Reflecting... 6711

Upon entering this course I had a very basic knowledge of how learning occurred. I knew that students learned but did not take it as for as how their brains processed their learning. I thought that every student should just learn through seeing and taking notes and then practicing. I knew that there were certain strategies out there but did not know how to enhance those strategies with technology.

Coming out of this course I now know that technology can do nothing but soar learning to a new level. Learning comes from different ways of teaching. Learning is a forever process that can take place in many different ways each day. Before this course I never thought about the behaviorist learning theory or constructivism. I have now learned about these theories and have realized that I do indeed use them, but not to their full potential. But that reminds me, do we as teachers ever use things to their full potential? Do we use technology to its full potential? Most likely not, and this is not because we don’t try to, we definitely do. It is because technology is always changing and we do not always know about things that could maximize its potential. I did not know about Voice Stream or Webspiration before this class. I did not know that children need to be exposed to something about twenty-four times before it is mastered (Pitler, et. al., 2007).

I now challenge myself to use the tools of webspiration, voice stream, excel, and word to a better potential in my room. I have already integrated wiki’s as part of the class system and have started to be successful. I challenge myself to use more virtual field trips and WebQuests. I want to have the students do more learning and not rely on me as much. It is like Dr. Orey discussed in the final video of this course, instructional tools help the teacher, learning tools are what the students can do alone (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). To help me meet my challenge I plan to include one activity each week. I am hoping over time I can make this once a week thing turn into once a day. I plan to use my weekly lesson plan as a way to make sure I have one activity included whether it is a WebQuest that takes a few days or a voice stream to start a lesson. I hope this changes the learning of my classroom. I want students to take ownership of their learning and I feel technology really allows for them to learn on their own.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program thirteen. Technology: Instructional tool vs. learning tool [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Voicestream

Here is a link to a voicestream I created about a problem in my classroom. Unfortunately I could not add voice to mine because my son broke my microphone. The joys of a two year old who is into everything. Enjoy!

http://voicethread.com/share/1553433/

Social Learning and Cooperative Grouping

It’s time for workshop groups. Although these groups are suppose to be differentiated instruction they can sometimes lean towards cooperative grouping. Cooperative grouping is a great example of the social learning theory because students are working together and creating a product. Dr. Michael Orey states that cooperative groups allows for students to “see each other as a teacher and student” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). This shows that students take on more then one role in their learning and are given responsibility for their learning. They are socially aware and able to communicate with each other to facilitate their learning.

Cooperative grouping is also an example of Connectivism because it allows for students to use different networks for their learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). George Siemens states, in his discussion about Connectivism, it is “not just the individual learner but the broader environment they are located in” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). With cooperative groups students are not just individual learners but they are working with other people and the networks available to further their learning.

With technology we can do nothing but enhance our students’ learning. There are so many different tools available to be used for cooperative learning. WebQuests are an awesome way to engage students in their learning. In the book Using Technology in Classroom Instruction that Works it says “WebQuests are designed to use learners’ time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Instead of just teaching the content we can allow the students to learn it themselves through the WebQuest. This of course is just one strategy we can use that allows for social learning and cooperative grouping at the same time.

The question now becomes how will we embrace the ideas of technology, cooperative grouping, and social learning together? What will us as teachers need to do to ensure that our students are learning to the best of ours and their abilities?

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program eight. Social learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program nine. Connectivism as a learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Constructionist and Hypotheses

“Constructionist focuses on getting kids to build stuff” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Isn’t this the plan for any teacher? It is not like we just stand there and teach, teach, teach. Instead we teach something and then send our students off to complete some kind of activity. It may be something as simple as completing a graphic organizer or something more in depth like researching about something and creating a word document explaining what was learned. When we test our hypotheses we are conducting experiments. Those experiments are part of and leading to a final product of our learning.

This week I looked at the strategy of generating and testing hypotheses. This was a strategy that I look forward to incorporating more often. This time I was looking at the strategy in an aspect of using technology. This strategy is often thought of as a science resource (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p.202). This does not always need to be the case. Sometimes we can find ways to use this strategy in other subjects. We can have students make predictions, which is very much like generating a hypothesis. The students then work though their learning to test their predictions and come to conclusions.

