Here is the link to my presentation:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AbziMrK53KrsZGd2aG1ocHdfMjJjM3Q0YnNjOQ&hl=en_US
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology: Final Reflection
After completing this course, Reaching and Engaging all learners through Technology, my understanding of how I can become a more effective teacher and how to help my students can get the most out of their learning has become much clearer. Previous to this course, I thought differentiating instruction meant creating different lessons for different students. I now understand that differentiated instruction is a way of thinking. It involves creating opportunities for all students to utilize the way they learn best. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model fits well the the concept of DI because they share the same philosophy of creating flexible lessons that allow students to explore information in a variety of ways. UDL adds the element of technology and the key role it can play in creating these opportunities.
I have gathered information that will help me create lessons and experiences using technology that will allow students to develop an understanding based on how they learn. My previous misconceptions about Differentiated Instruction included the misconceived idea that it would mean more work for me. This simply is not true. When paired with technology there are a variety of options for developing lessons where students are allowed the flexibility they need to how they gather, interpret information, and produce a final product that demonstrates understanding.
The beginning of the new school year will be a perfect time to incorporate some of the things that I have learned about DI and UDL. Research tells us that learning style, gender, and culture, impact student learning (Tomlinson, 2009). Therefore, I plan to make use of the online tools that were posted on our Differentiation Station group site http://groups.google.com/group/group-5-reach-and-engage-through-technology?hl=en
to help me collect information about my students interests, learning styles, and intelligences so I can create meaningful learning experiences.
I also plan to utilize several online tools to help differentiate my lesson plans. Some of these tools include voicethread:http://voicethread.com/, Little Bird Tales: http://www.littlebirdtales.com/, and Kidblog: http://kidblog.org/home.php. All of these tools offer the flexibility that students need to create and demonstrate their understanding of content in a variety of ways.
Technology will also play an important role in how I assess my students' progress and learning. I plan to utilize clickers to check student understanding about key points as we work our way through lesson. The information that I gather will help me make decisions about how to improve instructional programs (Salend, 2009).
As my comfort level increases and the integration of these tools evolves, I will create a learning environment that includes UDL and Differentiated Instruction on a daily basis. I am anxious to utilize what I have learned about UDL and DI. The benefits of this type of classroom will be seen in the success of each and every student.
Resources:
Salend, S. (2009). Technology-based classroom assessments. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(6), 48–58.
Tomlinson, C. (2009). Learning profiles and achievement. School Administrator. 66(2), 28–33.
I have gathered information that will help me create lessons and experiences using technology that will allow students to develop an understanding based on how they learn. My previous misconceptions about Differentiated Instruction included the misconceived idea that it would mean more work for me. This simply is not true. When paired with technology there are a variety of options for developing lessons where students are allowed the flexibility they need to how they gather, interpret information, and produce a final product that demonstrates understanding.
The beginning of the new school year will be a perfect time to incorporate some of the things that I have learned about DI and UDL. Research tells us that learning style, gender, and culture, impact student learning (Tomlinson, 2009). Therefore, I plan to make use of the online tools that were posted on our Differentiation Station group site http://groups.google.com/group/group-5-reach-and-engage-through-technology?hl=en
to help me collect information about my students interests, learning styles, and intelligences so I can create meaningful learning experiences.
I also plan to utilize several online tools to help differentiate my lesson plans. Some of these tools include voicethread:http://voicethread.com/, Little Bird Tales: http://www.littlebirdtales.com/, and Kidblog: http://kidblog.org/home.php. All of these tools offer the flexibility that students need to create and demonstrate their understanding of content in a variety of ways.
Technology will also play an important role in how I assess my students' progress and learning. I plan to utilize clickers to check student understanding about key points as we work our way through lesson. The information that I gather will help me make decisions about how to improve instructional programs (Salend, 2009).
As my comfort level increases and the integration of these tools evolves, I will create a learning environment that includes UDL and Differentiated Instruction on a daily basis. I am anxious to utilize what I have learned about UDL and DI. The benefits of this type of classroom will be seen in the success of each and every student.
