As I reflect on my own personal learning theory, I still feel that my teaching techniques align most closely with social cognitivism, but touch the other learning theories as well. I enjoy using a lot of social interaction between students to teach and learn concepts because students have their prior learning experiences and can contribute to our learning environment. Too many times a learning opportunity is passed because the students did not have time to process the information with a neighbor. I enjoy hearing conversations between students about topics because more often than not, a new idea is introduced between the students and I can take that idea and share it with the rest of the class.
If I were to make one modification to my own personal learning theory, I think that I would include more constructionism in my classroom. As of right now, I have a hard time including activities that allow the students to explore a new concept. Even though I do use some constructionism in my instruction, I think I can include more. I just cannot think of where I would be able to fit it in.
One immediate change I am going to make in my instruction is the use of a Voice Thread. On my weekly blog, I have the students write to a weekly prompt. This past week, they wrote their responses and I had them record their answers into a Voice Thread I created for them. I could not believe how much excitement they had to record their voices. After we had completed it, I sent the thread home to their parents and have gotten great responses.
Another change I am going to make is by trying to incorporate the creation of more artifacts. With the curriculum that I teach, there is not much opportunity to have student created artifacts, so I am going to have to pull out my creative side and build in the chance to do something new. I feel that this is going to be a challenge, but I am up for it.
One long-term goal that I have for integrating technology is to be able to use it for student centered learning, rather than as a teaching tool. I would like my students to be able to explore different technology pieces, such as Webspiration, or creating their own Voice Thread. I think I can accomplish this by showing them the tools, and having them investigate themselves. After that, I will be able to create assignments for them to use the tools.
Another long-term goal is to find new ways to use technology to get students excited about learning. I have seen first hand in the past couple weeks that students do get excited about the opportunity to use a new technology, but how can I keep that excitement up? I want to find a way to keep the students engaged at all times when using technology. I feel that the newness might wear off after awhile and I want to avoid that. I think to avoid having it wear off, I need to remain excited about using technology. At times I see that the students feed off of the teacher's attitude and if I keep a positive attitude, they will keep it too.
I have learned so much about myself throughout this course and a lot about the different teaching theories. I am happy to have had the opportunity to evaluate my own teaching techniques and have the chance to develop new ones.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice
Connectivism and Social Learning are two learning theories that can be found in many classrooms. With Connectivism, Dr. Siemens describes it as "knowledge residing in the patters of how different concepts are networked." This means that knowledge is gained based on making connections from prior knowledge and new information. Those concepts then create a network of their own to help an individual fully understand its meaning. Social learning is a theory a theory that bases learning on collaboration between peers. They are able to share ideas and help each other come to a complete understanding of a concept.
I have always used collaboration in my classroom, this year more than others. I feel that because everyone comes from different upbringings and different backgrounds, their views on topics are going to be different. I like for my students to be able to discuss their ideas and come up with one common idea. By doing this, they are all using their prior knowledge to construct new knowledge.
One strategy that I really liked from this weeks readings in the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, was the strategy of having a website that the kids create. I think that this is a fun idea because they are building something together, but learning at the same time. I feel that at times students really need to learn to turn to each other for help when learning something new. Creating a website will most likely be new to a lot of 4th grade students, so therefore they are going to be learning together. Dr. Orey said that by using social learning students are able to "bounce ideas off one another, validate their answers, and build confidence." I agree with this because I have seen that this is what comes out of cooperative learning.
A strategy that I use in my classroom for cooperative learning is called Expert Groups. This is very similar to the Jigsaw method of learning. One student from each table group becomes an expert on one topic, then it is up to them to teach their teammates about their one topic. After we have gone through all of the experts, we play a game where I call on random individuals to answer questions. The experts have their notes in hand, and the notes are not allowed to leave their hands. Therefore, if someone in their group, who is not the expert, gets called on, that person needs to turn to the expert for help. It is a great strategy because not only does it teach them how to collaborate with each other, but it allows for the expert to gain confidence because he or she knows the information and gets to teach it to others. This can be very powerful, especially for those students who do not have a lot of confidence in themselves.
