My Final Reflection

            When I first began this class, I stated that my personal learning theory was a mix between behaviorist and constructionist.  Now that we are finishing, I have some what changed what I believe my learning theory is.  However, I still believe that I do not just have one learning theory; it is definitely a combination of them all.  

            Starting with the behaviorist learning theory, classroom management techniques are still a majority of this learning theory.  I think there are always going to be rewards and punishments and students need to know what behavior is acceptable in the class and not.  Also, the drill and practice teaching strategy falls into this learning theory and with teaching math; I think that I still have to teach this way.  However, I am now aware of the technology options that will help elevate some of this way of teaching but a majority of math needs to be practiced in order for concepts to be understood.  With the cognitive learning theory, the strategy that I have already incorporated into my classroom deals with the virtual field trips and the summarizing of notes.  I have added a section to my teacher provided notes that allow the students to summarize what they have learned at the end of each lesson.  I am also looking into having them post to my classroom blog and summarize what they have learned after each chapter once I have it up and running.  The constructionist/constructivism learning theory is more learner centered and students are able to construct their own meaning behind certain concepts by using more hands on activities.  (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  For this, Web quests are what I have fallen in love with this semester.  I just completed my first one on my own for Geometry and I know my students will enjoy it.  The reason I like this piece of technology so much is because students are exploring on their own, with little guidance from me.  It will be hard to just step away and watch them learn but I know they will benefit tremendously from it in the future.  The social learning theory is probably what I lean towards the most because it deals with cooperative learning. “Cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning.”  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007)  I do this every day in my classroom.  My classroom is set up in groups and during notes and practice time they are allowed to work with others.  Little pieces of each of these theories make up my own learning theory.  

One of my future goals for my classroom starts with the smart board technology.  I currently have lessons for each math section but none are interactive, meaning I want to incorporate more videos and more activities that allow the students to get out of their seats and actually become a part of the lesson.  I have already started looking into different videos and incorporating them into lessons.  This will help my students become more involved and interested.  My second long term goal is to incorporate more virtual field trips and web quests.  Now that I have already made my first web quest, I have experience which will make it easier the more lessons I come up with.  They are extremely interactive and allow the students the chance to learn something on their own.  I also like the fact that I can incorporate real life applications with web quests as well.  

  I have truly enjoyed this class and look forward to incorporating all the different types of technology options for my students.  I know it will not happen overnight, but anything that will allow my students to be successful pushes me to learn more about it.  I believe by using these new technology strategies, my students will be able to make connections be successful not only in their classes but out of school as well. 

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Constructionist & Constructivism Theory [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Social Learning Theory

The Social Learning Theory is a theory that is student-centered.  Students are able to be engaged in constructing their own meaning through cooperative learning with others and their environment around them.  (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  This is very beneficial to students because it seems that a majority of the goals at schools deals with students being academically and socially proficient and this ties right in with this type of learning theory.  One type of instructional strategy that relates with this theory is based on cooperative learning.  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007) 

“Cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning.”  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007)  With this process, students can be separated by their ability but a majority of the time, I prefer to choose groups either at random or place low achieving students with high achieving students.  It seems that when I break up the groups this way, the lower achieving students try harder and seem to want to better themselves like the higher achieving students do.  In the past, I have not been the best at incorporating projects into my classroom.  I always had a hard time seeing the benefits in completing a project rather than the drill and kill practice for my math classes.  I now see the importance of this and will try to incorporate more in years to come.  However, I do allow my students to work with other students on a daily basis when it comes to homework practice.  A lot of times, students do better with the help of another student rather than just sitting by themselves.  Having another student explain a certain concept to them can make all the difference in the world, so once again it goes back to peer interaction and collaboration.      

“Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of the groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face.”  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007)  There are quite a few pieces of technology that can greatly help with allowing students the opportunity to collaborate with others, such as using multimedia, web resource’s, creating a website, and much more.  Giving the students a rubric to follow for whichever type of resources is ideal.  This allows them to know what is expected of them and how they will be graded.  I still really like the idea of using web simulations or Web Quests.  I think both of these allow students to see the math content in more of a realistic setting and also allows for them to work with others as well. 

This social learning theory is a great way for students to be able to comprehend material.  It lets students work together and be engaged in the process.  Learning from peers can be so beneficial and from personal experience, I agree that a lot of students prefer and learn more from this type of engagement. 

