ED 6715

Presentation can be found at... http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/tmivester/1447224

ED 6714-Reflection

Summarize how you will use the resources in the Differentiation Station social network to help you implement the principles of Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction.

To develop and implement instruction and assessment that reaches and engages all students there are many ideas that come to mind. First, I will begin by doing a learning styles inventory assessment (http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm) and receive results for all students. Students will be able to see what kind of learner they are and the teacher will receive the best ways to provide differentiated instruction for all of the students. Another resources I would use for learning styles would be http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test-b.html.
Another academic tool I will use to determine the students’ academic strengths and weaknesses would be to do a test called “how smart are you?” Students fill in the answers for a quick assessment on the multiple intelligences www.lauracandler.com/strategies/CL/misurvey.pdf) I will also provide students with a learning preference survey (http://www.oswego.edu/plsi/) The learning preference inventory is a self assessment that provides a good indication of learning style and the cognitive preference.

Describe any immediate adjustments you will make to your instructional practice regarding the use of technology integration to customize instruction as a result of your learning from this course.

I am enthusiastic to create learner profiles for all of my students. I have begun by surveying their multiple intelligences and learning styles through online inventories. I will also provide students with a learning preference survey to see what students enjoy about their learning. I want to modify the learning environment to meet the needs of all learners in my classroom by taking my learning objectives and turning them into “I can” statements. This way instead of hearing long objective statement students will have a concise sentence on the goal for learning. Students will see a “I can” statement posted in front of the classroom. The goal will be set on a weekly basis and if the student does not reach that goal they will be given opportunities to reinforce new ideas and concepts.
The learning environment will be learner centered and have numerous stations students can work at. There will be a computer station, teacher station, overhead station and more to help students reinforce goals and objectives. Students will feel that all learning styles are being met.
I will manage technology by giving students all ample amount of time in computer labs on a daily basis. I will provide different links on the class website and wiki for students to go to and evaluate. I will present plenty of information to keep students excited about their learning. Students will be given many different options for assessment and apply to what they’re learning style preference is. All outside by standards will be appreciative of the instruction because students will be engaged and excited to be in class. They will be intrigued in what they are learning and understand the meaning of learning to what is specific.

ED 6713 FINAL BLOG POST

The GAME plan that I was able to develop throughout the course gave me great insight into the value of lesson planning. I really just took lesson planning with a grain of salt before I took this course and learned about using the GAME plan guide to set lesson planning. I looked at quite a few lessons before the school year is to begin and reset myself to follow what I learned in the GAME plan and feel more confident then ever in my lesson planning. My school year goal is to focus all of my lesson plans into GAME plans. I really want to prove to myself that when I set goals I am able to be more open, creative and energetic about my students learning. I also am hoping to incorporate a lot of problem based learning into my social studies and reading lessons. Technology has become an essential part of my teaching. I want to provide all students with all the possibilities that they need to have in elementary school. I want the community to say that Mrs. Ivester's Class really knows how to use technology and they are doing some very creative and exciting projects. I also want my parents to understand the importance of technology and be able to identify with what their children are learning.

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

Post your thoughts and ideas about how you will use the GAME plan process with your students to help them develop proficiency in the technology standards and indicators outlined in the NETS-S.



I am planning on starting my game plan the second week of school (once students have all accounts set up, understand technology basics, etc.). I want to incorporate more Problem Based Learning approach because I believe students will gain more meaning out of there learning. I want to write a grant to get laptops for my grade level team. We have 3 computer labs but I want to get laptops into the classroom to be convenient. I think it will be more meaningful and offer more time for students to work through technology. I am also going to put a pacing guide out for my grade level and offer it to other grades so they are able to see what the 4th grade students are doing as far as technology. The GAME plan has offered me numerous options of setting goals and finding ways to achieve them so I want to apply this to all of the lessons and units that I teach.

Revising Your GAME Plan

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice? What goals are you still working toward?

I have learned that there are a TON of assets technology can bring into the classroom that I never knew of before and a lot of the time these tools are free of charge. I have also learned that is should be somewhat easy to apply my GAME plan as long as I set that as a goal for myself. I have always learned that setting Goals and high Expectations for myself as a teacher gives me something to work towards. The best part of my GAME plan is the Action because it will excite my students and keep them interested and motivated to learn about new technology. The new technology can be carried across to all subject areas.

