Cognitivism in Practice

Dr. Orey (2010) describes the Cognitive Learning Theory as an “information processing method” that requires an input of information, short-term memory, rehearsal, and then long term memory. Paivios dual coding hypothesis stressed the use of information images to input information into the brain. By using informational images students are able to connect the image with text giving them a greater chance for storing information into their long-term memory.


In Chapter 4, Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers, we see that giving students these tools help them to think on a deeper level, providing connections to thoughts, images, and all senses of the body. Cues are hints about the material that will be presented, questions help students to bring to mind information previously stored, and advanced organizers help students focus their thoughts upon the material being presented.


By incorporating things such as Cmaps and graphic organizers we help students to organize their information into a useful tool, helping them to visualize information for long-term storage in the brain. When using cues, questions, advanced organizers, etc., we give students the tools necessary to enable them to summarize information. Information summary can be quite difficult if there is not a complete understanding of the material being presented. By integrating technological tools educators can help students see the big picture and the connections to be made between text, images, and sometimes smell (Orey, 2010).

Laureate, Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Cognitive Learning Theory [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Orey, M.

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

Behaviorism in Practice

I am a firm believer in rubrics! I especially enjoyed reading chapter 8, "Reinforcing Effort", in our course book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski. The "Effort Rubric" shown in this chapter is a great example of how we can pair technology with behaviorism in the classroom. Rubrics are a great way to guide students as they learn and participate in activities. It shows students exactly what is expected of them and exactly the grade they will be getting based on their performance. In every project that I ever assigned, I had a rubric that the students could follow to help them during the process of completing their work. This kept projects from being overwhelming and help break the project down into categories, making the task at hand seem manageable.

What about homework and practice? "Homework and practice give students a chance to review and apply what they have learned" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007). In chapter 10 some good points were made about homework: parental involvement should be kept to a minimum, it should be something the students already know how to do, and if it is going to be assigned it should be checked for completion or commented upon. Something that I have found in my few years of teaching is that students know which class to do their homework in and which classes not to do their homework in. The decide this based upon whether or not a teacher will check or grade their homework assignment. Homework is often perceived as a waste of time to students, because too often teachers assign homework then never look at the students work. Homework and practice are essential to student learning, students must practice something 24 times before mastery is accomplished (Orey, 2010).

By using technology, educators are able to assign homework and practice in a more appealing way to students. Technology lends itself to addressing skills in many different forms, such as, online encyclopedia's, online article's, video, word processing, etc. Teachers must embrace this technology to better educate our student's.

Laureate, Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Behaviorist Learning Theory [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Orey, M.

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

Reflection

This course has introduced me to many forms of technology such as, wikis and blogs and how to incorporate them into the classroom. It has helped me to expand my technological skills and abilities, while allowing me to share these skills with my students and colleagues.

One concept that I found most intriguing was the debate discussed by Dr. David Thornburg and Dr. Hall Davidson in the video, Digital Native vs. Digital Immigrant. This helped me to dissect learners and determine if they are a digital native or a digital immigrant. A digital native is someone born into the digital world and a digital immigrant is someone not born into the digital world. This then led to Dr. Chris Dede presentation of Millennial Learning Styles, which are media based learning styles. He described how the media you use shapes the way you learn. Being presented with this information helped me to view the learner in a whole new perspective.  Dr. Thornburg brought to light that we need to use what the student is bringing into the classroom (what the student already knows), and incorporate their knowledge into our lessons to create a better learning environment (Laureate, Inc., 2010).

Two long-term goals that I have for transforming my classroom environment are to really change my role as just a “teacher” to an “educational facilitator” and to focus on continuing to be a life-long learner. By being an “educational facilitator”, I will not only be teaching but empowering my students to work together to find and solve problems, as Dr. Dede discussed in “Millennial Learning Styles”, allowing my students to be neo-millennial students (Dede, C., 2010).

As a technology teacher it is important to continuously explore new forms of technology and be knowledgeable about what technology is being used by our work force and also by our students. I will do this by staying involved in a learning community, blogging, and communicating with fellow educators in my field.

Upon completing this course, I don’t think that my answers have changed much but I have definitely sharpened my tools for doing things differently and not just doing different things (Thornburg, D., 2010).

Davidson, H. & Thornburg, D. (2010). “Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants.” [Video file]. Laureate Education. Unknown.

Dede, C. (2010). “Millennial Learning Styles.” [Video file]. Laureate Education. Unknown.

Thornburg, D. (2010). “The Emergence of Educational Technology.” [Video file]. Laureate Education. Unkown.

Profiling the Students of Today

I recently surveyed a group of 6th grade students from Rienzi Elementary school about their use of technology and this is what I found.

21st Century Skills

My reaction to this website was WOW! I am really excited to see that there is an effort being made to educate our students with the knowledge and skills that they need. Sir Ken Robinson states "Current systems of education are based on the manufacturing principles of linearity, conformity and standardization". A holistic approach to education is exactly what our children need to succeed in our world today.

I found the skills framework interactive tour to be very informative and easy to maneuver. Route 21 "Snapshots" are a great way to get ideas of how to effectively implement this framework into the classroom.

I think the implications for my students and for me as a contemporary educator will be first-rate. My students will be prepared for the work world and the ever-changing environment in which they will be working. My students will have the knowledge and skills to incorporate all aspects of work, society, and life in general into their everyday lives. As an educator, I want to know that I have done everything in my power to equip my students for any environment that they may find themselves in.

Resources

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2010). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Retrieved September 28, 2010, from http://www.p21.org

Robinson, K. (2010). Sir Ken Robinson.com. Bring on the learning revolution. Retrieved September 28, 2010, from http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/bring-on-the-learning-revolution

Utilizing Blogs in the Classroom

Last year I taught 7th Grade Career Discovery in the Corinth School District in Mississippi. Integrating technology was a must, considering how much technology is used in the workplace. One of the biggest complaints of local businesses in our area is that students entering the workforce are not properly equipped to use the technology available to them in the workplace. A technology tool that was very beneficial to me, my students, and our learning community was the use of blogs.

One way that I used blogs in the classroom last year was as a student portfolio. Upon completing a project students would post what they learned, any insights or interesting findings from their project, and what they liked most about the project. The students would attach or insert their technology projects into their blogs. This enabled students to share their projects with others (parents, grandparents, and peers).

Students became more conscientious about the quality of their work, knowing that it would be posted on the Internet and also knowing that their peers would be "checking out their work". This was also a great way to encourage writing and reflection for each student. Students began blogging about issues outside of the classroom, happenings in our school, community, and/or casual journalism. I was very impressed at the level of writing the students grew into. They felt empowered to be creative and express themselves in a way they typically would not in a typical classroom setting.

One thing that I would love to incorporate is the ability to have RSS capability. Our district was apprehensive about allowing feedback to students work. This would encourage student and parent interaction with the classroom community.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Third Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Need Help!

Here is a useful website that my school subscribes to. They offer free tutorials too.

www.lynda.com

This site has any tutorial related to computers and technology, it has been very useful to me and my colleagues in our district.

Emily