GAME Plan Revisited

My GAME plan already needs to be tweaked. I decided that I would like to create another goal that is more measurable and will have an immediate impact on how I communicate with parents. This year, I plan to create a class website that will contain all important information pertaining to my class. Although I know that this is a large undertaking, I feel that it is critical to finding my place in a family’s busy lifestyle.

My district recommends teachers to create their websites in the form of a wiki. Although I am relatively familiar with how to create a wiki, I have located a how-to guide to assist me with the basics. I also have referred to many other teacher websites, noting the most commonly included information. Examining other websites provided me with greater clarification as to the direction in which I should be taking with my own website.

My other goal outlined in my GAME plan is to become more knowledgeable about my future Interactive Whiteboard. Although I will be receiving district training about how to use the equipment, I want to have a better idea as to how to incorporate it into my Kindergarten classroom. I have already subscribed to several technology blogs that provide Interactive Whiteboard ideas. Sifting through activities found on www.ilearntechnology.com and http://primarytech.globalteacher.org.au/ has allowed me to determine which activities are aligned with my curriculum. Dr. John Ross reminds teachers that sometimes you have to “train yourself to go out and find information” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Fortunately in this day in age, a simple Google search can get you headed in the right direction – well, most of the time that is.

Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.

Developing my Personal GAME Plan

My students deserve a teacher who has a desire to be a continual learner. The GAME plan as outlined by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) provides easy steps for self-directed learning. After reviewing the NETS-T standards, I feel that focusing on two areas will directly influence my effectiveness as a teacher and a proponent of technology integration in the classroom.

Set Goals:
My goals fall under the Model Digital-Age Work and Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership categories. My first goal is to become more knowledgeable about my soon to come Interactive Whiteboard and how to effectively integrate it into my Kindergarten classroom. My second goal is to become an active member of the school technology committee to ensure that technology integration in the classroom is being recognized as an issue of importance.

Take Action to meet those goals:
To become more knowledgeable about my Interactive Whiteboard, I plan to attend any offered trainings and communicate with those that have already successfully integrated its use in their classroom via educator technology forums and online discussions. There are also many websites available that have Interactive Whiteboard resources. Frequently reviewing websites such as www.ilearntechnology.com will ensure that my newfound practices never become mundane. Becoming a member of the school technology committee is the first step to achieving my second goal. Since the committee sets goals for itself, I plan to actively participate in helping the technology committee achieve such goals.

Monitor progress toward achieving goal:
I plan on keeping a journal to document the outcome of various lessons involving the Interactive Whiteboard. What went well? What should I change? Were the students engaged? Was it an effective use of technology? Answering these questions will better prepare me for discussions with my colleagues about technology integration and how to best use an Interactive Whiteboard. Monitoring my progress for my second goal may prove to be more difficult; however, if I can expand the conversations about technology to include how to use technology to inform instruction and engage students in learning then I feel that I will be making progress in achieving my goal.

Evaluate whether the goals were achieved:
Achieving my first goal will undoubtedly take years as it requires much trial and error; however, I will feel satisfied when I can foresee the success of a future lesson involving my Interactive Whiteboard. Only then will I know that I am on the path to truly utilizing this technology tool to promote student learning and engagement. Achieving my second goal can be determined by what goals the school technology committee chooses to create for the following school year. These goals should contain a focus of technology integration in the classroom if I truly was an active participant in discussions with my colleagues.

Self-directed learning is not only meaningful but it is also critical to being an effective teacher. “As a self-directed lifelong learner, you’ll be able to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes that inevitably will occur during your professional career, keep your skills up-to-date, and better meet the needs of your students today and in the future” (Cennamo et al., 2009, p. )

References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved September 14, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Reflection

The Internet does not leave today’s students awestruck because of its many capacities; it is simply an everyday tool. Many teachers recall referring to hardcover encyclopedias and maybe even, an informative computer program to locate information about particular topics. Not surprisingly, these are things of the past. Just as we were taught to locate information in an encyclopedia, today’s students must be taught how to use the Internet effectively as a learning tool. Throughout the past few weeks, I have gained a greater understanding of how many new literacy skills must be taught in order for students to become proficient in the 21st century. Simply put, the definition of “literate” has definitely changed.

