This course, along with the GAME plan I have developed for it has helped me in many ways. Because of my GAME plan, I am able to see what I need to do to reach my ultimate goal. My students need a lot of help to reach use all of the technology available to them. Our school does not always provide students with the best technology available so it is up to me to find this and make the students aware that it is available. Training is lacking at my school, but through this class I have learned so much. Students can relate everyday ideas to the lessons we need to teach and create connections through the use of technology. The lessons I have created for this class have been a launching pad for the great ideas I have floating around in my head. Students can do so much and create so much through the use of technology.
The second part of my GAME plan called for me to work more with global communities. This idea was foreign for me. Other then Walden, I have never worked in a online global community. I know now that this idea is priceless in the education of our students. By working with others from all around the country or world, I am able to learn in ways I would have never been able to learn before. Different people have so many different things to offer and through online communities, I am able to see this.
This class and the GAME plan has really gotten me thinking over the past 8 weeks. I look forward to taking much of what I have learned and putting into play in my classroom. This has been a wonderful experience and I have really enjoyed all I have learned.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
GAME Plan
Through this class I have created a GAME plan to guide me in the right direction with my students and technology.
My first goal was to create better communication with my students, parents and the community through use of technology. I have started this and it is working well, but only to the stage of reaching my students. Perhaps my students and I can work together to create a website that's goal is to reach parents and the community. This can be student directed, and teacher regulated. We could post pictures and work samples so that the community can see what is happening in our classroom.
My next goal was to become a participant in global learning communities. While I do this regularly through Walden, I would like for myself and my students to find other avenues of this. my colleagues have shared many ways to do this and I look forward to looking into them and using them in my classroom. If students are able to learn using more then just the regular classroom and same old everyday teacher when learning globally. This helps them realize that there is more out there then what their own teachers share daily.
With this ever changing world, students must be kept up to date with technology. The two goals I have stated above are just the tip of the icebergs and are just part of what students need to know to succeed. This year I have learned so much when it comes to technology. I look forward to using them in the future and seeing how much they benefit my students.
My first goal was to create better communication with my students, parents and the community through use of technology. I have started this and it is working well, but only to the stage of reaching my students. Perhaps my students and I can work together to create a website that's goal is to reach parents and the community. This can be student directed, and teacher regulated. We could post pictures and work samples so that the community can see what is happening in our classroom.
My next goal was to become a participant in global learning communities. While I do this regularly through Walden, I would like for myself and my students to find other avenues of this. my colleagues have shared many ways to do this and I look forward to looking into them and using them in my classroom. If students are able to learn using more then just the regular classroom and same old everyday teacher when learning globally. This helps them realize that there is more out there then what their own teachers share daily.
With this ever changing world, students must be kept up to date with technology. The two goals I have stated above are just the tip of the icebergs and are just part of what students need to know to succeed. This year I have learned so much when it comes to technology. I look forward to using them in the future and seeing how much they benefit my students.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
GAME Update
Not much has changed this week with reaching my goal. I feel like small changes over time will be what amount to me reaching my goal in the end.
I have defiantly learned that technology is a great way to draw students in and keep them engaged. I can put the same thing on my blog and on a piece of paper, and the work from the blog will be done more frequently and at a higher standard. Students use the computer on a daily basis at home and enjoy it. By allowing students to work on computers in my classroom, normal everyday lessons and assignments wind up feeling like games! It is amazing how much it is helping my student's grades.
I am still working towards the goal of have more community interaction using the Internet. When I get back from maternity leave, I think I will take my student blog live. I will send out letters letting parents know about the blog and update it regularly with what we are doing. It will no longer just be a blog for students to use, but also a great way for parents to keep up with what their students are doing. This is possible now through Homeworknow.com, but I find this site takes a lot of time to access and update, for both myself and the parents who follow along. I think I would also, somehow, like to use this blog to work with the community. I can take pictures of stellar student work and post it for our local community to see. The community could respond back to my students and help guide them and give them motivation. If students hear positive thoughts from more then just the normal people, they may be more motivated to work hard.
Based on what I have done so far, I do not feel ready to set new goals. I feel that at this point, that would be overwhelming. The goals I have are far reaching and need time to put into action. I feel that once I reach these goals, others will create themselves.
I believe in order to learn more, I need to be more open and take more time. I struggle to find the time needed in order to work on my GAME plan. Things are falling into place, but I feel we have so many other things asked of us as teachers. We must attend meetings, classes, staff developments...all in order to better ourselves. In order to improve my learning, I need to take all I learn in these classes and use them in my GAME plan...I really think they can all work together!
I have defiantly learned that technology is a great way to draw students in and keep them engaged. I can put the same thing on my blog and on a piece of paper, and the work from the blog will be done more frequently and at a higher standard. Students use the computer on a daily basis at home and enjoy it. By allowing students to work on computers in my classroom, normal everyday lessons and assignments wind up feeling like games! It is amazing how much it is helping my student's grades.
I am still working towards the goal of have more community interaction using the Internet. When I get back from maternity leave, I think I will take my student blog live. I will send out letters letting parents know about the blog and update it regularly with what we are doing. It will no longer just be a blog for students to use, but also a great way for parents to keep up with what their students are doing. This is possible now through Homeworknow.com, but I find this site takes a lot of time to access and update, for both myself and the parents who follow along. I think I would also, somehow, like to use this blog to work with the community. I can take pictures of stellar student work and post it for our local community to see. The community could respond back to my students and help guide them and give them motivation. If students hear positive thoughts from more then just the normal people, they may be more motivated to work hard.
Based on what I have done so far, I do not feel ready to set new goals. I feel that at this point, that would be overwhelming. The goals I have are far reaching and need time to put into action. I feel that once I reach these goals, others will create themselves.
I believe in order to learn more, I need to be more open and take more time. I struggle to find the time needed in order to work on my GAME plan. Things are falling into place, but I feel we have so many other things asked of us as teachers. We must attend meetings, classes, staff developments...all in order to better ourselves. In order to improve my learning, I need to take all I learn in these classes and use them in my GAME plan...I really think they can all work together!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
GAME Updating
As of today, my actions have been pretty effective in meeting the goals I have set forth in my GAME plan. My first goal was to communicate more with students, parents and the community using technology. Starting in January, our gradebooks will go live and parents will have 24 hour access to see how their students are doing. I have also been working on updating my HomeworkNow page, which is an interactive teacher website, and keeping people up to date on what is going on in my classroom. My second goal was to engage in professional growth and leadership. I have volunteered to spend some time working with my peers to show them all that I have learned in this class and the others I have been in. I think that in doing this, not only will I help my peers, but I will also better myself and sharpen my skills with the technology we have already begun to use.
So far, I have learned so much I can use in my everyday instruction. I need to keep a GAME plan in mind for everything I do, be it technology related or not. Everyone can benefit from keeping their goals in mind, students included. I have also learned that students react very well to technology. A simple test created on my blog instead of on paper really helped the students succeed. The grading was the same for me and the student's grades improved.
I know I still have a lot to learn. Right now it seems that it will take me a while to reach the end of my GAME plan. I would like to work on it all year and complete the evaluation step at the end of year. This will allow me to see how I really did.
