Reflections on Emerging Technologies

After exploring several emerging technologies and their educational applications, I created a learning activity based on a digital game, “Lure of the Labyrinth.” This digital game bridges drill and practice content centered web games and the in-depth, story based games that serve as popular leisure past-times. I realized the potential educational digital games have in engaging students while supporting curriculum (Billings, 2009). The key to integrating any technology is aligning it with the standards and curriculum. Technology should not be a stand-alone activity or resource, instead technology tools should enrich and support the learning experiences. Beyond creating learning activities, I realized the importance of advocating for technology integration, especially when the technology also has applications viewed as fun or social such as digital games or MUVEs. By sharing learning activities and experiences with emerging technologies, colleagues can also become aware of educational benefits of technologies and gain confidence in incorporating them into lessons as well. Although I now know of the many benefits of integrating technology, technology resources are needed to implement learning activities. Knowing how to locate and apply for grant resources can be the difference in bringing emerging technologies to the students.

There are immediate adjustments I will need to make to facilitate technology integration that will benefit my students as well as students in my district. In the past, I viewed my role in my school and district as very insular; I was a teacher of the students in my class. I now recognize the importance of sharing my experiences and knowledge of technology as that can lead to change for both my students, the students in my school, as well as in my district. I realize now that leadership does not rest solely on administrators’ shoulders. (Fullan, 2002). There are important considerations in being an effective leader such as recognizing and understanding the different leadership styles needed to implement the change for bringing emerging technology to the students. Additionally, making decisions about which technologies to adopt does not have to be a guessing game; McLuhan’s Tetrad provides a format to analyze emerging technology and determine where money is best spent (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).

Awareness and knowledge of emerging technology is key in leading the way in technology integration. I will use journals, professional development opportunities in MUVEs such as Second Life and professional learning networks to help me stay abreast of new trends and tools. I am no longer limited in the professional development opportunities and professional learning networks by geographic location and budget as the Internet has taken down those barriers and even offers solutions for organizing information (Warlick, 2009). Taking that a step further, I can guide my students to taking advantage of the resources and opportunities available through MUVEs, digital games, and online learning modules to differentiate learning experiences and provide authentic, collaborative activities right in our classroom. Our 21^st Century learners rely on and expect technology to extend their social lives. They are already comfortable navigating and participating in online communities, gathering information, and collaborating in digital settings (Lemke & Coughlin, 2009). We can tap into this and enrich their learning experiences while demonstrating relevance of technology in all parts of their lives or we can lose out on opportunities to use technology as a bridge between school and the rest of their lives. Experiences such as Global Kids educate students about world-wide topics while involving them in meaningful, authentic activities (Yoder, 2009).

Technology provides the opportunity to expand educational experiences beyond classroom walls. None of the opportunities are possible however, without teachers willing to step into leadership roles and model and advocate for changes that benefit students (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). To be an effective teacher for my 21^st century learners, I need to be forward thinking in terms of technology while promoting integration and resource adoption.

Billings, K. (2009). Lessons from the trenches. School Library Journal, 55(10), 26–27. Retrieved from the Education Research Complete database.

Fullan, M. (2002). The change leader. Educational Leadership, 59(8) ,16–20. Retrieved from the Education Research Complete database.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). New and Emerging Technologies. Baltimore: Moller, G.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). New and Emerging Technologies. Baltimore: Thornburg, D.

Lemke, C., & Coughlin, E. (2009). The change agents. Educational Leadership, 67(1), 54–59. Reproduced with permission of Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development in the format electronic usage via Copyright Clearance Center.

Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your personal learning network. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(6), 12–16. Retrieved from the Education Research Complete database.

Yoder, M. (2009). Walk, fly, or teleport to learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(2), 16–20. Retrieved from the Education Research Complete database.

Online Learning in K-12 Schools

Here is a link to a Voice Thread I created on Moodle, a Classroom Management System.

http://voicethread.com/share/1183349/

Reflections on Differentiated Instruction and Universal Design for Learning

As I reflect on my experience with my group’s social network, several thoughts come to mind. The collaboration was both enjoyable and valuable. Each group member contributed different resources on Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction. These resources included both background information, as well as practical ways to implement the approaches. Additionally, our chat session helped me clarify and develop a deeper understanding. My group members themselves were great resources.

How will I use these resources to implement Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction in my classroom? First of all, I have borrowed an idea from one of my group members to organize the resources. I am bookmarking each of the websites so I can easily locate and use them. I incorporated many components of the student inventories and surveys shared by my group into a beginning of the year survey on interests, learning profile and intelligences. I plan to use this to set the stage for my differentiated classroom as the results will help me begin to make connections with my students and guide my plans (Laureate Education Inc, 2009). I like the idea of locating resources related to a unit of study to use in differentiating my lessons. These resources will provide the multiple routes so that all students will arrive successfully to our destination; the learning goals (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). Additionally, I recognize now, from first hand experience, how valuable a learning network can be in clarifying and deepening understanding. My students could benefit just as much as I have from being offered the experience of a learning network.

