EDUC 6713 Final Reflection

My initial goal of my GAME plan was to create, modify or adapt one math lesson a week so that the lesson better “engage(d) students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” (ISTE Standard 1).  My initial reflections indicated that that goal was a bit too lofty and one lesson a week was too much to manage.  One way I adapted my GAME plan was to take time to sort through resources—specifically websites—that I have collected over the years and organized them so I would be able to better utilize them.  This process helped me realize I already have many good tools that will allow me to adapt the teaching of my lessons to better engage students.  I now have my bookmarked websites organized in folders titled the same as each of my math units.  If there is a website I use in multiple units it is included in multiple folders.  Although this was not part of my original plan it has made achieving my goal much easier because now I have many resources right at my fingertips.  A recent observation by a colleague made me realize that although I have made many changes to my instruction I need to make sure I am fully teaching our district adopted curriculum.  Although I am teaching the content of our curriculum I am finding better ways/methods to teach it.  I am struggling to find the correct balance. 

I need to make sure I continue to find more opportunities for student discourse in math.  The lessons are engaging students more in real world contexts but too often it is me presenting the lesson and students are passive—which I guess means they aren’t truly engaged.  I am in the process of rereading a book my school did a school wide book study on several years ago.   The book Classroom Discussions, helps me not only incorporate technology make sure my students are truly engaged. 

I have already started using a modified version of the GAME plan.  With my 4^th grade students it is very structured and has less flexibility for student choice.  However, I am using the language of setting goals, taking action, monitoring and evaluating and extending (Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P., 2009).  Each week students are choosing a math goal based on our state standards and what our current focus is.  Students make a plan to meet the goal and are provided time during our daily math intervention time.  Each week students reflect on whether or not they met their goal(s) and begin making plans for the next week. 

As a result of my learning from this course I will be incorporating more options for online-social collaboration.  My students loved working together on the wiki where they expressed their knowledge of perimeter and area—the 2^nd lesson of my content area plan.  I learned that students collaborating online provided them with the opportunity to teach each other and move their level of understanding to a more concrete level.  I am thinking of creating a homework wiki that students can go do each night to collaborate and provide each other help on their homework.  One obstacle I would have is making sure that students aren’t simple giving each other the answer on the wiki.  Monitoring the wiki would help overcome this challenge.

My learning curve in this course has been substantial.  At times I was ecstatic with the new tools I was learning and other times I was overwhelmed with how I would incorporate them in my class.  This course allowed me to start small and see positive results, which will help me to continue to implement new and exciting technologies. 

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/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.a

O’Connor, C., Canavan-Anderson, N., Chapin, S. (2003). Classroom discussions: Using math talk to help students learn.  Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications. 

Monitoring Your Game Plan Progress

Since creating my GAME plan several weeks ago I am beginning to create a resource bank of authentic lessons connected to my math curriculum.   As I stated in last week’s blog I have realized that my initial goal was a bit to lofty and it is going to take more time to provide authentic resources for each of our curriculums lessons.  I am continuing to look for online resources that connect to my curriculum.  To aid in this process I have contacted our district’s curriculum director and he has put me in touch with other districts that are using the same math curriculum we are using.  One of the districts I have connected with, is further along in technology integration than our district and has already started this process of connecting the math curriculum to technology resources.  I am in the process of seeing how I can use the resources they have gathered to enhance my teaching. 

Although I am not implementing all of the ideas I am getting at this point I can see how the more I incorporate authentic learning activities the higher level learning that will occur.  Based on the lessons/activities I have implemented I am seeing how my students are beginning to make connections from what they are learning in math to how it connects to the real world.  I am struggling to find the balance between continuing to fully implement our curriculum as required by the district while still providing these experiences with my students. 