Resources:
Salend, S. (2009). Technology-based classroom assessments. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(6), 48–58.
Tomlinson, C. (2009). Learning profiles and achievement. School Administrator. 66(2), 28–33.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Week 8 Reflection: Final Thoughts
Upon reflection of my GAME plan that I developed throughout this course I learned that it is important to be flexible. I began with a set of goals and and ended with a slightly different version. Part of the game plan involves Monitoring. As I put my goals into action, I found that small adjustments needed to be made along the way in order to meet the needs of my students and the outcomes we were working towards. Through conversations and readings I learned some valuable tools that helped me create my GAME plan and some very valuable lessons.
The learning that came about as a result of following my GAME plan was extensive. I found that by researching tools and how to implement them into my classroom I have developed a much broader understanding of how technology, specifically blogging and wikis, can play a role in the classroom. I have also learned the importance of setting goals to help me as a teacher stay focused on the final outcome and the standards I need to teach to my students.
When developing lessons in the future I plan to incorporate as many problem based lessons that I can. I found Problem Based Learning is an important part of getting students to become active participants in their own learning. I found this model to be a realistic way to incorporate academic standards, technology standards, and 21st Century standards all at the same time. When attempting to create lessons that incorporate all of these things, I will utilize the the GAME plan model. I also plan to teach my students to create goals and act on them using the same steps I used in creating my own GAME plan.
The learning that came about as a result of following my GAME plan was extensive. I found that by researching tools and how to implement them into my classroom I have developed a much broader understanding of how technology, specifically blogging and wikis, can play a role in the classroom. I have also learned the importance of setting goals to help me as a teacher stay focused on the final outcome and the standards I need to teach to my students.
When developing lessons in the future I plan to incorporate as many problem based lessons that I can. I found Problem Based Learning is an important part of getting students to become active participants in their own learning. I found this model to be a realistic way to incorporate academic standards, technology standards, and 21st Century standards all at the same time. When attempting to create lessons that incorporate all of these things, I will utilize the the GAME plan model. I also plan to teach my students to create goals and act on them using the same steps I used in creating my own GAME plan.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Week 7: The GAME plan and my Students
After examining the National Education Standards for Students (NETS-S) I can see how important my job is to help guide students into finding topics to research and projects that are meaningful to students. I think once this is accomplished students will have a more vested interest in their learning and will be more likely to accomplish the goals outlined in these standards.
Much like the way I approached the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), I will teach my students to develop a GAME plan to help them accomplish their goals. Students will begin by focusing on a few key goals and develop ways in which they plan to reach them. As they work through their goals they will have to make adjustments and changes to help them meet the final goals. In the end, students will have to reflect on what they have accomplished and decide how it helped them become better students. They will also look ahead to the future and assess how it will help them be more successful in the real world.
Students and teachers use the GAME plan every day whether that is what they call it or not. I think pointing out to students the steps that they can use will help them reach all kinds of goals, including those that involve technology.
Much like the way I approached the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), I will teach my students to develop a GAME plan to help them accomplish their goals. Students will begin by focusing on a few key goals and develop ways in which they plan to reach them. As they work through their goals they will have to make adjustments and changes to help them meet the final goals. In the end, students will have to reflect on what they have accomplished and decide how it helped them become better students. They will also look ahead to the future and assess how it will help them be more successful in the real world.
Students and teachers use the GAME plan every day whether that is what they call it or not. I think pointing out to students the steps that they can use will help them reach all kinds of goals, including those that involve technology.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Revising My Plan: Week 6
Current Goals:
Goal 1: To promote student reflection using collaborative tools.
Goal 2: To Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make use of emerging tools and resources that support student learning.
What I have learned: I have learned that it is important to take things in steps. My original goal was to teach students the basics of using online tools to communicate and collaborate. I did this using a class blog. I now feel that students are ready to move on to creating a wiki. I have also learned the importance of utilizing the thoughts and ideas of other people. Through online collaboration and discussions with colleagues I have learned some valuable tools that will help me become a better teacher and incorporate technology in a way that will help my students learn. My second goal is one that I will continue to work towards indefinately as I think it is one that can never fully be reached!
