As I reflect back on the GAME plan I developed for this course, I am excited about each new opportunity this course has shown me in implementing technology with my students. The two indicators from the ISTE NETS for teachers that I wanted to strengthen were Standard 1, Indicator B “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” and Standard 2, Indicator C “ customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies and abilities using digital tools and resources”. Through this course, I have made progress in reaching my set goals. During this process I have seen how much more engaged and excited students get when exploring an authentic leaning experience. By integrating technology into the curriculum, students are kept motivated and engaged in academic content (Prensky, 2008). These projects also provide the flexibility in meeting the diverse learning needs of my students.
The use of journaling has made a difference in my teaching strategies. As I monitor students’ strengths and weaknesses, I am more organized and focused to their learning needs. As I reflect on the journal entries, I am able to adjust the way I approach current and future lessons. This will only help in choosing the types of activities to implement in reaching the diverse needs of my students. The journaling also helps me to keep track of what students are accomplishing each day.
With the success I have experienced with my students through my GAME plan, I will incorporate two or more authentic, project-based leaning projects each quarter. These do take time, but I feel it gives my students a better learning experience. Technology provides students opportunities to have choices to overcome areas of weakness. I hope using technology resources, such as online collaboration and digital storytelling, will enhance student learning. The more hands – on activities are used in the classroom, the more these projects will increase critical thinking skills and problems solving skills needed in 21st century careers.
References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National educational standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs?NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership ,65 (6), 40-45.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monitoring The GAME Plan
Through my GAME plan, I am making progress towards finding new ways to apply digital tools for solving authentic problems. This semester I have the opportunity to do inclusion with the technology teacher, and so far it has been resourceful in meeting my goals. Last week, students used Glogster.com to design a poster in order to express themselves and their interests. This week they will be learning how to use Prezi.com for a presentation on a country. Students have the freedom to choose how they will present their projects. This also meets the needs of customizing assignments for diverse learners, because they have very few guidelines to follow. I have been impressed with how well students have been performing, even with limited guidelines.
I hope I can continue to increase my knowledge of using technology in my courses at Walden, at my school and through my research. Technology definitely opens up opportunities for all students to achieve. The more I can utilize technology within the math curriculum, the better I can meet the diverse learning styles of my students.
I hope I can continue to increase my knowledge of using technology in my courses at Walden, at my school and through my research. Technology definitely opens up opportunities for all students to achieve. The more I can utilize technology within the math curriculum, the better I can meet the diverse learning styles of my students.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Carrying Out My Game Plan
To carry out my Game Plan one goal I have is to collaborate with colleagues and seek professional development opportunities that explore real world learning experiences to students using technology. The other goal is utilizing technology to meet the diverse learning styles of my students. Both of my goals are important in helping students achieve skills needed for 21st century careers.
A step that I have taken to meet my goal is to sign up for a conference at the end of February. This conference focuses on using podcasts, blogs, and wikis and other technology tools to improve student learning. If approved by my administration I will be able to expand my knowledge to enhance content lessons using technology. I am also beginning to do inclusion with the computer technology teacher, starting this week. This will give me a better understanding on how to incorporate technologies to meet needs of my students.
A step that I have taken to meet my goal is to sign up for a conference at the end of February. This conference focuses on using podcasts, blogs, and wikis and other technology tools to improve student learning. If approved by my administration I will be able to expand my knowledge to enhance content lessons using technology. I am also beginning to do inclusion with the computer technology teacher, starting this week. This will give me a better understanding on how to incorporate technologies to meet needs of my students.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
My Personal GAME Plan
To help prepare students for 21st century careers, it is important that I can strengthen my ability to implement technology according to state content standards. By integrating technology into the curriculum, students are kept more motivated and engaged in academic content (Prensky, 2008). The two indicators from the ISTE NETS for teachers that I want to strengthen would be Standard 1, Indicator B “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” and Standard 2, Indicator C “ customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies and abilities using digital tools and resources”. I want to focus on these two areas to help develop lessons that meet the individual needs of my special education students.
Goal: I want to increase my knowledge and confidence in using technology to enhance student performance. To do this I will use these technology standards for a project each quarter. I will also collaborate with colleagues to gain insight and assistance in applying math standards to real world issues.
Action: To meet the goal, I want to seek assistance from colleagues to help design and modify lessons using technology to reach my diverse students. I will also research different types of technology that work most effectively in meeting the objectives of the lesson. I want to investigate professional development opportunities that promote technology to engage and motivate students in learning.
