This link will take you to my New and Emerging Technologies, Application 4 project:
Thank you!
Courtney
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Week 8: Reflection Post--The What, Why, and How of Technology Integration
As the final week of Integrating Technology Across the Content Area quickly approaches (this evening in fact), it is time to take a glimpse back at the course and see what learning has taken place.
Summarize any new learning that resulted from my GAME plan and explain what impact this new learning will have on my instructional practice.
During this course I learned about the GAME Plan from the perspective of a teacher and a student. As a teacher, I was able to learn about the different components of the GAME Plan. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) state that,
Eagleton and Dobler (2007) suggest that when teachers assign students inquiry or project-based learning assessments, the instructors should create their own project along with the students in order to model the learning process. Using the social studies content section of our course textbook as my guide through the process, I had the opportunity to be in the role of the student and encounter the frustrations, the continuous reflection process, the collaborative conversations, and the "A-HA!" moments. Now, as I begin planning for the 2010-2011 school year, I have an idea of what students might struggle with, what parts of the students' GAME Plans may need to be accompanied with formative assessment and/or constructive feedback, etc. Had I not experienced working through the GAME Plan in the role of a student, I am not sure I would be able to utilize this instructional/learning framework in the ways it was intended (Cennamo et al., 2009). I look forward to doing more research and learning different ways to incorporate the GAME Plan into my unit plans and into the projects and assignments my students will be working on.
In addition to learning specifically about the GAME Plan framework, I also had the opportunity to learn more about two learning/teaching tools, Twitter (twitter.com) and Diigo (diigo.com). Although I was somewhat familiar with these collaborative, educational network tools, I learned new ways of using the tools to communicate with teachers and students. As I was educating my classmates about Twitter and Diigo, I also began to learn more about these websites through reading articles, blogs, tweets, etc. As Vicki Davis explained "educational networks," such as Twitter really do educate and connect teachers, students, experts, etc., in order for people to teach and learn from one another (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). I am really looking forward to using educational networks in my classroom this year because I will be able to stay connect with my students through tweets, contribute to the professional learning networks that already exist on both websites, as well as, educate my students and be educated by my students through Twitter and Diigo.
Describe any immediate adjustments I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration in my content area as a result of my learning from this course.
This fall, I plan on incorporating more in-class time for students to reflect on their learning. While reading and working with several resources in this course, I began to realize that I do not have my students reflect upon their learning processes. With the content and time crunch that teachers face, something always gets left out. In my classroom it is the reflective process, I forget about helping the students think about the learning process, decide what went well, give/receive feedback about lessons, content, etc. Cennamo et al. (2009) explain the importance of the reflective process by stating,
Currently, I have my students complete weekly blogs about the topics we discuss in class. If I were to ask the students to reflect on their research, ask each other questions, share project ideas, etc.,through the blogs; the students would then have the time to reflect on their learning in a structured manner. These reflective blog posts may also be used as a type of formative assessment to help me in better understanding where students are in the learning process. By commenting on students' posts I would be able to offer cognitive feedback, ask students clarifying questions, make suggestions, or refocus a student's thought process. As I assess the students' work and/or content knowledge I can also use response posts to address assignment issues, clarify content materials, etc., and do so in a location that all students can access or reference at a later time. Using a blog as a learning/teaching tool allows students and teachers participate in an authentic learning environment that allows for reflective thinking, communication of content, project collaboration, constructive or cognitive feedback, and many additional 21st century skills, that will play a key role in the students' lives following graduation (Cennamo et al., 2009).
References
Summarize any new learning that resulted from my GAME plan and explain what impact this new learning will have on my instructional practice.
During this course I learned about the GAME Plan from the perspective of a teacher and a student. As a teacher, I was able to learn about the different components of the GAME Plan. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) state that,
In order for learners to truly function autonomously they must develop self-directed learning (SDL) skills, which is another hallmark of creative and innovative thinkers...set your own learning Goals, take Action to meet those goals, Monitor your progress toward reaching those goals, and then reflect on, or Evaluate, the effectiveness of your learning processes and learning outcomes. (30)I also learned about the important roles that each part of the GAME Plan has in the learning process, and how to integrate the GAME Plan framework into my content instruction. However, I would have never fully understood what each of these steps in the GAME Plan meant without constructing the plan, participating in collaborative blogging conversations, and continuously re-evaluating/reflecting as I moved through each step.