Voice Thread Assignment

http://voicethread.com/share/3259980/

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Constructionist & Constructivism Theory [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Constructionist/Constructivism Theory

           The Constructionist/Constructivism Theory is a theory that is learner centered.  Students are able to construct their own meaning behind certain concepts by using more hands on activities.  (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  This is very beneficial to students because these types of activities are more engaging due to the fact that students are completing them themselves.  The teacher is still involved but more to promote discussion and direction.  Technology has definitely assisted in this type of learning because it is more project based learning.  One type of instructional strategy that ties in with this theory is based on generating and testing hypothesis.  There are three types of strategies:  making spreadsheets, data collection tools, and web resources.  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007) 

Making spreadsheets would be very beneficial in my math classroom.  I especially liked the activity described in Chapter 11 of Using Technology in the Classroom.  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007)   The activity consisted of breaking the class into groups of students and each group had to determine how to finance a given amount of money.  So, the students made a hypothesis of what they thought would be the best scenario and then they used an excel spreadsheet that was premade by the teacher to see if there hypothesis was correct.  This is definitely more of a visual, hands on approach to this concept and I will use this same thing in my classroom this year, but just change a few things. 

            The other instructional strategy I see beneficial for my classroom in particular is web resources, especially the simulation type software and WebQuests.  The simulation software allows students to be placed in certain situations and have to make decisions along the way.  This would definitely keep the students attention and once again follows the idea of having the students make a hypothesis and then based on their actions and the game simulation, see if their decision was correct or not.  I did find one game online, The Lure of the Labyrinth, that I could use in either my Algebra or Pre-Algebra math classes but it costs the district money to play.  I will continue to research it and then decide how to approach the math head regarding this.  I also think that WebQuests are a great idea.  This allows students to learn the same information but in a different perspective.  I found quite a few of these that I see beneficial for my Algebra and Geometry classroom.  I especially like the Shopping for a New Car WebQuest.  It is an activity where students use real life applications and have to graph a system of equations which students always struggle with in class.  I believe by incorporating this WebQuest into my class, it will give the students a better perspective of this concept.  I also like the fact that it involves using the website Geogebra.  We currently have this on all of our computers at school and we have been trying to find different activities that use this and now I am so happy that I have found one and it is one that I believe the students will enjoy as well.  I really look forward to using this next year.  

            This Constructionist/Constructivism Theory is very important to incorporate into the classroom.  I believe it is extremely effective in the math classroom because it allows students to try and solve problems in different ways.  Anything that I can incorporate into the classroom that is hands on and visual is a huge plus.  I look forward to researching more web resources, simulations, and WebQuests and hope to find activities that I can bring into my classroom for the students.

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Constructionist & Constructivism Theory [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Cognitive Learning Theory

The cognitive learning theory is a theory that uses the thought process to describe human behavior.  There are three stages of information processing:  sensory, short term memory, and long term memory.  (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010)  As educators we want our students to remember our content which means we want them to be using their long term memory. I know this is extremely important in mathematics because everything builds off of each other and students have to be able to remember certain rules and manipulatives. 

There are several instructional strategies that correlate with this learning theory.  Cues, questions, and advance organizers are great instructional strategies.  Using cues and questions allows students to focus on what is important to understand.  Cues are used to trigger student’s short term memory and this can be done by using pictures or certain words.  Questions are more to direct students.  Using blooms taxonomy allows for higher level thinking questions as well.  I know in my math class, we are always using blooms taxonomy when writing critical thinking questions and story problems.  Advanced organizers are a great way for students to be able to organize certain concepts by not only using their own words but being able to visually see the comparisons.  I have starting using these more in my geometry class, that way my students can visually see the differences in certain concepts.

Other strategies that I find very beneficial are summarizing, note taking, and virtual field trips.  Summarizing allows students to be able to write on a topic in their own words and then reflect upon it too.  Blogs are a great way to help this process.  Note taking is used in almost every class.  The idea is to use a variety of formats.  I typically use the same format for each class but now see the benefits in switching it up.  Virtual field trips are awesome with the fact that students are able to visually explore certain places and things by using videos and multimedia.  I just wish there were more math related field trips available.  I would love to incorporate more of these into my classroom. 

