Online Classrooms

Resisting Online Learning

            After this presentation of rCampus, you may have many comments and concerns.  I see the great potential of this online classroom to allow us to track our students’ learning through the ePortfolio, discussions, and collaborations.  As educators, we are continually asked to give district assessments to show that students have met all of the standards.  The ePortfolio would be a way for students to show that they have met them without taking a test.  This will cut down on the tests that most educators would rather not give to students and instead use their class work to show their progress. 

            There are also many students that are not currently succeeding in the educational system.  They either need to be motivated or need extra help to bring their educational skills up to par.  The online classroom allows these students to get extra help and support from classmates and tutors.  The options of using a calendar and receiving alerts when assignments are due will help keep students organized.  This type of classroom allows students to individualize their learning in a way that best fits their needs, thus providing more motivation.    

            The online classroom can also be very beneficial to students that are not being challenged enough in the classroom.  According to Julie Young, Pam Birtolo, and Raven McElman, virtual classrooms will provide the knowledge students need in every classroom along “with opportunities to embrace leadership roles and to demonstrate social responsibility and enhance social skills” (2009, p. 15).  These skills are going to help our students succeed in life after they leave our school.  We need to make some changes to develop students that are lifelong learners and will succeed after they leave high school. 

References

Young, J., Birtolo, P., & McElman, R. (2009). Virtual success: Transforming education     through online learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(5), 12-17.

To view a presentation of an online website visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxpH17H9ROM

Reflection for EDUC 6714

            Through my courses at Walden University, I have learned many ways to use technology in a classroom to promote higher level thinking.  This specific class revealed another great way to use technology in my everyday instruction - differentiating my instruction.  Differentiated instruction has taught me how to be “flexible in [my] approach to teaching and adjust the curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum” (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003, p. 2).  Looking back on all of my growth, I think my biggest area of development is in differentiating instruction by readiness, interest, and learning profile. 

            With every lesson that I present, I have started to consider what adjustments I can make to reach learners with different needs.  I have always looked at their needs as strictly learning needs, such as how ready they are for the lesson.  This course has taught me to look at their interests and learning profiles more often.  Tomlinson (1999) stated that “[i]nstead of first focusing on what to do in the classroom, it’s wisest to focus on how to think about teaching and learning” (p. 96).  Through this course, my thinking has been transformed and I now try to integrate all of my students’ needs into the classroom. 

            One change that I will implement immediately is to give my students a learning profile quiz on-line that provides more information about how my students learn.  I will share this information with my students so they also know how they best learn.  It is important to teach using multiple strategies because “[e]ach person possesses all nine intelligences in varying degrees” (Smith & Throne, 2007, p. 68).  I want all of the curriculum to be available with all nine intelligences so the students have an opportunity to learn using their strongest intelligence.  From this information, I am going to use different audio devises, such as Audacity, to reach my auditory learners.  I will use my smartboard for different manipulatives found on-line or through computer programs such as Geometer’s Sketchpad.  I will then utilize the laptops, allowing my students to physically manipulate information and demonstrate their learning through computer based projects. 

            The next change I am going to make in my classroom will involve giving my students an interest survey using surveymonkey.com.  This information will help me provide “interest-based activities [to] help motivate children to learn” (Smith & Throne, 2007, p. 17).  Within my lessons, I will use the survey information to integrate my students’ interests in some way.  This could be done when I present material or by giving options of how to learn the material. 

            The final way that I am going to integrate technology is by becoming more aware of activities that some students may need before jumping into new material.  This means I will need to tune “into [my] students’ varying degrees of ability in order to create activities that match their skills and levels of understanding” (Smith & Throne, 2007, p. 50).  There are also some students that do not require much instruction on the new material; they will do better with little instruction and an activity that will involve higher thinking. 

Resources

Hall, T., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A. (2003). Differentiated instruction and implications for UDL implementation. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstructudl.html 

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

Smith, G., & Throne, S. (2007). Differentiating instruction with technology in K-5 classrooms.       Belmont, CA: International Society for Technology in Education. 

Reflection (GAME Plan)

My original GAME plan developed at the beginning of this course was very general and needed to be more specific.  My GAME plan was to increase my students’ eagerness to use technology because they see the benefits of it while also increasing their knowledge.  Through this course, I gained a greater understanding of how I could make my GAME plan more specific and still accomplish what I wanted.  An example would be to create problem based learning units that allow my students to use math in everyday life.  I also became very acquainted with some other technology resources that allow me to portray real life discussions and presentations.  My original GAME plan is a year long process, so I have not met the goal yet.  I have been working towards it and I will continue working the remainder of the year. 

