Final Blog Post about My GAME Plan

In this final blog post for my current course at Walden, I would like to reflect on the GAME plan that I developed during the course. This was my first experience with writing a unit plan that included technology. I found that I had to change my thought processes quite a bit to incorporate technology. It is a whole different teaching style than I am accustomed to using. It truly brings meaning to the phrase ‘guide on the side.’ I am no longer standing in front of the room lecturing. I am giving instructions and then freeing students up to learn. I am available to help and direct, but now the students are responsible for finding the answers. For my GAME plan, I took a unit on Engineering and included collaboration, social media, digital technology, and digital storytelling. At this point in the process, the only thing I would change would be to implement more units like this one! I think my students will love the changes I have made to this unit.

In my new position as Career Technology teacher, I have many opportunities to integrate technology into my instructional practice. During this course, we learned about problem-based learning (PBL). I think PBL is a perfect match for my subject area. I would like to move away from module-based learning and only use PBL in this classroom. “Rather than learn through interaction with a single perspective (the teacher’s), an authentic learning environment provides the learner with the opportunity to investigate multiple ideas, roles and perspectives” (Herrington & Kervin, 2007, p. 225). Social networking and online collaboration are real-world skills that students need to learn. They “allow asynchronous teamwork, allow students to work in and out of school, and challenge students to perform at a higher level” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).

The digital storytelling piece of my GAME plan was new to me. However, several of my students have experience using digital storytelling from another class. They get excited about the opportunity to create products this way. I think using digital storytelling is a good form of assessment in my classroom. “Collaboration between teachers and students demands an assessment process that is more formative than summative” (Lambert, DePaepe, Lambert, & Anderson, 2007, p. 78).

I am still in the process of wrapping my head around this new teaching style, but I am ready to make a change. For years, I have said that the way we educate children needs to change. This course has given me a path toward the kind of change I think we desperately need. Students need to learn how to find the answers. PBL, along with digital technology and social media is the way to teach students to find answers. I am very excited to incorporate this change into my classroom!

References

Herrington, J., & Kervin, L. (2007). Authentic learning supported by technology: Ten suggestions and cases of integration in classrooms. Educational Media International, 44(3), 219–236.
Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

Lambert, C., DePaepe, J., Lambert, L., & Anderson, D. (2007). E-portfolios in action.Kappa Delta Pi Record, 43(2), 76–81.
Retrieved from the ERIC database.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

This week, I continue to refine and develop my GAME plan. In the interest of monitoring my progress, I will ask myself four questions: Am I finding the information and resources that I need? Do I need to modify my action plan? What have I learned so far? And, what new questions have arisen?

Am I finding the information and resources I need?

I have a copy of the documents for all of the modules I will be teaching. I have started reading over and studying these plans. As for spending time over the summer with the teacher in the position before me, our schedules have not matched at all to this point. Because it is summer vacation, I have spent quite a bit of time traveling. He has been on vacation also. I am out of town now for the next two weeks. When I get home, I will have approximately ten days before I have students in my classroom! I am still hoping to spend some time in the classroom with the other teacher before school starts. I have talked with him over the phone, and we have emailed and sent texts back and forth about various questions I have had. Spending time in the classroom has also been difficult because of limited access to the building. The times that I have had available have been times when the administration was gone on vacation. This part has been very frustrating and leaves me feeling unprepared.

I have had very little success finding blogs or websites written by career technology teachers. If anyone has suggestions on keywords to search, or knows of sites about career technology, I would love some input. Think about the old “Industrial Arts” or “shop” classes with technology incorporated in them. That is what I will be teaching. Someone suggested that I consider starting a Deca Club. I looked that up on Google and found that it is about marketing, finance, hospitality, and management for high school and college students. This does not match what I teach at all.

Do I need to modify my action plan?

I do not feel like my action plan is very effective at this point. This could be because it is summer time and I do not have access to the resources like I would during the school year. I think that the ideas that I have are good ones, but the timing is off. So yes, I need to change what I am doing right now since carrying out my GAME plan needs to be more than just good ideas. Perhaps I need to focus on studying the lesson plans that I have for the modules. At least that would give me some familiarity with the programs I will be teaching. Then, when I do get time in the building, I can work on learning the equipment and machinery.