Ideally all of these strategies would be used in the classroom very readily.  It is extremely important that we always provide students with what they are expected to learn and understand, use prior knowledge when available, incorporate as much multimedia as possible, and provide an overview of what to expect and what is to come.  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007) I believe by doing these things and using these strategies, our students will be able to make connections between what is being taught and what they need to remember in order to be successful in their classes. 

 Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Behaviorist Learning Theory [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Behaviorist Learning Theory

Behaviorist Learning Theory

The behaviorist learning theory stems upon three concepts:  operant conditioning, programmed instruction, and behavior management.  (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010)  While researching this topic, I found quite a few correlations between this learning theory and the instructional strategies described in this week resource, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. 

Operant conditioning is based upon the research done by BF Skinner where he describes children receiving rewards and punishments depending on their behavior.  (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010)  “The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort enhances students’ understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning.”  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007)  Creating spreadsheets to allow students to be able to correlate the effort they are putting into classroom success and their outcome according to their quiz and test grades allows them to be able to see if they are rewarded with good grades or punished with poor grades.  I see a huge benefit in this because not only does it allow the students to see where they need to change their habits, but that information could also be passed along to parents who are concerned with the children’s classroom success.

As far as programmed instruction, this relates to the drill and practice that a lot of educators use in the classroom today.  This also refers to students being able to receive immediate feedback which is the key principle of a behaviorist theory.  “Having students practice a skill or concept enhances their ability to reach the expected level of proficiency.  (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007)  This is obtained by using the many educational games that are available online for students as described in the book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.  While the students play the games, they are practicing certain concepts and find out right away if they are obtaining the correct answers.  I enjoyed learning about the online BattleGraph game that is available.  I currently use something similar to this in class when teaching about coordinates but now I have learned something new that will be more interactive for my students to enjoy playing.  A number of my students will also enjoy learning how to use online flashcards as well. 

The behaviorist learning theory has quite a few instructional strategies that I use in my classroom on a daily basis.  There are many technology related activities that I am learning to incorporate into my classroom that deals a lot with this learning theory.  As much as I believe this theory is essential in the classroom today, there are many other things that contribute to the learning of students.  I look forward to learning about the different theories and how I can incorporate new strategies into my classroom for the benefit of my students and myself. 

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Behaviorist Learning Theory [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

 Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Final Reflection

            Taking this course has definitely helped me understand what types of technology are out there.  I enjoyed learning about blogs and wikis and I plan on incorporating both of those into my classroom within the next year.  Pod casting was a little more difficult but I still plan on using it right away.  Instead of coping notes for my students when they are absent, I plan on recording each of my lessons that way my students can go directly to my website, watch the video lesson and then complete their assignment.  Hopefully this can be done even before they return to school that way they will not be behind, but this last part might be just wishful thinking.

            I have definitely become more aware of my students capabilities with technology.  I now have a greater understanding on exactly what they have accessible to them at home and at school.  This definitely opens the door for me as an educator to now be able to use more of these 21^st century skills that we have learned about.  This also gives me the opportunity to change my classroom to be more learner centered rather than teacher centered.  I fully understand that I will always be a role model and full of knowledge for my students but I am not the only thing full of knowledge that they are capable of using.  Sometimes I will have to step back and watch my students use their critical thinking skills and have them work together to build their collaboration skills when working on projects.  I plan on trying to incorporate a couple of the projects found on the 21^st century website but changing them just a little to meet the requirements of my grade level. 

            Last year our school had a PLC regarding technology and next year I have decided I want to join it that way I can show different things that I am doing in my classroom and also learn from others as well.  I think continuing on in this master’s program I will gain lots more knowledge on integrating technology into the classroom and my students will greatly benefit from it as well.  I will continue to follow my blogs that I have subscribed to and try new things that I learn from them as well.  I look forward to gaining all this new knowledge and watch my students excel from it.

            I have come up with two long term goals for myself in transforming my classroom.  My first goal is to begin recording my lessons on my Smart board and then uploading them to my website.  By doing this, the students will be able to access all my lectures.  My second goal is to start a classroom blog within the next year.  That way the students will be able to communicate with myself and others on my website and this will help increase their collaboration skills.  I believe with these two goals, my classroom, my students, and I will be more successful and ready to take on new technology as it arises. 

