Reflection

The time has come to take a moment and reflect on the GAME plan that I created and see how successful it really was over the past 8 weeks.  Let’s begin by looking at the goals that I had set for myself.

Goal #1 – Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by demonstrating the proper use of digital tools to utilize information sources and quality products that demonstrate knowledge.

Goal #2 – Engage in Professional growth and leadership in my school community by sharing information and creating support systems for other teachers interested in using technology in their own content areas. 

As I now look back over the elapsed time since I set these goals, the most interesting thing that I notice about myself is that I have become more conscientious of the kinds of technology that are out there.  More specifically, I have found that I am often making a point of evaluating how certain technologies can be used effectively in the classroom and how I might be able to implement them in my own teaching. 

Regarding my specific goals:

Goal #1 – I have learned about several new web-based applications that can be used with students to organize and access information.  I have not had as much opportunity as I had hoped to implement these things with students, and that is partly due to the nature of my classroom.  Being in Educational Support, I very rarely create the lessons.  Rather, I help students execute those plans.  In hindsight, I might have chosen a goal that has more to do with knowing all the tools that are out there and knowing how to best implement them in order to enrich the learning process.  That being said, I have found that I am much more aware of how tools can be used.  I’ve also learned that if I can think of a tool that would help, there’s a good chance that somebody out there has already invented it or some acceptable form of it. 

Goal #2 – I feel that I have made much more progress in achieving this goal.  Since the beginning of this course, I have asked for and received a document camera and projector to use in my classroom.  It is the only one in the school, and I have had many teachers stopping by to check it out because the students are telling them about the unique things we’re doing with it in the classroom.  I feel like I have become somewhat of an ambassador of technology and the ways in can be used to supplement learning.  Now that I have this capability, I can more easily demonstrate to my own students how to use the classroom blog that we had created last year.  Before this, I would literally have students huddled around my computer at my desk, 4 or 5 at a time while I demonstrated how to access materials.  With such a powerful visual tool, especially for my students, it really opens up a whole new realm of possibility. 

I like the idea of using the GAME plan with my students because it is one of those things that you do without realizing how powerful it can be.  So often I see my students just doing their assigned work in order to “get the answers” and be done.  They don’t really know why they’re doing the work.  If they would set goals for themselves, or even have someone set goals with them, they would have the benefit of knowing in which direction they are headed and it would serve to guide them more accurately to their learning targets.  

Monitoring My Game Plan

Game Plan Progress

I’m excited to let you all know that I have made some awesome progress in getting my tech-free classroom moved into the 21^st century.   Here’s some of the great things that are happening for us.

1. We have purchased not one, but two sets of student response clickers.  This has been a great asset for me, as well as other teachers.  One of the big pushes we are making, like many schools, is to make formative assessment a larger, more carefully executed part of what we do.  These clickers have bridged the gap for the “old school” teachers who use the method of 3 weeks of information, one day test.  They are liking it because they are seeing better results for students, since they are making adjustments every so often.

2. I found out this week that I’m going to be getting the projector that I’ve been wanting as well as a document camera to use SPECIFICALLY  in my classroom only.  That may not seem like much, but compared to my old chalkboard, it’s going to be pretty amazing.  I can’t wait to start looking around for tips and tricks I can do with it.  If anybody has some awesome suggestions, I’m all ears. 

So far my action plan seems to still be on track, but I am realizing that I am going to have to really push hard to get the kind of technology integration that is really beneficial.  The biggest hurdle I face is that many of the teachers at my school share the feeling that “it’s been done a certain way for a long time and it has worked, it will still work” without realizing that the student of 2011 is different than the student of 1995.  I will be looking for studies and documentation that show just how important and effective the technology can be in order to hopefully convince them that this is a good idea.  

Needs and Wants

Now that I have established my GAME plan for making technology a part of my professional tool belt, it’s time to determine what exactly it is that I will need in order to make the most efficient use of my time and resources to reach my goals.  Here’s a reminder of the goals I have set for myself.

Goal #1 – Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by demonstrating the proper use of digital tools to utilize information sources and quality products that demonstrate knowledge.

Goal #2 – Engage in Professional growth and leadership in my school community by sharing information and creating support systems for other teachers interested in using technology in their own content areas. 

For both of these goals, the number one thing I’m going to need is administrative support.  Without a supportive administration, I won’t have the flexibility or resources necessary to fully implement the kind of technology integration that I know will be beneficial for my students as well as the rest of the school.

