Reflection

Although I still strongly agree with the constructivisit theory, I have made some modifications to my personal theory of learning. After reflecting on what I have learned in this course (Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology), I have learned that an effective teacher provides students with opportunities to learn in various ways. In equipping my students with the necessary 21st century skills, I have learned about the importance of social constructivism. Working in cooperative learning groups allows students to take multiple approaches to learning the same concept. I personally think that students are often the best teachers. I would really like to work on giving my students more cooperative learning opportunities throughout the remainder of the school year.

In addition to encouraging my students to work cooperatively within our school building, I am currently in the process of instructing them on how to use VoiceThread. This networking tool will eventually allow my students to share their thoughts on what they are reading with other second grade students at a nearby school. I also plan on using this tool to have my struggling writers share their thinking orally with both me and their classmates. In addition to implementing VoiceThread, I also plan on using SpinScape to constuct advanced concept maps to guide my students' learning. I feel that these maps really set a purpose for learning and allow students to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information.

Regarding technology integration, I would like to change the way in which I use PowerPoint in my classroom. I admit that I mostly use it as an instructional tool, as opposed to a learning tool. I would really like to make this application more interactive, possibly through the use of a Smart Board. I feel that my students could better learn through exploration and that this would also allow me to differentiate my instruction for multiple intelligences. Since technology was cut from our budget this year, I would really like to equip my students with the basic computing skills they need in order to successfully use word processing applications and to navigate the internet for research purposes.

Cooperative Learning

According to the principles of the social learning theories, "When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others" (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, and Pitler, 2008). Various forms of technology can facilitate group collaboration not only within the classroom, but "even in some of the world's most remote regions" (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, and Pitler, 2008). I think that one of the greatest aspects of students being involved in a social learning project is that they are able to participate in cooperative teaching. As Dr. Orey stated, "Teaching others helps the learner develop a deeper understanding of the content."

After researching multiple instructional strategies, I have found that the some of the most useful social learning tools are right at our students' fingertips. Two weeks ago, we discussed virtual field trips. Webquests are like virtual field trips, but they also allow students "from multiple locations to work together to learn about a particular subject or to tackle a particular project or problem" (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, and Pitler, 2008)

Online Website creation is a fantastic way for students to collaboratively create an online global "artifact." Website creation, years ago, was for the technologically elite. Nowadays, with programs and websites like www.coolpage.com, iWeb, and Microsoft Office Publisher, website creation can be accomplished by just about any student at any age.

On top of that, Web 2.0 tools such as wikis and blogs allow easy access for global collaboration.
www.jigsaw.com allows students to learn socially by having them collaboratively construct an artifact that can be used to cooperatively teach a concept. Basically, everything we need to aid our students in social learning is just a click away. The more exposure our students have to this type of learning, the more successful they will become in the "fast-paced, virtual workplace they will inherit" (Friedman, 2005).

Constructionist Resources

"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" (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, & Pitler, 2007). In a nutshell, generating hypotheses help students form accommodations to their existing schema to achieve equilibration. Once students have formed these hypotheses, many of the discoveries that occur begin to assimilate into their schema. Through constructing their own learning, they are following a constructionist learning perspective.

Many data collection tools discussed in Generating and Testing Hypotheses aid to assimilation as student begin to "see the bigger picture and recognize patterns" (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, & Pitler, 2007). In addition many, "web resources and gaming software, in the form of interactive applets and simulations, allow students to use background knowledge, make decisions, and see the outcome of their hypotheses in virtual situation that would be impossible or financially unfeasible in real life" (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, & Pitler). These devices not only encourage more individual constructivist learning, but also strongly foster the four stages of Project Based Learning. "Darwin Pond" is a superb example of cooperative, Project Based Learning that allows students to create hypotheses and then test them. Overall, the resources discussed in this week's readings prove to very helpful to the constructionist educator.

