Week 4: A Moment to Pause and Reflect

As I have mentioned in posts throughout my last two classes in our masters program, I do not usually take the time to reflect on the work that I am doing in the classroom. I appreciate the fact that an opportunity for reflection has been built-in this week. For the sake of simplicity, I will be stating each question for reflection and then responding to it. 

Am I finding the information and resources that I need?
 For the most part, yes I am finding the information and resources I have been looking for. I am finding it very time consuming to collect the media-clips, explanations, and project examples that I want to share with my classmates. In addition, I am beginning to think I should have limited myself to sharing information about two resources rather than focusing on four. Although all four learning/teaching tools, Twitter, Diigo, Prezi, and Animoto can be used for collaboration and presentations. Had I just focused on Twitter and Diigo, I would have been able to share more information regarding the uses of these two websites as they relate to computers as mindtools, collaborative learning tools, and conferencing tools (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

In the near future, I am going to need the members of my blogging group to give me feedback, questions, etc., about the information I am presenting through the Technology in Action Learning Tools Wiki (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/), that I have just begun adding resources to. It is through my classmates' input that I will be able to clarify, re-explain, or add information in order to carter to the needs of specific learning situations. In a way, I am looking at my classmates' feedback as a type of formative assessment. Through their responses I will be able to find more ways to progress towards the main goals of my GAME Plan, assess/reflect on my role as and educator aiding other instructors in new tools of technology, and better carter my wiki posts to the needs of the members in my group (Cennamo et. al., 2009).

Do I need to modify my action plan?
As I mentioned above, yes, I need to modify my action plan. Rather than focusing on four types of learning tools, I am going to concentrate on providing more detailed information for Twitter and Diigo which are based more around social networking. However, I still want to include Prezi and Animoto in the plan, but I will include them in a section of the wiki  which provides "Additional Resources," for my blog group.

For both Twitter and Diigo I will spend time explaining how each of these social networks provide venues for students to use computers as mindtools, collaborative learning tools, and conferencing tools (Cennamo et. al., 2009). I also hope to be able to describe ways in which educators will be able to utilize Twitter and Diigo for formative and/or summative assessment purposes. For example, Diigo can be formatted to aid students in creating a database of resources for research to be used in project or inquiry-based learning projects. Twitter, although on more of a causal level, can also take on the form of project or inquiry-based learning while also taking on the attributes of an authentic-assessment (Cennamo et al., 2009).


What have I learned so far?
Thus far, I have learned that I need to do a better job at connecting my explanations and resources to material that we have discussed in this class. I also need to provide proof that these tools support best practices by referencing information from our textbooks, DVDs, and academic articles. I must also provide proof that the tools I have chosen to share with my blog group, are supported by data and research. 

I have learned that that in the future, it is necessary for me to be more organized and  to create documents or folders of resources, references, and articles that I collect throughout the school year. That way, I will be able to correctly cite and reference the educational information if I ever use it for a grad class or teaching conference. For example, I wanted to post a Prezi that I created, on my wiki. But, because I was in a hurry when I put the presentation together for my students, I did not keep track of the citation information. Alas, I spent a great amount of time retracing my Internet searches to find the citation information before posting the example on my wiki. Had I just typed out the reference information the first time around, I would have been able to quickly access and share the Prezi.

What new questions have arisen?
The new questions that have arisen include:

• How do Twitter and Diigo support the idea that computers can be used for mindtools, collaborative learning tools, and conferencing tools as described by Cennamo et al. (2009)?

• What, if any, roles can Twitter and Diigo play when creating both formative and summative assessments?

• What  additional information do my classmates need in order to feel comfortable integrating Twitter and Diigo into their classroom instruction?

 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.