Week 6: Reflect, Revise, and Expand

It is time once again to revisit my ever-changing GAME Plan that I have been working on over the past six weeks. As I have mentioned in previous posts, when I first created my GAME Plan, I thought I could look at four different technology learning/teaching tools. After the first few weeks of trying to keep pace with the workload for this class, I began to realize that I should concentrate on two rather than four learning/teaching tools. At this point in my GAME Plan, I have continued to edit and update the "Technology in Action Learning Tools" wiki (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/) which encompasses basic information about both Twitter and Diigo, as well as, practical application and integration ideas for both of these "educational networking," learning/teaching tools (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
Over the last six weeks, I have have lost sight of exactly what the goals of my GAME Plan are/were. What I have come to realize is, is that I need to spend time reviewing the goals of my GAME Plan each time I work on my blog entries and the companion wiki site created for my plan. I need to make a conscious effort to spend time reflecting on my own educational choices, the choices I make in my instruction, and plan time within my lessons for my students to reflect upon their decisions, learning, and coursework. I realize I have said this numerous times over the course of my GAME Plan, but it warrants being repeated again. 


Reflection and articulation are key parts of learning and creativit. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) place emphasis on the reflective part of the learning process by explaining that:

...learners need to describe what they have done and explain what resulted and why. This is becuase 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 (referred to as transfer), which is yet another hallmark of creative thinkers. (p. 33)

If I hope to foster creative thinking in both my students learning and my learning, reflection is an imperative step in the thinking/learning process that needs to occur.

What goals are you still working toward?
I am still working towards all of my goals. When learning, working, and teaching with learning/teaching tools of technology, one can NEVER know all that there is to know. When commenting on my previous blog post, one of my classmates posed the questions, 

Do you find that the amount of information available to teachers on technology and other topics makes it difficult, in some ways, for teachers to find information that is meaningful? Or do you think that they may get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information and the many tools available? (Wybrant, 2010)

It is for the reasons that Sean mentioned, the amount of information, the meaningfulness of the information found, and the overwhelming fact that technology is perpetual going through transformations, that I will always be trying to reach the goals I created for myself in this GAME Plan. Thus, the goals for this GAME Plan continue to be:

Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

• demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situation

•  communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats

 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

•  participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning

• collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support students success and innovation

(Please note that the above standard is a new addition to my GAME Plan, the rational for this addition can be found in the next section of this post.)

• 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 (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers)

Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will I set for myself?
At this point in my GAME Plan, I would also like to add a third part to the "Model Digital-Age Work and Learning," portion of my goals. I now realize that I have been taking part in the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) standard, "...collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation" (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers). It is through my coursework, communications with teachers throughout the U.S. through Twitter, updating information on the Walden Grad Students Diigo page (http://groups.diigo.com/group/waldenu-gradstudents), and creating the Technology in Action wiki (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/), that I am continuously trying to collaborate with my peers regarding technology as learning and teaching tools.

What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
Throughout the next few weeks, I will be taking advantage of the educational networking opportunities I have with my classmates, as well as, the educator connections I have through Twitter and Diigo, to continue to learn more about how teachers can best utilize Twitter.com and Diigo.com as educational learning/teaching tools . Vicki Davis provided a plethora of ways that social networking sites can be used as "educational networking" sites and I want to utilize this new perspective while I  find new resources to add to my GAME Plan wiki (Laureate Education, Inc., 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.
 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). [Motion picture]. Social Networking and Online Collaboration Tools Part 1. Baltimore: Author.  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    Wybrant, S. (210, August 4). "Week 5: Actions and Reactions." Message posted to Technology in Action, archived at, http://clausen-technology-in-action.blogspot.com/  

Week 5: Actions and Reactions

It is that time again to revisit the progress of my GAME Plan. The comments I received from my posting from last week has helped me to better understand  how to rework, rethink, and better my GAME Plan. 

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?
The comments that were posted to last week's blog have given me a since of some of the frustrations that other teachers face while working with and implementing technology into his/her classroom. It seems that a reoccurring theme was the fact that organizing technology, resources, tools, etc., is challenging especially when the resources are web-based. I look forward to looking into different ways of creating organizational methods in both Twitter and Diigo to share with my blog group.

