Reflection of Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry

I found this course based on new literacy skills and online inquiry to be extremely relevant to my professional life. On a regular basis in my classroom I found myself considering ways to implement what I was learning with my classmates at Walden University. There were several areas that were quite enlightening to me. One idea in particular is the need for me to model ethical practices with my students. When we have lecture and discussion I frequently use PowerPoint presentations. I regularly find information and graphics from the internet. I am now going to be vigilant about citing the sources for my pictures, videos, and information. As the world changes, it should be second nature (especially for teachers) to cite information – we should expect to see it always!

A second area that I feel enlightened about is the need to teach new literacy skills in a methodical and strategic way. The project we completed throughout the course was an exemplary demonstration of these practices. We should explicitly teach the skills and practice them! I intend to have my students engage in a research project similar to the one we completed at least once (or ongoing) throughout each semester. Broken down the way we did it made it very manageable and not overwhelming while teaching both content as well as 21st century skills – especially synthesizing and evaluating!

One professional development goal for me is to continue to practice these skills with the methods we were presented – using the various tools with my students. I only experienced a few of them with my project and I would like to try more of them in the classroom. I will also share these tools and methods with my colleagues in my department and building through professional development sessions during our regularly scheduled times. We can greatly improve our skills as well as our students through increased attention to and exposure to these strategies and tools.

Reflection on experiences in the class Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction & Technology

As this course comes to a close I am in a fresh state of mind and eager to incorporate new strategies into my curriculum for the coming school year. As part of this reflection I have reviewed my personal learning theory from week one of the course. I find that aside from having some specific tools to add to my repertiore, my personal theory has not changed very much. This course has taught me ways to specifically incorporate the use of technology while approaching my students with researched backed, established learning theory.

I intend to incorporate the use of advance organizers and graphic organizers to aid students in making connections when addressing new content. Using these types of tools promotes the activation of prior knowledge and increases the likelyhood that the brain will incorporate new information with previously stored knowledge. In addition to organizers, I would like to add the use of voicethreads. I feel optimistic that this tool will encourage collaboration between students as well as higher order thinking. Prior to this course I had never even heard of voicethreads! I am eager to see my students run with this tool and explore their creativity. I am sure I will learn a great deal from them!

My first long term goal to make a change in my instructional practice is to make a concentrated effort to become proficient in the use of two or three of the tools from this course as I use them with my students. I will practice with my family and friends as well as students to become familiar with the details of using voicethreads. By becoming more masterful with technology tools I will be more effective in using them in the classroom with students. My second long term goal for improving my instructional practice is straight from the lips of Dr. Orey: Put the technology in the hands of the students! I never realized how much I model instead of having the students do things themselves. I will switch from using technology as an instructional tool to using it as a learning tool. Resources are scarce at my school so this will mean planning activities well in advance to schedule media center time and attempting to receive some grant assistance to put better resources in my classroom.

Check out my Voicethread!

Here is the link to my Voicethread:

http://voicethread.com/share/573415/

Social Learnig Theories

Our focus this week is on Social Learning theory and the implications this has on our activities and lessons as well as the use of technology in the classroom. This theory is based on the idea that learning is a social process and that students create meaning through interactions with others and their environment. We have examined many strategies that are anchored in social interaction this week in our reading and lectures. These strategies clearly correlate with social learning theory in that they are based on many ways to discuss, organize, and present information – via voicethreads, blogs, group projects, collabortive word processing and spread sheets, small groups, and many other activities. When students interact they share information AND their own perspective on the information. This will cause students to consider what they know and reformulate it to fit in with new information or perspective on that information. Students also benefit from interacting with “more knowledgeable” others. They can model behavior and social skills as well and gain knowledge in a less threatening manner that putting themselves “out there” alone.