My students are definitely more engaged in the learning when they are involved in simulations as opposed to pencil/paper work.  Just recently I was teaching my students how to find perimeter and area of a basic rectangle and more complex shapes.  We spent some time doing worksheet type activities and I realized students were quickly becoming bored with this and had memorized the process but weren’t understanding what exactly determining the perimeter and area was telling them.  After meeting with my grade level partner we found several websites that helped students connect the process with why they would need to know perimeter and area.  A few of the websites we used were: http://tinyurl.com/e4jrh;  http://www.funbrain.com/poly/index.html;  http://www.mathplayground.com/area_perimeter.html

Reviewing My Game Plan

So,  perhaps I was feeling a bit ambitious when I initially wrote my GAME plan…or perhaps I am now feeling a bit overwhelmed with report cards, conferences, the holidays and well, the list goes on.  In my GAME plan I had a goal of rewriting or adapting one math lesson a week to “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems” and to “incorporate digital tools and resources”.   I am definitely feeling like that was a bit of a lofty goal to meet on my own. 

Part of my original plan was to meet weekly with my grade level partner to adapt/modify one of the lessons.  I now realize this isn’t going to be able to happen each week.  I have revised my goal so that it is more realistic for my teaching partner and myself.  We will work to revise several lessons of each unit in math we teach.  Instead of reinventing the wheel I have been doing some searching on the web for other teachers that have already started this process.  I have found several resources where teachers have adapted our curriculum’s lessons to be used with a SMARTboard.  One such resource I will be using is http://tinyurl.com/SMARTmathexpressions Another source I have come across is the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives.  This website is making it so that I can easily “incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity”.  To stay abreast of new ideas of how to incorporate technology into the classroom I have subscribed to the “Math Solutions” online newsletter featured by Marilyn Burns. 

At this point I haven’t progressed too far in reaching my goal.  I plan to recommit myself after I have finished report cards and the next five days of parent teacher conferences.  What’s important is that I recommit to my goal and recognize there will be times when I will not be able to make as much progress as I had originally planned.  

Developing My Personal GAME Plan

The two indicators of the ISTE NETS for Teachers that I would like to strengthen are Standard 1, Indicator B and Standard 2, Indicator A.  The first indicator that I would like to increase my confidence and proficiency in is my ability to “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources”.  The second indicator I have chosen to create a GAME plan for is m ability to “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity”.   These are two areas have spent countless hours talking to colleagues about.  The problem is we have made little progress in the area of change.   

Goal: To increase my proficiency and confidence in these two areas I want to make sure at least one math lesson a week meets these two indicators.  If this year I adapt and change one lesson a week to meet these two indicators I will work next year to adapt the remainder of the lessons with the help and support of my colleagues. 

Action: In order to meet this goal I will work with my teacher partner during our weekly planning time.  We will use our math curriculum textbook and pick a lesson that could be adapted in order to give students a real world or authentic problem.  Much of our math curriculum’s lesson will easily fit this requirement.  Next, I will work to incorporate a digital tool to provide an alternate way to teach the concept.  Perhaps, students will view online advertisements to learn about percentages; view online weather resources to learn about the different types of graphs or how to determine mean, median and mode.  What ever digital tool I choose to use it will have a real world/authentic application. 

Monitor: As I begin to take action I will need to make sure this goal is manageable.  While adapting each lesson and providing students with a real world/authentic purpose I must still continue to teach/use the required district curriculum.   Once I spend more time on adapting lessons I might see how I can integrate other content areas.  For example, in math we are currently learning about the different types of graphs and mean, median, mode and range.  In science, we are learning about salmon.  Using online resources I can incorporate the two contents to ensure that both curricula goals are still being met. 

Evaluate and Extend: One way I will evaluate whether or not my goal is met is by observing student behavior and performance.  My hope is that the changes I make based to the lessons will increase student interest and participation.  I will be able to compare how students are motivated when I do a lesson that isn’t authentic and doesn’t allow creativity with a lesson that does.  In addition, I can seek comments from students.  Based on what I find, I will either work to modify and adapt more lessons or rethink my GAME plan. 