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

Based on the NETS-T I have already found new goals I want to set for myself to work on next summer. Obtaining a degree through Walden in technology I want to prove to my teaching partners that it has become a benefit and that I want to use it as best as I can. I want to begin to incorporate and create new technology for students in the school in which I teach. I want learning to continue to take place for myself and my students. I want to set small and precise learning goals so I can accomplish them and easily put new learning into my classroom. I feel as if I set large learning goals for myself it can easily become overwhelming.


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

I feel as if I know myself as a learner. I am a hands on learner. Iwant to take some quick 1 day classes on technology (such a digital photography class) so I can bring what I learn back to my students. I also want to write a grant to recieve some learning tools for my students who struggle with written language and who could work on their own to keep up with the class.

Evaluating Your GAME Plan Progress

My GAME Plan has really mad me take charge of the technology curriculum I have set for myself and my students in my classroom. My actions have been very effective because I have set aside a good hour each day to continue to work on the technology curriculum in my class. I have spent this time researching ways to introduce technology to my students and have found about 3 pages of child friendly websites and virtual tools to develop them into dynamic technology 4th graders. To say the least I am very excited. I have learned that using a basic search engine can lead to numerous possibilities. I have found that rearranging words on a search engine can open up many other possibilities to find tools. I also have found that I need to find a better way to get organized so I can easily access these tools for my students (such as a class wiki to organize all my thoughts racing through my head). I need to learn to present a small amount of information at a time. I am very excited about incorporating much more into my technology curriculum but I need to understand that this is very new to some of my students and this will take time. I want to adjust my plan on a individual students basis. My ultimate fantasy would be to have a technology book that students can follow and work through so they are understanding all aspects of technology.

I do have a few questions for classmates…

- What would be a good way to organize all the information I have found?

- At what age do you think it is appropriate to begin students with social networking? (something I am contemplating with)

- Do you think that students would benefit from working through a “workbook” and using problem based learning when it comes to technology?

Monitoring Your GAME Plan Progress

• Are you finding the information and resources you need?

I am finding many resources for my GAME plan. I am worried I am overthinking the goals I have set for myself and getting overwhelmed very qucikly.

• Do you need to modify your action plan?

I feel like I need to make my action plan more specific because it is somewhat broad for my 4th graders and for myself as the teacher

• What have you learned so far?

I have learned that technology has a lot to offer to us. I need to have specific, general goals in mind to keep on track and to meet the goals I have

• What new questions have arisen?
  

The questions I do have...

Do you feel overwhelmed when a goal is too large?

How to I make my goal achievable?

What are ways I can make technology a realistic positive learning experience for my students?

Carrying out my Game Plan

In hopes of accomplishing the GAME plan I have set for myself I have to find the necessary resources and information to carry out the game plan. Technology is something that is always changing and through my experiences with Walden I hope to continue to build on things I can offer to my students. I have been working steadily on a pacing guide for my 4th grade classroom. It started with looking at the benchmarks and objectives for my state standards and diving them into the 4 marking periods we have throughout the school year. Each benchmark has a specific goal but I am trying to get each lesson to go deeper so my students experience a higher order of thinking when it comes to technology and are ready to meet the demands of the 21st century.

I want students to understand the specific areas that the Internet can be an asset yet also look and find reasons that the Internet can be misleading. I hope to be able to find resources to share with colleagues and to present to my students so they have an interactive approach to understanding the benefits of the Internet.

STANDARD 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
I began with something that I have found to be very interesting and greatly interactive for my learning process. I researched technology web quests and virtual field trips that the Internet has to offer and this is what I came up with ( I am hoping to find many more)…

http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic4.htm

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/why_webquest.htm

I found many videos on the Internet on how to use a computer. A simple start for students in the district in which I teach because unfortunately a lot of them do not have computers at there home. These quick videos can be found at http://www.youtube.com/ Honestly, I like to consider myself somewhat savvy when it comes to using the Internet but I also learned some things from watching these quick video clips. I want to the site and typed in how to use a computer and found many interesting new ideas and information.

To begin to carry out my GAME plan I have created a classroom wiki site for students to share information, http://mrsivesters4thgrade.wikispaces.com/ Students will post information to this wiki and share information with classmates about what they have liked or disliked about technology. Students will be responsible to find new material that has good meaning.

