Reflection 12-21-10

Reflection on DI and Technology

Ideas that I have learned and decided to implement into my classroom and teachings are the use of DI and adding technology into my daily practices. Through the readings, videos, and discussions I have realized how DI works and how to gain the most from using it in the classroom. It can seems very intimidating at first to plan for, but once you understand your students and how they learn it becomes much more easy to manage. Adding technology into the mix can be frustrating if not coached the right way. I have to remember there is certain classroom management for using technology. Also, it can be a great tool to add dimension to a DI classroom. Students can all use the same program on a computer or IWB and get different things out of it. If it has sound, text, and pictures you are touching on many different learning styles. There are so many options for teachers to use technology and continue to control a DI classroom.

Reflection end of course

Reflection

- My GAME plan has helped me stay on track and learn to make obtainable goals for myself and my students using technology. I have found that with only tackling one or two goals at a time they are easier to achieve. I don’t get overwhelmed anymore by trying to gain knowledge and present to my students. I only use the information needed to achieve the goals and wait to introduce the other material at a later time. I have noticed my students enjoy knowing what is expected of them and how to achieve their goals as well.

- I have found that classroom management in very important when using technology. The students need to know the expectations before the assignment is given. I noticed that even my young students show interest and knowledge in technology. They are very computer savvy children. Being digital natives the students come to me each year with more and more knowledge. It is my job to make lessons fun and inviting. Getting the students involved in their learning makes the day much more enjoyable. Giving the students more options such as project based learning lets them go at their own pace and with what is comfortable with them.

- I am implementing daily computer exposure time to literacy websites for the children during their center time. I am trying to take advantage of our new IWB and bring lessons to life with You Tube and other programs. I am in the works of starting a class blog where I will be posting notes I send home and the weekly newsletter. This is to keep parents involved but to also save a few trees and dollars on paper.

Brandy

Using the GAME plan

Using the GAME plan with the students
By exposing the students to new technologies through my GAME plan it will help the students have educational gain. The students will have new experiences not only with using the technology but what they are learning through the technology. These opportunities will give some students exposure to things they wouldn’t normally have. It gives them a strong back bone in some basics.

NETS-T and GAME Plan

NETS-T and GAME Plan
My progress in my GAME plan has started rolling. I went to use the IWB with my students this week. The students were very receptive using it. They like that it was big and that they could touch it and move things around. We played an alphabet game on starfall.com. This helps the students with the letters and the sounds. They associate the sounds with pictures and animated videos.
- I have learned that there are many different things and ways to incorporate technology in the classroom.
- I am working on incorporating technology more often during the month. Right now I am doing it twice a month and I would like to increase it to once a week.
- I would like to incorporate more creativity in my lessons. Also, more collaboration and communication would be a goal I would like to create.
- I would like to create a blog or wiki that the parents could access so I would not have to print out newsletters. This way I could just post it and the parents could respond with questions.

GAME plan progress week 5

GAME plan progress

• How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

My actions have helped me towards meeting my goal. I have signed up and started using our Smart Boards. The students have had a positive reaction toward using this new technology.

• What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

Working from a backwards design model is important. Knowing where you want the students to end up helps with planning. Adding technology into as many lessons as possible helps the students relate the subject matter to their real lives.

• What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
How do you manage younger students when they are at IWB? How do you explain about taking turns and good etiquette on when someone else is taking a turn?

• How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

Make sure that I am planning from a backwards design model.

Progress towards GAME plan!

Progress toward my GAME plan

- I have signed up for 2 days of smart board time during the month of October.
I will need to increase it to 4 times a month or once a week once the technology is up and running, and I am comfortable using the IWB. I will also need to make plans ahead of time to use on the IWB. Being prepared is a huge step in technology. Children don’t like to wait.

- I have given a survey to the children to find their different learning styles.

I will now have to organize the information and group the children by their learning styles to maximize their potential. I will start a rotation through the computer in the room during group time to expose the children to the technology according to their learning style. I will give the students free choice during Center time to choose which site they want to use.

