New and Emerging Technologies: Reflection

Through this course, I have been exposed to new software and applications, and also a new vision of myself as a teacher who fully utilized technology in instruction. It is not enough just to use new methods and technologies in my own classroom, it is also my responsibility as a teacher leader to share this information with my colleagues and encourage them to try new things.
The Horizon report (http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/) is certainly a reference I will use each year and share with others that are looking to learn what is coming in the future of technology. It’s a way of thinking that needs to be explored by teachers; how can new developments in mainstream technology be used for education? We know that computer screens and moving figures engage children, but what else? How can we make technology more interactive, to lead our students through puzzles and problem solving activities to sharpen their minds?
With the conclusion of this course, I am wondering, what is the best way to get teachers at my school talking? I could create the modules for teams to try, but would it be more valuable to have them make their own? The latter is slower, and most teachers want something ready to use, they are already short on time. I think I would like to informally start a group that meets monthly, with each month having a technology that we explore. For example, one month could be about using blogs, another could be about podcasting, and then we could follow up the next month by showing the podcasts we created to one another and talking about how it enhanced our students’ learning.
I have been looking forward to this class since I started work on my Master’s degree. I wasn not disappointed. The way this course stressed being a teacher leader and always searching for new applications has really brought all of the coursework and knowledge I’ve gained together.

An argument for virtual classrooms

Attached is a presentation for virtual classrooms and their potential impact on student achievement.

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dgfcvgtm_2c9rjb3zm

EDUC 6714 Reflection

The differentiation station group was very heterogeneous, with an art teacher, two special education teachers, myself a first grade teacher, and others. I found that we all looked for resources that we would use, not necessarily that are broad enough to work for each teacher. What I gained from the resources that my group shared was perspective on how they differentiate, and questions of my own. One person posted a link to an art museum that had a lot of great art information, which made me wonder what museum websites I might be able to access that align with what I teach in first grade. Connecting in real time with other individuals in an online program was refreshing, posting to a discussion board weekly feels like always leaving notes for someone but never actually seeing them. It made me realize that while discussion boards might be the easiest choice logistically for me as a teacher, real time interaction would be a lot more meaningful for my students. I will certainly use the many resources we collected as a group regarding determining a student's learning style as well.

As a result of this course, I have come to accept that all students do learn differently, and the difference can be vast or incremental. If I want all students to reach their goals, I need to create different experiences for each of them that will trigger their motivation and learning. I've done a profile on each of my students by watching for the different behavioral indicators of their learning styles and I have also started to offer 2 or 3 ways to complete an assignment. I let them write about it, draw and label, act it out, or tell me orally. This usually pertains to Science or Social Studies. Also, I am using technology to reinforce sight words for students that struggle with recognition. There are quite a few online games and software provided by my school for this purpose. I am trying to take the differentiation process one step at a time so that I can stay consistent, and I am on my way!

EDUC 6713 Reflection

My GAME plan included a variety of goals. As a result, I have learned a great deal about how to keep students safe on virtual communication networks, and experimented with communicating with other classrooms virtually. Also, I am much more aware of all of the choices of virtual networks and ways to use them. I plan to use virtual networking and communication to enhance the year long study of seasonal change next year.

My second goal focused on using technology to assess my students' learning styles and differentiate for their needs. I found many online quizzes that are easy enough for a first grader to read, and give insight into how they learn. I created an inventory of behaviors that demonstrate various learning styles and have been keeping anecdotal records for each student with these indicators marked. I have also expanded my understanding of technology in the classroom beyond computer software, and have been considering using digital cameras and FlipCam technology as an alternate way for students to demonstrate their learning.

For this school year, I plan to lead my class in communicating online with our partner class. Also, I have taught my students how to use both types of cameras and will be experimenting with their ability to use these effectively and making changes as needed.

GAME Plan for my students

As I've been thinking about the GAME plan for the past few weeks, it has often reminded me of the LEARN model that we are encouraged to use in our lesson planning at my school. LEARN stands for: Link, Engage, Active learning, and Now and then. It has a lot of different ways to approach teaching new material, just like the GAME plan has several ways to reach a goal. When I think about using the GAMe plan with my class, I envision combining it with the LEARN model of teaching. Maybe after the Engage and Educate part, we could set a learning goal for the active learning section. Now and then encourages students to "monitor" and look at what they've learned and what new content that they can understand as a result.

Also, setting goals and realistically monitoring themselves has to be taught, so I would start this process as a whole group, and see where it evolved to from there. With first graders, I think that is the best place to start to teach them about working towards meaningful goals.