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/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.a

EDUC 6713--Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas

Welcome to my blog for EDUC 6713-Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas

EDUC 6711 Final Reflection

           Most teachers would agree that technology has a place in the classroom.  But when they are given the technology they rarely use it.  When I talk to these teachers it is because they do not know how to use it and are fearful of breaking it.  This course has allowed me to see first hand technologies place in the classroom and how it connects to learning theories.  I have learned to use technology as more than an instructional tool but as a learning tool. 

My personal theory of learning has not changed as a result of this course but I now see the important role technology plays in helping my students learn.  I still consider myself a social constructivist who blends in the ideas of behaviorism and cognitivism.  This summer my classroom will become a model technology classroom, as I will be receiving a Smart Board, document camera, projector, laptop and a set of SMART Response devices.  This course has allowed me to think ahead about how I will use these new tools as learning tools not simply instructional tools.  Just as I will spend time learning how to use these tools this summer, I will spend time teaching my students how to use these tools.  Just as I have been intentional about how I teach without technology I will need to be intentional about how I teach with technology.

Immediate adjustments I will make to my instructional practice are the inclusion of some of the instructional strategies we have learned about in this course.  Although I would love to begin to incorporate and master all nine instructional strategies immediately, I know this is not realistic or best practice (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).   I will use technology to help students create nonlinguistic representations and cooperate with peers outside of our school community.  I will begin to utilize E-Pals and pair students up with a peer from another school in the United States—or perhaps another county.  Other technology tools I will incorporate are Voice Threads, Inspiration, Glogster and virtual field trips.  The incorporation of these tools will help me to meet the diverse needs of my learners because as I am reaching out to many different intelligences (Duffy & McDonald, 2008).   Dr. Orey shared that the human brain makes connections through experience—and the more varied the experiences are the more likely humans are to make the connections and to be able to recall the information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010d).   My repertoire of instructional skills has not necessarily been expanded but refreshed as a result of this course.  I vaguely remembered learning in college about the nine instructional strategies discussed in this course.  But because I was only reading about them in a textbook I quickly forgot about them and was not always implementing them in my class.  Now, as a result of this course, I am reminded that “education is complex” and I must know my learners and use a variety of instructional skills, tools and strategies (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).  

One long-term goal change I would like to make to my instructional practice is to commit to using technology as a learning tool not only an instructional tool.  Learners need to be active in the learning process—not sitting on the sidelines waiting to be filled with information.  Dr. Orey tells us that when students are engaged in learning and the creation of an artifact they work to resolve their disequilibrium (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c). 

Another long-term goal change I would like to make to my instructional practice is to look at lessons I teach year after year and see how I can make modifications to incorporate technology as a learning tool.  Many of my lessons can be enhanced by incorporating technology as a learning tool.  I will work to see how I can utilize Wikis, blogs, virtual field trips, web quests and other tools we have learned about to make the most out of my lessons. 

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program eleven. Instructional strategies, Part one [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

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

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010d). Program two. Brain research and learning [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Instructional Strategy of Cooperative Learning and the Social Learning Theory

I think back to just fifteen years ago when I was in high school.  My teachers taught using an overhead projector, white board and in some cases a chalkboard.  My friends and I communicated via hand written notes, phone calls and stopping by each other’s houses.  Fast forward to present time.  Now we teach using a document camera, projector, SmartBoard, and the Internet.  Friends communicate with each other via text messaging, Facebook, Skype and cell phones.  Because of the rapid change in technology, people are able to interact with each other in ways that only a few years ago weren’t even possible. As teachers it is our job to incorporate the technology into our class to allow “students to interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). 

I believe that social learning is the foundation of a lesson that uses cooperative learning groups.  Cooperative learning activities require students to use their communication skills to explain their thinking.  They must also be active listeners—truly understanding what the other members of his/her group are communicating.  In addition, integrating technology into cooperative learning can provide students with opportunities to interact with people outside of their school community. 

