Carrying Out My GAME Plan

The first NETS-T that I will address further is “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences.” In order to carry out my GAME plan, I will need to determine what resources are most valuable to e. Because I am working to create learning experiences for my students that incorporate digital tools, I would need information on various types of technology and a description of how those tools can be integrated for classroom use. I will also rely on the feedback of colleagues to share their knowledge of technology tools. If I am unable to find enough information for my needs, I may need to set up my own blog to attain feedback from others in the education field. I still would like to research various technology tools that can be used for both formative and summative assessments. The assessments will help to measure what students are retaining and help gain feedback about the type of instruction and assessment. The anonymity many of these technologies provide may encourage some students to give you feedback who would otherwise be reluctant to voice their opinions in front of their peers (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I have not taken any steps yet to act on this plan. My first step will entail starting the research process to hopefully find suitable forms of technology that can be used in the classroom. In order to become familiar with the various types of technology, I will need to take a hands-on approach to learning in order to find tools that will be beneficial to the students I teach.

The second NETS-T that I will address further is “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.” In order to carry out my GAME plan, I will need to gain information from my current parents on what they would like to see displayed on a class website, to include student achievements. I will need to make sure I have all necessary tools to upload student work, such as a scanner. I am hoping to acquire parent volunteers that can help students upload their documents/achievements to the website. The ITRT will also be able to help me set up a website that parents, students, and community members can access. If I put together the community and my students, the community might be willing to provide incentives for students who work hard in the classroom and share what they are learning. I will need to obtain further information from local businesses to see if this is something they would be interested in doing. I still need to work on creating a checklist that I can use to track my progress as well as make notes of things that need to be completed or added if necessary. I have not taken any steps yet to act on this plan. My initial planning will start by surveying current parents on what information they would like on our class website. Then I will work with my ITRT to ensure that the site is accessible. In order to become familiar with ways to present student work and share that with the community, I will need to take a hands-on approach to learning in order to discover the best way to present student work as well as how to display that work on the website. I will work closely with parents, students, and community members to make sure the website is a success.

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.

My Personal GAME Plan

The NETS-T that I would like to strengthen my confidence in are: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences

In order to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in this standard, I would like to design relevant learning experiences for my students that incorporate digital tools and will promote student learning and creativity (ISTE, 2008). I already realize the importance of creating a learning environment that engages all students and allows them be creative in the products that they produce. I will know if I have been successful through the retention of information, student interaction, and assessment scores. I would also like to receive feedback from my students on their satisfaction of learning accompanied with the use of digital tools compared to previous lessons that did not use digital tools.

The actions I will need to take to achieve this goal would involve research of various digital tools that would match with my current state standards. I would also like to use the Internet to receive feedback from colleagues on digital tools that they currently use to teach students in second grade. After I compile a list of digital tools, I need to explore those tools to determine if they are compatible with my students and will meet their needs.

I will monitor my progress by referring back to my original standards and determining if the information and tools I have found will lead to greater learning experiences for my students. I need to make sure I have enough information on each tool to become the “expert” in order to instruct my students on how to use that digital tool. I will also make sure that I using more than one digital tool that will meet the needs of each student’s diverse learning style.

In order to evaluate and extend my learning, I will need to decide if I have sufficient digital tools that will permit my students to participate in new learning experiences. These tools should offer students alternative assessments that are aligned with the curriculum and notify me of their successful learning experiences. At this time I can also decide if I need to research additional digital tools that will benefit my students.

Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

In order to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in this standard, I would like to collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members to support student success (ISTE, 2008). I would like to survey parents and community members to determine what information they would like to be able to access using the Internet that illustrates a student’s success in school. I would also like to establish a way for students to display their achievements in a way that protects them. Furthermore, I need to learn about tools that students can use to display their achievements. I would also like to create a place where parents and community members to recognize student achievements in an innovative way.

The actions I will need to take to achieve this goal would include reviewing survey results from parents and community members as well as searching the Internet to see what other schools do to display student achievements online. I can also create a blog where colleagues can post information about sharing students’ success with parents and the community. I would also need to work with my school’s administration to set up a site where students and parents/community members can communicate with each other about successes.