What have I learned so far?

I have learned that finding resources is very important. I feel stuck because I cannot connect with the appropriate people, equipment, and websites. I have learned that action means ‘doing.’ I need to get in there and get my hands dirty. I cannot just keep reading about it and thinking about it. I have learned that technology comes in many forms. I have an extensive list of equipment, but my hands are still tied when it comes to integrating technology in a way that is most familiar to students.

What new questions have arisen?

One question that I have been thinking about lately is, “How can I integrate what I am learning about instructional technology with the technology I will be using in career technology?” It is amazing to me that a course on technology can be so outdated in its implementation.  The lesson plans for this class were written sixteen years ago!

I wonder how the new common core standards will affect my class. In Georgia, technology instruction is becoming a focus area. How will I need to change my program to meet those standards? What does the future hold? Will I be ready to teach when school begins in August?  I feel like I have many more questions than answers at this point.

Working through this process has been good for me. “The GAME plan requires you to think about and take steps to direct your learning process, specifically while learning about technology and how to integrate it into the curriculum” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 3). This course could not have happened at a more appropriate time. Because I am changing content areas, I need to plan a course of action. The GAME plan has helped me to focus on what needs to be done.

Reference

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

Check this out! I used tagxedo.com to create a word picture of my blog to this point. The size of the word depends on how often the word is used. I love that 'students' and 'technology' are the two biggest words!

Carrying Out my GAME Plan

The journey of my GAME plan continues today with consideration of how I will implement this plan. What resources or additional information will I need? What steps have I taken so far? What is my intended learning strategy? These are the questions that I will attempt to answer in this installment.

In order to be proficient with the technologies I will be using in my new position, I need to spend time learning about the equipment. In talking with a colleague this week, he suggested I simply type the name and model number of the piece of equipment into Google and YouTube and see what information is already out there. I thought that was a great idea, and frankly, I never would have thought of it! So, I will need Internet access, names and model numbers, and some type of bookmarking application to save videos that I find.

Another resource I will need to carry out my plan is to conference with the teacher who was in the position before me and to go over all of the documents he has given me. The documents are in digital format, so I will need access to a computer and the appropriate programs to view the documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). To conference with the teacher, I will need to find time when he is available to meet. Summer vacation being what it is, this might be the most difficult resource of all!

My learning strategy is to work through as much of the material and equipment as possible on my own, noting where I need help as I go along. In order to utilize my colleague’s and my time most effectively, I need to be ready with questions when I meet with him. For some of the information, it is simply a matter of making time to figure it out. For some of the equipment, I need to see it in use to understand the principles behind it.

Already, I have a bookmarking application set up. I use delicious.com. This is convenient because I can see my bookmarks from any computer with Internet access. I have been in contact with the previous teacher about setting up a time to meet in the classroom. This will happen over the next two weeks. I have started looking at some of the documents that go with the modules. So, things are moving along.

The other goal in my GAME plan is to engage in professional growth and leadership to explore creative application of technology to improve student learning. “Just having computers and software in the classroom is not significant; how the educators use those computers and that software to promote learning is far more important” (King-Sears & Evmenova, 2007, p.6). For this goal, I will need access to the Internet, blogs of other career technology teachers, an aggregator to keep track of blog subscriptions, and contact with other career technology teachers in my district.

My learning strategy is to contact the other career technology teachers in my district. I hope that they can point me toward professional organizations to join and blogs to read. I will also have the opportunity to see what they are doing in their classrooms. Hopefully, we can share ideas and strategies.

