*Reflect on the "Personal Theory of Learning" you developed in Week 1. Summarize any modifications to your personal theory of learning you have made as a result of your learning in this course. Since the beginning of this course, I still try to bring in life examples to explain the math concepts. I have not made any significant changes to my methods of teaching it since starting this course but I do have a lot of ideas for things I can still do with my studnets this year.
*Describe any immediate adjustments you will make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration as a result of your learning in this course. Identify two technology tools you would like to use with your students and how the tools will support or enhance your student's learning. I will definitely be adding more technology into my lessons this year along with the up coming years. Even though I teach math, I want to add using a WIKI, blogging, and voice threads. One project I want to do is have my students research and do a project on a famous mathematician. For this project they will use voice threads so that they can present their projects but also have a class period to comment on each others projects. The other technology that I want to integrate into my lessons would be either a blog or a WIKI. I want to have my students read a book that has a story that is geared towards math but fun to read at the same time. They then would have to write in their blog or WIKI about what they have read. It would then give classmates the opportunity to comment on their postings.
*List two long-term goal changes you would like to make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration and outline a strategy for achieving them. First goal is to integrate at least two new technological changes into my classroom instruction this year. This will allow me to introduce the material in a different way that will hopefully help the students understand better. Second goal is to continue with the technological integrations but to then try to add a couple of more technological tools every year after that. The more I can add of technology, the more student geared I can make the lessons rather than teacher geared. I feel the more the students take hold of in their education, the more likely they are willing to try harder. If they are continuously relying on the teacher, the less they are to take control of their learning and become lazy. My strategy for achieving this is to research different lessons I can do to use technology with which will more or less make me use that technology. It will actually help me enjoy teaching the subject even more and help the student enjoy math even more.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Constructivism in Practice
In this weeks video, Dr. Michael Orey talks about constructivism and constructionism. Constructivism is a theory of knowledge stating that each individual actively constructs his/her own meaning. With this he gives the example of how people perceive a chair. I might have an idea of what a chair is but someone else might see a totally different type of chair than I do. Constructionism is a theory of learning that states people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others. Here he has a teacher talk about a book report she has assigned her class. The class needs to create projects to go with their book (Laureate, 2009).
The reading out of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works gives many good examples using constructionism. Many of the examples used Excel spreadsheets with the students to show their external artifact. One example that I liked was the spreadsheet that was created to help a class realize the different ways to save money and the impact on it. The lesson focuses on compounding percentage calculations and exponential patterns (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This is a wonderful example that I can implement into my math classrooms to help the students understand these types of calculations. This allows the students to use a hands on approach rather than me lecturing in front of them. They will learn more from the spreadsheet than they will with me standing in front of them and develop their own interpretation.
One project I have incorporated into my classroom that uses the constructionism learning theory would be having the students take a section of the chapter to teach themselves. I have them group into 3-4 students in a group. From there, they are assigned a section of the chapter to create a lesson with. One part of their creation of the lesson is to incorporate some type of technology into it that would allow the other students to be able to participate with. They have fun with this lesson at the same time learning about the subject matter. This project also implements an aspect of constructivism by allowing the students to construct their own meaning of the material to present to the class.
In most classrooms today, constructionism is being implemented more than constructivism. If both are used, they can result in a good effective lesson with students allowing them to learn at their highest potential.
DVD: Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). “Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology."
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
The reading out of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works gives many good examples using constructionism. Many of the examples used Excel spreadsheets with the students to show their external artifact. One example that I liked was the spreadsheet that was created to help a class realize the different ways to save money and the impact on it. The lesson focuses on compounding percentage calculations and exponential patterns (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This is a wonderful example that I can implement into my math classrooms to help the students understand these types of calculations. This allows the students to use a hands on approach rather than me lecturing in front of them. They will learn more from the spreadsheet than they will with me standing in front of them and develop their own interpretation.
One project I have incorporated into my classroom that uses the constructionism learning theory would be having the students take a section of the chapter to teach themselves. I have them group into 3-4 students in a group. From there, they are assigned a section of the chapter to create a lesson with. One part of their creation of the lesson is to incorporate some type of technology into it that would allow the other students to be able to participate with. They have fun with this lesson at the same time learning about the subject matter. This project also implements an aspect of constructivism by allowing the students to construct their own meaning of the material to present to the class.
In most classrooms today, constructionism is being implemented more than constructivism. If both are used, they can result in a good effective lesson with students allowing them to learn at their highest potential.
DVD: Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). “Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology."
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Cognitivism in Practice
Cognitivism is how someone processes information. In the text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors give many good examples of how technology works with cognitive learning.
