Course Management Systems

Voice Thread for C.M.S.

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Reflection: GAME Plan

Reflecting back on this course really lets me see how far I have come in using technology resources the past few months. In the Course, Integrating Technology across the Content Areas, I used technology in many exciting ways that are beneficial for my students and myself. I am excited to begin incorporating the numerous ideas and activities next school year.

One technique discussed in class was the GAME plan, a lesson plan based upon goals, actions, monitoring, and evaluating. The GAME plan I developed in this eight-week course was a great addition to my social studies courses. It offered a simple way to implement an idea with my students, monitor that activity, and then make adjustments as necessary. My GAME plan to create social networking sites based on current events in Japan was very successful. My students not only became more familiar with the use of blogs but also were exposed to current news that had a global impact. The students became active and seemed to enjoy the forming opinions and analyzing all the latest news stories on the event. It ended up being a great way to incorporate technology resources into my classes.

The technology that I am most interested in adding to my lessons is digital storytelling. I think it will be a great tool to incorporate to both my World Geography and World History courses. I think the student engagement with these types of activities will be extremely high and produce some really great work.

Overall, this class has introduced me to new teaching strategies and techniques that will help develop my own skills and those of my students. All of the lessons have been relevant and have included ideas that I can use in any of my classes.

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

The NETS for Students coincide directly to those of the teachers. Students are to focus in on creativity, communication/collaboration, critical thinking, citizenship, research, and technology operations. These are areas that are not only beneficial for our students, but for the teachers, as well.

As I look over the past few weeks and the GAME plan I established, I realize that the students were following a plan although they were most likely not aware that they were doing so. I gave them a goal, they choose what actions to take, they monitored their progress, and thne evaluated their work. Some realized that their first actions were not great, they monitored their grade, evaluated that they didn't like it, and changed their actions. Some saw that they were on the right track and found their plan successful.

Just as this class did for me, I believe that bringing this process to their attention will help them see how easy it can be to work towards their goal. Once the students realize that they are already taking these actions, they will find it is not hard to continue to implement them throughout their work.

Revising Your GAME Plan

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
What goals are you still working toward?

The ideas that I take away from our own courses usually help with my students technology set ups or how group interaction should proceed. I often find, though, once my students are set on track, they tend to take off and produce great products with minimal guidance from myself. I would like to have a bit more of a structured lesson for my students to work within. Not only for their own understanding, but also for my own grading of their work. They can take ideas into so many different directions, it can be difficult to focus on main ideas.

Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?

My two Goals/Actions:

1. Come up with "real-world issues" that students or professionals may encounter and have students brainstorm ideas to solve these issues.
2. Create engaging learning environments that involve networking and collaboration

I think that my students have done a pretty good job of taking on these ideas. I don't see a wholesale change of these concepts, maybe just look to focus on specifics a bit more as the lessons and practices are carried out.

If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?

Moving forward, my students need to begin to finalize how they are going to present their findings. I will have to be involved in helping them make sure they have specific issues they want to present and keep the focus on those areas. Research, ideas, and concepts have become very "big" for many of my students. Our class, as a whole, needs to become more focused on main ideas.

What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?

In the future I would like to provide a more concentrated lesson that might be a bit more structured. I still want my students to expand, explore, and create their own ideas, but I want to make sure they are covering exactly what is necessary to succeed within our class. Again... focus.

Evaluating Your GAME Plan Progress

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

I have had my students begin to set up group blogs in which they can openly discuss the issues we are studying involving Japan.
Most of the issues are technical in nature and just require students following directions. I believe these blogs will fulfill the
plan of creating an engaging learning environment that involves networking and
and collaboration.

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

The ideas that I take away from our own courses usually help with my students technology set ups or how group interaction should
proceed. I often find, though, once my students are set on track, they tend to take off and produce great products with minimal
guidance from myself.

What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?

I'm still looking for the best ways to effectively implement my ideas. I feel that I may be leaving things too open-ended and not
quite focused enough. I will probably have to see final products before I can make an exact determination, though.

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

I'm going to stick with the current plan and then make adjustments after the end result. The outcomes might not be perfect this
time through, but they will certainly help me down the road.

Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

Are you finding the information and resources you need?