I have already adopted the vital mindset that each student has unique learning needs and strengths (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). With that in place, technology provides the tools and resources to make Differentiated Instruction and Universal Design for Learning a reality in my classroom. The most immediate adjustment I will make to customize learning during the last nine weeks of this school year will be to offer a choice board on our oceanography unit as a culminating activity and final assessment. Students will have the opportunity to select three activities based on interest and learning profile to demonstrate their understanding of the content material. Technology tools including spreadsheets, Microsoft Paint, Audacity, digital cameras, and Pixie 2 will enable students to create authentic products while taking their learning of oceanography deeper with internet resources on currents, careers, and geography. This choice board will be a first step in offering product options to my students and in bringing differentiation to my classroom.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Tomlinson, C.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). Differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Retrieved from the Walden Library ebrary.

Reflections

The GAME plan really is a guide to developing self-directed learners (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). By putting the GAME plan into practice as I developed skills and confidence in incorporating digital tools into my lessons and helped my students become digital citizens, I better recognize the benefits of using the plan and now feel comfortable using it with my students. To guide my students on a path of becoming self-directed learners, it helps to have structure in place; the GAME plan can be that structure. As the focus is on the process, the GAME plan can be used to support any goal students may have once they learn how to use it (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). It can help turn goals into realities with actions, monitoring and evaluations to support the goals.

For my own GAME plan, one of my goals was to integrate technology to support student learning of content in a meaningful way. I have since discovered numerous ways to use technology tools to support content. It is easy to set goals, but the GAME plan provided the roadmap for me to integrate tools such as podcasts, PowerPoints, and streaming clips to support my students’ learning of content. The monitoring and evaluation steps encouraged reflection on which tools were most effective for each lesson. One of the most significant things I have learned is to first identify the content objective and then select the technology tool that will support student learning of the content (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). This ensures that the content is the focus and the technology tools provide the learning experiences or assessments.

As I used the GAME plan to create a classroom of digital citizens I realized that my students knew very little about their responsibilities with digital resources. Through the pre-assessment I created as part of the action step, I discovered my students needed to develop skills in two areas: citing resources and making information their own. Both of these will be ongoing areas to work on. As I monitored their progress, I realized they needed awareness, tools to use to support them such as websites like http://citationmachine.net/, graphic organizers to assist in organizing the research information and modeling from me.

My biggest “aha” moment centered on online social and learning networks. This is the area where I will make the most significant adjustment to support student learning with technology. After recognizing the way the discussion boards have positively affected my learning, and studying the variety of ways they can be integrated, I realized it is time to have my students engage in this kind of activity. I plan to start with an online discussion board. I like the idea that Vicki Davis brings to light that everyone has a chance to participate (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). The students who shine in traditional class discussions often are confident answering orally, strong auditory learners, and fast processers. The format of the online discussion board levels the playing field and gives each student the time and opportunity to participate in a meaningful way. The asynchronous format will enable all of my students to engage in discussion, even if they attend the resource program on different days and have never met (Laureate Education Inc. 2009). Students will be able to clarify and extend their learning and take their thinking about the content information to a deeper level through the discussions. I plan to use the GAME plan to bring this new goal to reality.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Cennamo, K.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Davis, V.

Using the GAME Plan With Students

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has outlined standards, National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for students as well as teachers. The standards for teachers highlight the experiences, models, and supports teachers need to provide for students to meet their standards. These student standards are:

Creativity and Innovation

Communication and Collaboration

Research and Information Fluency

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making

Digital Citizenship

Technical Operations and Concepts

(ISTE, 2007).

Without a plan in place, it could be hit or miss whether students meet these standards. The GAME Plan would provide the structure and support for meeting these standards.

Goal Setting: My students need to know what is expected of them (developing skills to meet these standards) in order to know what goals to set. The first part of our goal setting activities would include sharing the standards with them, communicating where they need to “go” so they can set a path to reach their “destination.” We would then create a KWHL chart to identify what they are already able to do, what they need to learn, and how they will do this. Goal setting encourages self-directed learning as students make plans for their learning (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). As these are life skills and will take time to develop, students will be encouraged to plan short and long-term goals.

Creating an Action Plan: This is the natural next step, as students identify what they need and want to learn, they have to figure out how they can make this happen. Their action plan brings their goals to reality. This is the H in the KWHL chart – how will they make this happen? I would show students examples of the digital tools we will use to meet the goals. Using a concept map we can make a graphical representation of what the standards look like in practice using the descriptors and including the tools we will use in the process. As a class, we will create a chart illustrating which standards are addressed by digital tools such as blogs, voice threads, and digital storytelling.

Monitoring the GAME plan: As students use digital tools to address their standards and meet their goals, they need a way to track their progress. Students could use individual charts based on their goals using the wording from the standards’ descriptors. When students’ actions relate to one of their goals they could put a check next to the goal. This would give them a sense of accomplishment and provide a visual reminder of the goals they are working towards. Learning log entries could be used to reflect on their successes and challenges. Class discussions could address any revisions needed to the GAME plan.

Evaluating the Plan: How well did the plan work? This is the time to come back to the KWHL chart and review where we started (W – what do we already know) and where we are now (L – what have we learned). As our ultimate goal is self-directed learners, this is the perfect point to set new goals to continue to develop skills to meet the NETS-S as part of a new plan using experiences from the first GAME plan as a guide.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Davis, V.