In addition to administrative support, I will also need access to various forms of technology that I can test and try in order to find out what works best.  I also feel that it would be beneficial to pair up with someone from a technologically advanced school that can help support my quest with experience and knowledge not readily available in my small environment. 

In terms of additional information, my biggest concern at this point is how I can work on getting funding for the projects I would like to run. I believe it would be helpful to have someone who could assist in writing grants and getting donations, especially once it can be established that this is a worthwhile endeavor.

To date, I have begun discussions with administration, trying to plant the seed of technological usefulness in their minds so that they keep an ear tuned to what’s going on in the rest of the schools in our area.  Hopefully soon we will be making some more progress

The G A M E Plan

Goal #1 – Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by demonstrating the proper use of digital tools to utilize information sources and quality products that demonstrate knowledge

ACTION – I will begin by making sure that I am proficient in all of the tools necessary for students to be successful in their school experience.  Once I feel proficient, I will continuously monitor for new and leading edge technology that students can either use at school or may be using in the global workplace in their careers.  I will make it a priority to expose students to as much new and diverse technology and technology related tools as possible, while modeling appropriate and effective use of those tools. 

MONITORING – I will monitor my own progress by collaborating with other teachers in my field as well as professionals in the workplace to ensure that what I am doing continues to be relevant and useful to my students.  I will determine my success, at least partly, on my students’ recognition of the importance of the technology.

EXTENDING – I will extend my learning and the learning of my students by inviting professionals from a variety of fields to come and speak on technology sources and the importance of technology integration in the workplace.  This will help me stay current and my students understand the importance of what they are trying to accomplish.

Goal #2 – Engage in Professional growth and leadership in my school community by sharing information and creating support systems for other teachers interested in using technology in their own content areas. 

ACTION – My first step in becoming a leader in technology integration at my school will be to demonstrate to teachers, students, parents and administration, just how effective technology can be as a learning and teaching tool as well and the importance technology will play in the workplace these students are heading toward.

MONITORING – I will consider myself making progress when I can convince other teachers who previously had not considered technology to use technology effectively with their own students on a regular basis.  I would also consider it a success if technology grants and donations could be made by administration and parents as they become aware of the benefits.

EXTENDING – As an extension, I would love to take an official role as a technology leader in my school, offering advice and assistance to those interested in integrating technology into their own classroom environment.  As part of this extension, it will be important that I stay up to date on the cutting edge technology that is available and find ways to share it with others quickly and effectively. 

Reflection

Looking back on my “Personal Learning Theory” from week 1, I was actually somewhat impressed by some of the things I was able to key in on during that first week of the course.  The points that I touched on had to do with meaningful information, memorable moments, comfort and safety, and last of all active engagement.  I believe that the first 3 really are to be assumed in the classroom for excellent learning to take place, and obviously engagement and active participation is an important part of that as well.  As I look at how I would modify my personal theory, I believe I would put even more emphasis on making sure that students are active participants in the learning process.  Whether through creating something or working in groups, a student who does is a student who learns.  One thing that has stuck with me for a while now is the idea that the students should be going home more tired than the teacher.  They’re the ones who need to be doing the work; we’re just there to facilitate it.  I believe that more now than ever. 

One adjustment I would make right now regarding technology integration is to continuously check out what is new and available out there.  There were many times during this course that I was introduced to a new program and remembered back to a lesson or unit I did that would have been greatly improved through the implementation of that tool.  The two major tools that I will be trying to get more use out of in my classroom is concept mapping that can be exported to each student and using classroom blogs as a means of communicating essential information and schedules for the week.  We will use the concept maps to organize information and create interactive study guides, since studying is the majority of what we do.  The blog will provide dates and guides for upcoming tests with links to helpful websites and google doc study guides.  I feel like overall I have probably doubled the amount of technology tools I’m aware of and tripled the effectiveness with which I can use them. 

My long term goals for implementing technology in my classroom are as follows:

1. Have student and parent participation in a blog that is specific to my course.

This year, because the blog started in the middle of the year, I didn’t really have much of a chance to show it off to parents and it wasn’t an immediate part of the classroom routine.  Next year I plan to push the blog early and demonstrate to everyone how helpful it is so that they get in the habit of using it.

2. Demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of technology to my administrators in order to improve my own technological situation in my classroom.

In order to make this happen, I may have to resort to getting out some of the resources from this course.  One of the big things I would love to get is a projector so that students and I can work collaboratively on a study document that they can all see and then take ownership in.  I just have to keep asking and prove to them that it will be beneficial. 

My Voice Thread Post

I chose to focus on parental involvement.  My microphone is broken so I was calling my voice notes in, but apparently you only get a limited number.  Check the comments instead!!

http://voicethread.com/share/1711969/

Social Learning Theory

This week’s resources offered some excellent instructional strategies to be used in social learning situations

1.      Jigsaw- The short version is that in a jigsaw, each student becomes an expert on a specific part of a larger topic.  He or she then reports back to the group with the information gathered.  The group can then organize each member’s work in a way that best suits the group’s needs.

I think that this is a great option for a couple of reasons.  First, it makes each group member responsible for some part of the project.  As teachers, we can organize the groups based on the difficulty of the segment in order to adjust for specific student’s educational needs.  Secondly, as the group analyzes the information provided by each member, they have the opportunity to think critically about how valuable and important each piece of information is and organize it accordingly.

2.      Voicethread- Voicethread is a social networking site where anybody can upload images with voice or text comments.  Others can then comment on those uploads with their own voice or text comments to be viewed by the original constructor or others who view the site.

This is a great tool because it allows students to demonstrate what they have learned in a way that is creative and engaging for them.  By thinking about how they are going to present what they learn, the student essentially takes on the role of teacher, which we know has a profound effect on the amount on the level of learning the student will experience on that given topic.  Additionally, the student will have the opportunity to receive feedback and constructive criticism on a project that can be altered and improved upon an infinite amount of times.  This format also creates a situation in which the network of knowledge can be extended literally worldwide.

3.      Web Site Creation- Website creation can take many forms, but the essence is that the student, or group of students will create a website that is intended to be viewed by anyone the learner chooses.

The advantage of this system is the focus on the collaborative process.  Building a website gives the teacher the opportunity to put students in a situation in which collaboration is essential in order to produce a quality project.  Again, students can be grouped based on ability levels or areas of need, and each student can be assigned a specific aspect of the website creation.  Teamwork is emphasized and the finished product is something that the student can take ownership in.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program eight: Connectivism as a Learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program seven: Social learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

January 24-28

Constructionism Learning Theory and Technology....If they build it, they will learn

For all of this week’s resources, I found Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works to be the most insightful for my purposes of understanding how technology could relate to constructionism in the classroom.

In chapter 11, the authors describe various situations in which a hypothesis could be proposed and tested in order to facilitate learning through construction.  In the beginning of the chapter, the authors make two key suggestions to help facilitate the learning process when using this model

1.    Make sure students are able to explain hypotheses and conclusions

2.    Use structured tasks to guide student learning

The authors go on to provide several examples of how various tools and techniques can be utilized in the classroom to promote constructionism learning.  While those methods were really great, the more I read, the more I came to a single conclusion.  Constructionism isn’t really about what you create.  It’s how you create it.

Let’s take a look at constructionism through a teacher’s eyes for a moment.  According to Dr. Orey, the constructionism model is one in which the learner must actively create something, specifically an artifact, that serves to facilitate learning through forced assimilation as well as demonstrate gained knowledge through the final product.  The obvious example is a PowerPoint.  For our purposes here, let’s say that the students are being asked to create a PowerPoint that details information on the life and political career of a certain president.  The teacher may choose to provide very strict guidance, requiring that the student include specific information (significant dates, political views, major accomplishments, family life) and have a corresponding slide for each.  This is probably a great technique for younger students who are new to PowerPoint.  The goal for these students is going to be to learn important facts about a president, learn how to do some research, and get a taste for how to organize information.

Now let’s take a look at the same project done in an AP US History classroom.  Students are given an assignment that says, “Choose a president, tell us what is important, and present the information in a way you see fit.”  By providing the student with fewer requirements of how the presentation is to be made, the student is forced to think about what information to focus on, what it should be organized like, and how to most effectively present it all in a timely and engaging manner. 

