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.