I am also looking at other options to aid in the organizational process of websites and technology resources. One web page I found that some educators may find useful is WebList (http://weblist.me/). As I previewed the site, there weren't very many details regarding how the site works, FAQs, etc. WebList appears to be a newer site, but definitely one to look into for those educators that do not feel that Twitter or Diigo fit their organizational styles.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
Thus far, I have learned that there is an overwhelming amount of information available to educators regarding the use and application of learning tools of technology in the classroom. With that said, the fact that there are so many different types of technology available for teachers and students, lends itself to best reaching all learners in the classroom.  Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) emphasize the importance of accessing a multitude of learning resources by stating, " Providing students with choices in the media, tools, and context in which the learning will take placed (p. 123).

If I focus on a few learning tools (Twitter and Diigo), that students could apply while completing daily assignments, communicating with classmates, or looking for further information about a topic discussed in class, this would be less overwhelming for both the students and myself. Students would be able to mold these tools to their learning styles and as Cennamo et al. (2009) explains, "Networked communication tools offer greater flexibility in the methods and and settings in which students can communicate with one another as well as with teachers and outside experts" (p. 123).


What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?
At this point in my GAME Plan, I still need to know what types of technology my classmates have used in their classrooms or have learned about from others through classes, seminars, etc. I plan on re-opening the poll I have created on my blog in hopes that people will begin answering my question. I also need to continue searching for new ways that educators can apply Twitter and Diigo as both learning and teaching tools in the classroom. I plan on adding new information to the Technology in Action Learning Tools wiki (http://technology-in-action-learning-tools.wikispaces.com/), that have created to aid with my GAME Plan. 

As for any new questions that I might have, I mentioned above, that I wanted to do some further research into the uses of Twitter and Diigo as learning tools. I also have to figure out ways for students to utilize Twitter and Diigo as a "multimedia tool," in order to access, "...linked material [that] may incorporate text, audio, or visual information that helps students with diverse learning preferences find support in a mode [of learning] that they prefer" (Cennamo et al., 2009, p. 123).


How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?
As I have been working on my GAME Plan, I have come to realize that I need to modify the information I share with my blogging group to fit the needs and/or answer the questions of that are discussed each week. For example, this week I am focusing on ways to use Twitter and Diigo as organizational tools, because my group members have found that organizing multimedia resources can be challenging and time consuming. Thus, I am currently looking into different ways to utilize the different options  both Twitter and Diigo offer their users in the area of lists, tagging, grouping topics, etc. 

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.

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.
 

Week 3: Carrying Out My GAME Plan

Last week I shared my GAME Plan with all of you. Before I go an further in this week's post, I would like to elaborate on the goals I have set for myself through my GAME Plan.

GOALS 

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning  

     a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situation  

     b. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers, 2008)

•  As I have progressed through this graduate program, I have learned both new ways to implement technology into my teaching and about new types of technologies that can be utilized as learning tools, as well as, instructional tools. I have chosen to concentrate on "Modeling Digital-Age Work and Learning," (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers, 2008) because I see the important role that technology plays when developing lessons/units for all students in the classroom. As Dr. Ertmer and various teachers explained in the DVD resource, "Enriching Content Area Learning," integrating technology into the classroom effectively requires knowledge, confidence, strong beliefs, and a supportive culture of educators (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). It is through both learning new technologies and communicating/collaborating with my classmates that I hope to strengthen the four components described by Dr. Ertmer (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). 

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership  

      a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning  

     b. 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 (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers, 2008)

• Again, Dr. Ertmer's ideas of effectively integrating technology into the classroom, has influenced my choice to pursue the goal of "Engaging in Professional Growth and Leadership" (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers, 2008). Having a strong community to communicate and collaborate with will help to build my knowledge base in regards to technology in the classroom. As I share my ideas with my classmates, their comments and perspectives will help me to better understand new uses for technology, how to best integrate technology to best enhance content information, etc. As I explore Twitter, Diigo, Prezi, and Animoto, and describe/model the diverse uses for these learning tools I will also be contributing to my classmates knowledge base. In return, many more ideas and projects will be generated through suggestions, further research, and the diverse teaching backgrounds of my classmates (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

 ACTIONS

• Find four different types of technology (i.e. PowerPoint, Inspiration, etc.)
• Share the different projects with you all and explain how to use the technology to benefit students

MONITOR

• Use the comments and questions provided by you and clarify/add information to my explanations

 EVALUATE

• Reflect on the comments and questions, as well as, the types of technologies I used and decide what went well, how I changed my plan as I went, etc.

