Reflection

In the past several weeks, I have reflected and analyzed my goals as a classroom teacher making note of some things that I want to improve on. Since the GAME assignment was assigned to us I have decided to take into serious consideration the impact that I have in using technology. One of my goals with this GAME plan has been to seek professional development opportunities to educate myself on how I can better apply this to my lessons. With teaching kindergarten I have to modify much of what I learn. This extra step seems overwhelming many times, but one thing that I am going to do is to have one goal per month to focus on. If I hit those goals little by little then I'm sure I'll feel a little more confident with using technology and find more ways to use it.

Most of the resources seemed pretty fascinating to me. I would love to try digital storytelling in my classroom. The good thing about the GAME plan is that it is a very structured and a thought provoking plan. This is a good thing for me since I like to overplan rather than not plan enough. Starting in January I will be attending some professional development sessions using technology in the classroom. I am very excited to collaborate with some teachers within my school district to learn about additional resources. I've also learned that online collaboration is a much easier concept than what I imagined it to be. My students become very excited about receiving emails from other schools. It allows for them to see a new perspectives. I would enjoy checking out other opportunities for social networking if my school were to allow it .

Using the GAME plan process with your students

The GAME plan process is a great tool to use not only in setting goals, but also figuring out how to manage this process in your classroom. Since I teach kindergarten, I find that it is more difficult for me to let my students complete projects independently. It is more of let me show you what to do. I oftentimes have to modify a great idea that I read about or hear about from other teachers to fit the profiles of my students. Even throughout this class I have often been puzzled with how to modify technology to fit my students' needs. Often I feel like I am doing most of the work and it all becomes too much. I think though that if I introduce bits of technology at a time then it won't seem so overwhelming.

My students are still learning about goals and how to set them. This is where I think the GAME plan is very beneficial. We usually set goals as a whole class and then sometimes reach those goals. If we do not, we try to discuss what happened as to why we didn't get there. I would prefer to start my GAME plan this way in trying one as a whole group. I feel that if I were to set up a GAME plan for each child individually then it would be too overwhelming to manage. I enjoy having one-on-one conversations with my students so conferencing with them would be a great way to find out more with the comfort level of the child or whether the child is learning anything.

I hope that as an educator I can participate in more professional development workshops and read more literature on the current technology.

Revising Your GAME Plan

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I said it last week and I’m going to say it this week; I’ve learned that it is imperative to plan out how you can use that technology for your lessons. There are so many amazing resources out there to grab a hold of in order to learn something and share it with your students. I find that once I start a lesson, there is no time to think about what you need to do next; you just do it. By having your lesson already set in your mind and being prepared, you deliver more of an effective lesson.

What goals are you still working toward?

I am always working on my goals, and I think that I’ve established a technology-rich environment with resources that I have available to me and that are appropriate for kindergarten. My first goal: Develop a technology-enriched learning environment that enables all students to pursue individual curiosities and to become active participants in setting educational goals, managing learning, and assessing progress.

We are currently working on setting goals by talking about what a goal is and how do we go about working towards our goals.

My second goal: Engagement within a PLC to learn about what new technology is out there and to educate colleagues.

This goal is still being continued as well. I also consider Walden a PLC and am learning lots from all of my wonderful colleagues.

Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?

A new goal that I would like to set for myself is to communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats. I think that parent communication is key to a child’s success. If I could communicate to parents about what we are doing in the classroom through wikis or blogs, then I think the amount of parent to teacher interaction would increase. More and more parents are getting involved with technology in order to keep up with their children.

What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?

Next time I will try to ask more questions about technology. Sometimes I feel like my questions may be too juvenile.

Evaluating your GAME plan progress

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

My first goal: Develop a technology-enriched learning environment that enables all students to pursue individual curiosities and to become active participants in setting educational goals, managing learning, and assessing progress.