Connectivism and Social Learning are two theories that cannot be left out of a learning environment. They work well with the other learning theories, but there is something more powerful to these. They allow students to rely on each other for help and for sharing knowledge. They allow students to have conversations to come up with solutions. Most importantly, they allow students to be actively engaged in conversations while constructing their own knowledge.
I have always used collaboration in my classroom, this year more than others. I feel that because everyone comes from different upbringings and different backgrounds, their views on topics are going to be different. I like for my students to be able to discuss their ideas and come up with one common idea. By doing this, they are all using their prior knowledge to construct new knowledge.
One strategy that I really liked from this weeks readings in the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, was the strategy of having a website that the kids create. I think that this is a fun idea because they are building something together, but learning at the same time. I feel that at times students really need to learn to turn to each other for help when learning something new. Creating a website will most likely be new to a lot of 4th grade students, so therefore they are going to be learning together. Dr. Orey said that by using social learning students are able to "bounce ideas off one another, validate their answers, and build confidence." I agree with this because I have seen that this is what comes out of cooperative learning.
A strategy that I use in my classroom for cooperative learning is called Expert Groups. This is very similar to the Jigsaw method of learning. One student from each table group becomes an expert on one topic, then it is up to them to teach their teammates about their one topic. After we have gone through all of the experts, we play a game where I call on random individuals to answer questions. The experts have their notes in hand, and the notes are not allowed to leave their hands. Therefore, if someone in their group, who is not the expert, gets called on, that person needs to turn to the expert for help. It is a great strategy because not only does it teach them how to collaborate with each other, but it allows for the expert to gain confidence because he or she knows the information and gets to teach it to others. This can be very powerful, especially for those students who do not have a lot of confidence in themselves.
Connectivism and Social Learning are two theories that cannot be left out of a learning environment. They work well with the other learning theories, but there is something more powerful to these. They allow students to rely on each other for help and for sharing knowledge. They allow students to have conversations to come up with solutions. Most importantly, they allow students to be actively engaged in conversations while constructing their own knowledge.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Constructivism in Practice
I really like the Constructionism Theory. I think that a lot of students need those hands on moments to really build an understanding of something. Even if they are not hands on students, those experiences help to gain more understanding on any given topic. I have always been the type of person that needs to do something in order to learn it. I cannot sit through a lecture and take anything from it. Because I know who I am as a learner, I try to incorporate many different strategies in my classroom for my different learners. Constructionism is no exception.
Through this weeks reading of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, I noticed that there was one recommendation they made for classroom practice that just stood out. They stated "Make sure students can explain their hypotheses and conclusions." I thought, "Wow! This is so similar to the questions that I always ask my students, 'How did you get this?' and 'Why is this true?'" Those questions really push students to think about how they got their answer. It allows for them to think more about the process of solving a problem rather than focusing on getting it correct.
One strategy that was talked about was that of data collection tools. The math unit that my fourth graders are currently in, is about data collection and methods of organizing it once it has been collected. I think that being able to input data into a computer program and to organize it from there would be a fascinating experience, especially for those kids who are more analytical. I also liked the idea of sharing the information with other people online.
Finally, the using web resources to gain information is valuable. There is so much to learn and it never ends. We are constantly building our knowledge with everyday experiences. The Internet is a great resource to find answers to questions and gain more knowledge on topics. I find myself hooked on Google when looking for answers. I believe that we need to teach our students to use the resources available to them and that the Internet is a great resource if used appropriately.
I believe that the Constructionism/Constructivism Theory allows students to build on what they already know, but to gain knowledge from doing something interactive. They need time to play, manipulate, build, and learn from being creative. That is what this theory allows them to do. Yes, we all make mistakes, and yes, they will too, but we also learn from those mistakes. In order to have those "ah-ha" moments that we get when we understand something new, we need to be put into a situation that allows us to play, manipulate and build.
