Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress - Week 4

When reflecting on my goals, I have made some progress towards meeting these goals, but there are still some areas I need to devote more time to.

In order to support my goals of authentic learning activities and differentiating instruction for diverse learners, I am building my list of resources, containing both information and websites, in order to help me meet my goals in my classroom. I am still researching websites and articles that can provide resources and information to help me meet my goals.

Currently, I have had to modify my action plan because I am currently off-track and unable to collaborate with my grade level team. When returning to school, collaboration will still be part of my action plan; however, I had to change this component of my plan at this time. While I have gained valuable information from discussions and postings through my Masters class, I have not yet joined any online professional organizations to help me meet my goals. This is one component of my action plan I have changed, since I am not currently in school. I think collaboration with others online will be invaluable as I work towards meeting my technological goals, even after returning to school and having the opportunity to collaborate with my grade level team.

So far, I have learned that there are tons of internet resources available to help provide authentic instruction and differentiate instruction for students. I have also learned that students with diverse and specific learning needs are often the ones that need the most support by using tools on the computer. Finally, I have learned that there are easy ways to differentiate instruction both within a lesson and on the computer for students who may have difficulty with reading, such as highlighting information and using text-to speech software. This would be an easy way to differentiate instruction in order to meet the needs of my students.

While I have found some authentic learning activities created and developed on the internet, I have had some difficulty with developing authentic activities based on grade levels standards to use with my students. I often think that because an activity is engaging and novel then it is authentic, but this is not always true. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) states that authentic instruction “incorporates real-world and complex problems” (p. 35). While I may plan engaging, hands-on activities, they are not always authentic. For example, when trying to find an authentic learning activity for Ancient China, I found many internet resources that were engaging, but not necessarily authentic. I still have some questions about what authentic learning activities look like in the classroom environment. I will need to conduct more research in order to better understand how to develop authentic instruction into my classroom.

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.

Carrying out my GAME Plan - Week 3

As I strengthen my confidence and proficiency in integrating technology into my classroom environment, I will need to constantly review my GAME plan and reflect on the areas I need to devote more time and attention. This week, I will be focusing on the resources I will need to carry out my GAME plan, the additional information I will need as I build my proficiency with integrating technology, and reflecting on the steps I have taken so far.

In order to carry out my GAME plan, there are a variety of resources I will need. First, I will need to review technological tools that can be implemented into my classroom environment in order to promote authentic learning activities, as well as meet the needs of my diverse learners. I will also need to review these resources on the computers within my classroom in order to make sure they are able to be accessed correctly for student use. Headphones will be needed for software or tools that require sound, so I will need to ensure that all my hardware works, and acquire new hardware if it does not. I will also need to develop a list of websites that students can access in order to support their learning for a variety of projects and assignments. I will save these links on my classroom blog, as well as on student computers within my classroom. These resources will also be saved in my professional development portfolio so that I can access, and reflect, on my experiences throughout my educational career.

Part of my GAME plan is to create a professional development portfolio. I will need an educational wiki that I can use for my professional development portfolio, as well as a wiki that can be used by my grade level in order to share resources and experiences in the classroom environment using a variety of technological tools. In order to determine the design of my professional development portfolio, I will research other educational portfolios and use these as a resource to influence the design of my own. During this process, it will also be important for me to reflect on the following questions presented by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009):

• What do you want to include? Why do you want to include it?

• Do you want to include video clips from your classroom and/or teaching?

• Do you want to include interviews from students, student work, lesson plans?

Beyond the design of my portfolio, I will also need to think about what I want to include and what the purpose of my portfolio will be. Finally, I will show my portfolio to my colleagues in order to get their input and suggestions in order to make my portfolio as effective as possible.

Additional information I will need to support my GAME plan are educational research articles in order to find technology that can support my students’ diverse learning needs. I will review articles I have already collected through my Masters’ program at Walden, as well as research additional articles using Walden library databases. I also need information from my grade level team in order to collaborate on how we can best meet the needs of our students using a variety of technological tools. My team may be able to offer suggestions and resources that they have used which may be new to me. Finding resources to support students’ understanding of various concepts and to support their diverse needs will always be information I will need to gather.

Steps that I have been able to take so far are researching wikis that lend themselves to a professional development portfolio. Wikispaces is the site I am most in favor of currently because it allows you to format your wiki to your desire. It is also one that I have used in a previous Masters class so I am more comfortable with the layout. If anyone has any other suggestions for wikis, or additional software that is preferred for a professional development portfolio please let me know.  I have also started to research a variety of technological resources that can be used to support my students’ diverse learning needs. Some of my favorites so far are:

• spiderscibe.net (concept-mapping software) 
• animoto.com (create videos using pictures)
• brainnook.com  (practice) 
• pixton.com (online comic creator)
• goanimate.com & xtranormal.com (animations – some cost money)

As I implement these resources into my classroom with students, it will be important for me to reflect on their effectiveness and also ask my students for their views on using each technological tool.