I  NEED YOUR HELP...

If you have time please respond to the questions I have posted below. Soon I will be posting links to projects that I have created or that I am working on with short explanations describing the technology and its uses. As of yet, I still have to continue working on these mini-projects. 

This week, I want to share with you some of the details of my GAME Plan, as well as, some small changes I am making in the plan. Rather than just creating and writing about four different types of technology, I am going to work on one or two mini-projects and model how a couple different other learning tools (Diigo.com and Twitter) can be utilized in the classroom. I will still be reflecting on your comments/questions and follow through with the rest of my GAME Plan, but just in a little bit different way.

RESOURCES

• Twitter.com, Diigo.com, Prezi.com, and Animoto.com
• Readings and articles covering topics of technology, education, etc.
• Classmate opinions and comments  
• I will be using your comments/questions to guide my GAME Plan. If my explanations or justifications for the use of a technology, such as Diigo, does not make sense or it is unclear how this social bookmarking tool will help fulfill the need of a diverse population of students, please let me know. Not only do I want to give you ideas or prompt discussions, but I also want to be able to strengthen my leadership skills so I can help my fellow teachers begin to understand the importance of technology integration in the classroom (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NEEDED

 Please help me gather information for my GAME Plan by answering the survey found at the top right-hand corner of this posting. Thank you for your participation!

PROGRESS

• I posted the following message on the "Class Cafe" message board for our class

Happy Summer, Everyone!  
I would like to invite everyone to take part in the Walden Grad Student group at Diigo.com, that I created eons ago. In our previous class, some of you joined in the fun, but I know some of you are new to the group and I wanted to extend the invitation to you as well. There are so many wonderful resources out there that we all stumble upon while doing our course work, preparing for lessons, etc., and this list of sites helps to let others know about what we are finding.

Diigo.com can also be used as a great collaborative tool for those of us who are concentrating on the collaboration and/or communication standards for our GAME Plans. The highlight/comment features would allow for conversations or critiques of sites and/or technology tools with others in our class. The link to the “Walden Grad Students” group is: http://groups.diigo.com/group/waldenu-gradstudents. If you join it and your posts don’t appear right away, please send me an email and I will take a look at the settings so that everyone can share whatever, whenever without permission. Diigo.com also has a group for educators that has MANY more resources available for you to peruse. The link to that group is: http://groups.diigo.com/group/diigoineducation.

I’m not sure how many of you are on Twitter, but I would love to follow any of you that are members. There are some fabulous posts by educators and great technology information and tools that get sent out to the masses. So, if you haven’t entered the world of Twitter and would like to check it out, feel free to take a look at the sites I follow my username is: msclausen.

I realize that everyone is REALLY busy during these summer months, but these resources may be useful to you as you progress through your GAME Plans and/or in the upcoming school year.

Thank you,
Courtney Clausen 

• Posting this message gave me the opportunity to explain to our classmates the different ways that these learning tools can be utilized in the classroom. I was able to explain how we as students can use Diigo throughout this class, as well as, model how a teacher might implement Diigo into his/her classroom. In both instances, Diigo can be used as a mindtool and/or a support tool for reflection/conversation. These are two of the three roles  computers usually play when technology is implemented into instruction,  (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009).

