View my glogster poster presentation about online learning at:
http://etregloan.edu.glogster.com/waldenapp4/
Enjoy!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
EDUC 6714 Reflection
Every child in my classroom is completely unique in their needs, interests, and learning preferences, and at the completion of this course, EDUC 6714, it is more evident than ever how important differentiated instruction is in my classroom. Dr. Smith and Dr. Throne (2009) tell us that differentiation is not simply a set of strategies, but more a way of thinking about teaching and learning (Laureate). And while I find this statement to be true, to differentiate effectively, teachers must have a set of strategies to use to help many kinds of students. Throughout the duration of this class, my colleagues and I have worked hard to discover, investigate, and share many online strategies and tools to help with differentiation in the classroom. These tools, located in our Differentiation Station social network, include a wide variety of websites containing information on DI and UDL, as well as interactive websites and sites containing printable materials. One thing that has become very obvious is that no one person could have discovered these tools on their own. Because we all have different learning styles, needs, and interests, including the different areas in which we teach, the wide variety of materials will allow for easy differentiation in the classroom. The tools are, in fact, differentiated themselves! With the help of each member of my Differentiation Station group, we were able to develop a truly useful classroom resource.
One thing that I have struggled with throughout the duration of my Master’s program is how difficult it can be to integrate technology into my kindergarten classroom. When I feel as though it is impossible, I have to stop and remember the words of Dr. Smith, “It’s possible to use technology, we just have to make the effort” (Laureate, 2009). One way that I have been able to make the effort is to implement the principles of UDL in my classroom. By providing multiple means of representation, means of expression, and means of engagement, I can meet the needs of my students based on readiness, interest, and learning style. Some tools I have already begun implementing in my classroom instruction to accomplish these things are the online tools located at www.starfall.com, www.spellingcity.com, and www.uptoten.com. In addition, I also use KidPix often, and I am in the process of implementing www.readingeggs.com into my reading instruction.
Dr. Smith and Dr. Throne tell us that every child is worth the best we can give them (Laureate, 2009). As I continue using the resources collected by my colleagues on our Differentiation Station as well as searching for new, exciting resources, I can find the most effective and efficient ways to reach my students and meet the diverse needs of each child.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology [Motion Picture]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.
One thing that I have struggled with throughout the duration of my Master’s program is how difficult it can be to integrate technology into my kindergarten classroom. When I feel as though it is impossible, I have to stop and remember the words of Dr. Smith, “It’s possible to use technology, we just have to make the effort” (Laureate, 2009). One way that I have been able to make the effort is to implement the principles of UDL in my classroom. By providing multiple means of representation, means of expression, and means of engagement, I can meet the needs of my students based on readiness, interest, and learning style. Some tools I have already begun implementing in my classroom instruction to accomplish these things are the online tools located at www.starfall.com, www.spellingcity.com, and www.uptoten.com. In addition, I also use KidPix often, and I am in the process of implementing www.readingeggs.com into my reading instruction.
Dr. Smith and Dr. Throne tell us that every child is worth the best we can give them (Laureate, 2009). As I continue using the resources collected by my colleagues on our Differentiation Station as well as searching for new, exciting resources, I can find the most effective and efficient ways to reach my students and meet the diverse needs of each child.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology [Motion Picture]. Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Blog Reflection
As a teacher, I’m not new at setting goals for myself. Whether taking classes, developing my teaching skills, or working on life skills, I am no stranger to developing goals that will increase my knowledge and abilities. But with my hectic life and busy schedule, I haven’t always had the time or chance to carry out my goals. Many have fallen to the wayside, with the intent of coming back to them later. But we all know how new things arise and we don’t always revisit our goals, despite our best attempts. By using the GAME plan model, I feel as though I found a system that helps me keep up with my goals, and I look forward to using this model in the classroom.
The easiest part of the GAME plan is setting the goal. Like I said, I’ve done that enough in the past to know how to set a good goal. Yet, as I said, goals aren’t always realized for a lot of different reasons. In this course, I learned that goals are never set in stone and that revision is absolutely vital. As I worked to take action on my goals, I figured out that my goals weren’t easily achievable over summer vacation, and while I did attempt to take action towards meeting my goals, it was really the monitoring and evaluating steps that proved most valuable. As I learned this in this course, I really came to see how important it is to teach this process to my students. Students need to understand that they aren’t trapped in their goals. Vicki Davis tells us that using the GAME plan model can help students evaluate the process of learning and document their progression as they become self-directed learners (Laureate, 2009). What I think the GAME plan model really allows for is for both the teacher and the students to learn creative and critical thinking skills in a way that is automatic and instantaneous. If students are constantly making goals, taking action, monitoring, and evaluating their learning, critical thinking will be “infused in content and used in context” in a way that leads to truly meaningful learning (Laureate, 2009).
An immediate adjustment I plan to make is to keep the NETS-S and NETS-T in mind when creating and carrying out lessons in my classroom. Of course, much of this course has been based on integrating those standards into lessons, and the GAME plan model lends itself perfectly to developing technology skills in the classroom. Another adjustment I hope to make in my classroom is to use some of the tools presented to us in this course to turn my students into self-directed learners. Whether I use problem-based learning, online collaboration, or digital storytelling, my students will learn higher order thinking skills and discover how they learn best. With so many options available to present knowledge, I must give my students the opportunity to “show off their strengths” in unique and exciting ways (Laureate, 2009). I’ve created many hypothetical lessons in both my undergrad and graduate careers, but the unit plan created in the course is one I plan to actually carry out. I think this course has been incredibly useful in my professional development and I look forward to taking what I’ve learned to my students and create the kinds of learners needed to run our global society.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Programs 1-10. [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.
The easiest part of the GAME plan is setting the goal. Like I said, I’ve done that enough in the past to know how to set a good goal. Yet, as I said, goals aren’t always realized for a lot of different reasons. In this course, I learned that goals are never set in stone and that revision is absolutely vital. As I worked to take action on my goals, I figured out that my goals weren’t easily achievable over summer vacation, and while I did attempt to take action towards meeting my goals, it was really the monitoring and evaluating steps that proved most valuable. As I learned this in this course, I really came to see how important it is to teach this process to my students. Students need to understand that they aren’t trapped in their goals. Vicki Davis tells us that using the GAME plan model can help students evaluate the process of learning and document their progression as they become self-directed learners (Laureate, 2009). What I think the GAME plan model really allows for is for both the teacher and the students to learn creative and critical thinking skills in a way that is automatic and instantaneous. If students are constantly making goals, taking action, monitoring, and evaluating their learning, critical thinking will be “infused in content and used in context” in a way that leads to truly meaningful learning (Laureate, 2009).