New Learning goals:
Throughout this course I have developed ideas through collaboration and research to help me find ways for my students to reflect using collaborative tools. I have since met this goal and feel that my students are ready to move forward to a more complex form of collaboration.
The learning goal that I will set for myself now includes: designing and developing digital age learning experiences and assessment. I will continue to utilize the GAME plan approach as I work my way through accomplishing my goals with my students.
Goal 1: To promote student reflection using collaborative tools.
Goal 2: To Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make use of emerging tools and resources that support student learning.
What I have learned: I have learned that it is important to take things in steps. My original goal was to teach students the basics of using online tools to communicate and collaborate. I did this using a class blog. I now feel that students are ready to move on to creating a wiki. I have also learned the importance of utilizing the thoughts and ideas of other people. Through online collaboration and discussions with colleagues I have learned some valuable tools that will help me become a better teacher and incorporate technology in a way that will help my students learn. My second goal is one that I will continue to work towards indefinately as I think it is one that can never fully be reached!
New Learning goals:
Throughout this course I have developed ideas through collaboration and research to help me find ways for my students to reflect using collaborative tools. I have since met this goal and feel that my students are ready to move forward to a more complex form of collaboration.
The learning goal that I will set for myself now includes: designing and developing digital age learning experiences and assessment. I will continue to utilize the GAME plan approach as I work my way through accomplishing my goals with my students.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Application 5: GAME plan update
Goal 1:. To promote student reflection using collaborative tools.
After trying out blogging with my students I have realized that I want to use a tool that has more capabilities for collaboration. Kidblog.org is a useful tool and seems to be a great way to introduce students to the concept of collaboration, but it is somewhat limiting. I can see that other tools such as a wiki offer more flexibility for sharing and collaborating.
Goal 2. To Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make use of emerging tools and resources that support student learning.
I can see how useful a wiki is in creating opportunities for students to collaborate in a Project Based Learning environment. I will continue to explore how to incorporate a wiki into my teaching.
I have learned that incorporating technology takes time when working with elementary aged students. There are skills that need to be taught and changes need to be made as their understanding progresses. I will make adjustments to my GAME plan by incorporating tools that will better meet the needs of my students and their learning goals.
After trying out blogging with my students I have realized that I want to use a tool that has more capabilities for collaboration. Kidblog.org is a useful tool and seems to be a great way to introduce students to the concept of collaboration, but it is somewhat limiting. I can see that other tools such as a wiki offer more flexibility for sharing and collaborating.
Goal 2. To Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make use of emerging tools and resources that support student learning.
I can see how useful a wiki is in creating opportunities for students to collaborate in a Project Based Learning environment. I will continue to explore how to incorporate a wiki into my teaching.
I have learned that incorporating technology takes time when working with elementary aged students. There are skills that need to be taught and changes need to be made as their understanding progresses. I will make adjustments to my GAME plan by incorporating tools that will better meet the needs of my students and their learning goals.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Application 4: Game Plan Progress
As I continue to work towards my goals that I listed in my GAME plan, I have not only found some new resources, but new ways to use them. After learning more about assessments, I have realized some new ways to utilize the online tools that I have discovered. In my goal to learn more about blogging and how to use it in the classroom, I have discovered that it would be a useful tool for assessing all kinds of learning outcomes. I can also see that some of the online concept mapping tools such as Spicynodes.com or Webspiration.com is a great way for students to create a map of their thinking and a helpful way for me to assess their thought process. As I use these tools with my students I will continue to monitor and adjust along the way. I will continue to seek out new tools and discuss with colleagues how to best use what I find.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Application 3:GAME Plan in the Works…..