My plan will soon need to be adjusted just a little bit. I will be going out on maternity leave and not have as much interaction with my students and peers. I plan to continue my student's use of technology through use of my blog. I have already let my sub know that I will be updating my blog and sending her the information my students need to learn. By doing this I am still working on my first goal and helping my students in the mean time.
So far, I have learned so much I can use in my everyday instruction. I need to keep a GAME plan in mind for everything I do, be it technology related or not. Everyone can benefit from keeping their goals in mind, students included. I have also learned that students react very well to technology. A simple test created on my blog instead of on paper really helped the students succeed. The grading was the same for me and the student's grades improved.
I know I still have a lot to learn. Right now it seems that it will take me a while to reach the end of my GAME plan. I would like to work on it all year and complete the evaluation step at the end of year. This will allow me to see how I really did.
My plan will soon need to be adjusted just a little bit. I will be going out on maternity leave and not have as much interaction with my students and peers. I plan to continue my student's use of technology through use of my blog. I have already let my sub know that I will be updating my blog and sending her the information my students need to learn. By doing this I am still working on my first goal and helping my students in the mean time.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
GAME PLAN-Week 4
I have to admit that this week I have not taken nearly enough steps towards meeting my the goals in my GAME plan. I have gotten information about online communities from my peers in this class, as well as from my professor. I will need to spend some time looking over these in order to benefit from them.
I believe that I need to modify my plan by not just relying on my administration to point me in the direction of community connections. I need to find these connections and make them myself. Once I make the connections I will, of course, need to get them approved by my administration team, and hopefully this will help them see all that is out there to assist us in bettering our students learning environments.
This week I have learned that things don't necessarily come easy when it comes to technology. Not everyone is willing to learn new things and take the steps needed to improve themselves in a way that can help our students. While technology may be a great way to assist our students, many people are not willing to take the time and energy to learn the technology themselves.
The only questions that have arisen so far are how to find online learning communities and really how to benefit from them. I need to spend more time looking into these and seeing all they can really do for me.
I believe that I need to modify my plan by not just relying on my administration to point me in the direction of community connections. I need to find these connections and make them myself. Once I make the connections I will, of course, need to get them approved by my administration team, and hopefully this will help them see all that is out there to assist us in bettering our students learning environments.
This week I have learned that things don't necessarily come easy when it comes to technology. Not everyone is willing to learn new things and take the steps needed to improve themselves in a way that can help our students. While technology may be a great way to assist our students, many people are not willing to take the time and energy to learn the technology themselves.
The only questions that have arisen so far are how to find online learning communities and really how to benefit from them. I need to spend more time looking into these and seeing all they can really do for me.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Continuation of My GAME Plan
Sorry this is late..Baby Brain struck and I didn't post in time!!!!
This week I am reviewing my GAME plan. It is something I will do repeatedly over the next few weeks in this class and I look forward to bettering my self in the process.
In order to carry out my plan, I will need several things. The first of these is the support of the staff and administration at my school. Nothing can be done if help from these two sources cannot be received. I need people who are open minded and willing to accept the challenges that face us with technology. I hope to be able to find these colleagues and have already received a lot of support from my administration.
The additional information that I will need in order to complete my plan is about our community relations at a school and county level. I need to find out who our community partners are and who I can go to for help. I also need to find out the best ways to present and share my material and lessons with the community. To do this, like I said in the plan, I will need to sit with my administration and discuss my options.
So far, I do not feel that I have been able to take many steps in reaching my goal. One thing I did do was talk to my principal about technology in lessons and how I believed that students should think outside the box. She was so happy about this that she came to observe my students and I one day in the lab and brought a state representative with her. This was a HUGE step for me, as along with him came the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a large paper in Atlanta, and a photographer. Perhaps with this "press", my ideas will seem more valid and be more widely accepted by the people I teach and work with.
This week I am reviewing my GAME plan. It is something I will do repeatedly over the next few weeks in this class and I look forward to bettering my self in the process.
In order to carry out my plan, I will need several things. The first of these is the support of the staff and administration at my school. Nothing can be done if help from these two sources cannot be received. I need people who are open minded and willing to accept the challenges that face us with technology. I hope to be able to find these colleagues and have already received a lot of support from my administration.
The additional information that I will need in order to complete my plan is about our community relations at a school and county level. I need to find out who our community partners are and who I can go to for help. I also need to find out the best ways to present and share my material and lessons with the community. To do this, like I said in the plan, I will need to sit with my administration and discuss my options.
So far, I do not feel that I have been able to take many steps in reaching my goal. One thing I did do was talk to my principal about technology in lessons and how I believed that students should think outside the box. She was so happy about this that she came to observe my students and I one day in the lab and brought a state representative with her. This was a HUGE step for me, as along with him came the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a large paper in Atlanta, and a photographer. Perhaps with this "press", my ideas will seem more valid and be more widely accepted by the people I teach and work with.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
My GAME Plan
G-My goal is to strengthen two areas of the NETS-T. These two areas are “Model Digital Age Work and Learning” and “Engage is Professional Growth and Leadership”. With the first area, my main focus needs to be, and always has needed to be, “collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation”. I feel that I communicate well with students and parents by basic email or phone calls but other than that, I lack any digital tools as well as lacking as communication at all with the community. The other area that my goal would be to strengthen is to engage in professional growth and leadership. This standard states that you “participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning”. While I personally would like to do this, I find it hard to find peers that would like to explore these applications with me. I need to find a way to change this.
A-The action I would take to meet the first goal is to find meet with my administration to discuss what local community members could or should be contacted. I would like to explore my options about what would be the best way to connect with the community, parents and students all at the same time. I think the best way to do this would be with an online newsletter. This can easily be created and sent out to all the members of the community that I would like to communicate with. A newsletter could be created on a blog, which would allow for feedback.
For the second goal, I would need to think a little bit harder. My school does not really foster local or global learning communities, so the first thing I would need to do is to find these. While Walden has been a good source for this as of yet, this will change when I graduate. I would also like to find a community that my peers and students can visit as well in order to keep them up to date with all the new things technology has to offer.
M-The M in the GAME plan stands for monitoring. I’ll need to “monitor whether I (you) am making sufficient progress towards my goals and reflect on whether the strategies I have chosen are working” ( Cennamo, Ross, Ertmer, 2009). This, at the moment, is a little hard for me to figure out, at least for my second goal. The first goal is easy to monitor. I can create the class blog and keep track of how many people I send it to and who gets it, as well as who responds to my postings. The second goal could be a little harder to manage, especially now that I do not even know where to start in finding learning communities that will help with creative applications. I know that, for now, I can continue to use my Walden community as a place to learn new things and can easily measure my growth here. I can see how many new ideas and technologies I implement and how useful they are to my students. In the future I can do this with the new things I find.
E-Evaluation of these goals should be fairly easy. Have I implemented the new technology I have learned? (goal 2) Have I connected through technology with people in the community? (goal 1) I plan to see, through this class, if evaluating these goals is really as easy as it seems. I sure hope so!
