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Activity #1 - Technology Mini-Sessions

Activity #2 - Understanding Understanding Activity

Activity #3 - The Backward Design Process

Activity #4 - Identifying Enduring Understanding Activity

Activity #1 - Technology Mini-Sessions

Purpose: Provide awareness, coaching, and support in the use of software and hardware tools as participants create products or design student projects using these tools.

Preparation: Survey the group to determine interests and needs for specific technology uses as well as for participants who are willing to facilitate these sessions. Locate or prepare handouts and/or online tutorials. Give advance notice to participants so they may bring materials such as dates and events for a newsletter for authentic practice using columns in Word or main points for a classroom topic for authentic practice using PowerPoint.

Process:

1. Share some example products/projects created with a specific technology use.
2. Do a quick introductory demonstration of the key features to be addressed at this session.
3. For software: conduct a brief "walk across the menu bar" making connections between the options and features of this program and others the participants may already know.
4. Share handout and offer time to play with the technology, create a product, or design a student project providing help as requested.

• Debrief with participants asking questions like the following.
• What worked well for you?
• What would you like more help with?
• How might you use this technology yourself?
• How might you use this technology with students?
• How would this technology support student learning?
• How might you use it in your project?

1. Work in pairs or triads to read pp. 7-11 and 28-30. Use the "read and say something" approach in which participants read a section and then verbalize what they are thinking related to what they read.
2. Work individually using the worksheet or Inspiration to create a graphic representation of the relationship among knowledge, skill, and understanding.
   
3. Based on this graphic organizer, complete the bottom of the worksheet or use word processing to list suggestions for instructional methods, assignments, projects, activities, assessments, and technology uses.
   
4. Share graphics and lists with partner(s) and consider such questions as those in the reflection and dialogue section below.

• What do you know about understanding that you did not know before?
• What similarities and differences do you recognize among knowledge, skills, and understanding?
• In what ways can technology support attainment of knowledge, skill, and understanding?

1. Participants individually read and discuss pages 37-53.
   
2. Participants discuss the questions in the reflection and dialogue section below.
   
3. Participants use, adapt, or develop their own template for planning technology supported lessons/units that follow a backwards design (results focused) format.

• In what ways does McTighe and Wiggins' backwards design model parallel the planning model we used for this project?
  
• In what ways do these two models different?
• What will you use from McTighe and Wiggins' process to guide your planning and teaching?
  
• What additional questions do you have?

1. Read pages 69-81 using the "read and say something" method.
   
2. Select a course or subject you teach and complete worksheet 4.1.
   
3. Select a unit or topic and complete worksheet 4.2.

1. Identify a topic, unit, or lesson you plan to support through technology.
2. Use worksheet 4.2 for as your planning guide.
3. Use the template you adapted or developed in the Backwards Design Activity to design an related activity, project, or assessment using technology.

• How has your thinking about lesson and assessment design changed?
• What, if anything, will you avoid doing in the future?
• What, if anything, will you make certain to do in the future?