In order to carry out my action plan, I will continue to research and collaborate with colleagues both online and at my school site in order to develop my professional development portfolio and expand my proficiency with using technological tools to meet students’ diverse learning needs.

I would also love any other resources from you that you have used in the classroom or ones you have researched in order to help develop my list of technological tools to use with students.

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.

NETS-T Standards and GAME Plan

Myers, Heather - Week 2 Blog Posting - 1/11/12


This week, I reviewed the National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T) and reflected on which standards I feel comfortable with, and which ones I do not feel as confident. One the National Education Standards I currently feel comfortable with is modeling “digital-age work and learning” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). I feel that I model effective use of technology to my students and also use a variety of technological tools to collaborate with peers, teachers, and parents. Because I have a variety of technological resources at my school site, and because technology has always been a passion of mine, I feel I use a variety of resources to support myself as an educator. I am constantly trying to find ways to use my projector, mimio software, and resources such as videos an interactive games to engage my students and enrich my lessons.

One National Education Standard that I do not feel as confident with is engaging students in real-world issues and providing authentic problems using technological tools and resources which comes from Standard 1: “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). Another National Education Standard I do not feel as proficient in is “customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources” which comes from Standard 2: “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).

While I feel confident in using technology to support myself, I do not feel as confident in using a wide range of technology to support my students in authentic instruction or to support all my students' diverse learning styles and needs. In order to strengthen my skills and support myself in these areas, I will first need to set goals throughout the year to encourage my proficiency in these areas. One goal I have in this area is to research and create a new authentic learning activity for my students every month. Because this is an area that is new to me, I will need to conduct research, such as searching educational blogs and research articles, in order to determine possibilities for authentic learning activities that already exist and how to effectively implement them into my classroom environment. These actions will help develop my proficiency with incorporating real-world and authentic learning activities into my classroom. Another goal I have is to collaborate with my grade-level team and research ways we can all help support our students diverse learning needs, especially during our math intervention time. The action I will take in order to support this goal will be discussing with my grade level team the possibility of setting aside time during one Professional Learning Community meeting every month to be spent researching technological resources that can support our students diverse learning needs. I will also set aside 20 minutes every week to researching technological resources such as computer-based tutorials, concept-mapping tools, and assessments that can be incorporated into my classroom environment to support my students and their ability levels.

While incorporating a variety of technological resources and authentic learning activities with my students, it will be important for me to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of each technology both “in action” and “ on action” (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009). As Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) explain that to monitor and evaluate one's professional growth, reflection needs to be conducted during each process in order to modify behavior and also after in order to reflect on specific behaviors and make appropriate changes in the future. In order to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of technological tools and resources I incorporate into my classroom environment, I will keep a professional development portfolio. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) explain that a professional development portfolio provides a place to collect and reflect on resources over time and also helps you identify areas for future learning. I will use my professional development portfolio as a way to monitor and reflect on my proficiency in meeting NETS-T Standards throughout my profession. I will also use my professional development portfolio as a way to extend what I have learned to my colleagues so that we can all support our students' diverse learning needs and provide authentic learning activities throughout the school year.

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: Wads worth, 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.ashx

Final Reflection

Through my Master’s class, Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology, I feel as if I am even closer to becoming the effective educator I am constantly striving to be. Through this course, I have reviewed the research regarding various learning theories as well as broaden my knowledge of technology that is available to support each one. I have also experienced a variety of technology tools that support various instructional strategies for the classroom. This knowledge has already, and will continue to influence my classroom environment and will help to provide my students with the knowledge and skills they will need for the future.