I really do hope to follow through with this GAME plan. I also plan to present the idea of even having a GAME plan to my principal. We’re going through a rough transition right now and have some sort of plan could really help us get to our final product. While the GAME plan in the course is all technology related, I can see that it could be easily modified to meet the needs of our school and later pull in the technology aspects of it.
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.
A-The action I would take to meet the first goal is to find meet with my administration to discuss what local community members could or should be contacted. I would like to explore my options about what would be the best way to connect with the community, parents and students all at the same time. I think the best way to do this would be with an online newsletter. This can easily be created and sent out to all the members of the community that I would like to communicate with. A newsletter could be created on a blog, which would allow for feedback.
For the second goal, I would need to think a little bit harder. My school does not really foster local or global learning communities, so the first thing I would need to do is to find these. While Walden has been a good source for this as of yet, this will change when I graduate. I would also like to find a community that my peers and students can visit as well in order to keep them up to date with all the new things technology has to offer.
M-The M in the GAME plan stands for monitoring. I’ll need to “monitor whether I (you) am making sufficient progress towards my goals and reflect on whether the strategies I have chosen are working” ( Cennamo, Ross, Ertmer, 2009). This, at the moment, is a little hard for me to figure out, at least for my second goal. The first goal is easy to monitor. I can create the class blog and keep track of how many people I send it to and who gets it, as well as who responds to my postings. The second goal could be a little harder to manage, especially now that I do not even know where to start in finding learning communities that will help with creative applications. I know that, for now, I can continue to use my Walden community as a place to learn new things and can easily measure my growth here. I can see how many new ideas and technologies I implement and how useful they are to my students. In the future I can do this with the new things I find.
E-Evaluation of these goals should be fairly easy. Have I implemented the new technology I have learned? (goal 2) Have I connected through technology with people in the community? (goal 1) I plan to see, through this class, if evaluating these goals is really as easy as it seems. I sure hope so!
I really do hope to follow through with this GAME plan. I also plan to present the idea of even having a GAME plan to my principal. We’re going through a rough transition right now and have some sort of plan could really help us get to our final product. While the GAME plan in the course is all technology related, I can see that it could be easily modified to meet the needs of our school and later pull in the technology aspects of it.
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.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Class Reflection
This class has taught me a lot about myself as a teacher. We need to do more then teach our students the material that needs to be learned. This does not create life long learners, it just creates momentary learners. Our students need to be taught how to learn without just being given the information. A revelation that I have had while in this class is that it is my job to do more then just teach my students Social Studies, it is to teach students how to truly learn. Basic facts including dates, names, and locations cannot do much for students in their future. Never do students move into real life and need to know who the founder of Judaism is or what the capital of Eritrea is. What our students do need to know is how to find this information for scholarly sources and present. Another part of my revelation is that there are so many good ways to do this! We can do web searches, questioning lessons and even group projects that will aid our students in becoming the kind of learners that can search deeply for answers.
The knowledge I have gained in this class will help me greatly in the future. It has already cemented my beliefs that students do not learn from the "sit and get" theory of teaching. As easy as it is sometimes for teachers to take the lead with learning and teaching, we need to make sure that our STUDENTS are the ones who can really do this. They need to be able to learn by themselves, to teach themselves through research and studies. No longer can I just give out worksheets and expect students to find the information in their textbooks. Now I need to have the students come up with exploratory questions with me and work through the process of finding the locations of these answers. In the past, the textbook was the end all. All information was taught from there. I see now that this needs to change. So many neat and interesting and even fun resources exist that will allow the students to learn so much more then just the book.
One major goal I have had through out my course work at Walden, continuing into this class, is my use of technology in the classroom. This class has molded that goal a little, changing it in a good way. Not only should technology be used in my classroom, but it should really be used by students more then the teachers. My professional goal for this class would be that I would like my students to learn how to use the Internet and how to evaluate the materials and websites presented there. Our resources in this class say that students must be able to use websites that are scholarly and good sources of information. To find out if they are the previous listed, students must evaluate the creator of the information, as well as the authenticity of the websites. If, as a class, we could include this information in even one lesson, students would be able to take more steps in the future to analyze the websites they choose to use.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
The knowledge I have gained in this class will help me greatly in the future. It has already cemented my beliefs that students do not learn from the "sit and get" theory of teaching. As easy as it is sometimes for teachers to take the lead with learning and teaching, we need to make sure that our STUDENTS are the ones who can really do this. They need to be able to learn by themselves, to teach themselves through research and studies. No longer can I just give out worksheets and expect students to find the information in their textbooks. Now I need to have the students come up with exploratory questions with me and work through the process of finding the locations of these answers. In the past, the textbook was the end all. All information was taught from there. I see now that this needs to change. So many neat and interesting and even fun resources exist that will allow the students to learn so much more then just the book.
One major goal I have had through out my course work at Walden, continuing into this class, is my use of technology in the classroom. This class has molded that goal a little, changing it in a good way. Not only should technology be used in my classroom, but it should really be used by students more then the teachers. My professional goal for this class would be that I would like my students to learn how to use the Internet and how to evaluate the materials and websites presented there. Our resources in this class say that students must be able to use websites that are scholarly and good sources of information. To find out if they are the previous listed, students must evaluate the creator of the information, as well as the authenticity of the websites. If, as a class, we could include this information in even one lesson, students would be able to take more steps in the future to analyze the websites they choose to use.
Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Evaluating a Website
For this class we had to evaluate a website. I choose a website entitled "Britian for Americans". Below find the link to my screencast. I really enjoyed doing this assignment and using both Jing and Screentoaster to record my thoughts and screen movements. Enjoy!
http://screencast.com/t/jJnZo2iVy535
http://screencast.com/t/jJnZo2iVy535
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Research Scenarios
Education is one of the careers that is ever changing. Times change, people change, technology changes and because of this, education needs to change. Teachers need to keep up with the times and in order to do this, they must learn. In order to learn and change, research needs to be done to make education better. It is imperative that when this research is done, it is done in a fair ethical way that does not effect the students, but only effects the way we run our classrooms. In this class we have learned about several different ways to conduct ethical research. Below are four scenarios. In each one, I will identify the form of research I think best fits the scenario and explain my reasoning.
Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.
I believe that this fits into the qualitative method of research. Qualitative research looks at the words of students and conducts research that way. This scenario calls for in-depth interviews that aid the researcher in finding results. Phenomenology is used, as it is the study of lived experiences, which is clearly what is being used to collect data in this scenario.
Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics—age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.
I believe that this scenario fits best into the quantitative research method, and deeper into this method, into the experimental method. Students are split into both a control group and an experimental group. These groups are not formed for any reason in particular and are quite random. They receive different interventions which provide different results in the end.
Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.
This scenario, I believe, fits into the mixed method of research. I believe this because while the research calls for no manipulation or control groups, and for the subjects to be observed in their natural environments (quantitative), the number of referrals is also looked at (qualitative). The connection between the number of referrals and the students attitudes fits perfectly into the correlation method, which finds a connection between pieces of data.
Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known—either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.
This last scenario, in my mind, also fits into the mixed method category. It is quantitative due to the formal testing, but qualitative due to the face to face interviews. Both the true numbers, and the students opinions and feelings are addressed and taken into account in this scenario.
