Reflection: EDUC-6713I-2 Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas

This course has really expanded my thinking of how to incorporate technology in my classroom on an everyday basis. There are so many neat and useful tools out there that we just need to tap into. After implementing my GAME plan, I feel that the students enjoyed the real world applications that I brought into my classroom. On the days that I did project based and problem based instruction, the students were more engaged and focused over all. I overheard many students say that they could not believe the class was over already, that is a good thing… time flies when you are having fun, right?

I also made sure to incorporate citations for all my resources I used on my newly developed lessons. The students asked at first what was written next to the pictures or text on my handouts, and I quickly explained that I was giving credit to the people that developed the pictures and/or lessons that I was using. I was pleasantly surprised that they even noticed the citations and this made me feel like it was a worthwhile endeavor.

After this course, I am super excited to use ZooBurst in my classroom. I plan on implementing the story book lesson that I wrote for my Unit plan right after winter break and I really think that the students will enjoy this project very much. I shared this cite with some language arts colleagues and they loved it as well… it is something that I think will be used by many different subjects in our building to help include reading across the content area.

I really feel that this course supported many of my technology implementations that I had started previously. I was happy to see how to use digital storytelling as well. I had heard so much about this concept, but I was unsure of what it actually was. I am looking forward to using these tools and so are my students.

Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

For my first goal, include more real-life situations in the math classroom, I am finding some information, but running into the same problem that I have in the past. I have researched this topic before and find many resources, but not ones that I find useful. There are many sites that discuss the importance of bringing the real-world into the math classroom, but not many that give ideas and projects on how to do so. I have found a few new resources, but nothing that is catching my attention. I might need to use these sites that I am finding and use the ideas to begin to develop a unit or two on my own. I was hoping to find some project ideas on the internet that are developed and I can just tweak them to work in my classroom, but there are not many people that have posted about their successes thus far. I am wondering why there is so much research showing the importance of real-life activities in the classroom, but not many ideas out there of how to do it? It is aggravating when this is the case. It makes me wonder why this is the case… is it that many people get frustrated with this approach and revert back to the direct instruction methods?


My other goal is coming along nicely. I plan to improve my lessons so they include the correct citations that identify the resources I used. I do not see any problems with this goal as of now. I am noticing, however, that it does take more time to identify the old resources than expected. It is hard to find some of the same resources anymore, so I have been finding myself swapping out the old pictures and data with new information that is similar and I can easily site the resource.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

After a week of working on my GAME plan, I am a little farther than I was a week ago. One of my goals involved incorporating more real-world applications in my math classroom and using the computer lab to complete these activities on a weekly basis. I have found some resources that have ideas on ways to incorporate real world activities, but I am still having trouble finding some really good ways of bringing the real-world into my classroom. Does anyone have some resources or ideas to find usable lessons in a middle school math classroom? I have spoken with my peer group and they all seem bogged down by testing and the pressures that come with the preparation to try anything new or develop new ideas to bring into the classroom. I will need to continue to do some more research to find some good resources… I would purchase some books that have developed lessons, but always hesitate because they seem better than they really are.


The other part of the GAME plan involved updating my lessons to include the citations for the resources that I used to develop them. I want to model writing citations for my students and I have begun to update the lessons that I have used this week. Each night before I leave my classroom, I bring up the smartbaord lesson and change the slides that I need to in order to show the sites and resources that I used to create the lesson. I do not need any additional resources to complete this part of my plan; I just need to constantly remind myself to do so. If I continue to make these changes, then it will become a habit and be second nature soon.

Developing My Personal GAME Plan

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources (NETS-T 1b)

I plan to improve the engagement of student involvement in solving real world issues by using digital resources on a regular basis. I plan to use one day a week to pose a real world problem that involves the math topics for the week in hopes to increase the engagement and understanding of the students. I will collect the problem and use the accuracy of the solution to gauge the successfulness of the lessons. I will look for students to receive an 85% or higher on the accuracy of their solution and I will ask the students to fill out a survey on a scale from 1-10 on how they enjoyed the task at hand. I will use these days to show the students how these math skills are used in the everyday lives of individuals and how digital resources are available to help solve these problems. We will spend the days in the computer lab during these lessons so they can have access to the internet and/or specific websites that I have found to aid in the solution of the problem presented. After each week, I will compile the scores of not only the accuracy to their solutions, but also their scale score on the activity. I will spend the next week searching for new online resources and ask colleagues for excellent resources that they have used in their classroom.

Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources (NETS-T 4a)

I plan to promote documenting resources and teaching how to appropriately cite information through modeling. I plan to revamp my lessons with citations from the sites and books that I am retrieving pictures and problems from. I will plan on citing 80% of my information immediately through revising my smartboard lessons and worksheets and then I will cite 100% of my resources on handouts and lessons that I make from this point forward. I will monitor my progress by using a chart to keep track of what lessons I have revised and which lessons are new so I will know in the future which ones I need to continue to revamp in the future. I will use the methods of citation (APA style) that we use in our program at Walden and make a point to check for changes in APA citation at the beginning of each month.

Resources:
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

Reflection

At the completion of this course, I have learned a lot and am looking forward to implementing many new ideas in my classroom in the fall. In week one, I described that the learning theory which was closely aligned to my beliefs was the constructivist approach. I can say that I still believe this theory is the closest aligned to my beliefs, but I do feel that the other theories are sprinkled in as well. There is not one theory that I can say fulfills all my beliefs, but a combination of them all is more appropriate.

The cognitive theory of learning is definitely an addition to my personal learning theory. In learning about this theory, I can agree that all of our ideas and learning are linked together and learning new ideas will only “stick” if a connection can be made. In addition, I agree with the visual idea of this approach. Students can learn a lot by making a visual connection with something. If I am doing a presentation, my students will remember the pictures I included more than the text. I need to start taking my picture choice into greater consideration and be sure they support the learning that I am targeting.

This course has provided me with many new ideas and many new tools that I am looking forward to using in my classroom. The first tool that I will incorporate is Edmodo. I plan on exploring this site more over the summer and introduce it to my 8th graders in the fall. I have high hopes for using this in the classroom. I feel that the students will be intrigued by the site since it is very similar to Facebook (something they know all too well) and the minimal learning curve involved in using it. I foresee this being a place to hold out of classroom discussions, post interesting links and homework assignments. I am anxious to see how the students accept this addition and how I can incorporate it into my classroom.

The second tool that I will be using from the beginning of the year will be Voice Thread. This site is incredible; it is just what I have been looking for in the recent years. I truly enjoy how I can include videos (that would be blocked by our firewall, but still school appropriate) and the personal touches that I can make. I am also looking forward to the students using this program to make presentations and comments on Voice Threads of their own. I am going to be purchasing webcams and microphones for the computers in my room so the commenting and production of the Voice Threads will be easier and more seamless.

In the long term, I would like to plan more real-life projects that mirror situations that my students might experience as they get older. I plan to do this through virtual field trips and webquests, along with cooperative groups. I plan to complete a project each quarter so I can focus on 4 big projects a year and not get too overwhelmed by planning them. I will take this summer to identify 4 main topics that will be aligned with the topics for 8th grade math and hopefully identify some appropriate online sites and field trips using resources from this course.

In addition to more real-life projects, I also want to escape from the mundane smartboard lessons that I have been using the past couple of years. I need to focus on making my technology use more exciting and more relevant to the students. I will try to do this with making a change in the classroom activities and homework. I am going to do attempt to do more online work and escape from the paper and pencil that we are used to. The students will need to find some time to use computers on their own, but hopefully that is a hurdle we can overcome.

At the completion of this course, I feel revived with fresh ideas and am looking forward to the fall to implement them!

Voice Thread Application

The following Voice Thread and Xtranormal video are ones that I would use to introduce a mini-project to my 7th grade math class... the students will be applying the idea of surface area to find the amount of paint needed to paint the interior of a garage.





TOBY:

Social Learning Theory

The very basic idea behind cooperative learning is the backbone of social learning theory.  The idea that students work in groups to enhance their learning experience and to further their understanding correlates strongly to the general premise that supports social learning theory. 