In “Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works” the idea of keypals is shared.  Keypals are the modern version of penpals.  A couple of times a month I receive a letter in my school mailbox from a student who is part of the “Great Mail Race”. The letter is often a form letter and all my students would do is fill in a fill in the blank survey.  I will admit that I almost always toss these letters in recycling because I see little educational value to my students. Using keypals modernizes this idea and allows students to collaborate with students across the United States and the world.  This type of social communication would provide students with an opportunity to work on their writing skills while also teaching them about the lives of other students and cultures (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  I am thinking next year I might use http://www.epals.com/ to have my students connect with someone from each of the 50 states. 

In addition to the use of keypals students can collaborate with one another through the use of WebQuests, websites and online simulations (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  All of these resources allow student communication, collaboration and promote critical thinking.  As teachers we must begin to change the way we teach by incorporating technology into our social learning activities.  A simple web search of “elementary webquests” or “online simulations” and you’ll find a tool you can use in your classroom.  Check out one site I found when I Googled “elementary webquests” to help get you started http://www.owen.k12.ky.us/trt/elementarywebquests.htm  

References:

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

Voice Thread Link

Check out my 1st Voice Thread Creation at http://voicethread.com/share/2086229/

Constructivism in Practice

            The instructional strategies described in this week’s resources correlate with the principles of constructivist/constructionist learning theories because they provide authentic learning opportunities resulting in the creation of an artifact.  The use of data collection tools and web resources allow students to see the bigger picture, often relating it to their own experiences (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).   Whether students are participating in a Web Quest, online simulation or the creation of a Power Point presentation they are engaged in learning that is personal to them which is key to the learning theory of constructionism (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).

Problem based instruction also reflects the ideas of constructivist/constructionist learning theories.  Student centered learning that requires collaboration to solve a problem allows students to learn that there is not always a right or wrong answer to everything (Orey, 2001).  Students begin to create their own ideas and connect their new learning to past learning experiences.  Much like problem-based instruction, a classroom environment that focuses on learning by design, provides students with “hands-on experiences in real-world contexts” (Orey, 2001).   

I believe one of our goals as educators is to prepare our students for the yearly-standardized tests but more importantly I believe I must prepare them for life after their formal schooling has ended.  To be able to do this,  it is critical that I provide students with learning experiences that reflect the theories of constructionism and constructivism.   One website that I have used to meet this goal is http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/  which provides many great online simulation.   Through the use of websites like “Shodor”  and other instructional strategies that reflect the ideas of the constructivist/constructionist theories of learning we will prepare our students for school and their years after school.  

References: 

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

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

Cognitivism in Practice

          According to Dr. Michael Orey cognitive learning theories “revolve around information processing” (Laureate, 2010).  Information processing is more than just taking information in and regurgitating it on a test.  To be able to process information a students needs to be able to take the new information and connect it to prior information (Laureate, 2010).  For a student to make these connections they need to be engaged in activities that provide elaboration, episodic experiences and connect images to text (Laureate, 2010).  The instructional strategies discussed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking” are key in helping students make connections (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

 

            Concept mapping tools can be used to help students to organize, reorganize and use information related to a particular writing assignment allowing students to focus on their learning—not writing, erasing, rewriting, erasing, etc.  Other uses of concept maps provide students cues about what they are about to learn  (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Concept maps can help students to question their learning, activate background knowledge while making connections for new learning.  Providing students with this tool helps them to organize information as they learn (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  It is also important that students are provided tools to help them learn to summarize and take notes.  Online Concept mapping resources, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word are tools that can improve students’ effectiveness in summarizing and note taking.

            Virtual field trips are another way for students to engage in episodic experiences—thus helping them make connections from their prior knowledge to new knowledge.  Virtual field trips provide students with the opportunity to travel to places they would not have otherwise been able to travel.  These experiences allow teachers to use higher level questioning because students are not having to simply recall facts they read in a textbook. 

