EDUC 6713 Reflection

My first GAME plan addressed the “Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments” NETS-T indicator (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  My goal was to add at least two new digital tools or assessments to one of my existing unit plans in Social Studies.  The unit plan I chose to add digital tools to was one that focused on Immigration.   I was able to successfully contact my district’s technology expert who did finally e-mail me a few website suggestions and digital tool ideas.  One website, History.com, was suggested and looks to be a great resource for quick video clips and reading material.  The only problem is that the reading material seems to be a bit too complex for my fifth graders, so I may have to edit it before they would read it.  Also, my district’s technology expert talked to me about using the Prezi program on the Internet to make fun PowerPoint type presentations.  I also talked to some of my teaching colleagues and they suggested using a video camera or an audio recorder to have students interview some people they know from different cultures whose family members immigrated to the United States.  With the information and resources I’ve gathered, I have decided to incorporate some of the suggested websites into my existing Immigration unit to support and enhance the content and I also have decided to include a final project in the unit that utilizes a digital tool.  The final project digital tool will take the form of digital storytelling.  I want my students to put themselves in the shoes of the immigrants that came over to the United States in and tell their story using the iMovie program.  The only thing left I have to do is to create a rubric for the final project.  I have gone through many revisions of this plan but am satisfied with the end result. 

My second GAME plan addressed the “Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility” NETS-T indicator (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  My goal was to promote and model digital etiquette as students participate socially with technology.  I wanted to teach students how to effectively use digital etiquette as they wrote posts and responses on the classroom blog website.  I had already located my resources for this GAME plan and did some research on digital etiquette using the Walden database.  I came up with a digital etiquette checklist for my students to utilize as they collaborate on the classroom blog website (for example: “Is your writing polite?” and “Did you use correct spelling and punctuation?”).  It has been a great tool so far and my students have been much better about their postings.  I taught one lesson to students on digital etiquette in my class and video recorded the lesson.  During this lesson I passed out the checklists and we went over them together and gave both good and bad examples.  It ended up being a lot of fun and as I watched the video later, I noticed how well students were focused throughout the process.  It seems that any time technology is involved, students are automatically engaged and motivated.  I revised this GAME plan by only teaching one lesson on digital etiquette and by not having students really read any of the articles I printed out from the Walden database (some of them were a little bit too complex anyway!)

The new learning that took place for me during this process was actually learning the process of creating a GAME plan.  I love the acronym for the process and think it makes a lot of sense.  It helped me stay organized and on task with my goals.  It was very specific and easy for me to follow and allowed me to be reflective throughout.  When thinking about my students, I know they would also benefit from using this GAME plan step-by-step process.  I would love to use it at the beginning and end of each grading quarter and have students come up with a specific goal for achievement.  It is a great way to get students involved in their own learning and to have them start taking more responsibility.  This process could also be used at the start of a unit and the teacher could provide students with the goal and they could on their own come up with their actions, ways to monitor, and ways to evaluate their progress. 

One immediate adjustment I plan to make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration is to start using my classroom blog website more.  Also, I am really excited about digital storytelling and the many uses it can serve in a unit.  I plan to use digital storytelling in my Immigration unit next year as a final project.  Digital storytelling is one of the best cross-curricular tools as it can improve student writing skills and incorporate are and creativity (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).  Problem-based learning is such an important tool to use within a classroom as it makes learning more authentic and meaningful to students.  It is easier for students to make connections between content areas and also between the existing knowledge they have.  Learning becomes more real-world and students begin to develop a passion for it.  I plan to help students become more self-directed in their learning so they can develop into lifelong learners, and using technology can help “support students’ interests, creativity, and motivation” when participating in content learning (Cennamo, Ross, Ertmer, 2010, p 40). Social networking has proven to be a great tool to get students talking and collaborating on activities and projects.  It is a safe environment for them to take risks and share ideas.  I love that parents and other teachers and students can be part of the social networking collaboration process and as a team, everyone works together toward new learning. 