An immediate adjustment I plan to make is to keep the NETS-S and NETS-T in mind when creating and carrying out lessons in my classroom. Of course, much of this course has been based on integrating those standards into lessons, and the GAME plan model lends itself perfectly to developing technology skills in the classroom. Another adjustment I hope to make in my classroom is to use some of the tools presented to us in this course to turn my students into self-directed learners. Whether I use problem-based learning, online collaboration, or digital storytelling, my students will learn higher order thinking skills and discover how they learn best. With so many options available to present knowledge, I must give my students the opportunity to “show off their strengths” in unique and exciting ways (Laureate, 2009). I’ve created many hypothetical lessons in both my undergrad and graduate careers, but the unit plan created in the course is one I plan to actually carry out. I think this course has been incredibly useful in my professional development and I look forward to taking what I’ve learned to my students and create the kinds of learners needed to run our global society.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Programs 1-10. [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Using the GAME Plan Process with Students
When it comes to meeting goals in my classroom with my students, one thing I really believe in is making students a part of the goal and giving them some responsibility in meeting it. Students need to know where they are going and where they need to end up. So like any other educational goal, the first thing I would do is share the NETS-S with the students and explain how I would hope to meet the goals with them. By giving the students a quick snapshot of the tools and methods we would use the meet the goals, I know they would be very excited to be a part of the goals and would work hard to meet them. At that point, I would work with them to develop a GAME plan for each goal. We might not do all the plans at once, but instead pick one or two to create a work on before moving on to the next. For example, I would start immediately with digital citizenship to teach safety and ethics at the beginning of the school year because it is crucial that students learn that skill right away and have plenty of time to keep developing it throughout the school year. As we met goals, we would move on to the next, and more than likely work on two or even three at a time, depending on our curriculum and unit of study, and plus some must be practiced continuously. Using the GAME plan is really just a method that will help keep us focused as we work towards. Actually, it will be more about keeping me on track and keeping the students involved in their learning. I think really it’s all about what Vicki Davis refers to as “Intentional research and development.” As long as my students and I make a conscious effort to create and stick with goals, and using the GAME plan will help accomplish this, we will be successful in the end.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
It’s been quite a journey moving through each step in my GAME plan and I think I’ve learned quite a bit that I can apply in my instructional practice. First of all, this course has introduced me to some new tools like problem-based learning and online collaborative based learning. While these don’t relate directly to my GAME plan goals, they have given me some new ideas for the ways in which I might reach my goals and teach students about computer safety and ethics, and especially, integrating real-world issues into my curriculum. Furthermore, just the idea of the GAME plan has helped keep me focused and organized, and although I might not always write down my plan like we’ve been required to do in this class, I will definitely be able to move through the process instinctively. I think the process is also helpful when planning lesson because it ensures that you keep your goals for students clearly in mind and stay on the right track. The lesson template provided for us in our course text is a great tool that I will be able to use in the future.
Because I do not have students at this time, I have not met either of my goals. But with school starting soon, I’m very excited to get in the classroom and apply what I’ve learned and move forward with the things I’ve already started. Also, I have two new grade level partners who are also excited about technology, so I plan to sit down with them soon and begin to map how we plan to teach about and with technology this coming school year. At this point, I have not set any new goals, but I do know that after learning about all the new technology tools presented in the course, I would like my next goal to deal with “Designing and Developing Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments,” the second NETS-T standard. While I feel as though I’ve been able to integrate technology use into many of my lessons, I’m sure I can do an even better job. I’m very excited to learn about digital storytelling, so I think my next goal will revolve around that.
To improve my learning, I would definitely set goals that I would more easily be able to reach in a short term period. I feel as though I’ve just postponed many of my ideas to reach my goals, but I’ve had to, since I can’t really move forward without students. One approach that I used that I will definitely continue using is social and educational networking. Through this blog, I’ve gained some valuable insights from my classmates that have really helped me figure out where I’m going and what I need to do to get there. As Vicki Davis points out, teachers are connectors. But we’re not just connectors for our students. We’re connectors for each other and my colleagues have been a tremendous resource throughout this process. Thanks everyone!
Because I do not have students at this time, I have not met either of my goals. But with school starting soon, I’m very excited to get in the classroom and apply what I’ve learned and move forward with the things I’ve already started. Also, I have two new grade level partners who are also excited about technology, so I plan to sit down with them soon and begin to map how we plan to teach about and with technology this coming school year. At this point, I have not set any new goals, but I do know that after learning about all the new technology tools presented in the course, I would like my next goal to deal with “Designing and Developing Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments,” the second NETS-T standard. While I feel as though I’ve been able to integrate technology use into many of my lessons, I’m sure I can do an even better job. I’m very excited to learn about digital storytelling, so I think my next goal will revolve around that.
To improve my learning, I would definitely set goals that I would more easily be able to reach in a short term period. I feel as though I’ve just postponed many of my ideas to reach my goals, but I’ve had to, since I can’t really move forward without students. One approach that I used that I will definitely continue using is social and educational networking. Through this blog, I’ve gained some valuable insights from my classmates that have really helped me figure out where I’m going and what I need to do to get there. As Vicki Davis points out, teachers are connectors. But we’re not just connectors for our students. We’re connectors for each other and my colleagues have been a tremendous resource throughout this process. Thanks everyone!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress
As we learn about problem-based learning this week, I can really see how it fits in with my GAME plan. As we developed our goals and plan of action, we were really just identifying a problem and we’ve been moving along with self-directed learning, learning the content along the way and using technology to help us reflect and document our progress, as suggested by Dr. Ertmer (Laureate, 2009). As we looked for ways we can improve in the classroom or or thought back to situational dilemmas we’ve dealt with, we’ve been able to go through the PBL process throughout this course (Laureate, 2009).
Really, I think my plan of action has been very useful in meeting my goals. I’ve been able to do most of the research needed to identify the needed information, I have my districts acceptable use policy, and I’ve been looking at my state’s technology standards. Also, I am currently on my school’s technology curriculum committee, so I’ve been working to identify and list the activities we already do to meet those standards and identify those places where we are falling short. It just so happens that one area deals with internet safety and ethics, so I am actively planning lessons to teach in the first weeks of school to address the standard and my goal. Also, in looking at my kindergarten curriculum and standards, one area that my grade level does not do address fully deals with our social studies curriculum and the area of civics and citizenship. Knowing this, I can use my second GAME plan goal to develop a PBL lesson that addresses real-world issues in our community. Learning about PBL’s this week has been very helpful giving me some direction in where to go with my goals. Really, I can use the PBL process for both goals and allow students to make discoveries, rather than me doing all the work and teaching myself. And I can also integrate more content area standards into teaching these goals, and covering more content is always a good thing!