I use Google Reader for my aggregator. I already follow several technology blogs. While these are helpful, they do not target the areas of technology that I need. I will continue to search for more specific Internet resources. If any of my colleagues in this learning community have suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Reference

King-Sears, M., & Evmenova, A. S. (2007). Premises, principles, and processes for integrating technology into instruction. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(1), 6–14. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

My GAME Plan

My assignment today is to make a GAME plan for strengthening my confidence and proficiency with technology. GAME is an acronym that stands for setting Goals, taking Action, Monitoring the actions, and Evaluation of the results. To decide which areas of technology in education I should be working on, I consulted the ISTE NETS and Performance Indicators for Teachers (NETS-T) at http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx. Two indicators caught my eye right away. The first was “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.” Specifically, I want to focus on goal 3a: “demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.”  I will be teaching career technology next year. This position comes with many types of technology that are new to me.  My goal is to be proficient in all of these new technologies. The second area that caught my eye was “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.” Under this category, goal 5a: “participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative application of technology to improve student learning” is the goal on which I want to focus. The position that I am stepping into next year is very innovative, but I still think improvements can be made. I want to talk to others in this type of position and find ways to improve my class.

My actions for demonstrating fluency in technology systems are first to spend time over the summer familiarizing myself with the new (to me) equipment. I also am in contact with the teacher who was in the position before me. He is willing to spend time acclimating me to the processes and procedures. Lastly, I have all of the documents covering the various modules that I can study over the summer.

My actions for engaging in professional growth and leadership include subscribing to blogs written by other career technology teachers, contacting the two other career tech teachers in our district, and looking for a professional development organization to join. These actions will take some research on my part. It is a totally new territory, but one that I am looking forward to pursuing.

In the monitoring stage of my GAME plan, I will reflect on my actions and determine if I am on the right track or if I need to make changes. “As a reflective learner, (I) will think about what has been effective in the past, but also continually monitor and evaluate what is effective for (me) now” (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 11). I will ask myself if my plan is working or if I need to find more information. I will adjust my plan as necessary during this stage. This plan for monitoring applies to both of the goals I am working on.

Finally, evaluating my plan will consist of determining if my actions have increased my technology skills. I will evaluate my actions based on Dr. Peggy Ertmer’s (2009) guidelines for the effective integration of technology: Do I have the knowledge I need to present content with technology? Do I have confidence in my technology skills? And, do my technology beliefs match my teaching? If I am able to effectively trouble-shoot problems in the lab, that will be an indication that my plan worked. Another indication would be the integration of new ideas from colleagues and the Internet. I am excited to hear about ideas and suggestions for improvement!

References

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

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved fromhttp://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Final Reflection, Course Five

At the beginning of this course, I wrote that I believe students learn as a result of repeated exposure to the materials or concepts being presented. The exposure should be varied and touch more than one learning style. The process should be student-driven, and students need to have a reason to learn the material. I aligned myself with the constructivist perspective.  While I still believe this is true, I have refined my personal theory of learning as a result of my learning in this course.

The social learning theory is my new personal theory of learning. It makes sense that students learn best when they are creating an artifact while they are working together (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). When students work together, they can bounce ideas off of each other. They can build confidence by encouraging each other. This model is important because it closely matches the real world that students should be preparing to enter.

I am now certain that technology must be incorporated in the classroom, preferably as a learning tool. “Technology should be transparent” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Teachers should not use technology for the sake of using technology. Rather, technology should enhance learning.   Educational technologies make it easy to practice the social learning theory. Using blogs and wikis, students can access learning anytime, anywhere. They can collaborate with other students, even when they are not present in the classroom.

I have already started making adjustments to instructional practice regarding technology integration as a result of my learning in this course. I initiated a class wiki. My students are excited to get started on a math dictionary on the wiki. We are in the planning stage for this. I have recorded several VoiceThreads for my students to use. I really want them to begin to make their own VoiceThreads as they see math in the world around them. Then, they will be creating artifacts to enhance their learning. 

My repertoire of instructional skills has expanded exponentially as a result of this course. At times, it is completely overwhelming! I want to incorporate everything I have learned, right now. The hardest part is to gradually introduce the technology and make sure that I am using it for the right purpose and not just because it is new and exciting to me.

I have been reading about the flipped classroom concept quite a bit lately. I must say that I am intrigued. One of my long-term goals as far as changes I would like to make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration would be to flip my classroom. I would integrate technology into the flipped classroom by creating podcasts or vodcasts of my instruction for students to view at home. Then, I could use my class time to do more hands-on activities, assist students who needed extra help, and enrich the students who are ready to go deeper into the content. My strategy for achieving this goal is to start making podcasts and vodcasts now, so that I will be ahead of the game when I actually flip the classroom. 

