Reflection

This quarter I decided to set a goal to focus more on using the Smart Board in my classroom and with my content areas. I set up a GAME plan that would allow me to collaborate with my colleagues, technology specialists as well as web searches to improve my skills using the board. I was able to meet with my technology specialists as well as with a Smart Board instructor that were able to show me different uses for the Smart Board. After spending hours with the two specialists, I met with my colleagues to get their opinion and ideas of using the technology in their lessons. 

I begin to implement the different ideas into my lessons, by starting lessons with different interactive games and activities. The students were able to enjoy the lesson, become engaged and learned not only content but how to use another form of technology. As I reflected on my lessons in which I implemented the technology, I begin to feel a level of confidence that had derived from learning specific skills and ideas. I felt great about each lesson because I grew familiar with the technology and implementing the technology in any way that I could. I accomplished one goal in my GAME plan which is to use the Smart Board more and learn how to use the Smart Board. 

In the near future, I want to continue to use this technology as well as add on another form of technology. I feel that my familiarity with the Smart Board has grown but as I use the technology more in the classroom, I will develop more each year. I would encourage my students to use the GAME plan in their goal setting because it makes the students accountable for what they are learning and how they will become active learners. The GAME plan allows for the students to narrow down to a more specific goal and to focus on that goal for a period of time. This would be great in my classroom while the students discuss their KWHL charts as a class and we could easily implement a GAME plan in order to learn what we would like to know. 

Throughout my lesson planning, I will continue to implement the teaching strategies taught throughout the quarter. I enjoyed creating problem based inquiries for my students to solve and allowing the students to become problem solvers. We are currently still using a classroom blog, so that students will increase their knowledge with the media as well as with social networks. Many students did not realize that our classroom blog was a social network and that with using the blog in the class became an educational network. The students loved using the blog and responding to one another in posts. I will continue to use the digital storytelling, social networking as well as the problem based learning into the classroom as I see fit. I first discovered that it can be challenging to implement problem based inquiries in all content areas, but now I am working on a problem based project that integrates all content areas. I am excited about the activities in which I will have students completing. 

GAME Plan Update

      My GAME plan is going according to how I expected it to go. I have recently ended a SMART board workshop in my local school that has taught me new ways to use the tools with this form of technology. I am able to implement the board more into my lessons for instruction. I have also met with my grade level in order to discuss different ideas that could be used in order to help with using technology in lessons. My colleagues were able to provide different websites as well as web templates that allowed for students to conduct certain tasks for informal assessments as well as formal assessments.

     This week I have planned to meet with other colleagues from the county in order to discuss ways of using technology in the classroom for instruction as well as assessment. Many of the colleagues have incorporated the technology into their lessons or are interested in how to do such plans with limited use of technology. I have began a journal reflecting my daily usage of the technology in my classroom with lessons and assessing the students. I have noted that many times, the technology presents a problem which creates a stumbling block for instruction. Overall,  I am pleased with the knowledge that I am acquiring from entering the workshops suggested and collaborating with my colleagues.

    I have also signed up to meet with a team of colleagues that will assist with making blog pages as well as classroom websites to assist students out of the classroom. I am excited about the new classes and suggestions that I am already beginning to try to implement with small groups within the classroom. I ensure that the technology usage is presenting ways for me to monitor the progress of my students so that we may set ideal goals for achievement in the classroom.

New Class: NETS - T

New Class: NETS - T: The two standards I would like to focus on from NETS-T are: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility Teachers understand ...

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

In order to carry out my GAME plan, I registered for a Smart Board technology class at my local school. I have also collaborated with my grade level colleagues on different ways they use their Smart Boards in the classroom. I begin reading the book, "How to use the Smart Board for Dummies," that was suggested by a colleague. I have found different suggestions to ways that the Smart Board can be used in the classroom as well as programs that will allow for me to use the Smart Board for assessments. Since I have began my research on the Smart Board, I have implemented the use of the board in a lesson recently on "plot" in reading. The activity and usage of the Smart Board allowed for students to drag and post the events of the story into a graphic organizer I created for the students to use. The lesson went very well and I was able to assess students using this by having the students use clickers as the graphic organizer was displayed on the board.

