This course has opened my eyes to a world of possibility with technology. I have never really forced myself to think about literacy and how it relates to the online world. The most striking revelation in my mind was the fact that I need to make sure that my students need to be taught how to effectively use the Internet and online resources. I have always believed that it would just "come naturally" and I would not need to directly teach those skills. I know that seems hard to believe, but there are so many other things that I am required to teach my students, this is one thing that has never come up. I believe a lot of people do not have a grasp on 21st century skills, therefore it is not important in their eyes.
Now that I know and understand that there are more skills to help students become more literate using the Internet, I will be able to implement those skills into my teaching. One thing that I plan on doing more instruction on is teaching the students how to validate a website. In fourth grade, they are doing research projects and using many different resources. Being able to distinguish which resources have good, valid information is an important skill. I will also be able to teach the students how to use other important resources online to help further their knowledge. For example, having a narrowed down, specific search topic will be useful for students in finding specific resources.
My personal goal is to get into our computer lab once a week so that I have an opportunity to teach these skills. As of right now, I have a scheduled time, but rarely visit the lab unless there is a writing project that is due. Now that I know there are other skills (besides word processing), I have more of a reason to make it to the lab weekly. Half the battle is implementing the resources that are available. Once I have figured out a plan, and stick to it, teaching these skills will come easy.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Reflection of my Personal Learning Theory
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.
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, 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.
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