BASICS Guide (and Assignment) for 21things4teachers

***Please COPY this document to your own drive or download as a Word doc to use it.
Name: Matthew Albano
Date completed: 8/17/16
Part I Technology Readiness and Targets for Improvement
Assess Yourself!
Review the Michigan K-12 Checklist, or an alternative more appropriate to your setting

Based on your review of the checklist(s), identify/describe in the chart below 5 skill areas
that you feel are most important to target for improvement for your students success
and your own. Identify the skills that you feel need your own personal improvement with
an X in the right-hand column.
Student Tech Readiness Skills My Students Need
to Learn

I need to improve
this too
(place an X)

Students can format a document (set margins;

select font size & type; set spacing; and set
alignment).

Students can collaborate electronically with

others on a piece of writing.

Students can integrate video into a presentation.

Students can tell if a website can be trusted when

searching for information and determine accuracy
and bias in the material.

Students can create presentations using a variety

of applications for diverse audiences and
purposes.

Part II Basics: Technology Skills

1. Screenshots
Which tool will you will use for taking a screenshot?
For my computer I have to press and hold the Windows icon along with the Print
Screen Button

2. Take a screenshot of your favorite website and place in this document.

3. Basic Shortcuts
My computer: I will be using a PC (ex: Mac, PC, Chromebook, Surface Pro, etc.) for the
majority of the work for this course.

Post a screenshot of your favorite keyboard shortcut, and briefly describe its use:

By pressing Control and F a navigation search bar will appear in the upper left of the screen.
This will allow you to easily find words in the document by highlighting them.
Part III: Implementation
1. ISTE Teacher Standards
A. As you review these ISTE-T standards provide an example of at least one thing you do in
your teaching. See the sample provided below and then share your own example:
Sample
Standard: 2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments
Performance indicator addressed: I selected a.
Standard 2.a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and
resources to promote student learning and creativity.
My Lesson Example: I teach a math unit on geometric shapes. I have students use the digital
camera to take pictures of different features or items around our school. I recently started having
them edit the images to create a collage for different types of angles to post in the room.
Future Lesson:
Standard 2.c.: Customize and personalize the activity to meet diverse learning styles and working

strategies and abilities.

There are only two cameras available but our school is going to let students bring their own mobile
devices. Id like to customize the geometry lesson so they can bring pictures of geometric figures
they take outside school and find a way to share the images to add to our lesson, like on an online
bulletin board.

Briefly describe an activity or lesson that meets one of the five ISTE-T standards you teach in
the table below:
ISTE Standard addressed by my activity or lesson
Standard 2.a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools
and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

Performance indicator(s) addressed:

My lesson description: My lesson will be based on a mathematics course. Students
would be grouped together and asked to film themselves solving problems using a
specific formula(s) to show in class. This way students will learn from their peers instead
of a lecture. Video formats from personal or family cameras and phones would be best.
When they bring their video to school they will be graded on if their teaching strategy
allowed the rest of the class to perform the formulas assigned to that group.

Future Lesson: (target and describe an additional performance indicator from that
standard for a future lesson)
Standard 2.c.: Customize and personalize learning activities to address students diverse
learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
Each group has the option to film and teach how they want. Options of videos such as
lecture or grouping students in class while watching the video to work on some problems
could be explored. This strategy works best for the most students who think similarly to
understand multiple formulas while learning how to explain one to others. Id like to
smooth this assignment out, since students who learn uniquely wont benefit from this as
much. Ive thought about having each group catering to two or three learning styles in
their video.

B. How I would rate myself based on the ISTE-Teacher Standards at this point using a 5-point
Rubric:
Performance
Proficiency

Rubric
Description

____

Beginning

Developing

Proficient

Transformative

Not
familiar
with

Beginning
awareness
, have an
idea of
what I
need to
work on

Awareness, feel
somewhat
experienced &
knowledgeable

Active
Awareness,
Experienced
and proficient
user and
integrator, Very
knowledgeable

Flexible
Awareness,
the integration
of multiple
tools/resources
at a high level
of functionality

Your score/reflection: I believe I am proficient with active awareness. The skills shown to me so
far in the 21 Things for Teachers program feel easy to implement in my future classroom. I did
not give myself a rating of 5 since there is always room to improve with tools that I know nothing
about.

2. Best Practice Connections

Select from one of the lesson/teaching examples you provided in the ISTE-T section, or another
from your teaching. Identify and give an example of three of the nine research-based best
practice teaching and learning strategies (identified in the Framework for Instructional Planning)
and a technology resource you use (or might use) in the chart below. You may find it helpful to
refer to the techbestpractice site.
Best Practice
Category

Technology
resource or
tool(s) used

Technology
Categories

Brief description of what I do

Example: Setting
Objectives &
Providing Feedback

Google docs
(or printed
handout from
docs template)

Word
processing
applications

At the beginning of each new year (7th

grade) I do a quick review of math
problem solving steps from 6th grade. I
help them identify some learning
objectives. We check progress at the
end of the month with feedback and
discussion.

1. Reinforcing Effort
and Providing
Recognition

YouTube (or
any other video
streaming
website)

Instructional
Media

Once a month I could host an online

study session. Where kids can ask
questions, clarify information, or get a
refresher on the topic. The students
would post topics throughout the
month, then I could pick and choose
how concepts to post a video about.

2. Assigning
Homework &
Practice

Math XL (or a
similar website
that would
allow students
to show work
on multiple
choice
problems)

Word
Processing
Applications

In college one of my math professors

set up a site with our homework every
night. We had to sketch our work with
the mouse so she could view our
progress and have our work stored in
case she needed to view it later. I
would love to set something like this up
for my future students.

3. Cooperative
Learning

Skype or
Facetime

Communication
& Collaboration
Software

I could have each student pair up and

work on homework over skype. I would
just need a screenshot sent to me via
email suggesting that they
collaborated.

3. Models of Technology Integration

Review your examples in the Question #2 above (Best Practice Connections). Explore the
SAMR and TPACK models and identify a strategy you use in a lesson or activity that fits one or
more of these models and list it in the table provided below.
Example(s)

SAMR level (Redefinition,

TPACK Knowledge Level

Modification, Augmentation,
Substitution)

(Technological, Pedagogical,
Content)

Have students work

together on homework
using Skype

Modification

Content

Completing and submitting

homework by showing work
on a home computer

Augmentation

Pedagogical

Final Reflection
Based on the resources in Basics, and your own experience, reflect on how thoughtful
integration of best practice and technology can improve your instructional practice. Give some
details.
I feel that video formatting, being able to tell if a website is bias at a glance, and creating
a variety of presentations are what I need to work on if I am going to be stressing these points to
my future students for their success. I knew a majority of the keyboard shortcuts but I never
knew how to take a screenshot. Now that I know I can utilize this feature I can post images of
instructions when giving an online assignment. I modeled future lessons for grades 7 through 12
in mind. The lessons are to focus on the benefits of technology as a learning tool. By using it to
study with other students, teach peers while learning technology skills, and as a more
productive record keeping tool. This can be achieved with programs like skype and video editing
software. Before I learned about the SAMR and TPACK knowledge levels. I never thought about
how assignments can fundamentally improve comprehension or self-accountability learning
skills in the online world. If I plan smart technology based assignments, I could be a benefit to a
wider range of students.
REMEMBER: Post your document to your portfolio or provide a link in your portfolio to it.
Note: If you are taking the 21things4teachers for graduate, SCECH, or other

Professional Development credit there will be additional Capstone requirements and

extended assignments your instructor will tell you about.