Saturday, April 24, 2010

Final Reflection

In this course of emerging technology, much information was introduced. I had the understanding of using websites, blogs, wikis and PowerPoint in the classroom, along with using the LCD projector. However, it never occurred to me on using gaming, multimodal, online learning classrooms or how to maximize internet usage.

The application on week seven, demonstrated my learning and my growth in integrating technology into the classroom. For example, I developed a lesson plan that allows students to use “clouding” (Johnson, Levine, Smith & Smythe, 2009, p 19), where students are able to view a PowerPoint to learn a new concept. Along with learning, students are able to read the comments, more so what each character is saying, at their own pace, creating differentiated instructions for my students. Along with the “clouding”, I also learned of a website that was free of charge that ran just like the college online classes, Rcampus.com (2010). This allowed me us expand my classroom into the virtual world, causing students to collaborate with each other for the assignment. I, not only encouraged academic vocabulary skills, but I also encouraged the social skills of my students during this activity. During the time I was exploring the virtual realm, I also came to the realization that I need to be aware of the capabilities of my computer. Running a multimodal software, such as second life, would require much space, RAM and amongst other things in order to run properly. Having this learnt, I feel that my ability to research the on the web of various grant databases, writing a proper proposal, and the support of my future administrators, I know that I have grown in this area due to this class. I even made a demonstration on what I would write about in the grant writings if I were to execute it in reality.

My immediate adjustments to identify and search for emerging technology that may potentially transform the classroom would be first, feed off of other blogs that continuously discuss about the new technologies. Also, in the virtual world of Second Life, there was a group that was specifically for emerging technologies, thus going back to the site will be very informative. Along with this, there are multiple websites that have teachers collaborate on wikis, or blogs to share their ideas on new technologies. After reviewing, I would defiantly see if there is technology that I could use for my classroom teachings. Most emerging technology, any subject can improve student’s understanding better then teachers lecturing. Finding enough evidence, I would compile a plan and the resources /research to back up my idea before presenting it to my administrators. Along with this, I would also find a grant that may apply to the change and support of this emerging technology. Once the proposal is written, I would present the information to the administration and be prepared in answering any questions they may have. If approved, then the proposal will be sent, and answers to be awaited on. The writing portion of the grant proposal was extremely helpful. Because of this course, I am more prepared in introducing my ideas with more power behind it. If it was not for this course, I would not have the proper tools, resources or the research behind an idea before bring up the idea to administration. Perhaps, this may have been a reason for the technology integration rejection from my previous school. Next time, I will be better prepared.

I thoroughly enjoyed this class and wish I had more time to learn more; however, I fell more prepared to turn my classroom into the 21st century classroom and have a plan on how to transform it. With a goal in mind, a clear path shall come into site. I will be the leader of a social change in my future school employment. Thank you Walden University and their wonderful supportive faculty.

Resources:

Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., & Smythe, T. (2009). The 2009 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Rcampus. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.rcampus.com/

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Week $ Application

View http://voicethread.com/share/1026640/ to see why teachers should use online education in conjunction with the everyday classroom. Enjoy!

Friday, February 26, 2010

6714 Reflection (week 8)

As the class has come to an end, I have to say that I learned a myriad amount of information of software on the web as well as differentiating instructions and universal design learning.

The resources that group 1 has listed, I have them bookmarked in my delicious, tagged and labeled. This class was a great resource in itself since we hold in our hand a textbook filled with resources and strategies, and amongst other tools. Having these tools and resources, I now come to realize that technology allows us to differentiate our different types of assessments, from formative to informal. Not only will technology assesses our students, but helps the timing for grading and collecting information in a single click. Also, this will give us more time to address our students' needs. I have enjoyed having WebCCat and TMDS & TSDS for assessing students to see where they are in my subject and what grade level they are. This type of technology would help differentiate the assessments to help our students move up in their learning. It seems to me, that every software found on the internet, has the ability to give teachers what level they would like to assess, or even advanced to where we can send students specific level questions.

While using Ning during this course, I have made aware what the numerous possibilities of its implementation in the classroom. To begin with, this social network connects the students to each other, the outer world, and to me, the teacher (Laureate Education, Inc 2009). It encourages collaboration amongst each other, exercise social skills, as well as using technology to express their selves and their learning. Because Ning allows images, videos and multimedia, this is a perfect way to differentiate the expression of the students’ knowledge. Not only this, but it helps differentiate the teaching aspect as well. The teacher is able to use this to give specific assignments to certain groups, monitor students as well as having the ability to differentiate students’ lessons in an easier, more subtle manner. For example, I can group students who are visual learners, and provide them graphic organizers or an outline of what they will be learning, or perhaps a video for them to watch to satisfy their visual or audio needs. This social network breaks down the barriers of language since students have more time to reflect on what they read, and use a translator to convert their writings to another language so the recipient can better understand the conversation. “…ELL students, including poor skills in reading, writing, and math. It may also impair the student’s ability to develop and maintain social relationships” (Bray, Brown, Green, 2005, p. 20). “Technology can be an effective tool to help ELL students work on their verbal interactions, vocabulary development, and reading skills (p. 21). Also, on each student’s page, I can recommend them resources on that are catered to their needs. For example, a student who has a language barrier, I can post a link for translation. For a student who needs help with basic mathematics, I can post a link on their wall for tutorials or fun videos to help them learn the basic arithmetic. This social site is full of useful ways on getting to know each student and differentiate their learning.