The new literacy skills include: questioning, searching, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating. Prior to this course, I simply went through the motions of using these skills in my everyday life and never put much thought into the importance of the skills. Although many of these skills were self-taught, today’s students need explicit modeling and guided practice beginning at the early stages of their schooling careers because they will be required to develop and use these new literacy skills in order to be considered literate in the 21st century.

One goal that I am creating for myself is to utilize more collaborative learning, especially with others outside of our school and classroom. Will Richardson states that it is important for our classrooms to have “thin walls” when teaching our students the new literacies. “If we sincerely want to prepare students to read, write, and edit their way through complex online networks, we need to make these literacies part of the way we do business as educators/learners” (Richardson, 2009, p. 31). To support this thinking, I plan to set up a collaborative project with one of my good friends who teaches Third Grade at another school. Every year, my Kindergarten class creates a fairytale during our fairytale unit and this year, I think it would be fun to create a digital fairytale between the two classes. This project would promote imagination and collaboration amongst the students in my classroom and it would provide a framework that allows for creativity in a timeframe that is appropriate for my students’ attention span. Such a project will not only teach my students valuable collaboration and new literacy skills, but they will also have a product that the students will be proud of.

Reference:
Richardson, W. (2009, March). Becoming network-wise. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 26–31.

Reflection

Reflecting upon learning theories give educators a foundation from which to build their own learning theories. Although all learning theories have their place in the classroom in some form, I still believe that constructionism outlines how most students learn and construct meaning. Important brain research proves that “[t]he brain is sculpted through experience” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009), reinforcing the idea that no two students are exactly the same. According to Han and Bhattacharya, constructionists maintain “that new ideas are most likely to be created when learners are actively engaged in building some type of external artifact that they can reflect upon and share with others” (Orey, 2001, p. 4). Instead of simply assessing student knowledge through the use of standard assessments, learned concepts can be demonstrated by creating an artifact through the use of PowerPoint, VoiceThread, wikis, blogs, and any other application that encourages student creativity.

Based on my learning throughout this course, an immediate adjustment that I will make to my instructional practice is to utilize a portion of our time in the computer lab as a time where the students are reviewing previously introduced literacy and math concepts. “Practicing with multimedia allows students to shape the experience to their individual learning styles and increase their level of understanding to mastery” (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 192). Allowing the students to practice these concepts through the use of multimedia will increase engagement and will give me another method in which to assess the students’ level of knowledge regarding specific concepts.

One technology tool that I intend to utilize in my classroom is VoiceThread. Allowing students to utilize VoiceThread to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or share their ideas provides students with the opportunity to create an artifact. This form of constructionism is beneficial in promoting meaningful learning through experience. Adding a social component through student comments enhances student learning as maintained by social learning theories. According to Beaumie Kim, “[m]eaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities” (Orey, 2001, p. 3).

Through the use of Kidspiration, a concept mapping tool, students can learn how to identify similarities and differences. “Use of graphic organizers helps students visually portray connections and experience new and deeper insights about the content” (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 179). By using this technology tool to create concept maps, my students can easily include graphics and text to increase meaning to support Paivo’s Dual Coding Hypothesis which states that information is stored as images and text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

As I become more knowledgeable about how to best incorporate technology into my current practices, it is important to set and outline personal goals. To increase student engagement, I plan to make a more conscious effort to incorporate technology more as a learning tool instead of simply an instructional tool. Due to the fact that our SmartBoard is a new addition to our classroom, I feel that I have not familiarized myself enough with it yet to fully allow my students to use it mostly as a learning tool. As I explore its applications more fully, I intend to explicitly model how to properly use the SmartBoard so my students will have a clear understanding of how they are to use this tool to enhance their learning. Through the use of an interactive whiteboard, my students will be encouraged to be active learners by collaboratively reviewing concepts in an engaging manner.