As a part of my GAME plan I have discussed my desire to create a blog with my students and fellow teachers and have explored a few different options. I decided to go with a blogging site that I have used before that is “kid-friendly” and has lots of options for me to monitor its use. However, after gathering ideas from colleagues I have decided to go about using it in a different way than I had before. Last week I had my students try writing a response to a question that I posted. My goal at the moment is to get students familiar with blogging and the appropriate way to use it before I have them create one of their own. After I receive all of the responses from my students I will be able to reassess and decide on what step I will need to take next. I think it is important to be open to trying out such projects and then make necessary adjustments along the way. Of course, if anyone has any advice or experiences that might be insightful as to how they have used blogging, or sites that host blogs in the classroom it would be much appreciated!
I have also made great use of my favorite blog, Free Technology for Teachers, to search for useful sites that I can use with my students!
I have also made great use of my favorite blog, Free Technology for Teachers, to search for useful sites that I can use with my students!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
My GAME Plan
After examining and reflecting on the National Education Standards for Teachers I feel that I have been working towards implementing each of these goals into my classroom on a daily basis. However, there is always room for improvement. Each day I try to incorporate some sort of digital image or information to help solidify lesson objectives because I find that students who can see examples of topics or watch animations are much more able to relate to the information I am presenting. Using technology I incorporate experiences that enable students to be active participants in their own learning. I use our classroom website and various other tools to collaborate with parents and students and share what we have been learning in the classroom. When completing projects that involve gathering information from the Internet, I teach my students the importance of ethical use and am consistently keeping up with new ways to help support the learning of my students.
Even though I feel that I have touched on each of the five NETS-T standards in my teaching, there are things that I still need to improve upon. The following is an outline of my GAME plan, which describes how I plan to improve:
Goals: 1. To promote student reflection using collaborative tools.
2. To Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make use of emerging tools and resources that support student learning.
Action: 1. I will research different bloging sites that I can use with my students that will allow them to reflect on and share information about what we are learning. I will explore blogs that have been created by teachers to find out how others are using them.
2. I will continue to pursue information about technology tools that will be useful in supporting my students’ learning. I will collaborate with other colleagues to learn about what other teachers are doing in the classroom.
Monitor: 1. I will take note of different blog sites and the different features that they have. I will also make a list of possible problems and things to keep in mind when using a blog with my students.
2. I will make a list technology tools that I learn about and reflect on their effectiveness. I will collaborate with colleagues to discuss different ways to incorporate the tools that I learn about.
Evaluate: 1. I will reflect on what students have posted respond appropriately. I will make notes about what worked and what I would do differently.
2. I will share what I have learned with my colleagues and brainstorm how they can be used in the classroom.
Resources:
ISTE(International Society for Technology in Education), 2008, retrieved from: iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. on March 5, 2011.
Even though I feel that I have touched on each of the five NETS-T standards in my teaching, there are things that I still need to improve upon. The following is an outline of my GAME plan, which describes how I plan to improve:
Goals: 1. To promote student reflection using collaborative tools.
2. To Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make use of emerging tools and resources that support student learning.
Action: 1. I will research different bloging sites that I can use with my students that will allow them to reflect on and share information about what we are learning. I will explore blogs that have been created by teachers to find out how others are using them.
2. I will continue to pursue information about technology tools that will be useful in supporting my students’ learning. I will collaborate with other colleagues to learn about what other teachers are doing in the classroom.
Monitor: 1. I will take note of different blog sites and the different features that they have. I will also make a list of possible problems and things to keep in mind when using a blog with my students.
2. I will make a list technology tools that I learn about and reflect on their effectiveness. I will collaborate with colleagues to discuss different ways to incorporate the tools that I learn about.
Evaluate: 1. I will reflect on what students have posted respond appropriately. I will make notes about what worked and what I would do differently.