I don’t have any new questions at this point, and I would still like to learn more about creating an online collaborative project. The biggest issue I’ve had is not being able to discuss and share ideas with colleagues. With summer in full swing, not a lot of people have been available for school discussions. I wish I could get more of my goals accomplished, but until I am actually able to get into our computer lab with a group of students, I feel as though I’m at a standstill. Therefore, the best way to adjust my plan to fit my current needs is to design a PBL lesson for each of my goals to prepare for the beginning of school. I know I’d like to do a lesson in the first weeks dealing with internet safety and ethics, and I’m planning to do the PBL lesson on civics and citizenship in October when we get to our Community theme.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 8. Spotlight on technology: Problem-based learning, part [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.
Really, I think my plan of action has been very useful in meeting my goals. I’ve been able to do most of the research needed to identify the needed information, I have my districts acceptable use policy, and I’ve been looking at my state’s technology standards. Also, I am currently on my school’s technology curriculum committee, so I’ve been working to identify and list the activities we already do to meet those standards and identify those places where we are falling short. It just so happens that one area deals with internet safety and ethics, so I am actively planning lessons to teach in the first weeks of school to address the standard and my goal. Also, in looking at my kindergarten curriculum and standards, one area that my grade level does not do address fully deals with our social studies curriculum and the area of civics and citizenship. Knowing this, I can use my second GAME plan goal to develop a PBL lesson that addresses real-world issues in our community. Learning about PBL’s this week has been very helpful giving me some direction in where to go with my goals. Really, I can use the PBL process for both goals and allow students to make discoveries, rather than me doing all the work and teaching myself. And I can also integrate more content area standards into teaching these goals, and covering more content is always a good thing!
I don’t have any new questions at this point, and I would still like to learn more about creating an online collaborative project. The biggest issue I’ve had is not being able to discuss and share ideas with colleagues. With summer in full swing, not a lot of people have been available for school discussions. I wish I could get more of my goals accomplished, but until I am actually able to get into our computer lab with a group of students, I feel as though I’m at a standstill. Therefore, the best way to adjust my plan to fit my current needs is to design a PBL lesson for each of my goals to prepare for the beginning of school. I know I’d like to do a lesson in the first weeks dealing with internet safety and ethics, and I’m planning to do the PBL lesson on civics and citizenship in October when we get to our Community theme.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 8. Spotlight on technology: Problem-based learning, part [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Monitoring My GAME Plan
In this week’s video resource, Dr. Ross instructs us to know where we’re going and how we’re going to get there. Fortunately, technology compliments both of these goals (Laureate, 2009). In working towards success with my GAME plan, I’ve really come to see that Dr. Ross is right in stating that technology can provide the tools to get me where I’m going and help me along the way. Throughout this process so far, I’ve been able to see that I have to keep my goals clearly at the forefront of my mind and evaluate and re-evaluate the things I am doing to achieve them.
My first goal is to model proper and acceptable computer and internet use by creating a set of technology guidelines and rules with my students in order to develop strong ethics in the use of computers in school. So far, I have been able to contact my technology director and look over my district’s acceptable use policy. My district has high standards for ethical behavior when using technological resources, but I feel that the use policy is a bit simple and needs to be updated. However, because of its simplicity, it does lend itself to developing a short list of rules to follow, as it does hit on some important points. I will, however, need to work on the language slightly to make it more kid-friendly, and I’ve come to see that my goal and plan need to be modified by developing a vocabulary list for the technology terms as well that cannot be changed. I need to include lessons in which students and I work together to define and explain the terminology. While working on my GAME plan, I am currently on my schools technology curriculum committee, and the biggest question that has come up for me is how much should I expose my young students to, in terms of ethical behavior? Should I keep it very simply by discussing simple manners and courtesy online or citing sources? Or should I discuss some of the bigger dangers associated with blogging, chat rooms, and instant messaging, for example, even though my students are not yet ready to use those tools? I really believe in exposure for young students, but not to the point that it becomes overwhelming.
My second goal is to choose 1-2 real world issues that are relevant to my kindergarten students to research over the course of the school year with the use of the internet and online collaboration projects. I wish I could say I was finding what I need for this goal, but I have not spent a lot of time searching. I’ve spent more time on my first goal, because I feel as though that one needs to be ready to carry out as soon as I take my students to the lab for the first time this next school year. I would really like to develop my second goal after meeting my students. Plus, after reading and viewing this week’s resources, I really feel like I need to learn more about project- and problem-based learning and the options available to me as far as tech tools go to help me reach my goal. Also, after reading about project-based assessments this week, I feel as though I need to learn more about how to affectively use that type of assessment. It’s my weakest area of assessment, so really I just need to explore and use the technology to learn about the technology (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integrations for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 7. Assessing student learning with technology [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.
My first goal is to model proper and acceptable computer and internet use by creating a set of technology guidelines and rules with my students in order to develop strong ethics in the use of computers in school. So far, I have been able to contact my technology director and look over my district’s acceptable use policy. My district has high standards for ethical behavior when using technological resources, but I feel that the use policy is a bit simple and needs to be updated. However, because of its simplicity, it does lend itself to developing a short list of rules to follow, as it does hit on some important points. I will, however, need to work on the language slightly to make it more kid-friendly, and I’ve come to see that my goal and plan need to be modified by developing a vocabulary list for the technology terms as well that cannot be changed. I need to include lessons in which students and I work together to define and explain the terminology. While working on my GAME plan, I am currently on my schools technology curriculum committee, and the biggest question that has come up for me is how much should I expose my young students to, in terms of ethical behavior? Should I keep it very simply by discussing simple manners and courtesy online or citing sources? Or should I discuss some of the bigger dangers associated with blogging, chat rooms, and instant messaging, for example, even though my students are not yet ready to use those tools? I really believe in exposure for young students, but not to the point that it becomes overwhelming.