I will monitor my progress by tracking the progress of what I want to accomplish through a checklist. If I cannot find or obtain enough information on ways to display student achievements, I may need to modify my plans. If I do not receive much feedback from parents or community members, I may need to go into the community and speak with them in person to elicit their opinions. I also need to stay in contact with administrators and technology staff to ensure that my site will be running when I am ready to start sharing student achievements.

In order to evaluate and extend my learning, I will need to determine if I have created a site that is user-friendly and safe for students to share their achievements. If the site proves to be successful, I can make modifications to it for future classes and build on new ways that achievements can be shared with the community. I can also share what I have done with my peers and work with them to create a site that their students can also use.

Reference:

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Reflection on Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom

One of the most striking revelations I have had about teaching the new literacy skills to my students because of this course is that it is not something we have to teach in addition to our state standards. The new literacy skills are already embedded in the standards you have teach if you really take the time to look at what you have to teach in the standards and what the new literacy skills are. As Eagleton and Dobler (2007) state, we would be doing students a disservice by not preparing them to apply the inquiry process to the world’s most massive source of information, one that will impact their future daily lives in ways we cannot even imagine.

The knowledge and experience gained in this course will influence my teaching practices going forward by not being apprehensive about educating students on the inquiry process but instead embracing it and learning alongside my students. I would like my students to achieve a greater understanding of the content being taught and what better way than by allowing students to choose a topic of interest in something we are already learning and permitting them to use the Internet to learn more in a way that is more meaningful to them and will interest their peers.

One professional development goal I would like to pursue that builds upon my learning in this course and develops my own information literacy or technology skills would be engage my peers to investigate the QUEST model of inquiry and work together to develop an inquiry project that includes our current standards. In order to accomplish this goal, I would need to survey my peers and see what level of knowledge they have with computers and the Internet. Then, we would work together to study and discuss the five steps of QUEST and how we would educate our students about each step. After each step was taught, we would meet to discuss the pros/cons of how it went. At the end of the inquiry project, we, including students, would reflect on the project and share things that went well and things that we could improve on for the next year. Each teacher in the grade would have to work together to share ideas and communicate how things were going in the classroom. If a lesson went well for one teacher, they could always “teach” that lesson to the other classes and see if it helped students gain a better understanding. After completing the initial preparations for this project, we can hopefully work together to create more inquiry projects for our students each year.

Reference:

Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Think Out Loud Evaluation

Here is a link to the Week 4 Application: Think Out Loud Evaluation. The site I evaluated was: Help Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.

http://www.screencast.com/t/MjE0Yjdl

Feel free to share any comments!

Final Reflection

When reflecting back on all I have learned throughout this course, I have come to realize the importance for student-centered learning in the classroom. This also provides more opportunities for student discussions and interactions. By allowing students to work collaboratively, they are able to frequently use technology to better meet their needs. Lever-Duffy & McDonald (2008), state that educational technology is a support for teaching and learning that both teacher and learner can call on to help ensure the opportunity for optimum performance. I still believe that the constructivist perspective of learning is an ideal approach for students because each student develops their own sense of understanding and construct an artifact based on what they have learned. Orey (2001), also said that in this learning environment, the instructor acts as a facilitator and guides the learners along their paths of learning. This will lead to more self-discovery of concepts in a way that is more meaningful to each student.

There are adjustments that I would like to make in my instructional practice regarding technology integration. This course has provided me with many resources that can be implemented in the classroom immediately. One adjustment is to spend less time lecturing students on material but providing them with the resources necessary to learn on their own (websites and/or webquests). If a student is actively engaged in what they are learning, they are more likely to stay on task and ultimately learn more. Technology has changed the classroom and offered students new ways of learning and receiving information. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), share that applied effectively, technology implementation not only increases student learning, understanding, and achievement but also augments motivation to learn, encourages collaborative learning, and supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Schacter & Fagnano, 1999). One technology tool that I would like to use with my students is VoiceThreads. This tool will enhance student learning because students are able to use technology to share images related to what we are discussing in class and obtain immediate feedback from others. This will promote real world occasions so that students are interacting with people throughout the world. Another technology tool that I would like to use with my students is concept mapping. This tool will support and enhance student learning because it helps learners organize their information and that information can be used as a study guide. This technology tool helps learners visualize their ideas and make connections between nodes. Novak & Cañas (2008), say that concept mapping has been shown to help learners learn, researchers create new knowledge, administrators to better structure and manage organizations, writers to write, and evaluators assess learning.