ASSESSMENT TOOLS: Students will be assesed on their contribution to the class wiki.

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

A great idea I found was to have students create an http://www.google.com/ig . The entire classroom can create a media site to share information and be surrounded from the beginning of the day. I found this AWESOME IDEA at https://sites.google.com/site/thingstolearnwith/28-your-class-as-a-news-channel. Students create an igoogle site and upload videos, documents, and pictures to share with the class. I would have students make sure they are properly crediting sources that they get information from. This site will be shared in front of the class each morning.

I would also have students create a classroom website through http://www.weebly.com/ that would be a tool for parents to view to keep up to date with what our class is doing. Students would be assigned to specific duties to keep the class website up and running.

GAME PLAN

The Game Plan indicators that I feel I need to have a GAME plan for...

The ISTE
National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T)
and Performance Indicators for Teachers that I feel need strengthening are:

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to
maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S.

Teachers:
a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

G = GOALS

I want to be able to provide students with good authentic material that is meaningful in their learning experience and help assist in all content areas. I want to develop a plan so students have a clear understanding of expectations and are able to master new skills.

A = ACTION

Develop a detailed pacing guide that inserts technology into all content areas.
Set student expectations high so they are gaining maximum exposure for all aspects of technology and provide them with numerous hands on oppurtunities that get them the knowledge and experiences to master new material.

M = MONITOR

Students will be monitored on the classroom blog and allow them to share with the entire class through the website.

E = EVALUATE AND EXTEND

Students will use prior technology applications and new technology applications to apply to all content areas for further growth.

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical
behavior in their professional practices.

Teachers:
a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright,
intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources

G: GOALS...

I want to develop a curriculm for my students so they understand the proper way to use the internet and all it has to offer. I want them to understand both the negative and positive effects technology has on society and the consequences of doing something that is not proper.

A: ACTION

Develop a program for 4th graders to view video clips and information that is real to them on the proper use of technology. I want to show www.brainpop.com technology video clips to help them see the proper use of technology.

M: MONITOR

Students will go through a guided virtual fieldtrip to see what aspects technology has to offer and what kind of benefits it has.

E: EVALUATE

Students will use a common assesment to answer questions that deal with proper technology use.

Final Reflection ED 6712

Describe the most striking revelation you had about the teaching of new literacy skills to your students as a result of this course.

After completing this course I found it very overwhelming, yet refreshing at the same time due to the amount of information that we obtained. I found new ways to introduce students to technology although I was taken back at how much I did not comprehend that using technology involved. As a teacher I am constantly wanted to enhance my knowledge base to bring new, innovative ideas into my classroom but from what I have learned the last eight weeks I found that I was only briefly introducing students to what technology had to offer and not giving them a deeper look which is a skill they will need well beyond my 4th grade classroom. I always understood that everyone learns in different ways, I just never looked at technology as an efficient literacy tool. Maya B. Eagleton and Elizabeth Dobler (2007) state that “since we believe that there is no single method of teaching that will reach all learners at all times in all places, it is imperative that we help children learn how to learn so they can adapt and extend their knowledge and strategies when they encounter new tasks in new contexts” (pg. 8). The most striking revelation I took from this course was that I need to teach students literacy beyond core curriculum and apply literacy skills to all aspects of school learning.

Describe how the knowledge and experience gained in this course will influence your teaching practices going forward.

The knowledge and experiences that I gained in this course will influence my teaching practices because I want to provide a more literacy approach to technology and incorporate technology in every core subject I teach (spelling, reading, writing, social studies, etc.) so students are literate in all aspects as 21st century learners. There was a great amount of detail involved in literacy education that it is frustrating knowing where to begin. I gained new experiences by looking at websites under a new light. I found that I just don’t look at a website anymore; I tour the website to find valid key points, detailed information, and links for proper search techniques. I found new ways to model to my students how to use the internet much more effectively. I hope to give my classes numerous opportunities to explore the web properly for good, detailed information. I want to model for them and give them many opportunities. I want my students to become good investigators of the web. I want to also begin to asses students on different scales with formative and summative assessments through observation, questioning, and good self evaluation skills.

Identify at least one professional development goal you would like to pursue that builds upon your learning in this course and develops your own information literacy or technology skills. Describe the steps you will take to accomplish this goal.

