Final Reflection

In November we were asked to complete an application that discussed our personal theory of learning.  At that time I compared not being prepared for a lesson with hiring a contractor that refused to create a blue print for your kitchen.  Essentially I feel that we need to have clear and concise plans for what we want our kids to do before we even start teaching.  I wrote that a lesson “needs to be student-centered with a focus on the varied learning styles and a strong integration of technology.”  Today I still feel that same way. Through this course I was able to gain a better insight to what it truly means to be student-centered. 

First of all I feel that we should always have some component of creation in our lessons.  This allows those students that do not learn through lecture and worksheets to really be brought into the lessons.  Creation of an artifact creates a desire to succeed and accomplish more.  Secondly, I feel that lessons should be collaborative with other students and even other classes.  I feel that students learn more when they are actively engaged and learning about the curriculum through the eye of their peers.  It is also a wonderful way to build confidence in students.  When they are able to share and answer with a friend and see that they are right, there is more of a chance that they will volunteer that answer in class. 

When I look at my own teaching and integration of technology I always feel that I can add more.  However, I always thought that it would be too much work and that in the end I would lose the basic concept that I was trying to get across to the students. However, through this course I have learned that technology is a wonderful way to supplement all the information that I would like for them to understand.  Technology is a wonderful tool that can expand their knowledge and their desire to learn. 

When looking at all the technology that we have recently learned about, I feel that the two tools that would be most valuable to my students are video conferencing tools such as Skype and Epals along with various webquests and web sources.  These tools allow my students to interact with others without having to leave the classroom.  This gives them a greater range of opinions and ideas as well.  Through this course I have been able to learn more about technology and have gained a better understanding of the tools that are out there. 

Long-term Goals

•   To integrate more technology into my everyday lessons, at least two items a unit. 

• To create more of an emphasis on using technology with my students, continued use of epal and other internet based collaboration.   

Voice Thread

Below is a link to my voice thread about technology for special education students in the regular education classroom. I feel that is important that we put funds towards getting better technology to help this group of students. They are in great need of enrichment and previewing and this can easily be done through the incorporation of technology in the classroom. Watch my voice thread and please let me know what you think.

http://voicethread.com/#q.b1556753.i8213811

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

This week we looked at the idea behind the social learning theory and strategies to work with our students. The strategy that I found to be the most interesting for my students is the idea of the students having a keypal. As I have explained in past posts. I currently teach two learning support math classes. In the one I have six students and in the other I have only one. I have found ways to work with that one student and get him interacting with the other student in his grade level. He is currently not allowed to be in the classroom because of his distractive behaviors. By using the keypals my students would be able to talk to other students in other places; “communication with students in other cities, states, and countries broadens the perspectives of students and challenges them to learn about other cultures” (Pitler, 2007). We are currently working on the metric unit of measurement compared to the measurements that we use in the United States. I feel that it would be good for my student to be able to discuss the differences with other students his age from other places around the world.

This strategy works well with the social learning theory because it allows my student to converse with other students about subjects of interest. Palmer, Peters, and Streetman (2001) explain that cooperative learning is when students work together to "attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively." It is important to allow students to work with other and keypal and programs like it do just that for students. This program shows that “Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face” (Pitler, 2007). It is important to get students work with on another on things and to allow them the freedom to make mistakes and ask questions. Students also feel a sense of accomplishment when they are able to be the teacher and answers questions for other students.

Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved November 29, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2007). Social learning

Constructivism in Practice

The idea of constructivism is not a new one. Many of the ideas were formed by Jean Piaget and adapted by Seymour Papert. The entire idea is focused on having the students learn the in formation through creation and finding solutions. Dr. Orey states that the brain is always looking to find and equalibrium. This theory is based on the concept of putting the students “in a state where they have to solve their disequalibration” (Laureate, 2010). Through being in this state the students are forced to learn more about the subjects and concepts in order to reach their brains one goal.