Eagleton and Dobler (2007) suggest that when teachers assign students inquiry or project-based learning assessments, the instructors should create their own project along with the students in order to model the learning process. Using the social studies content section of our course textbook as my guide through the process, I had the opportunity to be in the role of the student and encounter the frustrations, the continuous reflection process, the collaborative conversations, and the "A-HA!" moments. Now, as I begin planning for the 2010-2011 school year, I have an idea of what students might struggle with, what parts of the students' GAME Plans may need to be accompanied with formative assessment and/or constructive feedback, etc. Had I not experienced working through the GAME Plan in the role of a student, I am not sure I would be able to utilize this instructional/learning framework in the ways it was intended (Cennamo et al., 2009). I look forward to doing more research and learning different ways to incorporate the GAME Plan into my unit plans and into the projects and assignments my students will be working on.
In addition to learning specifically about the GAME Plan framework, I also had the opportunity to learn more about two learning/teaching tools, Twitter (twitter.com) and Diigo (diigo.com). Although I was somewhat familiar with these collaborative, educational network tools, I learned new ways of using the tools to communicate with teachers and students. As I was educating my classmates about Twitter and Diigo, I also began to learn more about these websites through reading articles, blogs, tweets, etc. As Vicki Davis explained "educational networks," such as Twitter really do educate and connect teachers, students, experts, etc., in order for people to teach and learn from one another (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). I am really looking forward to using educational networks in my classroom this year because I will be able to stay connect with my students through tweets, contribute to the professional learning networks that already exist on both websites, as well as, educate my students and be educated by my students through Twitter and Diigo.
Describe any immediate adjustments I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration in my content area as a result of my learning from this course.
This fall, I plan on incorporating more in-class time for students to reflect on their learning. While reading and working with several resources in this course, I began to realize that I do not have my students reflect upon their learning processes. With the content and time crunch that teachers face, something always gets left out. In my classroom it is the reflective process, I forget about helping the students think about the learning process, decide what went well, give/receive feedback about lessons, content, etc. Cennamo et al. (2009) explain the importance of the reflective process by stating,
...learners need to describe what they have done and explain what resulted and why. This is because when we stop to think about what we have learned and to reflect on how we learned it, we actually achieve a deeper understanding of the knowledge we have constructed, and are more likely to be able to use that new knowledge in different situations... (33)To really learn from the "learning process" and later utilize the new knowledge (content or otherwise), students need to think about the how and why of learning.
Currently, I have my students complete weekly blogs about the topics we discuss in class. If I were to ask the students to reflect on their research, ask each other questions, share project ideas, etc.,through the blogs; the students would then have the time to reflect on their learning in a structured manner. These reflective blog posts may also be used as a type of formative assessment to help me in better understanding where students are in the learning process. By commenting on students' posts I would be able to offer cognitive feedback, ask students clarifying questions, make suggestions, or refocus a student's thought process. As I assess the students' work and/or content knowledge I can also use response posts to address assignment issues, clarify content materials, etc., and do so in a location that all students can access or reference at a later time. Using a blog as a learning/teaching tool allows students and teachers participate in an authentic learning environment that allows for reflective thinking, communication of content, project collaboration, constructive or cognitive feedback, and many additional 21st century skills, that will play a key role in the students' lives following graduation (Cennamo et al., 2009).
References
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.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). [Motion picture]. Social Networking and Online Collaboration Tools. Baltimore: Author.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Week 7: NETS-T + NETS-S = GAME Plan Reflection
As week 7 wraps-up, it is time to visit my GAME Plan and reflect upon my progress. This week I will also have the opportunity to connect the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers to its counterpart, the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students.