I am looking forward to implementing the use of Google Docs, exploring The Jason Project, and getting involved on “del.icio.us.” I am gaining so many resources that my students will benefit from ! As always I am a little worried that we will not have access to the equipment necessary to employ the use of these tools on a regular basis. Our technology is scarce and I need to find creative ways to meet the social and technological needs of my students

Constructivism In Practice

The instructional strategies we are considering this week include using spread sheet software, data collection tools and using web resources are all centered around integrating technology to produce and actual artifact or actually solving an authentic problem. According to the article we read this week by the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia, “PBL environments include authentic content, authentic assessment, teacher facilitation but not direction, explicit educational goals, collaborative learning, and reflection.” Project based learning is embedded in real life problem solving and working together on more longer term projects that have a series of components or artifacts that make up a whole. Students decide what they are going to do and how they will do it with the teacher as a facilitator – more working with them instead of telling them what to do. The article further states that in learning by design “Designers (learners) create objects or artifacts representing a learning outcome that is meaningful to them.” By its nature it is very individual and constructed in strong correlation to the experiences of each student. The artifacts are different and meaningful in different ways to different students based on prior knowledge.

The strategies correlate with constructionist/constructivist theory because the meaning and development is coming from the students themselves. As they build an artifact they are organizing and synthesizing information to construct meaning that is more relevant to them. The technological tools make is easier for students to see patterns emerge and/or visual representations of information to make more streamlined analysis of information.

Cognitivism in Practice

Cognitive learning theory revolves around how our brains take in information and store it. The more connections our brains make with information the more likely it will be stored in long term memory. In addition, the more images and experiences that are associated with the information, the more coding that happens in our brains. According to Dr. Michael Orey, we will be better able to retrieve desired information if we have experienced “elaboration” which means that we need to try to make as many connections as possible when we received information.

In our reading this week we learned about “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking” as strategies that embed technology. These strategies correlate to cognitive learning theory because they activate prior knowledge, encourage our students to organize the information in ways unique to their own experiences, and make more connections between the information itself as well as with prior knowledge. When students summarize, they zero in on the main points and dump the unnecessary details – helping them focus. In the case of virtual field trips students can be exposed to imagery, music, and may other sensory inputs. This is significant because when the brain codes images it also codes text that goes with it. This “dual coding” cause more connections to form and increases the likelihood that the new information will become part of long term memory.

Behaviorism in Practice

The instructional strategy of “reinforcing effort” has the potential to make a considerable difference with student achievement. When students are able to make connections from their own data input and see the results it should have a greater impact on them. I think this is important because what we are really talking about it changing their perception or beliefs. The realization that they can actually have some control can be powerful encouragement to buy in. I teach in an inner city high school where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced meals. There is not much in their lives that students have power or control over. They often feel hopeless and that NOTHING they do matters. If we can use spread sheets to show them the effort they make can change the outcome, they may feel empowered. The only problem I see with this is that they may not be honest about how much effort they actually put toward their work. Or their perception of great effort may not be realistic.

I have had some experience with Brainpop.com (mentioned in chapter 10). My students like to do the quizzes after watching a short video on the site. They like the review quiz because it gives them immediate feedback on whether they have chosen correctly. I use a laptop and projector and we do the quiz as a group. Before we click on a choice we sometimes have lively debate and discussion on which choice is the correct response. The students are usually pretty engaged during these quizzes. The immediate reinforcement is there when they get the right answer. If they choose incorrectly they go back and choose again. This seems to me to be in line with the behaviorist theory.

Final Reflection on my experience with the course "Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society"

This course has greatly increased my technology skills as an educator in many ways. I have been introduced to the world of Blogging. Before this course I believed that most bloggers were a bunch of crackpots with no life. I now understand that there are numerous blog sites that have a plethera of information that will support me in my professional life. I have also become familiar with and use RSS feeds to streamline and manage the flow of information that is available to me. I have participated and gained experience in creating wikis and podcasting. All of these experiences move me forward professionally because not only do I have more resources at my fingertips, I have developed a valuable network of other educational professionals that I cant interact and collaborate with from around the world.

