New and Emerging Technologies: Reflection

Throughout this course, I have thought about where the completion of this program will take me, and what it should mean with regards to my leadership in my school building. I am beginning to understand that the understandings I have developed not only through this class, but throughout the Integrating Technology in Education program, are an important part of the process to inspire change among my peers and colleagues in my building and district. I can now see that I need to take the initiative to model and introduce my colleagues to various technologies and their uses in the classroom, along with the benefits and efficiency they provide for student learning. The greatest realization that I have had during this particular course has been the level of resistance among my peers and colleagues to integrate technology in meaningful ways.

With the Purposeful Technology Planning application complete, I can recognize that I have learned a great deal about not only the uses of available technologies, but also of those that are currently new and emerging. Tools such as online learning environments and MUVEs had not occurred to me previously as having an education use beyond college courses and online entertainment. Throughout this course, I have had my eyes opened to the possibilities of utilizing online learning environments to differentiate and enhance student learning, providing opportunities that traditional learning tools cannot provide. Through an online learning environment students can develop crucial 21^st century skills, such as problem solving, complex collaboration and communication, and project and artifact innovation (Young, Birtolo, & McElman, 2009). MUVEs provide an additional flexibility and creative aspect to creating a potentially global community. I can see that as I continue to gain understanding and experience with technology tools and their applications in student learning, I will begin to better understand and realize the potential and possibilities that MUVEs can offer to a classroom learning environment, or to a global learning environment. It is, however, an area in which I certainly need more experience and information, so that I can better understand how to proceed with its appropriate use.

To continue to learn about new and emerging technologies, I need to begin setting time aside to read and research through internet resources that can provide information about these new technologies and their uses. Utilizing my aggregator and subscribing to technology blogs and informational sites, I can easily keep up with thoughts and tools that are being used in the classroom to support learning. However, the greatest change I need to make will be to better know, understand, and use the technology tools that I am familiar with. By gaining more experience and comfort with those tools, I will be able to better plan for lessons that incorporate their use in a meaningful way. Additionally, I need to collaborate more with colleagues; in my own building, those I will remain in touch with from this program, and other educators that I know and communicate with. Sharing experiences and thoughts about a technology and its ability to be utilized effectively in the classroom can spark a discussion and an idea enhancement or solution to a technology problem. I also see and understand the important role I play in shaping the technology use and adoption within my building. This can be done through the modeling and sharing of lessons utilizing technologies such as blogs, wikis, or online learning communities, and supporting colleagues in the development of skills to use those technologies. Change can be difficult for many of my colleagues and it becomes part of my responsibility to demonstrate and explain that even small changes moving toward technology integration can make a huge difference with our students.

Resource:

Young, J., Birtolo, P., & McElman, R. (2009). Virtual success: Transforming education through online learning. Learning & Leading with Technology,
36(5), 12–17. Retrieved from the Education Research Complete database.

Online Learning in K-12 schools

Online Learning in K-12 schools is quickly emerging as an efficient way to enhance and enrich classroom instruction. Click here to view my Voice Thread Presentation on this topic.

Resources:
Cavanaugh, C., & Clark, T. (2007). The Landscape of K-12 Online Learning. In P. Adamson, B. Adamson, & N. Clausen-Grace, et al (Eds.), What Works in K-12 Online Learning (Chapter 1, pp. 5-19). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Hargis, J., & Schofield, K. (2007). Integrating Online Learning into Elementary Classrooms. In P. Adamson, B. Adamson, & N. Clausen-Grace, et al (Eds.), What Works in K-12 Online Learning (pp. 33-47). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Using Technology with Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction in My Classroom

Reflecting on everything I have learned and discussed during the last week, I have come to the conclusion that I have been able to glean a great deal of clarity and understanding about both Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction. Universal Design for Learning is a research-based instructional framework that seeks to give all students, regardless of their strengths, an equal and fair opportunity to learn. This framework is based on three essential principles: providing students with multiple means of information access, multiple means of action and expression, and providing multiple means of engagement in activities and learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Differentiated Instruction works along many of the same premises, and is considered a teacher's response to a learner's needs based on student readiness, interest, and learning profile (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Understanding both of these frameworks much more clearly now, I can begin to appreciate the importance of knowing and understanding students on a personal and academic level. Using many of the resources that were shared in the Walden University Ning network with help me to understand the learning needs, strengths, and interests of my students. This information is crucial to providing lesson and activity differentiation to provide students with a better opportunity to learn. Specifically, utilizing http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style website to help both the students and myself understand their primary Learning Style, will help me to plan for lessons and activities in my classroom. This led me to the greatest aha of this class: the INTENTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. In order to truly serve my students well, I will need to plan for lessons and activities based on their needs, so as to be "intentionally flexible" in classroom. Intentional flexibility refers to striving to provide all of the multiple ways students need to learn. This flexibility requires significant planning as well as time to locate and evaluate resources and technologies. In order to achieve this in my classroom and provide all students with the appropriate method to learn or practice skills and information, I need to change my planning techniques and begin reserving time to inquire about certain technology tools.