This leads to my second long term goal of changes I would like to make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration: I would like for every student in my classroom to have access to technology all day, every day. Whether it is an iPad, laptop, or SmartPhone, I think that we need to put technology into our students’ hands. Technology provides a platform for using several different learning strategies at the same time, making differentiation possible for all students. “…technology allows teachers to differentiate instruction more efficiently by providing a wider variety of avenues for learning that reach students of divergent readiness levels, interests, and learning styles” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 3). I will continue to seek ways to provide technology for my students. I will look for grant-writing opportunities, talk to my principal, and talk to the technology specialist for our district.

This course has opened my eyes to the possibilities of technology. I will continue to seek out ways to incorporate technology into my classroom. I will encourage my students to create artifacts with technology. This is just the beginning!

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Social Learning Theories. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Technology: Instructional Tool vs. Learning Tool. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Homework Dilemma

Please take a moment to view the VoiceThread I created describing a problem I am confronted with at my school. If you have any comments or suggestions, I would love to hear from you! Thanks!

Voice Thread: Homework Dilemma

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

We already know that students learn best when they build an artifact, or something they can share with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Social learning theory takes this to another level by adding that the artifact should be created within a group while working and talking together (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).

This week I explored several different social networking and collaboration tools that correlate to the instructional strategy “Cooperative Learning.” Tools such as WebQuests, shared bookmarking, multiplayer simulation games, and communication software make it possible to work collaboratively both within and outside the school setting.  By default, the users are creating an artifact along the way.  In addition, “The Web gives students access to experts in nearly any subject area, from Nobel Prize winners to best-selling authors to Olympic athletes” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 144).

“To be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today’s students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively” (Pitler, et. al., 2007, p. 139). Social learning provides the framework, and Web-based instructional strategies and tools provide the means to build artifacts and engage learners. I cannot think of a better way to prepare our students for the future they are inheriting.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer.) (2008). Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer.) (2008). Social Learning Theories. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Constructivism in Practice

This week I am thinking about constructivist/constructionist learning theories. Constructivism is a theory of knowledge stating that every person actively builds his or her own meaning, while constructionism is a theory of learning which explains that students learn best when they design something to share with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). A person’s current beliefs and understandings are referred to as his schema. Our schema grows and changes as we have more life experiences. We put together what we experience with our schema to make meaning in our world either by fitting the new knowledge with our existing schema, or by altering our schema to fit the new understanding (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Either way, for these learning theories, the students are engaged in learning by creating an artifact.

In my studies this week, I explored an instructional strategy that embeds technology: “Generating and Testing Hypotheses.” “When students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p. 202). For this strategy, students are presented with a problem or scenario, they make a prediction about what will happen or how something happened, then they test that prediction.

Computers are a great companion to this instructional strategy. They speed up the data gathering portion of the experiment or scenario and allow the learner to focus on the interpretation of the results (Pitler, et. al., 2007). Computers allow a learner to create a scenario or step into a situation to which he or she might not otherwise have access. In addition, artifacts that are created with technology are easily shared with others using the Internet. This allows for collaboration among groups of students, even when they are not at school. “Sharing and comparing data from other localities gives students enough information to generate and test hypotheses concerning the nation and other parts of the world” (Pitler, et. al., 2007).

“In constructionism, the focus is on getting kids to build stuff” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). By using spreadsheet software, data collection tools such as the Internet, and web resources, we are providing students with the tools, information, and motivation they need to build an artifact. And, by doing this, they are adding to or changing their schemas, a sure sign that learning is taking place!

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cognitivism in Practice

The cognitive learning theory is an effort to explain human behavior by understanding the thought process of individuals (Smith, 1999). In the cognitive learning theory, learning occurs when information is transformed from the world around us to knowledge that is put into long-term memory.

In our studies this week, we explored two instructional strategies that embed technology: “Cues, Questions, and Advance organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking.” Both of these strategies lend themselves to integrating technology with the cognitive learning theory.

