Reflective thoughts

It is important to set goals for our classrooms. For this course, I had to create a GAME plan to focus on two areas of integrating technology in the classroom. I set two goals: (1) to promote and model digital citizenship and (2) engage in professional growth and leadership. I learned that I have to make intentional efforts to model digital citizenship for my students. I focused on citing the sources I use in the classroom and I made sure my students cited their work when they researched information on the web. I also learned that engaging in professional growth is essential for me to stay current with new technologies. I have fun talking and discussing educational technology with other teachers and always walk away with new ideas to try.

I have already made some adjustments in my curriculum. Before break, my students engaged in a research project for science where they used the computers for research. We discussed digital citizenship and then talked about ways that they could use technology to present their information. I spend a significant amount of time discussing the citation of their sources. This next semester, I want to talk with other teachers in my content area and create activities where students are creatively using technology, but also learning the standards simultaneously.

Students enjoy using technology and I am always so surprised by their creativity. I have learned that high standards still need to be set, even if the students are using the computers as a learning tool. Creating rubrics is a great way for students to know the expectations. I have really enjoyed this course and have learned a great deal in regards to using creative project-based learning, collaborative activities, and digital storytelling to help my students understand the content.

Using the Game Plan Process with Students

The two goals for my game place are to model digital citizenship and engage in professional growth pertaining to technology. Both of these goals will help me encourage students to meet their NETS-S standards as far as technology is concerned. One of the NETS-S standards for students is to engage in digital citizenship. If I model good digital citizenship for my students, they, too, will learn to cite their sources and use the Internet responsibly. I want students to realize they can use technology for educational purposes and not just for socializing and for entertainment.

Another NETS-S standard for students is to be able to successfully use technology, to "be able to demonstrate sound understanding of technology concepts" (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx). One of my goals is to continue to meet and discuss with other teachers ways we can successfully implement and integrate technology into our content area. The more I know about technology, the more I can share with my students. When students have the opportunity to use technology for educational purposes, they are developing a good understanding as to how technology can help them learn and grow as a student.

Revising My Game Plan

I have learned a lot as a result of my GAME plan. I enjoy engaging in professional growth and leadership. Making a point to talk with other teachers in regards to technology integration in the classroom has been beneficial. I have integrated technology into my content area on a more regular basis and my students seem to benefit from it. I still want to pursue this goal and continue to learn about ways students can benefit from technology.

My second goal was to promote and model digital citizenship. This is an ongoing process as I am continuing to encourage students to cite their sources as I model that in my classroom.

I would like to set a new goal that goes somewhat with my previous two goals. I want to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. I can do this by providing ways for my students to use technology to further their understanding of the content. If I stay up to date on creative ways to integrate technology in the classroom, then my students can benefit by using this technology to express their creativity.

A learning approach I can take to see this goal happen is to make sure I assign a classroom project that involves technology that will allow my students to show their understanding of the content in a creative way.

Evaluating my GAME Plan Progress

My GAME plan is going well. I am still trying to model proper citizenship in regards to computer use for my students and I am still seeking out suggestions from other teachers in regards to integrating technology into my classroom.

So far I have learned that it takes a great deal of work to make sure everything is cited. Just yesterday, I pulled an image of a periodic table off the Internet to put into a Smart Board presentation at the last minute, and realized I needed to cite that image. I am still figuring out how to manage my time well to make sure the technologies I am integrating into the classroom are ones that are benefiting the students. I have not assigned my students a wiki or blog yet this year, and would like to do that.

I often use the excuse that we do not have time because of our standards, but I would like to create a classroom blog like many of my coworkers have done in social studies. I think that certain students really benefit from it and I could use it as a way of enrichment and reinforcement.

Monitoring My Game Plan Progress

So far my GAME plan is coming along well. My two goals are to (1) promote and model digital citizenship and (2) engage in professional growth and leadership. As far as the digital citizenship is concerned, a colleague gave me an excellent website (http://www.isafe.org/) that has lesson plans to help teachers inform their students about using the Internet in a safe and ethical way. I want to check into this website more and use their resources. I am still tying to model good digital citizenship in my classroom. It really takes a conscious effort to cite all the materials that I use in my classroom. I want to continue to model good use of the Internet.

As far as engaging in professional growth and leadership, I love discussing with other teachers new ways to integrate technology into my lesson plans. I have been attending our monthly technology meetings where a couple teachers in our school highlight various types of technology that can be integrated into the classroom. These meetings have been very informative and have given me lots of ideas to use in my classroom. I would like to eventually contribute to these meetings and that is a new goal I have for my GAME plan.