One goal I set for myself before I began this class was to develop a technology plan for my class next year. I wanted to be able to develop and teach new skills incorporating everything students will need to know to be efficient 21st century learners. After I completed this course, I took the first semester plan (that was already created) and re-wrote the entire curriculum. I want to incorporate new, improved literacy skills that will not only be self driven but also something that my students are motivated to do. I am now serving on a new technology committee in my school system and I want to bring in all of the technology applications that have been introduced so students have a broad range of new acquired technology backgrounds when they leave our school system to better equip them for college. I also want to be able to introduce new technology to fellow staff members.


References
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press

Jukes, I. (2007). 21st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21st century learner. Retrieved from http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program Four. Teaching Online Literacy Skills [Motion Picture]. Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the classroom. Baltimore: Author

Week 7: Evaluating Research Methods

In Research Class we have studied several research methods, including quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, action research, and secondary data analysis.

The research methods I have studied are in the four scenarios. My Objectives are too...

• Identify the type of research method that would best be used to answer the question.


• Provide a rationale for why you selected that particular method

Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.

• The best research method that is used to answer this question would be Qualitative Method. The qualitative method would be best because of the face to face interactions and the number of students being observed is a small, manageable group. The results will not be numeric or concerned with any sort of percentages or ratios.
• McMilan & Schumacher, 2008 state that "Qualitative research refers to an in depth study using face-to-face techniques to collect data from people in natural settings" (p. 183)

Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics—age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.

• The best research method used for this scenario would be quantitative. The number of students divided randomly refers to what I understand about quantitative research.
• McMilan & Schumacher, 2008 refer to quantitative research "qualitative designs are just as systematic as quantitative designs but they emphasize gathering data on naturally occurring phenomena" (p. 26).

Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.

• I would gear this scenario towards action research due to the fact that the counselor will be interacting with students and attitudes which is hard to collect numeric data on.
• From what I understand about action research based on the writing of McMilan & Schumacher, 2008, " studies undertaken by practitioners in schools that address an actual problem or issue in the school or classroom" (p. 181).
• This scenario can also be under qualitative and quantitative research or mixed research.
• McMilan & Schumacher, 2008, "mixed method research designs, which combine quantitative and qualitative methods is becoming increasingly popular because many situations are best investigated using a variety of methods" (p. 27).

Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known—either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis

• This scenario also fits into the mixed method. The researchers continually look at data on a bi-monthly basis through face to face interviews. The pre and post tests fit into the quantitative design.
• Mixed Method Research according to McMilan & Schumacher, 2008, is "a study that combines qualitative and quantitative techniques and/or data analysis within different phases of the research process" (p.27).

"The times we live in are truly amazing in terms of possibilities for educational research! Powerful tools have been afforded us through the variety of technology and research methods that have been refined throughout the last half century These tools and methods allow us to address challenging questions and to have greater confidence that our results are valid and useful" (McMilan & Schumacher, p. 3)

McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2008). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson

WEEK 3 APPLICATION: Intro to Educational Research

Application: Writing the Research Questions...

I plan to determine if using technology in the elementary classroom will increase student's skills in communication and collaboration.

Who: 4th grade students in a low income community

What: educational technology and educational technology tools

Why: Impacts on students in the classroom and what advancements they gained towards communication and collaboration

QUESTIONS...

What kinds of technology are beneficial for students in the classroom and out of the classroom?

This question would be quantitaive with quasi experimental

How are students best prepared to use technology when resources are not readily available and they lack experience with technology tools?

This question would be interactive qualitative method

What technology tools best assist students with communication and collaboration in and out of school?

This question would be quantitative research with quasi experimental.

GENERAL PROBLEM STATEMENT

MY GENERAL PROBLEM STATEMENT IS AS FOLLOWS...

I have chosen to evaluate the importance of technology in the classroom focusing on educational programs and classroom technology aids that will be able to prepare students for 21st century skills.

Who: 4th grade students in a low income community

What: educational technology and educational technology tools

Why: Impacts on students in the classroom and what advancements they gained towards 21st century skills

EDUC-6653 Introduction to Educational Research ~ BLOG

I am happy to be part of the BLOGGERS Group for this course! I feel that I can get much more advice from my classmates and be able to be more effective in corresponding on topics. I hope to gain lots of ideas and receive feedback. Happy Spring!