Through this weeks reading of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, I noticed that there was one recommendation they made for classroom practice that just stood out. They stated "Make sure students can explain their hypotheses and conclusions." I thought, "Wow! This is so similar to the questions that I always ask my students, 'How did you get this?' and 'Why is this true?'" Those questions really push students to think about how they got their answer. It allows for them to think more about the process of solving a problem rather than focusing on getting it correct.
One strategy that was talked about was that of data collection tools. The math unit that my fourth graders are currently in, is about data collection and methods of organizing it once it has been collected. I think that being able to input data into a computer program and to organize it from there would be a fascinating experience, especially for those kids who are more analytical. I also liked the idea of sharing the information with other people online.
Finally, the using web resources to gain information is valuable. There is so much to learn and it never ends. We are constantly building our knowledge with everyday experiences. The Internet is a great resource to find answers to questions and gain more knowledge on topics. I find myself hooked on Google when looking for answers. I believe that we need to teach our students to use the resources available to them and that the Internet is a great resource if used appropriately.
I believe that the Constructionism/Constructivism Theory allows students to build on what they already know, but to gain knowledge from doing something interactive. They need time to play, manipulate, build, and learn from being creative. That is what this theory allows them to do. Yes, we all make mistakes, and yes, they will too, but we also learn from those mistakes. In order to have those "ah-ha" moments that we get when we understand something new, we need to be put into a situation that allows us to play, manipulate and build.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Cognitivism in Practice
The Cognitivism theory is extremely interesting to me. I think that a lot of knowledge in teaching comes from being able to understand how the brain receives information and decides what to do with that information. In many cases, I feel as though I am not getting through to my students, but now realize that maybe their brains need a different way of receiving the information so then they know what to do with it.
One strategy that I found to connect extremely well with the Cognitivism theory is that of graphic organizers. Dr. Orey spoke about who the brain makes connections to previous knowledge and can create a network of information. Essentially a graphic organizer does the same thing; there is one central topic and it expands based on information related to that one topic. Having a network of information allows a student to make connections between new information and their previous knowledge. All students have had many different experiences and have a lot of prior knowledge, but sometimes it can be hidden away. When new information is received, it may take awhile to find where that previous knowledge is hidden before an actual connection can be made.
Another strategy that I found interesting in how it relates to the Cognitivism theory is that of note taking. Dr. Orey talked about how Paivio's duel coding hypothesis indicates that the brain can store information in different places. Often the brain stores information with an image and text to go with that image. Note taking includes a combination of both imagery and text, therefore making it easier to store the information in long-term memory. I really liked how the inverted T was described by requiring students to write text on one side and draw images on the other side. Too often than not, images are not required when taking notes. I feel a lot of people do not realize how important it is for our brains to take in pictures.
All in all, I think that a lot of what we do in our classrooms has a connection to the Cognitivism theory, even if we do not realize it. I do feel that it is important to understand why we are using certain strategies over others. I truly believe in knowing the reasons why, rather than just doing it. I ask my students all the time, "How do you know?" and "Why is this true?" The same goes for us as teachers, "How do we know that certain teaching strategies work?" and "Why is it true?"
One strategy that I found to connect extremely well with the Cognitivism theory is that of graphic organizers. Dr. Orey spoke about who the brain makes connections to previous knowledge and can create a network of information. Essentially a graphic organizer does the same thing; there is one central topic and it expands based on information related to that one topic. Having a network of information allows a student to make connections between new information and their previous knowledge. All students have had many different experiences and have a lot of prior knowledge, but sometimes it can be hidden away. When new information is received, it may take awhile to find where that previous knowledge is hidden before an actual connection can be made.