Using concept maps and virtual field trips will help me teach for understanding because I will be meeting the varied learning styles of my classmates.  No longer will students just be receiving the information auditory or reading it in a text.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program five. Cognitive learning theory [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

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

Analysis of Instructional Strategies and Correlation with Principles of Behaviorist Theory

          The instructional strategy of reinforcing student effort is related to the behaviorist learning theory.  When you help students recognize the correlation between effort and achievement you are reinforcing the idea of what you see is what you get.  Knowing that the behaviorist theory of learning is based on what you can observe; tracking effort vs. achievement helps students see the connection between the two (Orey, 2001).  If students keep track of their effort and achievement using a spreadsheet and then graph the relationship they receive feedback resulting in positive or negative reinforcement.   

Homework, like the behaviorist learning theory, is surrounded by controversy.  It is my belief and philosophy that homework has a place within my 4^th grade classroom.  Homework provides “students a chance to review and apply what they have learned” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Research shows that “mastery requires focused practice over days or weeks. After only four practice sessions students reach a halfway point to mastery. It takes more than 24 more practice sessions before students reach 80 percent mastery. And this practice must occur over a span of days or weeks, and cannot be rushed” (Anderson, 1995; Newell & Rosenbloom, 1981).  As teachers it is necessary that we provide our students extra practice time and one-way to do this is through the use of homework. 

Another way to provide this practice is through the use of web resources.  Web resources can be used individually, small group or whole group at school or from a student’s home.  Web resources provide students positive reinforcement for correctly answered questions.  I use several behaviorist technology sites that allow students to review concepts taught in class.  The sites I use most frequently are: http://www.ixl.com (subscription required), www.internet4classrooms.com/ and http://illuminations.nctm.org/.  The links and corresponding activities on these sites provide students with what Dr. Orey calls programmed instruction (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Using technology in this way provides students more practice than what is provided within a particular lesson helping students reach mastery level (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). 

Despite the continued controversy about the effectiveness of the use of the behaviorist theory in the classroom—I will continue to use it to meet the individual needs of the 26 nine and ten year olds in my 4^th grade class.  Through direct modeling and teaching of the relationship between effort and achievement and the continued use of homework and practice resources my students will be better prepared for life beyond the classroom. 

References:

Anderson, J. R. (1995). Learning and memory: An integrated approach. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

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

Newell, A., & Rosenbloom, P. S. (1981). Mechanisms of skill acquisition and the law of practice. In J. R. Anderson (Ed.), Cognitive skills and their acquisition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

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

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

Reflection: Final Blog Posting

Introduction

            Only a few short months ago I felt like I knew a lot about technology and felt like I was doing a good job of implementing technology in my classroom.  However, after completing EDUC 6710 I now realize that I have a long way to go to meet the needs of my students in my class.  This course has made me aware of 21^st century skills and how I need to make changes to my teaching and thinking in order to help prepare students for life beyond school. 

·  In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?

            Most importantly this course gave me the confidence to try out new technologies such as wikis, blogs, and podcasts.  I had heard of these technologies but was not sure how they would enhance my teaching.  However, after having participated in the creation and use of each one I now see first hand how they can enhance my teaching and student learning.  I already have plans to create a wiki or blog as a way to help my students respond to a book they read within their literacy group.  This course has also helped me realize that developing my technology skills takes time.  Taking the first step was key and now I must continue to take small steps to change the way I teach.  EDUC 6710 also helped me to realize that my students are a very helpful source about how to use these tools.  Several of my students are more knowledgeable than me and by turning to them for help they begin to realize that just because I am the teacher; I do not hold all of the answers (Richardson, 2010).

          ·   In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?