Webquests are a way to incorporate social learning theory that might link together students that are not even in the same class, school, state, or even country.  I like the idea of how webquests can be conducted as partners and groups that are working together in cyberspace.  The students can be paired together, complete the project and not even meet face to face.  There is a lot of learning that can happen when the distractions of the classroom and peers are taken out of the equation.

Cooperative group projects have been in the classroom for eons, but incorporating the use of technology takes them to a new level.  Each student brings personal strength to the classroom and their understanding for technology is no different.  The programs that are available on the web are endless and I really feel that the students would learn a lot creating videos and presentations using programs like Xtranormal and Prezi.

The last strategy I want to touch base on is Keypals.  When I was reading this section, I was anxious to get to this portion because I had never heard of this before.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is the modern day pen pals.  A pen pal was a great experience growing up and I learned a lot from the person that I was assigned to.  The key idea of pen pals is social learning… one can learn a lot from another in just letters back and forth.

The strategies that were presented in our text this week exemplified the ideas of social learning theory to a tee.  Any of these activities got students working together in a rich experience which in turn supports learning from others.

Resources:

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

Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories

Learning about constructivist/constructionist learning theories is very interesting because I can see some real validity in its points.  The basis behind the theory is that one learns through experiences and not all people leave the same experience with same understanding.  Watching the video this week, the chair example really helped me to understand this idea.  When I think of a chair, it is not the same chair that someone else pictures.  I have a picture of a chair in my mind based on my experiences, where as someone else’s picture of a chair is based on their experiences.  This supports the idea that learning has to happen through experience.  If I were to tell someone that blue and yellow make green, they might believe me, but they are more apt to remember it if they experience the change through an experiment. 

When reading through the “Generating and Testing Hypotheses” section in the course text, the spreadsheet section drew my attention.  Being a math teacher, I can see this as a great tool to use for teaching budgets.  The students can be told about bills and finances in the future, but will they really understand saving, withdrawing, debt, etc?  If the students live through an experience in the classroom utilizing a spreadsheet program that practices real-life budgeting, wouldn’t they learn a lot more?  I can see this experience being one that sticks with them and when they are an adult using some of the skills we talked about in the classroom. 

The key idea that I took away from all the resources is that of experiences.  In order for a person to learn something new this component is vital.  Not just any experience will do either; it needs to be an experience that is authentic and valid to the students.

Cognitive Learning Theory Tools

After reading about Cognitive Learning theories and their implications in present day education it became apparent that these two things are closely related.  Since cognitive learning theory is based on the assumption that we learn from making connections with previous knowledge and in essence build a “map” in our brain, we as educators have an important role of constructing those connections in our student’s “maps”.  There are many educators who believe that a teacher’s effectiveness is correlated to the method of instruction and the types of resources they bring to a lesson to help their students make connections with pervious learning.         

From reading our text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, it is apparent that there are some great organization tools that will aide in making learning effective and clear.  The first of these is Cues.  I found it enlightening when the authors clearly stated that cues should not be ambiguous, but they should be straightforward.  I have always lived under the assumption that cues were to be vague enough to not give the answer, but to guide in the right direction, but now I know that I was not helping my students learn this way.  Using the method of straightforward cues, the students will get to the information faster and start to make the connections and build their “map” like we want to occur. 

The next tool that I feel lends itself nicely to cognitive learning theory is using advanced organizers.  Since our brain is a map, so to speak, doesn’t it make sense that we would learn best by having information neatly organized for us to learn from?  I am a person that likes to have things a certain way and I can see the validity in this, but it also makes me wonder if everyone will learn with the information organized in the fashion that the teacher created?  I know from my experience, I tend to organize worksheets and handouts in my classroom different than the other Math teachers, not that anyone is right or wrong, but I like how using technology to organize thoughts lets that students have some freedom in the type of layout they feel is best.

Last but not least, I was intrigued by the summarizing piece.  I was unaware of some of the features that word processing software has that would make teaching summarizing a lot easier.  Since the computer can easily cross out redundant information and highlight important parts, it is a great learning tool that can be projected in the classroom for the whole class to discuss.  In addition, the students can use this feature to help summarize text in all kinds of classes.