            My answers have changed dramatically from the beginning of this course regarding the impact of technology on education, work, and society.  I rarely applied any of the 21^st century skills into my classroom let along helped develop technology skills with my co-workers.  However, my goals have changed regarding technology and I plan on changing my classroom within the next few years to start incorporating these new 21^st century skills.  I just know that it will be a long process and won’t happen overnight.  I plan on joining the Technology PLC at work, like I stated earlier that way I can learn and help others learn about technology in our district.  I am very excited about what the future holds for me and my students.

References

Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.  Retrieved June 13, 2012, from  http://www.p21.org/

First Podcast

This is my first podcast.

This podcast is on a questionnaire that I gave to a few of my high school Algebra students regarding technology that they use inside and outside of school.  I found that my students are very technology efficient but a lot of their homework is still pencil and paper applications.  They very rarely need to use any technology for school work outside of school.  

Resources

Richardson, W. (2010).  Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

21st Century Skills

Technology has become so advanced and is constantly changing that as educators we have to learn as much as we can in order to help benefit our students to the fullest.  The workplace depends a lot on technology and the way classrooms are set up now is not based on that.  Technology is slowly advancing into the classroom but not only should the teachers change the way information is presented, the students also need to be able to practice and learn this new technology in a way that will help build their skills, like their 21^st century skills.

 Incorporating 21^st century skills into our classrooms are extremely important and as educators we will have to start doing this sooner than later.  I found the website on Partnership for the 21^st century very informational.  These skills that they consider 21^st century skills are what our students need to become successful in not only school, but the workplace as well.  I definitely agree with the six skills that they believe our students need, core subjects, 21^st century content, learning and thinking skills, ICT literacy, life skills, and 21^st century assessments. (Partnership, 2012)

 One thing that surprised me when exploring this website was to see that Michigan has yet to jump on board with this yet.  I guess I just assumed that they would be a part of this partnership because education is such a high priority of our state, not that it is not in other states as well.  Our district is already implying that we need to incorporate more technology and build our students critical thinking skills by doing more of a project based math than the normal math classes which ties in with what this website is all about. 

 Along the lines of project based math, I did find information on a 21^st century math map that has just been created.  In this brochure it shows several lesson plans for projects targeted toward 4^th grade, 8^th grade, and 12^th grade.  Even though I do not teach any of those grades, I know that I can still incorporate some of these ideas into my grade levels.  I would love to be able to work with my colleagues on this and try to incorporate more.  A lot of these projects I can see my students getting excited over and would interest them, not only because it is not just pencil, paper work but because they are able to actually use the skills that they are taught in real life situations and use technology in order to do so.  I am very excited to try and start doing this because I know how much more my students will benefit from it in the long run especially when these are skills that they need to be successful.  I did not find anything that I disagree with on this site. 

 The way we teach our students in school is slowing changing and the needs of our students are also changing.  In order to compete with other nations, our use of technology in the classroom has to increase, especially when so much of the world around us is based off technology.  These 21^st century skills are definitely a start and I will begin incorporating these skills into my classroom for the benefit of both myself and my students.

References

Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.  Retrieved May 13, 2012, from  http://www.p21.org/

Using a blog in my classroom

Currently I teach 9^th grade Pre-Algebra and Algebra along with 10^th grade Honors Geometry.  Having a blog for my classroom is such a great idea the more I am learning about them. 

 I have begun thinking of different ways I can start incorporating them into my classroom.  Initially, I thought I could start by posting daily assignments, that way if a student is absent, they will know the assignment before they return to class.  I can also post different websites that will allow the students more math practice if they need it or even post different worksheets for extra practice.  I could use it for posting announcements or upcoming tests and quizzes, which would cut down on me having to send out weekly emails to parents stating all of this.

 However, I do not want just a blog where I do all the posting; I want the students to become involved as well.  I think having the students be able to communicate with myself and each other is a great learning experience.  With this in mind, I thought about requiring the students to respond to different blog postings I would post that way they are able to interact with myself and each other online.  Or even having them write their own blog after each chapter stating different things that they learned, what they liked best, or suggestions on things that I should change or that would make it more interesting, that way I am also learning from them as well.  This is a great way for me to enhance my lessons each year by implementing their recommendations and once again allows for new things in the classroom.  Allowing the students this interaction allows students to have their own voice and increases room for creativity within each student.    

 I look forward to implementing some of these changes in my classroom next school year.

References

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Integrating Technology into the Classroom

I am looking forward to learning about new technologies that will allow me to do different things with my students in the classroom.