Another strategy that I found interesting in how it relates to the Cognitivism theory is that of note taking. Dr. Orey talked about how Paivio's duel coding hypothesis indicates that the brain can store information in different places. Often the brain stores information with an image and text to go with that image. Note taking includes a combination of both imagery and text, therefore making it easier to store the information in long-term memory. I really liked how the inverted T was described by requiring students to write text on one side and draw images on the other side. Too often than not, images are not required when taking notes. I feel a lot of people do not realize how important it is for our brains to take in pictures.
All in all, I think that a lot of what we do in our classrooms has a connection to the Cognitivism theory, even if we do not realize it. I do feel that it is important to understand why we are using certain strategies over others. I truly believe in knowing the reasons why, rather than just doing it. I ask my students all the time, "How do you know?" and "Why is this true?" The same goes for us as teachers, "How do we know that certain teaching strategies work?" and "Why is it true?"
Monday, September 21, 2009
Behaviorism in Practice
I think that all instructional strategies have some sort of behaviorism worked into them. There are so many resources that help teachers to facilitate how students are learning and most of those include classroom management. Through this weeks readings, I see a strong correlation. In chapter 8, it starts off by saying "People attribute success to different sources: to their own innate abilities, to the assistance of others, to luck, and to effort." Behaviorism falls into the part of assistance of others because behaviorism can be used as reinforcement. In general people will find the want or need to do something if they see a positive outcome at the end. It is the same with students, they will comply with their teacher if they know what they are getting in the end. There are so many ways to look at behaviorism in the classroom, but the most obvious in my classroom is reinforcement, whether it's by using rewards, or just saying something that I noticed. Either way, a lot of my instruction has opportunity for reinforcement, therefore including behaviorism.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Course Reflection
Throughout this course, I feel that I have learned about several different types of technology that would vastly improve my instruction methods and the learning that goes on inside my classroom. I have been introduced to several different methods that I had never thought of using with students. Since being introduced and learning about these different technologies, I believe that in the future, I will be more open to using something new in my classroom. I am very comfortable with what I do now, but am excited to implement blogs, wikis and podcasts in my classroom.
The learning process is something that remains the same throughout generations. People are introduced to new concepts and must apply themselves to fully understand what they are learning about. The only difference with 21st century learners and learners prior to the 21st century is the way that information is received. It used to be that information was gathered from books, magazines, and people. Also, to receive that information could take an extended amount of time. Today, access to information is instantaneous. People have access to the Internet; which has endless resources. Having learned about the needs of today’s students allows me to become a better teacher because I am aware of those needs and can alter my methods to accommodate to them.
My perspective on student learning has not changed too much. As I went through my Bachelor and Certification program, I was told that learning should be student-centered. They are the learners and need to be able to take control of their own learning. The teacher is there to help facilitate the learning environment to allow for student success. However, I do feel it is important for a teacher to share their knowledge with their students. Information is received from many different, valid resources, so I need to be able to give my students the tools to use those resources and decide for themselves what credible information to what is not. By being taught the tools to distinguish between valuable information and non-valuable information will help students the future because there is such a range of resources; you cannot trust everything.
Continuing my knowledge of technology is going to be a never-ending process. One way that I can expand my knowledge is to continue taking courses on new technology that is available to teachers and learning how to incorporate it into classrooms. My district offers a five day retreat to learn about Activboards and how to integrate them into the everyday classroom. I am scheduled to go on this retreat in August. Once someone has attended the retreat, they are invited again in a couple years for a refresher course. The district I am in has been excellent in offering technology based summer courses to help teachers keep up with the many changes and needs of our students. Another way to expand my knowledge base is to do my own research. There are some amazing articles on integrating technology into a classroom and some even better books. Since technology has come so far in the past decade many people are interested in improving their own knowledge base; therefore the resources to do so are readily available. I feel that if I put the time and effort into making myself more knowledgeable about technology, it could greatly improve my students’ achievement.