My second goal is to choose 1-2 real world issues that are relevant to my kindergarten students to research over the course of the school year with the use of the internet and online collaboration projects. I wish I could say I was finding what I need for this goal, but I have not spent a lot of time searching. I’ve spent more time on my first goal, because I feel as though that one needs to be ready to carry out as soon as I take my students to the lab for the first time this next school year. I would really like to develop my second goal after meeting my students. Plus, after reading and viewing this week’s resources, I really feel like I need to learn more about project- and problem-based learning and the options available to me as far as tech tools go to help me reach my goal. Also, after reading about project-based assessments this week, I feel as though I need to learn more about how to affectively use that type of assessment. It’s my weakest area of assessment, so really I just need to explore and use the technology to learn about the technology (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integrations for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 7. Assessing student learning with technology [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Carrying Out My GAME Plan
After reviewing my GAME plan, I think my biggest issue in carrying it out at this point is that it is summer and I need students in order to accomplish my goals completely! That being said, there are still steps I can take at this point to help prepare myself for reaching my goals when school begins again. After all, actively reaching my goals is more about being mentally active than physically active, as pointed out by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), so I have been able to really begin to think about what I already know, want to know, and how I will learn about the resources and information I will need to meet my goals (Cennamo et al., 2009).
My first goal is to model proper and acceptable computer and internet use by creating a set of technology guidelines and rules with my students in order to develop strong ethics in the use of computers in school. To accomplish this, the first resource I must utilize is my school’s acceptable use policy and technology plan. I must also contact my technology director to discuss the district’s expectations, as well as contact my colleagues, in both my school and in others, to discuss rules already developed in other classrooms and schools. Additional information I would hope to find is how other teachers deal with developing ethics and safe practices. I would also need additional information regarding my state’s standards in this area. So far, I have contacted my district’s technology director and I have accessed the acceptable use policy. My next step is to examine the policy and develop some kid-friendly terminology for helping to better explain expectations. I also plan to examine the technology curriculum for my grade level and begin to outline when, how, and with what tools I might teach the rules and expectations to my students.
My second goal is to choose 1-2 real world issues that are relevant to my kindergarten students to research over the course of the school year with the use of the internet and online collaboration projects. Again, my district’s technology director would be one of the first resources I would contact, in addition to my colleagues. Because I’m not familiar with many online collaboration projects designed for young students, I would need to acquire more information on this topic. I would also need information on starting this type of project, in the event that we cannot find a project related to our chosen issue(s) and would like to start our own. Because I hope to spend my time working on this goal during the school year with my students, I have only begun thinking about this project and have not taken any steps toward reaching the goal. However, my next step is to research internet-based collaborative projects and speak with colleagues about projects they may have been involved in.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integrations for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
My first goal is to model proper and acceptable computer and internet use by creating a set of technology guidelines and rules with my students in order to develop strong ethics in the use of computers in school. To accomplish this, the first resource I must utilize is my school’s acceptable use policy and technology plan. I must also contact my technology director to discuss the district’s expectations, as well as contact my colleagues, in both my school and in others, to discuss rules already developed in other classrooms and schools. Additional information I would hope to find is how other teachers deal with developing ethics and safe practices. I would also need additional information regarding my state’s standards in this area. So far, I have contacted my district’s technology director and I have accessed the acceptable use policy. My next step is to examine the policy and develop some kid-friendly terminology for helping to better explain expectations. I also plan to examine the technology curriculum for my grade level and begin to outline when, how, and with what tools I might teach the rules and expectations to my students.
My second goal is to choose 1-2 real world issues that are relevant to my kindergarten students to research over the course of the school year with the use of the internet and online collaboration projects. Again, my district’s technology director would be one of the first resources I would contact, in addition to my colleagues. Because I’m not familiar with many online collaboration projects designed for young students, I would need to acquire more information on this topic. I would also need information on starting this type of project, in the event that we cannot find a project related to our chosen issue(s) and would like to start our own. Because I hope to spend my time working on this goal during the school year with my students, I have only begun thinking about this project and have not taken any steps toward reaching the goal. However, my next step is to research internet-based collaborative projects and speak with colleagues about projects they may have been involved in.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integrations for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Developing My Personal GAME Plan
When examining the ISTE’s NETS-T and Performance Indicators for Teachers, I can see that there are some areas in which I am very proficient in and others in which I must put in more effort to become confident and comfortable in doing. While I feel as though I do a good job in modeling digital-age work and learning and engaging in professional growth and leadership, I struggle in promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility, as well as certain areas in facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity, primarily, engaging students in exploring real-world issues. In my kindergarten classroom, I spend much of my time exposing my students to technology, but I don’t often take the time to discuss and model safe, legal, and ethical uses of digital information and technology or digital etiquette. Furthermore, while I believe strongly in developing student creativity, I don’t spend much time exploring real-world issues using technology. Therefore, I have developed a GAME plan to help me in developing my own use of technology and my ability to demonstrate the NETS-T.
The first step in developing my GAME plan is to set clear goals that will allow me to gain the knowledge and confidence needed, as described by Dr. Katherine Cennamo, to better integrate technology, engage students, and increase learning in the classroom (Laureate, 2009). My goals to address my shortcomings in the NETS-T standards are as follows:
1) Model proper and acceptable computer and internet use by creating a set of technology guidelines and rules with students in order to develop strong ethics in the use of computers in school.
2) Choose 1-2 real world issues that are relevant to my kindergarten aged students to research over the course of the school year with the use of the internet and online collaboration projects.
The next step in developing my game plan is to decide what actions I must take to reach my goals. In pursuit of my first goal, I will first consult my school's acceptable use policy and technology plan in order to determine my district’s requirements. Because our acceptable use policy is typically left to the parents and students to discuss, I would plan to spend several computer lab lessons discussing each point on the policy and working with students to determine the value of such rules. To reach my second goal, an action I plan to take is to research and choose a collaborative internet-based project for my young students. Another action I can take is to talk to my students about things they are interested in or things that they’d like to learn about. My students very often have questions about things they’ve heard or seen, so I believe they could be my biggest resource in determining which real-world issues we should pursue. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) agree that asking students might be a worthwhile action.
The third step in the GAME plan requires that I monitor my progress and reflect on chosen strategies, as outlined by Cennamo et al. (2009). I will do this by observing my students as they use technology on a daily basis in the computer lab. Are they following the rules and expectations? Have I had to deal with any issues involving unethical or unsafe use? To monitor my progress in my second goal, I must examine our collaboration in our online project. Are we meeting deadlines? Are we discovering answers to our questions? Are students engaged? For both goals, I must also ask myself if I need to modify any actions that seem to lead to dead ends.