Take a moment to think about the GAME plan process and the progress you have made over the last several weeks toward meeting the goals you established for learning about technology and technology resources.
Over the course of this class, I have been exploring different ways to both educate myself and others in the use of social networking, or as Vicki Davis calls them, "educational networking tools," Twitter and Diigo and share my findings with my classmates. Although I tried to make the information I have found applicable and user-friendly to other teachers, it is unclear whether or not my wiki, "Technology in Action Learning Tools," (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/) has been useful to people in my learning community (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).
I realize that I am at fault for perpetually posting my blog entries late. Whether or not my learning community was commenting on my blog and/or wiki, I should have been more diligent in posting my weekly blogs on time. I wish I would have been able to work more with my learning group in helping them apply Twitter and/or Diigo to lessons that they hope to implement in their classrooms. It would have been wonderful to collaborate and brainstorm with other teachers regarding the usage of these tools in a school with limited resources or accessibility to technology.
Reviewing my goals for my GAME Plan I am not sure if I failed at meeting the goals I set for myself or if I succeeded in ways that I do not realize at this point. Once the school year starts and I begin implementing and using some of the learning/teaching tools I have been working with in my GAME Plan, I will have a better handle on my "success" or "needs improvement" on each of my goals. I have listed my GAME Plan goals and I have included the steps I have taken to help me reach these goals in order to see if I am on the right path.
There are some key components of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students that align with the standards that I have been exploring while working with the NETS-T throughout my game plan. Words and phrases which appear in both sets of standards include:
If I were to have my students apply the GAME Plan model to their learning, I would definitely make it a point to stress the importance of collaboration, communication, participation, and reflection. Although it should be a given that students would need to collaborate and participate with the members of their groups, I have found that unless there is some sort of accountability piece (formative and/or summative) involved within the assessment process, an individual's non participation may l hinder other students' progress (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
The GAME Plan model can be implemented in many ways within a classroom, but here I would like to concentrate on using the GAME Plan in conjunction with a self-directed learning project example. If a teacher were to choose content information, decide what section of NETS-S may work well in learning/teaching this type of information, and then have the students utilize the GAME Plan model when planing research or inquiry based learning he/she would be achieving three goals within one unit. For example, students that are assigned a project that deals with the historical investigation of the Watergate Scandal, may be asked to focus on the skills in NETS-S standard "4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making, Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources" (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Student, 2007).
Once the students have been given the assignment and made aware of the skills that they will need to focus on, they can then go about creating a GAME Plan to help them succeed in meeting their goals, beginning an investigation on the happenings of the Nixon Administration. The investigative process uses skills including creative thinking, problem-solving, reflection, and a plethora of other 21st century skills . The GAME Plan lends itself to this type of self-directed learning process because it systematically walks the students through the steps of creating a plan, deciding what actions to take, monitoring one's progress, evaluating the outcomes of specific choices, and then moving the plan forward and/or revising one's ideas. All of these skills are key components of not only the GAME Plan, but also historical investigation (Cennamo et al., 2009). Thus, the students are using the GAME Plan as a framework to learn the content information while putting into practice and strengthening the skills within the NETS-S.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). [Motion picture]. Social Networking and Online Collaboration Tools. Baltimore: Author.
The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students [Electronic version]. (2007). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm
The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers [Electronic version]. (2008). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Take a moment to think about the GAME plan process and the progress you have made over the last several weeks toward meeting the goals you established for learning about technology and technology resources.
Over the course of this class, I have been exploring different ways to both educate myself and others in the use of social networking, or as Vicki Davis calls them, "educational networking tools," Twitter and Diigo and share my findings with my classmates. Although I tried to make the information I have found applicable and user-friendly to other teachers, it is unclear whether or not my wiki, "Technology in Action Learning Tools," (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/) has been useful to people in my learning community (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).
