EDLD+5364+Teaching+with+Technology

 Final assignment reflection. 1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?  When beginning this course I envisioned several new forms of new technology that I could use in my classroom. I thought it would be like an up to date staff development. While the two books that we reviewed did offer several examples or links to some of the new applications of technology being used in classrooms today, I didn’t really learn anything new. I was introduced to some very intriguing ideas and/or sites that I can use. At times becoming distracted from my assignments to go exploring and letting my mind drift on how I can apply or use this in my classroom. I don’t think the class outcomes of this class have met up with what I had envisioned, but I now have a wealth of resources at my fingertips that if I take the time to utilize will provide the outcome I envisioned. Hopefully with some extra time I will be able to develop some lessons using these sites.     2. To the extent that you achived the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?  Now that I am armed with a wealth of resources, I think the outcomes are relevant to what I do in my class. Because my class is an elective, I am afforded with a little more freedom to explore some of the new technologies that I read about. The first thing I plan to implement in my class is the homes of our own program. I was very excited to find that our district has this program available to us. With it, my students will have to use problem-solving skills and do research before they are able to actually build a house. Once they begin building there are also other real life barriers that they will face which will deepen their understanding of all the complexities and planning that it takes to build a house. I also plan to use the Jason project as an enhancement to a module that I already do in class.    3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">I did not achieve all of the outcomes I had envisioned for the class. Some of the outcomes that I did not complete were practicing applying the theory that we learned. I did create a learning activity, but it was for an entirely different age level than what I teach. Another outcome that I hoped I would have was to be proficient in the use of the Google sites. I did manage to navigate to our site and was effective in completing my share of the group assignment, but the group leader ended up with a much better understanding of how to use the site. Another outcome I did not achieve was to effectively communicate with group members through the Google sites. When our group discussed things, it was through email instead of on the Google docs or Google site that our team created. I attempted to start a discussion about one of my concerns to no avail. With it being the end of the year, I think that some found it difficult to find time to do this. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">I was able to complete the assignments, but not to the satisfaction that I would have preferred. The major obstacle I faced was time and/or the structure of the class. The way the class is structured you need should do the weeks assignments in order. I found it difficult to watch the videos, then complete all the reading, start a discussion and then start the assignments. Because I had to begin working on some of the assignments before completing some of the readings, I think it took away from some of the learning. I was not able to acquire the knowledge needed before beginning my assignments. Some weeks also had several different assignments, which made it difficult to complete the required work. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Another area that proved to be difficult was the communication with team members. With the struggles I listed above compiled with having to wait on members of our team made it that much more difficult to comply with the class due dates. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">In this course, I learned about the United design for learning and its principals. The concepts and theories I learned in this course made me rethink my approach to education. I learned that I was able to manage my time better than I thought. I also learned that I can create an effective technology based lesson for an elementary level class even though I have never taught anything younger than an 8th grader. One thing that I am still amazed at is the level of professionalism that I continue to improve. Maybe it is just the lack of professionalism that I see in other s that makes me feel so accomplished. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">I have improved some technology skills, but more importantly, I think I have learned how to teach to use some of the tools we learned about. I think I will be able to apply some of the theory and practices that we learned from the videos and our readings. I definitely plan to continue to reference the resources we used in the class.

Week 5

As I wrap up the final week of this class, I have many questions about the future of education and the future of technology in education. With every thought provoking video that I watched this week I am continuing to question how I approach classroom instruction. It seems that in a way knowledge is becoming less and less important; only because we have so much knowledge at our fingertips. Why do teachers continue to require that students regurgitate facts that they should have learned during a particular lesson. Of what importance does this hold? It’s the same question that I hear students ask about their math problems. “Why do I need to know this when I can just use a calculator?” While I understand the importance of students needing to have math skills that is still a hard point to argue. Accessing knowledge and being able to apply the appropriate knowledge when needed is becoming a critical skill that 21st century learners must develop. Are schools able to realize that this skill is more important than all of the rote memorization that we require of today’s youth? Students are much more likely to remember facts when they are using them to analyze or problem solve in finding a solution. I think this can be true in all content areas. I have also come to realize that adults and administration are afraid of what they do not understand. Schools continue to block access to games because it takes away from the students studying. Students today are so motivated to play games that they will look up information about how to side step blocking sites or load a game on a flash drive so that they can bring it to school and play them. Instead of taking this stance against game use at school, maybe we should take a page from the gaming industry and use gaming to our advantage. I was very excited to see that games are being created that require students to problems solve or find information in order to succeed. When viewing the __Big Thinkers: Sasha Barab on New-Media Engagement__ video one key phrase stuck in my mind. When discussing a student’s view in the use of a game in education he said, “Failure can be motivating; it’s not something to be avoided. I’m allowed to tinker. I’m allowed to try to something I couldn’t normally be.” I think this freedom that students have when playing a game allows them to learn what is needed. Will schools adjust and learn to embrace what is motivates tomorrows leaders? Their world has changed and is continuing to change whether we like it or not.

