Reflection: Transitioning from Knowledge to Synthesis.

I was really challenged over the course of the last eight weeks or so reading about and studying the “new literacies” described in the course work. Students which meet the description of a digital native and should already be fairly well versed in some of the foundational skills required in order to move forward with the teaching of higher level skills, are unable to adequately perform. Others are well able. There seems to be a correlation between students who are capable in general academic areas and those who perform well in the technology areas. The students who struggle with academic performance really have a hard time with the “new literacies” as well. Observation of my students while engaged in some of the activities that fit the category of “new literacy” skills showed that they were not as engaged as I would have expected or hoped. This lack of engagement in the process will keep them from significant learning regardless of tools used in the process.
I came to a couple of conclusions about the things that we have been learning. Most of the “new literacies” that were described early in the course were not really all that new, and students will only learn when they are making an effort to do so. I believe that technology is an important tool that teachers can use in their classroom. I also believe that many of my students will require a new set of skills and literacies when they enter the work world. There is a need and a place for the integration of technology in the classroom, but students who know how to learn will be more than prepared to adapt to and learn the things that are required. My job is to use all of the tools at my disposal to help my students learn how to learn. In the end, I don’t think that my job is all that different than that of the teachers of the last generation or those that came before that.
I did find a tool that I can use in my classroom to aid in my job. The program Jing, is something that I plan on using. At first, I think that it will help me to give students some direction with some of the tasks that they need to accomplish on the computer. Eventually, I may have students use it to show how they have arrived at an end product. That way, if I have not been able to observe the process first hand I can get an idea of their thinking along the way.
One professional development goal that I would identify after the completion of this course would be to explore the area of using technology to aid in the learning process of students with learning disabilities. I still think that when students receive timely and accurate feedback, they will learn more and retain information longer. I think that this is even more important for students who struggle academically.

Reflection: Integrating Technology and Personal Theory of Learning

The first three days at my new school are in the books. It is a very different place than where I have been for the last twenty years. I am still adjusting to the rhythm and culture of the "elementary mentality". I'm not entirely sure what that even means, but one of my new colleagues referred to it that way in a conversation this last week. That being the case, it may take quite awhile longer for me to settle into the routine.

The first week at Buena Vista Elementary has done more to solidify my personal theory of learning than anything else. While the students are not perfect, there is a much higher percentage that seem to be coming from a different place. I had said in my first attempt to articulate my personal learning theory that there are things more important to learning than learning style. One of those things is what I will refer to as learning outlook. I have thirty-two sixth grade students this year and the first assignment that I gave was completed by 100% of the students in my class. Contrast that with the one hundred and seventy-seven seventh and eighth grade students from last year who had an assignment turn-in rate somewhere in the low sixty percent range. I believe that a desire to learn supercedes one's learning style, and those who truly desire to learn, will learn despite intructional strategies employed by the instructor. Students who come from a place where a value is placed on learning, seem to learn.

Though I haven't changed my personal theory of learning, I am more aware of the prevailing learning theories and how they apply to classroom instruction. I will continue to use technology in my classroom, but will make attempts to shift from a teacher-centered use of the resources to a student-centered one. I am working on getting my classroom computer lab of twenty computers operational. The process has been a summer long ordeal, and I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. I still need a network printer, but I think that I can get one of those from the district this week. When I have things going, students will be able to access rubrics for student work, daily assignments and other class resources. Students should have a better idea of what they are expected to do because of this. They will also have access to the internet and all of its resources for information and practice. I really liked the website english101 and its activities to reinforce basic concepts of grammar. I would like to use these and several other tools that we explored during the course. The use of basic word processing and spreadsheet programs as well as presentation software in conjunction with our network to assign and submit student work is one of the things that I will get to at some point this year. I will also use personal response "clickers" for preview, introduction of material, and review of important concepts. This approach will benefit my students and give me a great deal of important feedback. Students get an idea of what they already know, what the big ideas are with new material, and reinforcment of the things they must know right away with the use of an audience response system.

I feel a little like I'm repeating myself, but the resources from this last week really started me thinking. I am going to be in serious trouble if I try to do everything from the reading that sounds like a good idea.

The activities and projects from the reading appeal to me because they shift the center of the activity from me to the students. As they work together, they are becoming responsible for the teaching, becoming the "more knowledgeable other". When it comes to some of the computer based activities like the creation of a multimedia project, I can often learn something from some of my students. Students must also become more responsible, as they create whatever the artifact will be, for analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating the material.

VoiceThread problem link

Still trying to resolve the issues regarding the link not working. Hope that this link works... it is a little different than the one before. I noticed that I am not the only one that is having this problem... If yours is working can you tell those of us that have it wrong what you did?

http://voicethread.com/#q.b571022.i0.k0

Constructionist Learning Theory

I really enjoyed reading about constructionist approaches to teaching and learning this last week. I thought a lot about how I could incorporate project-, problem-, and inquiry-based methodologies into the way that I run my classroom. The greatest benefit that I see is that this kind of approach provides for real-life connections between the things that I am asked to teach and the everyday lives of my students. I often hear the question, “Why do we need to know this?” With this approach, the question is answered.

I think students can also see the “forest for the trees” when they are presented with the material in this way. I often get caught up in the minutia of what we are doing, and that can obscure the big picture from my students’ view.