This goal is currently being enforced within my classroom. I am providing my students with technology in my lessons and also during the students’ center time. I’ve recently started using the “clickers” to where my students to can punch in their answer to a question. It’s an exciting task for the kindergartners.

My second goal: Engagement within a PLC to learn about what new technology is out there and to educate colleagues.

I have discussed with my principal about becoming involved with a PLC and she was excited about that prospect of forming a PLC team to discuss technology.

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I’ve learned that it is imperative to plan out how you can use that technology for your lessons. It’s so easy to just do the obvious with what we know, but thinking about how you can take your lessons a step further with technology really does help your students be engaged and helps with helping them make connections.

What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?

I am still learning about new technology and ways to adapt it to my students’ needs. I think each classroom is different and there can be no right way to incorporate technology but incorporate it so that you know your students.

My question is how do I manage kindergartners with technology when it is only myself?

How will you adjust your plan to fit your current needs?

I like my plan where it is and it is working well for me right now. In the future I will have to adjust my plan by enriching my students. It will involve me creating a new classroom evaluation so I can determine where my students are and where they are heading

Monitoring your GAME Plan progress

Reviewing my GAME plan has been a good reflection on where I’ve been, where I am, and what I need to do to carry out this plan. I have two goals that involve learning more about how to use technology and how to carry out a conducive learning environment towards those goals.

Goal 1: Develop a technology-enriched learning environment that enables all students to pursue individual curiosities and to become active participants in setting educational goals, managing learning, and assessing progress.

Since I first came up with this goal I have evaluated my learning environment and consider it to be an environment that allows students plenty of opportunities to accomplish goals and for students to take part in learning through both direct and explicit instruction. I have tried to focus more on talking through goals with my students. They understand the concept of working towards a goal, but I am not comfortable in individualizing goals with kindergartners. I feel like in kindergarten it is not how much they have to do individually, but what have I taught and shown them how to do. Are there any books out there that are specifically written for educators in managing a learning environment using technology?

Goal 2: Engagement within a PLC to learn about what new technology is out there and to educate colleagues.

I have checked about professional workshops to attend about technology and the earliest one is in January. Until then, I am working with my Technology Representative at my school discussing various technology tools that are available for use.

I do not plan on modifying my plan because it is an ongoing reflection and one that is to develop over time. Since doing this plan I have learned that technology is something that should be well thought out and given much thought. It’s important for a teacher to not isolate him/herself and to involve other colleagues in this professional learning community. I’ve also learned that teachers should set their own goals as well. A new question that I have is, whether there are resources out there pertaining towards managing a learning environment with technology and how a teacher is able to evaluate whether learning is taking place with that technology?

Carrying Out my GAME Plan

My GAME plan involves two learning goals: to be able to engage myself in professional development towards learning more about technology, and to develop a technology rich learning environment for my students by them being active participants. I have had a chance to start my plan but I have realized that it is a continuous process that will take me some time.

I have started to talk with my kindergarten team about some ways that they use technology and right now they are using various websites to help reinforce those concepts discussed and allowing students practice using the mouse and keyboard. Our school website recently changed so our Instructional Technology Rep asked us if we wanted to post any websites for parents to use and we gathered all of the websites that we have used and posted them on our site. This allows teachers, parents, and students access to these sites for drill and practice. My Instructional Technology Rep has been out of her office because of a family emergency but I want to ask her about starting a Professional Learning Network at my school about technology.

I will continue to seek out any professional development workshops to help answer some of my questions about technology, but for the most part, I will consult with my colleagues on these issues.

My GAME plan

Because technology is changing at a rapid pace, I think it is important to not only have goals in mind of how you could improve your plan, but also how you can take actions towards those goals. Dr. Kathrine Cennamo discussed the situation about how it’s important to learn about your teaching when learning new technology (Laureate, 2009). I have a few performance indicators that I would like to improve on.

Standard: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Goal ~ My goal is to develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress within my classroom (http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf).

