I serve with the information of how to use these online resources and how using them will enhance their students' learning.

I have noticed that in order to be comfortable with a new skill, you need to have time to do it over and over. I enjoy making homemade rolls and at first my rolls didn't always turn out or were a little misshapen. Now, after years of baking, making rolls is a smooth process. Families sometimes don't utilize the AEA online resources because they don't know how, or they know how but they don't do it often enough to be comfortable with using it. The AEA has some nice poster/hand-outs about the different resources. I plan to print them and hang them in our office. Also, we publish a bi-monthly newsletter and featuring a different online resource each newsletter may help the families realize the wonderful tools available. We have also held a class for parents to learn about borrowing from the AEA. I think including a section on online resources would help develop excitement about using them at home.

As I am a substitute teacher it is challenging to be able to help the students when I don't have the school code or password. I was very interested in some of them and tried to get in & check it out. but I didn't have what I needed to do that.
      If I'm ever in my own classroom. I would find it challenging to decide on which resource to pick from the multiple options at my fingertips. Also, it would be difficult to find the time to look for the resources. I think to help me narrow down my resources & legally find a resource I can use. I would go to the Creative Commons website and do an advanced search with specific requirements. To help with planning time management I would set aside an hour out of every week to help me get organized & incorporate new resources into my daily lesson plans. I also know that if I taught elementary I would love to use bookflix or trueflix to help with our schools literacy standards. I really think it would help each student improve their own personal reading goals and it would be fun for them because its interactive. so, it would challenge the students to achieve their goals and help sharpen the comprehension skills.

#2-  There are so many wonderful resources on the AEA site. With the new school starting, finding the time really delve into each one will be a challenge. This course was a good introduction to each one, thus a good start.
I plan to try the following steps to make sure that I use some of the relevant resources this year,  
   * I will start by picking one to two relevant resources to start with. Digital Library and AP Images seem like the best ones to start with. While exploring these two sites during the course, I have already found images and short videos on science topics that I will be teaching at the beginning of the year (such as: rocks and minerals, types of potential and kinetic energy).
* I will also put a note in each of my other unit teacher notebooks to remember to use these two sites.
*I will also put a note in my teacher notebooks to use SIRS site to find articles on controversial issue such as vaccinating kids and alternative resources .

I believe my biggest challenges will be, Number 1: The ability of my students to actually use a keyboard to access the information available, such as Culture Gram and Britannica. The steps I will use to overcome this obstacle will be to simply work whole group, using the overhead projector. My class will be taking keyboarding 2nd quarter, which I find so exciting, as they'll know how to navigate the AEA system from our whole group lessons and will be able to use the AEA resources as a practice, as well as research, without the worry of inappropriate material popping up!

Number 2: Time to get back into the AEA website and apply the resources to my teaching. To overcome this challenge,  I will implement AEA resources during our PLC time as that the time we use for our GRR and AIW work. (lots of acronyms!!!)

I think the biggest challenge will be deciding what resources to use in the classroom, as well as when to use them so that it provides the optimal learning experience for the students. There are a wide variety of resources available that will be beneficial in music and I am excited to become more familiar with them so that I may discover some new ways to enhance my future lesson planning.

Due to the vast array of materials that the AEA provides, it will also take an extreme amount of time to go through the available resources and decide which will be the most beneficial for the particular unit in which my students are working at the time. My goal this semester is to implement two units that require me to access resources from the AEA.

I am excited to use some of these resources in my classroom this year!

I feel my biggest challenge will be to determine the one or two main sites I really want to  introduce the 6th grade class to this year.  Then I need to find the time to thoroughly learn how to use them myself so that I can confidently train the students to do the same.  I also feel a challenge in implementing this will be my classroom itself.  We are not a 1:1 school.  Therefore, my class will need to have access to the computer lab for research.  My room is next to our lab.  This is a blessing when it is available, but that is not always the case during my 6th grade class time.

My first step to take will be to literally pencil in a time during my week to navigate the site.  For me, if it isn't written down it doesn't get done.  The second thing to do is work with our computer teacher.  She is great at finding a way to work with my small group and getting us computer time if she has a "heads up" as to what I need.  

The biggest challenge for me I think will be the time and figuring out which resources are going to work best for all my students.  There are a wonderful amount of resources offered by the AEA but that does not mean each resource is going to be great for each student.  I think they all are great but some students will find different resources more challenging because of their learning styles.