Evaluating my progress

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I have found a lot of ways to assess student learning styles and gained more information about the ways that children in my class learn best. I’ve also learned about a lot of different virtual environments that could work for my students. I’ve also thought a lot and learned a great deal about the safety and security of my students online, especially through reviewing the i-SAFE training I completed last year.

What goals are you still working toward?

I would really like to have a class that my class could communicate with through skype, and now I just need to find a way to find that class and start talking to them!

Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?

I would like to learn more about “collaborating” with other classes through virtual environments on a first grade level. I think that it is really hard to get children that are emergent readers to use wikis and blogs, so I would like to learn how other teachers use technology with young children effectively and meaningfully.

What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?

I would try to find more blogs to give me examples of what other teachers are using in the classroom to enhance their instruction with technology and how they overcame obstacles that I might also be facing.

GAME Plan Update

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

I feel that I have made progress in meeting my goals. The main hurdle has been thinking out all of the issues that go into my goals and what the real effect will be on student performance.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I have learned that assessment is the key to starting any new instructional technique, Effectively understanding where students are with the material will inform the next steps.

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

I still have to learn how to make many of the technologies in education age appropriate for first graders and young children. How much involvement with technology is age and developmentally appropriate?

How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

I am inspired to get in touch with some of my mentors from my undergraduate degree in education and see if they have any insight on how to use technology in exciting and meaningful ways with young children.

The GAME Plan so far...

• Are you finding the information and resources you need?
• Yes, I am reading a lot of technology blogs and I've met with my colleagues to discuss how my goals can help us as a team. I've also had the chance to observe my students to see how using virtual environments would benefit them. I've also gotten clarification on the policies for communication via the internet to allow me to move forward.
• Do you need to modify your action plan?
• I think I need to add developing specific assessments that target the areas that I am trying to enrich through my goal to see if the plan is working.
• What have you learned so far?
• Technology is very exciting to teachers and students. VoiceThread seems to be a great way to communicate as a whole class, and the kids liked looking at other people's VoiceThreads. However, it is hard to prepare appropriately, because the teacher should screen everything that the kids will see and participate in.
• What new questions have arisen?
• What is the best way to assess whether or not these new tools have helped my students?
• Is there a better network out there for specifically young children and teachers?

Next Steps for Action

What resources will you need to carry out your plan (video, reading, experts or colleagues, etc)?

I need colleagues to tell me what sites worked for them in the early grades and how they used these sites to create meaningful learning. I am planning on looking through some education blogs to find more information and experience to guide how I will use the virtual networks.

What additional information do you need?

I need to find out what the policies are for involving children in online communication through virtual environments and what networks are approved by the county school board.

What steps have you been able to take so far?

I have spoken to the school based technology specialist and checked to see if any of my students have “opt out” forms signed by their parents that would bar them from participating if their picture would be taken.

GAME Plan

NETS Indicators

1. d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual

environments

2. c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using

digital tools and resources

GAME Plan

Goals:

- find and use virtual environments to model how to collaborate for my students

- use virtual environments in a safe and secure way

- assess students for their different learning styles

- locate and utilize technology tools to suit all learners need and create a plan for implementation

Actions:

In order to find safe virtual environments for students to use, I would first meet with the school based technology specialist and ask for his suggestions for safe ways for students to network. I would also reach out to other colleagues on my grade level team to see if they have had any experience with virtual environments. I would also check with the school board to see what the policies are for this type of activity to maintain safety for the students. I would observe and collect data on students to determine how their needs could be better met,, and do some independent research to find programs through technology that they could use. Also, I would ask our reading and math specialists to pool resources to help all students as well. After I had the tools, I would create a plan for implementation based on my findings and resources.

Monitor:

I would reassess the students regularly to see if the new methods had improved student understanding and confer with my team and other specialists to see if they had anything to add. I would also make sure that the children were understanding the purpose of the virtual sharing and communication.

Evaluate and extend:

After each activity I would reflect on my blog regarding how they were going and whether or not the data showed that they were meeting the needs of my students. If the new methods are effective, I would share them with interested teachers at my school through an after school training.

Week 8: Reflection

Through the work completed in “Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom”, I have come to understand how technology can help students work through their thought process to learn more about a topic. Creating the inquiry project unit plan involved thinking of a lot of questions to ask the students. How did they know that the website they were using was reliable? How did they know that they had complete information on their topic? Developing the essential questions for the unit was a good reminder that there should be essential questions in every lesson that I give, whether it is based in technology or not.