We need to find concepts and lessons that focus on creating this type unbalance in our students brains, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski give such a concept in their book. They talk about “Generating and Testing Hypothesis” and how it relates to student learning. Through the students coming up with a hypothesis they are placing themselves in a state of disequalibration. They are then working into testing and solving what they think they know using the constructionism theory. This is when “Learners don't get ideas; they create ideas. Moreover, constructionism suggests that new ideas are most likely to be created when learners are actively engaged in building some type of external artifact that they can reflect upon and share with others” (2001). Through creating the hypothesis a teacher would be using the constructivism theory whereas in the long run all the students would also be using the constructionism theory with the creation of an experiment.


Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cognitivism in Practice

This week we were asked to continue our reading in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. We were asked to focus on the strategies of “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” along with “Summarizing and Note Taking.” Each of these strategies worked in correlation with the cognitive learning theories that Dr. Orey presented in the video Cognitive Learning Theories. This week we explored how students process information and what helps them bring ideas into long-term memory.

The idea of primary information process, also referred to as the network model, states that there are three stages that information must progress through. The first is the “sensory registers” this is the basic understanding of the concepts (Laureate, 2008). This is where it is important to use a variety of means to present the information. From there the concepts enter in the “short term memory, it is good to chunk information for it to enter here” (Laureate, 2008). Finally the information then enters the “long term memory” if the information is explained well enough and in enough varying means (Laureate, 2008). With this in mind I am going to take a look at the two concepts that we were asked to explore.

The first is the idea of “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers.” Cues are defined as “explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 73). Cues can be straightforward or just gradual hints to get the students moving in the right direction. Questions are used to trigger “students’ memories and help them to access prior knowledge” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 73). These strategies work well with the idea of networking. With the use of advanced organizers that teacher is using visual and written aids to help the students access the information. They are allowing the students to work with things that are hands on and can be physically seen. If a student were given a blank graphic organizer during a test it would often trigger them to think about how they filled it in and what they were working on at the time. This strategy works very well with visual learners because it accesses their dual coding or “ability to remember images and text” (Laureate, 2008). The students associate the graphic organizer with the information and are able to combine the two for better understanding.

The second idea is “Summarizing and Note Taking.” This concept focuses on “enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 119). Through the use of note taking, students are able to break down the information into more understandable chunks, making the information easier to store in the short-term and long-term memories (Laureate, 2008). Instead of focusing on all the knowledge they have things broken into smaller more concise and understandable concepts. The students can also use graphic displays to help them understand and chunk the concepts, again using the dual coding idea.

I personally love to use the idea of cues with my students. In my district we have the learning focused curriculum that has concept maps that we show the students at the beginning of each unit of study. The students are cued about what is to come in the lesson. As Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski state “Although it is common to think that cues should be subtle or ambiguous-like hints-in the classroom, a direct approach is most effective. Simply tell the students what content they are about to learn” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski p. 77). IF the students have a preview of what is to come they will be better be able understand when it is presented in the classroom. Along with cues I like to help the students with summarizing and note taking as much as I can. Prior to this week I was not aware the word had an application that allowed you to summarize information. This idea will be very beneficial to my students because they are all learning support students that often have trouble reading text books for complete comprehension of everything. This will allow me to help them pick out the main ideas and concepts form the reading. Eventually they will be able to use the tools and complete this task on their own.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program five: Cognitive learning theories. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Behaviorism in Practice

During this week of graduate classes we were asked to read about the “Reinforcing Effort” and the “Homework and Practice” concepts in our textbook, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. In the section on reinforcing effort the authors discuss the concept of using technology to encourage students’ effort. During this chapter Mrs. Powell has the students keep track of their own effort and achievement as they work through the class. Mrs. Powell learns that “by looking at the chart, students can clearly see the relation between their effort and grades they earned on their tests” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This concept works into the idea of behaviorism in the fact that students are able to see the relation with their efforts and the positive reinforcement of getting a good grade. The students are able to see that if they put more effort into their schoolwork they will have a better more positive outcome. Those students that did not do well on their tests are getting the negative reinforcement letting them know that they did not show the adequate amount of effort and have the grades to show for it.

