Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction
and Technology
As
stated in my very first application at the beginning of this course, the most important
part of my Personal Theory of Learning is this:
Just as one size does not fit all regarding shoes, it certainly does not
fit all regarding learning. Managing the
pieces of the puzzle that are the keys as to what works best with each unique
student is critical to the success of each lesson and learning experience in my
class. In the same assignment, I listed what I thought – and actually still
believe – are the components of my Personal Theory. For this final reflection,
I would like to begin by examining any new understanding or changes I have made
in each part as a result of my participation in this course.
·
All students can learn. This belief statement is very important to me, because it is what
keeps my trying new approaches when one does not work. In this course I have
been exposed to technology approaches that may help me reach my learners in new
ways. One example of this is the Voice Thread, which potentially will allow my
learners to comment on a topic they see on their screen.
·
Many students understand
best by constructing their own understanding. This
belief was confirmed by the course materials on Constructionism and Social
Constructionism. I feel I have improved my understanding of how this process
works due to the explanations of this specific learning theory. In particular, I
found Orey’s comments (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a, Program Seven) regarding
the importance of creating a specific artifact to be very helpful.
·
For most students, actively
participating in the process of learning solidifies their understanding. This statement was confirmed by the section on Cognitive Learning
Theories in Week Three (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b, Program Five) and also
in the Social Learning Theories section, where Orey states: social learning is
when “students are actively engaged in constructing something” (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2011a, Program Seven).
·
Students can be grouped
broadly according to how they learn best. In fact,
when I group students I change the groups for almost every activity. In
addition, if I pick (and usually I let the students have at least some say in
the construction of the group), I try to balance the strengths of the group
members so it is unlikely that I would intentionally put together a homogenous
group for cooperative learning. However, I do sometimes group students who
learn in a particular way for small group instruction. This was not really
covered in this course.
· Specific discussion on what learning is and how it happens, coupled
with an understanding of how it works best for you is helpful for a learner and
critical for a learner who is struggling. The idea
of metacognition, or thinking about thinking, was not specifically addressed in
this course; however nothing I learned contradicts the idea and in fact many
components of the instructional strategies Pickering outlines in her nine “clusters”
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2011c, Program Eleven) are described in one of my favorite
books on this topic, Costa and Kallick’s “Activating and Engaging Habits of
Mind”. This is a link to a blog that
summarizes the Habits of Mind. www.edutopia.org/blog/habits-of-mind-terrell-heick
·
Repetition of information helps
students to remember it, particularly if it is done in a variety of ways;
mental manipulation of information is important in this process. This is an
important part of Cognitive Learning theory. In this course I was reminded of
the importance of “building numerous connections to information” (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2011b, Program Five) and learned how to use several new ways
to do this, including webquest, concept mapping and blogs to name but a few. I
found the information on how to do mapping using technology to be particularly
exciting and have used it several times since I tried it for the course.
·
Positive reinforcement coupled
with an understanding of why something is important is critical for getting
some students to want to learn (others just like learning). I also learned about the importance of using technology to help
hook the students; Orey describes this as “leverage” (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2011b, Program Five).
·
Technology offers options
for differentiation and is a critical tool for both teaching and learning. Who would not want their classroom to be a “dynamic learning
environment” (Pitler,
Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 2) ? The most important
thing I learned in this course was to just go for it! Even though I might not
be an expert in the technology, to some extent it manages itself. It is also
good for my students to see me learning and trying new things – and sometimes
they are the experts, and that is good too. All I need to do is ensure that I
have a specific goal that matches standards in order to make an excursion into technology
worthwhile. I made this statement because in a previous course we had read most
of the Pitler text and I found it very useful; in this course we built on the
concepts learned previously, activating our prior knowledge in fact, and I
found it much easier to try some of the strategies suggested.
Immediate
Change.
As a result of this course, I have
made some small but significant changes in my instructional practice.
One is to try to use more images or
non-linguistic representations in my presentations. I already used several
graphic organisers, but had not done very much with concept mapping. We have
now done some specific work with making metal pictures and with how to connect
ideas in map format, and I have found both tools to be very powerful in just my
few attempts so far. I found this link about how to make amazing presentations,
and it really seemed to match what we learned about the importance of using
images:
Another is really a reminder, but a
timely one. I need to check myself in limiting “lecture” time. I know so much,
and I really want my students to know all that I know and then some. However,
as Orey says, “lecture is the least powerful teaching tool you can use”
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2011d, Program Thirteen). I do know this
intellectually, but it is very good to be reminded of it frequently as it is an
area in which I need to improve. It is not that I do not have student centred
activities too, but I must do a better job of letting my classes discover
content rather than giving it to them and then having them work with it.
Having looked at the Week Seven
information, I have a new technology goal. I want to learn how to make “prezis”.
If I can make a great presentation like the ones shown, it will really help my
students understand some important concepts. For example, I could make one to
explain the difference between biotic and abiotic features of a habitat. The
difference between a prezi and my current PowerPoint presentation for that
topic is like the difference between a 2012 television and a black and white
one from my childhood. Once I know how to do it, I can then teach them. Can
anyone say “science fair project”? How about using one for a writing project?
Or even to explain a mathematics concept as an assessment piece?
I also want to learn how to use
edumodo. Many of my classmates talk about its many amazing features and I am
ashamed to say I have no experience with it whatsoever. I plan to spend some of
my holiday time exploring it.
I am proud however of my class’s
work with book clubs and various other comments on our class blog. I also have
tried several new things with Word and with Voice Thread that I will continue
using, and I and most of my students are excited to think of what we might do
for our next Webquest. I do not think I would have had the knowledge base for
quite some time to explore these technologies, much less try them in my
classroom, without the support and prodding of this course.
Long Term Change.
Integrating technology into more of
my lessons is an important goal for me, and this course has reminded me that
using the smartboard more often for presentations is not the only way to go.
The first change I would like to
make in my instructional practice begins with the artefact for a unit when
planning it. In an early Walden course, we were reminded to begin with the “end”,
or the outcome in mind when planning. This is a normal part of my planning process,
but I can boost the technology component, an important 21st Century
skill, by making more of my artefacts technology-based. Now that my repertoire has
expanded to include concept maps, Voice Threads, blogs, podcasts and of course
now prezis, among other things, I feel we can really work with the technology
to create some exciting and relevant pieces the students will love to create.
The second change I would like to
make is actually regarding my smartboard use. I would like to design more
student-centred activities for the smartboard, and look forward to using the
Notebook 11 software recently installed on my class computer to help me do it.
In
Conclusion…
I would like to think this is not
really a conclusion. I hope that I will continue learning new ways to bridge
the gaps between instruction and technology, using my understanding of learning
theory to construct lessons that are student centred, with my learners are
actively engaged in in their own development. I anticipate that as technology
changes, and as I become more confident in my use of it, I will find more and
more ways to use it productively in my lessons. Like the image at the beginning
of my post shows, there are many supports required for successful learning.
References.
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Producer). (2011b). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and
technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Producer). (2011a). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist learning
theories [Video webcast]. Bridging
learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Producer). (2011c). Program eleven: Instructional strategies, Part one [Video
webcast]. Bridging learning theory,
instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011d). Program
thirteen: Technology: Instructional tool vs. learning tool [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and
technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., &
Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that
Works. Denver: McREL.