- I am using the backwards design model with my children. I am looking at the end product and the road map I need to get there. Using that map is how I will gather the data to put together the lesson plans needed for the IWB and for the computer programs. Cennamo, Ertmer, and Ross stated, “Assessment and learning activities are closely linked and should be considered together.” So, to be a successful teacher and implement the GAME plan these items need to be linked.


Cennamo, K., Ertmer, P. & Ross, J. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Take a moment to review your GAME plan.

•What resources will you need to carry out your plan (video, reading, experts or colleagues, etc)?
I will need access to the SmartBoard or Activboard at least once a week. Right now we just moved into a new building and all the technology hasn’t been set up yet. When it starts being available I will add to my lesson plans a large group technology time. I will need interactive websites or lessons ready and available. To let the students access the computer during center time I will need time to show each child how the computer works. I will need at least one computer available during center time. I will need spread sheets started to monitor progress.

•What additional information do you need?
I will need some interactive websites or preplanned lessons.

•What steps have you been able to take so far?
Sign my name on the technology calendar for times to use the IWB. Start showing the students how to use the computer responsibly. Started to create a spreadsheet.

Step 1: By Wednesday: Post a description of the resources and information you will need to carry out your action plan as well as your intended learning strategy. In your post, address the questions listed above. Reach out to your colleagues in this learning community for assistance if needed.

GAME PLAN

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

-I think this is the standard that I feel most proficient with. I feel I do many things daily to promote creativity. In Pre-K the main motto is for the children to be creative and for the teachers to make the environment the most creative fostering area.

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:
a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
b. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

- I feel this standard is an area of weakness for me. I need to design and develop more lessons that include technology and digital media. The two indicators that stick out for me that I would need some more expertise in are b and c. Making lessons that are diverse and let all students be engaged are a challenge. Attacking the different learning styles through technology makes it a little easier.

-Goals: I will include technology weekly in my lesson plans. I will make lessons that touch on all the different learning styles and include digital media.

-Actions: During small group each week there will be a technology group that each child will rotate through. During that group the children will be grouped by learning style to maximize learning. During center time students will get the choice to use the computer to participate in learning software.

-Monitoring progress: Teacher will use matrices or spread sheets to collect data and construct data graphs of student progress using technology. Teacher will monitor center time computer use and take antidotal notes on the student learning.

-Evaluate: Teacher will give a pre and posttest survey to each student participating in the groups.

Reflection Again

Reflection
This class has been interesting in that I thought that there was no way I could do an inquiry based project with my students because of their age. Boy was I wrong. There are ways to scale it down for younger students the teacher just has to be a little more hands on. The teacher needs to give more prompts and make the subject matter interesting and relevant to their interests. I feel that it is important to continue to learn and grow with the inquiry based learning model because this is what the future holds. We are asking students to become more independent learners and thinkers. This will prepare them for the outside real world where they will have to apply these skills. This school year I am going to try to have more inquiry based lessons. I want to also set a goal of at least one lesson that is technology based per month. I am hoping that we will have the facilities to accomplish this goal. I am going to take the information that I have learned though out this course and set up a work shop during one of our planning times to give the information about inquiry based lessons to my group. I feel that it is important for my team to learn and be able to use this information in the classroom. It can only benefit our students in the long run. More exposure to technology and different ways of using it in the classroom will make our students better learners.

Reflection

Reflection Final Blog Posting for 6711

Personal theory of learning-While reflecting on my personal theory of learning I believe most of what I was observing or doing was along the lines of our class. A few of the theorists that I included were Papert, Gardner, and Skinner. Their practices aligned with many of our learning applications. I think it is important to understand what strategies work well for you and your children. These might even change from year to year depending on the students. I found that making things memorable is more important than anything. I will make the students remember more and put it in their long term memory banks. These activities can also incorporate technology as well. Make things a learning activity rather than a teaching activity. Make the students involved and responsible for their own learning.

