Reflection for Integrating Technology Across Content Areas

Using the GAME plan that I developed the first week has given me great insight.  We as teachers tell our students all the time to set goals and write them down because if you write them down, then you will be more apt to take steps to accomplish them.  Requiring us to choose a goal and write it down has been very beneficial.  Because of this process, I took the steps necessary to have technology in the form of laptops in my classroom.  They were in the school and not being used, but the GAME plan I developed led me to inquire about possibilities and now my students have laptops at their disposal each day.  The other goal I had set was to be more active in participating in learning communities to share ideas.  Through the process of sharing lessons with my colleagues in discussion boards, I have realized that I do have wonderful ideas to share with others myself.  As a modification to both goals, I will continue to monitor and continue participating in learning communities and discovering technology projects that meet and enhance our standards.

            This class has encouraged me to change my way of thinking on technology integration.  Before this class, I would look at old lessons I had used in the past and think “how can I use this lesson and add in technology?”  Now, I can look at the standards and ask myself, “what can technology do to enhance this standard and make it more meaningful to my students?”  Not every lesson needs to be technology-based, but it is a strong consideration that technology increases engagement and motivation which in turn increases learning.  To keep the learning meaningful for students, I think two keys are to make it relevant to them by making it about them, their interests, or their community, and to give them the opportunity to share and collaborate on a broader scale.  This is my new goal: to justify to my district why my students should be allowed to safely share their work with other students in other places and even on safe social networking sites.  Students need their work validated by someone other than their teachers and parents.  Besides, how often do we as adults get opinions and feedback from just one person?  Students need that opportunity to be part of a global community as well.

Monitor Action Plan _Week 4

My action plan for my first goal is coming along nicely.  My problem with having to share one lab with 35 teachers may be coming to an end.  I was speaking with my principal about how I would love to use more technology with my students but the availability of the lab severely limits the possibilities.  She then called the librarian in and our old mobile laptop station is not being used.  I will be soon receiving 13 laptops to keep in my room!  This is very exciting news to me and it will be enough laptops for my largest class.  This will be an excellent resource in providing my students with more technology based activities.

Due to a comment from Derico a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded that Walden gives us a wonderful built-in learning community and I have been embracing the wealth of information in the discussion groups and the blogs.  I have also created a small learning community at school for those teachers interested to share the technology ideas they use in their classrooms.  This has been very useful since we teach the same students we can discuss what works and what doesn't.  Thanks for all of the great advice over the past couple of weeks.

Cheri Handley

Resources and Progression of GAME PLAN - Week 3

As I review and explore my GAME plan, I am attempting to formulate a list of resources.  As far as my objective to create more relevant technological activities, I have a few favorite blogs that I visit frequently, which include the following:  http://fluency21.com/blog/2013/03/26/50-education-technology-tools-every-teacher-should-know-about/, http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=4940, and http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/.  I also use the tech resources that Dr. LeBeau posts in our discussion threads each week.  I do need to focus more on appropriating more technology that I can have at my beck and call whenever I need it for my students.

My goal on joining learning communities is a bit more difficult.  I currently am part of this wonderful Walden community, but when I go to look for other workshops, conferences, blog groups, etc., I get overwhelmed.  Any assistance in narrowing down my search would be greatly appreciated.

Cheri's GAME Plan

Since the GAME Plan (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009)  is a guide for self-directed learning and we want our students to become self-directed learners, it only makes sense that I present my own GAME Plan so I can be a role model for my students.  The goals that follow are two of the indicators from ISTE.NETS-T (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). and are indicators of required standards.

Goal #1: I chose the following goal because I have the desire to use more technology and digital learning experiences, but am never sure of the quality. 

G(set goals) - Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

A (take action) – This is where I would reach out to colleagues, in my school and outside of it, to gather experiences they have used and determine if they will work for my students and be engaging to them and promote their creativity.  Also, this would be the step in which I attempt to acquire a more reliable and consistent source of technology for my students other than a lab that is used by thirty-five teachers.

M (monitor) – As I put my action plan into place, I will continuously reflect on each experience or tool I share with my students.  I will ask questions such as, “Are they engaged?  Are they being creative?  Are they learning the content?”  After each reflection I will then continue using the specified activity or tool, modify it, or never use it again. 

E (evaluate) – Evaluating is the process of determining success of you goal.  With this particular goal, I don’t see that it ever ends.  Learning experiences can always be created and new digital tools are invented each day.  This learning goal will be ongoing forever so that I can constantly add to my digital toolbox.

