Reflection Post

STEP 1:

As I look back and reflect on the GAME plan I developed and implemented throughout the course, I am pleased with the overall results. I was able to implement one of my plans and that was to incorporate “Edmodo” into my classroom. I spent a great amount of time researching and talking with my colleagues for different ways they utilize this collaborative learning tool within their classrooms. I set one of my classes up on the site and it has been a great experience for them. I have provided collaborative questions in which they must respond to my post, as well as their classmates’ posts. This type of social networking tool has encouraged more of “silent” collaboration. Dr. Cennamo (2009) spoke about using the GAME plan in terms of promoting more self-directed learning (Laureate Education, Inc.). Students began to use Edmodo more for collaboration outside of the classroom. They began asking their own questions to each other and this allowed me to switch into the role of facilitator during the process. It was a unique experience for me and for the students.

Not only did the GAME plan impact student learning, but it impacted my instructional practice. During this process I set goals, monitored my learning, and evaluated my progress, thus I began to take control of my own learning process (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). This was my first experience with using Edmodo. I learned what I could on my own, but I also learned how it would work best with my students. They provided me with daily insight of ways the tool would be effective for them in their learning. Many of my students wanted to be the leaders of discussions and I listened to that. I allowed my students to take more control and responsibility. Many of the students who I thought would never participate began taking ownership of their own posts. In the future, I will continue making sure I allow my students to take the leadership role in the classroom while I fall back as a facilitator to guide their learning.

There was a portion of my GAME plan that fell through and that was the collaborative partnership with colleagues at the other middle school within our district. Unfortunately due to time constraints and the other professional responsibilities we have to manage, I was not able to establish a good partnership with them. This is something I would eventually like to implement and will continue to reach out to the other middle school. I would like to develop my own plan for why I think the partnership would be effective and how we could utilize technology to help us in the process.

Lastly, when looking at the GAME plan, there are several ways I could use the GAME plan with my students. For example, my goal is to continue implementing technology that will help them see the benefits of having a GAME plan. I will be using more of the graphing calculators in class and would like to have the students explore the calculators on their own by creating their own lines and exploring what happens when the slope or y-intercept is changed. They will be able to monitor their own learning throughout as they observe any changes they see. The GAME plan process will help to keep them in check with how much they are progressing in terms of their own self-directed learning. The GAME plan is important because it encourages students to become self-directed lifelong learners with emerging technology. The GAME plan allows students to respond to technological changes that occur throughout their lives, helps to keep their skills up-to-date, and to also better meet their needs now and in the future (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

STEP 2:

Looking at technology integration, there are several immediate adjustments I will make in my instructional practices. As a result of this course, I learned how to create problem-based learning, online collaboration, and digital storytelling activities. I found these activities to be the most beneficial because I centered the activities on lessons I was implementing in class. As I develop my lessons now, I think about ways to integrate technology while also implementing activities where students can become more self-directed learners.

For future unit plans in my classroom, I will implement at least one activity of each type during all of my units: problem-based learning, online collaboration, and digital storytelling. All of these will also include technology integration. For example, they may have to use the Internet for research or using Edmodo for class discussions with their peers. They may also use programs like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker to create digital stories. I use digital storytelling quite frequently in my class already and will continue to do so. I use Khan Academy at times for demonstration of concepts or will find YouTube video clips that supplement my instruction.


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. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

Again, thank you colleagues for your continuous support and feedback in regards to my GAME plan. I feel as though I am making progress towards one of my goals and that is with setting up and utilizing Edmodo in the classroom. I spoke with one of the History teachers in my building who uses technology in his classroom quite frequently and he gave me some great feedback. He told me the more I utilize it within the classroom, the better it will be for my students. They will also tend to use it more if they know how to use it. He also gave me ways I can use it to encourage discussion among the group which would be great for student interaction. I have decided it would be best to focus on one area for my GAME plan even though I feel as though I have two great goals. I think with everything already consuming my time, focusing in on implementing Edmodo would be best and the students could really benefit from this experience.