In Chapter 4, Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers, the authors start by explaining what the items of the title of this chapter mean. Cues are explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience. Questions perform the same function as cues by triggering students' memories and helping them to access prior knowledge (Pitler,Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This chapter tells teachers to use more visuals to help the students understand and remember the material being taught. Teachers need to also use organizers to help keep the information in order. If items are just written randomly with out any organization, the students are going to just become confused and not remember a whole lot of what they have been taught. One way to organize it would be to use a mapping tool. The students can see what items connect to each other. Another good technology items to use would be videos and graphs. I know when I teach math, I try to use as many visuals (graphs, charts, etc.) to help the students to not only visualize the material but to help them remember it better. Virtual tours would be a great concept to use for a visual. The students will be able to see first hand what you are talking about without having to step foot near the place. Chapter 6 goes into talking about summarizing and note taking.
I have learned from students coming into my class that they are not taught how to note take in class. There are some technological ways that can help students learn to take notes and keep them organized at the same time. One way mentioned was having the students blog about the information taught to them in class. Blogging is a way for student to not only talk about the information from class but to do some peer to peer teaching. The text talks about an item to help students understand what they are reading that I was not aware of. They talk about an option in Microsoft Word called auto summarizing. This tool allows the student to input the material that they are reading and with a couple of clicks with the mouse, the program summarizes the material for them. One other technological concept on note taking the text mentioned is the mapping tool again. They state that it is a good tool to use in note taking because it keeps things organized. When using the mapping tool, the student can start with the main idea of the material and then branch off of that the supporting details. The mapping tool will then put the information into an outline making it clearer to the student what to write about.
Technology is a very helpful tool in many ways. I find that the applications that this text mentions to help students with note taking, summarizing and organizing are real helpful one. I want to incorporate some of these items into my own classroom this year. I am even going to share some of these options with my colleagues in case they are not aware of them. It can help them help the students understand better and keep themselves organized.
References:
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
In Chapter 4, Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers, the authors start by explaining what the items of the title of this chapter mean. Cues are explicit reminders or hints about what students are about to experience. Questions perform the same function as cues by triggering students' memories and helping them to access prior knowledge (Pitler,Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This chapter tells teachers to use more visuals to help the students understand and remember the material being taught. Teachers need to also use organizers to help keep the information in order. If items are just written randomly with out any organization, the students are going to just become confused and not remember a whole lot of what they have been taught. One way to organize it would be to use a mapping tool. The students can see what items connect to each other. Another good technology items to use would be videos and graphs. I know when I teach math, I try to use as many visuals (graphs, charts, etc.) to help the students to not only visualize the material but to help them remember it better. Virtual tours would be a great concept to use for a visual. The students will be able to see first hand what you are talking about without having to step foot near the place. Chapter 6 goes into talking about summarizing and note taking.
I have learned from students coming into my class that they are not taught how to note take in class. There are some technological ways that can help students learn to take notes and keep them organized at the same time. One way mentioned was having the students blog about the information taught to them in class. Blogging is a way for student to not only talk about the information from class but to do some peer to peer teaching. The text talks about an item to help students understand what they are reading that I was not aware of. They talk about an option in Microsoft Word called auto summarizing. This tool allows the student to input the material that they are reading and with a couple of clicks with the mouse, the program summarizes the material for them. One other technological concept on note taking the text mentioned is the mapping tool again. They state that it is a good tool to use in note taking because it keeps things organized. When using the mapping tool, the student can start with the main idea of the material and then branch off of that the supporting details. The mapping tool will then put the information into an outline making it clearer to the student what to write about.
Technology is a very helpful tool in many ways. I find that the applications that this text mentions to help students with note taking, summarizing and organizing are real helpful one. I want to incorporate some of these items into my own classroom this year. I am even going to share some of these options with my colleagues in case they are not aware of them. It can help them help the students understand better and keep themselves organized.
References:
Pitler,H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Behaviorism in Practice
In the chapter about reinforcing effort from Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors makes a great statement. They state that "effort is the most important factor in achievement" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). I am constantly telling my students that they need to put forth some effort to get anywhere.
In the text, they show you different ways to get your students to correct their own work so that they can see that effort equals achievement. Many students do not believe that if they work harder that their grades will improve. The rubric that is in the text is a great item to use. It currently shows students how to grade themselves and then they take the information and graph it. I teach math and to have the students look at a graph is a great visual for them to see growth.
"Homework and practice give students a chance to review and apply what they have learned" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This is exactly the way that I view homework in my math class. When I give an assignment, I give it as practice. This allows the student to work on the material outside of class. If they find that they are not understanding, it gives them an opportunity to come to class the next day and ask questions.