            My knowledge of the teaching and learning process has deepened because I have been forced to think about the “why” of each lesson that I do.  I now think more critically about if a lesson is providing students with worthwhile skills or is it just a lesson I have always done with out a real lasting impact.  Questioning my teaching has been hard and at times I have been quite disappointed with some of the lessons I have typically used.  I realize that I was mostly just doing things differently not actually doing different things (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).

·  In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?

            Changing my perspective from being teacher-centered to learner centered has been difficult for me and continues to be a work in progress.  When I am successful at creating a learner centered activity I see the benefits and the motivation of my students.  During these types of lessons I get the chance to see my students problem solve, think critically and come to conclusions on their own.  I still need to work on giving over control and letting my students be the source of knowledge or discover how to find the answer to their questions without coming to me.  Continuing to make this shift will be one of my long-term goals. 

·  In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?

            I will continue to increase student achievement by further expanding my knowledge of learning, teaching and leading with technology.  EDUC 6710 has familiarized me with several educational blogs and websites that I now frequently follow—thanks to the ability of RSS feeds. Hearing and seeing first hand what others are doing in their classroom around the area of technology integration is what will help me most to expand my knowledge.  As I continue my studies at Walden University I also hope to further explore wikis, blogs, podcasting etc. so I become more aware of their educational capabilities.   My teaching will continue to change by continuing to make small changes to how I teach.  This time of year in the classroom is a great time of year to try out these changes because my students are aware of my expectations and I know a lot about their capabilities.  Trying new things now will help me implement them at the start of the new school year next year. 

·  Set two long-term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?

            My first long-term goal would be to create a class blog.  I would like to post daily on this blog and have students respond to my questions and each other.  My biggest obstacle to achieve this goal is limited access to technology.  Having only one computer in my classroom limits the students chance to contribute.  Most of my students have a computer at home that they can contribute but I would like to be able to provide time in class for students to respond.  To overcome the obstacle of limited technology I need to work with the librarian on setting up a designated time several times a week that my students can use the computers for blogging or other technology related activities.  This will be a challenge as all classes use our library as both a library and computer lab.  Another obstacle is not having permission from all students to participate in blogging.  To overcome this I need to educate families on the benefits of using blogs and let them know the safety measures that are in place to protect students from interacting with strangers online. 

            My second long-term goal is for me to continue to shift my classroom from being teacher centered to learner centered.  For this goal I do not feel like there are any external obstacles.  To meet this goal I must begin to change my mindset and turn over control to the students.  Setting high expectations, modeling and guiding students to be successful will be key.  Providing students with project-based activities that requires the use of 21^st century thinking skills will put them in control of their learning. 

·  Refer to your checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course?

            When I refer back to the checklist from the beginning of this course I realize I have started changing my practices to support 21^st century skills.  The main area is that I have developed a vision for technology integration in my classroom.  I have also started having the conversation with my colleagues about promoting technology integration.  In my teaching practice I have changed because I am now using digital tools to collaborate with parents; students are exploring new technologies helping them solve real world problems and I am designing more instructional activities requiring student collaboration to accomplish a task. 

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). EDUC 6710: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work and Society [DVD]. The emergence of educational technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:Corwin. 

Podcast: Profiling the Students of Today

Recently I orally surveyed my 4th grade students about their technology uses at home and at school.  Based on the survey I've created a podcast with highlights from the survey and an overall demographic of my students.

Listen to the Podcast: Profiling the Students of Today

Week 4 Application--Evaluating 21st Century Skills

Your reaction to the website

My initial reaction to the website was how will we as teachers find more time to teach more content to our students?  As I spent more time exploring the website and better understanding the mission of the Partnership I realize that 21^st century skills should and must be integrated with our current content/curriculum.   I feel the strength of P21 is that business, education, community and government leaders are all part of the effort. 

Information on the site that surprised you or helped you develop a new understanding of the issues surrounding 21st-century skills

I am surprised and disappointed at how few states have committed to being a P21 Leadership State.  However, in a time of extreme budget cuts in the educational system I see why other states have not made the commitment.   But, on the other hand, I think now is the time that we need to make the commitment to preparing students for the 21^st century workplace.   