Monitor: As I monitor the progression of the lessons goals, I will reflect the effectiveness of the strategies. The use of formative assessments will allow me to check for comprehension. Through this I can make modifications to the lesson that assist the development of students’ understanding of real world applications.
Evaluate and Extend : To evaluate my approach I will reflect on which technologies worked with the lesson, and which did not work. Throughout the lesson I will use a journal to keep notes to help modify the current lesson and prepare future lessons. This knowledge will enhance my ability to reach the needs of my students in preparing them with authentic learning using technology.
References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National educational standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs?NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership ,65 (6), 40-45.
Goal: I want to increase my knowledge and confidence in using technology to enhance student performance. To do this I will use these technology standards for a project each quarter. I will also collaborate with colleagues to gain insight and assistance in applying math standards to real world issues.
Action: To meet the goal, I want to seek assistance from colleagues to help design and modify lessons using technology to reach my diverse students. I will also research different types of technology that work most effectively in meeting the objectives of the lesson. I want to investigate professional development opportunities that promote technology to engage and motivate students in learning.
Monitor: As I monitor the progression of the lessons goals, I will reflect the effectiveness of the strategies. The use of formative assessments will allow me to check for comprehension. Through this I can make modifications to the lesson that assist the development of students’ understanding of real world applications.
Evaluate and Extend : To evaluate my approach I will reflect on which technologies worked with the lesson, and which did not work. Throughout the lesson I will use a journal to keep notes to help modify the current lesson and prepare future lessons. This knowledge will enhance my ability to reach the needs of my students in preparing them with authentic learning using technology.
References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National educational standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs?NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership ,65 (6), 40-45.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Final Reflection
As I reflect on my “Personal Theory of Learning” I implemented many of the learning strategies taught in this course. Through this course I have found many new and exciting ways to bring a variety of technologies to my students. Lever-Duffy & McDonald (2008), state that educational technology is a support for the teaching and learning process that helps teachers transfer knowledge and skills to their students to enhance instruction. By engaging students through multiple styles of teaching, stronger memories are built and learning is reinforced. Lever-Duffy & McDonald (2008) explain that learning is a response to stimuli and from this a result of reinforcement that learning can occur. Being able to understand the different learning styles of students is important in maximizing their ability to comprehend content. I have been able to deepen my knowledge in this course by studying different learning theories and learning how to utilize those strategies using different technology tools to give students better learning opportunities.
To make learning more beneficial to my students I plan to make adjustments to my instructional practice by using concept maps and VoiceThread. One technology tool is using Webspiration to develop concept maps. This strategy gives students’ the ability to access prior knowledge when exploring new information. It helps students develop a better understanding of content by gathering essential information. Concept Maps keep students organized and help develop critical thinking skills through collaboration to problem solve. Another technology tool is to implement VoiceThread. This technology tool allows students to collaborate with each other, no matter where they are. It lets students develop new perspectives and ideas to answer questions. Students can explore ideas off each other to help them gain knowledge and understanding. VoiceThread opens up opportunities for all students in the class to express their viewpoints. It is an effective way to give and receive feedback, or new ideas. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), state that applied effectively, technology implementation increases student learning, understanding, and achievement, but also motivates students to learn, encourages collaborative learning, and supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Both of these definitely make learning new things more engaging and fun by bringing creative ways to teach students.
One long-term instructional goal regarding technology integration is to implement gaming software to help teach and reinforce student learning. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), state that both games and simulations allow teachers and students to get instantaneous feedback during the learning process by allowing for immediate redirection of misunderstood learning concepts. Using gaming software is a way to motivate, increase interest, and build confidence in students’ abilities to learn content material. A second long term goal is to teach students how to use technology tools, such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs, to help them with summarizing and note taking skills. This type of software can help guide students on confusing tasks. Technology tools, such as Inspiration, can provide support in helping students to organize and structure note taking techniques. To achieve these goals I plan on going to technology workshops and collaborating with co-workers that successfully use this type of technology in their classroom.
