Reflection

The GAME plan that I developed for each of my goals was well worth it. I was able to set goals, plan an action of attack, monitor my progress and evaluate what I did. The GAME plan kept me organized throughout my lesson. At the end of the lessons the evaluation portion of the plan is what I think helped me the most. I looked back at what I did and then tried to fix my lesson. The evaluation area has made me a better teacher and helps improve my lessons.

Through the GAME plan process I was able to learn how to incorporate technology more often in my lessons. With the GAME plan I was able to incorporate blogging and wikis for my students to collaborate with each other. I have also found a very effective use for digital storytelling and all the possible scenarios it could be used for. Digital storytelling is a great way for students to showcase narrations they have written, biographies, and other projects.

Some immediate adjustments I will take in my instructional practice regarding technology integration is to find more time for it. I will have to use the GAME plan which will really benefit me and the students. By using the GAME plan it can find me that time and keep me organized. If done correctly, the time spent will more than enhance my lesson and my students learning and understanding. Finding time for online collaboration and digital storytelling is what I will focus on. PBL in my opinion can be a part of both online collaboration and digital storytelling.

Week 7 Using the Game Plan with Students

The way I would use the GAME plan process with my students would be to use it as a graphic organizer for projects. I could make a poster of it and have it placed on in a wall in my room. When working on projects the students can always look at it and see what part of the plan they are on, still need to work on and perhaps what needs to be revised. The graphic organizer can also be made into a checklist for the students as well. Again I feel like this is a good way to keep them organized and focused on what needs to be accomplished. For students to be self directed I feel like giving them this organizer could support their efforts to being self directed learners. It will also give them free range with their creativity. They are coming up with their GAME plan and how they want to accomplish their goal. With the GAME plan it will also make them learn how to use technology effectively and productively in order to fulfill their goals.

Revising My GAME Plan

What I have learned so far that I can apply in my instructional practice is to be more flexible when it comes to incorporating technology with projects. I have to realize that yes it might be frustrating not having the tools and or time, but the end product is worth the effort. What the students get out of the learning experience is the most important part. With the use of the digital tools it enhances my students learning quite a bit. It makes learning meaningful and engages them. A goal that I want to still work towards is getting more collaboration amongst my students’ parents. I feel like this is the most frustrating goal to accomplish due to the fact I cannot control if homes have computers or internet at all. In the future perhaps with the help of the district and other corporations we could set up foundations or grants that will give unfortunate families the opportunity to have these services in their homes.

The NETS-T goal I would like to set for myself is to grow as a professional (5a). By taking my classes here at Walden University I feel like I have taken a small step in that direction. As my career continues I want to stay up to date with all that is happening in the world of educational technology. Our students live in a world of technology, so being able to harness it and use it in the classroom will be a great advantage. So I would say my goal here would to be more connected with the happenings in my field of technology.

I do not have new learning goals but the way I would extend what I have learned so far is to use it more and more. I feel as my level of confidence grows with something, the more eager I am to apply it to my practice.

Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

As I evaluate my GAME plan status, I have noticed something’s that I need to change. There has been progress within indicators, 2a and 3b; however there are things I need to adjust in order for me to be satisfied with the overall outcomes.

For indicator 3c I have created a classroom blog. On my blog I have listed daily homework assignments, upcoming events, and things we could use in the classroom. I have also registered my cell phone so I can post updates without logging onto my computer. My blog has become more like a one way communication. I am sending out the information, but am not getting any feedback or comments back. My students have been checking the blog for homework. It has become more of a resource for the students than for parents. Currently I have been also posting pictures from various events in school as well, students have been commenting on the pictures but not the parents. I have 10 followers of this blog, all are students. I guess I have to figure out a way to get it out there more where parents can find it useful for them. I have had some parents say they do check the blog from time to time but not on a consistent basis. I have to learn what will parents get out of my blog? I thought they would follow or contribute about happenings in the class. I think a lot of my parents are too busy with work and taking care of a household, and some parents don’t have internet or a computer at home. For my collaboration to occur among my parents I think my blog or technology might not be the answer here. Why, due to the fact that most of my student’s households do not have computers. I think for now I will have to focus my collaboration amongst the educational world; perhaps with other schools around the district or state.

Indicator 2a has been a work in progress. The biggest obstacle facing my progress here is time. I have been able to get a few digital cameras and computers in my classroom, so resources aren’t a problem right now, but the number of resources are. I have not been able to get much computer lab time at all. And with all of the current AIS Math and Reading push-ins, has lingered the progress I am seeking. With this practice I have learned that I need to be more patient with the tools and time I have available. I do not like to start something and have it put off to the side. I like to have my set time and say this project should be done within a week or 2 weeks etc. But with this type of practice that does not seem to be practical.

Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

My progress for indicator 2a has been more of a success that my progress on indicator 3b.

My progress for indicator 2a has been moving in a positive direction as of late. I have been able to obtain computer lab time and more computers in my classroom. I use to have 2 desktop computers, but now I have 2 desktops plus 5 laptops. What I have been doing is scheduling time in my schools computer lab, but my time has been limited. The students who seem to need more assistance or time are allowed to use the PC’s in the classroom during our recess or down time (enrichment periods). I wish all the students could use the computers in the classrooms but I have to limit it to those who need more exposure to it. The availability of digital cameras is probably the biggest issue. Our school has perhaps 3 or 4 working digital cameras, and only 1 class at a time can borrow just 1 of them. And sometimes not a single camera is available, or in some cases even working. I’ve asked parents and students if they have a digital camera please bring it in for our projects. Our school does not permit the use of personal recording devices, but I have written my own permission slip or notification to the parents so they are aware that I or the school cannot take full responsibility for the cameras. Most parents and students who do have a digital camera were ok with the procedure. The only thing is, I haven’t told my principal yet, due to the fact she might turn down our ideas. Out of sight out of mind. (he he he). Same thing goes for the Wiki and Blog sites. I have just been using it without definite permission. I asked the computer teacher and she said she saw nothing wrong with it, so I went ahead and did one.

Even though indicator 2b sounds like it has hit some bumps in the road, indicator 3b has been more of a challenge.

I have created a classroom blog to collaborate with parents. What I have found is only a handful of parents actually visit the blog. My counter only changes about by 3 or 4 each night. I ask some of the students if their parents have been going on, some say they don’t know and others say not at all. Some of the students say that are the ones who have been visiting the blog and not their parents. So, I’m not sure how to get it out there or to persuade parents to visit the blog. I’ve been sending letters home about the blog and also letters about what’s happening in class. I really want to get away from that. So, what I think I need is a way to get the parents more involved in accessing the blog.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

The resources that I would need to carry out my game plan for NETS-T indicator 2a is to have computers, a variety of software, internet access both at school and at students’ homes and the access to either a Wiki site or a blog site.

The information that I will need is what are my limitations to using the Wiki and Blog sites? Are there district policies against it or guidelines to follow? I can gain this information hopefully from our computer teacher at school.

The steps I have taken so far is allowing students to use the computers we have, but I wish I had more computers in my room so students can all use them at the same time. I’ve been letting the students show me what programs they use at home that they would use to help them with a project. And I have been showing them some sites and software that can also help their projects. The problem though is some of the things they use aren’t accessible at school, and some of the things we have at school, they do not have access to at home. In the near future I will reserve some computer lab time, but sometimes the times available do not correlate with my schedule.

For NETS-T indicator 3b the resources that I would need are a computer with internet access with access to a Blog site. For my students and parents they would need a computer with internet access as well at home.

Again the information I will need is what are the guidelines to using an outside source such as a Blog to keep parents informed? Our district gives every teacher their own webpage, but at times is very difficult to update regularly. Blogs are easy to set up and update.

The steps I have taken is that I have created my own blog where homework is posted everyday. I haven’t expanded just whats for homework just yet. I did have parent teacher conferences and made it known to all the parents that I am using this new tool. Most thought it was a great idea but others say they aren’t around or use a computer very often. So I will evaluate perhaps in a month the effectiveness of this Blog and move on from there.

Developing MY OWN Personal GAME Plan

The two indicators from the NETS-T that I choose to GAME plan to strengthen my confidence are 2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity, and 3b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

My GAME plan for the first indicator, 2a would be as follows:
Goal- design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
Action- is to supply my students with most if not all the tools they would need to accomplish this goal. I want to create a learning environment where there are no limitations. A student’s creativity should never have any borders our boundaries. Modeling the digital tools and what we can do with them will encourage them to put their creativity to use in a “digital way.”
Monitor- I will have the students create a journal after each session and record what they did and how they got there by using the technology. I can monitor the students progress and they can monitor their own progress as well.
Evaluate- the students progress by their products. I can then use their progress to evaluate what they will need to get where they want to be. Their creativity will steer them to the final project and thus giving me insight on their limitations and how we can break down those walls.