For my "real world issues," I am having my World Geography students focus on the current issues in Japan dealing with the earthquake, tsunami, and their aftermath. We have been researching all kinds of news stories and articles,
and now have to get to the point of focusing our research and findings to specific areas. We began with an idea of taking everything in, but now have to decide how to actually attack all of the relevant information. Most of the student
research has been Internet-based, and I believe will continue to remain so. That is generally the best tool for the most current information. Students will now have to determine not only the focus of their research but how they will
present their material. Group blogs and wiki pages have been discussed as presentation tools, with the idea that they open up further discussion. I like this concept but these tools and methods will have to be modeled to the students
to ensure that they can achieve their desired results.

Do you need to modify your action plan?

I believe the students' ideas gathered to this point will sustain my original action plan. Their ideas for presenting through blogs and wikis will fulfill the plan of creating an engaging learning environment that involves networking and
and collaboration.

What have you learned so far?

Students have really gravitated towards working with a news event that they can see developing in real time. There is so much video and new information coming out daily from the events in Japan, that the students are never "done" researching.
Each day they continue to want to learn more about the story and that has translated into some very positive work output.

What new questions have arisen?

How can I focus a project and plan that is changing and developing each day?
What are some other methods I can use for networking and collaboration? Beyond our class?

GAME Plan Review

For my GAME Plan, I am looking to carry out the following actions:

Action:
1. Come up with "real-world issues" that students or professionals may encounter and have students brainstorm ideas to solve these issues.
2. Create engaging learning environments that involve networking and collaboration

In order to take on these actions, my students need access to resources that can help them to identify, research, and evaluate "real-world issues." The students will need computers with Internet access and the ability to access our course web page. Using online resources and tools, students can work towards solving the issues encountered in our course work. The course web page provides access to class blogs and wikis where students can share the information they have gathered with their classmates. This collaboration will allow students varying perspectives on their issues and the ability to push and assistant one another in order to achieve better results.

GAME Plan

I want to begin my focus on NETS standard #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:" (ISTE, n.d.). Within that standard, there are two performance indicators in which I would like to strengthen my own confidence and proficiency by using the GAME model.

Goal:
B. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital
tools and resources
D. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments

Action:
1. Come up with "real-world issues" that students or professionals may encounter and have students brainstorm ideas to solve these issues.
2. Create engaging learning environments that involve networking and collaboration

Monitor:
1. View students’ solutions to problems
2. Collaborate with students on how to approach activities and assignments

Evaluate/Extend:
1. Have students work towards solutions and then analyze whether their solutions worked. Was it the best solution?
2. Reflect on outcomes

Resources:

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.

ISTE NETS for Teachers 2008. (n.d.). International Society for Technology in Education Home. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Synthesis Reflection

Transitioning from Knowledge to Synthesis: Reflection
When beginning this course and previewing our course materials, I thought that there was no practical way to introduce my own students to the new literacy content and have them effectively and efficiently implement that material into their own work. I have since learned that through quality planning, like in any other adaptation, 21st century literacy skills can be implemented into any lesson effectively and efficiently. I think that my biggest worry was a concern over time. Not only would I have to teach my students the new literacy skills, but also teach them how to use those skills with their work. Once I had a better understanding of what real skills were involved with the new literacies, I felt more at ease with putting them into my own classes. I was very happy to see that while my students did not necessarily know they had already acquired many of these skills, they had at least been introduced to many of the concepts previously in their school work. That fact made my own job quite a bit easier than I had previously anticipated. Modern students already know so much about technology and how it can be used to help them with their studies, they just need those tools and ideas focused so that they can make the most of their available resources.
As I move forward with my own teaching practice, I now know that I cannot let fear of time or resource constraints hold me back. There are plenty of ways to overcome any perceived issues and develop lessons for students that involve 21st century skills and information literacy. Whether my students develop essential questions, search effectively, use multimedia tools, or collaborate on projects, they have access to enough quality resources that they can make their learning experiences truly meaningful. This course has allowed me to see that my students can quickly learn and adapt to any new ideas and concepts, and that I do not need to fear the introduction of new literacy skills. As I have previously mentioned, my high school students have a great ability to adapt and overcome any difficulties new literacy skills present. They just need the knowledge and chance to take on the new challenges.
As I move forward through the remainder of this school year, I would like to implement a new literacy skill into each unit of study that we cover. While I may not dedicate an entire unit project to new literacy content and skills, I would like to implement at least one activity that involves this knowledge in some facet. Not only will this be beneficial to my own teaching practice, but it will help my students continue to grow as 21st century learners. This will involve me breaking down my lesson plans so that I can identify areas where new literacy skills can be easily implemented. I will have to change the ways in which I have covered things in the past, but the long-term benefits should be substantial. As my students gain more familiarity with the new literacy skills, I can implement each to a greater degree. This should allow my lessons to grow and offer my students a great chance to expand their own learning. I am looking forward to seeing how far they can take the ideas and concepts.