 

Resources:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom

use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

 

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

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

 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across Content

Monitoring my GAME Plan Progress

My first GAME plan addressed the “Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments” NETS-T indicator (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  As far as resources and information are concerned, I have been able to successfully contact the technology expert from my district.  I told them via e-mail about my plan to incorporate two new technology tools into one of my existing Social Studies units.  Unfortunately do to the end of the year activities, we are unable to meet before school lets out.  Instead, my technology expert is going to e-mail me again in a few weeks with some ideas and websites.  I already have a computer and access to the Internet so that is taken care of.  I have set up a meeting with my other fifth grade teaching partner for the end of the year to look over and plan the unit together.  One thing I may need to modify in this plan is that I am going to do some research on my own.  It may take a while for the technology expert to get back to me so I am going to go to the public library and see if I can get some more ideas and resources.  I have learned so far that this is a process that is not necessarily quick or easy.  It takes time and patience.  I’m glad I’ll have an entire summer to think about this GAME plan.  So far, no new questions have arisen.

 

My second GAME plan addressed the “Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility” NETS-T indicator (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  So far I have been able to access the BrainPop website and locate a video I want to show my students.  I have also been able to do a little bit of research on technology etiquette using the Walden library database.  I have bookmarked and saved several articles that I plan on reading in the near future.  Over the weekend I asked several of my friends what they thought digital etiquette meant and I wrote down some of the common responses.  Most of them said that it meant being polite, citing sources, and treating people fairly online.  My classroom blog is already set up so that is good to go and now all I need to do is adjust some of the lesson plans I created and get my digital camera ready.  I have learned again that it takes time to develop and work through any GAME plan.  It really does require a lot of work and organization along with important periods of reflection and adjustment.  The only question that is in my head for this GAME plan is what digital etiquette exactly means.

 

Resources:

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

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

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

My first GAME plan addressed the “Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments” NETS-T indicator (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  I will need several resources to carry out my plan to build confidence in this area.  The first resource I will need is a technology expert from my district.  I will sit down with this person or e-mail them and tell them my plan to add two digital tools to my Social Studies unit.  After some conversation, we should be able to come up with at least two tools.  Then, I am actually going to need to learn those digital tools myself if I don’t already know them.  I will need information on how to work the programs or tools selected and I will need to practice with them.  Another resource I am going to need to carry out this GAME plan is an Internet connection and most likely a computer.  I will also need time.  I plan to take time both before and after school to work on integrating two technology pieces into my Social Studies unit for next year.  I may also need to create some rubrics for grading or behavior expectations.  Meeting with a colleague will be extremely beneficial because we can plan the unit together and discuss the various options we have with technology.  I may also need to watch YouTube tutorial videos on how to work the digital tools we select.  So far, I have been able to choose the Social Studies unit I plan to integrate technology into.  Also, I have contacted our district’s technology guru and am in the process of discussing my goals.

 

My second GAME plan addressed the “Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility” NETS-T indicator (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  I will again need several resources to carry out my plan to build confidence in this area.  First, I will need to access the BrainPop website for videos to support what I am teaching.  I will use the videos they have on technology and digital etiquette.  Also, I myself need to be better versed on digital etiquette and what that exactly means, so I plan to research some articles on the topic via my library’s database.  Once I do some of my own research and reading, I may also want to watch some videos on YouTube or other video sharing sites so I can see what the general public thinks about digital etiquette.  This would help make my teaching more relevant to the real world.  I am also going to reach out to other colleagues in my building who use blog sites and discuss how they manage digital etiquette in their classrooms.  I will need to use my classroom blog site as well as a video recorder and a computer.  I plan to video tape my lessons on digital etiquette as a tool for reflection and growth.  So far, I’ve been able to gather a video recorder, bookmark the videos from BrainPop, and write out lessons for teaching my students about digital etiquette. 

 

In both GAME plans I will need my teaching journal to write reflections, observations, and to record and synthesize data.  Also, in both GAME plans I will use sort of a self-questioning learning strategy where I ask questions, monitor, reflect, and adjust.  I will participate in metacognition and think about what is and what is not helping me learn and become more comfortable with mastering confidence in these NETS-T indicator areas.