My GAME plan for the second indicator, 3b would be as follows:
Goal- collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
Action- creating a website or blog where upcoming events in the classroom are happening.Such as, tests, quizzes, holiday parties, etc. The website/blog can keep parents up to date with whats happening in the class and can give them an opportunity to get in touch with me to see if there is anything they can do to help out.
Monitor- My website and blog has areas where anyone can get in contact with me. There is also a counter that can be placed on the website/blog and it tracks how many people visit the site. Through this counter and possible feedback I can monitor the progress the site has based on visits.
Evaluate- ask myself has this been useful to me and the parents. I can base this on the counter and the feedback. If it seems like there aren’t many visitors or comments might tell me I will have to try another outlet.

Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom: Reflection

The most striking revelation I had about teaching the new literacy skills to my students is how important and necessary it is for them. Today’s student is infatuated with the internet when it comes to finding information for research and projects. I found that a lot of my students were not certain on how to begin a search for a topic. Most wanted to use Google right away, but did not know how to do an effective search for information. I also observed that they were taking information from any old site and not caring or realizing if the site was presenting valid and reliable information. Showing the students what to do and guiding them through the process, bored and irritated some of the students who THOUGHT they knew what they were doing. But by the end of my lesson most of them had been effective at finding information off the internet that was reliable and valid information. The feedbacks that I got from some of the students were that some of them didn’t know that something on the internet is not true. I think that was as hard of a concept to grasp as pi equals 3.14.

I am happy that I had this experience to gain the knowledge that I have. The way it will influence me is to make sure before any research project involving the internet I will have prepared my students for the things they might find on the internet that can be misleading. The internet will be a big part of their learning and using it effectively will do them a great favor. I feel like learning these skills will be one of the things I do at the very beginning of the school year along with the normal routine and getting to know each other activities. I think how to use the internet for reliable and valid information will be a skill that will be used throughout the year, so teaching it at the beginning of the year and reinforcing it throughout the year will be very helpful to my students of the future.

A professional development goal that I would like to pursue is implementing more inquiry based projects in my classroom and perhaps in our district. There are many restrictions on technology use and limits. Perhaps showing other teachers and educators the importance and benefits they have, will allow for more less restrictions. Perhaps the curriculum and administrators will allow or make these projects necessary in a school year. Without that, some students will be missing out on the skills they really need to succeed in the 21st century.

Reflection: Final Blog Posting

During the 1st week of this course I said students learn through experiences. I still believe this but through this course I have discovered ways to create worthwhile experiences for students’ learning. “Visual/spatial, People with this kind of intelligence tend to learn most readily from visual presentations such as movies, pictures, videos, and demonstrations using models and props” (Giles, E., Pitre, S., &Womack, S., 2003). With this said I think a lot of tools presented can support this intelligence. The use of concept mapping, virtual fieldtrips, voice threads, all have this power or enriching experiences and learning.

Some changes that I will make with incorporating technology are having my students use it as a learning tool rather than me using it as an instructional tool. I am going to have them create more artifacts and projects with technology. But to make this happen the students and I still need the tools to get it done.

Long term I would like to continue creating these learning moments for my students. Hopefully in the future technology will be more readily available at school and at home.


References
Giles, E., Pitre, S., Womack, S. (2003). Multiple intelligences and learning styles. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Silly Bandz

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Cooperative learning is defined as students working together to "attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively" (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1986). “The main purpose of cooperative learning is to actively involve students in the learning process; a level of student empowerment which is not possible in a lecture format. It is a process which requires knowledge to be discovered by students and transformed into concepts to which the students can relate. The knowledge is then reconstructed and expanded through new learning experiences. Learning takes place through dialog among students in a social setting” (Palmer, Peters, & Streetman, 2003). The resources from this week have explained many strategies and techniques to facilitate cooperative learning and to make it meaningful.

Palmer, Peters, & Streetman (2003) have offered many strategies to create groups to work in a cooperative environment. A few ideas were; pair-share, jigsaw, random groups of three, diversity groups, etc. These ideas for grouping serve multiple benefits. Some benefits are; increased engagement time, students receive a variety of feedback from peers, and also gain different perspectives from one another.

Palmer and associates also offer up these helpful hints when creating cooperative learning lessons.