National Education Standards for Students (NETS-S) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007_Standards.pdf

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Carolyn Doyle

Revising My GAME Plan

It’s time to examine my plan and determine if there are areas that need to be revised to best meet my goals. By stepping back and reviewing the standards I selected to focus on and revisiting the others I can refine my plan.

What have I learned so far that I can apply in my instructional practice?

This week’s learning resources, especially the DVD chapters on Social Networking and Online Collaboration send home the idea that the benefits I have experienced through the discussion board postings would also extend my students’ learning (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). I need to investigate how to establish a discussion blog for my students.

What goals am I still working towards?

After reviewing the National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T) the two indicators that I chose to become more confident and proficient with are

Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Indicator a: design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

and

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility Indicator a: advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources (ISTE, 2008).

I feel both goals I selected will be ongoing, I can’t forsee checking the box and being “finished” with either. This GAME plan will encourage reflection and revision as I continue to monitor my progress and my students’ as I introduce new tools and model and develop traits of good digital citizenship.

Based on NETS-T, what new learning goal will I set for myself?

The new learning from this class, especially this week brings me to revisit Standard 1 and add that to my GAME plan. This Standard, Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity addresses integrating both collaborative tools and problem solving experiences in learning activities. I can see that the standards can be interrelated and Standard 1 will correspond well to the other two in my plan. The lesson plans I am currently developing on problem-based learning and collaborative tools fit right with this standard.

What learning approaches will I try next time to improve my learning?

Beyond this class I will continue to collaborate with teammates and colleagues, I have found learning from and with them to be an extremely beneficial experience. I also realize collaboration can be extended beyond the walls of my school through blogs and online collaboration sites with other teachers. Now that I am aware of online tutorials I will continue to take advantage of participating in those to continually discover new digital tools to use.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Davis, V.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

Carolyn Doyle

Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

As I am well into my GAME Plan, it’s time to evaluate my progress of integrating technology that will enhance student learning experiences (Laureate Education Inc., 2009) and teaching my students to become digital citizens.

How effective are my actions in helping me meet my goals?

My actions included reviewing lessons to determine if integrating technology tools would enhance and enrich the learning of my students and if so, selecting technology tools that would be most effective. I adapted a recent lesson on the effect of wind currents on ocean currents into a PowerPoint presentation, using several print resources and adding images and videos to enhance student understanding. This lesson was content heavy and this technology tool provided me the opportunity to present the information in a variety of ways, tapping into students’ differing learning styles. The podcasts created for previous week’s lessons have enabled students to follow along in their reading and re-listen to the content as much as possible.

The pre-assessment on citing sources and plagiarism has determined the mini lessons my students need in order to become solid digital citizens. I have discovered talking about how I create a product, the Ocean Currents PowerPoint, for example, brings citations and the importance of using your own words to the forefront and has increased awareness. This is only a start, but it is progress.

What have I learned so far that I can apply in my instructional practice?

I am in the process of creating my first digital storytelling product using Windows Moviemaker. I participated in an online tutorial last week to learn the basics of this technology tool and then spent time working through the various features. My product will have its debut at my family night later in the month. It will give students and families an opportunity to experience a creative problem solving activity students took part in. Through the tutorial and my experience creating this product I feel comfortable introducing this tool to my students.

What do I still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?

There are so many options for student collaboration using technology tools. Although I have used blogs such as this one and a wiki for collaboration and see the benefits, I have yet to incorporate any of these into my learning activities for my students. I need to build a bridge from what I know about using them to teaching my students to use them so they can reap the benefits. My questions center around effective management strategies for using these in my classroom.

How will I adjust my plan?

After reviewing my initial plan, I don’t see any adjustments needed, but I do see the importance of continually reflecting on my progress so that progress is made. Throughout the past few weeks I have integrated streaming videos, podcasts, and PowerPoint presentations into my lessons on Oceanography. The movie I made will enhance my family night event and keep families informed about the kinds of learning activities their children take part in. Students will begin their own culminating activity for our oceanography unit and at that point, I will introduce mini lessons for notetaking and citations to develop skills needed for my students to be good digital citizens.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Davis, V.

Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

My GAME plan is developed and now that I am working through it, I need to monitor my plan and progress by answering several questions. So, how am I doing?

Am I finding the information and resources I need?
Fortunately, none of the resources or information I need to fulfill my plan successfully are difficult for me to acquire or access. I have the technology tools available that I need and great resources from both the internet and colleagues.

Do I need to modify my action plan?
I am realizing that to teach my students to be good digital citizens I need to teach them more than just citing the resources they are using. That will become a habit for them as long as I continue to remind and require them to do it and provide suggestions and tools to make it efficient for them. The larger issue is that some of my students struggle with making the information their own. I think I need to teach some mini lessons on note taking; providing modeling and introducing graphic organizers to help them organize the information as they find it. Citing sources is imperative to being a good digital citizen, but so is putting the information into their own words.