I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process by becoming familiar with the necessity of helping my students develop 21^st Century skills that employers and industry will need in their employees to be productive and succesful. My awareness of the disconnect between our students real lives and their school lives was a real eye opener for me. I have come to realize that we must do our utmost to keep abreast of the new technology trends to keep our students motivated and engaged. The fact that most students today are digital natives and grew up surrounded by technology means it is possible that their brains have developed differently than those of us in older generations. We must keep this in mind when developing our instructional strategies. While I have always believed I am more students centered than teacher centered, this course has drastically expanded by tool set in creating lessons that are both engaging and motivating for students.

I can continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement by subscribing to various RSS feeds to keep current on educational and technological trends for the classroom as well as researched bases strategies. I can also continue to keep in contact with the network of educators that I have established relationships with through this course. They hold a wealth of knowledge to be shared and taken advantage of. When developing coursework for for my students I will make consisten effort to incorporate NETS standards as well as content standards to ensure that my students are developing 21^st Century skills to be successful and competitive in their future.

One long term goal I am setting to transform my classroom environment is to acquire computer equipment to provide my students the ability to collaborate with students around the globe and construct their own knowledge through inquiry based assignments. The economic realities are that I will need to find funding myself. To do this I will need to become proficient in grant writing, possibly by taking a training workshop or professional development. A second long term goal is to seek out and establish relationships with other Physical Science teachers globally. We can then guide our students in developing communication and constructing knowledge through collaboration on blogs, wikis, and websites. To pursue this goal I will need to educate administrators and district officials on blogs and online collaboration to gain access to sites that are consistently blocked due to security concerns.

Podcasting 101!

Wow! I made my first podcast! Check it out!

Partnership for 21st Century Learning

I continue to be amazed at the wealth of resources available at our fingertips. The website provided by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills is impressive. The partnership seems to be gaining momentum as more states and organizations join forces to promote its mission. I find it interesting that some experts are so critical of the ideas of adjusting our strategies in education. If a business operated on the same slow evolution that education has taken it would completely fail. It is clear that our system in the U.S. is not creating the population that we need to thrive and politicians and media outlets are quick to cast aspersions on the teachers and districts. I think the P21 movement just might be an important influence to improving education nationally. It will be fascinating to keep up with the ideas and information from this organization.

I was surprised by how well organized and focused the P21 movement is. They have a clearly defined mission and well qualified advocates. The corporate partners speak volumes - well respected businesses that are looking for up and coming employees turned out by our schools.

The implications for me as an educator are that I need to be mindful of incorporating 21st century content into my instructions for my students to become individuals who can be successful in their future. I must constantly improve myself and stay abreast of trends and technology to put my students in a position to compete globally.

Using Blogs in the Classroom

I'm new to blogging and excited about discovering ways to incorporate their use into my lessons and classroom. My first intention is to start a blog as a class portal. I will post class information, content, links to enriching sites on topics, and a calendar. I think it will be beneficial to students who are absent who can visit the site and retrieve ppt. notes or assignments they missed as well as parents and administrators who can follow what we are studying and how. In addition, students who have questions or ideas can post them and possibly get an answer from another student or myself without waiting until the next class period.

I am very interested in using blogs as a learning tool. I teach 9th grade Physical Science in the Cleveland School District. I keep getting hung up on the idea that my students will be hesitant to participate in an "academic" conversation regarding our topics. Again... that anxiety about the unknown!

CREDE

Dr. Tharp's "theory" portion of his standards is a very relevant piece of information. When I am reflective about my personal theories about what children can and cannot do I get a little nervous... am I guilty of having low expectations for some students? I have always prided myself on my willingness to be flexible and responsive to student's needs but am I too quick to make accommodations? When I consider how I go about it... I usually make accommodations right off the bat so they don't feel overwhelmed. Maybe I should let them make attempts and see how it goes so I don't limit them from the get go... by having lower expectations for them. I will really pay attention to this aspect in the next few weeks and see if maybe I am making assignments less challenging for some students!