Learning to use Ning throughout this class has afforded me the opportunity to see a social networking tool as a fantastic tool that could be utilized as part of a classroom or collaborative project. The potential for students to be able to communicate, collaborate, and display work both synchronously and asynchronously is amazing! The only potential drawback to this technology tool is that it requires users to have a minimum age of 13. In my situation as an elementary teacher, it makes using Ning an impossibility in my classroom.

I have been very excited about all of the great resources that have been shared and discussed. I have been able to identify good resources for identifying student learning styles and modalities, ways to quickly gather information about student interests, both personally and academically. In addition to the multiple sites presented to learn about student strengths, needs, and learning preferences, there were several sites discussed on the Ning network, like http://www.kerpoof.com/teach, http://nlvm.usu.edu/, http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives, http://www.webquest.org/index.php, http://www.audible.com, and http://www.jogtheweb.com. These sites would allow me to use technology, primarily computer technology, to provide my students with content, process, and product differentiation, through interactive whiteboard activities, computer practice, and production of artifacts.

I do not have the most abundant technology situation, but I have some available to me. I can see that by intentionally planning for the differentiation, I can utilize the technology that is in my classroom, as well as other technology that can be found within the building. By collaborating with colleagues, I can access iPods for audio books and podcasts for audio and visual learners. I can also access a projector to utilize online tools with my entire class, augmenting the size and color of text for students. I can use the few computers that are in my classroom to give students to access our classroom blog at least once weekly, through a rotational basis. The biggest obstacle that I see for myself now is how to begin. Transforming my classroom into a fully differentiated classroom with technology integration will not happen overnight. I have set the goal of developing one lesson a week and the technology resources to accompany that lesson. So it now becomes a matter of being patient enough to implement these pieces one at a time, without losing the sense of urgency to press on. After all, the needs of all my students cannot wait; they have waited long enough.

 

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program five. Universal Design for Learning [Motion picture]. Reaching and Engaging all Learners through Technology. Baltimore: Author.

 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program eight. What is differentiated instruction? [Motion picture]. Reaching and Engaging all Learners through Technology. Baltimore: Author.

Universal Design For Learning presentation (APP4)

Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction

Click on the title above to view my most recent Voice Thread about Universal Design for Learning and how it connects to Differentiated Instruction.

Towards Self-Directed Learning and Creative Problem Solving: a Reflection on Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas

 

"I never teach My Pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." - Albert Einstein

 

 

Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas seemed, at the beginning of this course, a simple black and white issue. I felt that I was already accomplishing this in, at very least, small ways throughout the year. As I continued throughout this course, I found that there are many simple and engaging ways that I can integrate technology further across the content areas. Most importantly, I found that the key to successfully implementing technology into my classroom was to combine the use of technology with developing self-directed learners through authentic learning experiences. "Authentic instruction provides for, and builds on, learner autonomy." (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.29) Authentic instruction experiences, self-directed learning and the infusion of technology into those learning activities and experiences will help to provide the right conditions, that Einstein spoke of in the above quote, for my students to learn and be able to use that learning not only in my own classroom, but in subsequent later classrooms, as well as any chosen career path. Technology enhances my ability to encourage creativity, innovation, problem solving, and self-directed learning (Cennamo et. al., 2009). In an era of urgency to improve student achievement, technology will certainly need to be intentionally and effectively integrated into these authentic learning experiences, to help ensure the success of our students.