One resource that I have been seeing used a lot while reading Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works is spreadsheets (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This is software that I am not very familiar with. I have read different ways of incorporating spreadsheets and find it very interesting. It is definitely a strategy I want to learn more about and use them in the future.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program seven. Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Cognitive Learning and Instructional Strategies

“Take out your paper and pencil, it’s time to take notes” I start almost every reading and math lesson this way. It is sad to think I never considered other ways of taking notes. I do feel that I effectively teach the process of note taking. I encourage students not to write everything that is on the slide, I tell them that if they hear me say it over and over it is most likely important and needs to be written down. I stress the importance of taking notes to study for tests. I never thought about using technology to help with note taking. Upon reading the chapter on summarizing and note taking in the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction the Works, I have a whole new insight. We have students use word processors in the most basic way possible, to type things. I am finding that I am just a beginner in my knowledge of word. I am finding more and more ways to use something as simple as word everyday. Going forward I believe I will take the time to make tools for my students to help them advance with their note taking and summarizing skills. I believe that using the Track Changes options, as discussed in the chapter, could be a great learning tool for students as they learn to edit their work (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This I feel does tie into the idea of cognitive learning. Students are process the information and creating their own ways of remembering the information. They are able to make connections to the material thought the elaboration we include in our lessons. Dr. Orey discusses elaboration as important strategy to help students remember information (Laureate, 2010) I know that when my students are note taking it is one step in what we are doing. I then extend to an activity to help my students make connections to the skill.

The second strategy I looked at this week was cues, questions, and advanced organizers. This I feel is something that is done without really thinking about. We as teachers do not set our students up for failure. We give them information that is important before starting any new topic. It goes back to making connections for the students. We usually start a unit with looking at prior knowledge and see what is already known before we move on. If we realize that our students have no prior knowledge what do we do? We change our plan to give them some prior knowledge. For example, this week we are working on a story titled “What Rot!” and discussing recycling. Students had some prior knowledge as most of their carved pumpkins from Halloween have recently rotted and been thrown away. To further their understanding of the concept I brought in an apple and corer. I sliced the apple and left it opened to the air. We have watched each day as our apples have changed. This is allowing my students to gain experience that they did not have before. It also connects to cognitive learning because it allows for dual coding and elaboration as Dr. Orey discussed in his lecture (Laureate, 2010). This whole activity was based around questioning on how things rot.

These two strategies will definitely allow for teachers to teach for understanding. Note Taking and Summarizing allows for the students to take in the information and study it or show they understand it. Cues, questions, and advanced organizers allow helping further students understanding by organizing thoughts and ideas in a central location. These strategies along with aspects of cognitive learning help students learn more by making elaborate and good connections.   

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program five. Cognitive learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Instructional Strategies and Behaviorism

“Homework is assigned to reinforce skills taught in class.” This is a line that I use often on progress reports and report cards. Students are assigned homework every night. I spent a lot of time making the homework to go off of the skills we are teaching that week. It allows for practice of those skills at home. It is very similar to the technique of drill and practice, which is often associated with behaviorist learning theory. We give homework not as busy work but as an extension to our lessons. It is like added teaching time but can be done without the teacher present. Look at most any school website that comments on homework and it states that homework is given to reinforce skills. (http://stcharlescatholicschool.org/Academics/homework.htm, and http://www.schools.manatee.k12.fl.us/801SRIKER/riker/homework.html for example)

As for reinforcing effort, this is something I had never thought about. But looking at it from the behaviorist perspective it is a way of reinforcement also. You give the students the rubric for effort and they are aware of what you are looking for. If they honestly grade themselves the first week and realize they are not putting forth enough effort they will work harder the following week to improve their grade. They will limit certain behaviors because they know it will affect their grades. You are reinforcing the behaviors you want present in the classroom by giving the students the rubrics. They of course are going to want to score highly and then the unwanted behavior, or lack of effort, will eventually subside or come to extinction.

So, these two instructional strategies do tie back into the idea of the behaviorist learning theory. They provide reinforcement and will allow for extinction or lowered unwanted behaviors. They also allow for punishment, because not doing your homework usually has a consequence. Also, low performance on effort can effect the students overall grade thus punishing them to having a lower score on report cards.

Reflecting

As this course in my graduate studies comes to an end I am taking the time to look at all that I have learned. This course, by far, has opened my eyes to a whole new world of technology. Before starting this course if you said web 2.0 tools I would have no idea what you are talking about. A wiki was something I had never heard of before. I am now in the process of setting up a classroom wiki and starting our first wiki project. I have seen the importance of writing in a typing sense. Meaning that students can type a response just as well as they can write it out on paper. I have found ways to integrate technology into my lessons. I am looking forward to using technology more and more.

I definitely see a way of making the classroom much more learner-centered. Instead of giving all of the information I look forward to inspiring my students to conduct research and continue their learning. I want my students to enjoy their learning. I want them to feel inspired to do things. I plan to use the computers in my classroom and in the building as much as possible. In my one week back to teaching from maternity leave I have made my students excited about the use of technology. They want to use it, they ask me when we will be doing things I have talked about. I guess I have been more of a talker then doer but the truth is it does take time to incorporate technology when most of the students do not know much about it. I have to start at the beginning and make sure my students know the basics before going knee deep into it all.


One of my goals now is to use the computer as much as possible. Not just use it to show things but have the students using it as much as they can. Encouraging the students to use it to the best of their ability. Making sure that they think outside of the box and challenge themselves. I want the students to learn about the cool things I have learned through the use of technology. I want them not to be scared to try these new things.