It is very important to use the best research method possible when working with children. It is our job to keep them safe and their privacy needs to be our priority. Another thing we need to strive for is true results. As I have learned in this class, research results can be swayed to be the way you wish for them to be. This makes the research totally invalid. We need to use proper research methods to ensure correct results. It is up to us as teachers to do the best for our students and work with the data to run more effective and engaging classrooms.
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2008). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson
Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.
I believe that this fits into the qualitative method of research. Qualitative research looks at the words of students and conducts research that way. This scenario calls for in-depth interviews that aid the researcher in finding results. Phenomenology is used, as it is the study of lived experiences, which is clearly what is being used to collect data in this scenario.
Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics—age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.
I believe that this scenario fits best into the quantitative research method, and deeper into this method, into the experimental method. Students are split into both a control group and an experimental group. These groups are not formed for any reason in particular and are quite random. They receive different interventions which provide different results in the end.
Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.
This scenario, I believe, fits into the mixed method of research. I believe this because while the research calls for no manipulation or control groups, and for the subjects to be observed in their natural environments (quantitative), the number of referrals is also looked at (qualitative). The connection between the number of referrals and the students attitudes fits perfectly into the correlation method, which finds a connection between pieces of data.
Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known—either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre- and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow-up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.
This last scenario, in my mind, also fits into the mixed method category. It is quantitative due to the formal testing, but qualitative due to the face to face interviews. Both the true numbers, and the students opinions and feelings are addressed and taken into account in this scenario.
It is very important to use the best research method possible when working with children. It is our job to keep them safe and their privacy needs to be our priority. Another thing we need to strive for is true results. As I have learned in this class, research results can be swayed to be the way you wish for them to be. This makes the research totally invalid. We need to use proper research methods to ensure correct results. It is up to us as teachers to do the best for our students and work with the data to run more effective and engaging classrooms.
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2008). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Redefined Research Question
I have done some modification to my previous problem statement and really feel that it will continue to change as I continue to research the material. Through this weeks readings, I have learned that this question is quantitative. Quantitative research questions "use numbers, statistics, structure and control" (McMillan, Schumacher, 2006). This research question would be a bit qualitative because it looks at how the students react to the lessons (and all but one of the below questions are qualitative), but in end product would see to show what the GPAs of the students are and how these have changed. Deeper into the quantitative title, this question would fall into the "true experimental" type of research question. Students are split into different groups in order to get true results. This could easily be done in a middle school classroom by treating each academic period differently.
The questions I have come up with really got me thinking about ways to change my statement or even different ways to approach it. I look forward to learning more about this topic and feel that I will truly be able to use whatever results I find in my classroom.
My Problem Statement is as follows:
I plan to determine if Social Studies lessons taught to 7th grade social studies students with technology will increase student’s GPA more than those taught through basic teaching including lectures and book work.
1. What technology would work best to create lessons? (qualitative)
2. How effective is Power Point in teaching ideas? (qualitative)
3. How is GPA effected by different types of teaching? (quantative)
4. What benefits do lecture lessons hold? (qualitative)
5. What impact does not using a textbook have on a lesson? (qualitative)
6. How does a teachers level of comfort with technology impact their students scores after a lesson taught with technology? (qualitative)
7. How do students previous understanding of technology benefit them in a technology rich lesson? (qualitative)
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2008). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson
The questions I have come up with really got me thinking about ways to change my statement or even different ways to approach it. I look forward to learning more about this topic and feel that I will truly be able to use whatever results I find in my classroom.
My Problem Statement is as follows:
I plan to determine if Social Studies lessons taught to 7th grade social studies students with technology will increase student’s GPA more than those taught through basic teaching including lectures and book work.
1. What technology would work best to create lessons? (qualitative)
2. How effective is Power Point in teaching ideas? (qualitative)
3. How is GPA effected by different types of teaching? (quantative)
4. What benefits do lecture lessons hold? (qualitative)
5. What impact does not using a textbook have on a lesson? (qualitative)
6. How does a teachers level of comfort with technology impact their students scores after a lesson taught with technology? (qualitative)
7. How do students previous understanding of technology benefit them in a technology rich lesson? (qualitative)
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2008). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson
Friday, July 10, 2009
General Problem Statement
Week 2: Purpose/Problem Statements
EDUC-6653I-2 Introduction to Educational Research
Instructor: Kathryn Arnold
While thinking of the issues that arise in my classroom and which ones would be of most interest the one I kept coming back to was the issue of technology use in my classroom and how it effects my students. From experience, I know that students almost always react well to lessons that include technology, but I have never compared grades to those of classes who didn't have the use of technology. Students use computers constantly at home and I believe that in order to catch their interest, we need to give them something to relate to. Studying the government and culture of Ancient Egypt is not always relateable, so why not teach it through technology, which is? I look forward to diving deeper into this topic, even when this class is over, to explore all I can offer my students. In doing this, I would like to share my results with my peers and perhaps change the way we look at teaching!
My problem statement is as follows:
I plan to determine how map skills lessons taught with technology such as power point and interactive map sites, such as maps101, will effect students assessment scores differently then those those taught through basic teaching including lectures and book work.
Who: 7th grade SS students
What: use technology such as power points and map websites
Why: have higher scores on end of the unit projects and tests
EDUC-6653I-2 Introduction to Educational Research
Instructor: Kathryn Arnold
While thinking of the issues that arise in my classroom and which ones would be of most interest the one I kept coming back to was the issue of technology use in my classroom and how it effects my students. From experience, I know that students almost always react well to lessons that include technology, but I have never compared grades to those of classes who didn't have the use of technology. Students use computers constantly at home and I believe that in order to catch their interest, we need to give them something to relate to. Studying the government and culture of Ancient Egypt is not always relateable, so why not teach it through technology, which is? I look forward to diving deeper into this topic, even when this class is over, to explore all I can offer my students. In doing this, I would like to share my results with my peers and perhaps change the way we look at teaching!
My problem statement is as follows:
I plan to determine how map skills lessons taught with technology such as power point and interactive map sites, such as maps101, will effect students assessment scores differently then those those taught through basic teaching including lectures and book work.
Who: 7th grade SS students
What: use technology such as power points and map websites
Why: have higher scores on end of the unit projects and tests
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Reflection
In week one I addressed my "Personal Learning Theory". While most of this has stayed the same through this class, some of it has changed. I still believe that reinforcing effort is very important, but now know that I can do this through use of technology. Students love to use the computer and I can reward the effort students put into assignments by allowing them to use technology to complete projects or assignments. I feel like this reinforcement will benefit both the students in many ways by allowing them to enjoy the material they are learning. The topic of homework was also brought up. As I said before, homework should not be "busy work" but work that allows the students to review what they have learned for that day or lesson. This allows the student to prove to themselves and the teacher that they know the material. I would like to create a blog or wiki that would allow students to post questions, thoughts, or ideas about homework and which would maybe create a classroom community that would be there for the students. Support is always critical.
