Reflection

In week one of this course I described my personal learning theory as closely aligning to constructivism.  While I still strongly believe, “Knowledge is a constructed element resulting from the learning process,” (Duffy & McDonald, 2008) I have added some elements from other learning theories as well.  I have come to realize the role that behaviorism serves in my classroom.  I use it often to help my students understand what the classroom expectations are.  Cognitive learning is another theory I will continue to incorporate into my personal learning theory.  Cognitive learning theories revolve around processing and in math there is much processing that my students must do.  I must remember that only a few items can be processed in short term memory.  The goal is always to move items to long term memory which is often done through practice but I can help that along by using images to dual code information and help students make connections to other information (Laureate Education, Inc. 2010a).

The biggest adjustment I will make in my use of technology is to give students more opportunities to create products using technology.  My class has been mainly student centered but my use of technology has not always required my students to create products that showcase their understanding.  I want to as Dr. Orey says see what my students can do with technology (Laureate Education, Inc. 2010b).  VoiceThread is one tool that I will try to use often with my students.  I find this tool helpful for two reasons.  First, it is simple to learn and use.  Second, it allows my students to show their work and at the same time explain their thought process.  This is very important to me as a math teacher because it allows me to see if students truly understand.  The other tool I plan on incorporating into my classroom is Webspiration.  This tool is helpful because it allows students to make concept maps.  This is important because as Dr.Orey states, the concept map is a visual example of the network model of thinking (Laureate Education, Inc. 2010a).  This course has opened my eyes to many new tools and how to incorporate them into my class.  What is most important is that I can effectively use these tools knowing they are firmly rooted in learning theories that align with my own.

One of my biggest challenges to my incorporation of technology is the way I plan my lessons.  I plan mostly on a day to day basis because my student’s needs change all the time.  This sometimes hinders the activities I can do with my students because access to computer labs is limited and requires advanced planning.  My plan to help avoid this is to use my plan time with my fellow math teacher to map out or units and find ways to incorporate technology in advance so there is a time when students have individual access to a computer so they can use technology to create.  The second difficulty I have is providing immediate feedback.  As a math teacher it is very time consuming for me to grade every problem I assign and give individual comments on every problem students have difficulty with.  Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski write that feedback must be corrective, timely, specific, and students can effectively provide some of their own (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski. 2007. pg 41).  I need to begin capitalizing on student feedback.  To try this out I will give each student in a group a slightly different homework assignment.  Students will then post their answers to their group wiki page and then comment on each of their group members’ work.  I would still look at their work individually but they would receive feedback from their peers sooner.  I will also use web based quizzes and games to have students practice the drill and kill processes so they can receive immediate feedback.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program five. Cognitive learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program thirteen. Technology: Instructional tool vs. learning tool [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Voice Thread

http://voicethread.com/share/1553605/

Social Learning Theories

Two summers ago my district hoseted a cooperative learning workshop put on by Kagan.  It was helpful in introducing me to the concept and how to effectivly implament it in a class so that it is more than group work.  This week there were a few technology tools that can be used in conjunction with these social learning theories.
Second Life
There are many real life historical locations in Second Life.  Students could research the historical events that happened in some of these important cities and then design a tour around that location.  Students would be required to work together to decide what events are important and write a breif summaries about each stop on their tour.  This collaboration is important because as Dr. Orey writes cooloaboration, "helps students clarify concepts and ideas through discussion and debate," (Orey 2001).  This would give students a first had experience in a location that they cannot physically go and by working together they can enhance their understanding.  I would be a little concerned with the possible interactions that students might have with other people in the second life realm but the possiblities available deffinetly warrent a deeper look into Second Life.
Voice Thread
While watching the video on Voice Thread I got exceted when the teacher in the video said Voice Thread allows her to know what her students are thinking (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010b).  This will be extreamly helpful to me and I am thinking about how I can design an assessment using Voice Thread to see what my students are thinking.  In addition to this, Voice Thread has the capability to allow comments on published projects.  Once students create a project I would require them to respond to three other students' work so that students could start a discussion about the matterial.  Dr. Orey says that these discutions students have about content help them to clarify their understandings and correct their misconceptions (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010a).