Helpful Hints for Cooperative Learning Lessons

1. Begin trying cooperative learning with a homework assignment. Students could check their homework in groups, going over each problem and clarifying if there were any questions. The groups could then work each problem on the board.
2. When beginning to use cooperative learning, start each class with a short lecture and then transition to a CL activity. As the instructor and students gain experience with using CL, begin the class with a CL activity and then conclude with a short lecture to highlight important points.
3. Begin implementation by only using pairs for CL groups. Students who are inexperienced in using CL groups will be more likely to participate with just one other person in the group. Having only two students in a group is also an ideal way to teach key group work skills.
4. When beginning CL implementation, only use the technique in one class period. Once you and the students have become more adept at using CL, you can increase it to involve more students/classes.
5. Begin with worksheets as a form of group accountability. Students who are inexperienced with CL often have a difficult time getting started or reaching their goals.
6. Having a worksheet to guide them will help the groups set their priorities, work towards their goal, and produce the assessment task.


Reference
Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt

Constructivism in Practice

“The essence of Learning by Design lies in the experience of the learner as a designer and creator of an external, shareable artifact” (Han & Bhattacharya, 2000). Dr. Orey talks about building something with the constructionist point of view. When we use this theory we are asking the students to create something that we can see, share, and apply to the real world. Learning by Design fits the criteria of the constructionist theory. The following are the components most readily identified in a LBD environment:

-Authenticity: tasks based on real-world applications
-Multiple contexts for design activities
-A balance of constrained, scaffolded challenges with open-ended design tasks
-Rich, varied feedback for designers
-Discussion and collaboration
-Experimentation and exploration
-Reflection
(Han & Bhattacharya, 2000)

With my students I want them to have a good understanding of what they want to do and accomplish at the end of this process. At the end I want them to create something that they can share with their classmates, and soemthing that they will take ownership of. As the teacher I will have to at least guide them to their end product, but I cannot just let the learner go off on their own.
Han and Bhattacharya (2000) suggests some strategies that will allow for this process to be learner centered and allows for building of knowledge.

1. Clear expectations from day one.
2. Inform participants of implicit and explicit objectives and how they will be evaluated.
3. Learner should be the active builder of knowledge.
4. Instructor should take on the role of a facilitator, motivator
5. Tasks given should allow learners to design and construct an artifact that can be
shared.
6. Provide rich and varied feedback for the designers/learners
(Han & Bhattacharya, 2000)


Following these guidelines, in my opinion, is a great start to creating engaging, meaningful, and memorable learning experiences.


References

Han, S., and Bhattacharya, K. (2001). Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging
perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories. Baltimore: Dr. Michael Orey.

Cognitivism in Practice

When we talk about cognition we talk about how information enters the brain and is stored. This week I have explored many strategies and techniques that can facilitate this.

In Dr. Orey’s video this week he discusses the cognitive learning theory. He discussed how learners use their senses to store information. He goes on to talk about how putting images with texts gives a better chance of a student remembering the information. One part of the student’s brain remembers the picture and then another part labels what the picture is. This is called “dual coding of information.” A strategy that correlates with this is using PowerPoint Presentations to visually display images with text to show their meanings. Here the learner makes a connection with the image and the text. The learner then remembers the picture which then triggers the text. According to Dr. Orey, “integrating multiple senses in presentations improves learning” (Laureate, 2009). Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) use multimedia to satisfy this cognitive role. “For many students, multimedia is very effective because it helps them both activate prior knowledge and develop a mental model to help them understand new information” (Pitler et al, 2007). Resources presented my Pitler and associates are United Streaming, The Internet Archive, Google Video, A9, and Creative Commons. All of these sites allow the learner to do a search on what they want to learn more about and it presents the material in a multimedia fashion.

References

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

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

Behaviorism in Practice

According to Dr. Orey, “… reinforcement is the most powerful mechanism of operant conditioning” (Laureate Education, 2009). Monitoring our students’ effort and assigning homework and practice are types of reinforcement. In the text Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, there were several ways we can use technology to monitor our students’ effort and reinforce it. Many students do not want to put forth a great effort to complete an assignment or to try something that might seem difficult at first glance, but wonder why they get low grades. With the use of a spreadsheet we can set it up in such a way where the student sees the correlation between their effort and their grades. The spread sheet serves as a data sheet of information that can be helpful to both the student and the teacher to reinforce a desirable behavior.

Homework in itself is reinforcement. “As an extension of the classroom, homework provides opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of the content and to gain proficiency with their skills” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). Some students might think homework is punishment but it is for their own benefit. The authors also recommend some things to keep in mind when dealing with homework.

