Monitoring My GAME Plan: Progress in Week 4.

This week, due to some work I have been doing "unpacking standards" and generally working towards writing Common Formative Assessments, I have not been in my classroom very much. However, the information for the CFAs is very much in line with the resources for this week, so I have been trying to meld the two concepts together as I continue my search for great resources that use technology in a way that allows me to differentiate for my varied group of learners.

One idea that really struck me as important is the concept that assessments, particularly formative ones, need to be as varied as the instruction that leads to them. Technology can assist in this regard; apart from anything else, it can allow me to vary the assessment in terms of numbers of questions per page, size of print, etc. I also can search for variations on tasks if I am planning performance assessments. As Cennamo et al state, "the technologies you choose... will depend most on making good choices for supporting your instruction and assessment" (2009, p. 163).

Information and Resources I Need.
I am, so far, finding resources and information fairly easy to locate. My biggest problem is sifting through the available options to pick out what is the best fit for my class.

This week I tried out several resources. My three favourite were:
1) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/essential-skeleton/id623811668?mt=8
This resource allow manipulation of a skeleton and would provide excellent review for several Health/Science topics. As teacher leader for Science at my school, I have to assist other levels with resources and this one got the thumbs-up from my colleague at that level.
2) https://classtechtips.com/2012/09/13/haiku-deck-for-small-presentations/
This resource helps students (or adults) prepare for presentations by adding timing. It also only allows limited text so that the students are forced to edit what they are saying. I can use this as a performance assessment.
3) http://www.edutopia.org/blog/national-poetry-month-poetry-technology-mary-beth-hertz
Throughout the year, we work on our poetry anthologies. I love this resource which suggests tips for including more technology alongside the poetry. There are suggested options for assessment as well as teaching and learning.

Modifying the Plan.
So far, I have not really felt that I need to modify this plan. I am enjoying the impetus it is giving me to explore varying resorces and to try out ones that seem to match well with what I am doing. 

What I Have Learned So Far.
So far, besides various exciting options using technology that I can (and in some cases have) used with my class, I have really just learned that the ease of locating resources is even greater than I had thought. Using the RSS feed and also using various sites that pick out technology tips has also been helpful.

Regarding assessments and technology specifically, this week I really thought a great deal about how an electronic portfolio can be used as an assessment piece. "...portfolios contain examples of work that can be compared to competencies or standards" (Cennamo et al, 2009, p. 151).

New Questions.
I am looking forward to continuing to use my memberships - I got a great activity off of the NCTM website this week - to explore resources. I need to decide how I will evaluate each one as to its relative worth; there are so many free resources out there too. I also need to figure out a way to streamline my RSS information so that I am getting the tips and pieces I really want.

On the other hand, how will I know what's out there if I never look at new things?

Does my Walden cohort have any suggestions about how to balance this?

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

This week I have been looking at strategies for seamlessly integrating technology into my content area instruction by developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating my personal GAME plan. Exposing myself to the technology that is out there will enable me to make more specific decisions that will work with student strengths rather than against their weaknesses. As you can see, I have tried to intertwine my GAME plans A and B in order to maximize the benefit to my learners.

Resources Needed

I looked at several resources this week. Links to them are listed below. I have visited each site and am trying something from each with my learners this week in order to evaluate the site as it relates to my particular group.

http://www.spellingcity.com/view-spelling-list.html?listId=4649682  I am looking at this site to help me generate good spelling lists based on content vocabulary; that is what we are working on at the moment in Spelling. I need to generate lists that contain a wide variety of words as my students self-select words to study that best match their levels. I liked the various options attached to the upgrade version and will consider using it with my class next year; I do not think it is worthwhile to join at this point in the year as membership runs yearly. Using this site will be beneficial because I can easily email lists to my learners who have organizational issues (often leaving study lists at school/home- wherever they are not), and because I can change the size of the text as I put it up on the Smartboard which may help some of my learners to both better attend and be better able to see.

http://www.funbrain.com/comics/lostsideofsuburbia/index.html?pubdate=101211 We have been working on fantasy in reading, and as we bring this unit to a close, I thought it would be fun to read a comic together. This particular one supports the diverse needs of my learners with large text, reduced amount of text on a page, and great illustrations. While reading it, we are selecting words for our Word of the Day (one word for every two students) and reporting back to the class on the words we have selected. I love this story because it is highly entertaining and also because it has great (challenging) vocabulary. Reading it together may provide the impetus and motivation needed to get some of my readers, who are on the cusp of becoming more independent in their reading selections, to pick more challenging material. My class enjoyed this today and all seemed to be engaged not just by the story but by the words we selected.

http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/math/fractions/simplest-form.htm We are about to wrap up a unit on fractions, and I was delighted to discover this Scholastic site to help us review. From videos to step-by-step instructions, this engaging site looks wonderful for this purpose. My class enjoyed the “jam” we used today and several said it clarified the topic (simplest form/lowest terms fractions).

Additional Information

I also looked at http://www.wested.org/cs/tdl/view/tdl_topic/1 which provided a link to information about ADD/ADHD students, based on the PBS series Misunderstood Minds. This was helpful to me as I thought about the characteristics of my diverse group of learners. I think I also need to continue exploring possible sites for useful resources. I have added http://www.freetech4teachers.com/ to my RSS feed in order to update me when new information comes out; I have found this site helpful in the past in both stimulating me to look for resources and alerting me to what is available.

Steps Taken

I am pleased with the resources I have located this week, and thrilled that I have actually used all three of them already this week. As you can see from my notes, I have used one in planning (spelling) and the other two with my students.