Developing a GAME plan has helped me learn more about setting goals and how to follow through with them.  I need to set goals that are attainable and can be measured.  I “need to constantly assess [my] technology integration skills in order to identify the new knowledge and skills [I] need” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 4).  Technology is constantly changing and evolving and educators will need to keep pace with this progress.  Probably the greatest thing I will take from this course is how to apply technology in a way that inspires creative and higher-level thinking throughout a lesson that involves technology.  In the past, I have used technology mostly for lower level thinking.  While this captures most students’ attention, it does not help them to understand the content material at a higher level.

I am planning on using the unit that I developed for this class and also take what I have learned about writing problem based lessons to keep developing them.  I have never developed a problem based lesson as well as I did for this class, which has provided me with more confidence.  I would like to take all of the technology that I became more familiar with and integrate it into my curriculum to generate higher level thinking.  I would like to change my perspective on homework and emphasize that “learners are given control over the amount of information they receive, the number of practice exercises they complete, and the level of success they obtain before moving on” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, pg. 37).  I also need to reconsider my theory that a successful lesson means that all of the students completed their homework.  Instead, I need to focus on the ultimate goal of learning the material and how this can be accomplished.

References

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

GAME Plan (Application 7)

The process of using the GAME plan to set goals for myself and to create lesson plans has been very beneficial.  The GAME plan is a simple outline that provides all of the necessary steps.  Looking at the NETS standards for students, I see how it would be beneficial for me to create a goal for each standard that will get accomplished sometime during the school year. 

The goal of the GAME plan can be the individual standards that my students must accomplish.  The action will be the steps or activities I will use in my classroom to meet the standards.  Some of the activities that I plan to use are blogs, wikis, VoiceThread, Geometer’s Sketchpad, social networking, podcasts, PowerPoints, and more.  This will give me a great outline of what will need to be accomplished throughout the year.  Developing my action plan will require “analyzing and determining tools and strategies that will best help students master curriculum standards” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 245).  Monitoring and evaluating each activity may differ for everyone.  This part of the GAME plan will be very important to make sure all of the students are meeting the NETS standards in addition to the curriculum standards. 

Setting a GAME plan for a year can be a great way for me to outline what needs to be taught, when it will be taught, and how I will teach it.  Every standard will be taught in a manner that is implementing technology to enhance every student’s learning.

 Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach.  (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Jenna Enevoldsen

Revising my GAME plan

As a look back on the goals I set, I realize they are long-term goals that may not come to fruition any time soon.  My goal was to show my students how valuable technology can be in learning as well as in life.  Going forward, I want to be more specific with my goals so they will be easier to measure.  Through my readings and experience, I have become much more familiar with technology and how I can use it in my classroom to benefit my students.  Setting goals has increased my awareness of how technology is used. 

At this point, I am not ready to set any new goals.  Instead, I want to continue to work towards my current goal.  I want to add to my action plan by using social networking in my classroom.  I want to use something more than just a blog, such as Twitter or another similar website.  I also want to collaborate with another teacher somewhere in the world and start working on more technology projects.  All of these ideas came from this week’s resources, which inspired me to reach out to other teachers (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). 

My goal has helped teach me the benefits of using manipulatives, games, and drill and practice applications.  I have found that some work really well while others are not as effective in getting the curriculum across.  I have also developed a better understanding of problem-based lessons and how to implement them.  Finally, this week has taught me more about social networking and ways I can implement it in my classroom. 

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). Social Networking and Online Collaboration, Part 2. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

Jenna Enevoldsen

GAME Plan (Application 5)

The actions towards achieving my goal are going to be ongoing through my teaching career. I have initiated my search for technology tools that will supplement my teaching, allowing my students to learn the material at a higher level. I was looking at some virtual manipulatives this week and found a great way to help teach my class to add integers. Another tool that I discovered, which was mentioned in our reading for this week, was creating tessellations using a computer program. All of these different tools are just a start; I hope to continue this search throughout my career. I have also learned about more ways to explore data through calculators and computer programs. Geometer’s sketchpad has also been useful in my classes, but I am now getting a better understanding of how to use it in a problem-based learning activity.