What have I learned so far?
This week’s new learning centers around digital storytelling. I have reviewed some examples created by colleagues and students and I plan to take an online tutorial tomorrow to begin creating my own. I have been photographing my students at work and plan to create a digital story to be shared at an upcoming Family Night in my classroom. I am hoping my first digital story can be used as an example to introduce this tool to my students. I will evaluate the tutorial after I participate to see if this technology resource will be an effective learning tool for my students (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009).

What new questions have arisen?
I have learned that there are images and sounds that are available to be used openly and others that are copyrighted. In the spirit of being a good digital citizen I want to learn more about how to identify the ones that are available to be used openly. If I can identify some sources these would be perfect for my students to use as a library to enhance their products.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

Now that I have developed my GAME plan for teaching my students to be better digital citizens and to increase my use of technology tools in learning activities I need to identify the resources and additional information I need to make my GAME plan a reality (ISTE, 2008). Additionally, I need to assess my progress in my newly created GAME plan.

Resources: The resources I will need to carry out my plan include creating the pre and post assessments on concepts related to digital citizenship like citing sources and plagiarism. The data from the pre-assessment will guide my mini lessons to develop these skills. I plan to bookmark my division’s Appropriate Use Policy and the Code of Behavior so students can review this information from the primary sources. I plan to introduce students to
http://citationmachine.net/ and show them how to use this tool to cite sources using the division’s adopted format; MLA. The main resources I will use to incorporate technology tools into my lessons are the curriculum, my lesson plans, and my school’s technology resource teacher. Using backwards design, I will identify what I want students to be able to do and then I will select tools with suggestions from the technology resource teacher to support that.

I would like to become more proficient in several of the technology tools including web page design and digital storytelling. I will start by using tutorial programs and then seek additional clarification from the technology resource teacher at my school. I have found several possible tutorials I plan to try. If they are effective, they may be possible resources for my students as well. As Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) explain, “You can actually use technology to learn more about technology” (p. 10).

http://www.tech4learning.com/webblender/training

http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/classrooms/Classroom_Presentations_and_Lesson_Plans.htm

Additional Information: To remain up to date about possible technology tools to incorporate and ways to incorporate them I will continue attending my school’s Professional Learning Network on Using Technology for Differentiation. I will search for Internet resources to incorporate into my lessons as well.

Current Progress: It has only been one week since I developed my GAME plan but I have made some progress. I not only added citations to a SmartBoard lesson I created but I pointed them out to my students and commented on ownership and the importance of citation.

I incorporated two technology tools into my lessons last week aside from the lesson on the SmartBoard. I used a podcast so students could hear content information on ocean currents as well as see the information written on paper. The first time students listened I encouraged them to just visualize the information and make pictures in their minds of what they were hearing. The second time, I encouraged students to follow along on their papers. This information was written at a higher grade level and the podcast provided appropriate scaffolding and extra support to my auditory learners. My students who need more processing time had the option of listening to the podcast additional times. I also used this as an opportunity to briefly show students how it was created.

I found a video clip from Discovery Streaming that provided background knowledge prior to a cooperative learning problem solving activity about building a bridge. This brief clip leveled the playing field for students who had not had a lot of prior experiences with structures and served as a review for my expert builder students.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Classroom resources, presentation tips and lesson plans. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/classrooms/Classroom_Presentations_and_Lesson_Plans.htm

Landmarks son of citation machine. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://citationmachine.net

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Webblender 2. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tech4learning.com/webblender/training

GAME Plan

My GAME plan: This will be my guide to strengthening and gaining confidence in the areas I identified (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009).

Goal Setting: After reviewing the National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T) I identified two indicators that I would like to become more confident and proficient with.
Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Indicator a: design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility Indicator a: advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources

I selected “indicator a” from Standard 2 because I like that my growth in this area will directly impact and improve student learning and I felt “indicator a” from Standard 4 was a necessary area of growth as I integrate more technology into my lessons and student learning activities.

Actions: As one of my goals is to design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity, I will first review the content objectives and determine ways I can modify and revise the lessons to integrate technology that will enhance student learning experiences (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). This will ensure that the content remains at the forefront of student learning. The lesson planning process will be crucial to meeting this goal. As suggested by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) I will need to “explore the resources to determine what features align with instructional goals” (p. 105). I will determine how technology can best used to support the content objectives; as a tutor, a mindtool, or support for conversation (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I will also examine whether there are product options for students to demonstrate, personalize, and share their learning.
My second goal is to advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. To meet this goal I will need to teach by example, as I prepare learning resources for students I need to include appropriate citations. I also plan to use a combination of mini lessons on respecting ownership and citations with weaving these concepts through my lessons. I will integrate the use of graphic organizers into the research process. My hope is this will reduce the amount of direct resource copying my students do.

Monitoring my Progress: In order to monitor my progress for both of my goals, I will need to make my goals measurable. I plan to try to incorporate technology resources or tools into each of my oceanography lessons even if it is just providing non linguistic visuals to support learning. I also plan to track the number of different resources and tools I integrate to ensure that I use a variety. To monitor my goal of teaching my students ethical and respectful practices regarding technology and ownership, I plan to pre assess my students’ background knowledge on this subject and build mini lessons and lessons woven into the content study based on their needs identified in the pre assessment. I will incorporate citations and student wording into product rubrics to further encourage these practices in students and monitor how well my students are learning this.