Cognitive Learning Strategies

This week's resources describe, in detail, the many theories and aspects of cognitive learning. The aspect that stood out to me the most is the concept of "elaboration" as described by Dr. Orey in this week's video. "Elaboration" is the way the mind processes information into long-term memory by making connections to their learning. If a child cannot connect to what they are learning, then that information will not be permanently stored.

The Summarizing and Note Taking chapter of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works discusses how students' note taking "focuses on enhancing students' ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form." This is, in fact, a physical form of elaboration. By use of tools like concept maps and various online tools, students will be able to more readily "elaborate" on material discussed in class by physically seeing the connections being made right in front of them. This will increase the ability of the students to remember the "pathway" to the information they wish to recall, another cognitive learning theory. This week's upcoming application will allow me to design a concept map to utilize in my classroom to promote "elaborating" with my students.

Behaviorism Blog

From a behaviorist perspective, all behavior is viewed as a response to external stimuli. I believe that there are many instructional strategies that teachers can implement in order to shape their students' behavior. These strategies are fairly easy to introduce, for there is little mental activity involved. As an educator, I have always tended to use the positive reinforcement model when trying to extinguish an undesired behavior. I now know that the removal of something unpleasant, which is referred to as negative reinforcement, can be just as effective. I feel that in order for the behaviorist theory to maintain its effectiveness in the classroom, some type of reinforcement must immediately follow the behavior. Contracts are another useful strategy for modifying student behavior, for they directly involve the student in the "unlearning" process. Various forms of educational technology can be applied in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a particular approach. Spreadsheets, and similar programs that involve graphing collected data, serve as a clear visual representation of a student's progress. This benefits both the educator and the student.

Reflection

After reflecting on my experiences while taking the course "Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society," I feel that I made professional growth in the area of technology. I feel that I have gained the necessary knowledge to equip my students with the 21st century skills they will need to be successful in the workplace. Prior to taking this course, I was aware of the many Web 2.0 tools that exist, such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts. However, I was uncertain of how to create these types of tools and of the many ways that they can be integrated into the classroom.

As an educator of digital natives, I understand that today's students learn quite differently from digital immigrants. In order to remain engaged and motivated, digital natives must be provided with lessons that are meaningful and that align with what they do outside of the classroom. Today's students prefer to apply their multitasking abilities and to work collaboratively with their peers. The technological tools that are available in many of our nation's schools have the potential to meet the needs of diverse students and their various learning styles. It is up to me as an educator to familiarize myself with the capabilities of the available technology and to infuse the development of 21st century skills into the curriculum that I will be teaching.

Due to the fact that students' learning styles have changed with the development of various technologies, educators' instructional styles must also change. The teaching styles of many of today's educators are antiquated and such teachers are doing their students a great disservice. I am aware that I must act as a facilitator in the classroom and allow my students to participate in student-directed activities. I believe that students learn best when they are able to explore on their own. This type of learning is much more meaningful than being dictated to by the teacher.

Although I have had several opportunities to apply my newly gained knowledge, I have yet to implement any of these tools in my classroom. With next week being the start of a new school year, I will be welcoming my very first class of second graders. I am currently in the process of creating a blog that will serve as a class homepage. I hope to increase communication with the parents of the students I will be teaching and to share the wonderful things that will be taking place in our classroom each and every day. I also hope to share my knowledge with my students by teaching them the basics of blogging. I have constructed a blog page which I have titled "Our Class DiaBLOGue Journal." This will serve as an alternative to the composition books in which my students share their thoughts about the material we read in class. These dialogue journals are usually a source of communication between me and individual students. I am hoping that the online version will foster open communication between all students in the classroom and that they will begin to develop 21st century skills in the process. The main roadblock I foresee hindering my ability to accomplish these long term goals is the lack of funding in my school to ensure the proper resources are available to all students. We have one computer lab in which I will make sure we use each and every week and with the constant decline of computer prices, my school will one day be able to afford the proper amenities it needs.