 

Resources:

 

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

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

ISTE NETS-T GAME Plan

After looking through the NETS-T indicators and reflecting on my own strengths and weaknesses, I have decided on the two areas that I need to develop more confidence in and strengthen my abilities.  The first indicator I chose as something that I need to improve on is “Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  My game plan for strengthening my confidence in this indicator is as follows:

G(oal): Add at least two new digital tools or assessments to one of my existing unit plans in Social Studies. 

A(ction): Go back through the Social Studies unit on Immigration with my teaching partner and add the use of a presentation tool and an online field trip.  Use the Scholastic website to take students through a virtual field trip at Ellis Island.  Test if the ipads would work so individual students could go through the field trip at their own pace.  If they do not work, go through together on the Interactive Whiteboard.  Add a presentation tool like Microsoft PowerPoint to have students create a slideshow of journal entries they wrote in the voice of an immigrant.  Have students add pictures and present orally.

M(onitor): Test the ipads before student use.  If they work, walk around and help students as they go through the field trip.  Take a few notes on how they are working.  If the ipads do not work, write a reflection after the lesson on how the field trip went on the Interactive Whiteboard.  Leave this reflection paper in the unit folder for the next year with suggestions for improvement.  Monitor students while they create their PowerPoints and assist them as necessary.  Save some student examples and also write a reflection on how this piece worked.

E(valuate):  Take a look at the reflections that were written about the new technology activities added to the unit.  Synthesize the reflection data and any other data or samples that were created.  Take this data to other colleagues in the building to share and get some insight.  Write down any pros, cons, and ideas for improvement and add to the unit folder for next year.  Reflect on growth in this area of NETS-T.

 

The second NETS-T indicator I chose as something I need to improve on is “Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).  My game plan for strengthening my confidence in this indicator is as follows:

G(oal): To promote and model digital etiquette as students participate socially with technology.  Teach and have students effectively use digital etiquette as they write posts and responses on the classroom blog.

A(ction): Take one or two full class periods to teach students about digital etiquette.  Use the BrainPop website to support discussions with video clips.  Show students examples of both good and bad digital etiquette and have students decide why the examples are either good or bad.  Provide students with various social media scenarios where they must decide how to respond with good digital etiquette.  Have students apply their knowledge on the classroom blog site and respond to their peers.

M(onitor): Walk around as students have discussions about digital etiquette.  Watch as students take the BrainPop quizzes after the short video and analyze the results.  Listen to how students respond to the scenarios provided to gather whether they have grasped the content or not.  Adjust the lessons accordingly.  Read what students write on the classroom blog and on their responses to one another.  Have students write reflections and write a personal reflection on how the lessons went. 

E(valuate): Video tape the lessons on digital etiquette.  View it with another colleague and discuss how it went.  Write down pros and cons and suggestions for improvement.  Also evaluate the students’ blog posts and share with a colleague.  Synthesize all of the data gathered and decide if the lessons were effective.  Reflect on growth in this area of NETS-T.

 

Resources:

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

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

Reflection 6711

During the first week of this course, I created a personal learning model that reflected my practice in the classroom.  Looking back on that personal learning model, I feel that not a whole lot has changed since completing this course.  I still use a majority of methods associated with Constructivism and Social Constructivism in my classroom.  Like it said in my personal learning model, I still continue to open lessons in a way that activates students' prior knowledge and engages and motivates them to learn.  My lesson activities usually revolve around student exploration where they create meaning themselves by working together using resources I provide.  My closure activities still are designed to reinforce the content.  As my personal learning model originally stated, I am still a firm believer in the power of experience and believe now more than ever that students learn best when they are actively engaged in the process.  Dr. Michael Orey really helped confirm my own beliefs but also open my eyes to how powerful certain strategies and theories are.  I also rarely if ever use operant conditioning or drill and practice type methods like in the Behaviorist theory.  One theory I do not use but am considering incorporating a little is Cognitivism where I can "chunk" information in certain ways that appeal to the senses. 