The most striking thing that I learned through creating the unit plan was that internet research isn’t just for older children. In my first grade class, the structure of the internet research had to be modified. I used “delicious.com” to bookmark sites that I wanted them to consider, but they were able to choose which ones they wanted to use based on the quality of the webpage. The children were able to navigate easily using “delicious” and that was what surprised me the most. They can use the internet more freely with this tool, and I can trust them to do so appropriately and productively.

Going forward, I will use what I have learned in this course to have more inquiry based learning in my classroom. Although the focus was on technology in this course, I could also see how this could be done with books and other media. I think that I will use different elements of the project, like creating essential questions and considering what new literacy I am trying to have the children use in their work.

My goal is to find more resources that make technology and especially the internet; more child friendly. Through using Jing, Delicious, and other tools that I have rediscovered during this course, I’ve found ways to make the information on the web accessible to 6 and 7 year olds. I would like to continue to find more tools that make projects like this inquiry based learning plan possible. I also hope to share what I’ve learned with other teachers at my school.

Final Blog Post

Overall, my theory of learning has not really changed as a result of this course. I think that students learn through experiences and socially connecting with other students to discuss what they are learning about. They construct their knowledge through hands on engaging experiences, and can scaffold what they learned to their own lives by being able to work with other students. Learning happens when students can practice explaining, breaking down, and questioning what they have learned.

The most engaging tool that I used during this course was VoiceThread. I would like to make presentations on VoiceThread and give my first graders the chance to record their thoughts. With my class, it is hard for them to even understand what is being said and come up with a related comment because most of them don’t have a strong grasp of the English Language. Being able to use pictures and video with VoiceThread would help them to connect to the material. I would like to share the completed VoiceThread with the class after everyone has participated. I could even use it for sight words and have the word show as the image, my voice saying it, then each student could comment by using the word in a sentence.

Another tool that I would like to use is Kidspiration, which is a webbing tool. I have mentioned in many discussion boards and applications that I plan to use this tool more because it is very user friendly, which is important for young children that are still learning how to use a computer. The webbing tools can be used for any subject, and the practice of breaking the idea down into clear concepts is important as well.

One long term goal that I have is to explore and integrate more technology tools that are geared towards younger children. The application of the ideas in this course are very easy for high school and middle school students, but to adapt a program like VoiceThread to six and seven year olds is very challenging and requires a lot of creativity. I would like to devote time to seeking out more tools and developing ways to introduce them to my students so that they can use them independently in a meaningful way.

Another goal that I have is to create a year long calendar for the sequence of technology that the students are using as the year goes on. I want to think about what programs I want to introduce first, Microsoft Word, Kidspiration, Internet Explorer, and so on. Would working with Word first build the typing skills that could help with Internet explorer? Which programs fit best with each unit?

I’m looking forward to moving on with these goals and new tools in mind to plan more meaningful learning experiences for my students!

VoiceThread

http://voicethread.com/share/785220/

Ay my school, we are not allowed to retain students for any reason. Some have excessive absences, have spent less than half of the year in school, or have academic or social problems.

Connecting the Dots

The connections in "connectivism" refer to the connection between what students see modeled and what they can create and understand on their own. The model might be the teacher, a parent, or another student. That connection between seeing and discussion with others to explaining and doing independently carries through all levels of education and is highly effective because humans are social beings.

I've noticed that the most reluctant student to speak in front of the class can be the most expressive during a "pair share" with another student. I try to transition my children from the "I do, you watch" to "I help, you do", to "You do, I watch", especially in the area of writing. In college, I was always told not to model, because then the children would abandon creativity and just make what I made. But I've found that in this age of point and click visual learners, some students will literally sit and do nothing before they start working if they can't understand what something is "supposed" to look like. Also, I teach in a very impoverished neighborhood where most parents don't speak English, and for most students, they don't know what I'm talking about unless I can model and show them what to do. Sometimes it seems like individuality is a luxury when working as a team and showing examples yields much better results. Also, culturally,, my students are more comfortable working with another child because they come from large families and a large part of their identity seems to be how they interact with others.

In "Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works" the authors list a few ways to integrate cooperative learning experiences with technology, such as "multimedia projects" and having pen pals over the internet. (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). I would love suggestions on how I could incorporate more group work with technology, but I am honestly stumped. I was thinking they could work together to make some kind of video using the Flipcam, but all that they would be able to do is film it, I would have to do with editing with or for them. Do you think that would be worthwhile? We've used the Flipcam to make a few "tutorials" for Literacy Stations, does that fall under this umbrella? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Also, on a side note, I got engaged on Thanksgiving!