There are four questions I would like to address. Here are the questions and my answers to each question.

1.      Are you finding the information and resources you need?

I feel as though I am finding the information and resources that I need. I have been able to connect with a teacher at school who uses Edmodo in his classroom and I have also been reading some blog posts about utilizing Edmodo. The internet is a great way to locate and find some good resources! The Edmodo site has been the most helpful because it breaks down different uses for Edmodo.

2.      Do you need to modify your action plan?

I do not feel as though I need to modify my action plan for using Edmodo. I did however modify my action plan with collaborating with another middle school teacher outside of my school to set up a wiki page or blog. My reasoning for this is because I want to focus in on one area right now so I can really get the most out of my experience with using the Edmodo. I need to brainstorm on ways I could utilize the wiki page or blog with another middle school teacher first before I approach them with the idea. There is just so much consuming my time and I felt getting the Edmodo site up and running would be best for my students at this time.

3.      What have you learned so far?

I have learned some really cool features with using Edmodo. There is a calendar feature I can set up for my classes so they can see due dates of assignments or upcoming quizzes and tests. This feature is great because it keeps the students informed and they can refer to it if they left their planners at school or didn’t write down the assignment! I would love to continue hearing ways about how teachers you know or how you yourself utilize Edmodo! In the next couple of weeks, I will be taking my students to our computer lab to help get them signed up! Yay!

4.   What new questions have arisen?

I am curious how teachers signed up their students. Did you have the students log on to computers as a whole class and walk them through the process? I have thought about doing that so that way it is explained easily to a larger group. What do you suggest doing?

Carrying Out My Game Plan

I received some GREAT feedback in regards to my GAME plan. Thank you to the colleagues of mine that left comments because this really helped me to develop a good mindset as to how I could effectively work towards getting this plan in place. I was given some great programs that can be utilized well in the classroom.  For example, Edmodo, a site program similar to Facebook, was suggested by many of my colleagues.

There are several resources I will need to carry out my plan. First, I wanted to research the usage of Edmodo a little further and understand how it can be utilized in the classroom. I decided to use the internet to research Edmodo and typed in “using Edmodo in the classroom”. Fortunately I came across a blog from another online user (http://teachingthatsticks.blogspot.com/2010/02/using-edmodo-in-classroom-five-days.html) that laid out some good foundation and rules for using Edmodo. This particular user also discussed ways in which his students were learning through Edmodo.  I also went to the Edmodo site (http://www.edmodo.com/) and watched a video on how to turn my classroom into a community with Edmodo. In order to move forward, I would love any and all types of ways you utilize Edmodo in the classroom (if you do!). I would like to continue learning new ways to incorporate this into my everyday teaching practices. I went ahead and set up my teacher account, however I want to get confirmation from my principal that this will be okay to use with my students. I am not quite sure if I need to send something home with the students so the parents are aware as well. For those of you that use it at your school, how did you go about this process?

My second strategy is to develop a collaborative partnership with the other middle school in my district. I have contacted some of the other teachers at the school, but unfortunately I am not receiving much support from them. I would eventually like to sit with one of the teachers to brainstorm ways our classes could collaborate with each other, if one of them is willing. With that being said, I started to research ways to collaborate within a global community. For example, in one of my previous courses, one of my colleagues mentioned the “ePals” website. I will be conducting more online research on how to effectively collaborate with another class globally. I will also need to look into getting this approved by my principal. One of my plans is to explore the “ePals” website to gather ideas as to how I could make the collaborative community work with my math students. Have any of you had experience with ePals?

I feel I have some good ideas. However I really want to focus on one aspect of my GAME plan which is the Edmodo. I do not really feel as if I have the second strategy well-developed. I suppose this will come with time, but I feel the Edmodo site will be good because students will be able to still collaborate, but on a smaller scale for now. 