My primary goal for integrating technology into my classroom is to use a blog for communication between myself and students. I think that more times than not, students choose not to participate in class discussions because they know it is not required of them; most of the time. A blog would allow them to still participate in a discussion, but on their own terms. They can participate within the comfort of their home. Blogs have a lot of possibility in the classroom. I think I would use it to introduce everyone to each other at the beginning of the school year, or continue a discussion that was started in class but never finished. With everything, there are going to be obstacles and one major obstacle for blogging with students would be the access to Internet at home. This year I found out that most of my students had access, but a couple did not and needed to go to the library for Internet use. Before I implement blogging, I am going to do a survey of my students so that I am aware of the their Internet access at home. Once I have an idea, I can decided whether or not to use the school computer lab for this activity or assign it as homework. Either way, I will try to integrate blogging. Prior to this course, I had heard a little about blogging, but never took a good look at it. Now that I have had time to experiment on my own with blogging, I feel that my students would love it!
My second goal is to integrate a wiki into my classroom. As a fourth or fifth grade teacher, we are teaching our students how to do large research based projects. Sometimes they work with others, but sometimes they are working as individuals. A wiki would be a place they can work together, or alone to share the information they have found. This past year, we did a project on the Pacific Rim. Each student had one country to research. At the end of the project, they turned in a typed report and did a presentation to the class. I believe that by changing the final product to a wiki and sharing that wiki with their classmates, more students are going to remember something about each country. One obstacle for creating a wiki goes with responding to a blog; does a student have access to the Internet? However, with this idea, there is also another obstacle; do the parents feel comfortable with helping their child create a wiki? Most of my students' parents are within the age range of a digital immigrant, however they are learning multiple technology uses. I feel as though most of them would not be comfortable creating a wiki with their child. This could cause a problem for assigning work on it at home. I think to avoid this problem, I may offer a training for the parents who are feeling uneasy about a wiki and how to help their child with this assignment. By doing this, I am showing them what to do and that I am easily accessed with any questions they may have. I feel it would have a positive outcome for both parents and students.
I feel as though my knowledge of technology and how it can be used in a classroom has grown. I have had my eyes opened to a range of different programs and methods used to integrate technology into a classroom. This course has ultimately taught me to keep an open mind to new things and to implement new technology into my classroom; even though I may be unsure of it, my students will respond positively to it.
The learning process is something that remains the same throughout generations. People are introduced to new concepts and must apply themselves to fully understand what they are learning about. The only difference with 21st century learners and learners prior to the 21st century is the way that information is received. It used to be that information was gathered from books, magazines, and people. Also, to receive that information could take an extended amount of time. Today, access to information is instantaneous. People have access to the Internet; which has endless resources. Having learned about the needs of today’s students allows me to become a better teacher because I am aware of those needs and can alter my methods to accommodate to them.
My perspective on student learning has not changed too much. As I went through my Bachelor and Certification program, I was told that learning should be student-centered. They are the learners and need to be able to take control of their own learning. The teacher is there to help facilitate the learning environment to allow for student success. However, I do feel it is important for a teacher to share their knowledge with their students. Information is received from many different, valid resources, so I need to be able to give my students the tools to use those resources and decide for themselves what credible information to what is not. By being taught the tools to distinguish between valuable information and non-valuable information will help students the future because there is such a range of resources; you cannot trust everything.
Continuing my knowledge of technology is going to be a never-ending process. One way that I can expand my knowledge is to continue taking courses on new technology that is available to teachers and learning how to incorporate it into classrooms. My district offers a five day retreat to learn about Activboards and how to integrate them into the everyday classroom. I am scheduled to go on this retreat in August. Once someone has attended the retreat, they are invited again in a couple years for a refresher course. The district I am in has been excellent in offering technology based summer courses to help teachers keep up with the many changes and needs of our students. Another way to expand my knowledge base is to do my own research. There are some amazing articles on integrating technology into a classroom and some even better books. Since technology has come so far in the past decade many people are interested in improving their own knowledge base; therefore the resources to do so are readily available. I feel that if I put the time and effort into making myself more knowledgeable about technology, it could greatly improve my students’ achievement.