2. I will share what I have learned with my colleagues and brainstorm how they can be used in the classroom.
Resources:
ISTE(International Society for Technology in Education), 2008, retrieved from: iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. on March 5, 2011.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Week 8 Reflection: Final Thoughts
Upon reflection on what I have learned throughout this course I think the most striking revelation is that being literate in the 21st Century involves much more than just being able to use a computer. It involves being able to navigate, evaluate, question, communicate, collaborate, and synthesize information that is found using the Internet. In that past I have taken it for granted that students would be able to determine the authenticity of a website and to find relevant information on their own. The thought of embarking on an inquiry project was overwhelming because I was never sure where to start. My eyes have been opened to some important aspects of what I need to do to help my students be literate in the 21st Century.
I think the QUEST model (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007) will help me in future inquiry projects because I now have a much better understanding of how to break it down into pieces that will create learning opportunities for students to not only practice the 21st Century skills, but gather and construct knowledge on topics that are relevant. I have learned the importance of allowing students to create their own questions to be answered. By teaching them how to find the answers to these questions I am instilling some valuable tools that my students will use for the rest of their lives.
My own personal goal includes taking the steps to be involved in creating an Internet usage, plagiarism, and copyright policy for our elementary school. Currently the policy that was adopted by our school board is very generic and outdated. After talking to fellow colleagues I am not the only one that wasn’t aware that there was one. I think there is a strong need to develop a plan that is not only clear, but shared, understood and followed by all the teachers, students, and parents in our school. Using what I have learned from this course I will develop a committee of parents and teachers to develop a plan that will outline what is acceptable Internet usage. We will also develop a plan that outlines the steps and guidelines that teachers and parents should follow to teach students how to be 21st Century literate.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
I think the QUEST model (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007) will help me in future inquiry projects because I now have a much better understanding of how to break it down into pieces that will create learning opportunities for students to not only practice the 21st Century skills, but gather and construct knowledge on topics that are relevant. I have learned the importance of allowing students to create their own questions to be answered. By teaching them how to find the answers to these questions I am instilling some valuable tools that my students will use for the rest of their lives.
My own personal goal includes taking the steps to be involved in creating an Internet usage, plagiarism, and copyright policy for our elementary school. Currently the policy that was adopted by our school board is very generic and outdated. After talking to fellow colleagues I am not the only one that wasn’t aware that there was one. I think there is a strong need to develop a plan that is not only clear, but shared, understood and followed by all the teachers, students, and parents in our school. Using what I have learned from this course I will develop a committee of parents and teachers to develop a plan that will outline what is acceptable Internet usage. We will also develop a plan that outlines the steps and guidelines that teachers and parents should follow to teach students how to be 21st Century literate.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
How to Evaluate a Website
I explored the website about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Watch the following Screencast that explains how to determine if a website contains accurate information.
Legit Website
Legit Website
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Final Reflection
After completing the readings, discussions, and watching the videos, my beliefs of how students best learn have been verified, but better yet, I have new tools to help me be a more effective teacher. My teaching philosophy centers around the belief that students need to make meaningful connections to what they are learning in order to build upon and retain information. Some of the tools that were introduced in this course will help me translate this philosophy into what I teach. The immediate changes I will make will be the use of technology as a collaborative tool. Students will learn from one another by utilizing tools that allow them to share, build projects, and understanding together.
Voicethread is a tool that I plan to incorporate into many different areas of my curriculum. I can see the value of this tool as a way to get students to be active learners and I am looking forward to using it with my students. Voicethread provides an opportunity for students to learn by using both visual and auditory tools which is key to student learning. The other tool that I plan to use with my students is Webspiration. I like the collaborative nature of this tool and the versatility it will provide for students while learning about and mapping out information for different topics.
One of my long-term goals that I have for my instructional practice is to make more of an effort to use technology as more of a learning tool and less of an instructional tool. Although I can see the value of using it as a learning tool, I can also see that it is even more important to get technology into the hands of students. This leads me to my second long-term goal. I will use technology as a way to incorporate more project-based learning where students are given the tools and freedom to be more active participants. It is important for students to develop an understanding of material through doing and creating and technology is a great way to do this!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Technology Brings us Together
Technology has allowed us to voice our opinions, seek help, research, share and socialize. Does it have a place in the classroom? Of course it does. For me the question is how? I feel pretty lucky to have what I do at the school I teach at. We have some pretty amazing Grant writers that work hard to get some of the latest and greatest technology. The problem with technology is that it is ever-changing, what is great one year, is out-dated the next. This can be very difficult to keep up with when you are working with limited resources.