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

Constructivism and Technology

Constructivism and "generating hypotheses" go hand in hand when it comes to helping children learn. (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). Constructivist theory states that people learn through "inquiry-based learning and social interaction". (Duffy, McDonald, 2008). Creating a hypothesis is the first step of the constructive learning process, and being able to communicate that to others is very important. In first grade, students develop their oral language skills, and just being able to put a "hypothesis" or idea into words is important. Working socially with others to talk about their ideas is constructivist theory also, because they are building on what they know with a partner or group.

Spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel, as noted in the Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, provide students with tools to test their hypotheses through entering data and using various functions such as graphing, to see the results. For first grade, we use the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (http://nlvm.usu.edu/) to make graphs individually or on the Smartboard to test hypotheses. We start with general questions, like what is your favorite special (P.E., Art, etc.) and then move into using the graphs to test hypotheses like "A coin will land on heads and tails about the same number of times".

Other data collection tools help students amass data in an organized way so that they can analyze it sensibly and accurately. As the authors of Using Technology... note, it is important to provide students with examples and guidance in the different ways they can go about proving or disproving a hypothesis. I think it is important to note that students should not be discouraged from pursuing a hypothesis because the teacher knows it will be disproved. Sometimes finding out why something won't work is just as important as why it would work.

Web resources seem to abound for more advanced subjects like DNA and American History. However, for first graders, the best resource I have found is actually a Webkinz toy. A Webkinnz is a stuffed animal that comes with a passcode to the Webkinz website where a computer version of the toy lives. In first grade we learn about wants, needs, and what living things need to survive. Having that silly Webkinz was a great way to teach the children problem solving skills as well. They had to buy food for it so they could choose to play a game (there were several great math and problem solving games), or go searching for a gem in a mine that they could sell. They had to choose to buy it food instead of a fancy toy.

There was one problem solving game that was great. It was called "Home Before Dark". In the game, there was a map with the park along one side, and homes along the other. There were squares in the middle that had path sections, and student had to rotate the paths to get the pets home. At first, the students were just wildly tapping, thier internal hypothesis being, "If I hit as many as I can, eventually it will work". It didn't work. They started yelling at each other to stop tapping the squares and look at the paths. I would like to find more resources like this that involve our curriculum as well.

Resources:

Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

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

Cognitive Learning and Technology

Cognitive Theory and Instructional Technology

Cognitive theory centers on the idea that students need to be introduced to information, manipulate it mentally, and then store it to learn. Students need to understand information in their own way and be able to explain it in the context of their life. Activating prior knowledge and connecting the to material are key to learning.

Micheal Orey writes in regard to using technology as a cognitive tool, “students learn “with” as opposed to “from” computers”. (Orey, 2001). The computer is a malleable tool that is as sophisticated or simple as the questions the user asks as opposed to a teaching machine that just tells information in the same way to each student. One great way that Orey describes a student learning with technology rather than from it is by creating a virtual field trip of a journey around the world. This is great example of cognitive learning because the student is combining interests and experience from his life with information made available by technology.

In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors state that “the instruction strategy cues, questions, and advance organizers focuses on enhancing students ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic”. (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007) Being able to recall and organize information about a topic is crucial from a cognitivist perspective. With my first grade class, I use an organizer called “Kidspiration” which is a tool that lets students create simple webs with pictures or words. For children this young, just helping them along to think deeper about a topic and add details to what they know is important. They have trouble connecting facts about what they are learning about and deciding what are the main facts, and what is most important. However, by working on Kidspiration webs which require one main point and also doing concept sorts on the Smartboard, the students do understand that when they hear facts, they need to connect them to the main topic and filter what is important and not important.

In terms of the strategy, “Summarizing and Note Taking” I know that summarizing is a key element for young children in reading comprehension and in science and social studies subject knowledge. One way that students summarize using technology in my classroom is by adding Clipart to stories that they type in Word. They have to decide what their story is all about and choose just one picture that “summarizes” their work. Also, working together on the Smartboard allows students to create a shared document with things that they know about a topic (class notetaking) and they can share with one another to connect the facts to personal life by having to explain them to another child in a way that they can understand. Students also get a chance to do projects at the end of the year that require them to choose a topic, take notes, type their findings, locate pictures on the computer, and put it all together on a poster.

In the future with first graders or with older children, I would like to see if they could use a Powerpoint presentation to summarize information that they have learned. By having to explain and synthesize the information into their own words, students are following the cognitive process of learning and will be storing the knowledge and the ability to organize thoughts. The strategies suggested by Pitler et al. correlate directly to the cognitive theories because they stress repetition or the material and the students to put things "in their own words".