Because of this class, once school starts, I would like make a lot of technological adjustments to my lessons. I feel that this class has been the most influential class I have taken so far at Walden. This class has shared SO many things that I would like to use in my classroom. I will use Voicethreads, hopefully on a weekly basis. This should get the students so used to seeing them that they are able to create their own and share them with their classmates. Students always learn better when they do the teaching themselves! Another tool I will be using come August is Skype. As a Social Studies teacher, I would like to be able to hook up with students from the areas of the world that we study. My students can learn so much more from having actual conversations with students just like them. I think that Skype would be able to show my students that children all over the world are just like them and create more tolerant, knowledgeable students.
There are two long term goals I would like to reach in my instructional practices. The first one would be to get my county to allow more online social websites. While this will most likely not include Facebook or Myspace, I would like to have access to Skype and Wikis. In order to have access to Wikis, I will create my own and share it with my school technology leader. My hopes is that she will share it with administration and then the county and this can show how beneficial Wikis can be. I am not sure how long this will take, but I am willing to work on in until I get a definite answer.
The next goal I have is to integrate much more technology into my classroom. While this goal seems basic, there are important reasons behind it. The technology class at my school has been cancelled due to budgeting. This happened during my time in this class. During this class I also realized how important technology truly is and how I can take the loss of this class and help my students. I would like to teach my normal course of studies, but also teach technology. I can integrate the two and the students will truly benefit. I will create lessons that include basic technology programs such as Word and Power Point, but also have lessons that have newer technology programs like Voicethread and Blogs. Hopefully this will guide my students in the right direction and prepare them for a world that relies heavily on technology.
I have loved this class. At first I was scared of all I didn't know, but now I embrace it. As in all of my technology classes so far, I look forward to taking all I have learned and sharing it with my students and peers. I think they will both benefit so much from all I can now share. School is still a month and a half away, but I am already planning lessons in my head. Thank you so much for this!!!
Because of this class, once school starts, I would like make a lot of technological adjustments to my lessons. I feel that this class has been the most influential class I have taken so far at Walden. This class has shared SO many things that I would like to use in my classroom. I will use Voicethreads, hopefully on a weekly basis. This should get the students so used to seeing them that they are able to create their own and share them with their classmates. Students always learn better when they do the teaching themselves! Another tool I will be using come August is Skype. As a Social Studies teacher, I would like to be able to hook up with students from the areas of the world that we study. My students can learn so much more from having actual conversations with students just like them. I think that Skype would be able to show my students that children all over the world are just like them and create more tolerant, knowledgeable students.
There are two long term goals I would like to reach in my instructional practices. The first one would be to get my county to allow more online social websites. While this will most likely not include Facebook or Myspace, I would like to have access to Skype and Wikis. In order to have access to Wikis, I will create my own and share it with my school technology leader. My hopes is that she will share it with administration and then the county and this can show how beneficial Wikis can be. I am not sure how long this will take, but I am willing to work on in until I get a definite answer.
The next goal I have is to integrate much more technology into my classroom. While this goal seems basic, there are important reasons behind it. The technology class at my school has been cancelled due to budgeting. This happened during my time in this class. During this class I also realized how important technology truly is and how I can take the loss of this class and help my students. I would like to teach my normal course of studies, but also teach technology. I can integrate the two and the students will truly benefit. I will create lessons that include basic technology programs such as Word and Power Point, but also have lessons that have newer technology programs like Voicethread and Blogs. Hopefully this will guide my students in the right direction and prepare them for a world that relies heavily on technology.
I have loved this class. At first I was scared of all I didn't know, but now I embrace it. As in all of my technology classes so far, I look forward to taking all I have learned and sharing it with my students and peers. I think they will both benefit so much from all I can now share. School is still a month and a half away, but I am already planning lessons in my head. Thank you so much for this!!!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Cooperative Learning
Social learning is the idea that people learn best when actively engaged with others. You cannot expect a student to learn while sitting at a desk, reading a book silently. Think about all the times you have sat with a book that was not interesting and read 10 pages only to find out that you do not remember anything that you read? This is because you were not engaged. Read the book with a partner or friend and you'll better remember what was said!
This week we discussed instructional strategies that will help the teacher and the student incorporate more social learning techniques into the classroom. To me, these are very interesting and I look forward to trying some of them when school starts again in the fall.
The first strategy that was discussed in this weeks readings was multimedia. In using this technique, students create a project that includes "many roles and responsibilities" (Pitter, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). These type of activities naturally lead to group work. When doing these types of activities, it is important to stay organized and provide the students with exactly what you want from them. In doing this, you cut down on some of the mayhem that tends to arise with cooperative learning. Organization can include rubrics, job duties, and responsibilities. This allows students to take on ownership of the assignment which will lead to higher quality work.
The next instructional strategy discussed in this weeks resources is the use of web resources. This is an awesome strategy, yet one my school is slow to pick up on. Web resources, such as Epals and Keypals (Pitter, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoksi, 2007) are ways to connect with students all over the globe. If students learn best from others, imagine how much they can learn by interacting with the many different cultures and beliefs on the web. Sadly, my school believes this is unsafe. I believe that if we can teach our students the correct way to use the Internet then good things will happen! It is up to us!
Going along with the use of web resources are web quests. In web quest "students in a class or from multiple locations work together to learn about a particular subject or to tackle a particular project or problem" (Pitter, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007). Once again students can work with other students from all around the world to create one project. The amount of input and imagination that could be put into a project like that is amazing!
The last web resource that I really like is the use of communication software. Programs like Skype allow students to talk, chat and even communicate face to face at no cost. What used to happen in slow pen pal letters now happens instantainously over the web. Students can combine the use of communication software with one of the previously mentioned stragies and create a seem less project. The web is an amazing place.
To end this post I must say that while I do not look forward to going back to school yet (summer just started!!!), I do keep thinking of cool lessons that I can teach using all I have learned. I believe that my students will be more engaged, as I will be a better teacher and guide. Can't wait to see all this may bring!
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
This week we discussed instructional strategies that will help the teacher and the student incorporate more social learning techniques into the classroom. To me, these are very interesting and I look forward to trying some of them when school starts again in the fall.
The first strategy that was discussed in this weeks readings was multimedia. In using this technique, students create a project that includes "many roles and responsibilities" (Pitter, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). These type of activities naturally lead to group work. When doing these types of activities, it is important to stay organized and provide the students with exactly what you want from them. In doing this, you cut down on some of the mayhem that tends to arise with cooperative learning. Organization can include rubrics, job duties, and responsibilities. This allows students to take on ownership of the assignment which will lead to higher quality work.
The next instructional strategy discussed in this weeks resources is the use of web resources. This is an awesome strategy, yet one my school is slow to pick up on. Web resources, such as Epals and Keypals (Pitter, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoksi, 2007) are ways to connect with students all over the globe. If students learn best from others, imagine how much they can learn by interacting with the many different cultures and beliefs on the web. Sadly, my school believes this is unsafe. I believe that if we can teach our students the correct way to use the Internet then good things will happen! It is up to us!
Going along with the use of web resources are web quests. In web quest "students in a class or from multiple locations work together to learn about a particular subject or to tackle a particular project or problem" (Pitter, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007). Once again students can work with other students from all around the world to create one project. The amount of input and imagination that could be put into a project like that is amazing!