Immediate changes to implement technology- I am going to try to use more learning tools. Let the students explore technology more on their own rather than me always using teacher centered activities.

Two technology tools- I am going to use Voice Stream to present at the end of the year for each child. I am going to take pictures of some of their work and record their voices to narrate their Voice Stream. I am also going to take more virtual field trips and have many follow up activities to extend the subject while using group work.

Long term goals and plans-Now that I have 2 computers in my class I am going to make a computer center that the children can use during center time. I plan to have interactive web sites for them to use and explore. Let them use power point to make slide shows of the units we are learning. I am going to implement a technology small group weekly in my lesson plans that will include virtual field trips, Voice Streaming, and other on going projects that the parents can access at home as well with the students.

Brandy Rainey

VoiceThread

Here is the link to my voicethread account. I am doing it on school and classroom security. We don't have an office staff and our doors are just locked all day with a phone to access the classrooms. It can be frustrating for the parents and teachers. With budgets tight an office staff doesn't seem likely anytime soon.

http://voicethread.com/#q+school+and+classroom+security.b1041843.i5554078

Cooperative Learning in a Social Learning Theory Environment

Applying the social learning theory in a classroom is present in most classrooms today. The classroom is a melting pot of many different aspects of different theories. One theory in a whole is not relevant to a 21st century classroom. We as teachers are asking our students to do more and more social learning. We have expected behaviors and outcomes when giving a task, and we rely on the students to adapt and learn socially to complete these tasks. We ask them to model appropriate behaviors in their groups to show their peers what is desired.
Cooperative learning has an important place in today's classrooms. As stated by Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, & Pitler students need, "To be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today's students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively" (p.139). There are many generalizations about cooperative learning. The recommendations would be to use different criteria for grouping, use formal, informal and base groups, keep group size down, and combine cooperative learning with other styles as well (p. 140). There are many components to cooperative learning that relate to social learning. Students have to have interaction with their peers. They will foster their interpersonal and group skills such as communication, leadership, and conflict resolution. They will be required to reflect as a group on their task when finished. These are life skills that they will be able to transfer over into the work force.
Technology can play a part in cooperative and social learning. Technology tasks are usually a group task. It is a vital role of cooperative learning. Studies have proven that technology collaboration gives the students a increase in effect size (p. 141).
Using multimedia and web enhanced tools are a positive way to use technology in cooperative learning. ePals is an excellent way for students to interact with other students. It is the Internet's largest community of collaborative classrooms. They share many projects, cultural experiences, and language learning. Using a webquest or producing a website are cooperative and social tasks. Students can work together to gather the information to use these sites.
When a teacher is planning for a technology project the first thing that should come to mind is how can I group my children for this project. Lay out social goals along with the learning goals for each group. The groups can assign roles for each students as to work cooperatively together in a flowing manner. It is important to "model" appropriate behaviors for the students before the project starts. A rubric is a great tool to let students know the expectations
Brandy Rainey

Technology and Constructionism in Practice Together

A constructionist approach to learning is all about the end product. They should "construct" something when learning. It is taking an experience and putting it into their schema. Trying to keep their schema equal with their experiences. When approaching something new or similar to an all ready learned object the common thing to do is to assimilate the object. This is to gather the information about the object and then apply it to their current schema about that object.

Technology can play a part of the constructionist theory. The teacher can use a technology program to have the students show how they can construct their learning of the current subject. Many programs are a good choice for students to show their understanding of a subject. Power Point is an excellent choice for students to use. It is not just for the teacher to provide notes on a subject. The students can use it, and add in many point in a unit of study as a presentation. There are man web resources that encourage students to show understanding. They can construct simulations that would normally be to hard to implement and would be very costly(Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., Malenoski, K., Pitler, H., p. 213).

The constructivist theory is a very hands on theory. The students are involved in their learning of the end product. They must construct or build something to show their understanding. It can be brought into the current classroom by implementing new technology programs for the students to use as a culminating activity.