Actions ~ In order to achieve my goal I would need to evaluate my own classroom environment to see what changes I can make to what I currently apply in my own classroom. Once I identify what changes I want to make it would be to my benefit to find out from other colleagues what technology resources they do in their classrooms. By allowing these resources to be accessible to my students in a friendly manner, with lots of modeling on my part, students can choose to work at their own pace with the technology provided. We can talk about the parts of a computer and what each function allows us to do followed by how we can use this in our learning. With my kindergartners, goal setting is not an individual process but a process we accomplish together. I will verbally express what I hope that each child will learn with using the computer. With assessing my students, I can assess and have students assess themselves through summative assessments that I produce.

Monitor ~ I will monitor my progress through student participation and achievement. How well will my students be achieving their goals and will they master the concepts presented to them?

Evaluate ~ I will evaluate my actions in meeting my goals by gaining feedback from my students in their evaluation of the content presented. Did they enjoy the way that the lesson was presented? Did the students achieve their goals? If so, what can I do to help them extend that concept?

Standard: Engage in professional growth and leadership.

Goal ~ My goal is to become involved in a professional learning community about what new technology is out there and how to educate my colleagues about this technology.

Actions ~ In order to accomplish this goal I need to find professional learning community workshops to educate me about what the current technology available for educators are and how to become involved with online professional learning communities. I should also make my principal aware of my goal and asking her if I could facilitate some book studies on technology usage within the classroom.

Monitor ~ I will monitor my progress by evaluating how effective the workshops that I attended are and whether they fit my needs and whether I am reviewing skills that I already know or am learning something new. I should also go online and review some blogs on other teachers who use technology to see if I am on the right track or to get any new ideas.

Evaluate ~ I will evaluate my learning by asking whether I have learned something new that I could use with my students. If so, then by trying it and seeing that it works I will know that I succeeded.

Laureate Education Inc. (2009). “Enriching Learning Experiences with Technology.” Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education Inc.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Reflection posting

Before this class I had no knowledge of the new literacies of the Internet. Learning about the new literacies gave me a whole new perspective of locating and making sense of information from the Internet. I can now understand how teachers can allow for students to make sense of information using these new literacies. Dr. Warlick identified how much of a challenge it is for us educators to help students prepare for the future when the future is very unpredictable (Laureate, 2009). One challenge is that the future will be even more full of multimedia communication. I have seen how it can be possible to really communicate with other classrooms in different states through the use of electronic pen pals. I know that by keeping aware of how I can incorporate the new literacies in my lessons with my kindergartners, will help in attaining goals that I have set forth to accomplish.

The knowledge that I have gained from this course will help carry me further into my teaching career. I have learned that there are many sites out there that can be untrue and different ways to spot faulty websites. Especially ones that are very much believable. I will be extra cautious when I need to research a subject area and even more cautious when I expose my students to the Internet. I have also learned of many different ways to have students become more knowledgeable about what is out there on the Internet. Since my students are very young, I feel like I can make more of a difference earlier in their school careers.

One professional development goal that I have for myself is to continue to learn about how to search deeper into websites to discover if the information is true or not. Since this class I have become more aware of some professional development seminars that educate just on this topic. I want to learn more since I feel like I got just the basics from this class. Hopefully I can actually go to some these sites that would be appropriate for my grade level and play around with evaluating the websites.

Another goal that I have would be to continue my understanding of resources. I find that sometimes when I’m searching for a topic; it is hard to find. By continuing to further my studies on this topic through the use of web tutorials and reviewing over the course textbook, I will be able to become more confident in searching for information.

Laureate Education Inc. (2009). “Skills For The Future.” Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education Inc.

Reflection

Reflecting upon this course has opened my eyes to the many different learning theories that were dwelled upon. I believe that a well-rounded teacher is able to look at him/herself and see a little bit of each theorist within the classroom. When I first started taking this course, I recognized that I used the multiple intelligences, behaviorist and constructivist theories of learning. I will continue to keep these theories in practice with in my own teaching, but I want to incorporate the study of how information is perceived by the senses and stored as in the cognitive perspective (Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Studying and reflecting upon the cognitive learning theory can enhance my teaching techniques. By doing this I can incorporate more instructional strategies within my classroom to make it an enriching experience for all students.