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program eight. Social learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program ten. Spotlight on technology: VoiceThread [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Constructivism in Practice

I really find constructionism to be a theory that I really identify with.  Generating and testing hypotheses fits right into the constructionist point of view.  When students are creating their own hypotheses and testing them the hypotheses are their artifacts.  In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, suggest using spreadsheet software in many content classes.  They encourage teachers to make templates, "students will be able to manipulate, consider graphical patterns, and test their predictions by receiving quick feedback on multiple scenarios," (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski,pg 2004, 2007).  This use of spreadsheets gives students the firsthand experience that Dr. Orey says students need when he describes the Constructionist point of view (Laureate Education Inc., 2010).  I was also really intregued by the suggested use of simulation software, or video games to formulate and test hypotheses.  Pittler et al  describe the use of Making History to help students understand the "political and economic conditions that led to the war,"  (Pittler et al, pg 213, 2007).  While the students are not necessarily creating an artifact that can be shared while playing these games they are constructing their learning and understanding of the many variables involved in world war.  Because the students are again able to have this first hand experience and construct their own learning it falls under the classification of constructionism.  This lead me to look for other simulation software and I found lemonade stand which can be used to have students see how different variables affect the sale of lemonade at their own lemonade stand.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program seven. Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.


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

Cognitivism in Practice

Many of the tools I read about in this weeks reading were I am familiar and have even used in the past.  My minimal use of them is not due to the my lack of interest but my failure to understand the importance how they tie in to the way the brain processes information.

• Concept Mapping: This is an excellent way to help students organize information.  Dr. Orey states that concept mapping is a graphic explanation of the network model of thinking our brains use (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  In addition concept mapping does not need to use only words but can include pictures or diagrams as well.  This is especially important because when the brain sees images it dual codes them with the picture as well as the word associated with that picture (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  This is important because it allows the brain to make more connections and help students recall information later.
• Virtual Field Trips: These are excellent way to provide students and opportunity to have an episodic experience. These kinds of experiences allow students to tie their learning to something they can relate to (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). This too allows students to strengthen connections to the material they learn in class.
• Word Processing for Summarization:  Note taking and summarization for students is a very complex task that takes practice to become good at.  Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski suggest using the track changes feature in word to model note taking.  Once text is copied into a word document teachers can show which items they delete and add in to streamline text.  While the teacher does this the text is simply crossed out instead of deleted and new words are highlighted (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007).  This process of modeling will help students to develop strong note taking skills. This kind of note taking allows students to minimize and find important information which is important because reading only puts information into short term memory where about 7 items can be processed (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).

My experience with these strategies this week reinforces the fact that because teachers are constantly trying to do new things with students we need to sometimes be reminded of the power and importance of strategies we have used in the past.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program five. Cognitive learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.


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

Behaviorism in Practice

There are many ways that behaviorism can enter a classroom.  The two main avenues are behavior and instruction.  As a math teacher I feel that the biggest impact it has on my instruction is through operant conditioning.  This happens when as Dr. Orey states, I reinforce a correct answer in my class.  He goes on further to state that this process is one of the primary ways that behaviorism shows up in online learning  (Laureate Education Inc, 2010).  One of the most valuable forms of this learning is the use of the online tutorials.  These type of programs allow students to see, specifically in math, how to solve certain types of problems.  One site that I encourage my students to use to practice skills if they are struggling is math.com.  Not only does this site give students tutorials explaining the step by step process it also produces randomly generated problems that can be solved with immediate feedback.  This kind of feed back is important as Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, state,"Because it is easy for errors to slip in when students are practicing teachers should give feedback as quickly as possible," (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, pg 188).  As a math teacher I find that this process of giving quick feedback is one of my most challenging tasks.  "Typicaly, students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80 percent competency," (Pitler et all, 2007, pg 188) with 100 students in my class providing feedback on all problems is a daunting task.  This is where technology and programed instruction can help me give the necessary feedback.  By assigning online tutorials and practice for homework my students can receive the feed back they need.  Teachers can easily confirm the completion of these activities by having students, "either print reward certificates or save certificates as a screen shot and email it," (Pitler et all, 2007, pg 196).  For my students the website for our books provides a large amount of tutorials an immediate feedback.  I even use the videos to help answer questions students have when I have a substitute.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program four. Behaviorist learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.