1. Establish and communicate a homework policy.
2. Design homework assignments that clearly articulate purpose and outcome.
3. Vary approaches to providing feedback. (Pitler et al, 2007)

But when homework is not done a consequence ensues, in my classroom anyway. This falls under the second installment of operant conditioning, punishment. “Punishment involves presenting a strong stimulus that decreases the frequency of a particular response. Punishment is effective in quickly eliminating undesirable behaviors” (Standridge, 2002). When implementing punishment I am trying to stop a behavior, in this case, missing or incomplete homework assignments. In some instances particularly with homework, punishments need to be implemented in order for reinforcement to do its job.


References

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

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

Standridge, M. (2002). Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society

This course has given me many technology tools that I have begun to use in my classroom. Prior to this class, I felt like I had a strong knowledge and base understanding of technology. What this course has given me is added tools to build on my prior knowledge. With the new knowledge I have gained on blogs, wikis, and podcast, it has made my classroom very technologically interactive.

The ways that I am currently expanding my knowledge of technology integration is by subscribing to many different blogs that focus on technology and the classroom. I have subscribed to these blogs through Google reader, another tool I learned from this class. I am constantly checking my Google reader and the blogs I follow are being updated daily. Since I’ve been introduced to these blogs that incorporate technology in the classroom, I am finding at least one thing per week that I will use in my classroom. I will continue to use Google reader because it keeps all the blogs I follow in one place. Google Reader, the blogs that I have subscribed to, and the ones I will subscribe to in the future, will absolutely continue to expand my knowledge with technology integration in my classroom.

One goal that I would like to accomplish is to use less paper in my classroom. I would like to get to a point where there is almost not paper being written on passed out or even going home with the students. But this is a tough goal to accomplish. A reason is that not all of my students have access to internet or a computer at home. And my second goal would be that at school I would like to have a class set of laptops or possibly IPod touches (I’ve read about these being used in the classroom through one of my subscribed blogs) to give online quizzes, or for classroom discussion blogs. One way that I could accomplish this goal is by getting the equipment. One thing that I could do is contact some companies around the area to donate some money to buy equipment or to donate equipment for my students to use.

My Students' Access to Technology and Usage PodCast

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The Partnership for the 21st Century Skills

This website is full of information on skills needed for students to be successful in the 21st century. There are many components that make up the framework for 21st century learning. And within those components lie many skills that need to be thought to our students to be successful in this global economy.
One of the most important things that the site builds its idea around is this, “Within the context of core knowledge instruction, students must also learn the essential skills for success in today’s world, such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration. When a school or district builds on this foundation, combining the entire Framework with the necessary support systems—standards, assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development and learning environments—students are more engaged in the learning process and graduate better prepared to thrive in today’s global economy.”

What surprises me about the information presented on this site is the low number of states that incorporate new standards, assessments, and professional development programs that prepare students with the 21st century skills they need to be successful in school, work, and life. There are only 14 states that implement these skills in their curriculum. It’s also a surprise that New York, California, and Texas are not 1 of the 14 states involved. These are our countries most populated states and are unable to ensure that every graduating student is prepared for work and post-secondary education in the 21st Century.

Perhaps if your school needs to catch up with the 21st century skills, they do offer professional development opportunities. Visit their site and see when they will be around your neighborhood.

Blogging, for Education

I am a 6th grade teacher in an elementary school in Newburgh, NY. I am responsible for teaching all of the main content strands, Math, Science, Social Studies, English-Language Arts, and on occasion social skills and manners.

I believe a blog would be a great place for students to interact with content. The blog could be used for such things as literature circles where students can post their ideas and thoughts about a specific book and have their classmates respond to them. The students can interact back and forth about the book.

Another great way to use a blog is to showcase the students work. I think the students would get a great appreciation of their accomplishments when it is presented on the internet. Back when I was student, I always wanted my work to be presented in the hallway bulletin board. A blog is the new hallway bulletin board; students want their work up there so the whole world can admire their accomplishments.

Infinite Campus

My district is starting a new application/web-based grading system called Infinte Campus. I was selected a representative for my school to be trained in and to coach other teachers in my building on how to use it. I was wondering if anyone knew a thing or two about it. We are moving from Progressbook to Infinite Campus. Any pointers or advice would be great.

1st Post

Welcome to my blog. I hope you like my very original title, but hopefully I will come up with something a little bit more catchy. But for now the title states what it will be. I hope to share with you insights I have surrounding the educational world and insights on the psyche of 6th grade students. Also many reflections on the week past and my goals for the weeks ahead. Well, come back soon and hopefully I can get this thing up and running quickly.


Nishan Mohammed