Evaluating and Extending my Learning: I will evaluate how well I met my goals by reviewing my lesson plans and noting how often I integrated a technology tool or resource and how many different ways I used technology to enhance student learning. I will evaluate how well I modeled and taught my students to be responsible citizens concerning technology by administering a posttest to measure their growth (and mine) in this area compared to the pretest. To extend my learning and continue to develop my competency, confidence, and proficiency with these indicators I will engage in collaboration through this blog, discussion boards, and my school’s PLN on differentiation with technology. Additionally, as this class progresses I am sure I will learn about more technology resources and tools to support my development in these areas.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Davis, V.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

Reflections on New Literacies

As I reflect upon what I have learned about teaching the new literacy skills to my students, the most striking revelation I have had is just how important it is to actively and purposefully teach these skills. As I observe so many of my students navigate the web naturally and confidently, it is easy to assume they are using literacy skills. Even if they are able to find relevant information, they need strategies to evaluate and determine website credibility, such as the REAL strategies (November, 2008). I plan to incorporate pre assessment strategies to identify my students’ greatest areas of growth. I have been amazed at the volume and depth of skills necessary for success.

The knowledge and experiences I have gained will guide my future lessons with my students. Now that I have identified the numerous literacy skills needed, I will provide modeling, practice and opportunities for my students to use them, as students must have opportunities to become fluent by using the skills (Jukes, 2007). Additionally, I need to link the new literacy skills to the traditional skills. “This concept of connecting the old with the new is important because teaching Web literacies is not about teaching totally new concepts or adding on the currently overloaded curriculum (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 29). The traditional literacy skills my students have and are developing can serve as stepping-stones to the new literacy skills. Incorporating an inquiry project would serve the dual purpose of supporting and extending the curriculum while providing students with the setting in which to learn and use the new literacy skills I will be teaching them.

A professional development goal I have is to take part in a collaborative project. If chosen carefully, this project will support the curriculum and provide real world applications for what they are learning. I would begin by choosing an established project for my first experience and I am especially interested in the “Bucket Buddies” project found at http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/bucketproj/. In this particular project students collect pond water and use the scientific process to determine what organisms live in the water. Students from all over the world add their data to the website and then participate in discussions based on their findings. To accomplish this goal I will need to follow the timeline and procedures listed on the website. This project not only correlates to science standards, but it is well organized and manageable. Richardson 2009) explains, “We must guide students in sharing their real world efforts with world-wide audiences helping them understand the efficiencies and ethics of publishing in meaningful ways” (p. 30). By participating in this project, students would use the scientific process for a real purpose, as part of a global project and have the opportunity to use the new literacies first hand.

Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press

Jukes, I. (2007). 21^st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21^st century learner. Located at http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf.

November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousands Oaks: Corwin Press.

Richardson, W. (2009, March). Becoming network-wise. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 26-31.

Reflections on Learning Theories, Technology Tools, and Instructional Strategies

When I first considered my personal theory of learning, I highlighted the constructionist theory as the one I most closely identified with. After reflecting on the theories at the conclusion of this class however, I would revise this by adding the social constructionist theory as one I ascribe to. Although each learning theory has its strengths and is relevant for different settings and purposes, I most closely relate to the constructionist theory, with the characteristics of the social constructionist theory evident in my lessons.

I provide opportunities for independent learning as students explore learning centers and create products that deepen their learning based on interest. Additionally, my students work in cooperative learning settings for class projects. As my students work together, they construct meaning of the content by creating original products. Their understanding is deepened through their interactions as they share ideas, thoughts, and questions. Furthermore, they learn the content at a more complex level as they teach it to each other. In fact cooperative learning is an effective instructional strategy as defined by Marzano (Laureate Education Inc., 2008).

There will be some immediate changes effective at the beginning of this school year in regard to my use of technology. Although my students have been using technology such as PowerPoint, websites, and podcasts as learning tools, I have room for growth with my use of the interactive whiteboard. I have been primarily using it as an instructional tool. Although, there are still instances in which this an appropriate use for it, I need to revise lessons to take advantage of the interactive features and provide more time and opportunities for my students to use it as a learning tool.

I have plans to introduce new technology tools to enrich my lessons this year. I look forward to integrating Voice Threads and virtual field trips. Voice Threads is the perfect tool to support a collaborative learning environment. Students will have the opportunity to respond to Voice Threads I introduce, as well as initiate their own to encourage discussion and the exchange of ideas. They will deepen their understanding of lessons and refine their written and oral communication skills as they create posts and respond to classmates’ posts. Virtual field trips are a wonderful tool to provide every student, regardless of background experiences with the content material. These experiences will provide the background to connect their new learning.

I have two long term goals in regard to integrating technology in my classroom. Currently, my students are PowerPoint professionals. They enjoy creating and sharing these to showcase their learning in their independent center studies and I understand they are an effective method for constructing meaning. I would; however, like to introduce additional technology tools to my students to broaden their product choices and meet a variety of learning styles. I plan to highlight different tools by teaching one mini lesson a month and integrating the new tool into a short term project so each student has an opportunity to use them. As they increase their repertoire of technology tools, they will have multiple product possibilities at their fingertips.