I will continue to meet with my colleagues at my local school as well as with my technology specialist. She has set up days for her and I to meet and discuss the uses of the Smart Board. We also look for specific activities that could be used in the lesson plans I have to help differentiate the instruction. I would like to watch more video clips of how other teachers have successfully used the Smart Board as well as created opportunities for their students to be creative and motivated in learning.

GAME Plan for Integrating Technology

Over the last few years, I have encountered many types of technology being used in the classroom. The technology presented to the students were effective ways of attaining content as well as providing instruction for diverse learners. The only problem that occurred to me was the knowledge the teachers had on the technology being used. Many  of the teachers were not comfortable using the technology and would often times show frustration and take away from the meaning of the lesson. I decided to research the different types of technology that could be implemented in the classroom in order to help with differentiated instruction as well as take professional development classes to assist as well.

After reading through the performance indicators issued by the NSTE (National Educational Technology Standards for Students), I was able to get a clearer idea of where I would like to go next with my journey. I have decided to work on facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity by, "supporting, promoting and modeling creative and innovative thinking with my students." I am also going to work on designing and developing digital-aged learning experiences and assessments for my students, so that the differentiation will be consistent from instruction to assessment. In order to meet my goals and increase my knowledge and experiences, I will first have to decide on a form of media and/or technology that I would like to focus on first. I currently have a Smart Board and document camera in my classroom, so I am going to stick with these two technologies first. I will then begin to research different connections and programs that will enable me to use the technology for assessment as well as instruction. In order to monitor my progress, I will keep a journal of reflections after implementing the use of technology in my classroom. I will look at the response from the students as well as the performance by the students when using the technology. 


I will consistently use the program and ways of assessing throughout a time span to watch the growth of the students and performance levels. This will allow me to better figure out my next steps to using the forms of technology in another way for differentiation and moving to another form of technology.


Resources:
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

Final Reflection

I believe students learn in a procedural manner requiring steps. First, the students should be exposed to the vocabulary and terms being introduced with the content. The students are questioned about their prior knowledge and begin to brainstorm. Next, the students are given the explanation for the subject and how it connects with the vocabulary. I discuss examples with the students where the students are giving more of the information than what I am providing. The students are probed to the information rather than pouring out information. When the students are probed to learning the information, it makes more room for students to be able to make connections. 

After the students have some what begin to understand the information from being probed, the students are shown content through the use of technology. Often times, the examples are interactive and involve great student involvement. The students get engaged and are excited about the content. The use of technology opens the door for students to be challenged by exploring the content more in depth and asked questions that involve critical thinking. The students collaborate in order to complete tasks from the lesson and activities. The last part of instruction to ensure the students are understanding the content is for the students to work on a task independently. This independent task ranges from formal assessment to informal assessment to observational assessments. The students are to complete tasks that will demonstrate their understanding of the content and their ability to make connections with the content and their prior knowledge.

My theory of students learning by using a step by step process remains the same being that it is a general truth to the learning of students. There are many types of learners in the classroom and in order to ensure each of the needs are being met, I have to use differentiated instruction involving the use of technology. This course has allowed for me to see the different learning theories being implemented using different strategies. I enjoyed learning about more strategies to use in the classroom in order to help meet the needs of the students. Being that my undergraduate required we use technology, this course has only introduced me to more forms of technologies. The voice thread is an incredible form of technology that allows for student engagement and does not solely rely on the teacher for information. I did not realize the effect technology had on my students learning until seeing the benefits of their progress in assessments. 

I mentioned previously my enjoyment of the voice thread and how I would like to use this more in my classroom. I created a lesson plan that used the technology and the students responded very well to the presentation. The voice thread asked discussion questions that caused for students to think critically and think back to prior knowledge. This technology can not only be used by the teacher to introduce content but also to allow students to put together presentations. Dr. Orey also brought to my attention the benefits of using images in instruction. It allows for students to make connections and connect the image with the auditory. When using images in lessons, the teachers are breaking down the information and allowing for a certain amount of content to be attained in the student’s mind. In the resources, Dr. Orey discussed the amount of information that could be learned being in a student’s level of proximity. The professor demonstrated the often mistake of presenting too much information at one time for a student to attain. My instructional strategies pool has expanded and I have been able to take a few strategies into my classroom in order to master on my students. I have used strategies suggested in the course on a few of my small group instruction which has allowed another way for my low students to understand and view the information.