As Chris Dede adamantly insists, an effective teacher of technology is one who is exposed to the technology themselves. By creating more podcasts, blogging more and more, and contributing to wikis when I feel I have something that a global audience needs to hear, I will continue my professional learning of Web 2.0 tools. I will continue to explore the most comprehensive and engulfing database ever created, the Internet, to ensure my mastery and continued discovery of Web 2.0 applications.

Technology Podcast

Here is the podcast I created for my masters class that highlights the technological prowess of 7-13-year-old girls in a local school system.

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/1451/episodes/6854

"Partnership for 21st Century Skills" Website Review

In order for our children to become successful in today's technological and global society, their possession of 21st century skills is critical. For those who aren't familiar with the term "21st Century Skills", or are curious as to what constitutes as 21st Century Skills and how to teach them to our students, I encourage you to check out the "Partnership for 21st Century Skills" at http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/.

My first impression of this website was familiarity. Previously, I read the company's Mile Guide and found much of the information in this report located on the website. The ease of navigation on the website made locating the information I wanted to find quite simple. As I started to explore more, I began to realize how much valuable information about 21st century skills could be found on this site.

What really surprised and impressed me was the snap shots that accompanied many of the teaching techniques suggested to properly implement 21st century skills. I have always been a very visual learner and these clips helped to reinforce my understanding of the Mile Guide. Another surprise for me was only 10 states in the U.S. are participating with this type of education. If we want the US to excel in global business, why isn't all of the U.S. on board with this? I feel every state should embrace these practices and am pretty disappointed that my state (Maryland) is not on the list.

Just because Maryland has yet to participate in this way of teaching, that doesn't mean that I can't take some initiative in infusing this content with the core subjects assessed by my state. Seeing that I will be teaching second grade next year for the first time, I found the snapshot on ICT/Global Awareness particularly intriguing and would like to incorporate that in my teaching next year. If my students will, one day, work in a global economy, then I want to expose them to concepts like ICT/Global Awareness at a very early age. Having a clearer understanding of how to properly facilitate 21st century skills will help me effectively prepare my students for their future successes.

Classroom Blogs

Although I have yet to try to them in my second grade classroom, I believe that blogs can serve as good instructional tools across the curriculum. After reading chapter two of "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms" by Will Richardson, I have learned several ways in which blogs can be effectively used to enhance classroom instruction. Due to their collaborative nature, blogs demand interaction between students and other members of soceity. Although my students are only in second grade, they are undoubtedly going to need this type of collaborative literacy in order to be successful later in life. As Will Richardson suggests, "It is never too early to start thinking about bringing primary sources into the classroom through the blog so students can ask questions and reflect on the answers." In preparing my students to write real and complex blogs, I must first teach them the basics of simple blogging. My ultimate goal is to teach my students the power of human connection. I believe that I can achieve this through using blogs in my classroom for various reasons.

As a second grade teacher, I am responsible for teaching all content areas. I think that blogs could serve as powerful tools for all subjects and that they would be rather easy to incorporate. I know that creativity will be needed in order for the blogging experience to be engaging and meaningful. First, I would like to create a blog to use as a class portal. This could serve as a powerful course management tool for all who are involved. This includes me, my students, parents, administrators, and other staff members in my building. I believe that this will make the class expectations very transparent and will clarify any misconceptions that could potentially hinder the success of my students. I would also like for my students to create their own blogs in order to share their creative writing pieces. This will allow them to have conversations with their readers and to reflect on the writing process. The more often they are able to be reflective and analyze their own work, the sooner they will be able to participate in "real" blogging.

Reference:

Richarson, W (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Corwin Press.

Welcome!

This blog has been created as part of my coursework at Walden University. I am currently pursuing a master's degree in Integrating Technology in the Classroom. It will serve as a place for me to reflect on my studies and my current teaching practices. Please feel free to share any ideas!