These two examples show the versatility of constructionism learning.  By changing just a few details of the assignment, we can adjust it from a 4^th grade level to a 12^th grade level relatively easily.  As with anything else in education, there is a caveat.  When asking students to create something you have to consider one question.  What will the student have learned when this is completed?  Occasionally, in my education support classes, I give assignments with the intention of having them get information from each other.   I’m not terribly concerned with whether they Googled it or found it on their neighbors paper.  The point is that they figured out a way to find the information.   In the same way, learning by construction really needs to be designed by first looking at what you intend to have learned.  If you make your instructional decisions based on that question, you really can’t go wrong.

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

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program Seven. Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories. [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Cognitive Learning Theory and Technology....in Special Education

In this week’s resources regarding cognitive learning theory, Dr. Robert Orey presented evidence for how we learn most effectively.  The first thing he presented was the theory that we learn better when we have an image to connect to whatever we are trying to learn.  He goes on to present the theory of elaboration, by which information is stored to our long term memory and follows that up with a model of how this can be effectively presented in the classroom.  This is the basis for some very powerful connections between how students learn and some pieces of technology that we can use in our classroom to make learning more relevant to our students. 

In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors identify the skills of summarizing and note-taking as two of the most important skills that students can use to increase learning.  Unfortunately for many students, there really isn’t a set age or grade that teachers present note taking, so most students end up learning on the fly or never really grasping the skill.  By utilizing technology, we as teachers can develop our students note-taking and summarizing skills in a way that is simple and straight forward for any student.  Additionally, many of the tips and techniques described by the authors can be utilized through programs like Word or PowerPoint, which most school systems have access to already. 

Another strategy put forth by the offers is the practice of using cues, questions, and advanced organizers.  In my special education bubble at school, I so often see students who come to me with a folder full of notes, a test review sheet, and a list of page numbers to read.  Now I don’t know what happens in their classrooms, and I’m not trying to place blame on the general education teachers, but it seems as though these students have no idea what they are supposed to be learning, let alone whatever they had been presented for the last 2 weeks.  The best strategy I have found for helping them understand the material is to turn it into questions and have them try and find the answers to those questions, using guided notes and adjusted reading amounts in their books.  Teaching this way plays into the cognitive learning theory in the sense that a person who is simply given information will have a hard time remembering that information in the future.  A person who at the very least connects what they are hearing or reading with the attempt to answer a question that they find at least somewhat relevant increases the chances of long term memory storage significantly.

So now the big question that has haunted me since I started taking tech courses.  What does this mean for special education students? The good news is that this understanding of a link between technology and learning is exactly what the special education community is always looking for.  While there are some old standbys that work most of the time for most of the students, these technological “weapons” add a little more firepower to the special education teacher’s arsenal.  How much would these students benefit from learning how to take notes combined with pictures and important information?   I’d like to believe that in many of these student’s cases, it is not so much a case of whether or not they can learn, but more a case of they don’t know how THEY learn as an individual.  This could help close that mysterious gap once and for all.  

Resources

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

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

In the book, Using Technoloyg with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors suggest several strategies for teaching students that appropriate levels of effort can lead to success.  This, of course, ties in nicely with the behaviorist learning theory that we have been discussing as part of our graduate studies.  What The authors suggest is that we teach students the importance of effort by actually helping them to track how much effort they are putting into something and then comparing it to the results of that effort (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., Malenoski, K. 2007).  By having concrete evidence right in front of them, students will be much more likely to find the connection between effort and success.  Additionally, if a student and teacher are looking at the student’s records together, the teacher may be able to make inferences about how that particular student learns most efficiently, thereby improving instruction for all students.   I think you will agree that this is a very behaviorist model of learning; especially considering that many “experts” feel that behaviorism in the classroom is obsolete.  Not only can students learn from what they are doing, but teachers can make curriculum changes based on what works or doesn’t work as well. 

                From my own perspective,  I have found that while the behaviorist model of learning can be a helpful tool, as a special education teacher, the model presents some difficulties when dealing with practice and repetition.  Behaviorism suggests that the more a student practices a skill, the better he or she will become at it.  I’m here to tell you that there are exceptions to this rule, and we know them as students with learning disabilities.  I have had students who could practice the same math problems every day for 2 weeks and the next day that skill is just nowhere to be found.  My question is this: If I as a teacher or he as a student could find a reason ( a really good reason) for him to feel like he had to learn this, could he?  According to a purely behaviorist model, there should be some reward, extrinsic or otherwise, that would make it worth retaining that information.  What should we do for a student like this?


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