Reflection: Final Blog Posting for ED6711 :(

Reflect on the “Personal Theory of Learning” you developed in Week 1. Summarize any modifications to your personal theory of learning you have made as a result of your learning in this course.

Modifications I would make…

- Focus more lessons to adapts to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
- Good Intrinsic Motivation for ALL Students
- Alter teaching methods to reach all students
- Change up redundant lessons frequently
- HAVE LOTS OF FUN and continue to make learning meaningful each and every day!

Personal Theory of Learning
All students learn in different ways. It is my job as a teacher to know my students, asses their learning strategies, and encourage them to always do their best work when it comes to learning and understanding the content. As a teacher it is top priority to build on what students already know and continue to educate them to the best of my ability. I need to have strategy when teaching lessons, I teach in one way that meets all of my students learning needs.
Learning is a long process that continues to build confidence in students; teachers can show students the most meaningful way in which they learn, to make them motivated to want to learn. If a teacher shows confidence in learning process, students will begin to gain intrinsic motivation when it comes to school and learning. As a teacher I find that my personal theory on student learning continues to change as I gain more knowledge in education.
A perspective I felt that complemented my theory was the behaviorist perspective. As Lever-Duffy and McDonald (2008) state “learning is essentially a passive process, that is, one learns as a response to the environment, not necessarily because of any specific mental activity” (pg. 15). As a teacher I need to understand that students need to be surrounded by positive influences to help them learn. Students who come into the classroom after they have had problems at home are usually unwilling to learn or take any knowledge in because there are more concerned about problems outside of school.
As a teacher I am also influenced by Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. According to Lever-Duffy and McDonald (2008) on multiple intelligences it is stated that “every individual possesses some degree of each of the intelligences Gardner details but one or more of the intelligences dominates” (pg. 24). With Gardner’s multiple intelligences a teacher is able to touch on most intelligences while teaching a new lesson so students will begin to learn through a new process. Lever-Duffy and McDonald (2008) also state that “if one adopts the multiple-intelligences approach, then learning will be affected by the dominance of one or more of the intelligences in each individual student” (pg. 25).




Describe any immediate adjustments you will make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration as a result of your learning in this course. Identify two technology tools you would like to use with your students and how the tools will support or enhance your students’ learning.

- I am using VOICETHREAD (www.voicethread.com) to establish some social learning and allow students to be free to use opinions on certain subjects
- Weekly Blogs in my classroom through my class website
- Virtual Fieldtrips that correlate with our lessons in Social Studies to deepen my students understanding of certain topics. I plan to use a virtual field trip as an introduction or recap of each unit.
- I also plan to incorporate concept mapping with each unit for students to have a visual aid.

List two long-term goal changes you would like to make to your instructional practice regarding technology integration and outline a strategy for achieving them.

- I plan to use technology everyday in my classroom. I want to present students with new topics and have interactive activities on the computer. I will present all information through PowerPoint so students see it visually and I can apply pictures, sounds or definitions with each topic.
- I plan to have technology goals for my students in the computer lab each week and have them printed out for them to see. So many times we go into the computer lab and just play around and have no goals, I want my students to accomplish something each day in the computer lab 

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Social Learning comes in so many forms. The ideas of social learning are simple: Students and people learn with and from others. What kind of education would it be if we were unable to learn from others and not help guide each other through the education experience? I think about classrooms where students remain in there desk all day and struggle in uncontrolled situations because they are unable to understand how to work in collaborative groups due to the fact that they are not presented with social learning experiences. I struggle not to have social learning practices in my class because I understand that working together as a class will only benefit my students in the long run and help them to more thoroughly understand the information being presented to me. As a teacher I enjoy siting back during social learning experiences and watching my students achieve that "aha" moment when they achieve something from a peer.

Collaborative learning can be used to guide social learning theory by assisting students in constructing their own meanings of the World around them. By watching other human activity and listening to other peers students are able to construct there own meanings about a topic if they choose to be open minded.

Not one person can tell a teacher what the best learning practice is for students. I believe it depends on the student themselves. It is a teachers job to provide many different learning strategies for students to develop new and meaningful information. What may be meaningful to one student may not be meaningful to another. Using the strategies that are presented this week will allow our students to become part of the 21st century. They will be equip with tools that will make them successful in the years to come. As stated by Marzano "Cooperative learning is not so much learning to cooperate as it is cooperating to learn."