The last step in my GAME plan is to evaluate and extend my learning and the learning of my students in meeting our goals. Cennamo et al. (2009) suggest that reflection at this point is necessary to determine whether or not my goals were met successfully. Modification may be needed if my goals were not achieved, or ideas for extending my goals might be in order. For example, a next step I could take is to develop further goals that will allow for school-wide rules and expectations to be developed, or to study and collaborate in further online projects.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integrations for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 3. Enriching content area learning experiences with technology, part 1 [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
The first step in developing my GAME plan is to set clear goals that will allow me to gain the knowledge and confidence needed, as described by Dr. Katherine Cennamo, to better integrate technology, engage students, and increase learning in the classroom (Laureate, 2009). My goals to address my shortcomings in the NETS-T standards are as follows:
1) Model proper and acceptable computer and internet use by creating a set of technology guidelines and rules with students in order to develop strong ethics in the use of computers in school.
2) Choose 1-2 real world issues that are relevant to my kindergarten aged students to research over the course of the school year with the use of the internet and online collaboration projects.
The next step in developing my game plan is to decide what actions I must take to reach my goals. In pursuit of my first goal, I will first consult my school's acceptable use policy and technology plan in order to determine my district’s requirements. Because our acceptable use policy is typically left to the parents and students to discuss, I would plan to spend several computer lab lessons discussing each point on the policy and working with students to determine the value of such rules. To reach my second goal, an action I plan to take is to research and choose a collaborative internet-based project for my young students. Another action I can take is to talk to my students about things they are interested in or things that they’d like to learn about. My students very often have questions about things they’ve heard or seen, so I believe they could be my biggest resource in determining which real-world issues we should pursue. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) agree that asking students might be a worthwhile action.
The third step in the GAME plan requires that I monitor my progress and reflect on chosen strategies, as outlined by Cennamo et al. (2009). I will do this by observing my students as they use technology on a daily basis in the computer lab. Are they following the rules and expectations? Have I had to deal with any issues involving unethical or unsafe use? To monitor my progress in my second goal, I must examine our collaboration in our online project. Are we meeting deadlines? Are we discovering answers to our questions? Are students engaged? For both goals, I must also ask myself if I need to modify any actions that seem to lead to dead ends.
The last step in my GAME plan is to evaluate and extend my learning and the learning of my students in meeting our goals. Cennamo et al. (2009) suggest that reflection at this point is necessary to determine whether or not my goals were met successfully. Modification may be needed if my goals were not achieved, or ideas for extending my goals might be in order. For example, a next step I could take is to develop further goals that will allow for school-wide rules and expectations to be developed, or to study and collaborate in further online projects.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integrations for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 3. Enriching content area learning experiences with technology, part 1 [Motion picture]. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Friday, June 25, 2010
Reflection: Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom
In the words of David Warlick (Laureate, 2009), “We live in a time of rapid change,” and that change is showing up in the classroom and in the way our students learn. The skills our students must learn to be successful in school and in later life revolve around much more than the traditional literacy skills of reading and writing. As technology evolves, so must the literacy skills that our students must learn.
Through the emergence of technology, literacy is taking on a new form, including new skills such as questioning, searching, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating (Laureate, 2009). Through the internet, social networking, and other technology tools, students are doing more than just reading and writing. As Warlick (Laureate, 2009) points out, students today are not just completing assignments to please their teachers. They are using technology to gain skills in making real life connections to their work and learning to share those ideas through many forms of communication. They are learning to think critically and actually using the skills they learn to communicate with countless others all over the world. They are asking their own questions and finding their own answers. More importantly, they are finding meaning in their work and they care about what they are doing. That, to me, is the key to lifelong learning and success.
To me, the most striking revelation to come out of this course, Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom, is the idea that it is about more than the technology. It’s about more than the content knowledge, too. It’s about teaching our students to use the tools that are available to them now and in the future in ways that help them communicate and think critically about their world. New literacies and 21st century skills are the building blocks that help our students learn content knowledge. They are the personal, intrinsic skills that must be developed individually in each student, the skills that allow them to be lifelong learners.
The most important thing I will take from this course is the idea that I must teach these new literacy skills as intensively as traditional literacy skills. The knowledge and experience I gained in this course will influence my teaching practices in many ways. As a kindergarten teacher, I’ve often struggled with the use of technology in my classroom. While I firmly believe in exposing my students to many new things, I never know how much is too much for my young students. But after learning about each new literacy and the QUEST model, as described by Eagleton and Dobler (2007) I’ve learned that my kindergartners are in a perfect position to start learning about new literacy skills. For example, my students are natural questioners and really enjoy searching for answers to their questions. When it comes to communication, they love to share what they’ve learned. The hardest part for me is to teach my students how to evaluate and synthesize the information we locate, but these skills can be taught through small steps. One thing I will keep in mind is that my young students don’t need to gain mastery in these new literacies. Through simple exposure, my students will only be more prepared for future use and mastery of the skills.
At the conclusion of this course, I am currently on my district’s technology committee. We are working to redefine and develop our district’s technology goals, and I can see how the new literacy skills can and should be included within our technology plan. My personal professional development goal is to use the knowledge I’ve gained on information literacy to establish a new set of technology goals for my grade level to support the development of new literacy and 21st century skills. Throughout the next school year, I plan to outline the ways in which my grade level curriculum already meets the technology goals set forth by my state and district, but I also plan to develop new lessons that work to address new literacy skills. My ultimate goal is to have my students using technology, not only as a means to show fluency in traditional literacy skills, but also to use it as a “conduit for the information” they will discover and explore as they learn to use information technology skills (Laureate, 2009).
Eagleton, M.B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Programs 2 and 3. New Literacies and Essential Questions in Inquiry Projects [Motion picture]. Supporting information literacy and online inquiry in the classroom. Baltimore: Author.
Through the emergence of technology, literacy is taking on a new form, including new skills such as questioning, searching, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating (Laureate, 2009). Through the internet, social networking, and other technology tools, students are doing more than just reading and writing. As Warlick (Laureate, 2009) points out, students today are not just completing assignments to please their teachers. They are using technology to gain skills in making real life connections to their work and learning to share those ideas through many forms of communication. They are learning to think critically and actually using the skills they learn to communicate with countless others all over the world. They are asking their own questions and finding their own answers. More importantly, they are finding meaning in their work and they care about what they are doing. That, to me, is the key to lifelong learning and success.
To me, the most striking revelation to come out of this course, Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom, is the idea that it is about more than the technology. It’s about more than the content knowledge, too. It’s about teaching our students to use the tools that are available to them now and in the future in ways that help them communicate and think critically about their world. New literacies and 21st century skills are the building blocks that help our students learn content knowledge. They are the personal, intrinsic skills that must be developed individually in each student, the skills that allow them to be lifelong learners.
