Final Blog: Reflection

 Education has changed dramatically since I began teaching almost sixteen years ago. When I first began teaching, the only material or resource provided to me was a textbook for each subject and one computer. Today’s world of education does not focus on a textbook, but in the world around us through the use of technology. Students need to be given a chance to learn by incorporating instructional strategies that motivate students and meet the needs of every learner we teach.

     At the beginning of this course we had to create our own personal theory of learning. Many weeks later, I still feel strongly about the idea students learn best when we focus on their different modalities so we can ensure student learning and success. “The more modalities that you use to transfer information into the brain the more avenues you have to retrieve it. If all I do is talk to kids, then it goes in one way, auditory, so they memorize what I tell them” (Laureate Education, 2010). In order for me to meet the different learning styles, I have been introduced to nine instructional strategies as well as ways to integrate technology tools that will allow students to learn based on their preference through this course. One thing I have learned along the way is how students need to learn with true meaning. If we want students to learn we must give them the opportunity to organize, process, and apply the information. We must also provide them multiple chances to communicate and collaborate to create projects that showcase their knowledge of an assignment. If we introduce content through the use of the nine instructional strategies as well as the technology tools introduced in this course we will meet the needs of every student and prove that the learning theories are in fact alive and well.

     When it comes to technology in my classroom, I feel I am at an advantage. I am fortunate to have twenty-seven laptops for students to use in class. Two technology tools, I plan to incorporate into my repertoire of strategies is VocieThread and Webspiration. VoiceThread will be essential to my students’ ability to comprehend information. It gives students the chance to voice their opinion about information, explain their meaning, and provide and receive feedback. Students love to socialize through many social networks and this will only enhance their interest. Webspiration will allow students to organize and process information in a way they can easily understand. This is critical when trying to apply knowledge in order to show mastery. As I reflected over the nine instructional strategies, there were many I have incorporated into my content instruction, but I have a new insight on how I can improve them by utilizing the technology tools associated with each. I can now ensure students comprehend by expanding the instructional strategies with the use of technology effectively.

     One goal I will set for myself is involve more technology with the instructional strategies. An example of this would be when I use the strategy, cues, question, and advanced organizers. Instead of teaching to the students, I will have them develop and utilize a concept map using the resource, Webspiration. One of the biggest obstacles is getting students to understand and retain the curriculum. Concept maps allow students to organize and process information so they can later apply it so they can demonstrate their understanding. The second goal I have in mind will affect majority of the technology tools I would like to implement. My goal is to present to my district personnel reasons why certain websites need to be unblocked for the students’ benefit. Our district has blocked many sites that would be beneficial to students. I feel if there is enough research and information to back this up my district may agree. This will be a difficult challenge, but in order to implement the correct technological tools with instructional strategies it must be done to ensure students understanding and success.

     Regardless of education in the past, it will never be the same. As the technology age continues to grow and develop, education will constantly change as well. It is up to us to make sure we stay on top of the latest research and developments so we can create an environment appropriate for student learning. Every child that enters our classroom is depending on us to prepare them for the future. It is our responsibility to ensure they are ready because they are our future.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory,  Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore MD: Author.

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

Voice Thread

http://voicethread.com/#q.b1888124.i0.k0

Conncectivism and Social Learning in Practice

     “Social constructivist learning theory addresses the role of culture, collaboration, and content in constructing knowledge of the world around us” (Laureate Education, 2010). In today’s society we are filled with an array of technology and communication sources. Students have access to multiple types of technology. They have computers, smart phones, IPods, and IPads. Not only do these tools provide them with information, but it gives them the opportunity to communicate with anyone around the world. Students also have access to a new wave of technology software called social networking. Many students have Facebook, My Space, email, text messaging, Twitter, and Skype as a way of socializing with others. This social networking as well as the abundance of technology is a big part of a student’s social realm. So with that being a factor, why don’t teachers take advantage of this new wave of socializing and use it in the classroom as an instructional learning strategy?

     Socializing is a part of a child’s life when growing up. The social constructivist learning theory believes that in order to effectively process and apply information, students should be able to communicate and collaborate in their own words with one another. I feel this is an important part of a child’s education. Students need to be able to work together, brainstorm ideas, peer tutor, and discuss content in a way that aids their understanding. In my classroom, students work in cooperative learning groups’ majority of the time. I have 2 groups- 1. The base project group: this group changes every midterm. I utilize this group when students work together on a project-based or inquiry-based learning activity. 2. Pair group: this particular group is used when students are pair sharing or the task at hand requires fewer people than the base group. I give students daily opportunity to share ideas and provide meaning to information we are learning. “The instructional strategy of cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhances their learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 139). Having students actively engaged through cooperative learning is giving students the time to use social skills to master an understanding of the curriculum presented.