As for the universal design learning aspect of the social network of ning, I feel that students are engaged because of the everyday use of technology. Also, they have access to many other people around the world. Students are constantly typing that helps the tactual learner to learn, while the monitor displays images for the visual and words on the screen or audio for the verbal learner. Social Networks provided all of this and the students the ability to post their hard work and get feedback from their peers, amongst other people as well.

After completing this class, I can see what I can do to improve my teaching methods within the classroom. Because mathematics is such a procedural subject, it can be difficult in changing the teaching method all at once. I believe that I should allow more group work in the classroom where students are able to work on their own pace. This is the beginning of the becoming comfortable with a differentiated classroom. Flexibility is the key to differentiation (Laureate Education, Inc, 2009). “The work of Rita Dunn and Kenneth Dunn over an extended period, as well as an extensive study on the Dunn and Dunn studies by M.H. Sullivan, find both attitude and achievement gains when teachers address students' learning styles through flexible teaching” (Tomlinson, 2009, p2). Once I am able to become comfortable of a room then differentiating instructions will not be so difficult, since I will be the facilitator going around monitoring students’ progress. This is an informal type of assessment. As for other assessments, I would like to create alternate ways to assess my students other then multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short essays. If I am able to give alternate ways for my students to demonstrate their learning, at least two, then I am allowing students to be their selves and become involved with their learning. This has to do with the multiple intelligences. As a teacher, I need to be able to give students the opportunity to tap into their multiple intelligences, using their strongest one to demonstrate their learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). “For some teachers, beginning to address student needs through a learning profile may be a comfortable beginning point “ (Tomlinson, 2009, p 3). Another major change I would like to do is to provide students with information in different ways, not just writing on the white board. I need to be able to tap into their learning styles so I can maximize their learning. In order to do that, I need to make the lessons more universal so that everyone’s needs are satisfied, such as the auditory, visual and tactual learners. To become a teacher that engages students, I need to use a survey, such as a survey monkey, to gain insight on my students’ interest. Being proficient in just a few of these changes will make a whole world of difference in my teaching, making it more engaging and stimulating the students’ three brain networks, the representation, expression, and affective network (Center of Applied Technologies, 2009. p 1).

All in all, this class has opened my eyes to many ideas, and resources, tools and strategies, and I am grateful for a wonderful group that I was able to collaborate with. Also, the use of Ning.com allowed me to play with it while receiving help from my group members, and I hope to be able to use this software with my students someday. As this class has come to an end, I must admit that I have learned so much information that I am surprised as to how much technology software, free for that matter, is located right under our fingertips. I now reflect back on my teaching and can understand why my students were not willing to learn. After playing with some software, I feel more confident in teaching mathematics for students. I now understand that it is important that students are able to use technology when they leave the high school premises and be able to become successful in real life and their future careers.

Resources:

Bray, M., Brown, A., & Green, T. (2004). Technology and the diverse learner: A guide to classroom practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Center for Applied Special Technology. (2009). UDL guidelines, version 1.0. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/publications/UDLguidelines/version1.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.

Tomlinson, C. (2009). Learning profiles and achievement. School Administrator. 66(2), 28–33. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Reflection (week 8)

After taking this course, I have used the GAME plan, not only in developing future lesson plans, but also in everyday life skills. Being able to organize your thoughts and information gained is vital to create a path in achieving your goals. By mastering the organizing life skills, I will be able to use this strategy for lesson plans as well as passing this strategy to my students in creating more meaningful goals along with achieving them.

After exploring all the useful applications on Facebook for students to use for collaboration, I came to a realization that schools may not allow the usage of such social site. As the course moved on, I have discovered Ning.com that Vicki Davis (2009) suggested to use in its place. In the beginning of my GAME plan, I wanted to strengthen my lesson plans with more meaningful and authentic lessons for my students. In order to do this, I created a discussion with former colleagues to collaborate in creating authentic math lessons. Surfing the internet was another way since it is full of resourceful information on web 2.0 since we all want our students to be successful in their learning. Having the GAME plan provides more relevancies while creating my lesson plan. As for my second goal, implementing more technology into my lesson plan than just PowerPoint presentation or streaming, the resources provided in this course, inspired me to expand my horizons and experiment with what is out there on the internet and seek more tools to use in my lessons.

Immediate adjustments to my lesson plans would be incorporating technology to aid in memory retention rather than just utilizing technology because research states that more learning happens in a 21st century classroom. Technology should be used as an aid. After creating the lesson plan using storytelling, I find it intriguing of what students can do by using their creativity when given the chance.
This course was packed with information and resources to incorporate into the 21st century classroom, as well as a new way of organizing skills, setting goals, and planning on how to achieve them. I am looking forward to another course filled with this type of information to help my future students to become more successful.