My other goal comes in the need of expanding my knowledge. I want to make sure I am the best possible teacher I can be by continuing know learning and knowledge of technology. I want to provide the best education I can for the students I teach. I may not be able to have one to one computers, or even computers that work everyday. I need to advocate for my students. I need to fight so that my students have the resources they need. I need to look for grants and other resources that can best help my classroom and my students.

Digital Immigrant or Digital Native?

This week we looked at the differences between digital immigrants and digital natives. I had fun interviewing a few students to see where their use of technology stood. I was quite surprised by the information I found out. To compile my findings I have created a podcast, my first ever podcast. I am sure I will get better at this over time. Please feel free to check it out at the URL below.

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/6598/episodes/31120

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

This week for my grad school class we were asked to check out a site about 21 century skills. I found myself staring at this website thinking, “Oh goodness another set of standards and skills they want us to incorporate.” At the beginning of the school year we were trained on something called Common Core. This basically takes the state standards we have now and streamlines them to be universal or across all states. This is good for when you have a student transfer in from another state so that we have the same standards we will teach to. Of course this is just now being developed and will probably be years before we see it truly work. My first thoughts on Common Core were “finally we can streamline all of these standards they give us.” Common core includes standards that are for college and career readiness. I think this is similar to what P21 is trying to do.

I looked over the information I found on the P21 website, http://www.p21.org/index.php, and found that it was not describing anything I do not already do. In the document where they include the definitions, http://www.p21.org/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf, I noticed a lot of similarities to how I already structure my classroom. In the description of learning and integrating skills it talks about different ways to incorporate within the classroom. As I read the descriptions I immediately thought that this was something we are already doing. It seems like it is common sense to teach students how to work together, think creatively, and make judgments. It does not seem to me that this needs to be written out in a framework. It is something I think we have done as a change to the times. Why is it that it always has to be written out somewhere for it to be commonplace? Like if it is working and we are already doing it, now lets complicate things more by writing it down and forcing everyone to include it. Plus on top of that lets make a new set of standards showing you how to use this framework.

I am not saying I like one over the other. I am saying that there are way to many standards, streamlining them I am for. I am saying that we do need to implement things in our classroom to prepare students for how the world is today. In no way shape or form do I want to ill prepare my students for the real world. I am not quite sure idea incorporates a better set of skills for students. Honestly I think that the only person who can prepare their students is the teacher. You are given a class or 20 or more students now a days and each student is different. To say that every student is going to be best prepared by doing this or that is not always true. The teacher needs to know what the students need in order for them to be prepared. Sometimes the teacher’s creativity and knowledge is all that we need to educate our students effectively.

Incase you want to read about Common Core their website is: http://commoncore.org/

They do have a whole section about why they disagree with P21. I read into it slightly but have not formed my own decision yet. Honestly I have not worked long enough with either one to say which one I feel is better. I do believe they both have the right idea at heart. That idea is to combine the core subjects and knowledge with skills needed to succeed in the world today.

The Use Of Blogs

How might one use a blog with 4th graders? I thought about this for a while and I thought of a few ways. I thought about the personal response or essential questions that are often asked at the end of a lesson. I thought about the importance of getting our students to write and how we are using journals more often. My thought is that we could take that journal and make it interactive by using it in blog format. I'm not saying to take away the paper and pencil journal book. It is important for our students to be able to write as well as type. Although we want our students to express their thoughts on paper society today is much more digital based. We have replaced mail, for the most part, with e-mail. Getting the students to write out the response is the first step. Getting them to type what they have written is the next. I would use a blog as a way for students to reflect on those essential questions or big pictures from the lesson. It would be much like their journal writing, allowing for personal thoughts and ideas to be expressed. It would allow for students to interact with others and comment on what other students thought. It might not be used everyday, as getting access to a computer is not always easy. It would be used maybe once a week or once during a unit in any given subject. I think students would get a lot out of being able to use the computer to discuss things with other students without it being just chat based. They love when they get to use to computer so to be able to show how their thoughts are represented on the internet to their parents would be pure joy to my students.

My first post

I have set up this blog as a way to talk about ways to intergrate technology in the classroom. I want to focus on the importance of technology in urban education. The school I teach at is located in Baltimore City. We are an inner city school with a population of prodiminately African American students. Every classroom in our school is equiped with a Promethean Board and every teacher has a laptop. Technology is to be used everyday and in every lesson.

In my classroom we do not only use the Promethean Board software. We use the internet to look up information on topics we are covering or to answer questions we encounter. We take virtual field trips online. We use the ActivExpressions to complete assessments and collect data. We are constantly looking for new ways to use the technology in our classroom. I will share ways that we incorporate technolgy and hope that others will share ideas also.