Goal #2:  I chose this particular goal because I think if I am an active member of these learning communities, it will assist me in meeting the goal above.

G(set goals) - Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

A (take action) – Action steps for this goal include researching and choosing learning communities to join.  The purpose of the chosen communities would have to be to share applications and experiences with technology in the classroom.  Another action step would be to ensure that I am an active participant in the group and not just a passive member.

M (monitor) – As I put my action plan into place, I will continuously reflect on each learning community by asking, “Am I actively participating?  Is this group giving me the learning support I need?  Am I learning more to further improve my students’ learning?”  If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it is time to find a new learning community.

E (evaluate) – Evaluating is the process of determining success of you goal.  With this goal, I feel if it is successful I will have a wealth of applications to share with my students.  Also, if this goal has been met and is successful, I may not want to leave the learning community at all.

I am apprehensive about putting these goals down in print because now I have to be accountable.  I would be ever grateful if you have any suggestions to add to or modify my GAME Plans.

Cheri Handley

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.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for

            teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

Final Reflection

               As I reflect back on my personal theory of learning that was written seven weeks ago, I notice that there have been some minor changes.  I still believe as far as behavior management, behaviorism goes a long way and is the most effective for the students to be successful with school and classroom rules.  However, I did state that my theory was in the process of change. In the beginning I stated my learning theory influence was constructionism.  I do believe that students need to be actively doing something and creating something.  However, I also believe my learning theory is now leaning more toward the social constructivism theory.  In the graphic, two people interact to help to extend each other's understanding of what makes a rainbow (Orey, 2001).  This graphic shows how two people exchange information to come up with a collaborative conclusion.  People on a daily basis gather and process information obtained from others.  Why shouldn’t we allow students in school to learn the same way others learn outside the school environment?  This course had given me more of an insight of how students learn and how we can use educational technologies to enhance their learning.

            An immediate adjustment I plan to make is to use is to use technology more as learning tools instead of instructional tools.  It is more important that the students are using technology to enhance and increase their learning than for the teachers to use it to give knowledge (Laureate, 2011).  Two technology tools I would like to begin using with my students are VoiceThread and Google Docs.  These two tools will support the social constructivist theory where students are able to share, communicate, and build products together.  They can also receive feedback so that they can effectively make changes and improve their understanding.  My repertoire of instructional skills has been enhanced greatly.  As most teachers think when they read the list of instructional strategies, I also thought, “Oh, I do that.” But, then I realized that there are steps to take to effectively implant these strategies into your instruction and you need to make one or two a major focus with almost every activity you do for them to become effective instructional strategies.

            My first long-term goal would be to acquire more technology.  I would like to have enough technology for my students in my classroom.  This will eliminate the need to find a day the lab is available and my students will be able to use technology whenever it is needed and not when it is available.  I plan first ask my principal about the feasibility of acquiring the technology and various steps I can take to accomplish this goal.  Another long-term goal I am setting is to include a technology option on every project and unit assessment I give.  The steps I would take would be to research various ways to include technology into assessments.  The main thing to remember is that the technology I implement is a learning tool.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program thirteen: Technology: Instructional tool vs.

            learning tool [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology.

            Retrieved from

            http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.e              college.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved

            from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Cooperative Learning

Children are social by nature.  They want to talk and share what they know and talk about themselves.  Cooperative Learning is synonymous with social learning theories.  When done properly, cooperative learning groups can be a productive way to create meaning and allow students to be social at the same time.  Planning is very important for cooperative learning to be successful.  Recommendations include keep group size small, use cooperative learning systematically and consistently, and to provide individual and group accountability (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012).  Rubrics and stated expectations are key to helping students remain on task.

Technology can be quite instrumental in the success of cooperative learning.  Students can work together on creating multimedia projects or websites.  They can also participate with students not in their classroom to cooperate on producing a wiki or project using a variety of venues.  With the internet, there are limitless ways that students can interact and cooperate to create new material.

Resources:

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that

 works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

VoiceThread Link

Angry Birds and Constructionist Theory

Constructivism is creating knowledge from experiences and constructionism is building on knowledge by building or creating a product.  This week’s instructional strategy is generating and testing hypotheses.  How can technology assist in testing hypotheses and at the same time be constructionist based? 

The four steps a teacher should use to help students generate and test hypotheses are (1) systems analysis, (2) problem solving, (3) experimental inquiry, and (4) investigation (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012).  Observing the steps, one would think this lends itself to mostly science classes, but there are other uses.  One of the most time consuming tasks is collecting and gathering data.  Technology can assist with gathering data so that more time can be spent on interpreting the data and creating a final product.  Classrooms can use probes that connect to computers that automatically input data.  Once the data is easily collected due to technology, students can then spend their time predicting and testing their hypotheses.