     One thing is for sure, the communication world has changed dramatically, I can remember having to call someone from a house phone or sending a letter through the mail in order to communicate. Now, we can communicate with anyone, anywhere with different types of technology. In my district we are limited to the types of social networking for teachers and students. I have been able to access www.kidblog.org or Moodle, but majority of the web sources have been blocked. I believe that many of the social networking sites could be a great advantage for student communication and foresee in the future it becoming a part of the curriculum we teach.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Constructivism in Practice

     “Generating and testing hypotheses is a strategy, I use in my 5^th grade math and science class almost daily. When students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex, mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary enhancing their overall understanding of the content” (Palter, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malinowski, 2007, p. 202). The first goal of a teacher is to help students process and organize the content they are expected to master. The second goal is for students to take what they have organized and processed and learn how to apply it.

     The instructional strategy generating and testing hypothesis provides students the opportunities to problem solve and make decisions.  Students can take the information they have learned and processed and apply it to solve a problem. This particular strategy supports the idea of constructionist and constructivist. The constructionist/constructivist theory visualizes students actively constructing his/her own meaning. Generating and testing hypotheses enables students to predict or make an educated guess and then test it which in turn will provide meaning to the students.

     Technology is a big part of our students’ life and in society. Anytime we may incorporate technology as a learning tool we are giving our students an advantage. In my classroom, I have used Microsoft Excel for students to utilize to collect and analyze data. Students have learned how to average, find the sum, and graph data using the spreadsheet. Another technology tool I use in my classroom is web resources. Considering my students have their own individual laptop in my room they have easier access to web resources. One site my students enjoy is www.edheads.org. Students have to take on a leadership role to perform certain tasks but before they make the decisions they must generate a hypothesis in order to test it. This will guide them into making good decisions and become better problem solvers.

     Constructivist/Constructionist is about taking what you know and build upon it by interacting with the learning process. The achievement process begins with processing and organizing the information, but the actual learning process grows and becomes meaningful when students can interact and construct something of their own. Ultimately we want students to become self-directors, self-managers, and self-monitors which will produce successful citizens for tomorrow.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010 [Webcast].  Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author

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

Using Cognitive Tools To Enhance Learning Experiences

     Cognitive theory is concerned with the development of a person’s thought processes. It is all about how we process information into our short-term and long-term memory. In order for students to retain information, they must be able to make connections. Students have to be able to make sense of information and organize it in a way that allows them to comprehend it. This week’s resources introduced two cognitive theory instructional strategies that enable students to organize and comprehend information.

     The first strategy introduced was “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers.” This particular strategy gives students the opportunity to gather and organize important information. This strategy supports the cognitivist theory where students can interact in meaningful ways in order to retain the content we present. There are many ways we can incorporate this strategy using technology so we can peak students’ interest. Word Processing can be used to create graphic organizers to help students outline important information they must comprehend. Spreadsheets can be utilized to produce a rubric which gives students specific guidelines and expectations. There are many different types of software that allows students to create and complete concept maps such as “Kidspiration.” Anytime we can implement technology we are providing a meaningful and an engaging learning environment. The learning strategies, cues, questions, and advance organizers, provide many opportunities for learners to process the information in a way that organizes it and provides the ability to store it into their long-term memory.

     The second instructional strategy introduced to support the cognitive learning theory is “Summarizing and Note-taking.” “The instructional strategy summarizing and note-taking focuses on enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into concise new information” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 119). One problem students face when trying to master and comprehend new information is the process of deciphering what is important and putting it into their own words. When students are able to organize their thoughts in their own words they are more likely to retain it into their long-term memory. Computer software such as “Kidspiration” again gives students the chance to create concept maps that allows students to cue in what is important and then summarizes it into a meaningful learning scenario. Students can use wikis and blogs to communicate their meaning to the information in their own words and see how others perceive it. They will be able to make connections and have a better chance to remember it.

     “The development of cognitive learning theories marked a change about how educators thought about learning” (Laureate Education, 2010). For years, teachers have assumed that students can learn anything as long as they listened attentively in class. However, this has been proven time and time again to be false. We are presented with a diverse group of students to educate and unless we accommodate to this diversity we are not going to effectively teach our students. Students need to be presented information using all modalities and be able to organize the information in their own way to process it. The goal for students is not to memorize but actually comprehend the information in order to be able to apply it in different learning environments as well as the real world.

Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010 [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Behaviorism in Practice

Behaviorism in the Classroom

     Behaviorism is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. This occurs when there is an interaction with the environment. The goal of teachers is to create students who experience success in our classroom and become prepared to become productive citizens in society. However, with every goal comes challenges and our students face those daily. I believe the number one challenge our students face is the ability to retain information. In order for student to be able to comprehend the content we present we must allow students time for reinforcement. Two strategies in this week’s resources that have been used as enrichment strategies are “Reinforcing Effort” and “Homework and Practice.”