I realize that I am at fault for perpetually posting my blog entries late. Whether or not my learning community was commenting on my blog and/or wiki, I should have been more diligent in posting my weekly blogs on time. I wish I would have been able to work more with my learning group in helping them apply Twitter and/or Diigo to lessons that they hope to implement in their classrooms. It would have been wonderful to collaborate and brainstorm with other teachers regarding the usage of these tools in a school with limited resources or accessibility to technology.
Reviewing my goals for my GAME Plan I am not sure if I failed at meeting the goals I set for myself or if I succeeded in ways that I do not realize at this point. Once the school year starts and I begin implementing and using some of the learning/teaching tools I have been working with in my GAME Plan, I will have a better handle on my "success" or "needs improvement" on each of my goals. I have listed my GAME Plan goals and I have included the steps I have taken to help me reach these goals in order to see if I am on the right path.
- Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
- demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situation
- Created a wiki explaining both Twitter and Diigo
- Supported the information shared with material from class resources
- Explained and modeled ways that these learning/teaching tools can be applied in the classroom in a practical manner
- collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success
- Addressed issues mentioned by classmates such as security, student privacy etc. to insure the students safety when using these tools
- An on-going conversation about the uses of Twitter, Diigo, and other educational networking tools is currently going on with another of my classmates
- communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats
- Through the creation of my wiki, I presented information that was clear, accurate, and applicable to the classroom
- Presented several ideas and modeled these suggestions to my classmates through screen captures, video-clips, etc.
- Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
- participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
- Participated in on-going conversations with classmates via my blog when questions or comments were made
- Commented and asked questions on the blogs of the learning community members in my group
- Read articles and explored links that appeared on Twitter and educator websites and shared the information with my group members
- exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others
- Actively shared ideas that can be integrated across different curriculum areas and/or used to form professional learning communities
- Suggested different ways to encourage educational networking as both a learning and a teaching tool
- Opened a line of communication for my learning community to discuss and/or ask questions about technology that directly related to the learning that is/was taking place throughout this course (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers, 2008).
There are some key components of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students that align with the standards that I have been exploring while working with the NETS-T throughout my game plan. Words and phrases which appear in both sets of standards include:
- collaboration
- "apply existing knowledge"
- communicate
- "develop cultural understanding"
- "advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use"
- "transfer current knowledge" (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Student, 2007).
If I were to have my students apply the GAME Plan model to their learning, I would definitely make it a point to stress the importance of collaboration, communication, participation, and reflection. Although it should be a given that students would need to collaborate and participate with the members of their groups, I have found that unless there is some sort of accountability piece (formative and/or summative) involved within the assessment process, an individual's non participation may l hinder other students' progress (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
The GAME Plan model can be implemented in many ways within a classroom, but here I would like to concentrate on using the GAME Plan in conjunction with a self-directed learning project example. If a teacher were to choose content information, decide what section of NETS-S may work well in learning/teaching this type of information, and then have the students utilize the GAME Plan model when planing research or inquiry based learning he/she would be achieving three goals within one unit. For example, students that are assigned a project that deals with the historical investigation of the Watergate Scandal, may be asked to focus on the skills in NETS-S standard "4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making, Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources" (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Student, 2007).
Once the students have been given the assignment and made aware of the skills that they will need to focus on, they can then go about creating a GAME Plan to help them succeed in meeting their goals, beginning an investigation on the happenings of the Nixon Administration. The investigative process uses skills including creative thinking, problem-solving, reflection, and a plethora of other 21st century skills . The GAME Plan lends itself to this type of self-directed learning process because it systematically walks the students through the steps of creating a plan, deciding what actions to take, monitoring one's progress, evaluating the outcomes of specific choices, and then moving the plan forward and/or revising one's ideas. All of these skills are key components of not only the GAME Plan, but also historical investigation (Cennamo et al., 2009). Thus, the students are using the GAME Plan as a framework to learn the content information while putting into practice and strengthening the skills within the NETS-S.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). [Motion picture]. Social Networking and Online Collaboration Tools. Baltimore: Author.
The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S) and Performance Indicators for Students [Electronic version]. (2007). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm
The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers [Electronic version]. (2008). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
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