 

Developing my Goals, Action, Monitoring, and Evaluation plan (Cennamo et. al., 2009) was an exciting experience for me. I found through my self-reflection and evaluation that I am at least beginning to meet many of the ISBE NETS-T (ISBE, 2009) standards in my classroom instruction. I am certainly meeting some of the standards better than others. I did find that there were specifically two standards that I need to begin addressing in my classroom instruction on a more regular basis. Simply put, I need to provide my students more real-world authentic problem solving opportunities and I need to make connections with and provide important information to community members, colleagues, and students through digital tools and available technology. The journey of developing the actions that I need to take to meet the goals of my GAME plan, monitoring and adjusting those plans, and then thinking of how to evaluate the effectiveness of my plan, has been an exciting, while simultaneously discouraging experience. I found that my goals are quite appropriate, and will increase student success in my classroom. What I found is the amount of research and additional work that it may take to acquire the technology that I need to meet these goals in my classroom. Technology, in many schools and districts, has or is beginning to go the way of music and art education; the funding is not placed in these programs, and technology, when available, does not allow for effective use of that technology for all of my students. Subsequently, throughout this course, I needed to modify the actions I was planning on taking , in order to acquire the needed technology through grant opportunities, or locating enough building equipment to meet the learning experience expectations of the particular lesson and unit. In my current position, this will require me to acquire grant monies in order to secure the vital equipment that will allow my students to engage in the technology rich authentic learning experiences that are so crucial to developing creative, innovative, self-directed learners. My future instruction will need to be altered in such a way that I can use the state standards, in conjunction with the NETS-T and NETS-S standards, to develop essential learning objectives. Once I have done this, I can then construct an authentic learning experience for my students to participate in. Then, and only then, I can begin to choose the appropriate technology that will be most effective in the lesson, rather than attempting to develop a lesson around the technology. As an added bonus to developing my personal GAME Plan for integrating technology into my classroom instruction, I also found this model for planning and lesson execution to be quite suitable for students to begin using, in order to reach their full achievement potential, rather than an arbitrary letter grade or test score. I truly believe that teaching my students to use this plan, while modeling its use, with impact their ability to achieve, understand and learn more throughout the year, thus making them more prepared to move on from my classroom.

On a final note, I feel that I have learned much more about different technology tools that, in the appropriate lesson, can offer my students the ability to be creative, solve problems, collaborate with others, learn reading and writing skills, and connect to content topics. I am intrigued by the use of digital storytelling, and I am convinced of the power that interactive and collaborative blogging and wiki creating can develop in my students. I certainly look forward to applying this learning and excitement to my lesson development and classroom activities when classes resume!

 

Resources:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

Involving Students in GAMEs

Using the GAME plan, as presented by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), has been a great strategy for me to use as I attempt to improve the instructional practices that I want in my classroom. One of the thoughts I had early on in this process of using the GAME plan, was that the organization process could be quite useful for students. As my experience and understanding have grown regarding GAME plans, I can see that this process can be used by students, both long term, and short term, to help augment academic success.

 

I can see myself using this process with my students on at least one of several different levels. I believe this would a terrific tool to use with students in developing academic or learning goals for each term. Obviously, we want students to be successful in all academic areas. However, it might be more manageable for struggling students to focus on one academic area to improve at a time. Students would identify their goals, based on district and state standards. Then develop a very specific action plan to meet that goal. I would ask students to monitor the GAME plan through data collection and reflection about every two weeks. This could be done either in a journal or on the classroom blog. Students would then be able to evaluate how successful they had been in meeting their goal.

 

Additionally, I see the GAME plan as a great way to focus students at the beginning of a unit or project, so that students hold themselves accountable for their own success. Students could set goals for the unit or project, based on learning goals and rubric requirements of the unit and project together. This, again, would require students to reflect on their own progress toward their goal. It would help students meet the NETS-S technology standards, because students would be setting goals that parallel the use of technology in the classroom. In projects or units, students could set goals focused not only on content understanding, but also on the collaboration they will be having with peers, as well the use of varied technology tools, including podcasting, digital storytelling, and the use of the blog to present or discuss the topic.

 

Most importantly, I would use each of these smaller GAME plans to help my student reach their term or quarter GAME plan outline. Ultimately, using a GAME plan with students would be a great benefit to the organization, planning, and justification for every academic choice they make in their learning. I could even see a mini GAME plan put to use for students who struggle from week to week, or even from day to day in the classroom. Students could set a daily academic goal, and understand what his or her action is to meet the academic goal of the day (or week)

 

Using the GAME plan has certainly helped me to organize my lessons, thoughts, and professional needs.

 

Julie

 

Resource: Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.