The last web resource that I really like is the use of communication software. Programs like Skype allow students to talk, chat and even communicate face to face at no cost. What used to happen in slow pen pal letters now happens instantainously over the web. Students can combine the use of communication software with one of the previously mentioned stragies and create a seem less project. The web is an amazing place.
To end this post I must say that while I do not look forward to going back to school yet (summer just started!!!), I do keep thinking of cool lessons that I can teach using all I have learned. I believe that my students will be more engaged, as I will be a better teacher and guide. Can't wait to see all this may bring!
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Constructivism in Practice
Constructivism is the idea that each thing we learn is "uniquely constructed" in order to be learned. Constructionism is the idea that in order for us to learn and maintain the new information we must have "first hand experiences" and build something in order to learn in. The two ideas go together because both of them make the learning experience personal.
The instructional strategies discussed in this week's resources go well with both of these ideas. Technology plays the part of the tool that helps our students create and all of the techniques shared with us in this reading were technology related.
The first strategy shared is spreadsheet software. I use Excel in my classroom. Students are able to take data, enter it into the spread sheet, and with the correct formulas, get immediate results. One of the examples given in this reading, a economics assignment given by Mrs. Omar, reminded me a lot of the assignment I did at the end of the year with my students. Our topic of study was budgeting. Students were given a salary and then the many costs that come along with being an adult. Simply through entering these into the spreadsheet, students were able to see the cost of living. This assignment really helped my kids learn the basics of Excel, while also meeting our state standards. They were also able to create something of their own which we know is important to remembering the material later on. (and how important is it to learn to budget????)
The second strategy shared with us are data collection tools. I have never used these tools in my room, but can see where they would be very helpful. Students create (one again using that important word!) their own. Students first make the prediction of what the outcome of the assignment will be (maybe how many people in your class are each religion...I am SS, so things like this normally pop into my mind) and then do the research. They are given a simple chart to fill in and then can very easily see the results. With these results, students are able to graph. This can be done very easily using the right computer programs. Students simply enter the information into a chart, click a button and have a graph! How easy and what a great way for students to see the results in a variety of ways!
The last strategy shared with us is using web resources. I found the "Calm and the Storm" website very interesting. Students actually get to run a country. I did this in my class, but did not use any technology. Students were given a job duty or government position and had to run their country. Calm and Storm allows the students to get deeper into the material. Studies showed that the students who were able to use the technology learned more and enjoyed the lesson more. I cannot wait to try it with my class!!
I think the ideas of constructionism and constructivism are very important to the classroom teacher. Like many things I have learned through this program, I am already implementing these ideas partially without even knowing it! This class will help me help my students really learn through doing...and enjoy it!
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
The instructional strategies discussed in this week's resources go well with both of these ideas. Technology plays the part of the tool that helps our students create and all of the techniques shared with us in this reading were technology related.
The first strategy shared is spreadsheet software. I use Excel in my classroom. Students are able to take data, enter it into the spread sheet, and with the correct formulas, get immediate results. One of the examples given in this reading, a economics assignment given by Mrs. Omar, reminded me a lot of the assignment I did at the end of the year with my students. Our topic of study was budgeting. Students were given a salary and then the many costs that come along with being an adult. Simply through entering these into the spreadsheet, students were able to see the cost of living. This assignment really helped my kids learn the basics of Excel, while also meeting our state standards. They were also able to create something of their own which we know is important to remembering the material later on. (and how important is it to learn to budget????)
The second strategy shared with us are data collection tools. I have never used these tools in my room, but can see where they would be very helpful. Students create (one again using that important word!) their own. Students first make the prediction of what the outcome of the assignment will be (maybe how many people in your class are each religion...I am SS, so things like this normally pop into my mind) and then do the research. They are given a simple chart to fill in and then can very easily see the results. With these results, students are able to graph. This can be done very easily using the right computer programs. Students simply enter the information into a chart, click a button and have a graph! How easy and what a great way for students to see the results in a variety of ways!
The last strategy shared with us is using web resources. I found the "Calm and the Storm" website very interesting. Students actually get to run a country. I did this in my class, but did not use any technology. Students were given a job duty or government position and had to run their country. Calm and Storm allows the students to get deeper into the material. Studies showed that the students who were able to use the technology learned more and enjoyed the lesson more. I cannot wait to try it with my class!!
I think the ideas of constructionism and constructivism are very important to the classroom teacher. Like many things I have learned through this program, I am already implementing these ideas partially without even knowing it! This class will help me help my students really learn through doing...and enjoy it!
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Cognitive Learning Theories
Dr. Orey says that cognitive learning theories "revolve around information processing" (Laureate Education, 2008). In my own words, cognitive learning theories focus on understanding and processing the material given to you. Have you ever read a page in a book and then had to read it over because you found you did not absorb any of the information? Obviously, the way you were reading was not working well cognitively. Learning and maintaining the information you learn needs to be done through a process. Orey says that only about seven pieces of information can be stored in your short term memory at one time. This is why we often forget phone numbers or addresses. I even forget names when I meet a lot of people. Cognitive learning theories work to move the information from short term to the long term memory bank. In order to do this, we need to make connections. Connections allow branches to form and create easier paths to locate the memories. If I wanted to remember that Jon Smith was from El Salvador, in my mind I would say "Sal next door has a friend name Jon Smith". This would help me recall the information later. Connecting the information to real life events allows students to store it in a way that will be easily recalled later when needed.
The technology aspect of cognitive learning is important. Today's kids work so much with technology. Whether it be watching TV, playing video games or playing on the computer, technology plays an important part in these kids lives. The one resource that I already use, but have never thought of in terms of technology, is concept maps. Normally we do this with paper and pencil. The idea of doing the research online, taking a "virtual field trip" is so much better then just having them read out of the book and take paper and pencil notes. The students can use the concept map as a guide through the field trip. This concept map will allow the students to take what they know, and have learned, and "build a network" with it (Laureate Education, 2008). This network, or map, will allow the students to see how the material all connects with each other. As we all know, creating links allows for easier recall of the information later. In a concept map, in order to help even more with recall, students can include pictures. The program Inspiration allows students to substitute the bubbles with actual pictures. This could allow the students to customize the information to what helps them remember. It also allows for creativity that is sometimes stifled when working with computer programs.
I think there is so much we can do to address cognitive learning theories through technology. I look forward to learning more about this through this class!
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
The technology aspect of cognitive learning is important. Today's kids work so much with technology. Whether it be watching TV, playing video games or playing on the computer, technology plays an important part in these kids lives. The one resource that I already use, but have never thought of in terms of technology, is concept maps. Normally we do this with paper and pencil. The idea of doing the research online, taking a "virtual field trip" is so much better then just having them read out of the book and take paper and pencil notes. The students can use the concept map as a guide through the field trip. This concept map will allow the students to take what they know, and have learned, and "build a network" with it (Laureate Education, 2008). This network, or map, will allow the students to see how the material all connects with each other. As we all know, creating links allows for easier recall of the information later. In a concept map, in order to help even more with recall, students can include pictures. The program Inspiration allows students to substitute the bubbles with actual pictures. This could allow the students to customize the information to what helps them remember. It also allows for creativity that is sometimes stifled when working with computer programs.