 

            Some immediate adjustments that I will make in my classroom are to add technology to my lessons. One technology tool that I will use is more word processing applications, particularly with studying letter sounds and words that start with that letter. This technology tool will help benefit my students in showing a nonlinguistic representation followed by the word. Students will begin to make that association of picture to the word. In Kindergarten I do whole group lessons using technology and students are introduced to technology in a non-threatening environment. Another technology tool that I can use is virtual field trips. There are many interactive themes that we spend time on in Kindergarten. By visiting places without leaving the classroom it helps for the students to see why we are learning some of the things that we are and allows them to virtually go somewhere. I want for my students to embrace technology and to feel that technology is where ever they go.

 

            I want to be able to open the lines of communication with parents and include them in my instructional tools. By posting word processing applications onto a wiki and having parents give their feedback onto the board would be very helpful. When parents see what we are learning they are more likely to reinforce that at home.  This is one long-term goal that I have. By setting up a wiki in which parents are informed about I can begin to inform parents about what it is that we are learning. I can update posts everyday or twice a week. Another long-term goal is to use more spreadsheet software in collecting data in order to make instructional decisions. My instruction is based on my data. Looking through some of the resources for class I came across rubrics, graphs, and spreadsheets that I can use to collect the data. There are plenty of resources on the Internet to gain rubrics. I need to decide what it is that I will be measuring and what the long-term goal is. By using Microsoft Excel I can make a spreadsheet using student test scores or letter recognition. This data can be translated into a graph. This way I can choose adaptations towards my instruction and use the data in conferences.

 

            Overall, I feel that I have benefited from this course by reinforcing the learning theories that make up a classroom. Deciding which ones I use and what I want to use is a reflection upon myself and what I find to be most important. Also taking the instructional strategies that I have learned will help benefit each learner in my classroom.

 

 

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

Voice Thread assignment

Since this week was our last week of school before summer break I wanted my students to reflect on what their favorite Kindergarten memory was. I am hoping to share this voice thread with some incoming Kindergartners in the fall. 

http://voicethread.com/share/526192/

Social Learning Theories

So many students today benefit from social learning theories. From the time that we are small we find that we learn from other individuals, mainly our parents. By the time we get to school our resources for learning expands enormously. We are suddenly surrounded by people who are the same age as we are and a teacher who shows us how to learn. Social learning theories state that we surround ourselves with people to learn from each other and to acquire knowledge. The resources this week provided many examples of social learning theories in practice.

 

A familiar term we hear about is cooperative learning. Cooperative learning encourages students to interact with each other in groups to enhance their learning (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). This term is used interchangeably with most of our social learning theories because each theory has something in common and that is children learning from each other. I learn from other people just by hearing opinions and expanding my circle or perspective on most issues. This is the theory of connectivism which says that learning is distributed through a social network, technology, or recognizing patterns (Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001).

 

Technology plays such an important role in social learning theories. Allowing for groups to communicate via a computer instead of face to face in every situation. Students can participate in webQuests, KeyPals, and creating web sites. Students I think respond much better to instant gratifying and web created tools. It is amazing to think that students from all over the world can be learning from each other.

 

 

 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.

Constructionist/Constructivist Learning Theories

Many students use data in order to test ideas or hypotheses to find the answers to questions. In our resource this week, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, it is explained that students are using technologies such as spreadsheets, data collection tools, and web resources to make informed predictions, collecting data, analyzing data for patterns, and revising original hypotheses or coming up with new ones (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). How does this relate with the constructivist/constructionist learning styles? Constructivism and constructionism both involve each individual actively constructing his/her own meaning through experience (Laureate, 2008). The teacher is not telling students what to do but acts as a guide for students in case students become stuck as to why or how something works. Students are left to ask the questions themselves and to figure out how to solve it based on hands-on experience.