My primary goal for integrating technology into my classroom is to use a blog for communication between myself and students. I think that more times than not, students choose not to participate in class discussions because they know it is not required of them; most of the time. A blog would allow them to still participate in a discussion, but on their own terms. They can participate within the comfort of their home. Blogs have a lot of possibility in the classroom. I think I would use it to introduce everyone to each other at the beginning of the school year, or continue a discussion that was started in class but never finished. With everything, there are going to be obstacles and one major obstacle for blogging with students would be the access to Internet at home. This year I found out that most of my students had access, but a couple did not and needed to go to the library for Internet use. Before I implement blogging, I am going to do a survey of my students so that I am aware of the their Internet access at home. Once I have an idea, I can decided whether or not to use the school computer lab for this activity or assign it as homework. Either way, I will try to integrate blogging. Prior to this course, I had heard a little about blogging, but never took a good look at it. Now that I have had time to experiment on my own with blogging, I feel that my students would love it!
My second goal is to integrate a wiki into my classroom. As a fourth or fifth grade teacher, we are teaching our students how to do large research based projects. Sometimes they work with others, but sometimes they are working as individuals. A wiki would be a place they can work together, or alone to share the information they have found. This past year, we did a project on the Pacific Rim. Each student had one country to research. At the end of the project, they turned in a typed report and did a presentation to the class. I believe that by changing the final product to a wiki and sharing that wiki with their classmates, more students are going to remember something about each country. One obstacle for creating a wiki goes with responding to a blog; does a student have access to the Internet? However, with this idea, there is also another obstacle; do the parents feel comfortable with helping their child create a wiki? Most of my students' parents are within the age range of a digital immigrant, however they are learning multiple technology uses. I feel as though most of them would not be comfortable creating a wiki with their child. This could cause a problem for assigning work on it at home. I think to avoid this problem, I may offer a training for the parents who are feeling uneasy about a wiki and how to help their child with this assignment. By doing this, I am showing them what to do and that I am easily accessed with any questions they may have. I feel it would have a positive outcome for both parents and students.
I feel as though my knowledge of technology and how it can be used in a classroom has grown. I have had my eyes opened to a range of different programs and methods used to integrate technology into a classroom. This course has ultimately taught me to keep an open mind to new things and to implement new technology into my classroom; even though I may be unsure of it, my students will respond positively to it.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Profiling the Students of Today
Gabcast recording of questionere answers from my 4th grade students about the use of technology at home. It was very interesting to hear their responses to some of the questions I had asked and to listen to what they had to say on their thoughts about technology. Fourth grade students are a lot more insightful about technology than I had anticipated. I was expecting some standard responses, but not much elaboration to support what they were saying. After they took the questionerre, we had a conversation about their answers and dove deeper into their ideas about using technology. It was an extremely fun discussion with my class and I found out a lot more about them than what I had known prior to this activity.
http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&query=&b=play&id=30414&cast=142176&castPage=&autoplay=true
http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&query=&b=play&id=30414&cast=142176&castPage=&autoplay=true
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
As I started to sift through the information presented on this website, I took a look at their mission so that I could have a good idea at what they are intending to do. Their mission states, "Serve as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders." To me, this says that their goal is to prepare our students so that they are ready when they become our future's leaders. One day they will be running the businesses and government and they will need to be equipped with the skills so that they are able to succeed.
I really enjoyed what I saw on The Partnership for the 21st Century Skills website. I saw a lot of valid connections as to why it is important to teach children the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century. At one point, I saw stated on the website "There is a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces." When I read this, I thought about how there can be such a large gap when the world of education is always changing, looking for improvement. I feel that eduction takes time to focus on what children need based on how the world is changing. I think that the gap between knowledge and skills is primarily because of funding in our education system that causes us to adapt more slowly than others.