The other problem that schools face is time, or lack thereof. As an educator I feel like every year there is more and more to do and teach. I enjoy learning about and using technology and I spend a fair amount of time at home doing things on the computer. There is very little time in the classroom to do what we are already doing. How do we add technology to the mix without taking away from other things? Check out my Voicethread to post your thoughts and comments about what life is like in your school or classroom and how you make it all work!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Instructional Strategies and Constructivism
Constructivism is a theory built from the Constructivist theories of Jean Piaget, who believed that knowledge is not just transmitted from teacher to student, but actively constructed in the mind of the learner (Orey, 2001).
As a teacher I have found a great amount of truth behind the Constructivist theories and how it pertains to learning. The projects that were described in our reading were excellent examples of how to get students to be active participants in their learning. I have tried similar Project Based Learning activities in my own teaching where students are given an expectation and the tools to achieve it, and have seen positive results....most of the time. There is a lot that can go wrong, but with proper planning these projects can have great results. I find that creating projects where students can't just sit back and daydream makes them be a part of the process. They develop a sense of ownership and make connections to things that I couldn't even begin to convey through directed instruction. Allowing students to creatively develop answers to questions and problems in their own way gets them excited and makes the experience much more meaningful.
Powerpoint, Excel, internet, Kidspiration....there are TONS of different applications available to use, but it doesn't matter what mode of technology is used to create the final artifact. What matters is that students are given the tools and freedom to find their own answers. Allowing students to have freedom to arrive at their own final product can be difficult for a few reasons. As the teacher, I must not only have a clear set of expectations and outcomes, but I must also have thought about all that could go wrong ahead of time. The other limiting factor is the amount of time in the computer lab that is needed to work on such projects. In the end though, the final artifact and the satisfaction that a students feels makes it all worth the extra effort. I've never had a student say they didn't enjoy doing such projects. Most of the time they aren't even aware of all they are learning!
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Cognitive Learning Theories
Application 3 Blog:
Explain how instructional strategies correlate with the principles of cognitive learning theory.
Discovery leads to meaningful learning, which leads to creative productions (Novak & Cañas, 2008). That is the theory behind the instructional strategies introduced in this week’s readings. These strategies correlate with the cognitive learning theory because they allow students to explore and make connections to what they already know by allowing students to integrate the different senses. Using tools like spreadsheets and concept mapping helps students visualize rather than just read about information. This dual coding is an important aspect to storing information in long-term memory. Creating visualizations gives students a way to retrieve information from the network of information that they have stored. These strategies also allow students to make connections to prior knowledge and elaborate on this knowledge, which is also important to helping students learn and retain information.
Resources:
Novak, J. D. & Cañas, A. J. (2008). The theory underlying concept maps and how to construct and use them, Technical Report IHMC CmapTools 2006-01 Rev 01-2008. Retrieved from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Web site:
http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/
TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.pdf
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Behaviorism in Practice
Application 2:
Post your thoughts on how the instructional strategies described in the resources you explored this week correlate with the principles of behaviorist learning theory.
The behaviorist theory focuses on the role of stimulus and reinforcement in the learning process. Teachers have used this theory in a variety of different ways to teach students a variety of things. This weeks reading focused on reinforcement by showing students real information about themselves using a spreadsheet. The lessons used excel to show quick comparisons that allowed students to receive an immediate visual response. Both the immediacy and visual aspects of such activities are important factors in the effectiveness of the behaviorist theory.
Technology allows for versatility to help meet the different needs of the learners that exist in each classroom. It not only makes it easier to meet these needs, but it also makes it more fun. Technology has played a huge role in motivating my students. There is a sense of satisfaction that many students get from being able to do something new using technology, especially when they can show off their skills to a parent. These rewards all center around the Behaviorist Theory.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Final Reflection
In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?