I struggle with technology day in and day out in my classroom. As I have stated before so many parents are afraid of the unknown (technology) and in turn veer away from the subject when it comes to there students and school technology. I struggle because in the small town in which I teach about 1/3 of my students have high speed Internet at there home and about 1/2 have working computers. For cooperative social learning to take place I would have my students great GMail accounts so they would be able to use the beneficial tools Google has to offer. I would have them upload assignments to google docs, I could scan in activities and have them complete them at home or online, I could use the calendar feature for assignments, plan book and tests (this would also help when students are absent) and so many more features. Our school district is so tight on our paper budget this would cut it down more than half. I look forward to the social learning experiences I have through my masters class and I look forward to helping my students appreciate social learning experiences and meaningful technology practices.

VoiceThread

Here is the link to my voice thread concerning homework...

voicethread.com/share/872362/

Constructivism in Practice

When I relate generating and testing hypothesis to constructivist learning theory I relate more and more to constructivism. I think back to all the experiences I had that helped me understand the world around me it was experiences that were self driven. I thrived on teachers who gave us an assignment and had us problem solve to get the resolution to get to the final product and had hands on assignments that allowed us to bring in our own elements. Teachers who stood and lectured and lectured made me fall asleep. I related to hands on learning more then anything. This is how I strive to have my classroom today. Students are totally hands on and have the freedom in my classroom. I have a futon couch, many bead bags, fun chairs and rugs all over my classroom. We learn as a group and I am the leader to guide them through the learning process not direct them.


Generating and Testing Hypothesis...

When I see generating and testing hypothesis it reminds me of all the science classes I had in my undergrad. It is stated "when students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary and enhancing their overall understanding of the content." Technology provides numerous resources to help us in generating and testing hypothesis to see quick results. Students can enter in data and have it neatly organized for them. I have only experienced one form of data entry and that is through Microsoft Excel. My students need many experiences with all aspects of technology because they have a difficult time experiencing technology outside of school. When I assign a quick PowerPoint assignment they struggle because they have not experienced it before. They ask so many questions that they can answer by experimenting. They want to achieve perfection and struggle to trust themselves when it comes to technology.


Constructivism...

There are several guiding principles of constructivism:

1. Learning is a search for meaning. Therefore, learning must start with the issues around which students are actively trying to construct meaning.

2. Meaning requires understanding wholes as well as parts. And parts must be understood in the context of wholes. Therefore, the learning process focuses on primary concepts, not isolated facts.

3. In order to teach well, we must understand the mental models that students use to perceive the world and the assumptions they make to support those models.

4. The purpose of learning is for an individual to construct his or her own meaning, not just memorize the “right” answers and regurgitate someone else’s meaning. Since education is inherently interdisciplinary, the only valuable way to measure learning is to make the assessment part of the learning process, ensuring it provides students with information on the quality of their learning.

How Constructivism Impacts Learning

Curriculum–Constructivism calls for the elimination of a standardized curriculum. Instead, it promotes using curricula customized to the students’ prior knowledge. Also, it emphasizes hands-on problem solving.

Instruction–Under the theory of constructivism, educators focus on making connections between facts and fostering new understanding in students. Instructors tailor their teaching strategies to student responses and encourage students to analyze, interpret, and predict information. Teachers also rely heavily on open-ended questions and promote extensive dialogue among students.

Assessment–Constructivism calls for the elimination of grades and standardized testing. Instead, assessment becomes part of the learning process so that students play a larger role in judging their own progress.


Retrieved from: http://www.funderstanding.com/content/constructivism

CONCEPT MAP

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP I USED...
http://www.field-trips.org/ss/america/

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

Google (www.google.com) Search for Virtual Field Trips...

HOTLIST: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listvirtualgr.html

TEACHER TAP: http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic35.htm

INTERNET4CLASSROOMS: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/links_grades_kindergarten_12/virtual_field_trips_introduction.htm

VIRTUAL ACTIVITIES:

http://its.leesummit.k12.mo.us/Virtual%20Activities.htm

Cognitivism in Practice

CUES, QUESTIONS AND ADVANCE ORGANIZERS...HOW THIS RELATES TO COGNITIVE LEARNING THEORY??