The most important thing I will take from this course is the idea that I must teach these new literacy skills as intensively as traditional literacy skills. The knowledge and experience I gained in this course will influence my teaching practices in many ways. As a kindergarten teacher, I’ve often struggled with the use of technology in my classroom. While I firmly believe in exposing my students to many new things, I never know how much is too much for my young students. But after learning about each new literacy and the QUEST model, as described by Eagleton and Dobler (2007) I’ve learned that my kindergartners are in a perfect position to start learning about new literacy skills. For example, my students are natural questioners and really enjoy searching for answers to their questions. When it comes to communication, they love to share what they’ve learned. The hardest part for me is to teach my students how to evaluate and synthesize the information we locate, but these skills can be taught through small steps. One thing I will keep in mind is that my young students don’t need to gain mastery in these new literacies. Through simple exposure, my students will only be more prepared for future use and mastery of the skills.
At the conclusion of this course, I am currently on my district’s technology committee. We are working to redefine and develop our district’s technology goals, and I can see how the new literacy skills can and should be included within our technology plan. My personal professional development goal is to use the knowledge I’ve gained on information literacy to establish a new set of technology goals for my grade level to support the development of new literacy and 21st century skills. Throughout the next school year, I plan to outline the ways in which my grade level curriculum already meets the technology goals set forth by my state and district, but I also plan to develop new lessons that work to address new literacy skills. My ultimate goal is to have my students using technology, not only as a means to show fluency in traditional literacy skills, but also to use it as a “conduit for the information” they will discover and explore as they learn to use information technology skills (Laureate, 2009).
Eagleton, M.B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Programs 2 and 3. New Literacies and Essential Questions in Inquiry Projects [Motion picture]. Supporting information literacy and online inquiry in the classroom. Baltimore: Author.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Reflection - EDUC 6711
In the first assignment for this course, EDUC 6711, I described my personal theory of learning. In my paper, I highlighted the importance of engaging students through the use of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, hook information to prior knowledge to cement connections, use many modalities to enter information into the brain, and shift the classroom focus from teaching to learning. At the end of this course, I still believe in those things, but believe more than ever that technology allows me as a teacher to ensure that learning is meaningful in my student centered classroom. Like Dr. Wolfe states, “you can teach more in less time when you teach it better because students get it faster” (Laureate, 2009). The use of technology in the classroom ensures that students are actively engaged in their learning and lets me take a step back to let them explore and use technology as learning tools to support achievement and success now and in the future.
Throughout this master’s program, I have been introduced to many technology tools that can be used in the classroom to effectively engage students in learning, like blogs and podcasts. As useful as these tools can be for older students, I have found them to be of little use to my kindergarten students because these tools are not designed for non-readers. This course has been very valuable to me, much more so than others, because it has taught me how to use virtual field trips and VoiceThread with my students. These technology tools have proven to be wonderful for my students, as they are very easy to navigate for pre-readers and do not require much assistance from me to use and explore. An immediate adjustment I have made in my classroom is finding ways to implement virtual field trips and VoiceThread into my classroom. For example, at the beginning of my unit on space, I let the kids explore various pictures of space objects on Nasa’s website, and as we’re learning about the sun, moon, and earth, I am having the kids create pictures of each to upload to VoiceThread and tell what they’ve learned about each. I’m very excited about it and the kids love being able to create pictures and hear their own voices!
Two long-term goals I have for myself is to 1) begin to implement technology slowly into at least one lesson per weekly unit in my classroom, and 2) Find more technology tools that lend themselves to easy use by my young students. To achieve my first goal, I think I need to remember that implementing technology does not need to happen quickly. If I begin slowly by implementing just a few lessons every month, I will become much better at using the tools myself and will learn how to implement different tools for different purposes in many more lessons. As long as I maintain my time outline of one lesson per unit, I do not think that the job will be too overwhelming. Hopefully, as I learn to use technology more in my classroom, I will be able to achieve my second goal of finding more tools for my young students to use. The only way I will be able to find new things is by exploring technology on my own. As my students explore in the computer lab each day, I plan to also explore right along with them and find even more tools that will help my students achieve.
This course has been integral helping me integrate technology in the classroom. Without this course, I might not ever have found VoiceThread or thought of using virtual field trips or concepts maps with my students. But now, I feel much more equipped to help my students become more prepared for a future filled with technology.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Throughout this master’s program, I have been introduced to many technology tools that can be used in the classroom to effectively engage students in learning, like blogs and podcasts. As useful as these tools can be for older students, I have found them to be of little use to my kindergarten students because these tools are not designed for non-readers. This course has been very valuable to me, much more so than others, because it has taught me how to use virtual field trips and VoiceThread with my students. These technology tools have proven to be wonderful for my students, as they are very easy to navigate for pre-readers and do not require much assistance from me to use and explore. An immediate adjustment I have made in my classroom is finding ways to implement virtual field trips and VoiceThread into my classroom. For example, at the beginning of my unit on space, I let the kids explore various pictures of space objects on Nasa’s website, and as we’re learning about the sun, moon, and earth, I am having the kids create pictures of each to upload to VoiceThread and tell what they’ve learned about each. I’m very excited about it and the kids love being able to create pictures and hear their own voices!
Two long-term goals I have for myself is to 1) begin to implement technology slowly into at least one lesson per weekly unit in my classroom, and 2) Find more technology tools that lend themselves to easy use by my young students. To achieve my first goal, I think I need to remember that implementing technology does not need to happen quickly. If I begin slowly by implementing just a few lessons every month, I will become much better at using the tools myself and will learn how to implement different tools for different purposes in many more lessons. As long as I maintain my time outline of one lesson per unit, I do not think that the job will be too overwhelming. Hopefully, as I learn to use technology more in my classroom, I will be able to achieve my second goal of finding more tools for my young students to use. The only way I will be able to find new things is by exploring technology on my own. As my students explore in the computer lab each day, I plan to also explore right along with them and find even more tools that will help my students achieve.
This course has been integral helping me integrate technology in the classroom. Without this course, I might not ever have found VoiceThread or thought of using virtual field trips or concepts maps with my students. But now, I feel much more equipped to help my students become more prepared for a future filled with technology.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Voice Thread
Here's the link to my Voice Thread, addressing the issues I'm having with my students doing poor quality work. Anyone have any ideas that might help me out???
http://voicethread.com/share/885172/
http://voicethread.com/share/885172/
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice
The main premise of social learning theories is that students must be actively engaged in constructing knowledge through conversing and collaborating with others (Laureate, 2009). According to this theory, students cannot learn without a “more knowledgeable other,” and therefore, learning must be a collaborative process (Laureate, 2009). I believe this to be true, and believe strongly in using cooperative learning in my classroom.