The technology that is discussed in this chapter is a great resource. They correlate to instructional strategies and behaviorism by giving the students another way to learn. One technological item they talk about is using spreadsheet software. Spreadsheet software is a great way to show graphs. If the students take the information from their effort/achievement project, they can use a bar graph in a spreadsheet to get the visual to see their improvement.
Adding technology will help increase the understanding and effort put forth by the students. The more effort you can get from them, the more achievement you will see.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: McRel
In the text, they show you different ways to get your students to correct their own work so that they can see that effort equals achievement. Many students do not believe that if they work harder that their grades will improve. The rubric that is in the text is a great item to use. It currently shows students how to grade themselves and then they take the information and graph it. I teach math and to have the students look at a graph is a great visual for them to see growth.
"Homework and practice give students a chance to review and apply what they have learned" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). This is exactly the way that I view homework in my math class. When I give an assignment, I give it as practice. This allows the student to work on the material outside of class. If they find that they are not understanding, it gives them an opportunity to come to class the next day and ask questions.
The technology that is discussed in this chapter is a great resource. They correlate to instructional strategies and behaviorism by giving the students another way to learn. One technological item they talk about is using spreadsheet software. Spreadsheet software is a great way to show graphs. If the students take the information from their effort/achievement project, they can use a bar graph in a spreadsheet to get the visual to see their improvement.
Adding technology will help increase the understanding and effort put forth by the students. The more effort you can get from them, the more achievement you will see.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: McRel
Monday, June 21, 2010
Reflection: Final Blog Posting
*In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?
This course has been very helpful. As I did the readings in the text book, I had many thoughts and ideas on what I can do with my classes in the future. With teaching math to seventh graders and it being my third year, I was looking for new and different ways to teach the material. This class has opened my eyes to blogs, WIKI, and podcasts. I will be sure to find many different ways to incorporate these items into my classroom.
*In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
I have realized that there is more than the traditional book and lecture way of teaching. I have discovered with this class that I can make my lessons different, fun and still educational in a whole new way. It has made me even more excited to teach the material I have been teaching in a whole new way.
*In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
I have realized that sometimes I am not the only one with something to teach. I have discovered that some of my students have different ways of learning and enjoy sharing them. It has taught me new ways to do things that I have never thought of doing. I will in the future ask the students more often if they have suggestions or different ways that they work through the material. I will have them share it with the class rather than me telling the class how to do it.
*In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching and leaning with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?
I can continue to keep myself up to date on the latest technology. Even it the school does not have the latest and greatest technology, I can at least expose the students to it. Some of them may have the newest technology at home and will want to contribute to the discussion. I can also work with the software and programs that the school has and use them in some of my lessons.
*Set two long-term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systematic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?
Goal 1: To incorporate at least one new technology aspect to my lessons each year.
This will be accomplished by learning the new or latest programs that the school
has to offer and incorporate them into my lessons where appropriate. If it is a
program we currently do not have, I would talk to administration to see if there is
a way that the school would be able to acquire the program.
Goal 2: To have the students create a lesson on one aspect of the math material and
incorporate some aspect of technology into it.
This will be accomplished by assigning the students one aspect of math. They then
would decide what form of technology they want to use. If it is a form they are not
familiar with, then I would make sure to get them the proper training. Once the
lesson is complete, they would present it to the class as a regular lesson.
*Refer to your checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course.
I have come to a much greater understanding of the different technology opportunities there are out there for me to use with my class. I had heard of some of them, but did not know exactly how to incorporate them into my material. After taking this course, there are so many different ways that I want to use them that I can not wait to do it.
This course has been very helpful. As I did the readings in the text book, I had many thoughts and ideas on what I can do with my classes in the future. With teaching math to seventh graders and it being my third year, I was looking for new and different ways to teach the material. This class has opened my eyes to blogs, WIKI, and podcasts. I will be sure to find many different ways to incorporate these items into my classroom.
*In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
I have realized that there is more than the traditional book and lecture way of teaching. I have discovered with this class that I can make my lessons different, fun and still educational in a whole new way. It has made me even more excited to teach the material I have been teaching in a whole new way.
*In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
I have realized that sometimes I am not the only one with something to teach. I have discovered that some of my students have different ways of learning and enjoy sharing them. It has taught me new ways to do things that I have never thought of doing. I will in the future ask the students more often if they have suggestions or different ways that they work through the material. I will have them share it with the class rather than me telling the class how to do it.
*In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching and leaning with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?
I can continue to keep myself up to date on the latest technology. Even it the school does not have the latest and greatest technology, I can at least expose the students to it. Some of them may have the newest technology at home and will want to contribute to the discussion. I can also work with the software and programs that the school has and use them in some of my lessons.
*Set two long-term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systematic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?