The goals that I have set in place for the next few school years is to integrate more interactive technology which allow for more student experiences and to not use technology as just an instructional tool but learning tool. In order to make sure I implement interactive learning opportunities for my students, I will have to create visuals and examples that will facilitate that skill. The resources provided many tools that could be used in the classroom that involves students completing tasks using an interactive board. Although, many of the lessons I plan use technology, technology is not always provided for the lessons. School budgets are a big blockade for using technology in my fourth grade classroom. I want to also use my technology as a learning tool by having students complete projects and activities using different types of technology. I currently use the technology a lot to give instruction due to the lack of computers in the classroom. I have arranged for lab time in order for students to be able to use this form of technology and benefit in its capabilities to break down information and create artifacts for students. 

Integrating technology seems to be difficult with the lack of money provided for students to prepare for the 21st century. I have discovered many types of technology and forms of technology that allows students to be engaged and interactive with their learning. The students are wanting to construct artifacts and displays of their knowledge that they have collaboratively collected. The learning theories that were discussed throughout the course involve focusing on the behaviors of the students, constructionism, and social learning opportunities. These learning theories allow for students to interact with one another as well as technology in the classrooms. Many learning types exist in the classroom and lecturing is not beneficial anymore to any student. The learning experiences of the students will allow for students to remember more and complete desired tasks given by teacher. 

Voice Thread

https://voicethread.com/?#u1757315.b1910962

Social Learning Theory in the Classroom

When I think of the word "social", I think about lots of talking and sharing amongst a group of individuals. I am a social bird myself and did not realize the "social learning theory" was being implemented in my classroom. Dr. Orey stated, "the bottom line to social learning is students collaboratively working together" (Orey, 2010). This statement is true and can be proven with the strategies mentioned in this week's theory. For example, collaborative learning involves students sharing ideas and teaching one another different skills within a group. The students are able to openly share their ideas with their peers and help out those who do not understand. I love this strategy because so many students love to feel confident in what they know. The students enjoy taking on the role as the teacher and "feeling great about helping their classmate" (Orey, 2010). The students feel more comfortable around smaller groups when going through the learning process because there is room for error and mistake. Where as in a whole group setting, students feel pressured to have to know the correct answer and the correct way of finding the answer. There are so many types of personalities and learning styles in the classroom, so one type of instruction does not work for everyone. This brings out another plus for collaborative learning because of the different styles coming together to meet one goal.

The next strategy Dr. Orey mentioned that also goes along with collaborative learning is the "jigsaw". The "jigsaw" strategy involves each student researching a specific subtopic in their group and bringing back information to share with their group members. Again, this allows for the students to take on the role as the instructor and teach their group members. The teacher acts as a support for the groups and not the primary source. This gives the students more confidence in what they are learning and have learned from researching. Students whom get accustomed to working together in groups and taking on leadership roles prepares the students for the 21st century. In small group settings, the students are able conduct critical thinking and problem solving which are skills needed in order to survive in the corporate world.

I will continue to use the "social learning theory" in my classroom and implement the technology resources available. The partnerships in our school's community do not permit for many hands on, collaborative experiences for the students. I think if there were ways to incorporate the curriculum into what the students see around their neighborhood will give them a more meaningful experience and opportunity to learn. This ties in with the connectivism theory and how students connect their learning to real life experiences.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program Number 7: Social Learning Theory [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore,MD: Author.

Utilizing "Constructionism" in the Classroom

Dr. Orey presented many strategies for teachers to use in the classroom in order to utilize the "constructionism theory". The theory consists of students forming their understanding of content by constructing project based instruction. The students are given opportunities to explore and get hands on experiences with the content being taught.  There were several strategies that Dr. Orey gave this week and the strategies that caught my attention were the collaboration, innovative assessment and authentic tasks. 

I think collaboration of students with their peers and teacher is very important. In the collaboration with their teacher, students should take on the role as researchers and teachers as the resource or guide. The teacher should introduce the content thoroughly enough in which the students become intrigued and want to learn more. When the students are engaged in the new topic, the teacher acts as the guide and assigns specific tasks. Usually, I allow for my students to write down everything they know about the topic and follow up with conducting a web search on the topic. The students write down what interests them but also goes along with the topic. The students begin to collaborate with their classmates, sharing information and showing their new developments. Students enjoy sharing their information found through research and this allows for whole class collaboration. 