References
Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Persons Education, Inc.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
To make learning more beneficial to my students I plan to make adjustments to my instructional practice by using concept maps and VoiceThread. One technology tool is using Webspiration to develop concept maps. This strategy gives students’ the ability to access prior knowledge when exploring new information. It helps students develop a better understanding of content by gathering essential information. Concept Maps keep students organized and help develop critical thinking skills through collaboration to problem solve. Another technology tool is to implement VoiceThread. This technology tool allows students to collaborate with each other, no matter where they are. It lets students develop new perspectives and ideas to answer questions. Students can explore ideas off each other to help them gain knowledge and understanding. VoiceThread opens up opportunities for all students in the class to express their viewpoints. It is an effective way to give and receive feedback, or new ideas. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), state that applied effectively, technology implementation increases student learning, understanding, and achievement, but also motivates students to learn, encourages collaborative learning, and supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Both of these definitely make learning new things more engaging and fun by bringing creative ways to teach students.
One long-term instructional goal regarding technology integration is to implement gaming software to help teach and reinforce student learning. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), state that both games and simulations allow teachers and students to get instantaneous feedback during the learning process by allowing for immediate redirection of misunderstood learning concepts. Using gaming software is a way to motivate, increase interest, and build confidence in students’ abilities to learn content material. A second long term goal is to teach students how to use technology tools, such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs, to help them with summarizing and note taking skills. This type of software can help guide students on confusing tasks. Technology tools, such as Inspiration, can provide support in helping students to organize and structure note taking techniques. To achieve these goals I plan on going to technology workshops and collaborating with co-workers that successfully use this type of technology in their classroom.
References
Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Persons Education, Inc.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice
Social learning theories are learning strategies, according to Kim, (2001) “that derive from interactions between people and their environments and resides with cultures”. Learning is the process of making connections to both social and environmental factors. This active learning engages students through interactions that help them create and apply concepts to clarify information. Connectivism is “the intersection of prior knowledge, experience, perception, reality, comprehension, and flexibility that learning occurs” (Davis, Edmunds, and Kelly-Bateman, 2008). Students make connections to events by interpreting prior knowledge from their environment, translating information to real-world applications.
Cooperative learning creates social learning theories by having students focus on interaction within each other’s groups in ways to enhance learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). Cooperative learning strategies help develop social skills, critical thinking, leadership, team work, decision making and communication skills. “Cooperative learning is not so much learning to cooperate as it is to learn” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). Strategies like this have students take a more active role in their learning, which improves motivational and cognitive memory. Each group member has group and individual accountability. Students will work till each member of the group has successfully understood and completed the task creating an “atmosphere of achievement” (Palmer, Peters, and Streetman, 2003). Students working in these groups can receive immediate feedback from group members or teachers to determine understanding and make changes if needed. This learning theory is essential for students to develop and practice skills for today’s workforce.
Technology supports social learning practices through Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, power points, concept maps, and voice threads. “Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not face to face” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). Students can even communicate with experts and professionals for information to solve problems. Learning can take place anywhere, even across the globe, with broadband and social websites. According to Siemens, “considering technology and meaning-making as learning activities begins to move learning into the digital age” (Davis, Edmunds, and Kelly-Bateman, 2008). The internet allows a realistic learning experience and brings more meaning and understanding to content. Technology transfers learning to become more student-centered through self-directed lessons. As technology revolves, the world will continue to make connections using social learning practices.
References
Davis, C, Edumunds, E, & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 5/29/2011, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 5/29/2011, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 5/29/2011, from
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Cooperative learning creates social learning theories by having students focus on interaction within each other’s groups in ways to enhance learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). Cooperative learning strategies help develop social skills, critical thinking, leadership, team work, decision making and communication skills. “Cooperative learning is not so much learning to cooperate as it is to learn” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). Strategies like this have students take a more active role in their learning, which improves motivational and cognitive memory. Each group member has group and individual accountability. Students will work till each member of the group has successfully understood and completed the task creating an “atmosphere of achievement” (Palmer, Peters, and Streetman, 2003). Students working in these groups can receive immediate feedback from group members or teachers to determine understanding and make changes if needed. This learning theory is essential for students to develop and practice skills for today’s workforce.
Technology supports social learning practices through Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, power points, concept maps, and voice threads. “Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not face to face” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). Students can even communicate with experts and professionals for information to solve problems. Learning can take place anywhere, even across the globe, with broadband and social websites. According to Siemens, “considering technology and meaning-making as learning activities begins to move learning into the digital age” (Davis, Edmunds, and Kelly-Bateman, 2008). The internet allows a realistic learning experience and brings more meaning and understanding to content. Technology transfers learning to become more student-centered through self-directed lessons. As technology revolves, the world will continue to make connections using social learning practices.
References
Davis, C, Edumunds, E, & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 5/29/2011, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 5/29/2011, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 5/29/2011, from
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
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