In this week’s learning resources, cooperative learning is described as a way to enhance learning and construct meaning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007). This is becoming increasingly more important, especially in the classroom, because we are preparing our students to enter a world that is becoming more global and more virtual. According to Thomas Friedman (as cited in Pitler, et al., 2007), “students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively” if they are to become successful and even survive in our changing world (p. 139). Therefore, using cooperative learning enhanced with social learning based technology tools can help take students into the future with meaningful learning opportunities.
Of each of the examples described in our text, one that can easily be adapted and used in my kindergarten classroom is student-created multimedia. Through the use of multimedia tools, my young students can work together to prepare and create videos explaining concepts we’re studying in the classroom. These videos, furthermore, can be uploaded to file sharing networks such as TeacherTube. While each child could create their own videos explaining concepts and topics, they gain something more by learning to cooperate with one another, help each other succeed, and incorporate many ideas into the “best possible solution” (Orey, 2001).
Another idea that I love, but am not sure how to approach with my young students, is collaboratively created websites. I would love to allow my students to contribute to a website and create something meaningful to communicate ideas with one another and the world. A classroom wiki would allow for the same kind of collaboration that can evolve and improve with each change or addition. Because social learning theories and cooperative learning require collaboration, student created websites and wikis give the opportunity for students to see each other as teachers. Websites and wikis allow students to do the teaching, which of course, helps students “develop a deeper understanding of the content” (Laureate, 2009).
Social networking and collaboration tools can be very powerful tools in helping our students construct knowledge and learn to become members of a global society. Without these tools, students would be less likely to collaborate in a meaningful way. As teachers, it is our job to expose our students to the tools that will be vital in communicating in and contributing to the future.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on January 27, 2010 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
In this week’s learning resources, cooperative learning is described as a way to enhance learning and construct meaning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007). This is becoming increasingly more important, especially in the classroom, because we are preparing our students to enter a world that is becoming more global and more virtual. According to Thomas Friedman (as cited in Pitler, et al., 2007), “students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively” if they are to become successful and even survive in our changing world (p. 139). Therefore, using cooperative learning enhanced with social learning based technology tools can help take students into the future with meaningful learning opportunities.
Of each of the examples described in our text, one that can easily be adapted and used in my kindergarten classroom is student-created multimedia. Through the use of multimedia tools, my young students can work together to prepare and create videos explaining concepts we’re studying in the classroom. These videos, furthermore, can be uploaded to file sharing networks such as TeacherTube. While each child could create their own videos explaining concepts and topics, they gain something more by learning to cooperate with one another, help each other succeed, and incorporate many ideas into the “best possible solution” (Orey, 2001).
Another idea that I love, but am not sure how to approach with my young students, is collaboratively created websites. I would love to allow my students to contribute to a website and create something meaningful to communicate ideas with one another and the world. A classroom wiki would allow for the same kind of collaboration that can evolve and improve with each change or addition. Because social learning theories and cooperative learning require collaboration, student created websites and wikis give the opportunity for students to see each other as teachers. Websites and wikis allow students to do the teaching, which of course, helps students “develop a deeper understanding of the content” (Laureate, 2009).
Social networking and collaboration tools can be very powerful tools in helping our students construct knowledge and learn to become members of a global society. Without these tools, students would be less likely to collaborate in a meaningful way. As teachers, it is our job to expose our students to the tools that will be vital in communicating in and contributing to the future.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on January 27, 2010 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Constructivism in Practice
The constructionist learning approach relies on the idea that “knowledge is not simply transmitted from teacher to student, but actively constructed in the mind of the learner” (Orey, 2001). Based on what I’ve learned about brain research and what I’ve learned through classroom experience, I truly believe that “learners don’t get ideas; they create ideas” (Orey, 2001). I can teach until I’m blue in the face, but the only way that my students will learn is by becoming actively engaged in the learning process in a meaningful way. The constructionist approach requires that students be engaged in their learning as they work to create an artifact, solve a problem, investigate an issue, or otherwise work to make connections in their world. The constructionist approach helps learners “become more accountable for their learning,” as they take the initiative to design, share, modify, and reflect upon the learning process and outcomes (Orey, 2001). If I hope to increase the ingenuity of my students and make them lifelong learners, I can facilitate constructionist learning in my classroom with the use of educational technology tools and strategies, such as generating and testing hypotheses and project-based and problem-based learning.
As pointed out by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007), hypotheses aren’t just for the science classroom. Real-life issues pop up within the classroom and context of many subjects, and it would be unwise for teachers to pass on the sort of “teachable moments” that result in students constructing meaning about their present world, the past, and the future. These “authentic, real world” issues can result in “authentic, real world” tasks that allow students to become their own driving force for learning (Orey, 2001). Generating and testing hypotheses, when combined with project-based and problem-based learning, can serve as an important tool in allowing students to actively build knowledge and meaning. As students are presented with problems and issues from the past, present, or future, they become responsible for asking their own questions and finding their own answers. By using technological tools like spreadsheet software, web resources, and data collection tools, students can spend more time “interpreting the data rather than gathering the data,” all the while building meanings and producing a final product or opinion, an idea vital to the constructionist theory (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 203). Instructional strategies, such as these, allow students to construct ideas and artifacts in a way that is meaningful and will result in true learning.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on January 27, 2010 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
As pointed out by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007), hypotheses aren’t just for the science classroom. Real-life issues pop up within the classroom and context of many subjects, and it would be unwise for teachers to pass on the sort of “teachable moments” that result in students constructing meaning about their present world, the past, and the future. These “authentic, real world” issues can result in “authentic, real world” tasks that allow students to become their own driving force for learning (Orey, 2001). Generating and testing hypotheses, when combined with project-based and problem-based learning, can serve as an important tool in allowing students to actively build knowledge and meaning. As students are presented with problems and issues from the past, present, or future, they become responsible for asking their own questions and finding their own answers. By using technological tools like spreadsheet software, web resources, and data collection tools, students can spend more time “interpreting the data rather than gathering the data,” all the while building meanings and producing a final product or opinion, an idea vital to the constructionist theory (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 203). Instructional strategies, such as these, allow students to construct ideas and artifacts in a way that is meaningful and will result in true learning.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on January 27, 2010 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Cognitivism in Practice
According to Dr. Orey (2009), cognitive learning theories primarily deal with information processing from sensory registry, to short-term memory, and then finally, long-term memory. Because short-term memory is limiting, it is imperative that teachers find ways in which to connect information to existing networks in the minds of our students to create long-term memories (Laureate, 2009). The idea here is to work with students to make as many connections as possible to the information you’re presenting so that students remember it. Through the use of cognitive tools, advance organizers, concept maps, note taking, and other strategies, teachers can help students manage and process difficult information to result in true learning.
