Through the last eight weeks I can assuredly say I have come a long way in my ability and confidence to implement technology in my instruction. I have found that I am now able to include these uses of technology in such a way that enhances the learning that takes place. The technologies that are being utilized bring a fresh perspective to my students and raises their interest in the work and learning that they are involved in.
When reflecting on my personal learning theory I was encouraged to find that I already had a strong understanding of learning communities. One of the greatest ideas I take from this course is that collaborative learning is such an asset to a learning community. I have retooled my instruction to be more available to these collaborative opportunities. One thing I would add to my personal learning theory is that a learner not only depends on their own understandings and the knowledge of their peers, but they also may make use of available resources. Throughout this course we were presented many different examples of resources that could be used to enhance learning. I feel this is an important aspect of an effective learning theory.
The resources we used were great aids in the learning process. Many of these technologies provided new information to the learner, while other technologies were geared at providing ways to share individual understandings and thoughts, as well as give and receive feedback from other members of the learning community. Since I teach second grade it would be easy for me to say that my students are too young to fully benefit from such uses of technology. It is my goal to get past that train of thought and find meaningful ways to implement these technologies. Two of the technologies that I hope to implement more in the near future are voicethreads and concept maps. These two tools could be used effectively in the right application. As with all things, there will be a learning curve, but I am sure that my students would enjoy adding a new dimension to their learning.
Long-term Goals Regarding Instructional Practice and Technology Integration:
First, I would like to see myself get to a point where technology usage is as much a part of my day as the science or social studies curriculum. This might mean that we make frequent trips to the computer lab to work on a technology based project. For this to become possible I have to develop appropriate ideas for such projects and plan out my year in advance to be sure the time is there for this to take place.
Secondly, I would like technology to become more interactive and less teacher based. It is easy for me to find a technology that I can effectively use in a presentation type method. The great challenge lies in finding technologies that are to be used by the learner. This becomes a challenge because of the time involved in teaching the technology and allowing the students that appropriate time to interact with that technology. To make this happen effectively I would have to find ways to bridge the curriculum. As teachers, we are always looking for ways to connect concepts from one area of instruction to another. It solidifies student understanding and provides teachers more opportunities to reinforce the taught concepts. The same can be done with technology. Instead of strictly teaching technology, I will be looking for as many ways as possible that I can use technological resources to correspond with other areas of instruction.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Connectivism and Social Learning
One area of teaching that becomes the most rewarding for me is noticing instances when my students become teachers in my own classroom. I love catching my students taking the opportunities to share with each other and learn from each other. It is a fresh reminder that teaching is more than just lecturing 27 second graders for an entire school day. For me, teaching also includes providing opportunities in which my students can interact and be a part of a quality learning environment. In the web 2.0 era technology has transformed in ways that it is much easier to utilize in today's classrooms. With a little careful planning and instruction my students can engage in collaborative learning projects such as, producing multimedia, web research, webquests, and wikis (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, Pitler, 2007).
I think back on my first year of teaching and almost gawk at the realization that I had so much to learn about how students best acquire new information. I feel kind of bad for that first class I had. They probably sat through more boring lectures than I would want them to have to remember. I had a very limited idea understanding of how my students could best learn and what could be done to engage them deeply into the learning process. I was afraid of classroom chaos, and thought by setting my students loose and giving them freedom to learn together was a recipe for disaster.
It did not take long before I realized that my students were a resource to be tapped in to. I now regularly engage my students in collaborative work. My students are encouraged to cooperate and complete learning objectives together. Many times my students are asked to be a teacher of specific information. They are going to have to know something well enough that they will be able to teach another student what they know. Today, I had my students working in groups of three to create landforms posters. They were instructed on the procedures of the project, and then set loose to creatively construct their product. I was impressed when I saw the way students worked together, delegated tasks, and took learned information and applied it to their poster. I look forward to getting the posters out tomorrow. My students will get a chance to present their poster to their classmates and teach them all about their landforms. My students enjoy showing their work off and I am excited because my students have a chance to prove themselves as experts of specific information (Laureate Edu. Inc., 2009).
This week we were asked to identify a need for our school. Over the last few years I have witnessed my district's attempts to keep up with the speed of changing technology. To hear my thoughts and share your comments please visit my voicethread at the following address.
http://voicethread.com/share/1377459/
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). “Social learning theories” [Educational video].
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
I think back on my first year of teaching and almost gawk at the realization that I had so much to learn about how students best acquire new information. I feel kind of bad for that first class I had. They probably sat through more boring lectures than I would want them to have to remember. I had a very limited idea understanding of how my students could best learn and what could be done to engage them deeply into the learning process. I was afraid of classroom chaos, and thought by setting my students loose and giving them freedom to learn together was a recipe for disaster.
It did not take long before I realized that my students were a resource to be tapped in to. I now regularly engage my students in collaborative work. My students are encouraged to cooperate and complete learning objectives together. Many times my students are asked to be a teacher of specific information. They are going to have to know something well enough that they will be able to teach another student what they know. Today, I had my students working in groups of three to create landforms posters. They were instructed on the procedures of the project, and then set loose to creatively construct their product. I was impressed when I saw the way students worked together, delegated tasks, and took learned information and applied it to their poster. I look forward to getting the posters out tomorrow. My students will get a chance to present their poster to their classmates and teach them all about their landforms. My students enjoy showing their work off and I am excited because my students have a chance to prove themselves as experts of specific information (Laureate Edu. Inc., 2009).
This week we were asked to identify a need for our school. Over the last few years I have witnessed my district's attempts to keep up with the speed of changing technology. To hear my thoughts and share your comments please visit my voicethread at the following address.
http://voicethread.com/share/1377459/
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). “Social learning theories” [Educational video].
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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