I also really liked looking at the framework that they have put in place for 21st Century learning. It looks like their goal is to not primarily go for the skills needed in the 21st century, but to focus on those skills along with the core subjects. The core subjects include those that we already teach; science, math, reading, etc. The 21st century themes include global awareness, financial literacy, and health and civic literacy. Looking back on when I was in school (which was not that long ago), I do not remember ever being taught about financial literacy and what it means. This year my team and I decided to use a new curriculum to teach about economics. Along with this curriculum, we taught about financial literacy (bank accounts, check writing, check registers, and money flow). I cannot express how valuable this has been to my students. I have gotten so many compliments from parents saying that they had not seen anything like it before and are seeing changes in their children's financial responsibility; even for fourth graders it made a difference.
One thing that surprised me was under the "State Initiatives" section; Washington was not listed. I thought that because Washington is one of the centers for technology, with Microsoft and other major technology companies located here, that we would for sure be listed. The states that were listed have some sort of commitment from their leaders to make sure that these skills are taught and the students can succeed. Along with Washington not being listed, I was even more surprised that only ten states were among the ones committed to following through on teaching 21st century skills. That just seems amazing to me.
As far as the implications for my students and myself go, there are going to be more expectations for both myself and my students when it comes to learning the skills of the 21st century. I think that people are now starting to realize how important it is to prepare the children for their futures and they are going to put higher expectations on everyone involved in education. By higher expectations, I mean that employers are going to expect that the people who are applying for their open positions are going to be technologically literate and have critical thinking skills to help develop new and creative products or ideas. As an educator, I am going to not only be expected to teach the core subjects, but to also include methods of teaching critical thinking, life and career skills and technology skills. This puts a lot of pressure on myself as an educator, but I do not think that it is impossible to fit it all in. There are going to be many, many changes in the next several years in the way things are taught in schools and I feel that it is going to start being directed to the 21st Century Skills.
I really enjoyed what I saw on The Partnership for the 21st Century Skills website. I saw a lot of valid connections as to why it is important to teach children the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century. At one point, I saw stated on the website "There is a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces." When I read this, I thought about how there can be such a large gap when the world of education is always changing, looking for improvement. I feel that eduction takes time to focus on what children need based on how the world is changing. I think that the gap between knowledge and skills is primarily because of funding in our education system that causes us to adapt more slowly than others.
I also really liked looking at the framework that they have put in place for 21st Century learning. It looks like their goal is to not primarily go for the skills needed in the 21st century, but to focus on those skills along with the core subjects. The core subjects include those that we already teach; science, math, reading, etc. The 21st century themes include global awareness, financial literacy, and health and civic literacy. Looking back on when I was in school (which was not that long ago), I do not remember ever being taught about financial literacy and what it means. This year my team and I decided to use a new curriculum to teach about economics. Along with this curriculum, we taught about financial literacy (bank accounts, check writing, check registers, and money flow). I cannot express how valuable this has been to my students. I have gotten so many compliments from parents saying that they had not seen anything like it before and are seeing changes in their children's financial responsibility; even for fourth graders it made a difference.
One thing that surprised me was under the "State Initiatives" section; Washington was not listed. I thought that because Washington is one of the centers for technology, with Microsoft and other major technology companies located here, that we would for sure be listed. The states that were listed have some sort of commitment from their leaders to make sure that these skills are taught and the students can succeed. Along with Washington not being listed, I was even more surprised that only ten states were among the ones committed to following through on teaching 21st century skills. That just seems amazing to me.
As far as the implications for my students and myself go, there are going to be more expectations for both myself and my students when it comes to learning the skills of the 21st century. I think that people are now starting to realize how important it is to prepare the children for their futures and they are going to put higher expectations on everyone involved in education. By higher expectations, I mean that employers are going to expect that the people who are applying for their open positions are going to be technologically literate and have critical thinking skills to help develop new and creative products or ideas. As an educator, I am going to not only be expected to teach the core subjects, but to also include methods of teaching critical thinking, life and career skills and technology skills. This puts a lot of pressure on myself as an educator, but I do not think that it is impossible to fit it all in. There are going to be many, many changes in the next several years in the way things are taught in schools and I feel that it is going to start being directed to the 21st Century Skills.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
How can I use a Blog in my own class?