• Began modeling the use of the social bookmarking website Diigo.com at: http://groups.diigo.com/group/waldenu-gradstudents. To see an example of the notes and annotation features scroll down to the link CAST: What is the Universal Design for Learning 
•  Diigo allows readers to bookmark, annotate, organize, and collaborate with others with a user friendly toolbar. These features allow students to use all three neural networks that impact learning. Once a student has bookmarked a page with Diigo, he/she can highlight the text in different colors, draw shapes, capture text, create floating sticky-notes or annotations for your private use or for others to provide feedback. A student would be activating his/her recognition networks while taking advantage of these tools (Cennamo et al., 2009).
• Diigo can also activate the strategic learning networks for those students. Through the manipulation of the text, grouping of websites through tagging web pages, and having students search throughout the web pages already annotated, tagged, highlighted, etc., gives the student flexibility for creativity. He/she can create lists and collaborate with other members in the class to choose what resources should be used in the next unit or topics that interest them (Cennamo et al., 2009).
• Educators can create lists of websites related to content information and then have students explore those sites and ask each student to tag the sites, summarize what they have read, and then find similar sites using common search engines like Google or Yahoo to add to their personal list. The affective learning networks will utilize a student's prior knowledge and past experiences to help categorize and work with the required sites, but then the student will also become engaged in the topic once he/she is allowed to surf the web and look for sites that present similar information, but in different ways (Cennamo et al., 2009).

LEARNING STRATEGIES

• Inquiry-based--find answers and create responses to classmates' comments
• Model Technology as a learning tool-- using Twitter and Diigo as learning tools
• Collaborative discussions-- Talk with classmates and/or members of Twitter and Diigo to gain further knowledge about technology and education
• These learning strategies directly connect to the two main goals of my GAME Plan and by using these strategies, I will be trying to activate all three neural networks of learning (Cennamo, et al., 2009).

Thank you for helping me with my GAME Plan!

Courtney Clausen

 

 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. 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (2009). Program three [Motion Picture]. Enriching Content Area Learning Experiences with Technology, Part I. Baltimore: Author.

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

Welcome!

Blog Group One--

Welcome to my blog. I look forward to working with you all of you this summer. I wanted to let you all know that I have created a Walden Grad Student Diigo page. It can be found at:  

 http://groups.diigo.com/group/waldenu-gradstudents

I've added pages we've used throughout our courses and other resources I've found. Check it out, you might find it useful!

Thank you,

Courtney

Week 5: Cognitive Flexibility Theory...Did I Miss Something?!

As I continue to dig through my resources for our Literature Review, I seem to be falling into a random-sequential spiral! My most recent detour from the task at hand, began when I read a research article based on the Cognitive Flexibility Theory (CFT). Where was my next stop? GOOGLE! After perusing a couple links, I happened upon the website: http://tip.psychology.org/spiro.html, which then guided me to Dr. Rand Spiro's home page, "Cognitive Flexibilty Theory, Hypertext, and the Post-Gutenberg Mind: Rand Spiro's Home Page," found at: http://www.cogflextheory.org. Dr. Spiro is the mastermind behind the Theory of the Cognitive Flexibility Theory. After reviewing some of the information on the aforementioned websites, I begun to wonder if I'm actually supposed to know about both the CFT and Dr. Spiro's work.


Everything that I am reading hooks directly into the ideas, theories, and educational practices that we discussed in our last course, "Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology". From what I've read thus far, which hasn't been all that much, it seems as though the CFT weaves together the Cognitive Theory, the Behavioral Theory, and the integration of different forms of technology into an educational wonderland for those of us in this grad program. Please take a look at some of Dr. Spiro's work, I would be interested to see what you all think of his ideas. In the mean time, I must continue my quest for knowledge on the Partnership for the 21st Century front.


Happy Searching!
Courtney

Week 4: Research, etc.

I have begun to rummage through all the different resources that pertain to my purpose statement and this is what I have found thus far. 
Just as a reminder:

PURPOSE STATEMENT: I plan to analyze the effect technology has on secondary students’ ability to reach the goals created by the Partnership for the 21st Century Student Outcome: Learning and Innovation Skills, including Creativity and Innovation, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, and Communication and Collaboration.

Usually when I research there is very little rhyme or reason behind my organization skills because I tend to be a random sequential thinker. During this research assignment, my goal is to try to be as linear as possible so that I can keep my ideas, sources, etc., organized. In the spirit of organization, I have created another mind-map. While the first one broke down all the pieces of the research process, this mind-map, will (hopefully) help me to keep my sources, key information, search terms, etc., in some organized fashion. I am just in the beginning stages of my excavation of facts, but I am sure that the map will continue to progress quickly.