Cognitivisim in the Classroom

Cognitivism is an important part of classroom learning. It is all about the associations and connections of the lessons to the learner. Dr. Orey stated that cognitivism is the elaborations to remember things. People don't just forget things, but they forget how to retrieve the information from their memory (Laurete Education). When using technology in effort to support cognitive thinking the teacher needs to use lots of images, but also use text. Make it relevant to the students, so they can make connections. There are many powerful mind tools in technology. Some examples would be Power Point, Excel Spreadsheets, and concept mapping tools. These applications allow the students to focus on the solutions rather than the process. It is important for the teacher to try to give the students episodic events in the classroom. These events will trigger the short term memory to turn it into something that is worthy of storing in the long term memory. When the student thinks of something that relates to the event it will bring back the memories of the episodic event.

Using the instructional strategies of cues, questions, and organizers will use the cognitive form of thinking. The students will learn to be able to retrieve, use, and organize the information on the topic ( Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, & Pitler, p. 73). Cues and questions provide the same information to the students. They trigger or give them hints about what they will be experiencing or learning. Organizers help students learn in an organized fashion. They give the students structure in the lesson. There are many types of software and applications available to the students that would satisfy these areas. Word processing gives organization to note taking by having options of outlines or bullets. There is spreadsheets that shave time off of our Math lessons to get the end result instead of focus sing on the process. There are many types of concept mapping or organizational software such as Kidspiration, webspiration, and Rapid Fire.

When thinking of taking notes most students cringe, but if taught correctly and given the tools to be successful it can be a powerful thing to learn. Sometimes student based notes are not always good. How can we expect students to read our minds on what is important. Give them teacher created notes to guide them along. Give the students multiple examples on what are good ways to take notes. Microsoft Word can be used as a note taking tool. There are different applications teachers can teach their students to use for their notes. Again concept mapping or organizational software can be very helpful to organize thoughts. Even multimedia sources such as Power Point are useful to create cognitivism learning tools in the classroom.
Brandy Rainey

Resources
Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., Malenoski, K., & Pitler, H. (2007) Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009) Cognitive learning theories. Baltimore: Author.

Behaviorism References

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

Behaviorism in the Classroom: Reinforcing Efforts and Homework/Practice

Behaviorism can be linked to the current classroom through many different directions. From reading our text I can see a direct correlation of behaviorism through technology. By giving us examples of spreadsheet study vs. test scores it shows us a way to use behaviorism on an educational note not just for behavior. Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, and Pitler stated, "A powerful way to convince students that effort is truly tied to achievement is to show them data" (p. 161). It is important for students to understand that hard work is also rewarded. Using this strategy gives students an opportunity to use technology as an everyday piece of their learning. Not only does it give them behaviorism skills it also reinforces math, reading, and social studies skills. It makes them responsible for what they are learning.

Having students do homework is for them to achieve levels of proficiency (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, and Pitler, p. 188). Technology can play a big part of homework and practicing because of the vast array of knowledge that is out there to find on any given subject. One way behaviorism could play a role in homework would be the learning part of it. When a student finally masters a subject or researches something interesting they would get an internal motivation to be happy for themselves. There are many websites that give students practice on drills and when they get something right the website rewards them with points, or a song, or a game to play. When you look at the grand scheme of things behaviorism is everywhere. We learn it a young age and continue to use for a long time.
Brandy Rainey

Well, bridging the gap has started. Getting into the learing theories and theorists. Hope everyone is starting this class in good health and good spirits. I can't wait until spring starts to show her little head. I am DONE with this cold weather! Give it a few weeks with high temps and no rain and I will be regretting that statement. My kids at school are acting like pod people. I always thought December was a bad month until now. They have started acting like crazy children. I hope they return my sweet kids soon! Talk to all of you later I am sure we will be using this often as communication.
Brandy Rainey

Blogging again

Here I am again making a blog. I have got to remember my sign in stuff. This is getting out of control! 5th class started so only 5 more to go! I can't wait to get it done.