Resources:

Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

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

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

Praiseaholics?

Thanks for your comment, Douglas. I remember an interesting article I read in undergrad that focused on the negative consequences of positive praise. It argued that it took away the intrinsic value of completing a task and didn't foster task oriented learning. To those reading, what do you think? I know we can't help ourselves from saying "well done" or "good job", but should we try?

Behaviorist Theory and Instructional Practice

Behaviorist theory seems to be inherent in schools, whether purposefully or not. I think that behaviorist methods are great for classroom management because it correlates to real life. When people act inappropriately, they face consequences and so I think that consequences for inappropriate behavior in class make sense.

When it comes to academics, I think that behaviorism can be too black and white at times. In real life, how many questions have a "correct" or "incorrect" answer? When it comes to academic matters, I see in shades of gray. I think that with homework and practice work, the experience itself is what is valuable, not necessarily the outcome. I also don't think that students should be punished for not making academic progress. It creates shame about their abilities, and with the first graders I work with making school a positive place is priority #1 so that they can learn and feel comfortable. I prefer to assess students more informally and provide intervention in positive terms, rather than as a punishment for not meeting the standards. Young children generally like one on one time with the teacher and it makes intervention much more effective.

Also, I don't think that it's appropriate to single students out for good or bad academic behavior. Although my favorite way to reinforce good behavior is to compliment one child that is behaving, I think that the academic aspect is not in the child's control at that age, and therefore it isn't fair to reward or punish their performance. I always think of the child that doesn't meet standards because of a bad home life or limited English, and they will not make the standard no matter how hard they work. I don't think that it's fair for that child to never be able to get the rewards that other children get.

For those reading, I teach first grade at a Title I school with a 75% ESOL population. How is your view different based on the age and community that you teach to?

Reflective Essay

This course has helped me develop my teaching skills by making me more aware of new movements in education, such as “The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills”. I’ve also created a new skill set that I can use with my students, team members, and parents to improve instruction and communication. I have become much more aware of podcasts, blogs and wikis and how they can be used in the classroom.

In any course working with professionals that are working across many grade levels, I feel that I get a greater understanding of the thread of learning that children experience from K-12. As a first grade teacher, it was very informative to see how middle and high school teachers planned to use blogs and wikis in their classrooms, and I felt that I was helping my students to get ahead by exposing them to these things at a young age. By the time that they are in high school, there will probably be new applications that they will use as well.

In early childhood education, teacher centered classrooms are common. The children have little to no exposure to most subjects that one is teaching. However, with the use of wikis, students can compile their own thoughts and knowledge in a meaningful way after the teacher has introduced the material. With podcasts, students can learn to summarize what they have learned in a way that others can understand. Technology can free students to work on a project for as long as they choose, and from the constraints of a teacher centered classroom.

I hope to continue expanding my understanding of technology in education by continuing the Walden University M.S. in Education Technology program and applying what I learn to the classroom. I also plan to attend the International Society for Technology Educators in Denver, CO this June. I hope that the experience will broaden my view of new innovations in the field, and show me new ways to use applications I am already familiar with.

One major goal is to increase the global awareness in my classroom. I would like to find a classroom somewhere else in the county that my students could talk to via webcam messages and share information with throughout the year. No one has ever done this at my school, and student safety is a major concern with this type of project. I will meet with administration and work with parents to make sure that everyone is comfortable and understanding of the meaning of this project.

Another goal that I have is to use student created podcasts as a way to assess how much the students have learned at the end of a given unit. The first obstacle here is getting the equipment required to do a video or audio podcast at school. Teaching first graders to use the equipment would be the easiest part of this project. Easing the mind of parents and administrators is also a priority. Most parents at my school don’t own computers, and don’t trust the internet because they aren’t aware of how we take action to protect the children. I would meet with parents and make sure that they understand the project and how it would benefit their children. I also hope that this idea will take hold at my school and we can all start podcasting and sharing our students’ gifts with others.

I’m looking forward to learning more about how to use technology with students and how to improve my own skills. I think that this class has introduced the “why” of technology in education. Students and teachers can no longer just be consumers of technology and internet information, we must contribute as well

Podcasting in First Grade

Here is the link to my first podcast: http://techandthecity1.podbean.com/

I really enjoyed podcasting and so did my students. Bear this in mind when you listen to this blog: the other 17 students were in the room while we were recording and they were SILENT. They watched and listened to us, and I realized that they probably understood that they needed to be silent from watching Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana in a recording studio! I would really like to continue to podcast as a class and use it as a wrap up to a unit or as a creative activity.