In the second section homework and practice there is a focus on many ideas from using spreadsheets to multimedia and web resources to help students learn. I found the idea of using web resources with the students to be interesting and helpful. Many of the websites use “programmed instruction” from the behaviorist theory (Laureate, 2010). Through this type of instruction students are given problems; if they solve it correctly they are encouraged and strengthened in their knowledge. If the student were to answer them wrong the students would be told what they did wrong and how to fix it. This teaches the students how to fix the problems; it does not just simply tell them that they have done them wrong. The students are also reinforced if they did something right with leads them to keep trying harder and harder.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010d). Program #: Behaviorist learning theory with Michael Orey. [DVD]. In Walden University: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.

My Reflection

As I continue to progress through this course and those courses that are a part of my masters I am constantly finding myself reflecting on my teaching style. The following is a reflection on how I think that I have changed during this course. I am looking at how I have changed when it comes to my teaching and use of technology. This course has taught me a lot and has given me a new sense of confidence.

Through this course I have learned to be more confident when it comes to using technology in the classroom. Prior to this course I knew about concepts and programs such as podcasting and wikis but was afraid to use them. I was worrier that I would mess something up or that my students wouldn’t understand what I was trying to say. As the course went on I learned that the most important thing about using these programs is that the students are discovering and working on their own. It is not so much about making them do a specific task, it is more about giving them the tools and the information to process those tools. Since the beginning of the class I have become more daring when it comes to using technology. Although I am currently starting out small, I know that in the next year or so I will be utilizing most if not all of technological advances that I have used during this course. I will also work to ensure that my students are working inside and outside the school because “Media based learning styles parallel what society will need for education. We can only take advantage of this if we let students take advantage of these tools that they use outside the classroom setting” (Dede, 2010).

I have learned so much about the teaching and learning process as I have progressed through this course. The first and most important thing that I have learned is that it is so important to let the students learn things on their own. It is better for the students to come to their own conclusions with help from the teacher, rather than have everything handed to them in a neat little lesson. I have also learned that my teaching style needs to change because “The stone age didn’t end because we ran out of stones. It ended because we developed better tools” (Thornburg, 2010). I need to make sure that I am changing things to work with the students. I do not want to keep the students stuck in an age where they are learning from books and powerpoints. I want to make the learning fun and exciting for them now and in the future. Essentially I have transitioned from being a teacher-centered teacher to a learner-centered teacher. I feel that students need to be placed in an environment where they are challenged and questioned in order to help them learn.

In order to ensure that I continue to work towards becoming a more learner centered teacher I have created two goals that I would like to pursue in the next two years. The first is that I would like to incorporate at least one technology based assignment in each of my units in my math class. This means that during each chapter I will work to incorporating one of the technologies that we discussed in this class. The second goal that I would like to complete in the next two years is to have my students working on mathematics Wiki. I want to have a site that my students can post and work on. Somewhere that they can ask questions and work with each other in a collaborative environment.

During the first week of this technology course I was asked to fill out a checklist about what types of technology that I use in the classroom and how often I use it. In that first week it was easy for me to see how much I needed to pursue this degree. I did not have many of the technologies checked and many of them I have heard of but have never worked with before. Now that I have completed this course I find that I have many of the technologies check and I feel much more prepared to use them in my classroom. This course has given me confidence in my abilities to try new things and has given me many ideas on how to use them.

This course has taught me a lot and has made me confident in my teaching with technology. Through this class I was able to experiment with various tools and activities. I am thankful that I was given the chance to learn with my colleagues and professor during these past eight weeks.

Dede, C. (2010). “Millennial Learning Styles.” [Video file]. Laureate Education. Unkown.

Thornburg, D. (2010). “Bringing the fun into teaching with technology”. Laureate Education.

Technology In My Classroom

Here is a link to the podcast that I created for this weeks class. It includes the demographics of my students in terms of what they feel is important when it comes to technology in the classroom.

http://ekdonovan.podbean.com/

Enjoy!

Evaluating 21st Century Skills

As an assignment this week in my integrating technology class we were asked to explore the website of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Over the past two days I have been spending time investigating the sight in order to learn more about this innovative and about what the Partnership for 21st Century Skills really stands for. The first thing that I discovered was their mission statement. I discovered that their mission “is to serve as a catalyst to position 21st century readiness at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, and community and government leaders” (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010). What this essentially means to me, as a teacher, is that they are striving to help states get the jumpstart that they need to incorporate ideas from business, community and government with a strong emphasis on technology.
Upon learning this I definitely wanted to know more.

