Touch Down!!!

Throughout this course, focusing on a game plan has really made me refocus on my teaching and the students that I work with. Educators can be bogged down with everyday activities and loose sight of the goal, so it is important to keep the GAME plan in front of us at all times. We can pass this lesson on to our students. It is important to stay focused and stay with the game plan to accomplish the goal.

Technology has always played an important role in my classroom, but I have learned several new tools and techniques that I am very excited about using in the classroom and sharing with the students I work with. Problem-based learning and social networking have proven to be very useful tools and beneficial to student learning in the classroom. By using these tools students are able to see things from a different viewpoint. Using digital storytelling as an informative tool will benefit many of the youth that I work with on a day to day basis.

I have definitely enjoyed this learning experience and have written many useful ideas into my playbook for future use. It is great to be part of such a great learning community!

Game PLAN Part 3

Something that I have learned through our learning and experience is that data is important. Assessment is important in collecting the data we need to help our students obtain growth throughout their time in our classrooms. Our district is very data driven and strive to ensure that our students have every possible advantage. Therefore, I have taken that drive to the classroom and the students that I interact with. This weeks learning video and text reinforced many of the assessment strategies that are currently taking place during the time spent with the students that I teach. Assessment should take place often throughout lessons and projects.

There are a few things that make for successful learning:
1. Students need to know what they are expected to learn, what is the objective of the lesson.    
2. Students need attainable check points in which to meet throughout a lesson or unit.
3. Finally students need to be able to analyze their progress throughout the lesson/unit and at the end of                           the lesson/unit.

Dr. Ross explained in our learning video the steps for determining effective assessment (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009):
1. Identify learning objectives - know where your going and how your going to get there.
2. Determine teaching methods - what technology are you going to use.
3. Choose supporting technology - develop assessment tools that fit your students.

These are steps that I plan on implementing into our learning environment.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Assessing student learning with technology.  Baltimore, MD: Author

GAME Plan Part 2

Some of the things that I will need to act out my game plan is use of the Internet, global learning communities, and current research that can be obtained through our district. One suggestion a colleague made, their district decided to develop their own learning community to begin with to interact and share ideas pertaining to the needs of their teachers and students (michelle15102).

To address evaluation and reflection on current research and professional practice, I am currently enrolled through Walden University's Masters of Education program. During my time here at Walden, I have and will be interacting with other professional educators. Through interaction with my colleagues at Walden, I am participating in a global learning community, taking what I am learning and applying it to my daily educational environment. Through my learning at Walden, I will be supplied with resources that have been tried from experienced educators around the nation.

I plan to document my progress and learning throughout this plan through my blog spot, through lesson plans, and personal application.

GAME PLAN

GAME PLAN:

After studying the NETS for Teachers, the standard that I found that I lacked that most confidence was Standard 5 – Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership and the indicators that I structured my GAME plan around were as follows (ISTE, 2008):

a.     Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

c.     Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

Participating in local and global learning communities is an area that we are lacking. Because of Internet safety and the privacy of our students, our district is very shy of using many outside sources that are open to public viewing. In response to indicator c., I tend to find something that works and stick to it. Many educators are guilty of this and a classroom cannot thrive if educators do not model and create a life-long learning environment. My GAME plan is as follows (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009):

Goals – To participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve students learning & evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis.

Action – To research some local and global learning communities that are safe and sound resources for our classroom, then educate and share my findings with our district for approval. Also, by attending my classes through Walden University and by collaborating with other technology educators throughout our country to evaluate the success of technology integration into the classroom.

Monitor – Create a checklist of expectations and concerns of our district and my classroom that we would like to see happening; child privacy, the learning communities focus, relevance, etc. As to current research and professional practice, I will monitor my growth through feedback from my instructors, through course work, through journaling, via my blog spot, and interacting with the group of educators traveling through the same educational journey that I am traveling.

Evaluate & Extend – Implement the local and global learning communities into our classroom experience. Getting feedback from my students as well as our district. Through interaction with my colleagues, gain knowledge and understanding to share with my students and other educators to follow.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: a standards-based approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

ISTE (2008). NETS for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org.

Reflection

During this class I believe that my view on learning theory has not changed drastically. I still believe that there is no one right approach to learning. Throughout this study I have learned that each learning theory has it's positive effects on students and learning. When used collaboratively, these theories can be utilized and create a successful learning environment.

Through the incorporation of technology in collaboration with these theories, great learning can occur. Technology can be a great tool to help students construct and achieve true learning and comprehension of the subject matter covered. Two of the technology tools that I would like to incorporate into my classroom are the C-maps and voice threads. These are two tools that I think greatly enhance a learning experience. Throughout this course, I have stored many great web sites and tools into my educational library that I can pull out when appropriate.

Two long-term changes that I would like to make in my instructional practice regarding technology integration are trying to stay ahead of game and working simultaneously with others outside the classroom. By staying ahead of the game I mean trying to prepare my students for tomorrow, not today. If I want them to be prepared when they leave my classroom, they must be thinking of the future and what it is going to bring. I want to encourage them to be life long learners and to be successful they must learn to be life long learners. By working simultaneously with others outside the classroom, I believe is another way to prepare them for tomorrow. It also reinforces what I am teaching and allows them to see subjects from another perspective.

Voice Thread Week 5

There are many great tools that can be used by educators and students. Power Point, voice threads, C-maps, etc. All of these tools are tools that can be used by both the educator and the students to construct good quality tools for learning.

The voice thread was really exciting and students (teachers too) can use informational images, text, voice, and communicate with other educators and students all over the world, sharing their knowledge as they create. Students learn best by creating, building, and reconstructing artifacts because they are able to share their experiences, triumphs, and failures with each other through their creations. This can especially be seen during group activities. Students are able to listen to each other and learn by watching, listening, and doing while in a group setting. One of my favorite lessons is having my students create a Power Point presentation in a group setting. I love watching them discover their strengths and weaknesses and learning how to work through problems.

By creating this brief voice thread I can see how it could be useful in the classroom. I think that it would allow itself to be an effective tool in communicating and sharing with parents and other students around the world.

Click on the link below to see my voice thread:
http://voicethread.com/share/1702259/

Constructivism in Practice

When reading through the text this week, "Generating and Testing Hypotheses", I felt that by using technology engages students in the six tasks discussed in our reading. Systems analysis, problem solving, historical investigation, invention, experimental inquiry, and decision making are all skills that are necessary for our students and as adults in our society. As educators it is our job to help prepare our students for the work world, social world, and to prepare them for what is yet to come.

By using tools like Excel, Power Point, and Podcasts, students are able to construct an end result that has meaning and exhibits some of the students style or personality. It also enables educators to teach across the curriculum, by incorporating math skills, English/grammar skills, history, etc. When educators teach across the curriculum, it creates deeper learning, reinforcement, and relevance for the student. For example: when teaching about budgeting, students can use Excel to keep up with data entry like income and expenses. By using technology students are able to see how their money comes in and where it goes out, but also using math skills and problem solving to complete this process. Any time that you can incorporate real world activities students seem to really engage into the lesson, answering that wonderful question "When am I ever going to use ...?".