I think PBL (problem-based learning) units and lessons can be very beneficial in a math classroom, but it will take some time to determine the correct way to implement them that will allow my students to learn at a higher level. One method I am going to try is to use “mini PBL units” to get started (Ertmer &Simons, 2006, p. 43). Integrating technology in my classrooms by using PBL units, my students will see how beneficial the technology was for solving a problem as well as the benefits of using technology in general. One change that I would like to make to my plan is to integrate PBL units. Accomplishing this change will require a lot of practice and will be something the students need to get used to.



References

Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (Spring 2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K-12 teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40-54. Retrieved from

GAME Plan (Application 4)

In my GAME plan I focus on teaching students the necessity of technology.  I feel that I need to continue to develop my ideas on how implement that technology.  As of now, I have used technology in hopes of increasing motivation and engagement rather than also increasing higher order thinking.  Another change that I would like to make towards my GAME plan is to include integrating technology in the assessment part of my classroom.  I want the technology to help with “monitoring and evaluating the academic progress of students” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 163).  I want to use technology in every unit to assess my students, whether it is a formative assessment or a summative assessment. 

The resources that have been given every week have helped me to find more ideas on how to implement technology.  I have also been doing some brain storming on how I could integrate technology through various presentations and projects.  I have also been provided many ways to score these types of assessments.  Using rubrics seems to be the most beneficial for the students because it shows the “different levels of quality” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 155). 

PowerSchool will be beneficial for me to individualize my instruction, as it summarizes all of my students’ data that is collected on a daily basis.   As a teacher, it is important to remember that “early identification and reporting of student difficulties can lead to identifying helpful interventions before the problems become insurmountable” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 158). 

One point of discussion that really sparked my interest this week was my use of technology as it relates to higher order thinking.  A lot of my ideas have been for lower level thinking, such as playing math games to get a lot of practice.  Every time I teach a lesson or assess my students, I want to ask myself if the students were able to use higher order thinking.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach.  (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Jenna Enevoldsen

Monitoring my GAME Plan (Application 3)

In order to carry out my game plan, there are a lot of resources that will be very beneficial to my students’ learning.  My classes have introduced me to a lot of new resources, but I will also need to attend various workshops to increase my knowledge.  The resources this week helped me to realize the importance of setting goals for the students and that more emphasis should be put reaching the goal rather than how it was attained.  This is where the use of technology allows teachers to be “flexible” with their teaching to individual students (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). 

To accomplish my goal, technology will be utilized to help address all learners.  The first part is a classroom website that allows communication through a blog, posted homework, as well as websites that provide practice problems.  The next resource is to become familiar with the on-line edition of my textbook, which provides an electronic format of the text in addition to a virtual instructor that will teach lessons.  These are everyday uses of technology that can be very convenient for the students.  Then, as a teacher, I will install the textbook question bank on the computers in my room.  This will allow students to get extra help or to complete their homework on the computer.  As a classroom lecture, I will utilize a smart board and projector to present PowerPoint presentations to the class.  The students will also need these tools for the project they will be assigned.  One of my classmates also suggested that students can keep track of their grades in Excel, so Excel will need to be available on my computers.  In addition, on the web many movies, computer generated manipulatives, and other teaching aides, all of which will require a computer or computers and a smart board. 

Through workshops and talking with peers through blogs or in person, I need to find ideas that will keep technology at the center of implementing different learning strategies.  There are many technology tools that I have already learned about but have never tested in the classroom.  Prior to implementation, I need to do a lot of research and become familiar with all of the programs.  To make technology a greater focus in my classroom I plan to “utilize instructional strategies that allow individual students greater access to active learning” (p. 123).   

I have taken the necessary steps and developed classroom website where homework is posted and students can read and respond to my blog, although the blog feature does not get used very often.  There were a few times I had my students play games on the computers in order to polish their skills through repetition, but this does not happen enough.  I have also had my students complete a PowerPoint presentation on a unit out of their book.  The students did all of the research on the internet to prepare themselves to present a unit to the class.  This is a recent project and the two classes are almost finished. 

When integrating technology to show students how important it can be for their learning, the possibilities are endless.  I am looking to gain more knowledge throughout the school year that will increase my ability to utilize technology in all of my lessons.   Hopefully my students will see the impact this technology has on their learning. 