This class has encouraged me to seek new ways to incorporate technology into my classroom. I have always enjoyed learning about and using technology with my students, but sometimes I lacked direction. I now have some clear ideas as to what skills I need to be focusing on to make learning relevant to my students’ lives.
In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
My knowledge of the learning process has deepened in that I have a better understanding of how important it is to include ways for students to share and find their own answers to relevant problems so that they can take ownership in what they learn. I have learned that technology can be used as a tool that will help them learn how to collaborate and investigate to arrive at a common goal.
In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
My perspective has changed in that I now see how important it is for students to become the experts. It is my job to guide and help students understand how to use tools and learn the skills that will help them find and utilize information.
In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?
I will continue to seek different ways to help my students to gain the skills they need for the 21st century by incorporating technology in all areas of my teaching. I will not rely on traditional teaching methods, but embrace, and share, ways to continue to teach lessons that allow for creative and collaborative problem solving methods using a variety of technology related tools.
Set two long-tem goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?
Two long-term goals that I have set for myself include creating a class wiki and implementing the use of podcasts. These two technology based tools allow students to learn and practice skills that are important 21st Century skills. Before taking this course, my goals would have lacked focus on these skills. I now understand the concept of doing different things and doing things differently and the difference between the two. I plan to start out small with these two goals and develop a system over time that works through trial and error. I think the main obstacle that I will encounter will be adequate time and access to the technology. I will dedicate our time allotted in the computer lab to working on these projects.
This course has given me a much clearer understanding of the kinds of skills that I must focus on to help my students be successful 21st Century learners. I am looking forward to using many of the tools that I learned about and watching my students grow from these experiences.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Podcast: 5th Graders and Technlogy
After gathering information and interviewing my 5th graders, I created a podcast that explained what I learned.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Examples from 5th grade Blogs
Here is a link to my 5th grade blog site at Kidblog.org. Keep in mind I do not do any editing of their writing. Most of the responses to the blog that I posted for my Reading group were pretty thoughtful for this group of students. You can also look at some of the other blogs that students posted that linked to Glogster.com (another fun "bloglike" site). We were learning how to link to sites. Some of them also created Wordles from Wordle.net and learned how to upload images to their blogs. Earlier in the year when we first tried out blogging we did some things on the Winter Olympics and poetry. They loved being able to share some of the things they created! There isn't anything earth shattering to show, but I am proud of what we did! Let me know what you think!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thoughts about Partnership for 21st Century Skills
The website Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) is an overwhelmingly large resource of ideas, blogs, articles, lessons, videos, etc. for educators and schools looking to join the movement towards getting our students ready for the innovations of the real world. The site offers insight into the importance of the three Rs (English, reading or language arts; mathematics; science; foreign languages; civics; government; economics; arts; history; and geography.) and four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation) as well as a variety of tools and links to help educators understand what the Partnership is and how to support them through standards and curriculum. According to the website, the thinking behind this partnership stems from concerns of “a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces.”
What information on the site surprised you?
I was surprised by some of the negative comments that were written in some of the blogs. A few people seemed to be defensive about the need for such a program and were not fully convinced that it was a feasible project with all the other standards schools must focus on. Not everyone seemed to understand that “integration” meant that we would incorporate the three Rs and 4 Cs into what we are already doing, making it a part of the curriculum, not something completely new. I was also surprised to learn how many states have already joined the partnership.
Did you disagree with anything on the site? Explain.
This Partnership is something pretty new to me, so I have little to disagree with right now. As I learn more about what it all means to schools and educators like myself, my opinions may change.
What are the implications for your students, and for you as a contemporary educator?
As a contemporary educator it is important for me to keep up with the ever changing world that will eventually be welcoming students from my classroom. This means that staying aware of the skills and innovations that are going on in the working world and how it relates to the skills that I am teaching in the classroom will be very important. I will have to integrate many of the skills that students will need to be efficient, collaborative, and resourceful into the lessons that I teach in order to help students be successful in life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)