 

When students collect data, most questions are answered but then new questions are generated so students are constantly revising their hypotheses (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). I always think of science experiments when I think about collecting data, but us teachers do this everyday and sometimes we also have to revise our hypotheses based on our students. Each experience can allow more questions to generate and that is ok.

 

 

Laureate Education Inc. (2008). “Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories.” Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education Inc.

 

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

Cognitive Learning Theory

Cognitive learning theory emphasizes how students take in and process concepts. Every teacher should be aware of cognitive processes that involve input to design the appropriate output. Dr. Opey described how information is stored and processed by describing the sensory input, short term, and long-term memory (Laureate, 2008). The resources this week really helped me see how we as teachers can incorporate information that is meaningful to students through virtual tours and information organization.

 

            With some of this information, I had to really analyze how I would adapt these techniques to fit the mold of a primary student. I know that primary students understand rubrics. Rubrics are excellent advance organizers by preparing students to apply their abilities, knowledge, and critical thinking skills (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). I use rubrics in my classroom by allowing students to evaluate a piece of literature for qualities of good writers, or to rate themselves in following directions. There are many ways to use rubrics and students can begin to use self-evaluation techniques through their senses. Another favorite of mine is United Streaming videos to make connections with vocabulary concepts and skills taught. Students are able to make those connections to real life scenarios.

 

            When describing to students how to summarize using note taking techniques I really liked the recommendation of giving students teacher-prepared notes (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). I taught third grade last year and summarizing through note taking was a big challenge for me. A teacher shouldn’t rely on just one type of note-taking format, but can allow students to use different colors if needed for a different concept. We learn best through using our senses. Students will remember colored words since colors are a very sensory characteristic (Laureate, 2008).

 

This week has continued to inspire me to incorporate more sensory materials within my lessons. Through keeping my students’ interests and learning abilities in mind, I can be assured that I am meeting each child’s needs and desires.

 

 

Laureate Education Inc. (2008). “Cognitive Learning Theories.” Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education Inc.

 

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

Technology and Behaviorist Theory of Learning

Out of all of the choices of someone who intends to achieve success or maintain it, effort, is within an individual’s control (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. ,2007). Having a strong sense of self-efficacy allows for someone to obtain success despite most external factors. Everyone wants to succeed and in order for that to happen students have to believe in effort and believe that effort pays off. One strategy that I saw that was very beneficial to students was to make a connection between effort and achievement by using a spreadsheet in which students were given a rubric to show a clear idea of what effort looks like and to apply it to the student’s efforts in all areas within the classroom (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. ,2007). Showing students data is very important because it can allow them to compare the rate of effort given over the course of a given time. Students who know that they have worked hard in a particular week can be assured that hard work allows them to see growth. They will be more likely to repeat the behavior.

 

I was quite amazed in learning that students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80 percent competency (Marzano et al., 2001, p. 67). This is why homework can be beneficial to students since homework is practice. The use of multimedia within classrooms and at home to practice a skill or concept is wonderful. Discovery Education can change text into pictures like in a movie. There are other activities such as online tutorials that allow students to learn more math facts. When students play these games, they become more motivated to complete their work correctly. By beating the computer in math facts, or bragging to your friends about how far you got in your score, gives students a sense of accomplishment and pride to continue to strive towards greatness.

 

 

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

Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

I am in my fifth year of teaching elementary students at a Title I school located in Sanford, Florida. I teach Kindergarten and am about ready to complete one full year saying that I have survived! I enjoy teaching Kindergarten because I have accumulated stories this year that beat out stories from my previous four years of teaching. 

In my spare time I enjoy cooking/baking, exercising, rollerblading with friends, reading, listening to music, and of course spending time with friends. I spend many hours in front of my computer throughout the day. I can't remember how life was before the Internet. I know that my students will continue to become the same way once they become more comfortable with the Internet.