My second goal is to be more purposeful in integrating nonlinguistic representations into my lessons and instruction. I plan to model selection of meaningful and relevant images into my lessons and provide practice with this by including a planning component in my rubric for multimedia presentations. I also like the idea shared by Dr. Pickering (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) of creating a PowerPoint and then having students replace the text with graphics and images that support the main ideas. My students usually include images in their projects, but I recognize now the importance of moving beyond clip art that enhances the presentation to graphics that support the content.

By reflecting on the learning theories presented in this class I realize I identify most closely with constructionist theory, most specifically the social constructionist theory. This class gave a name and educational support to my current practices and taught me how to enhance them. I look forward to incorporating additional technology tools such as Voice Threads and virtual field trips and now know how to evaluate the way in which I am using the technology, as an instructional tool or learning tool. By evaluating my lessons and the ways I am using resources, I can make revisions to use technology more as learning tools where my students are the primary users. As I integrate learning theories, technology and instructional strategies such as cooperative learning and nonlinguistic representations, my students’ learning and understanding can be enhanced.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology [Educational video]. Baltimore: Marzano, R.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology [Educational video]. Baltimore: Pickering, D.

Social Learning Theories

Social learning theories connect constructivist theory with interactive learning activities. According to social learning theory, learning occurs as students create products while collaborating with others.  Collaborative activities such as Webquests enhance the learning of the students participating. Additionally, products such as multimedia presentations or websites created collaboratively might possibly used as a teaching tool to enhance other students’ learning. As students learn and create together, the product can be a learning tool for others. The internet is a powerful tool supporting social learning theories as students and others beyond the classroom can serve as resources as well as learning partners. As students share ideas collaboratively, their ideas are furthered and enhanced, resulting in greater understanding and complexity of thought than if considered individually. Similarly, collaborative efforts with students contributing their individual strengths in a group setting can result in greater quality products or artifacts than an independent project. Students construct meaning as they learn and create while working together.

Voice Thread Link

Please visit my voice thread at
http://voicethread.com/share/569843/

Constructionist Learning Activities

We are studying the constructionist learning theory this week and I find myself identifying more with this theory than the others. The constructionist theory explains people make meaning and learn at a higher level when they create something as they are learning and from their learning. Through this creating, building or constructing, learners make sense of new information by discovering how it fits into what they already understand or their schema.

In the center contract activities my students do, constructionist activities are often already built in. After selecting a topic of study, my students learn about the subject by completing various activities including participating in online simulations, building structures with Legos, and writing and sharing speeches to name a few. During center time, I circulate throughout the room, guiding students in their learning and progress through activities.

This week’s learning resources presented many instructional strategies that also correlate with the principles of constructionist learning theories. The strategies and new information on learning and constructionist theory made me think about some of the basic technology tools in a new way. My students enjoy creating PowerPoint presentations and documents using Microsoft Word to show their learning, in fact for open-ended assignments such as “choose a way to show your learning”, they usually choose one of these. Although these tools result in informative, creative products, I have not fully appreciated their value until now. These basic tools provide a format for students to integrate text, graphics, and even sound to personalize their learning, make sense of information, and even think at a higher level through synthesis. Although there are other tools that enable students to create products that use technology in a more complex manner such as web pages or podcasts, PowerPoint presentations and products using word processing programs still have relevant applications as constructionist based learning  activities.

Project learning activities seem to encompass the best of all worlds. They encourage critical thinking and collaboration while involving students in real world activities. As students create their projects they are not only increasing their understanding of the topics, they are engaging in and developing important 21^st century skills. Another advantage is the possible extension of collaboration and guidance beyond the classroom. Since students are working on real world activities, they can utilize professionals as resources to guide them in their work, offer feedback and even assessment. Students can continue to revise their projects, adding to their understanding with this guidance.

I had not thought of the importance of providing opportunities for making hypotheses and drawing conclusions beyond science lab activities, however technology tools such as programs for spreadsheets and data collections enable students to spend their time analyzing real information from any content area. Students develop a stronger understanding and make sense out of information through accommodation or assimilation as they develop and explain hypotheses and then analyze the actual data. As students create and provide support for their hypotheses their product is their prediction. When they collect data and draw conclusions (and possibly develop further questions) they are building meaning through their analysis of information.

Although some of the center contract activities my students do incorporate simulations, I have discovered some new ones through this week’s resources like NOVA Building Big which will enhance the Structural Engineering center and Practicing with a Catapult which will bring the study of physics to life. These simulations give students the opportunity to experience these concepts through construction, trial and error and revision. The advantage to simulations is that students have the ability to virtually build or create products they may not be able to due to space or financial restrictions. As students build (and revise) artifacts using technology programs they gain a deeper understanding of the concepts they are studying. I will be actively looking for more of these learning activities to incorporate.