Developing My Personal GAME Plan

The two NETS-T indicators I have chosen in order to strengthen my confidence are:

1d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

3b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

I chose these two indicators because I feel I have room for improvement in the areas of facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity, and also modeling digital age work and learning. The goal I would like to set for strengthening my confidence and proficiency in the first indicator is to establish a collaborative partnership with the other middle school within my district. I would like to collaborate with another class through blogging, utilizing a wikispace, a social networking site such as Twitter, or even through e-mail. To achieve this goal, I will begin my own collaboration with another eighth grade teacher from the other middle school and discuss different ways our students could utilize technology to communicate with each other, and to help each other with the math we are learning. I might also ask how they utilize technology with their students in class in terms of collaboration. I will also research other ways different teachers and classrooms engage students, colleagues, and others in learning. To monitor my progress, I think it’s important to keep in contact with the teacher and develop a plan for how the students can utilize the technology as a collaborative learning experience. It is also important to reflect upon how the students are responding to the collaborative efforts put in place. In order to evaluate and extend my learning, it is important to maintain a collaborative relationship with this other teacher so we can continue the developed partnership. I also think we should examine the effectiveness of the collaborative knowledge gained by the students and teachers during the experience if we do set something up between our classes. This would be my first experience with collaborative construction with technology so I would be open to any suggestions as to how other teachers might utilize this within their own classrooms.

The second indicator I chose concerns collaborating with students, peers, parents, and community members to support student success and innovation. I currently have a classroom website where students can access basic classroom information such as homework, notes, announcements, etc. I would like to extend this piece and incorporate some way of collaborating with the students in the event they want to reach out to others while they are at home. There are two options I was thinking I could take action with. The first option would be to set up a classroom blog. The second option would be to set up a classroom Facebook page. I feel as if the second option would be best only because so many students are on Facebook daily. A student might see a math-related question posted on the page by a classmate or peer, and would easily be able to respond to them. I have considered giving my students a survey for which networking tool they would find to be the most beneficial for them in their success. It would also be fun to post a challenging problem and having the students interact with each other to come up with an answer. This would be something done on their own time. I do have two concerns with this idea. Some of my students do not have access to a computer at home. However, most can access Facebook on their cell phones. Secondly, I would want to make sure their responses to one another are appropriate and on task. Addressing this up front would be essential. In order to monitor their progress, I would be able to see who is posting and encouraging ALL students to post if they can. To evaluate and extend their learning, I would make sure the Facebook page or blogging tool is being used appropriately. I would ask or survey students within the class to find out what components they feel to be the most helpful. This will be good for me because then I can make adjustments to what I can post in order to help the students or what actions I can take to appropriately meet their needs. 

Final Blog Reflection on Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

As I reflect back on my “Personal Theory of Learning” I created in Week 1 of this course, I made a comment about how I utilize the interactive whiteboard daily as part of my instructional practices such as guided notes with my students. I discussed the different cues (showing, talking, and pointing) as I work through my notes, which includes the students to some extent. However, what I do lack in my personal learning theory is the incorporation of more student engagement and involvement. For example, I have been mainly using the SMARTboard as an instructional tool that Dr. Orey describes as a tool to “impart information” or as a means for the teacher to present information to the class (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011c). The question I should be asking myself is “What can I do to get more of my students up at the board?” I have changed my way of thinking as I work through lessons and activities implemented in my classroom. I want to make sure I have a good balance of technology being used as an instructional tool and as a learning tool. As Dr. Wolfe stated, “learning is the act of making and strengthening connections” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a). I hope to be able to actively engage my students in the daily lesson and activities by incorporating and using technology in my classroom as a learning tool. It is my hope that this will help them make connections to the content.