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach.  (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

GAME Plan

While I have been taking classes on integrating technology in the classroom, I have strived to increase my level of technology being used inside the classroom.  Through my findings I have also realized the importance of how the technology is being presented.  I have established a “GAME” plan for myself to increase my teaching ability (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).  The two indicators I want to focus on from the NETS-T are #2 a and b. 

My goal for the indicator #2 a and b is to teach students the advantage technology has on their learning.  I want students to go to a computer to further their learning rather than always asking the teacher for the answers or immediate help.  I want my students to go to technology to assess how much they have learned in the current unit.  I want my students to utilize technology if they do not understand the way a book, peer, or teacher is teaching a lesson. 

My action plan to meet these goals is to incorporate technology in multiple ways, such as “individual use,” “small groups” and “whole groups.” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 88-92) Technology needs to be used in everyday lecture lessons for either homework, motivation, or as a manipulative.  Throughout the year, I will also have my students complete at least one big project that is done using the web, Microsoft word, and PowerPoint.  This project teaches the students many skills that are needed for research, evaluation, and then using the information correctly.  It also shows them how useful and accessible information is on a computer.  My last plan of action is to engage in at least one professional development seminar to increase my knowledge on the use of technology.  I would like to find a workshop that focuses on how to integrate technology in the classroom in an effective way.

To monitor my progress, I will continually evaluate my students’ grades to see what lessons the students did not understand.  With that knowledge I will be able to use technology in different ways to change a lesson if the students did not understand it the first time.  Also, to monitor my progress, I will keep a journal that I will write in every day to discuss what went well with the technology and what could be improved.  With that feedback in writing, I will be able to make adjustments, which will also be recorded.  Through this journal, I plan to “go beyond a simple description of what happened to consider why it happened, how it is connected to other events, and what adjustments should be made to subsequent actions based on this understanding.” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 11) 

Evaluating my work and progress will begin with reviewing my journal to see how changes were made during the year and if they increased my students’ interest in the use of technology.  I will also evaluate the projects my classes created to see how much creative thought my students demonstrated.  Through that process, I will compare the unique aspects each project and the methods I used to present the material.  If I find one class that had more projects that inspired creative thinking, I will have to reflect on the procedure I used for that project. 

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach.  (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Reflective Essay for class EDUC 6712

This last year of teaching I tried to incorporate more internet based research. Through this course I developed a unit plan that will get me started using the internet on a more regular basis. The most useful information that I received from this course is that “we had better start teaching” our students “to be web literate” (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007, p. 119). I implemented internet research within my class last year but I did not teach them how to use the web.


Through this course I plan on teaching my students how to use the web at the beginning of each year. This will allow me to use web literacy projects through out the whole year. I will also be more aware of how to help the students search for information on the web because of the knowledge I have gained about my researching and evaluating skills. Along with the information that I have gained from this course, I have also produced a unit plan that is a great starting place for me with introducing web literacy. This unit plan will be used next school year and is a starting place for producing more unit plans that include web literacy.

To pursue my learning of web literacy, my goal for this next year is to search the internet each week and find a useful website to share with my students. By showing my interest in searching the web, the students will hopefully become more interested. This will also improve my research skills in which I can use towards teaching my students how to search the web for reliable information. I am also hoping through this goal that my students will see how useful the internet is and use the sites that I provide for them. They might even find their own sites that will be useful for them and their classmates.

Reflective Essay

At the beginning of this class, I developed a Personal Theory that was focused on integrating technology to include all multiple intelligences and now that I have finished this course I would make some adjustments to that Theory. Technology provides many opportunities to reach all learners. There are a few topics I would like to add to my Personal Theory that were not included. The first would be to create more social learning environments, enabling students to rely on each others knowledge to build their own. Technology can be used in an array of group settings and can help students learn from each other. “The cooperative environment also develops a social support system for students” (Orey, 2001, p. 11). I would also like to include more detail about using technology as a way to provide graphic organizers, cues, immediate feedback, nonlinguistic representations, and reinforcing effort. Technology is versatile because it can be used in small ways and also for large projects.