I think the first thing I have to do to help with this challenge is to maybe come up with a project that I could use a resource for.  For example, I could have the students work on a country project using the Culture Grams as a resource.  After the project is complete, I could decide what worked well and what didn't.  For the ones that struggled, I could talk to them about the use of the resource and see if there were some problems that they were encountering and either I can help them through the resource so they are successful the next time, or I could look at another resource that may be more beneficial to them.  If a resource works well for most, I can continue with it and then try to make adjustments for the rest.  

I can continue to do this with multiple resources throughout the year.  The great thing is many of the resources offer common core activities.  The problem will be finding the time to fit this in.  But if I plan well, like I usually can, I should be able to incorporate activities for my students that will hopefully benefit them.  

I have found the greatest challenge to use of the Iowa AEA Online Resources is finding the time to filter through all of the tools.  The great news is that there are LOTS of tools for us to use in Iowa.  The great challenge is in finding time to learn how to use them in a practical sense.  This course was very beneficial for me as the instructional leader, as it gave me time to work with the resources.  But I know that our teachers have limited time to do so, and I worry about the organization of the information as it is provided.  Here are my recommendations:

1.  Have a ratings system developed.  (Much like a five star rating system for a hotel on Expedia?)  Why not allow Iowa teachers who have used these tools to simply rate the effectiveness and ease of use.  I won't buy something off of Amazon unless it has a 4+ star rating.  Why not create a rating system for our teachers as well?

2.  Give finite examples of practical use.  For example, when I recommended Learn360 to our LA teachers, I specifically gave them examples of how we could embed videos into our current work of prioritizing standards.  That way they knew how they could use it right away.

3.  Publish a quick "This week's toolbox.." that is specific to each subject area.  Have each AEA send it out in their weekly newsletter.  

I feel that the largest obstacle for me in using the AEA Online Resources is, as always, time.  I am easily sidetracked by all that is offered.  I just need to have a set time to search the site and stay focused.  Also, we have just adopted a new language arts series and am required to follow it rather strictly, so any resources I come across would be used as supplemental material.  I am very impressed with all the resources offered and have a hard time narrowing down the most beneficial items for my lessons.  I think I'll have to take notes in the teacher's manuals of items used, how useful it was, and how liked it was by the students and myself.  

My biggest challenge is time.  Time to find the resources and then time to organize them and fit them into our current curriculum.  There are so many resources I would probably get overwhelmed looking at them all –or I would just get side tracked  With very limited planning time during the school I feel like I would have to explore during my personal time.
I think the best step to overcome the challenge of time is just to get started. I should choose one resource that I feel would, or could, enhance my class in a certain subject and go from there.  Baby steps.   I also think I need to allow myself to explore more during the summer months.  I think another step would be to ask some of my peers if they have used any of these resources.  If so –I wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel.  Finally, I could ask our media specialist –she would be very helpful I am sure.

I think the greatest challenge will not be finding AEA technology resources to use in the classroom, but ensuring the technology I am using is really integrated within the learning.  It is not enough anymore to simply use technology to supplement or support what is being taught but to truly embed it into the learning environment.  In addition there are so many resources to choose from that it will be difficult at first to become comfortable with the tools to where I can effectively guide my students/learners through the process.

How I would plan to approach this problem is through the resource offered by the AEA, Atomic Learning.  I found this resource to be the most intriguing as it is not simply a site that offers technology resources but offers professional development resources and materials to help educators incorporate more technology into the classroom.  I love that it offers easy to follow tutorials for various applications as well as classroom project ideas that incorporate technology to help me get started.  

The biggest challenge for me in using these new technology resources is that I am a substitute teacher. Typpically there are lesson plans to follow, so I would not be able to implement on my own in most situations. Obtaining passwords and being registered in the different school districts along with different levels of technology by district is also a challenge to keep abreast of. Also the saying of use it or loose it applies here. If the teachers I sub for do not use these resources, it becomes a challenge to remember all of these resources and how to best apply. I would recommend that each school district do some training on technology in the classroom. As the sub pool ages, this is one of the biggest challenge that faces the teachers!

I think that although there is an abundance of wonderful resources within the AEA online services, the challenge will be to find time to research as well as time to implement what I have found. I would want to incorporate these services into my lesson plans. Doing this will require more time for research to find specific subjects and topics. Also, narrowing down what I will want to use may take some time. It depends on what we are studying. Although this is true, what a great challenge to have. Having so many resources available is such an amazing challenge.

Once I am more comfortable with utilizing these services, I will then be able to train my students to use AEA online. The initial start will take time, but I think once this has happened, we will easily navigate through the site.

I will face the challenge of time through designating a specific time a week during my planning. I will focus on one aspect of the site at a time. Otherwise I could be on it for hours. I will also use some computer time to practice navigation throughout AEA online resources. I can't wait to get started!