Constructionist theory emphasizes the importance of learners building meaning and understanding through the creation of a product. The activities in this week’s resources provide examples of many possible technology applications supporting this theory that I am excited to implement this next school year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cognitivism in Practice

The cognitive learning theory centers around the understanding of concepts through experiences and connections. The more connections made with a concept, the deeper the level of understanding can be. Additionally, the dual coding hypothesis presented by Paivo explains the value of providing visual representations with text for greater understanding (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) explain several strategies that incorporate technology and relate to the cognitive learning theory. In “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” the authors suggest strategies for building upon students’ background knowledge to center their learning. Techniques such as cueing and questioning help students begin to make connections about what they already know and the new content (Pitler et al., 2007). Utilizing advance organizers help students organize the new information during the learning process. These can also serve as a visual representation, which combined with the vocabulary of the new concept broadens the learner’s understanding of the information. The more connections learners can make with new information, the deeper and greater the understanding of the concept will be (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Cues, questions, and advance organizers take advantage of prior knowledge and provide visual images to help students build connections. These strategies support three of the “components of cognitive learning theories” as described by Dr. Michael Orey; “elaboration, dual coding hypothesis, and network model of memory” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

 

Through “Summarizing and Notetaking” (Pitler et al., 2007) students understand information more deeply and make connections to enhance learning. Students use higher-level critical thinking skills when they summarize information. By using blogs and wikis students collaborate to clarify and evaluate information, deepening their understanding while adding to their experiences with the concepts (Pitler el al., 2007). Dr. Orey explains these multiple connections lead to elaboration and strong networks, which are important facets of cognitive learning theory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Notetaking is particularly beneficial to students when there are opportunities to use different formats. These varying formats provide additional experiences with the information enhancing connections and networks (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Notes taken using multimedia such as PowerPoint are especially effective as they take advantage of dual coding when information is combined with meaningful visuals (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

 

Beyond strategies such as “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Notetaking” (Pitler et al., 2007) there are numerous tools available that correlate with cognitive learning theories and enhance student learning. Concept mapping is especially effective in illustrating the connections between information in a concept. As students utilize concept mapping tools, they create and identify the very connections that comprise the network model as described by Dr. Orey (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Additional advantages of concept mapping tools include organizing the new information and providing a visual to pair with the written information. Paivo’s Dual Coding of Memory hypothesis suggests this combination helps students remember the information better (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). Concept mapping tools enhance students’ recall and understanding of information as they provide opportunities for students to work actively with information as they make connections in a graphical format.

 

Virtual field trips are another tool effective in enhancing student learning by providing experiences or episodes with concepts (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). They provide the opportunity for all students to experience the concept in a visual format. This experience can serve as the basis to understanding a concept (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). The virtual field trip can be a stepping stone to create understanding of the new information. Additionally, the experience from virtual field trips can be extended to create further connections and deeper understanding of the concepts when used in conjunction with other primary sources (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). These additional experiences broaden the connections a learner makes with the information, deepening their comprehension. As a culminating activity to the virtual field trip students can synthesize their learning by creating products that demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology [Educational video]. Baltimore: Orey, M.

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

 

 

Behaviorism in Practice

Behaviorist learning theory centers on encouraging behaviors that are desired and discouraging unwanted behaviors. Dr. Orey explains, “Reinforcement is more powerful than punishment” (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). The behaviorist philosophy is especially effective in classroom management, however there are numerous academic applications as well.

Technology resources that are based in behaviorist theory enable students to extend their learning by working on activities at a more complex level. Websites such as http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/math.html can be used by teachers for differentiation to meet students’ varying readiness levels in math. Students can use websites such as this one at home to review for a test or to study a topic of interest on a concept not yet taught in class. Online tutorials and practice problems can provide additional support in a different format or provide the opportunity for students to study an area of interest. There are extensive topics available, from learning keyboarding skills http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/cjh/appliedtech/Business/Keyboarding/ to physics review http://www.dctech.com/physics/student_help.php. An additional benefit to behaviorism-based technology is that students can work at their own pace. When students participate in an online tutorial or practice concepts on a website they are actively engaged, have opportunities for practice, and receive feedback on their progress and accuracy quickly; several important components of behaviorist theory as described by Hartley (Smith, 1999).

Beyond providing individual support or offering opportunities to study areas of interest independently, the use of technology can be correlated with behaviorist theories in additional ways to support education. Spreadsheets can be utilized to illustrate the effect of effort on academic success. When students document the amount of time spent studying or working on assignments, as well as resulting grades on the assignments, they have data and a visual to show the relationship between effort and grades. This documentation can be used to encourage or reinforce effort, as well as show students how they can control the outcome through hard work, supporting behaviorist theory (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenowski, 2007). Word processing features that analyze the reading level of writing can be utilized to encourage students to use stronger vocabulary in their work. Additionally, dictionary and thesaurus features can guide students in better understanding vocabulary (Pitler et al., 2007). These features encourage students to increase understanding or work at a more complex level.

Technology resources supported by behaviorist theories have varied classroom applications beyond classroom management.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology [Educational video]. Baltimore: Orey, M.