This class has introduced two new tools, Concept Maps and Voice Thread, that I feel will be beneficial to my students. I have already integrated concept maps into my classroom, and I have found them to be helpful as they outline the chapter so my students are better able to see how the lessons relate to each other. They are also a “tool for organizing and representing knowledge” (Orey, 2001, p. 1). I leave extra bubbles so they can fill in examples so they know what types of problems go with each heading. This provides an easy way for my students to take notes. I have not had them make their own yet, I am trying to give them a couple of examples before I have them try it on their own. The second technology tool that I want to integrate into my classroom is Voice Thread. I have not introduced it yet, but plan to by the end of the year. This will allow my students to discuss topics which will promote a higher level of thinking. My students will truly understand a topic rather than just knowing enough to complete the homework. Voice Thread will also allow my students to ask questions when they do not understand; the teacher or their classmates can answer their questions.


The first long term goal that I have is to be more clear on my expectations and level of achievement with my technology projects. I have integrated technology in my classroom, but so far my biggest struggle has been giving my students clear expectations. In the future I plan to give my students a packet describing the project’s purpose and expectations. I will also attach rubrics that will be filled out by each individual. The rubrics will be used for self and group evaluation, and also for evaluating their finished product. Depending on the project, I will also have them evaluate the rest of their classmates’ projects. To achieve this long term goal, I will need to verbally explain the purpose and expectations of the project and the rubrics to the class. This will allow and opportunity for the students to ask questions before they start their project.


My second long term goal is to integrate technology into almost every lesson. Even if the students are not completing a project, technology can still provide a better learning experience for my students. I want to utilize more advanced organizers, cues, and immediate feedback. These help to focus “on enhancing students’ ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 73). In the future, I will determine my learning objective for every lesson and then find a way that technology can play a role. I feel it is vital to dedicate time each day that is focused directly on integrating technology.


References

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.

Social Learning

Social learning can be done in many ways; one way that we looked at this week was cooperative learning. “Cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 139). In some of my classes I have my students in base groups where they use cooperative learning everyday when they are working on homework. This social aspect of their learning has helped them teach other students and has also helped them ask for help from their peers. They are continually working on their communication skills and building their knowledge. These base groups have helped to “build trust, camaraderie, and teamwork, and they are useful for checking homework and completing tasks and other routines” (p. 140).



The technology resources that were provided for us this week are ways for students to collaborate while they are not face-to-face. These types of tools are helping students collaborate to achieve a learning goal. The tools also provide for a continuous stream of communication between the students and help them learn from one another.


References

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

VoiceThread

Here is my link to a voice thread that I created.  In my voice thread I have podcasts that were developed by my students.  These were created to help the students study and use as a resource.  I did not see the benefits of having them complete this project.  I am having a hard time getting my students to study.

http://voicethread.com/share/885348/

Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories

A constructivist classroom sets “lesson/unit goals and expectations at the outset, so that learners understand what hey are trying to achieve and the level of that achievement” (Orey, 2001, p. 5). Once that is established, the students use their prior knowledge and resources to discover their objective. This can be done through project-based instruction, problem-based instruction, or generating and testing hypotheses. The online tools that I looked at under this week’s resources were a great way to come up with the objective of the lesson and then build off of that. Also, there were many lesson plans to get teachers going and more ideas on how to implement this type of instruction.

Project-based learning is a way to “engage learners in learning” which is a major component in constructivism (Orey, 2001, p. 6). These “projects are complex tasks, based on challenging questions, that serve to organize and drive activities, which taken as a whole amount to a meaningful project” (Orey, 2001, p. 9). Through the process of students developing projects, they are building off of their prior knowledge to collaborate and come up with new ideas. This type of instruction is student centered with the teacher acting as a facilitator.

Problem-based instruction “encourages question posing” that is related to real life scenarios (Orey, 2001, p. 6). It also “addresses broader learning goals that focus on preparing students for active and responsible citizenship” (Orey, 2001, 4). This type of instruction is a way for students to use resources to solve a problem or a question that is meaningful to them or their group. There is a purpose for their learning, which creates a high level of learning.

“When students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 202). The first couple of times that students attempt this there will need to be some teacher interaction to help guide them through the process. As the students continually generate and test hypotheses, they will understand the process and become more in-depth in their learning. This helps the learner test their hypotheses and learn at a higher level.


Resources

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/


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

Using cues, questioning, and advance organizers are a good way to start out a lesson to prepare the students for the new material. All three of them can be done at one time to “focus on what is important” out of the lesson (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p. 74). Advance organizers can go even deeper and create a project for the students to understand the material and to use it in a way to review previously learned material.