If you would like to view the mind-map in an alternative view visit: http://bubbl.us/view.php?sid=590811&pw=ya8VsE4HmEQhwMjZZNXoyOEhiQXQvMg


Please let me know if you have any ideas or websites you think may be useful and I too will pass on information as I come upon it. I am not sure how many of you have worked with Diigo.com, the social bookmarking site, but the group, "Diigo In Education," might have some interesting websites that may help with your research. I  created a group called, "Walden Grad Students," a long time ago, but really haven't utilized it much. If you're interested in joining the group, let me know. Using this group on Diigo may be an easy way to share resources, etc. If you're interested in becoming a member of, "Diggo in Education" or "Walden Grad Students," let me know and I'll do what I can to help you.

Thank you!
Courtney 

Week 8: Reflection, Final Blog Posting

Prompt:

• 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. 
• 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 students’ learning.
• 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.

Learning About Learning

As I look back on my, “Personal Theory of Learning,” assignment from Week 1, I do not think I could have gotten any more basic in my personal views of teaching and instructional strategies than stating,

Differentiating instruction and student centered learning quickly replaced the no nonsense ideas of the [teacher centered ideas of the] teacher instructing, setting the pace of the classroom, and the students learning all the information, all at the same pace, at a level at or above proficiency. (Clausen, 2010, p. 3)

I continue to have a strong belief that a student centered classroom is a positive learning environment where students of varying developmental, cognitive, and learning styles can come together to learn and educate one’s self and others. I have begun to have a greater understanding of how to implement instructional strategies to help students learn new information and build a better understanding of existing information. I also have a better grasp on how to use technology to enhance student learning in both the role of instructional tools and learning tools (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b).

Throughout this course, I have gained more insight on the importance placed on understanding how one’s brain works in relationship to learning, memory, etc. In my, “Personal Theory of Learning,” I mentioned brain research and the need for teachers to have a basic understanding the physiological and psychological aspects of learning. However, I did not fully grasp the importance of brain research until the subject was further addressed throughout this course. Now that I have a better understanding of the importance of learning styles and students’ retention of information, I realize that there is much more I can do in my classroom in relationship to memory, recall, the dual coding process, elaboration, and the other cognitive tools Dr. Orey referenced when discussing the, “Information Processing Model,” of the Cognitive Learning Theory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009a).

Along with emphasizing the importance of how students learn and how individual students learn best, I have realized that the students in my classroom have to be the driving force behind the educational process in my classroom. Even when I think I am allowing my students to guide their own learning, I tend to take on the role as instructor rather than facilitator. One of my classmates helped me to see this when he suggested that rather than supplying my students with a VoiceThread to comment on, “The next step to the way you are describing the VoiceThread project would be to have the students create their own versions of the VoiceThread and have other students comment on their use of visuals” (Wybrant, 2010, February 20).

One immediate adjustment that will be made in how I utilize technology in my instructional practices is, having my students use the technology that is available at MHS as learning tools rather than having the students observe the use of the technology through classroom instruction (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b). Within the next two weeks, my psychology students will be creating VoiceThreads as learning tools. The students will be using knowledge gained through class discussion, blogging, etc., and constructing a VoiceThread to share the information each student learned. Then the students will ask questions of one another, comment on the resources used, and add information to existing VoiceThreads through comments. I am fairly certain the students will find other ways to use the VoiceThreads to teach and learn from one another.

A second immediate adjustment that I will make in how I integrate technology into my classroom is, having my American History II students use the history textbook’s website as a learning tool of technology, to access both the digital textbook, as well as, the companion site that has a plethora of review activities, quizzes, skills tutor, etc. The American History II students will then be given the freedom to explore the content and spend time on topics of personal interest. The textbook resources can also be utilized as a learning tool of technology in relationship to the homework and practice instructional strategy as defined by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007).

In all honesty, it has been within the last two weeks that I have really began to grasp exactly how to integrate technology into the classroom as teaching and learning tools, rather than allowing the technology to overshadow the content being taught. There is a lot more that I have to work through in my understanding of technology as a tool and, in turn, how to apply these teaching and learning tools in my classroom (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b). The idea that, “Technology is best viewed as a robust set of instructional tools that help you to accomplish the objectives of the teaching-learning process. Technology is a means to an instructional end, not an end in itself” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p. 11).