Effective Bridging of Technology and Instruction: Reflection

This course has introduced me to new educational and technology resources that I believe will be very beneficial in my teaching practice. I do not believe, though, that the ideas from this course have changed my ideas about my personal theory of learning. I still believe that every student has their own, personal learning style. While each student differs in their learning style and educational experience, they all share common learning characteristics that teachers must use and build on in order to create an effective learning environment. My personal beliefs about student learning revolve around the idea that all students have their own unique learning style, but that all learners share common learning capabilities. The majority of students can learn through using visual, aural, reading, or kinesthetic styles, but have personal strengths in one or more of those areas. This is why I believe in the importance of varied instruction. Students’ differing learning styles demand for teachers to be receptive and adaptive in their own teaching methods. I still follow these same beliefs about learning, and the resources and materials from this course have helped to strengthen those beliefs.

I have found that integrating technology into my classroom has been very supportive in helping to vary my teaching style to fit the multiple learning styles of my students. Technology resources seem to work as a bridge to connect multiple learning styles. Students seem to adapt to the use of technological tools regardless of the learning style modalities that they normally rely on. I have been able to immediately implement several technology resources from this course into my class lessons. In both my Geography and World History classes I have incorporated virtual field trips into our lessons. These activities have offered students a visual experience of the topics we cover that help to form better connections to the material and create lasting knowledge of the content covered. I have also used Voice Thread to expand how students communicate and develop projects and lessons. This tool has helped to open communication back and forth between the students and myself, and also as a tool that has helped students to communicate with one another outside of the classroom.

The two long-term goals that I have for my classes are to implement new technology resources into all units of study, and to use learning technology resources that develop student-centered learning, rather than depending on instructional technology tools and resources. I have learned about many new technology resources through this course and others, but I have not been quick to implement them into my own students’ work. I would like to focus on putting new learning strategies to work immediately in my classes. This will require the tweaking of many of my current lessons, but I think the results will be very beneficial for both the students and myself. I also need to do a better job of making sure that my technology implementation uses learning technology tools rather than instructional tools. Reflecting on my own teaching practice, I have to admit that I am guilty of using instructional technology tools to “teach” rather than focusing on learning tools to help my students engage and learn. I have spent a great deal of time over the past year trying to change my teaching style to incorporate a more learner-centered approach. Continuing this practice will help my students to engage with course material and create more meaningful work.

Voice Thread

Voice Thread

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Social learning theory is built on the concept and idea that students or individuals learn through interactions with others. There are several theories that exist pertaining to just what extent that learning is dependent on social learning, but the overall idea of the theory is sound. The interaction of individuals, especially students in a cooperative learning environment, promotes the advancement and gains of knowledge pertaining to course topics and subjects. As our course text states, “Cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Mealenoski, 2007, p. 139).

I believe that social and cooperative learning can be successful in any classroom if lessons and concepts are implemented correctly. That proper implementation comes with direct and proper guidance and structure from the classroom teacher. The procedures for cooperative and social learning need to be explained and modeled thoroughly by the classroom teacher for them to be utilized effectively. Students need to have a clear understanding of lesson expectations if they are to implement their ideas in the desired manner. While students can be very effective at creating and producing new and exciting work, they have to be guided in a direction that ensures that they covered the desired topics and material of each lesson. That is where a skillful teacher knows when to step in and service their students.