Cues, questions, and advance organizers are instructional strategies that allow students to organize information, make connections to existing knowledge, and then retrieve that knowledge later (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Advance organizers, in particular relate to and support cognitive learning theories because they provide visuals that support the dual encoding needed to help build connections and memories. I am a true believer in dual encoding because of my use of the Zoo-Phonics program in my kindergarten classroom. While this is not a technology based strategy, it does focus on students learning through visuals, sounds, and movements. As students learn about the letters of the alphabet in three different ways, they are able to make several connections that help them remember each letter. It really works! When teaching new concepts, my students can use Kidspiration software to create visuals to help them work through difficult information or answer a focus question. Concept mapping help students make deeper connections as they find new ways to relate ideas to one another, first on the computer, then in their minds. After all, a concept map “replicates the network model of memory,” according to Dr. Orey (Laureate, 2009).
When it comes to note taking, the same ideas apply. Effective notes combine outlining, webbing, and images with traditional note taking, to create a more valuable tool for organizing information (Pitler, et al., 2007). Again, visuals support dual encoding and help students make connections between prior knowledge and new information. According to Pitler et al. (2007), the inclusion of graphic representation results in an increase in student achievement. While this can be accomplished with a pencil and paper, computers can help accomplish this in a short time, with more professional results to enhance learning (Orey, 2001). Computers are also helpful in allowing my young students to create these visual aids, since they cannot take notes the old fashion way.
In the past, I've been very weary about using technology with my kindergartners. I wondered if they were capable of the technology. But I'm really starting to see that technology is a way to reach my young students and scaffold them to new learning. Concept mapping and other cognitive tools allow me to do that very easily.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on Jan. 19, 2010 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Cues, questions, and advance organizers are instructional strategies that allow students to organize information, make connections to existing knowledge, and then retrieve that knowledge later (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Advance organizers, in particular relate to and support cognitive learning theories because they provide visuals that support the dual encoding needed to help build connections and memories. I am a true believer in dual encoding because of my use of the Zoo-Phonics program in my kindergarten classroom. While this is not a technology based strategy, it does focus on students learning through visuals, sounds, and movements. As students learn about the letters of the alphabet in three different ways, they are able to make several connections that help them remember each letter. It really works! When teaching new concepts, my students can use Kidspiration software to create visuals to help them work through difficult information or answer a focus question. Concept mapping help students make deeper connections as they find new ways to relate ideas to one another, first on the computer, then in their minds. After all, a concept map “replicates the network model of memory,” according to Dr. Orey (Laureate, 2009).
When it comes to note taking, the same ideas apply. Effective notes combine outlining, webbing, and images with traditional note taking, to create a more valuable tool for organizing information (Pitler, et al., 2007). Again, visuals support dual encoding and help students make connections between prior knowledge and new information. According to Pitler et al. (2007), the inclusion of graphic representation results in an increase in student achievement. While this can be accomplished with a pencil and paper, computers can help accomplish this in a short time, with more professional results to enhance learning (Orey, 2001). Computers are also helpful in allowing my young students to create these visual aids, since they cannot take notes the old fashion way.
In the past, I've been very weary about using technology with my kindergartners. I wondered if they were capable of the technology. But I'm really starting to see that technology is a way to reach my young students and scaffold them to new learning. Concept mapping and other cognitive tools allow me to do that very easily.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on Jan. 19, 2010 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Behaviorism in Practice: Application 1
When it comes to applying behaviorist methods in the classroom, I believe that teachers must be very careful. According to Dr. Orey (2001), there are both positive and negative aspects to behaviorism, especially when technology is involved. When choosing which methods to use, I believe that teachers must keep in mind that the most effective aspect of behaviorism is reinforcement, which can be very powerful, as Dr. Orey points out (2001). Educational technology can help make reinforcement methods even more powerful, as they allow students to spend more time “increasing their conceptual understanding of skills or processes” through a variety of different software, applications, and web resources, among other things (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 196).
For example, in this week’s course text, the authors described the use of web resources as a method of reinforcing classroom ideas both in and out of the classroom, as homework. The most important aspect of homework is that it is designed to be done outside of class. When a child needs at least twenty-four practice sessions with a skill before it is mastered, teachers must utilize the time children spend outside of school to reach that goal (Pitler, et al., 2007). Educational online games can provide this practice with skills, and are “appealing” to students while providing “immediate feedback” to the student and monitoring adults (Pitler, et al. 2007, p. 195). Even with my young kindergarten students, this form of reinforcement is easily attainable. When reinforcing classroom information is this easy, this engaging and exciting for students, and this simple for teachers and parents to monitor, technology becomes an amazing tool in helping increase the likelihood that students will achieve and continue to achieve academic success. This increase in the likelihood of a desired behavior is, of course, an idea central to behaviorism.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
For example, in this week’s course text, the authors described the use of web resources as a method of reinforcing classroom ideas both in and out of the classroom, as homework. The most important aspect of homework is that it is designed to be done outside of class. When a child needs at least twenty-four practice sessions with a skill before it is mastered, teachers must utilize the time children spend outside of school to reach that goal (Pitler, et al., 2007). Educational online games can provide this practice with skills, and are “appealing” to students while providing “immediate feedback” to the student and monitoring adults (Pitler, et al. 2007, p. 195). Even with my young kindergarten students, this form of reinforcement is easily attainable. When reinforcing classroom information is this easy, this engaging and exciting for students, and this simple for teachers and parents to monitor, technology becomes an amazing tool in helping increase the likelihood that students will achieve and continue to achieve academic success. This increase in the likelihood of a desired behavior is, of course, an idea central to behaviorism.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Technology in Kindergarten
As a master's student in a degree program desigened to integrate technology in the classroom, I've been trying to find the best ways to use technology with my kindergarten students. As I sit in my school's computer lab with my students right now, I can see how much they love using computers to explore their worlds. What other tools and options are available to me that my young students can easily use?
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