In addition to spending more time exploring the “Route 21” and “Video 21” sections of the website, I would like to spend some time checking out the educational systems of those states who have incorporated 21^st century readiness skills into their classrooms.  By viewing states that have been incorporating these skills perhaps I will gain some ideas of how I can begin to take the necessary step of incorporating the skills. 

Finally, I was surprised at how developed the P21 organization is having not heard about it before this course.  The website is very expansive and I look forward to spending more time exploring the numerous links. 

Information or opinions on the site that you disagree with along with an explanation of why you disagree

            After spending several different days exploring the website of the P21 Organization I have not found any ideas or opinions that I disagree with.  When clicking on one of the links from the homepage to visit their “Twitter” page I was surprised that the last tweet was from October 2010.  Under the “Events and News “ tab I found similar results.  I was surprised that an organization promoting 21^st Century Skills would not have more recent tweets and news and events. 

            I question why more states have not become partners of the 21^st Century Skills organization.  My thinking is if there are other similar national (or state) organizations with a similar mission that are competing against the P21 organization.  However, after doing a search I was unable to find anything similar to The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.  

The implications for your students and for you as a contemporary educator

            As a contemporary educator it is imperative that I help close the “gap” between what my students learn in school and the skills they will need to be successful in the workplace.  It is a bit daunting to figure out how I will begin to infuse the three R’s and four C’s proposed by P21 when my state’s assessment do not yet test these more authentic…and perhaps worthwhile skills.  I must figure out how to incorporate activities that incorporate the three R’s and the 4 C’s while still preparing students for our state assessments.  

Using Blogs in My Classroom

As a 4th grade teacher I would like to use  a blog in my classroom as a tool to communicate with families and share with them the work we are doing in our classroom.  Ultimately I would like to eliminate my weekly newsletter that students receive a hard copy of and sometimes their parents get it and sometimes they don't.  Using a blog to communicate with families would help make sure both parents of students whose parents are divorced are getting the latest updates about what is going on in class.  If a parent is out of town and a student is staying with relatives the parent can still stay up to date.  

On the classroom blog I would post announcements, homework assignments, helpful websites, tutorial videos and upcoming events.  I have looked into adding a calendar on my blog where I can add events but haven't found what I am looking for.   Although I am currently sending this type of information home with the students it is often lost in the backpack or gets thrown away once it gets home.    

Using a blog for communication with families is only doing something a different way--not doing something different.  As I become a more familiar with blogging I would like to begin to do different things.  One thing is to use the blog to showcase student work.  I could post student writing samples, a great way to solve a math problem, or a myriad of other student work samples.  


Ultimately I will have students blogging but need to figure out how to make this a reality with such limited technology at my school and the various technologies that students have at home.  When I am able to get students set up as bloggers they will have an authentic audience and be able to receive comments and or feedback on their work.  This will give some students an opportunity to respond to a question or topic that maybe they are not confident sharing verbally in front of their peers.  Or those who take more time to process and think critically about a response will be able to do this through the use of a classroom blog.  

The Purpose

I am brand new to blogging but hope to discover some wonderful uses for my classroom.  I am a 4th grade teacher and would love for my students to be able to blog to help them enhance their writing skills and to reach out to a larger audience.  I've set up this blog as a requirement for a Master's course that I am taking.  The idea is that if I begin to get comfortable with the technology on my own I will then begin to use it in my classroom.  It is so important that we incorporate technology into our classroom as this is the world our students have grown up in and it will be the world will send them out to.

If anyone has any great ideas on how they use Blogs in their classroom I'd love to hear from you.  Also if you know a teacher who is currently using a Blog in his/her classroom I would love to check it out.   As I get ideas from my classmates I will post them so we can all learn from each other.  I look forward to hearing your ideas.

Hello World!