Another data gathering and all-around cool tool are simulators.  Students can predict what will happen if they choose a certain action, perform the action in the simulator and evaluate their predictions.  Some great simulators are Zoo Matchmaker, Hurricane Strike!, Star Chart, and Angry Birds.  Yes, Angry Birds applies physics and is big on trial and error, or generating and testing hypotheses.  Maybe we should explore more popular games to further engage our students in building and constructing products.

References

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that

 works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cognitive Theory and Technology

Dr. Orey describes there are a few ways to get information from short-term memory into long-term memory and they include using as many senses as possible to transfer information and making use of episodic memory (Laureate, 2011).  The Experiential Learning resource (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008), contains one of my favorite quotes, "Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand" (Confucius circa 450 BC).  These two pieces of the cognitive theory lead us to believe in the importance of involving the learners in the learning process.

Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers

One of the more intriguing uses of technology is the use of Webspriration to brainstorm (Pitler, Hubbell & Kuhn, 2012).  Students are given a topic to discuss the steps of a process, for example the steps in the problem solving process, in groups.  The teacher then opens Webspiration and types the name of the process in the main idea area and then selects RapidFire from the toolbar.  This generates a word map out of words and phrases.  The teacher then gives a student control over the computer as students offer their suggestions to be recorded.  After all suggestions, students can then discuss what stays, what goes, and what can be combined.  The students are active in the process and also have a visual organizer.

Summarizing and Note taking

I like the use of a word-processor to teach the skills of summarizing.  The students are actively involved and use more than one sense.  They actually see all of their changes along with the original.  If they follow the four rules to summarizing((Pitler, Hubbell & Kuhn, 2012), the students will be able to learn summarizing quickly.  The students can then auto-summarize with the word processor and compare this summary with their summary.  I plan to use this technique with my students.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations (Laureate Education, Inc.,

      custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that

 works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Behaviorism and Technology...Can They Work Together in the Classroom?

            Two main elements of the behaviorist theory are reinforcement and punishment.   The basic principle is to reinforce preferred behaviors and to punish or deter unwanted behaviors.  This theory is most closely associated with classroom routines and student behavior.  However, if used appropriately, there are ways where behaviorism can be a useful tool with instructional strategies including the use of technology.

            One instructional strategy that lends itself to the behaviorist theory is reinforcing effort and providing recognition.  The name of the strategy contains the element of reinforcement.  Students need to learn of the connection between effort and achievement.  To assist them in this, teachers can create a spreadsheet on the computer where the students can track their effort by observing their attitude, commitment, and pride, as well as their quiz scores, while learning a certain skill.  After a few weeks of tracking, the students can use the same program to graph their effort against their scores and see if there is a relationship between effort and achievement.  This process shows that effort is reinforced because the students should see the more effort, the better their achievement level.  Recognition in the form of praise can be a tricky practice.  It is better to recognize a student’s work and effort.  Recognition of a student can also be accomplished with the use of technology.  Badges can be created on Web20Badges.com, or a similar site to print out and present to student or they can be attached on blogs.  I think of these as a more specific version of the proverbial gold star.  Another form of recognition is posting student work on the “refrigerator” of the World Wide Web.  Students take a sense of pride when their work is recognized and will make more effort to repeat the behavior.

            Another instructional strategy that lends itself to behaviorism, especially with the use of technology, is assigning homework and providing practice.  Forgetting all of the controversy over homework, some practice and repetition is necessary.  There are many ways that technology can be used in the homework process.  The flipped classroom is a great example.  This is where the student has to listen to a podcast or watch a video at home before class so they can jump right into activities in school.  This process lends itself to the behaviorist theory because if students don’t listen to the podcast, they may have absolutely no clue what to do in class.  Those that do listen have a better chance of succeeding and will want to repeat that behavior.  Another use of technology is tutorials.  Students are given a small amount of information and asked questions.  If they are correct, the behavior is reinforced with praise or some type of “yippee” graphic that they want to see again.  If they are incorrect, the student is “punished” or re-taught and given the chance to try again.  Tutorials are heavily behaviorist based.