     “Research shows that the level of belief in self-efficacy plays a strong role in motivation for learning and achievement. The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort enhances students’ understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning” (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 155). As we know students do not always grasp the understanding of particular concepts when we first introduce them. Students have to practice and be given time for reinforcement in order for it to be cemented into their memory. One way this can be done is through the use of technology. Students need to be able to see how their effort is turning into successful achievement of the content we want them to master. Students need to have meaning to what we want them to master and they need to know why it is important. By providing tools such as spreadsheets, gives students a visual aid on their performance. When students see their own growth, they are more willing to put forth more effort which in turn leads students to wanting to do more.

     Once students leave our classroom each day, they need to be able to practice and apply what they have learned outside of school. The most common reinforcement strategy is homework and practice. “As an extension of the classroom, homework provides opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of the content and to gain proficiency with their skills” (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 187). There are numerous ways we can integrate technology into our homework and practice for students. In my classroom, I have used spreadsheets to help students in math. They have been a wonderful teaching tool for decimals, percents, ratios, data collection, mean, median, mode, and graphs. I have also used reinforcement sites such as http://www.vmathlive.com/, http://compasslearningodyssey.com/, and http://www.studyisland.com/ to show students how they have progressed. I have never thought of using Microsoft Word as a practice strategy, but after reading this week’s resources I believe it will be beneficial to them.

     Integrating technology is an effective way to enrich our curriculum. Technology is a large part of our students’ everyday life. If we want students to be motivated to learn and grow then we need to incorporate what students find interesting and engaging to them. Reinforcing what we want students to learn is critical if we want students to maximize learning. So, it is crucial to find as many avenues as we possibly can to do it in a way where students are inspired to become lifelong learners.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010 [Webcast]. Behaviorist Learning Theory. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Final Blog Posting: Reflection

     Keeping up with the latest technology is a difficult yet rewarding task. Technology has become the center of just about every student we teach lives. So, in order for our students to come to us eager and motivated to learn, we must use this technology to its advantage and present our curriculum through this tool. This will enable us to create self-directed learners through meaningful instruction

     Over the years, I have been introduced to many new resources and tools through technology to use in my classroom. Through this course, I have learned how to create a blog, a wiki, and develop a podcast. I have already begun to utilize a blog in my classroom as a learning tool. “Through the unique process of blogging….students are learning to read more critically, think about that reading more analytically, and write more clearly. And they are building relationships with peers, teachers, mentors, and professionals, within the Weblog environment” (Richardson, 2010, p. 20). My future plan is to implement a class wiki for students to communicate and collaborate. Finally, I am going to use podcasts as a form of assessment when students complete their project based assessments. My goal after this class is to integrate more technology with hope to create lifelong learners in my classroom.

     One piece of knowledge that has stuck out from this course is students need to take ownership of their own learning. They need to be their own source of information. Students need to realize that teachers do not need to be the center of the classroom knowledge, but a facilitator and interpreter. “Teachers don’t need to teach the way they were taught, but in a fundamentally different way” (Laureate Education, 2008). I have always believed that students should take ownership, but I had to play some sort of a role in how they comprehend this information. However, through this course I have learned that I need to take the backseat and let my students become the driver of their own learning process.

     For me to be an efficient teacher, I must dedicate myself into becoming a lifelong learner. Each time new technology is introduced, we must do whatever we can to learn more about it. Our students have access to all types of technology in their everyday lives. So, if we want our students to be successful, then it is critical we take what interests them and use it to its advantage and that is integrate it into our curriculum.

     The first goal I have set for myself is to make my room more student-centered. I want my students to become self-directors, self-monitors, and self-managers of their own learning and for me to become a facilitator of it. One obstacle I see I may face in doing this is giving students the confidence to achieve ownership of their own learning. The second goal I would like to accomplish is to integrate wikis into my curriculum. This will be a challenge because my district does not feel that wikis are an effective and a reliable learning tool. In order for this to occur, I will have to take what I have learned from this class to persuade them that wikis will help students become prepared for the real-world by learning how to make good decisions, become excellent problem solvers, researchers, and teach them how to effectively communicate and collaborate with their peers.

     After reflecting back on week one’s checklist, I feel I have changed in some ways. I have been allowing students more independence when completing project-based assessments, by giving them the choice in how they present their information. I have also begun to provide them with more opportunities to collaborate and communicate with one another in order to gather information and create projects. Finally, I have begun to create more learning experiences with technology. Technology is the wave of the future and it is going to continue to grow so we must use it to its fullest advantage so our students will be prepared for the next level as well as the future.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.   3^rd ed. Corwin.