Assigning authentic tasks is hard for some content areas but hands on activities work as well. I like for my students to create some type of hands on craft or project from their content. This allows for students to find out more information than what is provided in the textbook and explore outside of the topic, making connections. The constructivist theory suggests that students already have certain ideas grouped into categories in their heads. In order to further their knowledge on these categories, students conduct hands on, authentic tasks that enables them to make real life connections.

I have never used the innovative assessment, but as Dr. Orey explained more in depth what it consists of,  I would like to use this in the classroom as well. This strategy allows for students and teachers to give assessments. The students will develop and create assessments to look at their understanding of the information. The students can create peer assessments to test each other on the content which will allow for students to see what their peers feel are the most important concepts of the unit. The teacher assessments should be ongoing and consists of observational assessments. This will take the idea of paper implemented assessments and teachers will be able to see the understanding of content through the utilization of constructionism in the classroom.

References:

 Han, S., and Bhattacharya, K. (2001). Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based      Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved <03/23/11>, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/ 

Cognitive Learning Theory and Virtual Field Trips

This week's resources allowed for me to see a virtual field trip put into action. The teacher brought out in the video that when the students went on the physical field trip there were locations closed. The mentioning of the closed location and its importance to the study of Abraham Lincoln grasped the students' attention. Dr. Orey stated the importance of elaboration in the classroom and managing the amount of information for the students (Laureate, 2010). Students go through a dual coding hypothesis process that allows for students to take visuals and connect them with words. "Students are able to remember the visual rather than the text" (Laureate, 2010). Putting the two together will create room for more connections to develop in the student's brain. The learning process in itself is a process and the students have to be given the opportunity for the learning process to be completed. When students are able to attain the information, the ideas begin to connect and create more ideas.

In order to have success in the learning process the students must have "elaboration"(Laureate, 2010). This is when students make as many connections that they can. Due to the large amount of connections, the students are able to identify the information better. In class, I like to use authentic connections with the students. Anytime that I am able to make connections with activities they do in or outside of school helps them to remember the information better.  The technology that is in the schools today allow for you to give more visual connections for students such as the teacher and the virtual field trip. The students will be able to recall the full image of the theatre in which Lincoln was shot and respond effectively during assessment. I understand the importance of getting students to attain the information and store the content in their long term memory. Dr. Orey brought forth many great points and strategies in order to help teachers stray from paper and pencil.

References:

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

Behaviorism Integrated with Instruction

I think behaviorism and instructional strategies have a strong relationship. In order to ensure that each student is getting the same opportunity to learn the teacher must apply the behaviorist theory. The teachers implement their classroom management plan and conduct lessons using those guidelines. I agree with Mark Smith in the article, "learning is manifested by a change in behaviour"(Smith, 1999). I see this theory in place every day throughout my classroom. I can see the change in the student's behavior due to their gain of knowledge. Even the student's thought process changes over time and the student begins to think differently. Instead of coming to the teacher for an answer, the student researches. I think this is also helping prepare the students for their future in the real world. 


My colleagues and I meet once a week to discuss instructional strategies that seem to work for our students. Two of our strongest strategies in the classroom are hands on activities and repetition. The students are always given a chance to do an activity whether with a lesson or by chapter. This strategy engages the students and allows for them to learn a great deal of material at the same time. Repetition is useful in every subject are which allows room for integration of subjects. My fourth grade team has a weekly grammar sentence for students to complete. The students have identified parts of speech and corrected capitalization for more than twenty-four weeks now. The students have progressed tremendously and I agree with Smith that this strategy increases learning. The strategy that made me reflect on my teaching strategies is, "learning is helped when objectives are clear"(Smith, 1999). I have ran into problems in the classroom in which my objectives were not clearly stated the first time and I had to go back to correct myself. I love the fact that I teach two different classes the same thing so that when this happens I can make the changes for the second class. I am in agreement with Smith and the strategies that will help students learn and demonstrate a change of behavior. 