My initial reaction to the website is that it is very useful to all those that are in the educational field. As I looked at the many resources that are available it is also beneficial to all those that work with technology and young children. This website can also be a useful tool for parents that want to understand the integration of technology in the classroom. As I looked harder at the site I became increasingly impressed with the concept of making this a statewide initiative with a strong focus on “critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation” (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010). When answering the question, “who are your members?” The partnership stated, “We succeed when we work together to transform education. P21 urges business, education and government leaders to join this effort, think strategically about fusing the three Rs and four Cs, and work long-term to create an education system that best prepares today’s students for tomorrow’s workplace” (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010). There is a strong significance placed on the idea that everyone must be involved in the technological education of our students. I have only been teaching for three years but even I know that without the support and help from those around you it is almost impossible to get an entire class of students to succeed. You need the help from the government, the community, the parents, and your fellow teachers. This site places the importance on all these figures in the child’s life.

As I got more and more excited about the idea of state participation in the education I started to look and see what states have signed on to this membership. I was shocked to learn that out of our 50 states only 15 are members of The Partnership. I discovered that in order “to become a P21 Leadership State, a state demonstrates commitment from the governor and chief state school officer, and submits an application to P21 that describes the state’s plan to fuse the three Rs and four Cs within standards, assessments and professional development programs” (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010). Upon further inspection I also noticed that my state, Pennsylvania, was part of those 15 states that are members. I feel that more people need to be made away of what The Partnership is trying to do and state officials need to be told that we want to become members.

All the ideas and concepts that I found on this site would be beneficial to my students. As I have mentioned before, I have one student that is not able to be in a regular math class because of his disrespectful behavior and inability to sit quietly. Through the ideas that are present on this site I can work with my student to integrate him into the classroom using technology. This way I am able to have him work with the other students but not be the distraction that he currently is. Through the use of chats and web blogs I am able to ensure that my student is collaborating with the other students in his grade level and is discussing the information that I am teaching him. Through this I am also able to work collaboratively with a fellow teacher; therefore, bettering our students’ learning.

http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=505&Itemid=189

My Blog...My Classroom

Through out the last two weeks I have been learning more about the ways that internet and technology interact with students in the classroom. One such way that I have spend the past week looking at is this blog. I am currently a 6th, 7th, and 8th grade learning support teacher. I teach a 6th grade math class, a 7th grade math class and a 7th grade grammar class.

As a teacher I think that interaction between various students is very important. Therefore as a learning support teacher with smaller class sizes; sometimes 5 kids in the room other times 1, I need a way for my students to interact with others their age. With the use of a blog my students can work with others in their school as well as with people all over the world. Throughout my graduate class I have had the opportunity to watch some great videos about technologies influence on society and vise versa. Dr. Thornburg in the video "Technologies Influence" states that we need to create technology in the classroom and be ever changing because "society effects technology in the way that we create things as we have needs" (Laurette, 2010). If society is always changing we must always be changing as well to meet the needs of our students.

This blog would be a way for my smaller classes to interact with other students learning the same thing. While my student that is one on one needs to be because of behavior issues, he would still be able to interact with others and not be effected by his behavior. I also feel that the students need to work with other that are learning the same things but maybe on a different level. I have often found that students work best when they are being taught by other students. This can be done through working with other grade level math classes or with the same level class within my building.

Through the use of a blog the students will be able to interact better with each other while focusing on the content and learning other valuable skills. Through using the internet and the computer, students will be able to learn more about typing and navigating the world wide web. This is something that they will be using on a daily basis as we progress further into technology. Students will also be able to interact with the curriculum from anywhere at anytime. With today's technology students are able to access the internet from their phones and from home. With this kind of technology students will greatly benefit from the use of mobile technology (Laurette, 2010).

Welcome!

My name is Erinn and I am a middle school learning support teacher in central Pennsylvania.  I am currently working towards my masters in Integrating Technology in the Classroom.  This blog is focused on increasing the understanding of technology and education in the classroom.