Goal 1: To incorporate at least one new technology aspect to my lessons each year.
This will be accomplished by learning the new or latest programs that the school
has to offer and incorporate them into my lessons where appropriate. If it is a
program we currently do not have, I would talk to administration to see if there is
a way that the school would be able to acquire the program.
Goal 2: To have the students create a lesson on one aspect of the math material and
incorporate some aspect of technology into it.
This will be accomplished by assigning the students one aspect of math. They then
would decide what form of technology they want to use. If it is a form they are not
familiar with, then I would make sure to get them the proper training. Once the
lesson is complete, they would present it to the class as a regular lesson.
*Refer to your checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course.
I have come to a much greater understanding of the different technology opportunities there are out there for me to use with my class. I had heard of some of them, but did not know exactly how to incorporate them into my material. After taking this course, there are so many different ways that I want to use them that I can not wait to do it.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Podcast Interview on Technology
Here is the podcast interview I have created for my blog. Unfortunately, I was unable to record my students because of regulations in the district I work for. It would have taken anywhere from 4-6 weeks to get approval to collect data from the students. With permission, I was able to interview my children and find out their uses of technology at home and school. Hope you enjoy!
My Podcast
My Podcast
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
I took some time and looked over the website for Partnership for 21st Century Skills. At first glance, it was colorful, informative and educational.
- What is your reaction to the site?
This website has a lot of information dealing with 21st century skills. The resources are great and very insightful. The history of the website lists a fair amount of top name organizations that have contributed. At first glance the website looks to be overwhelming with all the information.
- What information on the site surprised you?
While I was searching the site, I came across a tab labeled as Strategic Council Members. I was surprised at all the large name companies that were listed. I was impressed on how many large companies wanted to be involved in the teaching and helping of the skills for the 21st century. Another item that surprised me was that Wisconsin was on the state initiatives list. I am proud and excited to know that Wisconsin is on board with helping students into the 21st century.
- Did you disagree with anything on the site?
One thing I disagreed with was the amount of information on the site. Even though the majority of the information is informative, it was just overwhelming and I did not know where to start looking and sometimes what I was looking at. When someone is not familiar with the information presented on a site and then to try to understand it, too much information just makes it that much harder.
- What are the implications for your students, and for you as a contemporary educator?
The implication for my students is that they will learn and have exposure to the skills needed in the 21st century. The more that educators can do to prepare their students for the 21st century, the more likely they are to succeed. As for me as an educator, I find that I need more time in the schedule to teach the skills needed for them to succeed. Along with time, educators would also need the resources to teach it. The teaching environment that I teach in limits me to the resources to apply the skills with.
Overall, this site is a very informative and educational site. I agree with their mission statement about this site and its creators being the bridge to helping students form relationships between education, business, the community and government. If we are able to bridge the gap, we are only helping the students to be successful in life.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
How I might use blogging in my classroom
I currently teach general math and pre-algebra in the 7th grade. My rationale on why a blog is a good tool for my classroom is because it would be an interactive way for the students to comment and help each other with their homework assignments.
*What purpose would the blog serve?
I would use blogging in my classroom to keep the students and their parents up to date on what they students are doing in the classroom along with what they will be doing in the classroom. It will also be a place where parents could post comments on anything that may be concerning them or comments that they want to make about the class in general.
*Is it a place for students to interact about content?
This would be a place where students could interact with each other to help one another out when they may get stuck on a problem. For instance, we are currently working on finding the surface area of of prisms and cylinders. Many of my students are struggling with this material. If I had a blog set up, they could be talking amongst themselves to help one another try to figure out the problems. Peer to peer teaching is sometimes better than teacher to student teaching.
*How does using a blog enhance the lesson?
Using a blog is a good way to involve the students in helping one another on their math homework. The blog will also invite other bloggers from around the globe to maybe help my students understand the material they are discussing and maybe give them another way of thinking about the subject matter and how to solve it.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Using Technology in the classroom
Hello everyone! I am a 7th grade math teacher who teaches one session of pre-algebra and three sessions of general math every day. The school I currently work in is in Wisconsin. It has been listed as a Title One school. My school is just starting to get better technology in the school. When I started there 3 years ago, I was using the blackboard and powerpoint presentations to present my lessons. As of last January, I have gotten a promethean board, white board and a document reader. Recently they were able to get a document reader in every classroom and a promethean board in half the classrooms. I am just afraid that once they get a promethean board in every classroom like they want to, the older boards will be out dated and they will have to update them all or start with more up to date technology. I want to be able to bring the best lessons to my students using the most up to date technology. If any of you readers are in a classroom teaching and have more up to date technology than this, I would love to hear about it and how you are using it.
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