I think there is so much we can do to address cognitive learning theories through technology. I look forward to learning more about this through this class!
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Instructional Strategies
There are many different ways to better the use of behaviorism in the classroom. This week we learned about two different ways that will lead us to be more effective teachers. The first technique is reinforcing effort. Not all students believe in the value of effort, but they"...can learn to operate from a belief that effort pays off..." (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). It is up to us as teachers to show that a little effort can go a long way. The second technique is homework and practice. Like effort, not all students see the value of homework. Homework requires assistance from all parts of the students life to be completed correctly and be the valuable piece of work you intend it to be. Homework should never be busy work but, "...give the students a chance to review and apply what they have learned" (Pitler,Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski, 2007). Homework proves to the student and the teacher that they have really learned and are able to use those ideas and strategies.
Behaviorism focuses on positive and negative consequences and the outcome you wish to receive from them. One of the instructional strategies presented this week is "Reinforcing effort" which in my mind goes hand in hand with behaviorism. "Reinforcement increases good behavior" (Orey, 2001) by either taking away something or giving something as a reward. One great way to do this is by using a spreadsheet. Spreadsheets, or charts, using Excel, allow the students to see in an easily understood way, what is expected of them or what they need to do. This follows the idea of rubrics which I use very often in my classroom. Nothing is left to the imagination and students have no excuse to not act the right way. You can also use bar graphs. In Social Studies, we work on map and graphing skills. Students know how to create and read graphs. I think it would be beneficial for students to both read graphs that share their effort and grades as well as create them.
The second resource that was discussed in this weeks resources is "Homework and Practice". Homework can be, as stated by Orey, "a measurable and observable aspect of human behavior" (Orey, 2001). We must make sure we make the reward for doing homework at least a little enjoyable or the students, as proven in my Social Studies class, won't always do it. Students "repeat pleasurable acts and stop unpleasant acts"(Orey, 2001). I often praise students out loud for doing their homework, or give stickers or treats. I sometimes feel, though, that homework is something that should be done no matter what the reward and that the unpleasurable act of getting a zero should be enough to prevent them from not completing it again. This is a constant internal struggle I have. Using technoloy can be rough when it comes to assigning homework. In my school, I have to avoid this totally because not many students have computers at home. If they did, I might use sights like Brainpop or Flashcardexchange.com to help them review the previous days work. This would allow for that instant feedback while also being enjoyable for the students. I would also like to have a school blog that students could submit work to. Maybe someday I will be able to incorporate all of this into my classroom.
I believe that all of these techniques can be used with technology. Students and teachers can use software programs that allow them to create graphs and charts to map their levels of effort and how they relate to their grades. They can also use online assignments for homework in which they can get immediate feedback. Technology is easily integrated into all aspects of the classroom and really fits in neatly with behaviorism. I look forward to working more with learning theories and learning how to better integrate them, and technology, into my classroom.
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.
Behaviorism focuses on positive and negative consequences and the outcome you wish to receive from them. One of the instructional strategies presented this week is "Reinforcing effort" which in my mind goes hand in hand with behaviorism. "Reinforcement increases good behavior" (Orey, 2001) by either taking away something or giving something as a reward. One great way to do this is by using a spreadsheet. Spreadsheets, or charts, using Excel, allow the students to see in an easily understood way, what is expected of them or what they need to do. This follows the idea of rubrics which I use very often in my classroom. Nothing is left to the imagination and students have no excuse to not act the right way. You can also use bar graphs. In Social Studies, we work on map and graphing skills. Students know how to create and read graphs. I think it would be beneficial for students to both read graphs that share their effort and grades as well as create them.
The second resource that was discussed in this weeks resources is "Homework and Practice". Homework can be, as stated by Orey, "a measurable and observable aspect of human behavior" (Orey, 2001). We must make sure we make the reward for doing homework at least a little enjoyable or the students, as proven in my Social Studies class, won't always do it. Students "repeat pleasurable acts and stop unpleasant acts"(Orey, 2001). I often praise students out loud for doing their homework, or give stickers or treats. I sometimes feel, though, that homework is something that should be done no matter what the reward and that the unpleasurable act of getting a zero should be enough to prevent them from not completing it again. This is a constant internal struggle I have. Using technoloy can be rough when it comes to assigning homework. In my school, I have to avoid this totally because not many students have computers at home. If they did, I might use sights like Brainpop or Flashcardexchange.com to help them review the previous days work. This would allow for that instant feedback while also being enjoyable for the students. I would also like to have a school blog that students could submit work to. Maybe someday I will be able to incorporate all of this into my classroom.
I believe that all of these techniques can be used with technology. Students and teachers can use software programs that allow them to create graphs and charts to map their levels of effort and how they relate to their grades. They can also use online assignments for homework in which they can get immediate feedback. Technology is easily integrated into all aspects of the classroom and really fits in neatly with behaviorism. I look forward to working more with learning theories and learning how to better integrate them, and technology, into my classroom.
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.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Reflection
I have learned a lot from the class I am currently in for Walden University. I have learned that really, I am not as good with technology as I thought I was. There are so many new programs that I have never even heard of. If it weren't for Walden, who would have shared these with me?
This course has shown me that there is more than PowerPoint out there to teach with. I love to use technology and have learned of so many new ways to use it in my classroom. I am able to now look at lessons and be able to incorporate different forms of technology into them. Some of these lessons call for me to use more technology and others have the students working with it.
My knowledge has been depended by the introduction of wikis, blogs, and pod casts. I had heard all of those words before but had never worked with any of those resources. In fact, they scared me! I thought that they items called for a lot of work and were not very useful in teaching. I think this is how many people think. I was wrong. All of these items can be incorporated into lessons that will help our students succeed.
I do not think that my perspective has changed when it comes to a teacher centered classroom compared to student centered classroom. I have always been the type of teacher who lets the students take control of their learning. There is no better way to lose a student than to stand up and lecture. I never ever do this. Even when I need to stand up and talk, the students are fully involved in this. I hate when students sit idly and watch me teach. No learning is done when this happens.
I think there are many ways to continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching and leading with technology. In order to do this, I must stay up to date with current technology. I would like to continue my masters program, which will hopefully continue to teach me new things. I would also like to take classes in technology resources that I am not familiar with. This will allow me to learn more which in return will allow me to share what I have learned with my students.
One of the long term goals that I have is to use blogs in my classroom. I would love to have students be able to send me questions through blogs. We could also complete entire lessons using blogs. Students can just sign in and get the directions and lesson without having to have me explain it first. This will take basic training to help the students understand how to get started, but I believe that after one time the students would be ready to go. I also think this would need to be allowed by my school system, which is one barrier I face very often.
Another goal that I have is to educate my students on all the new technology. Being a SS teacher, I am allowed a bit more flexibility then other teachers. I would like to take a day or two a month and explore what technology has to offer. In order to do this I would submit lesson plans to my administration and discuss with them the positive things that studying technology can do.
