Sunday, August 8, 2010

Revising My GAME Plan Week 6

After reviewing my progress on meeting my goals that I have established for learning about technology and technology resources, I believe that I have made progress, but I feel that there is always room for improvement. According to Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), “as a lifelong learner, much of your learning will be self-directed. That is, you will be responsible for locating learning opportunities and completing tasks to meet your own learning goals”. As I continue to teach, I’m want to make it a priority to ask myself what do students need to learn, and how can technology promote those learning goals? I feel that it is my responsibility as teacher to create learning opportunities for all of my students, and to be a lifelong learner as describe by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer.


Although I believe that I have learned a lot, I feel that integrating a classroom blog is a technology tool that I could apply in my classroom today. It’s a tool that can offer a lot to me and my students’. I want to start small and use it as a place to publish class syllabus, class rules, homework assignments, rubrics, handouts, and presentations. I believe it will save me and my students’ a lot of time as far locating and duplicating copies of things that I had already handed out. Furthermore, I think it might reduce the frequency of “I didn’t know I had homework”, or “I lost my handout” responses when my students’ did not do their work.

As far as the NETS-T standards, I would like to focus a little more on designing and developing digital-Age learning experiences and assessments for my students’. This of course, is once I accomplish the goals that I have set in week one of this course. It seems like it may be a little complicated to assess students learning while integrating technology tools. I believe that it will not be as complicated as I think once I experiment with assess technology tools.

To be honest, I’m not really sure what learning approach I will take in the future. I really want to reflect on the strategies that I’m current working, which I have not be able to do because it’s the summer. Once I have had time to take action and monitor my learning goals, I believe that I will be able to reflect on whether the strategies that I have chosen are actually are working or not.


Reference:


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

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Week 5 Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

Well, I’m little stressed right now due to the fact I’m a week behind on my assignment. I just went on a family vacation thinking I would have internet access and I was wrong. I assumed that the resort would have wireless internet available for its guest. I guess that’s what I get for assuming. Lesson learned!


After reflecting on my progress toward meeting the goals I established for learning technology and technology resources, I would have to say that I feel like I have made huge strides in accomplishing this task. The actions that I have taken has helped my meet my goals thus far. Using the GAME plan approach has allowed me to monitor and evaluate my professional growth. I have been able to identify whether the resources that I have been using will help me meet the goals of my plan. I have accomplished this mainly through reflecting on my actions. It’s this reflection that has really helped me think about what has worked, but also has helped me evaluate what is working at this point in time. This blog has also been a huge help in allowing me monitor my learning throughout this course. According to Cennamo, Ross, & Ross, “learning, in general, and about technology specifically, is an ongoing process” pg.7. This blog as allowed me to reflect on my ongoing experiences with technology and has allowed me to explain teaching insights have gain from what happens with the technology tools that I’ve use thus far.

Although I believe that I have learned and accomplished a lot in regards to technology, I still feel that I must continue to look for ways to integrated and structure opportunities for students to use technology in my classroom. As Cennamo, Ross, & Ross remarked, “to teach with technology specifically, is a lifelong journey” pg.1. I know that in order to help my students reach their full potential I must continue to think about what I know about technology and what I still need to know to help make my students’ be successful. Up to this point, no new questions have come up. I am eager for school to start so I can implement the technology tools that I have learned throughout this summer.

As of now, I really don’t want to make any changes to my Game plan until I’m able to see what impact technology can have one my teaching strategies. Once school starts I will able to evaluate and extend on my Game plan. I want to be able to look to see what patterns might emerge and then I will be able to decide if I need to make any modification to my plan.

Reference:

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.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Week # 4 Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

I have made some progress towards the goals in my GAME plan thus far. I have had some success with finding the information and resources that I need. Although the internet has provided me with a great deal of information, I now need to synthesize the information and try to make sense of it. I’m still in the process of trying to locate a professional conference on using technology to support authentic instruction. In addition, I’m going to contact a few teachers in the district who are computer savvy though e-mail, phone, or face to face if possible. There are also a few books that I’m in the process of ordering that may help contribute to me achieve my game plan.


As of now, I don’t think I need to make any modifications to my GAME plan. I have had some success, and I want to give my plan a little more time before I make any changes. There are several resources that will be available once school starts that may help open a few more doors. It seems that up to this point that the strategies that I’m using are helping me make sufficient progress toward my goals.

Up to this point I have learned a lot about how to become a self-directed learner. I have a better understanding how think about and how to take steps to direct my leaning process as I integrate technology into my classroom. I really like using the game plan strategy because it has allowed me to customize my approach to learning, help me integrate technology, and give me the tools for lifelong learning.