In closing, I was impressed with all the types of learning tools that are available to us, as teachers, that do not cost anything out of pocket.  There are so many learning tools that are based upon learning theories that try to convince us that we need to purchase additional items to be effective.  I appreciate all the useful information using tools that are at our fingertips.

Resources:

Ormrod, J.E. (1999). Human learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall retrieved from http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~Lynda_abbot/Cognitive.html

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

Behaviorism in Practice

Behaviorism is a learning theory that has been developed and modified by many theorists such as Skinner and Pavlov.  Each originator of this theory based their ideas and modifications of the theory on the idea that everyone starts with a clean slate when they are born and over time we learn and grow through stimuli in the environment (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2011).  The developers of this theory also determined that growth is observable through behavior and not through any mental process like other learning theories (Smith, 1999).

One instructional theory that can be adapted to behaviorism is reinforcing effort.  Effort is sometimes overlooked by many students since it is not an immediate reinforcement situation.  Effort, however, is key to learning and if we can find a way for it to be rewarded and encouraged, then students might see the relevance and importance of it.  To find success in this strategy, a teacher needs to teach students the importance of effort and have the students track their effort (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Using technology to track the effort and achievements can paint a picture that is clear for the students and they can see how their effort is improving their achievement.  By using technology to track progress, the teacher has an easy and quick method to track all students.  In addition to its ease of use, many programs allow the user to quickly print graphs that can be easily interpreted and visually influence students. 

If effort is reinforced and rewarded, then the students will continue to put forth the effort, just like other behaviors.  If students do not see the relevance and connection between their effort and their success, then they are likely to not continue the behavior.

Another instructional theory that can be adapted to behaviorism theory is homework and practice.  Homework provides multiple exposures to a concept and skill which is the basis behind developing new behaviors.  If a student is exposed to the experiences, then they have the opportunity to learn a new skill, but the students need to see the purpose of the assignments they are given (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Many students see homework as just busy work, but if the teacher can help the students see the importance of it through clearly articulating it to the class, then the students are more likely to take the homework seriously.  Not only do students need to see the importance of the assignment, they need to receive feedback in some fashion for the work they completed (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Since behaviorism is based on learning through exposures and reinforcement, it is easy to see how homework is connected to this theory. 

References:

Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2011). Behaviorism at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved

from http://www.learning-theories.com/behaviorism.html

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom

instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Smith, K. (1999). The behaviourist orientation to learning. In The encyclopedia of informal

education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm

Reflection of course: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society

Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society has opened my eyes to new options in the classroom.  I have always heard about blogs, wikis and podcasts, but was unsure of how I could incorporate them into my classroom until now.  After learning to utilize these tools, I can see the validity and usability of these options.  I feel that these classroom options open the door to develop more project-based learning activities in my classroom and let the students drive the process of learning.  I look forward to a classroom that is more student motivated than teacher motivated.  I have a good feeling that the students will take the opportunity to run their own wikis and blogs with great success and change the way of classroom discussions.  This change will open up classroom instruction time and in the long run, I will be able to cover more content standards than I am doing now. I plan to use the knowledge that I have learned thus far to help me implement these tools in the classroom, but I know I will come across obstacles in using them and I will trouble shoot as I proceed like I did while completing the course projects.  I do not hesitate to “Google” questions and seek out helpful sites and programs when I come across a tough situation, by doing so, I will get my tough questions answered.

I have two goals that I am going to be working towards implementing in the next couple school years. The first of these goals is to begin a classroom blog that is up to date and utilized on a daily basis.  This blog will be a place that students can go to and post questions from assignments, comments about a lesson, or links to helpful/cool sites they found that tie into our classroom lessons.  This blog will be a sounding board for all students so discussions can happen between students that are not in the same class period, but are taking the same course.  This blog will be used daily and bookmarked on the classroom computers.  I anticipate the students will resist the use of the blog at first because everyone resists change.  If I diligently keep the blog up to date and respond quickly to posts and questions, then the students will buy in to the idea and use it more.  I will also allow the students to access the blog in my classroom, since some students do not have internet access at home.