Throughout this course we have studied various learning theories. For example, we explored the behaviorist theory, social learning theory, as well as the constructivist & constructionist theories. All of these theories are important within the classroom because they can be implemented in various ways to help our students learn. Not all students learn in the same way so the idea behind knowing different instructional strategies such as cooperative group learning (social learning theory) or allowing students to create artifacts (constructionist learning theory) can help us as teachers to reach out to the various types of learners we have in the classroom. One of the major aspects of teaching I believe in is to provide the students with variety. For example, I would allow students to use various educational technologies that suit their style of learning and personality such as a PowerPoint if they like visual images or a VoiceThread if they collaborate well with others. This flexibility allows for creating a classroom that is “democratic and student-centered” (Westhaver, n.d.). Lastly, this course has allowed me to see all types of educational technologies that can be used. This class was my first experience with the creation of a VoiceThread. I was also exposed to various concept mapping tools that my students can use. Exposure to the technologies available is important as we move forward in the technological world. There are so many educational technology tools readily available for us to use that we as educators must share these resources with our colleagues, and continue building our “tool boxes” of technologies.

One of the biggest adjustments I will be making with my instructional practice that I actually touched on earlier is incorporating more student involvement with the usage of technology in the classroom. I am lucky enough to have all of these great technology tools in my classroom, however now it is time to hone in on using them more as learning tools. It definitely has changed my way of thinking which is great and now I feel that I can extend my knowledge to my colleagues to help them as well.

As I make strides with using more educational technology tools in the classroom, there are two in particular I would like to use with my students to support and enhance their learning. The first tool is SMARTboard interactive whiteboard. I use this board with my students every single day. It’s a great tool for instruction, however, students must be more involved and I want it to become more of a learning tool as well. I would like the students to be up at the board acting as teachers to their peers. I think it would be great if students wanted to teach particular problems to the class via the board. They have free reign to the tools available in the SMART Notebook software. In fact, by doing this supports the social learning theory discussed by Dr. Orey. He states, “Teaching others helps the learner develop a deeper understanding of the content” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b).

I would also like to incorporate VoiceThread into my classroom. I found an example online of how VoiceThread could be used in math.

Here is the link: http://voicethread.com/about/library/7th_graders_practice_Math_in_Action_from_Ms_Redd/

Here is another link: http://www.teachscienceandmath.com/2010/06/23/ideas-and-strategies-for-using-voice-thread-in-science-and-math/

I really like this idea! It’s a great way to extend the lesson beyond the classroom. The students post their answers and collaboration can build among the students as they all share their answers to the problem. My only concern with this extending outside of the classroom is students not having access to a computer at home or having access to sound if I provide a video. I know there’s the text feature, but the video makes it really appealing to the students. The VoiceThread would be great for projects or lessons. In particular, when we focus on geometry, the students could find various shapes, take pictures of them, and then upload them onto the VoiceThread for students to compare and contrast the images they found. Or another usage of it might be for the students to create a math problem their classmates must solve and then can upload it via VoiceThread. The idea behind VoiceThread is collaboration and in my opinion, the students can learn so much from their peers. Collaboration is an important component to the social learning theory and is a powerful strategy in that the students are building their ideas together (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b).

My first long-term goal is to utilize the SMART Response Clicker System at least 2-3 times per week within my classroom.  I have used the system before, however the data that can be derived from the system is great! Every day I have a “Problem of the Day” posted on my board. I would like to incorporate more of the clickers in with this and would like for this to happen at least 2 times a week. I would also like to use the clickers for review of the state standardized test (OAA) that we have every spring. My strategy for achieving them is setting aside 20 minutes 1 day during the week for review. I would like to make sure the review covers material just learned by the students as well as a cumulative review. The SMART Response System is great for evaluating and managing student progress, ensuring every student understands the lesson, and it keeps students engaged (SMART Technologies, n.d.).

My second long-term goal is to save all of my SMARTboard slides, notes, and activities (as a PDF document if I can) and upload them to my class website. In order to make sure this happens, I will be creating a section on my website where the students can easily view any documents, files, or PDFs that are available. I will periodically (1-2 times a month) remind and show my students the website page so they remember to use the website as a resource. I think if the students know these are available, it will encourage more traffic to my website so students can stay in tune with what is going on in our math classroom.  