The next two instructional strategies that were looked at this week in the readings were summarizing and note taking. These strategies enhance the “students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p. 119). Technology allows many ways for students to summarize material and take notes in a different format. The different formats are best used when students get the opportunity to use all of them and determine which type fits their learning needs.


Virtual field trips and concept mapping are also instructional strategies that allow students to summarize their information, review their information, and also organize their information. Concept mapping is a more specific way for students to summarize the information presented and also can be used for taking notes. A virtual field trip is a great way to provide cues and bring up questions.


According to the Cognitive Learning Theory students need to “learn “with” as opposed to “from” computers” (Orey, 2001, p. 2). The instructional strategies that I explained above focus on the use of technology to assist in the learning process. Cognitive tools are there to “allow students to interact with information in order to acquire, synthesize, create, and share new knowledge (Orey, 2001, p. 3).

References

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

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

Jenna Eklund

Behaviorist Theory

Researching the Behaviorist Theory in more depth has made me eager to increase my knowledge of this subject. This theory gives teachers a reason to keep teaching and encourages them to make an impact on their students’ lives. According to Dr. Orey (2001) “[i]f behaviors can be learned, then they can also be unlearned or relearned” (p. 6).


Many students do not have an understanding of how effort affects their achievement. There have been many misconceptions of how a person’s achievement is determined. As a teacher, I have the opportunity to impact my students by “shaping” or “gradually changing the quality of a response” they have to their daily efforts (Orey, 2001, p. 5). The idea that I am most interest in is providing my students with an effort rubric that will be used on a weekly basis. Having students get on a computer and create a spreadsheet to record their data will teach them many lessons as well as show them the impact that effort has on their learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 156-163). I am also going to give an on-line survey to my students before I use this idea to see what they believe. At the end of the year I am going to give the same survey to see if there is any variation in the results.

The second instructional strategy that was discussed should parallel the beliefs of most math teachers; to assign homework and practice. Behaviorists believe that a behavior can be learned and also extinguished. Helping students to learn and realize the benefit of practicing their school work will increase every students’ outlook on school and their achievement. The first step that needs to be taken is to give students resources that they can use at home and at school. These resources also need to be interesting to them; computer games are a good example. There also needs to be data available that shows students how their scores are progressing. Different sources of technology are able to collect data and give students and teachers immediate feedback. These “[m]ultiple exposures to material help students deepen their understanding of content and become proficient with skills” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 188).

Through technology, teachers will have more success in capturing students’ attention and producing positive learning experiences. Using the behaviorist theory allows students to “work for things that bring them positive feelings” and “change behaviors to satisfy the desires they have learned to value” (Orey, 2001, p. 6).



References

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.

Course Reflection

“To teach these technologies effectively, educators must learn to use them effectively” (Richardson, 2009, p. 136). This course has given me an introduction to technology tools that can be used within a classroom. I explored them myself by using them and then reflected on how they can be used within a classroom. Through the Read/Write Web, I am developing an understanding of how powerful it is to increase my knowledge and effectiveness as a teacher. Will Richardson (2009) stated that, “[w]e’re in the midst of an explosion of technologies that will continue to remake the Web into the community, participatory space Berners-Lee originally envisioned, changing much of our lives in significant ways” (p. 2).

Realizing that I have a vast amount of resources and support through the Read/Write Web increases my learning curve and helps me to become more aware of how digital native students think. Digital natives are this generation’s students and we as educators need to understand their way of thinking and what makes them interested to learn. I have deepened my knowledge as to why my students act the way they do. “Today’s teachers have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students. This doesn’t mean changing the meaning of what is important, or of good thinking skills. But it does mean going faster, less step-by step, more in parallel, with more random access, among other things” (Prensky, 2001, p. 4).

As an educator that is preparing students to go into the workplace, I need to focus on helping my students to “learn actively, independently, in a self-directed way and/or in collaboration with others” (Kirschner & Erkens, 2006, p. 200). This creates a learner-centered classroom that will produce students that are prepared to be successful citizens.

I plan to continue my learning by collaboration with teachers through the Read/Write Web and to expand my knowledge by continuing to explore technology. I am going to use this technology as a supplement to the curriculum that is already being taught. This technology can be used to increase understanding, collaboration, and interest within a classroom.