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

Course Reflections

The past seven weeks of this class have been challenging.  I have been pushed to teach in ways I never have before.  This course has changed the way I think about teaching and learning.  As a result I have a better understanding of blogs and wikis and how they can be used in the classroom.  I now feel comfortable using technology that I am not familiar with in my classroom.  I know that using technology is important and as Presky says, “This is less about teachers mastering specific tools or techniques such as electronic, games, blogs, or search engines, than their being willing to allow students to use these tools to find information and create products,” (Prensky, 2008).

One of my biggest “aha” moments during this course was the realization that teacher roles have shifted dramatically from when I was a student.  As Dr. Thornburg states the role of educators has shifted with the availability of information on the internet.  Teachers are no longer the givers of knowledge but rather the facilitator of experiences (Thornburg, 2010).  My students don’t need me to always tell them what to do or how to solve problems.  I need to continue changing the way that I teach so that I give students the opportunity to create their own knowledge and guide them along that path.

The idea of student centered learning is something that I am continuing to work toward.  This past week I embraced this idea and charged my students with the task of creating wikis.  The process was amazing.  I was impressed by the level of engagement my students showed in the project.  While the process of having students work on wikis was not perfect I saw more collaboration and excitement than any other lesson I have taught all year long.  This proves to me the importance of student centered lessons where students create products that demonstrate their learning.

To expand upon my knowledge of using technology in the classroom to help increase student achievement I plan on continuing my search for new ways to use technology.  To help me with this search I will continue to read the educational blogs that I have started to follow throughout this course.  By reading these I will be able to find new and exciting ways to incorporate technology in my classroom.  Another way to expand my knowledge of technology is to continue to collaborate with other teachers.  This course has helped me start a dialogue with many teachers in my building about the use of technology in our classrooms.  I look forward to continuing these conversations as the year progresses.

My goals for moving forward with the incorporation of technology in my class are twofold.  The first goal is to expand upon the use of my class blog.  Currently I am using it to provide students a place to ask questions.  I want to increase the amount of information available on the blog by starting to post class lessons on the bog and helpful links to information that I find.  To increase the use of my blog by my students I need to begin to require them to use it so that they start to explore it and use the blog as a resource on a regular basis.  I realize that I have students that do not have access to the internet and I must provide these students with the time in my class to explore and interact with the content on my blog.  My second goal is to help my colleagues increase their use of technology.  To help accomplish this goal I have made myself available to my principal as resource for increasing the use of technology in my school.  He has already asked me to present some of the lessons I have used in my classroom to the school staff.  By continuing to push myself and others in my school to incorporate technology we can increase student engagement and learning.  This goal signifies a shift in my feelings from the beginning of the course when I did not promote the development of technology skills in my colleagues to becoming a leader in my building.

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.
Thornburg, D. (2010). “Changing the role of the classroom teacher:part 1”. Laureate Education