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Program one: Understanding the brain [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011c). Program thirteen: Technology: Instructional tool vs. learning tool

[Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology.

SMART Response XE interactive response system - SMART Technologies. (n.d.). SMART Interactive

solutions for education, business and government - SMART Technologies. Retrieved June 15, 2012, from http://smarttech.com/us/Solutions/Education+Solutions/Products+for+education/Complementary+hardware+products/SMART+Response/SMART+Response+XE

Westhaver, M. (n.d.).  Constructivist theory inspired learning. Thinkspiration: The inspiration software blog. Inspiration Software, Inc. - The leader in visual thinking and learning. Retrieved June 15, 2012, from http://www.inspiration.com/blog/2011/06/constructivist-theory-inspired-learning/

CHANGE STARTS NOW!

Here is a VoiceThread I created for a movement at my school called "Change Starts Now."

http://voicethread.com/share/3147563/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

This week, in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the author explores the instructional strategy of “Cooperative Learning.” This strategy focuses on the students engaging and interacting with each other within small groups as a means to enhance their learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This strategy aligns very closely with the Social Learning Theory which suggests that students are “actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing with others” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). The idea behind cooperative learning is students are participating within a group and each student can have a responsibility within the group, if desired. The students are responsible for each other and are held accountable for the tasks or goals to complete the activity. Cooperative groups are an opportunity for the students to take ownership of their group work and to collaborate effectively to create or design an artifact as described in the Constructionism theory model. The “Cooperative Learning” strategy is also described as a way for students to interact with each other to enhance their learning (Pitler et al., 2007). In the course video, “Social Learning Theories,” Dr. Orey defined the Social Learning Theory as a way the students are teaching each other to help develop a deeper understanding of the content (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). I have found that when collaborative groups are working effectively in my classroom, the students are taking the knowledge and advice from their classmates and applying it to the content. For example, I have the students working in groups for when the students are exploring solving two-step or multi-step equations. There may be a struggling student who is getting some extra help from another classmate and the steps and tips the classmate is giving the struggling student are being closely followed so the struggling student can gain an understanding of how to accurately solve equations. I have also found that students benefit from working closely together because of the language they use with each other. They might have a unique way of remembering different ways to do certain types of problems.

Social networking and collaborative tools also correlate with the “Cooperative Learning” strategy, as well as other social learning theories. These types of tools, in my opinion, can make collaboration much easier. Those who are fortunate to have a computer at home and have access to the internet have an advantage. It is convenient to access websites where collaboration can occur. For example, if a student were creating a document from their home and needed help from their group peers, they could easily upload the document onto Google Docs, for example, and make it accessible to their group so the other members could go in and make modifications where they see fit. This is something I have never tried, but is definitely a great collaborative tool that is located conveniently online for all to see. Social networking sites such as Facebook make it again convenient for interaction. I think sites like Google Docs and Facebook correlate with the “Cooperative Learning” Strategy because all group members can still participate as long as access is granted for them to make adjustments. The idea of creating an artifact is still present through sites like Google Docs and Facebook allows for collaboration which is a huge component of the cooperative learning instructional strategy, as well as the social learning theories. Facebook can be engaging for the students because it is a tool they use to connect with their friends and it is another way to conveniently connect with their classmates. It encourages the students to continue their conversations of classroom discussions outside of the classroom. One of the theories we have discussed in this class is the “Constructivism” theory which is defined as “the act of constructing knowledge, making meaning and making sense of the world” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). As students are continuing their conversations and collaboration via sites like Facebook, or even VoiceThread as also mentioned in the resources this week, the students are taking the knowledge and constructing into ways that makes sense to them. Their peers can have a unique way of explaining or creating artifacts to help represent their thoughts to bring a clearer meaning to the course content. Like Orey mentioned, we have the strategies on hand, but now it is a matter of using technology where it is appropriate (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). [Webcast]. Social learning theories. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). [Webcast]. Connectivism as a learning theory. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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