When it come to cues, questions and advanced organizers the focus is on getting information and organizing it about a certain topic. Organizing information and presenting it to a student prior to an assignment can make them understand the topic and focus the learning. Organizing the information helps makes sense of what is important. Technology plays a huge role in helping to organize information in many different ways for students. One concept that I use often in my class is Brain pop. (www.brainpop.com) This tool has become very popular in my classroom. It introduces new lessons in quick video clips with vocabulary activities that correspond. Another tool that is used on a regular basis in my class is United Streaming. (www.unitedstreaming.com)
I use this tool very often. It has great video's to help reinforce lessons. I do not have a Social Studies book so I find a lot of resources on United Streaming. This relates to cognitive learning because we live in a world where television viewing has become the norm. When my students see short video clips they can take a small break, relax and view something that is educational.

SUMMARIZING AND NOTE TAKING....HOW THIS RELATES TO COGNITIVE LEARNING THEORY?

When I think of summarizing or note taking I think of the struggles I had beginning to understand what was important about taking notes that are summarized. Once I began to see the benefit I used to color code all my notes in college with fine point markers and was hyper about making sure they were perfect because it made studying struggle free. Like it is stated that summarizing and note taking are ways to synthesize information and put it into a new format. My students have a hard time at 4th grade understanding how to summarize and note take. They are concerned with missing something if they have to take notes. I try to help them as best as I can but get frustrated because at this age everything is so important. I have used writing graphic organizers in Inspiration. This helps students to organize all of there information. The students loved using technology in a new way and did not even realize it was helping them to keep the information short and sweet. I just had an experience with wiki's for a previous class in my masters and really hope to incorporate this as my students become more tech savvy. I have just started to incorporate blogs and my students continue to struggle and ask lots of questions. Summarizing and Note Taking relates to cognitive learning practice because it is short simple steps to make learning easier and less frustrating for students. They need to make the small steps in learning to understand what the big picture will contain.

BEHAVIORISM IN PRACTICE, REINFORCING EFFORT & HOMEWORK & PRACTICE

BEHAVIORISM IN PRACTICE...

Behaviorism reminds me of make good choices and follow the rules. When students come into my classroom I have high expectations and those are communicated from day 1. I feel that students will adapt to the environment they are in and will begin to see the benefits they can have from having appropriate behavior. Behaviorism is such a huge part of my classroom practice because you either receive positive reinforcement for following directions and behaving the expected way or else there are punishments, which is the last thing a student wants and doesn't often happen in my classroom (this year).

REINFORCING EFFORT...

Reinforcing Effort was a good reminder that students need to always have some sort of reinforcement when it comes to any area of there life. When you apply effort to behaviorism is implies that students need to take information in small bits to fully understand it. Students may not relate effort to achievement and when you show them positive reinforcement for there effort they will begin to see that the hard efforts pay off. Students want to know that they are doing good and giving a good effort. As a 4th grade teacher I feel that my students are young enough to want to always give good effort. As a teacher I am always giving them positive rewards for great efforts. In an ideal situation students would strive to give 110% effort to understand the benefits that come with an achievement. Grades are a good basis for effort. I try to use technology as much as I can in my class. For rubrics I use www.rubistar.com for grading projects and writing. I have never used survey monkey (www.surveymonkey.com) but I think this could definitely be something that I incorporate into my classroom technology after each semester to see what my students enjoyed and did not enjoy.

HOMEWORK AND PRACTICE...

Homework has become such a complicated issue. So many times I assign homework and worry what kind of nasty emails I will have the following morning. Most of the time students who struggle have not been following directions, not paying attention, and yet it is the teachers fault. I would love to give technology homework however I have a handful of students in my class who have high speed Internet and only half of the class has working computers at home. I think homework is a great way to reinforce a lesson however it has to be simple enough so the student does not become frustrated easily. I have used google docs http://docs.google.com/ to help set up a 10 year class reunion but I really enjoyed using this tool. It is so difficult and impossible to assign any technology homework. For my social studies lesson we do State PowerPoint projects and we have to spend weeks of class time working on them because students do not have the technology resources at home that they need. I think that behaviorism relates to homework because it is a positive way to reinforce a lesson. Students then can do there homework and feel accomplished when they complete it.

One class closer...

Well I seem to be using a blog again for my new class!! This blog will be used for my class Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction and Technology!! Hope you enjoy. I want to get more information on this blog and gear it towards my class! Hopes are high. Happy New Year!!