I see social and cooperative learning as encouraging higher level thinking skills, but also reaching a variety of learners. As differentiated learning and instruction becomes a greater focus in the modern classroom environment, teachers must find ways to reach the wide variety of learning styles presented by their students. Social learning provides teachers with the opportunity to engage students of all types of learning styles and abilities. It provides opportunities for advanced students to shine, while also aiding students that may struggle. The concept serves as an opportunity for all types of learners to build off of one another and create a meaningful and engaging learning environment.

Resources

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

Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories

In this week’s learning resources, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, refers to the instructional strategy of generating and testing hypotheses. The idea is to have students involved in the six steps of this strategy which involve, “(1) systems analysis, (2) problem solving, (3) historical investigation, (4) invention, (5) experimental inquiry, and (6) decision making” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007, p.203). This instructional strategy lends itself well to the constructionist theory of learning, as students go through the six steps, they create an experiment from which they are learning. This falls directly in line with our learning resources from Dr. Orey, in which he explains the constructionist learning and teaching strategy being applied best when people build external artifacts that they can share with others (Laureate, 2009).

Generating and testing hypotheses strategies build on Dr. Orey’s ideas of students’ first-hand experiences helping them to engage in learning processes. The steps of the generating and testing hypotheses strategy will have students assimilate or accommodate to the learning schema. Dr. Orey describes assimilation and accommodation where a learner either adds something to an existing schema and makes it fit, or creates a completely new schema for something that does not fit with past learning. As a student uses and develops these strategies, they will take in information and either assimilate it to something they already know or accommodate for it by creating newly stored knowledge (Laureate, 2009).

My own classroom experiences have led me to believe that student learning and engagement with course materials tends to be higher when the learning is more student-driven. Students working together and collaborating on ideas for their work will usually produce really high-end results. Growing access to technology in the classroom, along with many students’ advanced knowledge of technology resources and skills, creates a learning environment that falls directly in line with constructionist application. Students are able to take their own knowledge of technology and apply it to best fit the demands of their individual courses. Teachers will continue to find themselves guiding their students through lessons, rather than directly teaching them. As students assimilate and accommodate their learning, teachers will have to assimilate and accommodate their teaching practices to best fit the tech-savvy students they will encounter as they move forward in their careers.

Resources:

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

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Behaviorist Learning Theories

Even though the concept of behaviorism has grown out of fashion in the education world, as Dr. Orey stated, behaviorist practices are still used every day in the classroom. It is something that we, as teachers, are involved with all the time, even if we focus on moving away from behaviorism’s basic concepts of operant conditioning. This week’s learning resources, focusing on effort and homework and practice strategies, have opened my eyes to ideas that behaviorist practices are being used in ways to greatly benefit students. These strategies can be effectively supported through behaviorist concepts related to reinforcement. The use of these strategies, along with supportive technology resources, can provide a framework for student success that is actually linked to behaviorist practices.

The idea of reinforcing student effort is certainly a concept that most teachers can relate to. The authors of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works stated, “The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort enhances students’ understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007, p.155). This falls back upon the behaviorist concept of positive reinforcement for desired student responses. I see my own students failing to understand the relationship between effort and their work production, and I believe the strategies offered in the Using Technology text can help to bridge that gap. If students can understand how their own effort is directly related to their achievement, they will be able to resist tendencies to place blame for poor performance on outside factors. The internalization of their achievement places responsibility within the student to reach and achieve the desired outcomes and practices.

Homework and practice strategies and concepts can be extremely beneficial to student learning experiences, but they are often viewed in a negative light by both students and teachers. I try to connect homework to in-class lessons as a form of practice. I want my students to utilize their time outside of our class to become more familiar with the material that we cover throughout the day. Students will often regard this as repetitive and boring. While I try to make all work meaningful and effective for students, sometimes the practicing of concepts or ideas is the only way to ensure students truly understand material. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski observed, “Having students practice a skill or concept enhances their ability to reach the expected level of proficiency. Multiple exposures to material help students deepen their understanding of content and become proficient with skills” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007, p.188). Whether homework or practice time occurs at school or at home, I try to incorporate some type of technology resource to “liven up” the work. I want to offer a variety of methods for introducing and covering material, so that students with varying learning styles can find a strategy that works best for them. Many times one of those strategies is found through homework or practice.

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Behaviorists learning theory [Motion picture] Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology Baltimore: Author.

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