The second goal that I would like to implement is posting podcasts on my blog.  I will use these podcasts as a way for absent students to get the lesson they missed.  I will record one of the lessons from each day and then post that to the blog, so students can listen to the class discussions again at home or absent students can hear what we discussed in class when they were out.  I see the obstacle for this goal being me more than anything else.  It will take a large effort on my part to keep up with recording and posting podcasts daily.  I will attempt to make this part of my routine during my planning period and once it enters my daily routine for a while, I should be good at keeping up with my posts. 

I look forward to making these classroom changes and am anxious to see how they impact the learning of my students… and me.

Technology Podcast

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Ever wonder how the adolescents of today view and use technology on a daily basis?  The following podcast dives into that very idea with a handful of 7^th grade students. 

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

The 21st century is here whethere we like it or not.  The world is going to continue to change around us and we, as teachers, need to be adaptable and open to change as well.  Many of us do not like change, but we need to think that this not only for us, but more importantly, it is for our students.  The students will not be ready for the future that will be there for them if we do not start making changes now. 

After investigating the website, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, I could not help but agree with much of what I read.  This agreeableness could stem from the fact that I am a math teacher and enjoy technology like many others, so I can see the impact of the ever changing world very clearly.  The Partnership for 21st Century Skills feels that students need to be taught other skills beyond the 3 R’s that our generation grew up learning.  The Partnership does not dismiss the importance of these skills, but it adds on many other skills that are going to be just as important in the future.  These skills include:  critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation (they refer to these as the 4 C’s).  This site also establishes many states that have adopted their ideas through legislature, and my state, Ohio, is one of the many. 

Upon further research, I came across a group that I am familiar with, eTech Ohio which is an established organization that sees the importance of all these skills to the future of our students and makes it their mission to educate and train the teachers in Ohio to help do so.  The eTech organization offers conferences and training sessions and makes other resources available to Ohioans to help bridge the ever widening gap.  I have attended and even presented at their conference in the past and it was very rewarding and educational. 

Teaching is going to be changing for us and we need to be prepared and well informed.  This organization, Partnership for 21stCentury Skills, seems to be on the right track of helping others see the importance of this change.  As a teacher, I cannot help but wonder ‘when will I find time to fit this into my curriculum?’, but that is something that I cannot worry about now.  There are far more important things to focus on... getting our students ready and prepared for their future needs to be on the top of our list.

 

Sample, Data, and Graphs... oh my!

This is an example of how I might incorporate my blog into my 7th grade math classroom.  I feel that using a blog is a great place to bring in some of the technology integrations into the lessons and the classroom.  I would use an idea like the one below as a place to post questions and comments while working on a class project.  It would be a nice place to house and organize peer questions and comments so students can use their classmates ideas to help them.  It is also a nice place to orgnaize links,sites, games, etc. that would be useful for a lesson and topic. 

Survey project:
We have been working together in class to develop a survey that is interesting and appropriate.  You have collected your data from two samples thus far, your math class and 100 total students. 

Using this data, you need to develop two graphs. 

•  One graph needs to be true to the data
• the other one needs to be misldeading to the reader. 

Using the link below to the website "Create a Graph" input your data and create both graphs for your project.  You may print off your graph if your final project is a paper version or you may embed the file into your power point or SMARTboard presentation if you are turning in an electronic version.

Create a Graph

Please post any comments or questions you have about the project or using the website below and I will respond to guide you.  Scroll through your classmates comments and questions as you are working because their ideas might be helpful to you as you are navigating through this project.

Technology... what a broad term and something that we all have come to hear EVERY day!  I do not know about you, but it scares me a bit.  I am not too old, 31 to be exact, and the technology changes and advancements I have seen is astonishing.  These couple of videos below highight some of those changes... they really made me think about the students sitting in my classroom everyday.

Instructional Technology: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Eye opening video that demonstrates just how much technology has changed ofer the past 100 years

Pay Attention

Sit back and watch... how does this resonate with you?

I do not think of myself as an expert by any means.  There are so many ways to bring technology into the math classroom.  How do you incorporate techology in your classroom?   Can you pass along any pointers?