Reflection on EDUC 6715

As this course draws to a close, I find myself with mixed emotions. I am overjoyed that I am finished and will have more time to devout to my family and students, but also fear that I will not remain on the cutting edge of technology being used in education without the driving force of a master’s program behind me. I have subscribed to numerous blogs and have bookmarked tons or resources, and with my intent to lobby for mobile devices and MUVE’s in the classroom, I hope to remain a leader at the forefront.

I hope to set up a Moodle to use in place of my school webpage. Our school uses SharePoint and it is far from user friendly. A moodle site could provide so much more information and resources than a simple website.

I believe my completed project incorporating Second Life into a unit in Geometry shows my commitment to experimenting and trying new things. MUVE’s was one area I had no prior knowledge of and my first time as an avatar in Second Life was intimidating. It is important for me to remember and reflect on this first attempt, as many of my students may experience this same phenomenon.

I learned valuable information regarding grants and the application process. In this economy, with schools’ budgets being cut left and right, knowing how to apply for grants to go towards technology will be very important in keeping our kids in the game.

Wow! It’s been a wonderful learning experience with probably the most exciting and intriguing course saved for last. A great way to end this masters’ program is by still questioning the future.

Emerging Technology: Online Learning in K-12 Schools

Here is the link to my prezi. First time using the tool, content is good, but not so happy with the presentation. Need more practice.

http://prezi.com/vyiq7bvs6kwz/emerging-technology-online-learning-in-k-12-schools/

Reflection on EDUC 6714

Diverse learners require diverse instruction. What has been revealed to me through this course is the ways in which technology can be used to customize instruction and the resources available to do so. I see technology in a math classroom being essential to differentiation. With technology, students can examine examples or different representational forms. Technology makes authentic learning more accessible to students, which then can play to students’ interests and motivation.

I have reviewed the resources in the differentiation station social network contributed by my colleagues. I am certainly going to use these throughout my lessons next year. It would be great to keep this Ning going to report back on how the resources are working. I plan to use centers, cubing, jigsaw, and think DOTS for differentiating instruction. There are wonderful resources to help create activities for these differentiation strategies. It resembles Max Thompson’s Learning Focused School model, which my school district subscribes to, so I have many wonderful tools in my differentiation tool box already.

I am fortunate in that I am in a classroom filled with technology. My goal is to use the SmartBoard more for differentiation and engagement than I have in the past. Pairing the SmartBoard with the Qwizdom voting devices, I can differentiate assessments as well as instruction. I would like to differentiate homework for students as well, so that they are practicing on what they need and not on what they already know. I am energized by what I have accomplished in this course and look forward to using my more effective teaching mindset, to engage every student next year.

Reflection Final Blog Post

Looking over the past eight weeks of this course in integrating technology across the content areas, I am proud of what I have accomplished. I chose one technology standard that focused on me and one that focused on the students. Focusing on myself, I decided to become a leader in technology integration within my classroom and those of others. Since it is the end of the school year, I did not accomplish as much towards this goal. I intend to revisit my GAME plan from day one of next school year and continue through the process: Monitor, Evaluate, Extend. For my students, I set a goal to develop technology enriched learning environments. Focusing on this standard has benefited my students. By adding elements of technology to my lessons, I have witnessed more interest and motivation in my students. I plan to institute many of the new technologies from this course into my lessons for next year.

By following a GAME plan, I have learned how to more clearly focus on improving my teaching with technology. I have become more systematic in setting goals and reaching them. An immediate change to my instructional practice is to teach the GAME plan process to my students. This is an approach to self-directed learning that will benefit them for their lifetime.

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

Encouraging our students to become self-directed learners is important to their success as a student, but will also be important as they become a contributing member of society. “Self-directed, metacognitive learners engage in three key processes: planning, monitoring, and evaluating their learning activities” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). To help students work towards this status, I believe it would be beneficial to explain the GAME plan and its benefits for learning.

Students would need help in setting goals. Setting goals for math need not be so broad as, mastering the seventh grade math curriculum, but rather mastering a concept they struggle with, or setting a grade average to attain. Setting goals for developing proficiency in technology may not seem necessary to the digital natives, but they do have room to grow, especially in the standards of Research and Information Fluency, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making and Digital Citizenship (The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•S)and Performance Indicators for Students, 2007).

It will be important to allow time in class for students to carry out the other steps in the plan. This could be done in the form of a blog, just as we have done over the course of this class. Activities and tasks that allow the students to accomplish their technology goals must also be provided in class, as well as modeling the behavior myself.

References:

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

National Education Standards for Students (NETS-S) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.

Revising My GAME Plan

Revising My GAME Plan

In evaluating my GAME plan and how to take my next steps forward, I realize I have gained so much already. I have investigated resources from my colleagues, which have provided me with technology enriched lessons. I plan to continue this quest and provide more opportunities for students to manage their own learning next year. I realize I cannot change everything at once, so I have taken some pressure off of myself to overhaul my classroom. As many of my colleagues have noted, baby steps are perfectly fine.