Week 4 Week 4 in my Teaching with Technology class brings me to some very interesting technology uses. Pitler’s, __Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works__, offers several examples of technologies that can easily be integrated into the classroom. I have had a hard time staying focused on my own class, as I have wanted to go exploring with what he has shown. I am particularly interested in the [|www.jasonproject.org] website because it uses digital labs and creates real life simulations. I certainly will be implementing this in my class as well as the [|www.homesofourown.org] program. I also read through an interesting research based project called the McREL Technology initiative. The program addresses the need for appropriate staff development for teachers in using technology. Few could argue that the current method of training staff to use technology is not effective. In many cases teachers are trained how to use a new technology or how it works. Solomon and Schrum (2007) states, “We often provide “just in case” training rather than “just in time” training, which provides teachers with information they need just as they need it.” What seems to be lacking is how to implement technologies into the teacher’s classroom. Teachers are much more likely to learn and apply new technologies if they had the proper support group. Using mentors to train each other is proving to be much more effective than the traditional information overload approach. Professional Learning Communities are a very opportune place that this type of mentoring can occur. They also allow for teachers to model and practice an approach that their students will soon find mainstream. The overlying value in implementing technology based instruction is still to get kids to learn. By using technology we can not only get students to learn, but to collaborate, and expand on the knowledge that each possesses. Recognizing that there are multiple differences in students should provide enough motivation for teachers to at least explore the idea of integrating technology in their classrooms. It seems that technology in education is taking baby steps in the right direction. The problem is technology is growing at an exponential pace. How will we catch up?

Week 3

This week I learned about Universal Design for Learning. This methodology addresses the need for providing students with unique individual instruction. It recognizes that everyone learns differently and makes adjustments so that students are able to receive the appropriate type of instruction for one's favored learning style. With UDL you have a flexible curriculum that strays away from the "cookie cutter" approach that so many teachers complain about. UDL uses recent research in brain function to engage appropriate areas of the brain when creating a lesson. A UDL lesson should present curriculum in such a manner that each of three networks of the brain are engaged.

According to CAST, the nonprofit research and development organization that developed UDL, the three networks include: Recognition network, Strategic network, and the Affective network. The **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">recognition network ** involves gathering facts. This includes information that we "recognize" or identify with such as common words, phrases, letters and other forms of information. This includes how we organize this information. The **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">strategic network ** includes planning and performing tasks. This network is used whenever we are problem solving, or using our brain to express an idea. The **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">affective network ** includes what motivates students. What keeps their brain actively engaged.

My first reaction when reading about the UDL approach was somewhat of a knee jerk reaction. I immediately went into a defensive mode and thought there is no way a teacher have the time to make an individual lesson for each student. After actually creating a UDL lesson, I realized that much of the work comes from the students themselves. Instead of the teacher laying out the lesson and having the students follow it the same way; a teacher must recognize the learning goals and allow students to accomplish them in individualized ways. By doing this students use the strategic network of their brain by creating, developing, producing a "product" of learning. This also uses the affective network by allowing students the freedoms to choose their own learning path. It keeps them motivated because they are choosing how to display what they learn.

I still believe teacher will be very hesitant when this approach is presented to them because it seems like more work. I do believe that it may be more work for many teachers, especially those who have an established curriculum already developed. However if teachers begin to move toward creating more of a UDL type of lesson I think they will find their classrooms are more engaged and students will continue to impress with their learning. Personally I believe that this type of methodology will help student become lifelong learners. Instead of teaching them strictly material, teachers will be teaching students how to learn. With our world changing so quickly isn't that our ultimate goal?

Week 2

In my readings this week I learn how technology impacts a varied student body. There has been much research that suggests that the use of technology in the classroom helps improve learning while proving to be more sensitive to students' self esteem. Some of the latest research is providing evidence of higher test scores, students learning more efficiently, and are enjoying doint it in the process. When kids are able to have access to technology through their time at school, it helps to close the gap for low income families. Why does technology help students achieve? The fact that educators are better able to explore data, analyze what the data is communicating and then responding appropriately to that data is a key to how technology is changing the future of education.

One question that I pose is, are we as educators responding appropriatley to the explosion of technology, or are we a product of the way technology is changing our societly?

A recent article titled "Technology breeds self-absorbed kids" by William Klemm suggests that technology is also having a very negative impact on today's educaton. Klemm suggests that current trends with technology such as the text messaging, and social media sites such as facebook or myspace are causing today's generation of kids to become self centered. The focus of these technologies does however allow people to gloat about themselves and give an instant audience to any thought one might jot down. This blog for instance is doing that right now. Klemm also suggests that students at the college level are becoming more and more demanding in regards to their grades. Today's generations seems to be developing a sense of entitlement across the board. While we have learned that technology is helping to improve students self esteem, my question is has it gone too far?

Week 1

With technology changing at an exponential pace and its influence continually shaping the way our society lives, educators need to acknowledge a shift in priorities. Many of the traditional lessons that we listened to are becoming more and more irrelevant with today’s youth. Instead of teaching strictly content, educators need to address the fact that our world and the way it operates is changing so fast that students need to be prepared to deal with change. To do this today’s future employees need to be taught how to learn and how to continue to educate themselves in order to keep pace with tomorrows ever-changing world.

New theories have been developed that address such issues. We are now hearing terms like student or learner centered instruction, connectivism, constructivism, and even a cyborg learning theory. These ideas focus more on the future and what skills tomorrows leaders will need in order to be successful. These theories seem to focus less and less on teachers teaching content, but rather involve students in being responsible for their own learning; much as if they will have to do when they are older. Let’s take constructivism for example. Constructivism views learning as a process that a learner uses previous knowledge to adapt or generate new knowledge. (Solomon and Schrum 2007) We are starting to see changes in school curriculum that ask students at the beginning of a lesson what do you "know" and expanding on this to include new information about a desired topic. There is also a connectivism theory that includes using technology in making these connections and expanding to new valid information. (Siemens 2004)Today’s' youth will need to learn how to incorporate knowledge into an ever-changing use of technology in order to be prepared for tomorrow. Whether we like it or not change is coming to our society. What is in question is how education will respond to this change to stay relevant in our society. Can our educational focus keep up with the pace of how technology is used in a 21 century or do we need a complete overhaul of how and what we are teaching?<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">