And Action

Since establishing my game plan I have been researching local organizations, businesses, and conferences that can help further my knowledge of technology applications for student’s success. We were recently told our placements for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year and I will again be teaching in an inclusion fourth grade classroom. To ensure that I am able to help each learner meet their potential I found a local Assistive Technology conference and have filed the necessary paperwork to attend. I have also found valuable web resources and blogs to keep abreast of up to date research and methodologies at http://www.assistivetechnologycenter.org/ I also went on the New Jersey State Department of Education and found links to state sponsored sites as well at the following address: http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/divisions/operations/education/assistive.html

To meet my goal of using technology to increase communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture students learning I have paired up with a fourth grade teacher from another in district school. We plan to collaborate between classes by setting up a podcasting site. Students will create podcasts of content material covered and will share it across schools. The receiving school will then be the audience that will be able to provide feedback to the creators. Since this will be done using the internet, parents will also be provided the web address and will be better attuned to what their students are learning in school and will also be able to provide feedback.

The question that remains is when working with students and publishing work in a public domain how can I stay within the confidentiality parameters? I have tried to collaborate with my schools technology specialist, but have not been successful getting support. My next step is to venture out on my own by seeking clearance and guidance from my building administrator. I will keep you posted!

Time for Action

In order to meet my goal of using technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture students learning, I need exposure and practice with current technology programs. The resources I will need are continued research of current trends and attendance to conferences and seminars. Success with technology will come with patience and practice.

To be successful with technology one needs to be flexible and confident in experimenting with different soft and hard ware. Therefore, what I need most is the time to experiment and implement technology into classroom practice and communication. My main goal is to meet the needs of all learners and to prepare students to be successful in the uncertain future.

The steps I have taken so far are familiarizing myself with blogging and podcasting sites and functions. Also, I am earning my degree in integrating technology into the classroom which has exposed me to many new programs and allowed me to practice using them. I am also registered to attend a conference this summer on how to support the 21st Century Learner. I plan to continue to implement new programs each year and to seek out support from colleagues and professional organizations.

GAME

The two NET indicators I chose were II-A: Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability and V-D: Use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture students learning. My goals are to learn how to better evaluate technology for use in the classroom setting and to find a way to use technology to communicate outside my classroom.

The first action I have already started is to work towards earning my masters degree in Integrating Technology in the Classroom. I have learned about blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts, voice threads, and the level of engagement that can be reached through implementing technology in the classroom. I also plan to attend a summer seminar on the Excitement for 21st Learners. The seminar is to introduce free technology resources available for all teachers to use in their classrooms. I am hoping to learn about programs that can be used to enhance the curriculum to increase student engagement and interest (Laureate, 2009).

I will be able to evaluate the resources presented for appropriateness in my classroom by asking 3 questions; what content information do my students need, what instructional strategy will I use, and what resources do my students need? (Cennamon, Ross, Ertmer, 2009). My district has a strict privacy policy that does not allow access to blog sites from school computers. Therefore, I will have to appeal to my district or access my communication site from home. I will monitor my progress by my success rate with implementing both programs to enhance my students understanding of the curriculum and my ability for my students and I to communicate with an audience outside the boundaries of the classroom.

Each year teachers in my school are asked to develop and evaluate their PGIP, (professional growth implementation plan). My plan for this year is to research and implement technology to both enhance the curriculum and to globalize student work. I will extend my learning by continuing to search for and attend seminars based on implement technology and problem based learning. I also plan to research articles that will introduce me to new methods and software available. Technology is forever changing and therefore, staying abreast of current trends takes constant effort.

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.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program four. Enriching content area learning experiences with technology part I. Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

21st Literacy Reflection

Throughout this course I felt justified in much of my teaching. However, one striking revelation I had is that how to find, evaluate, and synthesize on line information needs to be directly taught to students. Students are not yet educated consumers and need to be taught how to be critical evaluators. Teaching how to search for information using a variety of search terms, use the ABC's of evaluating a web site, and synthesizing information from multiple sources are all necessary skills for future success in school and career.

From this day forward I plan to directly teach these skills using the think aloud method. I will demonstrate the steps and thinking that occur when searching for information. I will then continue to how to use the ABC's of evaluating web sites. Also necessary will be how to read a website when all information may not be necessary and tools like the find search that can direct you to a particular answer. Also, the students use graphic organizers to help organize and synthesize the information gathered.

One professional development goal I have for myself is find additional ways to help students evaluate and synthesize information gathered. I plan to incorporate the ABC's learned in this class as well as additional strategies learned through research. Once students are critical consumers I would like them to be able synthesize and use the credible information. I am looking forward to applying the information I have already learned and researching to take it further.

Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology Reflection

My personal learning theory has only been strengthened through the learning’s in this course. My teaching style still follows the social constructivism theory including collaborative group work as well as fully engaging students in the learning process (Laureate, 2009). However, new information presented has taught me the importance of maintaining current on education research. Dual coding or using multi-modalities to present and learn information has been proved to be most effective in moving information to long term memory (Laureate, 2009). Also, the use of images will help strengthen student’s ability to retain information.

This course has affected my teaching by reminding me that technology is most effective when used by the students not at them. I plan to continue to use the SmartBoard as a tool to encourage participation amongst students. I will incorporate images into presentations to help student’s link information to prior knowledge (Laureate, 2009). Another technology tool that I will be using with my students is the Voice Thread. The Voice Thread allows student’s to communicate and share their work with a live audience. Many of today’s businesses center on virtual board rooms where groups work together via live satellite. Providing an audience for student work may also help develop intrinsic motivation.

One permanent change in my teaching will be the use of images in presentations, assignments, and assessments. Images help students to link new information to prior knowledge, which is the ultimate goal for an educator. Another goal of mine is to use technology to engage students into the lesson and help immerse them in the learning.


References:

Laureate Education Inc., (2009). Behaviorist Learning Theory. Bridging learning, theory,instruction, and technology. Baltimore.

Voice Thread

Hi All,

I created a voice thread on bullying and it's affects on classroom learning. Please feel free to let me know what you think.

http://voicethread.com/#u656501


Thank you,
Courtney

Collaborate to Learn

The Social Learning Theory states that student's learn best when working with others. In Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development students need varying levels of support to learn at their instructional level (Laureate, 2009). The person supplying the support does not have to be an adult or teacher. The support can come from a peer in the form of a partner or member of a cooperative group. In a cooperative group each member is responsible for the success or learning of each other (Laureate, 2009).

Another primary component of the social learning theory is that students are actively engaged in building while conversing with each other. Technology provides many avenues for students to engage in learning while creating artifacts. Students can create web pages; solve web quests, or other multimedia tool such as power point (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

Working collaboratively also supports the social learning theory through problem based learning. By working cooperatively to solve a problem, each student brings a unique perspective and strength to the project. Students cooperate to learn, apply their knowledge, and demonstrate their understanding by developing a solution. Through consistently working in collaborative groups, students build their communication, leadership, and team work skills (Pitler et al, 2007).

References:

Laureate Education Inc., (2009). Social Learning Theories. Bridging learning, theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore.

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