I will continue to be an advocate for technology in the classroom. This becomes more challenging as budgets are cut and programs lose funding. I believe if I model a technology infused classroom, others will become intrigued and encouraged to do the same in their classes. This may be all I can do on a school level. For myself, I have already looked into attending the ITSE Conference this summer. My school district has a presenter attending and what a wonderful way for me to support him while learning the latest strategies for teaching with technology. My biggest problem would be which workshops to attend.

The start of a new school year is a perfect time to revise, evaluate and carry out a new GAME plan, so I will continue to monitor my progress and look for great accomplishments with my students and colleagues next year!

Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

In the evaluating stage of my GAME plan, I reflect and see if I’ve met my goals. Have I developed technology enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress (ISTE, 2008)? This is the goal I feel I have attained the most success. I have sought out resources and implemented technology in new and exciting ways within my classroom. Investigating resources recommended by colleagues has provided me with numerous opportunities for students to take charge of their learning, using technology to help them along the way.

Have I exhibited leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others (ISTE, 2008)? Maybe not through the course of this class, but by being in the first cohort of my county’s Teach21 program and pursuing a degree in technology rather than math, I believe I demonstrate my commitment to the importance of technology in education. I continue to search other avenues for advancing my knowledge and developing my leadership.

Monitoring My GAME Plan

Monitoring My GAME Plan

I have taken many steps in carrying out my GAME plan. Some of the information I have gathered is not encouraging. One of my goals is to exhibit leadership in developing technology skills in others and my community. I began to inquire more deeply into my school district’s Teach21 program. This program is designed to support teachers during the process of integrating new technologies effectively. With continuing budget cuts, this program is completing its final cohort. So, my goal of presenting a course in this program may be put on hold. I have contacted many of the instructors to see what direction I need to take to get where they are. I am also looking for alternative avenues for bringing technology to the forefront in education.

My second goal is also hindered somewhat by the conclusion of Teach21. I still plan to take some courses on the latest technologies and how to use them in my classroom, including advanced video production and Scratch. I have also begun searching for quality webquests for math and performance tasks for math that incorporate technology. I plan to attend this year’s Teach21 Capstone Expo to view what Teach21 teachers have been doing in their classes.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

In order to continue with my GAME plan to design and develop technology enriched learning environments, I have begun keeping a log of the interesting ideas I come across from colleagues. I always comment on the great ideas Walden colleagues implement in their classes, but I often forget and move on to the next great idea. I am going to become more organized, placing strategies within content standard folders for use year after year. I have also looked into courses offered by my school district as part of our Teach21 program. I have completed the program, but as technology changes, so do the course offerings and there are some interesting areas I believe could enrich my lessons. I also plan to seek out other professional development opportunities.

The second part of my GAME plan is to exhibit leadership in developing technology skills in others and our community. I have contacted some of the class presenters for our technology program and have inquired as to their path. There may be more coursework on the horizon for me. I also continue to monitor my technology related subscriptions through my RSS reader, to keep at the forefront of new developments.

Developing My GAME Plan

by Lee Banks

For the past couple years, I have been a frequent visitor to the International Society for Technology in Education website. Because I truly believe that schools must move into the 21^st century along with their digital students, I have researched the technology standards and indicators to ensure that I am supporting the use of technology in learning.

Goals:
After reflecting on the standards and indicators, I have identified two areas that I would like to concentrate in order to improve my effectiveness in incorporating technology in my teaching. The first is to “develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress” (ISTE, 2008). My second goal is to “exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building , and developing the leadership and technology skills of others” (ISTE, 2008).

Actions:
I am very adept at using technology, but often feel I fall short in making meaningful connections for the students. I plan to keep myself up to date on the latest technology tools as well as continuing to take courses to implement the tools. I subscribe to blogs and news threads that keep me in the forefront. I also communicate with colleagues to share ideas and strategies.

I also want to be a powerful changing force in encouraging schools to place more importance on technology. Students have to know how to use technology to be productive in the 21^st century. School districts need to realize this. I would like to work towards becoming a technology specialist, one who teaches teachers how to use technology and support their efforts in the classroom. This requires more coursework on how to use applications and software.

Monitor:

I can monitor my progress based on what is happening around me. Currently, I am at the forefront of technological advances in classrooms. I have the SmartBoard, the laptops, the scanner, the Qwizdoms. If teachers start gaining tools that I have not heard of, I will know I have slipped in my GAME plan.

Evaluate:

Again, I will evaluate and extend by conversing with others with the same goals. Comparing myself to others on the same path and relying on administrator reviews.

References:

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

http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom - Reflection

The most striking revelation I had about the teaching of new literacy skills to my students, is how negligent my school and I are of actually meeting this goal. Students have very little formal instruction on searching, evaluating and synthesizing information they find on the internet. After this course, I believe students could greatly benefit from an elective course focusing strictly on the new literacy skills. However, knowing this will never happen, as my school continues to teach our past to students rather than their future, I will do what I can within my classroom.

As I go forward, I will incorporate new literacy skills in my teaching. Now, when teaching a unit on Pythagoras, I will also be cognizant of opportunities for students to practice literacy skills. Students especially need practice in the areas of searching and synthesizing.

The professional goal that I would like to pursue is to partner with our media specialist, technology teachers and other key players to stress the importance of teaching the new literacy skills in tandem with core curriculum. I believe these skills are being overlooked and if this continues our students will be left behind.