A constructionist approach also encourages students to be involved and motivated. I know that my students enjoy coming to class more when we are doing this kind of activity. I think that students also go deeper into the meaning and learning when they must apply what they are learning to solving a problem or creating a project.
A few years ago I moved from 6th grade to 8th grade. Last year I had some students from my last year in 6th grade. We were talking about government and one of them said that it was like when we did this simulation in sixth grade. They were right, and I was actually amazed that this particular student remembered anything from my class two years earlier. The simulation had attracted the attention of this generally unmotivated student and he learned something that he was able to apply quite a bit later.

Finally, I thought this quote expressed the practical nature of Constructionist learning theory in a nutshell.

"This is the way that mathematics started. It started not as this beautiful, pure product of the abstract mind. It started as a way of controlling the water of the Nile, building the pyramids, sailing a ship. And gradually it got richer and richer." Seymour Papert (MIT)

Cognitivism in Practice

I do not remember exactly where I read this, and I did not find it when I went looking. The general idea was that when we are learning something new, it must have some connection to what was already known in order for it to really stick. This is a key for me as a teacher. Where students need, I must help to provide those links to prior knowledge. Using concept mapping or rubrics helps students create a framework to manage new material. It makes it easier to “interact with information in order to acquire, synthesize, create, and share new knowledge,” Robertson, B., Elliot, L., & Robinson, D. (2007).

I hate technology sometimes

I am having some serious troubles accessing the Walden site. My computers all updated automatically and now I get "waiting" messages but nothing more. The time spent trying to figure it out on my own and then with tech support... Sometimes it seems easier just to not have the headache.

Behaviorist Learning and Behavior based Technology

The resource that I was most intrigued by from this week’s resources was the site English Grammar 101. The activities provided for immediate feedback on a plethora of grammar concepts. When students have responded with the answer that they believe is the correct one, they can click on a button that will check the answer and provide either a confirmation that it is correct or tell what the correct answer was. Often times it will be a few days before my students receive some idea of how they did on an assignment. If they struggled with the concept, they often will continue with that struggle because they don’t even know that their thinking is wrong. When they can check as they go along, they can correct their thinking right away. I was also impressed by the number of opportunities that students had to practice each activity. With the direct instruction related to a new concept, there would be adequate opportunity to use this site as a guided or additional practice.

Back on the West Coast

It is so good to be back home after nearly a month on the road. It was a great family trip and we saw a lot of the country. Now comes the work of settling in and catching up on things not done while away... like sleep, and bills, and homework. Not sure which to do first. Bills and homework are more pressing, but my mind is not worth much without the sleep. I guess it will all get done eventually... one step at a time.

Reflection: Final Posting for Week 8

Before this class my perception of the uses of technology in the classroom was quite limited. My perceptions have been more than a little challenged. Having been exposed to the ideas of blogs, wikis, and podcasts has opened my eyes to the possibilities of things that I had no real knowledge of before we started. I need more time to be completely comfortable with their use in my classes, because I am not yet proficient enough to be comfortable with my own use of the technologies. The class did prod me to make a change in the infrastructure of my classroom. I have been working toward having enough computers in my classroom for each student to have access without a need to share. At the beginning of the year I had fifteen laptops for student use. They were connected to the school network via a wireless access point. I had forty five desktop computers that had been donated by the Air Force Base, but they were not configured to work on the network. Our ITS guys did not have time to do the work, so I learned how and did it myself. I now have a complete lab in my classroom for student use.
The biggest transition in my classroom beyond the hardware addition is the role that I seem to be taking on in the learning process of my students. My team of teachers joked a little at the beginning of this school year about how tired we were. After a summer of relaxation, the “sage on the stage” routine at the start of the year really took it out of us. As the year progressed and I was using more of the technology in the classroom, I found that there was less for me to do during class time. The transition is difficult still because I am not using time in class efficiently. Students do not need me to be up front dispensing knowledge, but I don’t always know what to do with myself. A shift in thinking regarding planning, my class role, and evaluation of student work is ongoing.
Hopefully, continued contact with others who are working through the process of integrating technology into their classrooms will keep me moving in the direction that I have chosen. Things will probably be more difficult next year, as I have recently learned that I will not be back in my current position. There is nothing definitive about what I will be doing next year. I don’t know site, grade level, whether I can take my technology with me, or if it will even be practical to do so. Only time will tell.

Walden Podcast Post

http://vmsteacher.podomatic.com/

After spending a little time looking around http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
I finally found an article that was a little interesting. "Beyond the Bubble: Technology and the Future of Student Assessment" dealt with the inadequacy of standardized testing that came into existence before today's computers and has remained virtually unchanged since. I particularly liked the idea that technology can change the way that we assess student achievement and make it more efficient too. While this article was interesting, I was not overly impressed with the rest of the site. I didn't see much that would be helpful to me, and don't see myself spending much more time looking through the information on the site.

Should I integrate blogging in my classroom?

I work with seventh and eighth grade history students, and the thought of having students blog is both intriguing and frightening. Right now I would have to say that fear outweighs my interest, and I don't know for sure if my district would even allow it for students at my grade level. If I could work it out, I would need to start small. The building community idea would allow for interaction that is not available currently on my website. I already post homework, copies of assignment printouts, practice tests, and links to grades and my email to mention a few. Eventually, I could maybe see myself including student discussion, but the student work and body of knowledge ideas seem to be too much for me right now.