I don't think that much has changed in my checklist. I am not, or was not, as proficient at technology as I thought, but this is changing. I look forward to continuing the path I am on towards my masters and am excited to learn about all the technology that exists.
This course has shown me that there is more than PowerPoint out there to teach with. I love to use technology and have learned of so many new ways to use it in my classroom. I am able to now look at lessons and be able to incorporate different forms of technology into them. Some of these lessons call for me to use more technology and others have the students working with it.
My knowledge has been depended by the introduction of wikis, blogs, and pod casts. I had heard all of those words before but had never worked with any of those resources. In fact, they scared me! I thought that they items called for a lot of work and were not very useful in teaching. I think this is how many people think. I was wrong. All of these items can be incorporated into lessons that will help our students succeed.
I do not think that my perspective has changed when it comes to a teacher centered classroom compared to student centered classroom. I have always been the type of teacher who lets the students take control of their learning. There is no better way to lose a student than to stand up and lecture. I never ever do this. Even when I need to stand up and talk, the students are fully involved in this. I hate when students sit idly and watch me teach. No learning is done when this happens.
I think there are many ways to continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching and leading with technology. In order to do this, I must stay up to date with current technology. I would like to continue my masters program, which will hopefully continue to teach me new things. I would also like to take classes in technology resources that I am not familiar with. This will allow me to learn more which in return will allow me to share what I have learned with my students.
One of the long term goals that I have is to use blogs in my classroom. I would love to have students be able to send me questions through blogs. We could also complete entire lessons using blogs. Students can just sign in and get the directions and lesson without having to have me explain it first. This will take basic training to help the students understand how to get started, but I believe that after one time the students would be ready to go. I also think this would need to be allowed by my school system, which is one barrier I face very often.
Another goal that I have is to educate my students on all the new technology. Being a SS teacher, I am allowed a bit more flexibility then other teachers. I would like to take a day or two a month and explore what technology has to offer. In order to do this I would submit lesson plans to my administration and discuss with them the positive things that studying technology can do.
I don't think that much has changed in my checklist. I am not, or was not, as proficient at technology as I thought, but this is changing. I look forward to continuing the path I am on towards my masters and am excited to learn about all the technology that exists.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
21st Century Skills
Well, I have started to look through this website and, while it may be because its after a full day of work and the gym and cooking and cleaning, well, its a bit confusing. I understand their mission is to help students learn the skills they need for success in the real world. I never spent much time thinking about the fact that we are not fully preparing our students for whats to come. True, I have spent some time wondering why the students need to know the government of random countries in Africa, or why students need to memorize the Chinese Dynasties, but I never thought about the stuff that was missing. This site shows me what we are lacking. I do feel like we focus a lot on problem solving, as it is an idea that lends itself to any subject and any topic, but what about the others? Communication skills could greatly help our students. How many of them miss out on jobs because no one has ever taught them to interview? Interpersonal skills...amazing! Students need to be able to self direct and that is something I find that they are not able to do.
I love the idea of getting business to work with our students. People who work in the business world are much better suited to teach about these skills then we are. I cannot teach how to communicate with professionals outside the education world as well as others can. How amazing is it to have a place to go to find these resources.
This website has worked to build 21st century skills into our everyday core subjects. What a great way to teach all of our students need. I feel that unless we think more about this and dive deeper into the idea of 21st century skills that we will be giving our students a disadvantage.
I love the idea of getting business to work with our students. People who work in the business world are much better suited to teach about these skills then we are. I cannot teach how to communicate with professionals outside the education world as well as others can. How amazing is it to have a place to go to find these resources.
This website has worked to build 21st century skills into our everyday core subjects. What a great way to teach all of our students need. I feel that unless we think more about this and dive deeper into the idea of 21st century skills that we will be giving our students a disadvantage.
Monday, January 12, 2009
To blog or not...that is the question.
Today I spent some time with our LSTC discussing the ideas for using blogs in the classroom. The same problem kept arising. How do we allow our students to blog, and blog safely? She informed me that this has been a continuing problem at all the county meetings she attends. We want to use blogs, she says, but the county discourages us from doing so due to liability issues. She told me that there are certain blog sites that allow for an adminstrator to check all posts and comments before they are allowed to be posted on the blog, and that this is the only way we could possibly use this wondeful asset in the classroom. This is a bit discouraging because honestly, who has the time to check every posting and every comment that comes through the blogs of the 120 students I teach?
All that aside, I would really like to use blogs. I belive that we could incorporate them into the classroom in many ways. I could possibly make it an alternative way of communication between the students and myself. Maybe students would feel more comfortable asking questions when not faced with, well, face to face contact.
Perhaps we can use blogs in the classroom to allow students to show what they understand in a more creative way. They can post their comments and thoughts on subjects and other students can respond.
In my school, students are required to create a portfolio with artifacts from each subject along with rational about their material. I really think that a blog would be a great place to do this. At the moment, we have trouble maintaining the paper portfolios for each student because it winds up being a lot of material, along with a lot of work for the teachers having to shuffle folders between themselves. We do have the electronic option, but as computers do, we often have crashes and all of the students work is lost. On top of the frequent loss, maintaining 1000 students work can be overwhelming for both the system and the system maintainer. How wonderful would it be to blog this material?! Students could scan their material and then blog their responses. The reviewers could then make comments and post their ideas on that information. The more I talk about it, the more it totally seems to make sense!!! The blog would never "disappear" and could follow the student all the way to college! I love this idea and can't wait to share it with my administrators.
All that aside, I would really like to use blogs. I belive that we could incorporate them into the classroom in many ways. I could possibly make it an alternative way of communication between the students and myself. Maybe students would feel more comfortable asking questions when not faced with, well, face to face contact.
Perhaps we can use blogs in the classroom to allow students to show what they understand in a more creative way. They can post their comments and thoughts on subjects and other students can respond.
In my school, students are required to create a portfolio with artifacts from each subject along with rational about their material. I really think that a blog would be a great place to do this. At the moment, we have trouble maintaining the paper portfolios for each student because it winds up being a lot of material, along with a lot of work for the teachers having to shuffle folders between themselves. We do have the electronic option, but as computers do, we often have crashes and all of the students work is lost. On top of the frequent loss, maintaining 1000 students work can be overwhelming for both the system and the system maintainer. How wonderful would it be to blog this material?! Students could scan their material and then blog their responses. The reviewers could then make comments and post their ideas on that information. The more I talk about it, the more it totally seems to make sense!!! The blog would never "disappear" and could follow the student all the way to college! I love this idea and can't wait to share it with my administrators.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
And the vacation is over...
How fast did Winter Break go this year? I feel like i just said good-bye to my students for the holidays and now here we are, less then 15 hours from being back at work!!! I am looking forward to seeing my kids. We start our new unit and I am busy thinking of all the different ways that I would like to share Africa with my students. But before I get into the units I am going to teach, I am going to take one last night to sit back with my husband and enjoy the quiet.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
My first Blog
My name is Arielle Book and this is my first blog. I am currently working towards my masters degree at Walden University in Intergrating Technology into the Classroom. Blogging is new to me and I am excited to see what it allows me to do!!
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