Carrying out my GAME Plan

My two goals are to (1) Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and (2) Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. This week, I’m reflecting on my goals and finding resources that I can use to carry out my plan. As far as promoting and modeling digital citizenship, I need to read current publications to stay up to date on copyright laws and procedures. Having a copy of our Internet Use Policy at school is important so that students know the expectations in the classroom. I am already modeling the citation of sources in my Power Points and Smart Board presentations. Students are also required to cite their sources whenever a project is assigned that involves research. I can talk to the English teachers and Technology Instructors in the school and find out good sources for teaching digital citizenship.

For my second goal, engaging in professional growth and leadership, I feel that taking online classes through Walden is a huge resource. I have learned so many aspects of integrating technology in my classroom. Sharing these ideas with other teachers and hearing their ideas is also another way for me to grow professionally in the area of technology. I have already carried on many conversations with other teachers regarding technology and have used some of the technologies in my classroom that I have learned about in my master’s classes. I want to continue to engage in professional learning opportunities to stay current in the uses of technology in the classroom. Many students will be able to benefit from technology depending on their learning style and if I stay current in new technologies, I will be able to be a more effective teacher.

Developing a Personal GAME Plan

Throughout this course, I will be working on ways to ingrate technology throughout my content area. The International Society for Technology in Education has set several performance indicators for teachers. I have two goals that I would like to work on in regards to these indicators: (1) Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility and (2) Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.

Because I teach middle school, it is so vital that students are shown how to be responsible by citing their information they research on the Internet. For this reason, I chose Promoting and Modeling Digital Citizenship as my first goal. At the middle school level, many projects are assigned where students are required to gather Internet-based research. As a teacher, I want to take action to model good ethical use of technology. I will monitor this goal by making it a priority to address this issue with my class on a regular basis. I can focus on a different topic each month. It will not necessarily be a lesson just on responsible Internet use, but rather I will tie it in when appropriate by modeling proper citizenship. I can evaluate and extend my knowledge of this topic by keeping current on copyright laws and on the process of successfully citing sources.

My second goal pertains to Engaging in Professional Growth and Leadership. I want to take more leadership within my grade level to create lessons where technology is successfully integrated into the content area so that students can benefit from it. Students can benefit by experiencing varied instruction that can be done easily with technology. A way for me to monitor this goal is to meet with my team of teachers and share ideas pertaining to how we are integrating technology in our content area. We can bounce ideas off one another and share what worked in the classroom and what did not work. I can evaluate and extend my learning by integrating new forms of technology into my lessons instead of using the same types of technology.

Resources

http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx

Reflection

At the beginning of this course, I constructed my personal learning theory. Now that we have reached the end of the course, my personal learning theory has not really been altered, but rather I have new ideas that I can use to teach my students based on my personal learning theory. I agree with Dr. Wolfe (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008), that students construct knowledge based on prior knowledge. I want to continue to teach in a way so that students can make many connections in their minds.

I also want to make sure that the students are actively involved in the learning process. When I use technology on a regular basis in my classroom, I want to use it to present information, but also as a learning tool. I love using PowerPoint with interactive links for websites to show videos, pictures, etc. However, two tools that I want the students to actively use are Concept Mapping and VoiceThread.

Both of these tools are learning tools in which the students can express what they have learned. When students are able to construct what they have learned in the form of a concept map, they are able to narrow their focus. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) state that the, “advance organizers should focus on what is important rather than what is unusual” (p. 74). I want to implement the use of the Bubbl website in my classroom so that students can actively organize their thoughts on a new concept or idea.

I also love VoiceThread because the students can record their ideas but then they can also comment on others’ ideas as well. This technology reinforces the ideas of social learning theories, which states that students learn from each other.

I have two goals for my instructional practice regarding how I can integrate technology in my classroom. First of all, each quarter, I would like for my students to work on an assignment that would require them to make a presentation using some form of technology to reinforce a unit of study. It may look like a webpage, a PowerPoint, a VoiceThread, etc.. I plan to achieve this goal by creating a rubric for the students to follow so they know the expectations.

My second goal is to incorporate the use of technology for students to use as a discovery or research tool. I can achieve this by either providing my students with websites for them to explore, for example, a virtual tour, or they may have to find some good research on their own.

I have learned so much from this course. Understanding that each student learns differently is important to realize as a teacher. Using technology to reinforce various learning theories has been extremely beneficial and I am excited about using these new ideas next year in my classroom.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program two. Brain Research and Learning [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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

Voice Thread

I created a Voice Thread as an example for using social learning theories in the classroom. My Voice Thread is about the Roman aqueduct systems in the Roman Empire. The idea of my voice thread is to spark an interest in the aqueducts and present a project for them to research.

Here is my URL: http://voicethread.com/share/1191796/

Social Learning in Practice

This week, we are studying about cooperative learning and how that relates to the social learning theories. A social learning theory is one that involves others when learning or constructing new ideas. We can make connections when we talk with others about a topic or by participating in a group project. In our text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007), suggest several ideas for using groups of students working together to increase their understanding of a certain topic.

Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) emphasize that the students working together should all be actively participating in the group, which can be accomplished by assigning tasks or have them choose which task they want to complete. Technology can really be utilized with students learning together and from each other. For example, creating a web page is a great way for students to engage in the social learning theories. The teacher will assign the topic and each student is then responsible for some aspect of the page. The students can discuss ideas with each other and also share information that they have researched on their own and then they can contribute to the group.

There will always be the issue that some students do not want to participate, but with technology, there is a wider range of interests involved in the project. For example, someone that may not enjoy researching can do more of the design of the layout of the web page.

The jigsaw method is another great way for students to gather information as a group on a particular subject, and then spread their group out to made new groups, each one then teaching their subject to the new group. This is a great way for students to learn from one another, thus practicing the social learning theories.

Incorporating social learning theories in the classroom is important not only for students to learn skills that will be needed later in life, but it allows for the students to “teach” each other and share good ideas.

References

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

Constructionism

This week, we explored various resources pertaining to the constructionist theory, which is the thought that students learn best when they are building and finding out information for themselves. One of the instructional strategies that align with the constructionist theory is that of project-based learning. With project-based learning, students research and find out information on their own, and then present it in a meaningful way. The teacher is there to provide guidance and help the students when questions arise.

We recently finished a unit on the Native Americans. When looking through the resources this week that support the constructionist theory, one of the websites had a unit on the Native Americans. It has some great ideas for students to explore what life was like for the Native Americans and how they responded to the Lewis and Clark expedition. It allows for the students to explore culture and many aspects of the expedition. It is more than students listening to a teacher lecture, they are finding out for themselves what is was like during the time when settlers began exploring North America. This is a great example of students constructing and exploring new information and then processing the information based on their discoveries. I want to incorporate more activities like the one mentioned above so that learning is more meaningful and productive for the students.

Cognitive Learning Theory

This week, we are studying the various cognitive learning theories. One of the cognitive learning theories is to effectively use images when teaching a new lesson. I really like the idea of using graphic organizers to present new information to the students. I use them all the time in my classroom. It not only organizes the new information, but allows for the students to visualize the new connections they are making in their minds.

In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) give several examples of graphic organizers that have been made with Inspiration software. The organizers can be filled in by the students as they are working or can be presented to them beforehand with new information. In the future, I also want to include pictures in my graphic organizers. Then, students will make even more connections in their minds so that they will remember the information on a more long-term basis.

By allowing the students to visualize their new information, and make connections with previously learned material, they are learning by cognitive learning styles. I really find these theories effective because the students are able to put information into long-term memory.

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

http://www.inspiration.com/Educators

Behaviorism in Practice

This week, I read a chapter in Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski's text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, and I found it to be very informative. The chapter discusses how teachers can use spreadsheets to teach students the connection between putting forth effort in their school work and seeing good academic results. The students rate various aspects of the effort put into the assignment, and then compare the amount of effort with their grade on a test or project. The concept seems very simple to me, but so many of my students need to understand the idea that effort equals results. This idea is a great example of behaviorism. The more they put into an assignment, the better the grade they will receive, which is the positive reinforcement. Hopefully, students will continue the pattern of putting effort into their school work and as a result, will continue to receive good grades.

Chapter 10 discussed many ideas for using technology to reinforce homework and practice skills. There are many web resources to utilize in the classroom. One great resource mentioned in our text is the Brain Pop videos. I use these in my science class a great deal. They are excellent resources to introduce new concepts. After the lecture, there are a series of questions pertaining to the video lecture. If the student enters in the correct answer, they "celebrate" the right answer. If they answer is wrong, they have to try again. This concept is another example of behaviorism used well in technology. The students want to get the answer correct because they are positively reinforced. Here is a link from Wikipedia explaining the Brain Pop movies a little further: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BrainPOP

I believe that behaviorism is still very useful in the classroom today, although I do not believe it to be the only learning theory that should be used. However, students love technology where they can be positively reinforced and it promotes a supportive atmosphere in the classroom.

Resources

http://www.wikipedia.com

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

Reflective thoughts

I have really enjoyed the last eight weeks while taking an online class on the implications of technology in our world today. Before taking this class, integrating technology in my classroom would bring to mind using a power point presentation or showing a video. Throughout this course, I have learned how to use blogs, wikis, and podcasts to enhance education. I had no prior experience to blogging, setting up a wiki page, or how to record on a podcast. For one of our assignments, I recorded some of my students and got to see first had how excited they were to use the technology of creating a podcast. Students in this day and age love technology because it is such a huge part of their lives.