I think the only modification I would make to my personal learning model is the addition of Cognitivism in a small way.  I do use a lot of visual pictures and so forth in my lessons, but I would like to incorporate even more.  I also really want to add a limit to the amount of information I give to students.  I liked how I learned in the Cognitivism theory that students really should not have more than seven new pieces of information in a lesson.  Showing students connections between ideas is also a modification I would make that would be extremely beneficial to their learning.

This course has really influenced the way I see students and how they learn.  I am more motivated than ever to make sure students are actively engaged in activities and in their learning.  It is really interesting to observe other teachers in my building and decide what learning theory their activities represent.  I feel more confident in my ability to impact student achievement because I know great strategies that are extremely effective that I learned from this course. 

The immediate adjustments I would make with technology integration is to stop using my Interactive Whiteboard as a projection tool and more of an interactive tool with students.  Also, I want to have students create more projects using technology instead of using posters or pamphlets.  Two specific technology tools I plan to use with students are the PowerPoint or Prezi software where students can create something with new material they learn and also the VoiceThread software.  These technology tools are excellent for students to use to show what they have learned or to have them create tools they can teach other students with.  This technology is very user-friendly and would support their creativity and allow them to make connections between content.

My repertoire of instructional skills has definitely expanded as a result of this course.  The strategies I read about each week that went along with the different specific learning theories were ones I tested out in my own classroom.  Learning new strategies and trying them out really added to my experience and allowed me to see what worked and what did not.  I feel very confident in my ability to effectively use certain strategies and I feel confident that using certain strategies will greatly impact how my students learn.  I went from having a handful of strategies in a folder to an entire binder of strategies that I can select and use based on what and how I want students to learn content.

Two long term goals I have regarding technology integration in my classroom are: 1. Create interactive quizzes on my Promethean Board to use as pre-assessments or post-assessments; 2. Use the VoiceThread or PowerPoint presentation tools with students to have them create something with the content they learn.  To achieve these goals, I need to spend time after school outlining my lessons better and planning ahead so I can be more prepared and ready.  I also need to spend time on my own creative the interactive quizzes so I can use them year after year and only make small adjustments as necessary.  I also need to create a VoiceThread or PowerPoint presentation to show students my expectations for projects.  Time also needs to be spent teaching students how to correctly and effectively use these programs to create presentations. 

Overall I really enjoyed this class and thought it was very beneficial to my own professional growth.  I look forward to using the new knowledge I acquired to positively impact student learning.

Social Constructionism

I think the instructional strategies described this week are great for the Social Constructionism Learning Theory.  First of all, you can’t get any more social than the Cooperative Learning strategy!  Students here are actively engaged in creating or problem solving together while they have conversations together.  They are constantly interacting and bouncing ideas off of one another, getting validation for their thoughts, and gaining confidence in their learning and practice (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  This type of learning together in cooperative groups really gets students to participate in a real world learning scenario.  More often than not, students will find themselves in college and in their careers working with others.  Two thoughts are more powerful than one and sometimes students bring different background knowledge and experiences to the conversation which can help others think at different levels in different ways.

Another instructional strategy described this week was the Jigsaw activity (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  I have actually used this strategy many times throughout my teaching career.  The students always enjoy learning this way because it is something different and the results are always extremely effective.  My students love being considered an “expert” regardless of what the topic might be.  This jigsaw activity allows students to come together to research, “build something” in the form of an instructional tool like a PowerPoint, and then teach the material to others.  Not only are they socially constructing something, but the teaching component is a huge learning bonus.  As a teacher I can relate because I know so much more about the Revolutionary War than I ever did due to the fact that I have to teach it!  Dr. Michael Orey in his video on Social Learning Theories even said, “One of the best ways to learn content is to teach it” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). 

Resources:

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

VoiceThread

Link to my VoiceThread:

http://walden.voicethread.com/share/3757581/