I have also learned a lot about the impact authentic experiences can have on students. The ability to help student immediately connect with what they are learning is the one key aspect that I continue to notice about authentic learning activities. It’s this connection that seems to help deepen the learning process and help students construct a personal meaning about their world, and technology gives them the opportunity to express what they have learned in many ways.

What are the restrictions or limitations that will arise as I experiment with using technology and with authentic instruction? These are the big questions I keep asking myslef? Will my students’ have the basic necessary skills to use technology in the classroom? Although I these questions seem negative, I feel that by using the steps in the GAME plan, I will be able to find answers to these questions. I believe that my game plan for learning will allow me to identify any limitation or restriction and help me apply my new knowledge to make the necessary change to meet my learning goals.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Carrying Out The GAME Plan Week # 3

Meeting with the technology experts in my district is one of the resources I plan on contacting to help me carry out my game plan for designing authentic and creative learning opportunities for my students’. I have recently set up a meeting with a technology teacher in my building that is willing to meet with me before school start this year. I have expressed my interest in using technology to promote and develop creative thinking activities for my students’. The technology teacher said that he had a few ideas that might help identify technologies that would support the incorporation of authentic and creative learning experiences.

I would also like to see if our district is planning on offering any professional development opportunities for teachers. Is it me or does anyone else feels like most PD opportunities are typically not very useful? I think it’s because these types of decisions are usually made by administrators and not teachers. I could be wrong! Anyhow……

Once I identify several technologies that I would like to experiment with, I will need to learn how to use the knowledge that I gain to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the most appropriate strategies to use in class. I will do this by reading, searching the internet, tutorials, and by reaching out to other experts. Once I have selected a technology tool, I will focus on that tool the remainder of the year.

Up to this point, I have been able to set up a meeting with a technology and began to research on my own. I believe that this is a good starting point, but I know that I must connect with others and tap into their understanding on how to create effective learning opportunities for students. I believe the best way to understand the impact technology is to become part of it and I feel that this can be accomplished by reaching out to others and experimenting with technology tools.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Week Two Application: Developing A Personal GAME Plan

After looking at the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) I feel that I would like to set goals for strengthening my confidence and proficiency in (Facilitate and Inspiring Student learning and Creativity) and (Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership). I believe that this is a good place to start for me and I feel that these are two areas in which I could improve in. To accomplish these goals I must come up with my GAME plan. In this plan will stet goals, take action, monitor these goals, and evaluate and extend on what I have learned.

To accomplish this first goal I will need to learn how to integrate my subject matter with different technology tools that will help facilitate student creativity and learning. To start, I will make a list of the tools that I would like to use in my classroom, and then learn to use each of these tools within context of my curriculum. To do this I will do research on the Internet and look for tutorials that will help me gain experience with the technology tools that I plan on using. I will also start to experiment with these tools in the classroom. Meeting with the technology department in our district for support and guidance is another way that will help me acquire the necessary knowledge to use technology in the classroom. To monitor my progress, I'm going to  incorporate and use the technology tools in my lessons when it is appropriate. As I collect information from these lessons, I will look to see if the technology tools are helping the students meet the learning goals. With this information I can see whether or not I need to make adjustments or modifications to the learning strategy. To evaluate and extend on my learning of these tools, I will reflect on each of the activities and will look to see if the technology tools help me meet the leaning goals. By reflecting on the different approaches that I used, I will be able to determine whether or not I should modify the lessons in the future.

To accomplish the second goal of Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, I will need to identify a piece of software or technology tool that I would like to use in the classroom and look to determine if it aligns with my instructional goals. To take action, I will research the internet and our districts professional development calendar to see if there are any available classes, seminars, or conferences that may be offered. After I locate and select a professional development opportunity, I will make the necessary plans to attend. Once I complete the PD activity, I will monitor this goal by slow introducing the technology tool into my lessons. In addition, I will look to see if the technology tool is helping my students understand the class concepts and achieve the learning targets. With this information, I will be able to modify or make changes to the lessons. To evaluate and extend on my professional growth I will continue to reflect on my professional development experiences and evaluate which types of professional development work best for me and my schedule.

I believe that this GAME plan has given me a starting point in developing my ability to actively plan, monitor, and evaluate my learning progress throughout this course. I feel that this GAME plan will help me self-assess my current level of skills in relation to the NETS-T Standards and allow me to continually learning and integrate technology into my classroom.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

EDUC 6712 Reflection

This course has helped me develop and expand my knowledge on how to teach students how to be literate in today’s technology rich world. I have learned to structure learning opportunities for students to use 21st literacy skills. These are the skill they must have in order to be successful in the near future. Most importantly, I feel that I now can effectively use the internet to help students acquire new knowledge and apply it in a unique and constructive way.