I hope to find ways to incorporate the different technologies I have learned about in this class into my own classroom. When students take more control of their learning and use the resources available to them, they can take more ownership of their work. If I can stay up to date on new ways to integrate technology in the classroom, my students will benefit from the skills they will acquire as a result of using that technology.

I have two long-term goals for my classroom. First of all, I would love to use blogs or even wiki pages to encourage students to research and then discuss their research regarding history. If students can find some aspect of history to research and then connect it with other areas of history, real learning and understanding will take place. Second, I would love to see groups of students working together with the technology so that all students have a chance to see how their skills can benefit a group. For example, if I implemented podcasts as an assignment, students can use writing and researching skills, acting and producing skills, etc. I can accomplish these goals be creating assignments that will involve these areas of technology and hopefully students will benefit and learn from these types of assignments.

Using technology in the classroom is an exciting goal and one that I take seriously. It is important to help our students of today have a better chance of succeeding in a world that is so driven by technology.

Profiling the Students of Today

For my assignment this week in my online class, I had to create a survey to give to my sixth graders. The survey was to gain an understanding of how much technology they use on a daily basis. I also asked them questions pertaining to technology use in the classroom and for educational purposes. The project was very informative and the students had a good time helping with it. Here is the link for my podcast I created stating my findings from the survey:

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/3725

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

For an assignment in my online class, we visited the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website. There are many changes taking place around us in the world today due to technology. Because of technology, certain job opportunities are changing, and with that different skills are needed to become successful. The Partnership for 21st Century recognizes that many schools are far from teaching these 21st century skills, so their goal is to promote the education of these skills in classrooms across America.

Today, I looked through the different pages and information on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website and found it to be well organized and easy to navigate through. I enjoyed looking through their tools and resources page, especially where they had videos posted with different ideas for integrating the 21st century skills into the classroom.

I was somewhat surprised that more states have not partnered with the organization. However, I had never visited this website until today. According to the website, there was actually a conference promoting P21 in my state a couple weeks ago, and I was not even aware that is was going on. They have a great deal of support from big name companies, so I found that to be encouraging.

Reading through the site once again reminded me of the importance to teach critical thinking, communication, and creative skills to our students. It is imperative that they learn how use these skills so that they can be successful in an ever-changing world. I need to remain up to date on integrating technology in my classroom. It will be good to use this website as a reference for my students’ education.

Blogging in the Classroom

Reflecting on how to use a blog in the classroom has brought several ideas to mind. In
Alan November's book, Web Literacy for Educators, he discusses ideas to effectively use blogs in the classroom. One idea is to "build a body of knowledge" (November 2008). I love this idea, especially for 6th graders. My students are extremly social and creating an opportunity for them to communicate, share, and acknolwedge one another's work would be a great project for them to participate in.

We are currently studying Rome in history, so creating a weblog on the many aspects of Ancient Rome would be a great idea. If I assign students a partner, they could then create a posting about their particular topic relating to Ancient Rome. They would have to include links, pictures, and summaries of the information they found. Then, the next part of the assignment would be for them to comment on other's postings and ask questions to further the exploration of knowledge.

Not only would they learn research skills, they would continue to improve their skills of cooperative learning by working with a partner. They would learn how to appropriately respond to their classmates and also ask questions to further the learning process. When students read their classmates postings, they have the opportunity to encourage their peers in their research. At the end of the project, we would have a website containing all sorts of information on Ancient Rome. Students could then reflect back on our unit of study and they could visually see all the work they accomplished.

November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

My Very First Blog

Welcome to my new blog page! I titled my blog, "Learning As I Go," because I am always learning new things in my classroom. Sometimes I learn things NOT to do, while other times I learn things that work really well! I want this blog to be about the things that can make my classroom a place where learning is fun and students can become successful.

I am currently working on my Masters degree in Education, specifically Integrating Technology in the Classroom. I am learning new ways to use technology in the classroom to accomplish things that could not be accomplished before the new technology. I am learning that any time I try to incorporate technology in my lessons, the students are excited and ready to learn. They are surrounded by technology in their lives, so naturally when we bring it into the classroom, they are willing to participate and see if they like it.

I just recently had a new smart board installed in my classroom; it is called a Promethean Board. I only have it for a 60 day trial, so I am trying to learn all I can about it in a short amount of time. My students and I are having fun using it. Last Thursday I introduced our new unit on the Roman Empire, and I used the interactive board in my lesson. We were able to use interactive maps to explore the geography of Italy and visit websites that gave us "tours" of some of the ancient ruins in Rome. The lesson was great because it allowed the students to learn visually and allowed for them to understand on a better level the area of the world we are about to study.

Well, that is all for my first post. If you have any experience using a smart board, or know great ideas for teaching with one, leave me a comment and let me know!