One long-term goal that I would like to make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration would be to set better objectives for learning. I want to better prepare units of study based on the needs of my students. I also want students to be able to set their own learning goals on material we will be covering. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), explains that research shows that when students are allowed to set some of their own learning goals, their motivation is higher than when they pursue only teacher-set goals (Hom & Murphy, 1983). When I work together with my students to set goals, it will create a better learning environment. The strategy for achieving this goal would be to inform parents at the beginning of the school year about goal setting and encourage parents to help their children set goals for themselves. This also helps me better evaluate what needs further explanation in class and what concepts students already understand. I would then model how students will complete their learning goals and provide a great deal of practice. Students will need opportunities for filling in information through Word documents as well as software for organizing information. This strategy will help both the learners and me to be more successful. A second long-term goal that I would like to make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration would be to provide students with more feedback to their work to help improve their learning process. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), state that games and simulations, for example, allow teachers and students to get near-instantaneous feedback during the learning process, allowing for immediate redirection or correction of misconceptions. A strategy for achieving this goal would be to research various games and simulations that align with our state’s standards and provide students with feedback. I also need to examine these activities to make sure they are appropriate for second graders. I feel that once students have been exposed to feedback on how they are doing, there will be a greater success rate in the classroom because students are provided with comments on ways to improve before the assessment and allows them time to improve.

References:

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

Novak, J. D. & Cañas, A. J. (2008). The theory underlying concept maps and how to construct and use them, Technical Report IHMC CmapTools 2006-01 Rev 01-2008. Retrieved from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Web site: http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.pdf

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

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

VoiceThread on Name Calling

Below you will find my VoiceThread about the concern shared by my students. Their main concern was name calling. Hopefully you can help share ideas that can eliminate name calling in schools.

I had difficulty recording so my input is shared through text.

http://voicethread.com/share/782274/

Cooperative Learning & Its Relation to the Social Learning Theory

Cooperative learning directly relates with the Social Learning Theory because it allows students to work together by collaborating and building on prior knowledge. Social Learning/Constructivism by definition emphasizes the importance of culture and context in understanding what occurs in society and constructing knowledge based on this understanding (Derry, 1999; McMahon, 1997, as cited in Orey, 2001). When students are able to interact with their peers, it will actively engage them and enhance what they are learning.

By allowing students to work together, it eliminates competition and encourages teamwork. Students already network socially with their peers so why not incorporate technology and instruction to encourage students to use their “network” sources to help them connect to what they are learning and make it more meaningful. As educators, we need to use technology that students are already familiar with and use it to our advantage when “teaching.” The chart, on the right, displays activities that teenagers take part in.

Reynard (2008) shares that given our current societal needs for making more with less, it's worth noting that learning theorists have long supported the notion that the sharing of ideas increases the outcomes of new knowledge.

When students are allowed to work collaboratively and share their creativity they are retaining more information and storing it in long-term memory. Each student can incorporate ideas that are of interest to them share with their peers for further discussion. Students are constructing artifacts that are relevant to subject matter but in a way that is meaningful to them. Cooperative learning allows for student exploration and differentiation based on student needs. Once students realize and experience the importance of social networking, they will want to be a part of it constantly because of the connections they are making in the community outside the classroom.

Reference:

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Reynard, R. (2008). Social networking: learning theory in action. The Journal. Retrieved December 2, 2009, from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2008/05/21/Social-Networking-Learning-Theory-in-Action.aspx?Page=1