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