Realizing how easy it was to infuse the 21st century skills into my content area was the most striking revelation I had about teaching these new literacy skills. I knew that most of my students’ had some background knowledge with using computers, but I was really amazed with how much they could already do. I used several of the handouts that were provided in the book “Reading the Web Strategies of Internet Inquiry” by Eagleton & Dobler, to get a better understanding of my students’ ability in regards to researching and navigating the Web. These tools were very helpful in helping me determine my students’ level of readiness for using the internet and beginning an inquiry project.

The knowledge and experience that I have gained over the past eight weeks has inspired me to expand and create learning new learning opportunities for my students’. There are a lot of powerful tools that are now available for teachers and students and I want to give my students’ the chance to interact with them. These are the tools that most young adults are using now and will continue to use as they enter the workforce. I now have a better understanding on how technology can have a powerful and positive effect on student learning and achievement. The insights that I have gained in this course have without a doubt enhanced my effectiveness in the classroom.

Using inquiry project on a regular basis to address the standards in my curriculum area is one professional goal that I would like to pursue that builds upon my learning in this course. I want to continue to help my students’ become familiar with tools that can help them search, evaluate, and synthesize information from the internet. I believe that this will help develop and build their new literacy skills  as they investigate the core content.

I plan on accomplishing this goal through completing this Master’s Program and through my own research. In addition, I’m going to continue to experiment with multimedia and internet technologies tools that will enhance and support learning in my classroom. I’m really amazed with what I have learned so far. I really look forward to using and incorporating the use of inquiry projects in my classroom. I believe that it will help me become a better teacher and help my students’ achieve more.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Reflection: Final Blog Post EDU:6711

After reflecting on my “Personal Theory of Learning” that I developed in week one, there are a few modifications that I plan on making as a result of my learning throughout his course. The various learning models and instructional strategies presented in this class has allowed me to effectively and appropriately integrate and adapt technology into my classroom and into my personal learning theory.

Structuring opportunities for students to interact with technology on a more consistent basis is one adjustment I plan on making as a result of my learning in this course. According to (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008),“Teaching, learning, and technology work together to achieve the ultimate goal of effective knowledge transfer”. I believe that combining learning theories and technology can help me make appropriated and successful instructional decision for my students’. The theories of learning and of multiple intelligences can provide students’ with many different potential ways to learn. I fee that it’s very important to understand how students comprehend knowledge in order to match learning activities to meet their needs. Technology can help students in the learning process by giving them the opportunity to learn in their individual learning style. Through the use of technology and learning theory I feel that I can accommodate different students more successfully according to their learning needs.

There are two technology tools that I would like to use with my students to support and enhance there learning. The first technology tool I would like to implement in my classroom is Voice Thread. I feel that it’s truly a social and constructivist technology tool for learning. It provides a creative outlet for students and encourages the sharing of ideas. Students are able to use VoiceThread as interactive tool that allows them to collaborating, share, and comment. I really like how Voice Thread allows students to establish and maintain a learning experience with there classmates during the learning activity. The best part I like about voice thread is it allows students to upload pictures, narrate them, and then allows others to comment in 5 different ways-including audio and text. This is a great tool that really utilizes various ways of communication. I would use VoiceThread as a cooperative learning tool to start with and then move to other instructional strategies. I think that having my students use VoiceThread for a problem-based learning activity would be a great way to use technology to engage students with issues and questions that are relevant to their lives.

Using Virtual field trips in my class is another technology tool that I would like to use with my students’ I believe that virtual field trips will challenge and expose students to new types of technology tools that will allow them to receive, organize, share and generate new knowledge. I feel that it’s a great way to spark their interest and motivate their learning in a specific area. Virtual field trips will allow my students’ to have an episodic learning experience which will allow them to create new networks and make connections. In addition, creating episodic experiences is related to Paivio’s “Dual Coding Hypothesis” and is part of the cognitive information processing model. According to Dr. Orey, images are really important tools in helping students make connections and store information into long-term memory (Laureate,2009). My students’ will be able to use the images from a virtual field trip to reflect internally and externally to create a visual representation of their understandings.

There are two long term goal changes I would like to make in my instructional approaches regarding technology integration. Making the effort to continually participate in professional development activities is one goal that will help me integrate technology into my classroom. Professional development training and development will allow me to use technology tools to enhance student learning and increase my productivity in the classroom. Slowly becoming proficient at integrating one technology tool at a time is another goal I have. Dr. Pickering tells us that we should focus at just a few strategies and become skillful at those instead of trying to integrate many strategies at once. (Laureate,2009). My goal is to integrate two new technology tools each year. I believe that this will give me a solid foundation on which to build upon. This will allow me to assemble a personal collection of technology-integrated instructional strategies to use with my students’.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author

Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc.,custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1: TheoreticalFoundations, pp. 2–35