Feedback from my Walden Community Requested

I would love it if I could hear from my Walden cohort, or indeed anyone else who might be interested in this topic, with suggestions for building more resources that are useful to learners who need extra support in maintaining focus on a task. I should mention that I teach Grade 5.

My Personal GAME Plan

My Personal GAME Plan

This week, we were asked to explore ways in which we could enrich content learning for our students using technology. We were then asked to look at the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) (International Society for Technology in Education, 2012), identifying indicators of the NETS-T standards we would like to become more proficient in. Finally, we used the GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 4) to outline our strategies for increasing proficiency in those areas.

                                                                                                                                      

Here is my “A” GAME plan:

1)      Goal. NETS-T 2.c. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning “Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2012) I already know that it is important to use technology to engage students as well as to allow for various learning styles. I want to become more proficient at matching technologies to those specific diversities. I will know if I have become more proficient in this endeavor because my students will be more motivated, and there will be more even retention and results in assessments despite the variety of learners in my class.

2)      Actions. I need to become more aware of the technology that is out there in order to try to access it for all my learners. For example, several of my students are very weak spellers, and I would like to access voice software in order to help them become more successful. I can look this information up on the internet and then seek support from both the I.T. technicians at the Ministry and the Learning Support teacher at my school. The learning strategy I will use is constructivist because I already possess some background knowledge which I will need to build on, in order to develop my understanding and awareness.

3)      Monitoring. As I access the information, I will monitor it carefully to see if it is really applicable to my situation. I need to look at patterns such as cost, ease of application, and availability. I will evaluate to see if there are other avenues I can explore to meet my goal.

4)      Evaluating & Extending. Once I have identified several possible digital tools and resources that may help me meet my goal, I will need to evaluate them carefully. I will then need to decide if it possible to implement them, and how to achieve this. Finally, once implemented, I will evaluate again to see if they have truly made a difference to student motivation and retention of content information as demonstrated by results.

Here is my “B” GAME plan:

1)      Goal. NETS-T 5.a. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership “Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2012).

I have joined several professional groups as part of a previous course, and this last weekend I joined the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics). My goal is to participate actively in this membership as well as the various science ones I already have, in order to explore new and creative ways to use technology in order to improve the learning of my students. I will know if I have become successful in this regard, because I will have added to the “bank” of technical resources with which I am familiar, and will have used at least three new items with my students before the end of the month.

2)      Actions. I need to visit the sites of which I am a member more frequently, exploring the information that is there. I can subscribe to interesting looking blogs and if there are appropriate newsletters offered, I can subscribe to them. The learning strategy I will use is constructivist because I already possess some background knowledge which I will need to build on, in order to develop my understanding and awareness. In addition, I will be looking for activities that, in the main, are inquiry/constructivist based.

3)      Monitoring. As I access the information, I will monitor it carefully to see if it is really useful for my students and the content I teach. I need to balance the time I spend exploring resources with the time I need to attach them to my lesson plans.

4)      Evaluating & Extending. According to NET 5 (International Society for Technology in Education, 2012), “Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources”. By setting increased participation in my professional memberships (online) as a goal, I hope to really “walk the walk” for this NET. As checking in with the sites become a habit, and as enable additional RSS feed links to help stay on top of my explorations, I should be able to continually extend my abilities in this area.

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 from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

Good evening and Happy Mother's Day to everyone,

I am excited to be using this blog again... my class is still posting on our class blog but otherwise I just have not had the time to keep this one up. I'm glad this course is giving me motivation to do it again!

Lisa

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:

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/08/steve-jobs-presentations-technology-meetings-09-tips_slide.html

            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 21^st 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.

 

Connected Collaboration

Cooperative learning is defined by Wikipedia as “an approach to organizing classroom activities into academic and social learning experiences”.  If the task to be completed is carefully planned, it differs from basic group work because of the higher order skills required to complete the task. The link below cites Johnson and Johnson’s five elements that they deem essential for effective group learning and achievement; these elements sound very much like what we have been learning are the skills required for success as a twenty-first century learner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_learning

In our text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007), Cooperative Learning is placed in a section entitled “Which Strategies Will Help Students Acquire and Integrate Learning?” Pitler et al quote Johnson, Johnson and Stanne then they state that it is the interaction that takes place during cooperative learning is how they “make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge”. Further, successful cooperative learning and production is part of preparing our learners for the “fast-paced, virtual workplace they will inherit” (Pitler et al, 2007, p. 139).

This week, we explored several technological resources that combine learning with collaboration.  From Voicethread to blogs to Twitter, there are a lot of available resources that allow collaboration with people from across our planet.  I can find out about any topic I can think of, and discuss it with others to build my understandingI particularly enjoyed using Voicethread, and plan on using it as a tool to share my class’s learning about diabetes. It will be an excellent way to combine all of their different takes on the  presentation we created for a school assembly, in order to formulate a tool that may actually help people in the fight against diabetes (it is Diabetes Awareness Month, and this is a serious problem in our community). This activity checks all the boxes Orey mentioned in this week’s video presentation; the students will be actively engaged in constructing an artifact with others, bouncing ideas off each other as they get feedback and validation on their comments. I hope that, as he says, this will transform the “inert knowledge” they have acquired into knowledge that can be applied in a constructive way. In addition, this utilizes Connectivism. We will be  working together and sharing with others outside our classroom, building a network of people with an interest in, or a expertise in, this topic.

Connected collaboration, that’s the way to go!

 

Today I had some fun creating a voicethread about a concern I have at my school. If you would like to add your comment, here is the link:

http://walden.voicethread.com/share/3766841/

I will be writing some more tonight about my new understanding of the benefits of learning through social interaction.