“The instructional strategy cues, questions, and advance organizers focuses on enhancing students’ ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Cues and questions are used to jog students’ memories. They can also help with accessing prior knowledge (Pitler, et. al., 2007). Advance organizers “…are structures that teachers provide to students before a learning activity to help them classify and make sense of the content they’ll encounter, particularly new content that is not well organized in its original format” (Pitler, et. al., 2007). Technology makes these strategies easily accessible with the large amount and variety of graphic organizers. The availability of word processors, spreadsheets, and multimedia applications such as PowerPoint and Prezi helps students to be organized and offer templates for creating advance organizers (Pitler, et. al., 2007).

“The instructional strategy summarizing and note taking focuses on enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form” (Pitler, et. al., 2007). Summarizing and note taking both are useful for organizing information. Technology is an important aspect of these strategies. I learned that there is even an AutoSummarize tool in Microsoft Word that will provide a summary for you! This way of using technology can be helpful in teaching students how to summarize.

Another way to summarize or take notes is with concept mapping software.  There are several different concept mapping resources on the Internet which guide students to possible solutions, or allow them to organize their work in a way that is easier to understand. And, of course, all of these strategies can be shared on a blog or wiki, so that students can work together in groups even when they are not at school.

These instructional strategies will help me teach for understanding by offering creative ways to reach students. We learned two weeks ago that people need hooks, or ways to make connections, in order to process new knowledge (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Technology, combined with these learning strategies, provides multiple hooks and connections for students. I am excited to work with my students to create a concept map in math!

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Brain research and learning. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Smith, M. K. (1999). The cognitive orientation to learning. The encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/learning-cognitive. Last update: December 01, 2011.

Behaviorism In Practice

This week I am reading about the usefulness of the behaviorist learning theory in the classroom, specifically when used to reinforce effort or for homework and practice. Teachers have used the behaviorist learning theory for years; some of them without even knowing that they were using it (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Early in their careers, good teachers learn that it is most effective to praise the behaviors they want in the classroom and to overlook the less desirable behaviors. This is what behaviorism is all about.

Effort is the only contribution to success that an individual can control (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 155). Behaviorism is simply reinforcing desirable behaviors. Effort is a desirable behavior.  So, how can we reinforce effort?  First, we have to understand these two generalizations: “Not all students realize the importance of believing in effort” and “Students can learn to operate from a belief that effort pays off even if they do not initially have this belief” (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 155). Then, we must teach students that effort is important and give them a way to compare their effort to their achievement (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 156).

The text suggests that effort and achievement can be tracked very effectively with technology (Pitler, et al., 2007). The authors suggest using a spreadsheet to help students see the correlation between effort and achievement by recording the hours they spend studying and the grades they earn on a weekly basis (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 156). This is a good idea, because it places the responsibility on the students.  If they can see a connection between their effort and their grades, perhaps they would be motivated to increase the effort that they expend on class work. A spreadsheet gives concrete evidence and immediate feedback. When trying to change a student’s belief about effort, having immediate evidence is a plus.

Homework and practice are easily addressed with direct instruction, a product of behaviorism.  Direct instruction includes “…breaking these tasks into smaller component tasks, designing training activities for mastery, and arranging the learning events into sequences that promote transfer and achievement of prerequisite learning before moving to more advance learning” (Magliaro, Lockee, & Burton, 2005). Students need to practice skills in order to master them. There are not enough hours in the school day to master skills. Teachers need to incorporate homework and practice into their lessons if students are to be proficient.

“Technology facilitates homework and practice by providing a wealth of resources for learning outside the classroom, making it easy for students to work on collaborative homework assignments and providing ‘drill and practice’ resources that help students refine their skills” (Pitler, et al., 2007, p. 189). I have found wikis and blogs to be good venues for assigning homework and practice. They hold the students’ interest and allow me to address many different learning styles at once.

I would be interested in hearing about other teachers’ experiences with behaviorism. How is it used in your classroom? Do you think behaviorism is the most effective way to increase effort? How do you feel about drill and practice? Do you use direct instruction? I invite you to add your comments and thoughts on these subjects.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Behaviorist Learning Theory. Baltimore: Author.

Magliaro, S. G., Lockee, B. B., & Burton, J. K. (2005). Direct instruction revisited: A key model for instructional technology. ETR&D, 53(4), 41–54.

Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.