Next year, I also plan on developing at least one activity per term that introduces my students to a new learning tool and allows them to use this technology to demonstrate their understanding of a concept. Now that I am aware of a variety of technology tools that can be used to encourage active learning, I plan on reviewing my curriculum map and identifying which concepts would lend themselves nicely to incorporating learning tools such as VoiceThread, PowerPoint, and concept maps. By identifying these areas prior to the conclusion of the school year, I will increase the likelihood that I will in fact utilize these tools when they prove to be most relevant and beneficial to enhancing student learning.

I believe that learning is doing. Every year, my students and I share the role of learners in my classroom as I continually adapt my teaching practices to best meet my students’ needs. I look forward to next year when I can begin the school year with my newfound knowledge pertaining to technology integration in the classroom.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 2. Brain Research and Learning. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 5. Cognitive Learning Theories.[Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

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.

VoiceThread regarding Interactive Whiteboards

In this VoiceThread, I am seeking the advice of my colleagues as to how I should begin utilizing an interactive whiteboard in my Kindergarten classroom.

http://voicethread.com/share/1040725/

The Connection between Social Learning Theories and Cooperative Learning

According to George Siemens, “Education is complex” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). No educator today will argue that simple fact. Teaching mandated curriculums in addition to 21st century skills proves to be a daunting task for many due to uncertainty as to how to effectively align the two. However, today’s students are a part of a networked society and “[t]o be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today’s students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively” (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 139).

Cooperative learning supports the idea of social learning. According to Dr. Orey, students construct meaning when they are actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Social learning theories also suggest the use of more knowledgeable others when constructing meaning. Although a teacher frequently fills this role in a classroom, through collaborative groupings, students may be paired with another student to fill the role as the more knowledgeable other. Technology can also be used to support this form of social learning.

“Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face” (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 140). Through the use of multimedia, Keypals, WebQuests, web site development, and collaborative organizing tools, students can gain invaluable experiences which allow them to work collaboratively with other individuals towards a common goal. These technological tools require students to compare their perspectives and knowledge of particular topics and ultimately, encourage students to develop meaning based on experience.

Social learning theories definitely have a place in our classrooms as our world become increasingly interconnected. Using technology is an excellent way to give our students the experiences they need to better understand how to effectively communicate and collaborate with others to reach a common goal.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 7. Social Learning Theories. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 8. Connectivism as a Learning Theory. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

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

Constructionism in Practice

Constructionist learning theories are demonstrated when project-based learning is taking place in the classroom. According to Han and Bhattacharya, project-based learning allows learners “to become active builders of knowledge while confronting misconceptions and internalizing content and associated conceptions” (Orey, 2001, p. 10). Constructionism is reflected in student-centered learning environments and the creation of artifacts that demonstrate the learning outcome (Orey, 2001, p. 9-10). This week’s resources mentioned numerous methods for which teachers can encourage their students to solve problems by using technology with the focus being on students constructing their own meaning based on learning experiences. Dr. Michael Orey is a proponent of utilizing PowerPoint as a tool for which students can “build something” to demonstrate their understanding of a concept and take an active role in the learning process (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).

Generating and testing hypotheses demonstrates constructionism as it requires students to use the mechanisms of learning outlined by Dr. Orey: assimilation, accommodation, equilibration, and schema (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Throughout the learning process, students are continually actively constructing meaning. “Technology can play a vital role in generating and testing hypotheses because new development in probeware and interactive applets allow students to spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering the data” (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 203). Teacher-created interactive spreadsheets and data collection tools give students the opportunity to complete authentic tasks and use higher level thinking skills to solve problems more efficiently.

If students construct meaning by doing, the gaming software referenced in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works can provide students with opportunities to become actively involved in the learning process by requiring students to apply what they have learned to solve problems and/or carry out tasks. According to Pitler et al. (2007), “[s]imulation software also can provide incredibly engaging learning environments, resulting in increased motivation and retention in learning” (p.213).

Meaningful learning takes place when students are actively involved in the process. Teachers cannot simply impart information to their students, as it is the student who must construct knowledge in his/her mind. The use of technology can motivate students and provide them with unique ways to individually demonstrate their understanding of core concepts.

References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Program 7. Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories. [Educational video]. Baltimore: Author.

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.