CREDE

So I couldn't sleep as I thought about my classes and how they interact in my classroom. I think I do a good job because I do a lot of lab work in my classes... but they are always so unsure of themselves during labs... they ask many questions like "what should this look like?" and "are we doing this right?"

As I reflect I'm thinking maybe to make it more challenging and really hit home on the scientific inquiry standards I need to do more labs that are self designed by the students. What I mean is... Here is the research question - you can use any lab equipment I have available - design an experiment to investigate the question. The students will be much more likely to "ingest" the ideas of control groups, quantitative data, etc... They create tables and data charts rather than filling them in...

I do it in the beginning of the semester but maybe it should be implemented throughout the course.

CREDE

I like the idea that Dr. Tharp refers to as "forever assisting." It is so important that what we do in the classroom sparks curiosity. We need to help our students become thinkers! Our lessons need to be engaging and support higher order thinking in our students. When we tell them facts and show them information it does not require much interaction on their part. I agree with Dr. Tharp when he states that worksheets do not promote complex thinking. To me they are just fact checking devices. I also have many students who tend to copy and cheat so worksheets are even less effective in that regard. They just want to fill in a blank... get the point in the grade book. They don't really invest in wanting to know it. When we do lab activities and create artifacts by doing projects the students display self expression that gives us insight into their personality, interests, likes, and dislikes. This in turn creates positive momentum. The more we understand the influences on the students the better we can serve them.

Even something as simple as a poster can be a useful tool. It is common knowledge among educators that teaching is the highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy. When students take information and attempt to construct meaning and present it back to the class or other students, the process itself is much more enriching. They have to decide what it means to them and convey it to others... a powerful thing.

Truly the most challenging lessons make them think... and think... and question... and connect... and organize....

CREDE

Crede standard 2... developing literacy and language skills across the curriculum is very important for my science students. I think many students - native English speakers and ELLs alike, sometimes tune out or turn off because the language of science sounds so complicated. So much of the content is based on words they don't use or hear everyday. At the beginning of the semester we focus heavily on what my science department refers to as "scientific literacy." We discuss and create visual aids for word parts used commonly in science like "hydro," "hetero," "geo," and "therm." When students see a word with one of these commonly used parts they can begin to decode the meaning. For example, if a student sees the word geothermal... they might recognize part of the word (therm) and think... "I know that has something to do with heat..."

What I do have going in my favor is that the concepts are things they do EXPERIENCE on a regular basis. This relates to what Herrell & Jordan call "relia." They can connect to the real world using objects like flashlights and bubbles to construct meaning and remember information. An example of this is the concept that light waves are energy, not matter. We emphasize that matter has mass and takes up space. If I shine a flashlight on a scale in front of them (or they do it themself) the scale does not register any measurement.

CREDE

Being a Science teacher, I am in a position to construct activities that meet CREDE standards on a pretty regular basis. I try to do at least one lab every week or so. The lab environment usually calls for using collaborative groups and encourages dialogue. I think I could probably do a better job of LISTENING! As I contemplate my actions during lab times I am coming to realize that I move at a pretty frenetic pace moving from group to group... answering questions, clearing up misconceptions, reassuring students that they are doing it "right," fixing equipment... tons of action but am I listening to dialogue between the students????? Maybe not so much. I blink and its time for them to leave.

Another thing I need to pay more attention to... Groupings! If I let them group themselves or pick their partners, they flock to their own cultural groups. I need to intervene and force a little more interaction.

I am good at showing my ELLs respect (Garcia's first R). I praise the fact that they can speak and think in TWO languages. We talk about the differences in the language of the Spanish speakers from El Salvador, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. They got into an interesting discussion this week about the word "tea kettle" which was in a scenario I had given them about phase changes. The kids from PR didn't know what it was and one of the girls from ES was explaining it to them in Spanish... they were listening intently and both their faces lit up at the same time when they got it... she must have said a word that "clicked" for them. It makes me want to learn Spanish!