My situation is similar to a few of the other posts. I substitute for a school district, but am fortunate enough to have quite a few teachers repeatedly request me for their fill in. Also my kids are in the district so I am somewhat up on the syllabus. In my situation I believe my use of the AEA resources will be in a support effort. For example, I was in a health class recently with the teachers remarks to study for an upcoming quiz. I would love to have had better diagrams of the anatomy being studied or even a fresh approach to the memorization. But, I realize making myself more familiar with the information contained in each unit will be the key for its use.

One of the challenges of using the Online resources is finding the time to browse, save, and be able to present it to preschoolers so they all had opportunity to see what I was showing.  I would need to try and hook up a computer to a larger screen for viewing, unless I showed a piece of a lesson to small groups. I can see that using the online technology for showing animated ideas, books, and other stories to preschoolers may peak and increase their interest level for learning.  I can also anticipate that this would benefit children with challenging behavior or learning issues and using the online resources will encourage positive results.

The number one challenge with any new resource is time. The time to both find a resource to possible use and then the time to go through it sufficiently enough to ensure it is what you want your students to learn. The second challenge is my content. Teaching both math and computers, sometimes the topics I cover in class aren’t easy to things to find help with.

To help alleviate the time factor is to not reinvent the wheel. Using contacts at the AEA or sending an email to other math teachers to ask what resources they have used from the site and in what way. I would also ask others at our tech meetings how they use it with their staff. Social media would be a good place to ask questions as well. So far the atomic learning seems to be best suited for my computer classes. Especially with the repair aspect of that class.

The biggest challenge for implementing the resources is making the time to find the best ones that correlate with my units and lesson plans.  After AEA staff came to my school and briefly introduced these resources, I thought that many of them were only geared towards middle school or high school students and teachers.  For example, I didn't think I would get much use out of Britannica Digital Learning until I discovered the Learning Zone.  I also would like to use TeachingBooks.net when I do an author study with my first graders by showing them the videos or listening to the audios.  So to overcome the challenge of finding the time to implement these valuable resources into my curriculum, I plan on doing it monthly as I update my Curriculum Mapping.  I also like to use my holiday and summer break time to examine these resources more thoroughly (after finding quality family time first).  Our Curriculum Mapping planner has a column for extra resources and I'd like to just add the links to the resources that fit with each subject and lesson.  

The first group I used some of these resources with is the 2nd grade group. The challenge here is getting them to navigate successfully. A way I overcame this is by bookmarking the page and writing out direct instructions on the board. One time they got frustrated, so we just did everything on my computer.
Another challenge is choosing which of these awesome resources to use. Since I teach at all levels, I've really had to spend some time exploring all the different options. I still have lots to learn. Before I present some of these options to the older kids I think I need more practice. I am not always the best at trouble shooting, but my students are the very best at creating digital trouble :) This semester my goal will be to become a comfortable instructor of Britannica at the multiple levels, use Soundzabound, and Bookflix.

The biggest challenge for all teachers is time.  Time to sit down and go through all of the resources and make decisions as to what would benefit my students' learning.  That takes a tremendous amount of time.  For example, when teaching systems of equations - should I demonstrate how to do it, or should I use a video from Learn360?  Many of the problems I have is if I show them a video and it is not the way I want it explained, I am not sure I have not mixed them up when I go and explain it my way.  Another problem with implementing is the time it takes to teach the resources and what is available?  For example, going through this course is 15 hours.  Once it is taught, then it could be implemented in an easier fashion.  As I try to teach Algebra the best way possible, much thought and time must go into deciding what resources will be used to effectively educate each child.

One way to overcome the challenge of time is to make the use of the online resources part of our professional development plan.  This would allow teachers the time to really spend time on the resources and see what can be used effectively in their classes.  I could have certain resources available to the students who do not understand the concept the way I am teaching the concept.  All students do not learn the same way, and having these resources available to them may be a way to give them another way of viewing the information from a different perspective.

When you are technology challenged like I am, I think my biggest challenge to using the AEA Online Resources will be to feel comfortable enough to lead my classroom in the navigation of this new technology.  I want to be able to have my students use the information, so I guess I will go back to the tutorials MANY times!  I am thankful that the tutorials will remain available to me.  I also will make use of my AEA media specialist.  I think if I pick a place to start, watch the tutorial for that section (multiple times!) to become familiar with one section at a time, I'll be fine. I think I will invite our local media specialist to be in the classroom the first time to help with any glitches and  to answer questions as we work through the process together.  If it doesn't work on the first try I will fail forward ... in other words, I'll try again.