I think that a blog would be a great tool to use with my students on many different levels. The first thought that came to me when thinking about the possibilities, is to post a weekly question about something that we are doing in class. The best process for this would be to post a question on Monday and require the students to make a comment by Wednesday (very much like our Master's program). Once that has been completed, as a class we can revisit all of the their thoughts on Thursday and have an organized discussion from there. By doing a blog this way, I feel that the students who do not share on a regular basis will feel more comfortable discussing their thoughts. Also, it will give them a different opportunity to validate points they were trying to make earlier. I think it will enhance any lesson that is previously taught because they will be revisiting a concept. Any time a student has multiple exposure to a topic they are more likely to retain the information. I really like the idea of having a blog to enhance lessons taught earlier in the day, or the previous week. However, a blog would also be an excellent tool for a pre-assessment. It would give them an opportunity to show me what they already know and what they might want to learn. I am excited to incorporate a blog into my classroom next fall.
As a 4th grade teacher, my students are use to having computer and internet access. Having a classroom blog will give the students a chance to explore online communication. Not having much experience with online communication, this would be a great opportunity to introduce them into that world. I am sure that most of the students would be very excited about this new opportunity.
As a 4th grade teacher, my students are use to having computer and internet access. Having a classroom blog will give the students a chance to explore online communication. Not having much experience with online communication, this would be a great opportunity to introduce them into that world. I am sure that most of the students would be very excited about this new opportunity.
Tech woes
Well as the school year is winding down, I am realizing how much I miss my Smartboard. I have been using a new teaching technique that includes writing on more and more butcher paper and not using as much technology, but I feel that it is lacking. Since being at my new school, I do not have a Smartboard. For some reason the district does not pay for all of the schools to get one. So upon the discovery of not having one and figuring out how I can get one, I signed up for a technology training this summer. However, since I have been accepted into the program (a week long study in Leavenworth, WA), I got a RIF notice. Now because I have a RIF notice, technically I do not have a job for next year as of right now, so that means I will not be able to go to the technology training. This is sad news for me because I am excited about learning different things I can do with technology. This is not only closely related to my career, but it is related to my Master's as well. I would not only be learning how to work with a Smartboard, but there were other tech lessons as well. Does anyone have any ideas how I can focus on imporving my technology teaching techniques, even though I may not have a classroom in the fall?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
RIF Thoughts
Well, last week on May 1st, I received my RIF letter. This was extremely sad for me because I finally had a feeling that my job would be safe. I understand that districts across the country are cutting costs, but why does it have to be within education? Don't lawmakers understand how important keeping teachers in the classroom is? No! They see need in bailing out the auto industry or other areas of economy that need to fail because of bad business decisions. The students nor the teachers did anything to deserve this shortfall in funding. I feel for those kids who are going to slip further and further behind because of large classes and the teacher they have not being able to meet the needs of every student. It is an unfair practice and has become very personal to me because I am one who loves what I do and now I'm uncertain about my future. It is unfair to lose good teachers and let the kids suffer. What were they thinking? Do they not realize that one day these kids who are feeling the repercussions of their bad decisions are going to be the leaders of our country? I feel that we are giving them a false sense of what our priorities are; the auto industry over education? Let's be real! At first when I received my RIF notification, I was sad because it opened up a door to the unknown. Now I am angry because our countries priorities are obviously mixed up and it is the children who are going to be suffering. It is not fair to the them because they did not do anything to deserve less of an education. We need to make sure that our legislature understands the damage they are doing and we need to see that it gets fixed! Why should these innocent children have to suffer?
To see my interview about getting a RIF notice click here: http://www.kirotv.com/video/19477352/
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