One long term goal I would like to make in relationship to my instructional practices regarding technology integration is to incorporate the instructional strategies of reinforcing effort and providing recognition (Pitler et al., 2007).  After having students create a list of positive behaviors during activities such as, class discussion, cooperative groups, in-class work time, etc. This list can be reformatted into a survey using Survey Monkey or a rubric to be filled out by students daily. Having students provide feedback and comments reguarding classroom climate through Survey Monkey will create a visual representation of the positives and negative aspects of student behavior (Pitler et al., 2007).

If the information were put into RubriStar then rubrics could be printed out for the students to have easy access to throughout class and then the information could be put on a spreadsheet. With either option, students will be able to see what types of behaviors are occurring most often whether that be positive or negative. With this data, the students can then decide what types of rules, policies, or recognitions could be installed to change or correct the negative behaviors in the classroom (Pitler et al., 2007). If the students in each class spent thirty minutes brainstorming items to add to the behavior rubric and a few students were put in charge of collecting the rubrics and doing the data entry, only ten to fifteen minutes every other week could be used for a class discussion about the data. This time can also be set aside to recognize the class with the most improvement in areas of group work, class discussion, effective use of work time, etc. Creating a space on the bulletin board or wall where results can be posted may also help fuel the fires of competition and it will serve as a constant reminder of the appropriate behaviors for the classroom. Reserving a spot on the class wiki and/or blog for recognition may also be an advantageous way to encourage student participation, especially if the students have to visit the class calendar or assignment page to check on class-standings (Pitler at el, 2007).

A second long term goal I would like to make in relationship to my instructional practices regarding technology integration is being more active in classroom discussions on the general psychology blog, as well as, providing more feedback to students’ comments, questions, or ideas Pitler et al., 2007). I do not provide nearly enough feedback to my students even though I understand the importance of reinforcing positive behaviors, posing questions for the students to think about, and guiding student conversations to challenge the students to use higher level thinking skills. Just as I ask my students to be mindful in their posting of ideas and constructive in their comments, I too need to be doing this as well.

If I were to comment on students’ work on a regular basis I would be giving individuals feedback, but I would also be modeling how to construct a response, question, or a piece of constructive criticism in a thoughtful and respectful manor. Perhaps, I will have to have my students create a rubric to complete when I make comments to their posts and the same for when they post to other students. In the past I have not created rubrics to help guide the grading of the class blogs, but in doing so both my students and I would be holding one another accountable for quality posts. Although this plan in its entirety may not be realistic for this semester, this is a plan I hope to have ready to implement with students in the fall.

References:

Clausen, C. (2010, January 10). Application 1: Understanding Learning.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009a). Program five. Cognitive Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009b). Program thirteen. Technology: Instructional Tool vs. Learning Tool [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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

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

Wybrant, S. (2010, February 20). Technology for Instruction, Learning, and Assessment. Message posted to EDUC 6711 discussion board, Week 7.

Week 4: Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories

Prompt: Reflect on the strategy and how it relates to constructivist/constructionist learning theories. Consider the project-based learning tools you explored. How do they correlate to the instructional strategy and constructivist/constructionist learning theories?

OLD KNOWLEDGE + NEW KNOWLEDGE = EQUILIBRATION

While reading about the strategy of generating and testing hypotheses, I had a difficult time understanding how I could apply this type of learning in my American history classroom. Perhaps, I am struggling with the application process because I am a random sequential thinker. Even though one event in history may appear to have no connection to another it is through class discussions, direct instruction, and student questions that guide my teaching rather than just important dates. By using some of the components of the instructional strategy, generating and testing hypotheses, perhaps I will be able to convey my random sequential thoughts in a manor that both types of learners, random sequential and linear, are able to understand more clearly (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

The project-based learning that students are able to take part in when creating a hypothesis and then going through the process of testing each possible situation aligns beautifully with the basic principles of constructionist learning. As students decide on what type of problem needs to be solved, proven or disproven, students automatically begin taking an active part in building their own knowledge base about a topic (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). When applying the strategy generating and testing a hypothesis one might choose to do so, “In a historical investigation [where] students construct hypotheses about historical events for which there is no agreed-upon resolution and create a solution to the need” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, page 203).