During Week 1 of this course, I reflected on various learning theories in order to create my own learning theory. My original personal learning theory was influenced by Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Cognitivism. While Cognitivism still plays a very influential role in my personal learning theory, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences is not as influential as it once was. While it will always play an important role in my classroom environment, my personal learning theory is now very influenced by Social and Constructionist Learning Theories. Through research, reflection, and participation with technology tools that support Social and Constructionist Learning Theories, I now feel that these play more influential role in my classroom environment and the way I teach. Glazer (2001) states: “Constructionism suggests that new ideas are most likely to be created when learners are actively engaged in building some type of external artifact that they can reflect upon and share with others.” This theory has changed how I think about many assignments and projects in my classroom. Allowing students to take responsibility for their own learning by creating a product or sharing it with others, encourages them to actively construct their own knowledge within the activity. This makes learning more meaningful and relevant to students, in turn affecting the way their brain stores this information into their long term memory. Some technology tools that I will use in my classroom that support this theory are Webquests and VoiceThreads. Social Learning Theories are also a huge component of my classroom environment. While I have always implemented cooperative learning strategies into my classroom as much as possible, I now have a greater understanding of the effects these strategies have for student learning and engagement. I also have a greater understanding of a variety of technological tools that can be used to support Social Learning Theories in my classroom. For example, Wikis can be used to promote collaboration between students for a variety of projects. Keypals allow students to interact with others all over the world and even collaborate with others through the internet in order to complete a project. My personal learning theory has changed greatly from the start of this course. The influence of Constructionism, Cognitivism, and Social Learning Theories will greatly influence my classroom environment in a positive way in the future.

My knowledge of technology tools that can be used with students have greatly expanded because of this course. I have a greater knowledge of technology tools that support specific learning theories and instructional strategies; many that have already been incorporated into my classroom environment. As this year progresses, I would like to continue to expand my knowledge of the technology tools from this course by using them with my students in new ways. Two technology tools that I would like to use this year are VoiceThreads and Concept Maps. While my students have used these tools briefly because of my own assignments through this course, I will continue to use them with my students throughout the year and also expand my understanding of how to use them effectively throughout a variety of subject areas. Currently, my students have used VoiceThreads in Social Studies, but I would like to expand the use of them through Language Arts and even Math. I have used Concept Maps in Social Studies and Language Arts, but would like to expand their use in writing. Both of these tools support Constructionist and Social Learning Theories because they can be used by students for creating a product to display and share their learning with others, but can also be used as a cooperative learning tool. My knowledge of technological tools has expanded dramatically and the use of them will be evident in my classroom environment throughout this year. This course has influenced a desire to expand my knowledge of technology tools that can be used with students effectively to support their learning of grade level content standards.  

In order to become an effective educator and increase my knowledge of technology that can be integrated into the classroom environment, it is important for me to set personal goals that are achievable. One goal I would like to achieve is allowing students to become independent thinkers and learners by creating more project-based activities throughout a variety of subject areas. In order to do this, I will need to first research project-based activities that are available through the internet that support grade level standards. Creating an ongoing list of project-based activities will allow me to keep record and notes of the ones I have used in order to use them in the future. It also allows me to share project-based activities with others. After implementing these activities with students, I will need to reflect on their effectiveness and record my ideas for better implementation of them in the future. It will also be important for me to collaborate with my grade level team so that we can share resources and observations of project-based activities used with our students. Another goal that I would like to achieve this year is reinforcing effort in my students through the use of a spreadsheet. This is one technology tool I have not used with my students or for this purpose. Because this year I am teaching sixth grade and helping students understand how effort influences grades is so important this year, this is one tool I would like to implement with my students. In order to do this, I will first create a spreadsheet for myself that shows students my own effort in my Masters program and how this influences my own grades. Creating my own spreadsheet first will also help me understand problems students may have when creating their own. I will then have students create a spreadsheet using Excel for a specific subject area in the computer lab. We will include their results every day for two weeks and then graph their results. Graphs and data will be sent home so that students and parents can discuss their effort. I will also collaborate with parents in order to see if they have noticed a change in their child’s effort due to the data observed. My goal is to constantly use this tool throughout the year in a variety of subject areas in order to help students understand how their effort both in school and at home influences their success in school.

The knowledge of instructional strategies, learning theories, and technology tools has helped to make me a more effective educator. This class has given me a variety of technology tools that I can use with my students in order to support effective learning theories and instructional strategies. I also have a strong desire to continue to incorporate the technology tools from this course with my students as well as research many more than can be successfully implemented in order to engage and make learning relevant for my students.

References:

Glazer, E. (2001). Problem Based Instruction. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on July 20, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Voice Thread

 Hi Everyone!

Please take a look at my Voice Thread by clicking on the link below. My Voice Thread allows students to become archeologists and make predictions and inferences about ancient Sumerian life using artifacts that they have found on their "dig." I would love any comments or feedback to my voice thread in order to make it better so that I can use it with my students soon. Thanks for your help! Enjoy!

voicethread.com/share/2164163/

Social Learning Theory and Technological Tools

Social learning theories greatly influence current trends in education. The increase in cooperative learning strategies in the classroom is greatly influenced by social learning theories. Dr. Michael Orey (2009) states that to create meaningful learning, students need to be actively engaged in creating products and collaborating with others. Social learning theories have greatly influenced the creation of activities and lessons designed to promote cooperative learning in the classroom. In order to successfully promote cooperative learning, both teamwork and individual accountability needs to be enforced within the activity (Glazer, 2001). A variety of technology also provides opportunities for students to work collaboratively within the classroom environment, as well as globally through internet tools and resources.