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

Smith, M. K. (1999). The behaviorist orientation to learning. The encyclopedia of informal education, Retrieved 07 05, 2009, from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm

 

 

Class Reflections

When I began this class eight weeks ago I thought I was effectively using technology with my students because they had opportunities for word processing, presented projects through PowerPoint presentations and used the SmartBoard daily. We were using technology as a tool for efficiency and producing neat, professional looking products. Imagine my surprise when Dr. David Thornberg explained the distinction between “doing things differently and doing different things with technology” in the DVD session “The Emergence of Education Technology.”

I had heard of blogs, wikis, and podcasts and even had several blogs I enjoyed following. I had no idea I could subscribe to them and they would come directly to me. I thought of all of these tools as something I could experience passively, it didn’t occur to me before this class that I could join in and actively participate or even create any of these on my own, much less use them in my classroom. Through the class assignments of reading, posting comments and creating my own blog, creating a wiki collaboratively, and creating a podcast I learned first hand how to use these tools. I now have enough experience and background knowledge to use these learning tools with my students; in fact they are currently creating weather podcasts. Having the opportunity to actually use each of these tools was much more effective than just reading about them. It was quickly evident to me that using these tools would be effective in increasing student engagement and motivating students. More importantly though, was learning about 21st century skills and how these tools could be used to develop critical and creative thinking skills and collaboration.

This class made me aware of the 21st century skills our students will need to develop to be successful in the future and provided tools to help me facilitate the learning of these skills. I realize the importance of providing students opportunities to research information, evaluate its accuracy, and make it their own to share with an audience beyond my classroom walls and their homes. Just as I learned these tools well by actually using them, I need to provide my students opportunities to learn the technical aspects and use them to create new products. I have also begun to evaluate the setting in which my students are working. In the past, I expected most of the work to be completed independently. Now I am more aware of the importance of developing collaborative skills, and look for ways to incorporate that into the activities. Additionally, I am working to foster student centered learning by providing guidance and support while students are actively engaged in learning activities.

I know that integrating technology is a process and will require continual learning of new tools. To stay abreast of new technological developments and classroom applications I plan to continue to read technology education blogs and collaborate with other teachers by sharing the ways I am integrating technology and learning new ideas from my colleagues. I have signed up to participate in a professional learning community in my school on using technology for differentiation. I use what I have learned about 21st century skills as I plan lessons to integrate thinking skills, collaboration and the curriculum.

I have set two long term goals to further transform my classroom environment. The first goal I have set is to utilize technology to identify people who would serve as resources for my students as they work through their independent centers. I think it would be very valuable for my students studying the chemistry center to be able to communicate with chemists or those studying architecture to be able to share their work or ask questions of an architect. The read/write web could provide opportunities for individual students to explore topics in depth with experts in their areas of interest. My second goal is to provide students opportunities to create real products for real audiences. I am beginning with podcasts, but plan to incorporate wikis and blogs in the futures. Although secure settings exist to use these tools in my classroom, I will need to teach my students to use these tools safely and provide explanations to parents so they understand the importance of integrating these tools. Richardson (2009) explains, “We can invite people from around the world to engage in discussions and even content creation with our students, and our teachers must be willing and able to find and use sources effectively” (p. 136). For both of my goals, I will need to become a “connector” as described by Richardson (2009), “not only of content, but of people” (p.136) so my students reap the benefits of people’s knowledge, ideas and experiences from all over the world.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008) The emergence of educational technology. Laureate Education, Inc.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

The Results Are In . . . Technology Survey Podcast

This week, I surveyed my students to find out more about the technology available to them in their homes, the ways they use technology, how they like to learn about technology and something new they would like to learn about technology.

I found the activity so valuable, I now plan to begin each year with a technology survey. Not only will it provide a window to me of what technology they have and use, it will help frame my lessons to develop 21st Century Learning Skills through technology experiences.

True to digital native form, I discovered most of my students felt they could teach someone something on the computer and their favorite method of learning something new is to try it out. As one student added, "I never read the directions to video games, I figure it out as I go."

21st Century Skills

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills has an informative website http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ detailing the skills our students will need to develop to be successful in the future. Our education system can no longer be based on the agricultural or industrial ages, if we hope to prepare our students to live and work in the 21^st century. I heard of the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills at a meeting, but had not viewed the website until this week. Interestingly for me, the gifted education program I am a part of focuses on the skills described on this website. The semester progress report that we use to evaluate our students correlates closely, as our main areas for evaluation are critical and creative thinking skills, and independent and interactive learning skills.  The students’ progress in these areas are indicated on a rubric and we consider growth over the two year period that our students attend our center.

The information on this website is presented in clear, understandable language and it is easy to navigate. There are numerous links to news stories and articles supporting and discussing the need for the 21^st Century Skills. The link to Route 21 is my most favorite, http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21/ as there are links to excellent resources for activities and lessons to develop 21^st century skills. I plan to explore these resources further, but already have identified an activity I plan to use to practice and encourage both collaboration and creative thinking. The lesson, “Solving Problems With Simple Machines” http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2870 will also reinforce science concepts.

The more we, as educators can incorporate multi-disciplinary, hands on problem solving activities into our lessons that encourage collaboration, critical and creative thinking, the better we will prepare our students for the 21^st Century.