Understanding the Impact of Technology on the Classroom, Society and the Teachers

This course has opened my eyes to the advancement of not only technology but the classroom as well. I have always set a goal in my mind to use the most technology and to create more student centered, engaging lessons. Reading about the effect that technology has on the students, in some ways surprised me. I did not realize the different uses of technology and ways that I have already prepared my students for the 21st century skills. From this course, I believe the most effective lesson taught to me focused on the skills needed to prepare my students for the 21st century. The content areas in the curriculum do not address independence, group collaboration and critical thinking. As stated in one of our resources, we should probe students and allow for students to give us the information. Most teachers feel if they are not fully educated on the topic, they will not be able to teach the material. Dr. Thornburg's colleague mentioned that we have to know more than what we mention in class, but allow the students to explore the topic as well. This strategy will bring about research and critical thinking which may challenge some knowledge of the teachers.

I have set goals to continue request new forms of technology that will help expose the students in my classroom to new technology. Due to the limited areas on the world web that we are able to access, I will also try to implement the usage of wikis, podcasts and blogs. Blogs have been one of my strongest desires to implement in the classroom but due to school rules, I am not permitted. Therefore, I will take the advice of my colleagues and begin using the blog as a resource for parents and students. From this step, I will post resources that will allow the students to use at home. I think this will open the door for more evidence that using the blogs will help improve the motivation and learning of my students.

My second goal for this upcoming year is to research my own ways of using technology in the classroom . By this, I mean learning the new technology and its uses in the classroom. I would like to master technology so that when the next technology comes out, I will be ready. I have overcome my fear of learning and advancing because I have seen so much progress since I attended elementary school. This course has helped me with a lot and to conduct a self-evaluation. I will continue to use my knowledge to advance and better the lives of my students, preparing them for the 21st century jobs.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

This website offers great resources for teachers to use in order to teach the skills need for students to b successful in the 21st century. Technology has advanced tremendously throughout the last decade and students are not receiving the instruction needed to keep up with the advancement. Students all over the world are challenged in the classroom with the content needed in order to pass state assessments. The state tests do not realize that the lacking areas are not with language, social sciences or math but with technology and science. The students are not being able to use the newer technology due to budget cuts. Partnership for 21st Century skills allows for teachers to see the skills broken down and how to use them in the classroom.  The activities and lessons suggested implement many skills that I did not realize were being used for that task. T he big issue I realized in my classroom at the beginning of the school year focused on the students not being able to think logically on their own and problem solve. The students were used to having information just given to them. Throughout the school year, I have challenged my students to critical thinking and thinking outside of the box. This has allowed for my students to use logic when assessing and solving problems in their lives.

Using Blogging in the Classroom

I teach fourth grade Reading, Social Studies and Language Arts. Under the required AKS(Academic Knowledge & Skills) the students are to use Standard American English, be able to solicit and respond to questions, comments or ideas of others. At the beginning of the school year, I decided I wanted to do a classroom blog in which students will be able to comment and respond to the ideas of their peers on different Social Studies topics or Reading topics. The technology teacher insisted that I not do that due to the lack of control I would be able to have on the student's post.

My idea was to allow one of our days in the school computer lab to be designated just for blogging. I think the students would love to blog about topics discussed in the classroom. We are currently learning about the American Revolution and the students are really pumped about the war. Before reading on the war, the students discussed the events leading up to the war thoroughly. The students chose a side to be on in the war and after reading on the war, the students would discuss if their position changed and why. I think using the blog for this lesson and activity would be a great idea. I would have the students use my blog just created in the computer lab and post on their position before the war. While reading about the war, the students would visit the blog to respond or comment on their classmates ideas. At the end of the war, the students would return to the blog stating any change in position with the war.

Using SMART boards in the Classroom

"The SMART board is a use of technology that teachers can use to engage students in the classroom. The technology allows for you to complete different tasks that will allow for student centered learning. Some teachers are afraid of using new technology because it will call for more responsibilities on our part. We would have to take training classes and sometimes have to instruct colleagues at our schools. Integrating any form of technology into the classroom will allow for students to use a variety of skills at once. The students are interested in the content and wanting to learn more. The SMART board has given lots of positive effects on the learning of students in the classroom. So, why are states not funding their schools with the best technology to help the learning of the students?...."