            Even though many think there is not room for behaviorism in the classroom, technology is giving us tools to consider using a little bit of the behaviorist theory.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program four: Behaviorist learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that

 works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works

Reflection

As this class comes to a close, I reflect back at all I learned and how my perspective has changed.  I have realized that our schools are now full of a different breed of students and these digital natives need to be taught a different way.  They need to collaborate, communicate, and use technology.  They need to use resources outside of their classroom and school and become more global.  They desire to become problem solvers which encourages all of us to become teachers of 21st Century skills and let the students become the leaders of the classroom.

When I began this class I was scared to blog, had never created a podcast, and had never heard of wikis-I thought wikipedia was a catchy name and had no clue there was a whole world of wikis that could be created by anyone!  Now, I have created a blog for this class and at school for my students.  I have created a podcast and my students are working on their own as we speak.  I have participated in a wiki and my students will be working on one in the near future for their unit on Anne Frank.  I plan to continue my learning of different technology resources and ideas for the classroom by researching and collaborating.

One of the main obstacles in our school is not enough technology.  I plan to make my classroom 1:1 ipads or laptops.  I am hoping to accomplish this through grants.  I am beginning to research various grants so that I can get the technology required to match my goals and dreams for my classroom and students.  Another obstacle is that our district is very strict on what our students can and can't do.  They can only use one specific place to blog where only their classmates can see it.  They can not participate or publish any of their work worldwide.  I am going to gather information and data and request that they loosen the strings a little.  I understand and fully support the need for safety.  I am just hoping that they are not aware that there are many safe alternatives to blogs, wikis, and publishing work of students.

This has by far been my favorite class in the program as it has given me useful information that I can take to my classroom and the confidence to enter a new student-led classroom.

Data from Technology Survey

I surveyed my students about their technology use and preferences at home and at school.  The following link is a podcast with the data presented.
Technology survey data

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

I love this organization!  This public/private organization is dedicated to educating our youth so that they are better prepared for the workplace and the skill we are predicting they will need.  This website is very well laid out and gives a lot of great information for educators, policy makers, and the general community.  They fuse all of the skills we have taught in the past with the 4C's; critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

I like that there is a support system built into the website with documents and blogs.  There are also toolkits for implementing the skills with the Common Core standards.  I also like the simple graphic they use to show how all skills are interconnected supported by standards, curriculum, professional development, and environment.

I can see this being a very useful website when implementing the 21st century skills into the classroom.  The implications for your students are endless.  When fully implemented I can see producing the most prepared students for the workplace than ever before.  You need to visit the site so you too can be prepared to integrate the skills and prepare your students for success!

To blog or not to blog?

I have yet to try blogging in my classroom but I am very intrigued.  I teach 8th grade math, ELA, and study skills to the same group of twelve students.  They are in my classroom most of the day and we build a definite sense of community.  Even with the community we build, I have several students who are terrified to share their work out loud with their classmates.  I believe blogging may be a great tool that will assist them in sharing in a different way. 

Some of the ways I envision using a blog in my classroom is journal responses to prompts related to the stories we are reading.  I can see my students being excited to respond on the post and anxiously wait for someone to respond.  My students like to share their ideas, but sometimes are very impulsive and do not always want to listen to others.  In this controlled environment, not only can they share their ideas, but also will have to attentively "listen" or read their classmate's posts so they can appropriately respond.  I would definitely start small and once they have mastered posting and responding withing a controlled "class only" environment, then we could expand to a larger audience.

This is just one idea, but I can see how the ideas are endless and you can do as much or as little as you would like to!

I am interested in any great blogging ideas to use in a math classroom.

Lesson Idea of the Week? "Pi" Day!!

     Thursday is March 14, which to all math teachers means "Pi" Day!  A day to celebrate the constant that keeps computers buzzing trying to find its last digit.  Are you looking for ideas to help your class celebrate?  Try a few of the ideas below.  Most of them are on my list of planned activities.

• "Is it a coincidence?"  Bring several circular items and tape measures.  Have students measure the circumference and diameter of each circle and divide circumference by the diameter.  Share results with the rest of the class.  No matter the age, students are amazed that all answers are close to being the same.
• "Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi"  A great way to bring literature into the math classroom.  This is a great book that references many math vocabulary words.
• "Pi Music"  I play a few videos for my students that they enjoy.
• The first several digits in a song:  Pi Song
• The history of Pi to the tune of "American Pie":  Mathematical Pi
• Pi on a musical scale:  What Pi Sounds Like
• "Pi"e!  I bring in pie or pi shaped cookies to enjoy with our festivities!
• "Pi pencils" This year I ordered pencils with the first 50 digits of pi.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope your Pi Day is "PI"TASTIC!  Please feel free to share your ideas!

**Bonus:  Pi Day is also Albert Einstein's Birthday!