For example, if a group of students wanted to decide whether or not the United States was truly neutral during the beginning of WWI before the sinking of the United States’s ship the Lusitania. An example of a student created hypothesis might be, America was not neutral prior to the attack of the Lusitania. To prove this hypothesis, students would have to research the laws, agreements, and situations surrounding the trade routes, imports/exports from the countries, primary sources dealing with trading and communication between America and the European countries, etc. They would have to determine how much contact Germany, Great Britain, and France had with America regarding the trading of goods (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

Once the students gain an understanding of America’s position on trade, neutrality, and other similar issues, they can then begin to analyze and synthesize the information according to what they already know, unknown information that proves neutrality, contradictory information, etc. It is during this part of the problem solving process that a student would be constructing his/her personal opinion. As Dr. Orey explained, students will use both new and existing knowledge to move from disequilibration to equilibration.  The students will take the new information, combined and blend it with existing knowledge (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). In the end, students should have the information and reputable sources needed to prove or disprove that America was not neutral prior the attack of the Lusitania and the students’ regain equilibration (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

Problem-based learning is, “...based on a view that learning occurs through social interactions whereby an outside source can help individuals extend their learning” (Orey, 2001).  Here are some web pages that can be used for the, “historical investigation,” of America and World War I neutrality or any type of historical investigations or history projects students might be working on that encourage the use of primary sources (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

Browse many of the United State's historical documents:
 

Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/index.html

Library of Congress: American Memory: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

PBS: http://www.pbs.org/

The National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/

For More Information about Investigative History Resources:

Learning and Leading with Technology: Online History Investigations
    www.middleweb.com/mw/resources/Historical_scene.pdf

PBS: History Detectives, for educators: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/educators/index.html

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program seven. Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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

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

Week 3: Cognitive Learning Theories

 Prompt: Post your thoughts on how the instructional strategies described in the resources you explored this week correlate with the principles of cognitive learning theory. 

INFORMATION OVERLOAD!!!

While reading our resources this week I gained so much insight on how I can reach my students better. The difficult thing is, I don’t know where to start, how to find time to apply these ideas, or how to pick and choose what strategies will most benefit my students. Just this week, I used Webspiration in a PowerPoint about WWII in my history classes. By pairing the images of several totalitarians with their names and the countries the men controlled I accomplished three different things.

First, I used a graphic organizer to divide the countries and leaders. The central point was, “WWII: Axis Powers.” I wanted my students to associate these men as having a common stance on controlling the people of their countries. This also showed the students that the link between the countries and men was the fact that they were part of the Axis Powers during World War Two (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Finally, I added pictures to the graphic organizer so the students could relate the names and countries to the actual face of each leader. By using the pictures in conjunction with the words, I applied Paivio’s Dual-coding Process (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Both of these strategies  work with a student’s ability to organize information, relate it to what he/she already knows, create new pathways, and strengthen already existing connections. This process, elaboration, is part of the theories of cognitive learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

While on Twitter, I came across some tweets from an educator that piqued my interest, so I accessed the blog connected to the Tweet and found: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/. It was only later that I noticed it was posted in the Webliography for this course.  I stumbled upon the, "Twelve Essentials for Technology Integration,"and then perused, Ediscio--Collaborative Flashcards found at: http://www.ediscio.com/.

I have not explored Ediscio enough to completely understand all of its capabilities, but the introduction explained how this tool can be used collaboratively, students and teachers may monitor personal/student progress at the end of each session. The student’s performance is shown in many different formats including graphs, charts, ratios, etc. “A powerful way to convince students that effort is truly tied to achievement is to show them data...” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Ediscio is giving students the opportunity for instant feedback and a way to monitor progress. With this type of technology, students are able to practice and work with content material in various ways, activate prior knowledge, and use elaboration, dual encoding, and create new networks of memory to add to already existing knowledge. In short, the students are using many different attributes of the cognitive learning theories that Dr. Orey spoke about (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

Information overload! Now, do you see what I mean?!