I have set two long-term goals to focus my classroom on becoming better. The first goal is to increase my student’s understanding of the importance of using blogs to communicate with the world and gain more knowledge. To accomplish this goal I am going to have an activity once every two weeks where my students will post a blog that creates classroom discussion. I will use the blog for the students to ask me and their classmates questions on their homework. I have a blogging capability on my classroom website, which makes this very feasible. My second goal is to increase all of my students’ understanding on how to make a podcast. I will start with each class having one project that requires them to produce a podcast within a group. To make this happen, I will have to research the school’s availability of computers that have microphones and download Audacity software on the computers that will be used. If accomplished, these two goals will start transforming my classroom into a student-centered environment.


References

Kirschner, P., & Erkens, G. (2006). Cognitive tools and mindtools for collaborative learning. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 35(2), 199–209.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Classroom Technology Survey Results

I surveyed twenty-six seriors out of a class of thirty students.  I used the results of my survey and an interview of four students to produce a podcast with all of my results.  Within the podcast I also gave a breif demographic profile of Burns High School.  The questions were focused around what technology is used within students lives, how often it is used, and what the benefits of technology are.

http://jeklund.podbean.com/mf/web/phur43/IntegratingTechnologyPodcast.mp3

IntegratingTechnologyPodcast.mp3

www.21stcenturyskills.org

My immediate reaction to the website was amazement at how involved and pro active this group of people is in emphasizing the importance of teaching 21st century skills. This organization believes that “[t]he nation needs a compelling vision for education that will inspire education leaders, teachers, parents and students alike. Clearly, we must work together to fully prepare people for the challenges of work and life in the 21st century” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills).

I filled out a questionnaire that was provided on the website to see how well my school district is implementing 21st century skills. I was encouraged and not surprised to see that we are in the emerging category. I am hopeful that my school district will continue to strive for greatness instead of being content with our current state. I was also excited to see the different resources provided on the website. I watched a few videos which gave ideas of how to implement 21st century skills within a math classroom. There were also other links that lead to a variety of lesson plans specific to other topics.

The beliefs about “the bridge to 21st century learning” consisted of using 21st century tools, learning skills, core subjects, 21st century context, and 21st century content. I strongly believe that we cannot take focus away from the core subjects; we need to adapt our teaching to meet the needs that are presented before us.

I was not able to find anything that I disagreed with on the website. I like the fact that they are trying to inspire all parties involved with education; teachers, students, parents, and leaders. If we could get students and parents more involved it will also benefit teachers, which will lead to better results.

The implication that I see for myself as a teacher is the fact that many students have limited access to the internet. This creates struggles when trying to get students to e-mail one another. There are also many students that do not have computers at home. This hinders their ability to learn new technologies as compared to their peers who do have a PC at home. In addition, I often worry that my students will not use the resources properly.

“Successful businesses are looking for employees who can adapt to changing needs, juggle multiple responsibilities and routinely make decisions on their own” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills). My goal is to continue to teach my students the core subject of math and also teach them necessary skills to become successful citizens within the 21st century.

Introducing blogs within a classroom

I am a high school and middle school math teacher. I teach seventh graders all the way through seniors. Within each of my classes I am finding uses for a blog. Since I have a variety of ages, I have a lot of older students that will be able to help my younger students. This is the benefit of blogs; the ability to communicate with the whole world, or even just higher level math students. Blogs provide a way for teachers and students to continue their learning as far as they want to take it. “The possibilities really are endless” (p. 28).

My idea is to use blogs as a way for students and parents to communicate with me at all times. This will give students the opportunity to get continuous feedback. I have PowerPoint presentations for two of my classes and notes that are scanned for the rest of my classes. I want to post the notes online so parents and students will have access. Then a blog will be provided to help answer questions. There will also be a section that is provided for feedback on how well the students understand the material and how I can better assist them in their learning.

The purpose for my blog will be to better assist students with their learning and to allow parents and students to interact at home while they are studying or working on homework. I will also be able to answer questions and give feedback from home. The blog postings that provide feedback for me and for the whole class will be a great opportunity to reflect upon my teaching style.

Blogging will enhance my lessons by promoting communication and collaboration to increase everyone’s learning. As a teacher, I will be able to determine how much the students might be struggling with a lesson. I will also be able to see which students understand the lessons and which do not. Overall, blogs are a valuable tool that can enhance the learning within and outside my classroom.



References

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.