One technological tool that not only helps develop students’ abilities to collaborate with others, but also develops their ability to interact with others around the world is keypals. Keypals allows students to communicate with others all over the world through a safe, monitored website and encourages students to learn about others’ languages and cultures (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Keypals not only allow students to communicate with others, but many also include project-based learning that is conducted with students all over the world and require cooperative learning in order to be successful within the activity. In order to prepare students for the future, educators need to teach students how to cooperate with others through a global world (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). I first heard about the website epals.com earlier this year and am so excited to start integrating this with my own class. Since Ancient Civilizations is such a huge focus in the sixth grade, I thought it would be great for my students to write to other students in some of the countries that we study. By collaborating with these students, my students can have a personal connection to the curriculum that would not be available if not for internet resources. Keypals support social learning theories because this technology tool encourages students to learn with and from others.

I have already thought a great deal about integrating the use of blogs and wikis into my classroom environment in order to promote collaboration and the growth of 21^st Century skills within my students. Currently, I have a class blog that students will be in charge of maintaining as a small group so that they learn how to create and maintain a blog. By requiring that students work in a small group, they will soon learn that success and failure will be determined by how well their team collaborates. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) state that blogs and wikis allow students the ability to communicate and share ideas as they work cooperatively.

Voice threads are another technological tool that can be used to teach students how to collaborate using internet media. While I am still learning the possibilities of using this tool with my students, I am excited for the possibilities of incorporating content in an engaging way while encouraging students to collaborate with others while responding to teacher created, or student created voice threads.

Incorporating a variety of technological tools into the classroom environment not only supports social learning theories, but also help to ensure that students are not just creating what Dr. Michael Orey (2009) calls “inert knowledge.” Using graphic, web-based tools to learn with others and show acquired knowledge will help students understand concepts in a more memorable way. Social learning theories have influenced many of the technological tools that are available for student use. Because our world is becoming more and more devoted to collaboration with a variety of people, as many opportunities for cooperative learning within the classroom environment will help prepare our students for the future.

References:

Glazer, E. (2001). Problem Based Instruction. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on July 20, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program number 9: Social learning theories [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author. (2005). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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

Constructivism & Constructionism in the Classroom

Constructivist and constructionist learning theories are very important to include in one’s classroom environment. The beliefs of these theories support hands-on, inquiry, and project-based learning with students. Dr. Michael Orey (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010) states that these theories of knowledge and learning say that people learn best when they can create, build, and share their own meaning and understanding. Constructivist learning theories support the implementation of strategies that require students to generate and test hypotheses within the classroom environment because they allow students to create their own hypotheses and test them in order to construct their own learning.

Allowing students to create and draw their own conclusions regarding a topic will make the learning more relevant and meaningful. In order to help students collect their own data on a topic, online data collection tools can be used in the classroom environment. These tools enable students to see the large picture as well as recognize patterns within a variety of information (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Students can also share information they collect through online collaborative project websites. One way I might integrate this into my own classroom is through Social Studies. In sixth grade, the history is so interesting and students are already so engaged in learning about civilizations of the past. To spark their curiosity of various aspects of each culture that we study, I will begin by asking them to generate hypotheses about various geographical components of the culture; political, economic, religious, and social structures. Using their hypotheses and collection data, students will use internet resources in order to explore and find information on their topic. Students will then use online collaboration tools to share their information and findings with others. Using wikis, students can organize their information and include various pictures and links in order to prove whether their prediction was valid or invalid. The ability for students to create and test their own hypotheses allows them to engage in constructivist and constructionist learning theories. Students are actively constructing their own knowledge within the activity as well as creating a product to show their learning to others. This activity also incorporates “mechanisms” for learning within the constructivist/constructionist model (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Within the activity, students are leaving what Dr. Orey calls “a state of equilibration” because they may discover that their research does not support their initial hypothesis (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Students may also have to accommodate any previous understandings or ideas in order to make sense of new information they may encounter.

Because generating hypotheses allow students to learn and adapt their understanding in many different ways, students develop a better understanding of grade level standards. When students are able to take a hands-on approach to their learning, their engagement within the classroom increases. Constructivist and constructionist learning theories support the implementation of student generated hypotheses because it allows students to build their own knowledge and understanding within the classroom environment.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program number 5: Cognitive learning theories [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author. (2005). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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