Please share your thoughts and ideas, collaboration and learning from one another is what makes a person a life-long learner.
Thank you,
Courtney


References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program five. Cognitive Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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

Week 2: Behaviorist Learning Theories

Week 2: Behaviorist Learning Theories
Application 2: Part I
Post your thoughts on how the instructional strategies described in the resources you explored this week correlate with the principles of behaviorist learning theory.

Behaviorism, Technology, Education,
 Oh My!

As I stated in my “Week 2: Behaviorist Learning Theories,” discussion post,

Behaviorism and technology can be a dynamic combination if used in the ways described in the resources this week. As Dr. Orey mentioned, due to the mandates placed on public schools with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), schools are using computer labs and technology for drill and practice, credit recovery, etc. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008[a]). Rather than using these computers for remediation, it would make more sense to use the available technology to enrich students’ learning in the beginning (Clausen, 2010).

When looking at student learning in relationship to the reading, grammar, etc., skills that are assessed and reported to the Federal Department of Education per NCLB, the students will have practiced reading, analyzing sources, grammar, and other skills while completing the project-based assessments. Research skills and the rules for evaluating resources are acquired through sifting through resources from a Google search. Reading, summarizing, and synthesis of information are learned through modeling and guided practice presented by the instructor and then these skills are maintained and/or strengthened as students continue project-based assessments throughout the semester (Orey, 2001).

Dr. Wolfe stated that learning was about connecting ideas and thoughts to what students already know, as well as, the strengthening of those connections over time (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). When students are allowed to make choices regarding what they study, research, or learn the students will be more excited or interested in the content because they are taking a greater ownership over the learning process. Thus, the connections between ideas, skills, and content will become stronger. As the students work through the learning, practicing, and application processes associated with a project-based assessment, behaviorist strategies including: modeling, shaping, cueing, positive/negative reinforcement, and punishment will be used to instruct and guide the students’ learning process (Orey, 2001).

Once students are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and technology needed to complete a project-based assessment the skies the limit! As Dr. Wolfe explained, the students learning will be reinforced through the application of the newly acquired skills while old pathways of prior knowledge will reactivate, creating a hook. These new learning experiences will help to further cement the learning connections and create even more pathways of information for future use (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b).

Here is an example of what wonderful things can occur when teachers and students work together to integrate and apply the behaviorist theories, technology, and project-based assessment  I have spoken about above.

Throughout the fall semester of the 2009-10 school year, I have assigned project-based assessments to evaluate my 10th-12th grade general psychology students. One of the topics that was covered during the semester was abnormal psychology. After having the students learn about the basic aspects of abnormal psychology (definitions, psychological classifications, aspects of the DSM-IV-TR, etc.) the students were asked to choose an abnormal disorders they were interested in and complete a project. To view a copy of the project information sheet please visit: http://clausenclassroom.pbworks.com/Fall-2009%3A-General-Psychology and look for the heading, “Psychology: Abnormal,” and click on link to open the project sheet in pdf format.

Once the students decided on a topic to research, the teacher librarian, Mrs. I, worked with the students for two weeks instructing the students on using databases, wikis, how to evaluate resources, MLA citations, and more. Along with talking and working with the students regarding researching, sources, and citing, Mrs. I also introduced different ways to present the students’ research in ways that utilized various tools from Web 2.0. To view some of the instructional information presented by Mrs. I please visit the, “MHSRezWiki,” for the psychology class at: http://mhsrezwiki.wikispaces.com/Psychology.

Much like the bulletin board, “Caught in the Act of Trying Hard,” mentioned in this week’s resources, used positive reinforcement by displaying student work outside the office, I have posted some of the psychology students’ final projects on the classroom wiki. Showcasing the student work on the classroom wiki integrates the technology component into the reinforcement process (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). A small sampling of the abnormal psychology projects can be viewed at: http://clausenclassroom.pbworks.com/, please scroll down to the, “Psychology Showcase,” area and enjoy perusing the psychology students’ amazing work.

References
Clausen, C. (2010, January 13). Behaviorist Learning Theories. Message posted to EDUC 6611 discussion board, Week 2

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008a). Program four. Behaviorist Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008b). Program one. Understanding the Brain [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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