Reflection (Week 7)

This course began with the concept of self-directed learning. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer state, “You are self-directed anytime you learn a new skill or pursue more information about an intriguing topic, sparked by something you read or heard (2009, p.2). Self-directed learning is requires critical thinking, problem solving strategies, and creativity. Although I experience self-directed learning frequently, I never thought about how or why I did it; it was a natural process. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer transferred the characteristics of self-directed learning into a “GAME plan” (p.3). This process can be applied to any situation where a person wants to acquire new information or skills. The “GAME” plan includes: setting goals, taking action, monitoring progress, and evaluating the results. As I learned new skills in this course, I also followed through my own plan.

As technology becomes an integral part of life, it can be used as a learning tool or a medium for learning. This course allowed me to learn how to use blogs and a wiki, which helped me feel more confident in using those tools in my classroom. I understand the value of collaboration and communication that blogs generate. I created a wiki for the language arts department at my school. I plan to demonstrate how-tos at our next department meeting to promote participation. For the ones participating, it has been a wonderful way to communicate especially since we only have department meetings once a month. Prensky (2006) discussed how students are born into the light of technology but power down at school. This confirmed by belief that technology is a way to engage students and providing an educational purpose of using technology. I also realized that my students have more knowledge and experience with technology; however, I can learn beside them. My ignorance should not hinder their opportunities to learn.

As a result of this course, I am using a wiki with my students so they can collaborate. Some students still struggle with quality feedback and technology availability. My administration has been very supportive in allowing me to pull students from related arts to complete wiki activities at school. My problem-based learning (PBL) unit will be added to my units of study. The Buck Institute for Education and Boise State University define PBL as “an instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation”. My students were engaged in creating a digital story that answered the question: What do I need to know or do to be a successful sixth grader? It was difficult at times to slow the students down and focus on preparatory parts of the unit. For example, some students rushed through the storyboard to get to the computer. However, they quickly learned that was not going to happen – quality work is required in my room.

I will finish this class with teaching strategies for integrating technology, self-directed learning, and problem-based learning. Through the discussion board, blogs, and wiki, I have collected resources from classmates. Finally, this class has highlighted how technology is a tool for learning, communicating, and collaborating.

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.

Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.
Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

The Buck Institute for Education and Boise State University, Department of Educational Technology. “What is Project-based learning?” Project-Based Learning: The Online Resource for PBL located at http://pbl-online.org/

GAME Plan Monitoring - Week 4

Stopping to reflect and continually monitor my progress has helped me to stay focused. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer note, “As a reflective learner, you will think about what has been effective in the past, but also continually monitor and evaluate what is effective for you know” (2009, p.11). While I am finding the information and resources needed to carry out my plan, I need to spend more time processing the information and possibilities of those resources. I have created a wiki, but I need to watch tutorials and develop the site. I am currently working on creating a rubric for student blogs.

One modification will be to attend training. Thus far, I have been unable to locate training in my district regarding technology. This may need to be a long-term goal or have to be found through the Internet.

I have learned how to make pages within a blog and add widgets. I have also learned the basic structure and functions of a wiki. Additionally, I have learned that my students, who are working on the podcast, are much more comfortable with self-directed learning. I am allowing them to be my teacher – and we learn together.

I am wondering about the purpose of the wiki. What areas do I want to focus? What content do I want to include? How often will I check it?

Overall, I am focused on my goals and taking action to reach them.

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.

The Next Step - GAME Plan

Reviewing my GAME plan I realized there will be planning prior to action. The following information refelcts my plan for carrying out my GAME plan.

Needed Resources

To address my first goal of incorporating one new digital tool or resource each quarter will require a variety of resources depending on the digital tool or resource. To correlate to available resources at my school, hardware tools must be already available or be available through grant funding. My school currently has 3 computer labs with 30 desktops, 1 mobile lab of 30 laptops, and 3 Flip cameras. I will probably need to collect reading material, attend training, or work with a colleague to support implementation of the digital tools.  For my second goal of creating a blog, podcast, and wiki to utilize a variety of digital-age media to communicate, I will need the following resources: computer or laptop, internet access, software to create podcasts, and participation of others to contribute to the wiki.

Additional Information

Websites or articles with information on digital tools or resources will assist in determining which tools will best enhance the standards-based lesson. Being informed of available training opportunities would be useful. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer state that “you can actually use technology to learn more about technology” and “the Internet opens up a huge range of opportunities that you may not have locally” (2009, p.10).  The Internet provides a wealth of information on tech tools and will be my primary source of information.

Steps Taken

I have been locating websites with digital tool resources and information. The following links represent the websites:

http://www.curriculum21.com/clearinghouse/?tag=English/Language%20Arts

http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/

http://digitalbooktalk.com/

http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2011/04/04/02digital.h04.html

I am working on blogging and creating pages within the blog to organize my communication. I am currently working on generating ideas for the orientation podcast and recruiting students and colleagues to assist with the project. I just created a wiki for my school at https://thewildcatway.wikispaces.com/. This wiki was set up with privacy settings restricting who can access this information.  I am still learning the features of a wiki, but I have taken the first step by creating one. The site has tutorials and guides that address creation and maintenance issues.

Reference

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: a standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

GAME Plan

Technology is becoming an integral part of how students learn. They have a question; they google it. They want to watch something; they search YouTube. Most students have phones that have Internet access, are equipped with a camera, and play music. Their own personal entertainment center found in their pocket. Teachers must find a way to bridge the play of technology and the power of technology as a learning tool. Coulter notes, “The kid immersed in creative projects has a career in her future; the one responding to rote entry cues is more likely to be stuck in a lower-level job, if the job hasn’t already gone overseas” (2008, p.14). This statement caught my attention especially with the state of our country and its economic uncertainty. Teaching students to use technology as a learning tool begins with teachers becoming knowledgeable of and users of technology.

One ISTE NETS and Performance Indicator  that I want to strengthen is Indicator a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity of category 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments (ISTE, 2008). Goal: To incorporate at least one new digital tool or resource into standards-based lessons each quarter. Action: teacher will research and determine appropriate technology tools to incorporate into selected lessons or units of study. Monitor: I will use student surveys to get feedback on the role of technology in their learning. Student scores on assessment will determine if content was learned while using technology in addition to teacher reflection.  Evaluate: I will evaluate reflection notes to determine success of technology incorporation or lessons that need to be reviewed and other technology resources researched.

Another ISTE NETS and Performance Indicator that I want to strengthen is Indicator c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats of category 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning (ISTE, 2008). Goal: To model a variety of digital-age media and formats to communicate. Action: teacher will create and maintain a blog to communicate with students. Teacher will create a podcast to use at sixth grade orientation to communicate expectations for sixth grade language arts.  Teacher will create a wiki for the English department to collaboratively work on units and documents. Monitor: I will monitor how often students view blog. I will ask for parent feedback regarding the use of a podcast. English department will meet and discuss the effectiveness of using a wiki to increase communication among its members.

It is important for me to prepare my students to be technologically proficient; moreover, it is important for me to be a competent user of technology. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer acknowledge that technology “effectiveness as a thinking tool depends on how the tools are used” (2009, p.79). It is not sufficient to say, “I have a blog.” More important is what I do with it. Just as I expect my students to be productive members of the 21^st century, so should I.

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.

Coulter, B. (2008). Bridging the gap with technology. Connect Magazine, 22(2), 14–15.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

Hello

Hello to my grad school colleagues! I am trying to explore blogs and figure out what I am doing. So, I am jumping right in. Okay for now.