Class Demographic

Class demographic podcast

Partnership for 21st Learning

My initial reaction to the Partnership for 21st Learning was overwhelming.  The web site is full of so much information I did not know where to begin.  In the overview section I was able to gain a sense of what the partnership is about.  I started by reading about the Skills Framework.  I was pleased to see that in the core subjects section of the frame work that all the traditional subjects are included.  Just today at school the social studies department had an emergency meeting to discuss new legislation that is looking to remove social studies from the states high school graduation requirements.  In the state of Colorado all students take a standardized test that covers reading, writing, and math every year with science being tested every four years.  As a result there is a much higher emphasis placed on Math and Language Arts not mention pressure on those teachers.  I see value in all the Core subjects and am pleased that subjects like art, world languages, geography, and history listed.  I also find the 21st Century Themes to be refreshing.  Just today I was reading an article in 5280 about Colorado having the lowest obesity rate in America at around 19%.  That translates to one fifth of the state being obese "Not chubby. Not carrying around 10 extra pounds. Obese.  Which means that excess fat has built up in the body to the point it can negatively effect ones health,"  (Koehler, 2007).  This fact about the skinniest state in the union really emphasizes the importance of Health literacy as a 21st Century skill.  I also see great value in Global awareness and Environmental literacy as well.

After learning about the framework I started to look into the tools and resources section to try and find some tools that I can use to help teach some of these skills to my students. While searching through the tools I found Route 21 which delves deeper into the framework and provides resources for the core subjects and 21st Century themes.  While there I found some useful resources.  The first one is 21st Century Information Fluency.  This site provides tools for effectively researching information on the internet, evaluating the reliability of the material, and citing that material using a variety of formats.  There are also search challenges which are activities that students can do to learn about how to effectively use a keyword search.  Another link that I found useful was 21st Century Questions.  This site is a blog where teachers collaborate to, "set up a free open space online where teachers can pool quality 21st century questions, and give students the free online tools they need to explore them individually or collaboratively," (21st Century).  These questions do a great job of prompting students to think about relevant issues and prompt them to use 21st century skills to respond to them.

As an educator I can use the Partnership for 21st Century Skills to help inform decisions I make about what I teach and how I choose to teach it.  I will also use it as a resource to help me find information and tools to use in my instruction.  By using this sight and its vast resources I can begin to teach 21st Century skills to my students.

References:
Koehler, L.  (2010).  The last lean americans.  5280, 2010(18), 73-79
Partnership for 21st Learning
Route 21
 21st Century Information Fluency
21st Century Questions
Koehler, L.  (2010).  The last lean americans.  5280, 2010(18), 73-79.

My class blog

After spending the week thinking about starting a homework blog I decided to see if their was any interest from my students.  I had created my blog earlier this week but did not tell my students about it.  In my last two classes on Thursday I asked my students if they would like to have a place on the internet where they could go and ask questions about the homework, and classwork redos they are working on and have me answer them.  I was overwhelmed by the hands that went up.  Almost all my students were interested.  So I showed them the blog I set up and told them to use that evening because they had homework due the next day. That night I had two students post questions and I was able to help them.  I am very excited about my blog and I can not wait to get to school today and talk it up to all my classes.
Check out my homework blog and let me know what you think.

Blogs in my classroom

I am a 7th grade math teacher and while I find blogs fascinating and see their potential for getting students to collaborate I have had a hard time developing ways to to use them in my classroom.  As a math teacher I find that giving my students individual feed back on assignments is one of the best ways for me to correct them and help them to see what mistake they are making and how to correct them.  This however, can be extremely time consuming as one class's assignment can take me up to an hour and a half to grade.  I am beginning to think that blogging might be a way for me to help give student more constructive feed back on their homework and assignments they are correcting.  My initial thought is to set up a blog where students can go and post their questions about assignments.  I would try to check it in the evenings so students could get feed back rapidly but  I know that this might get to be a little over whelming on my part though and I might not always be able to answer questions each night.  To counter act this I would focus on the evenings before assignments were due when all my little procrastinators are stressing out.  My goal would be that students might even start to help each other out by responding to one another rather than waiting for me.  My major concerns are would my students use this if it was not required and how would I encourage them to help each other out with out blatantly giving each other answers.  What do you all think?

My Mimio

This year I was asked by my principal to pilot the use of a Mimio board in my classroom.  A Mimio board is a device that turns any surface into a smart board when combined with a projector.  In this blog I plan on discussing the various uses I find for my Mimio board and any other technology I use with it.