Resourceful:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Student ISTE NETS GAME Plan (week 7)

After viewing the ISTE NETS for students, I see that my students are successful with just understanding the basic operations of a computer. They are able to type a letter and add a clip art to a document file, as well as having the ability to surf the internet.

However, I feel that my students need to develop more awareness of the internet of validating information on the internet and understand the danger that lurks within it. Also, when researching, students need to understand that using the information from someone; they would have to cite in order to give the person, who wrote it, credit. As my some of my students, they learned how to search information on the internet, however, they spend more time clicking to see if the site is what they are looking for and if not, then they continue to look. My students need to work on social and ethical uses of technology, using technology for collaboration, and research tools from the ISTE NETS for students.

As I experienced the GAME Plan way of thinking, I feel that students and the teacher (me) should set a goal to emphasis on and take a few minutes to brainstorm the GAME Plan with them. Because students come up with the goals, they will be more apt to work on it and focus their attention. With a GAME Plan on the wall for that class, students will see it every day when they come into the classroom as a reminder. This allows students to have some additional help in their organizing skills for the future as well as having students develop metacognitively.
As for ,my GAME plan, my goal is for my students to master at least 5 out of 6 ISTE NETS by the time they reach 11th grade. My action is to allow my students to set their goals and plan how they will achieve them. The monitoring for this task is by observations and they meeting the standards of mathematics using the technology assigned to them. Evaluation will be part of the monitoring, however at the end of the goal or project, positive and negative events must be recorded so that the following year, the same mistakes will be avoided.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

The GAME Plan Continued... (Week 6)

As I explored the Facebook application, I felt that it was going to be quite useful in many ways. But it has come to my attention that many students may not be able to access it through the school system until it is approved with the school and having this social site unblocked. I am exploring Ning, something that Vicki (2009) suggested for “educational networking”. I want to be able to understand it and seems like it will be like Facebook. I have thought about the “tagging” that Vicki (2009) mentioned in the DVD. Perhaps this will help solve some of the challenges that I may have in the future. As for the first goal of creating authentic lessons for my students, I feel that I have come to the conclusion that creating these lessons, maybe two time a year will not be too overwhelming. Trying to make every lesson authentic all at once in a year is quite tiring, and I do not want to be burned out in trying to make great lesson plans. I am still connected to my former colleagues and mentors to receive ideas of creating authentic lesson plans. We collaborate together and receive a better product then I expected. Because this is online collaboration, the collaborating part is slow since we all have teaching jobs and creating out our lesson plans since we are all on different levels of mathematics.

I would love to continue working on the authentic lesson plans even after I have graduated from this program since it takes time to create a well-thought-out lesson plan. Doing a few a year will be more effective and will accumulate more over the years to become a better teacher. As for the social networking, I would like to explore Ning more and perhaps, the school will be more willing to unblock this site since it is for educational collaboration.

I feel that I have not met my goals completely until a few years later for creating authentic lesson plans. As for the social networking, I feel Ning is like Facebook, thus I will be able to pick up on it and its uses in a few short uses. I would like to work on legal matters for the internet such as copy rights and what can be used in the classroom, and what can I print and how many. I enjoy knowing all the laws since I want my students to have respect for other people’s property, thus I need to demonstrate this by following the rules of the internet.

I believe I just need to spend more time exploring and reflecting on what I can do with my new knowledge once it has been explored. Finding faculty or connect with other teachers, then communicating with them about internet use for the curriculum will be most helpful so I can teach my content, still meeting the standards, and exposing our students to new technology they will need in their future.

Reference:Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The GAME Plan Continue (week 5)

As I am continuing my journey on the GAME Plan, I have to admit that my action plans are going well, and been brought some additional information from my colleagues. For example, the Facebook application page suggestions for students that Miriam. I thank you for the wonderful applications all in one page. My students will definitely benefit from this, from organizing their work, and additional tutoring. I also joined the “I AM TEACHER” from Facebook so I can expand my connection from not only just my former cohorts, but to all networks around the world. Also, this application allows you to download visuals of all sorts for different subjects for free under “freebies”, and of course, the other downloads are for a price.

So far, I am still playing with the applications, and just getting to know how to use VoiceThread more. I might start using introducing the Facebook applications for organizing for my tutorees. I also might started a Twitter as Diana suggested to post my lesson plans, instead of a blog.

Right now, I am just infatuated with the applications on Facebook, and would like to know how it works and the VoiceThread as well. Perhaps, just asking, what lesson can I use this on? What will the principal say to this if the website was blocked at school? How will I teach my students how to use this application in school and still be able to teach the TEKS? I am sure these are common questions that many would ask.

As of right now, I would like to test some of these applications and implementations on my tutorees. That way I know what I am up against. I can see what the timing will be for students to learn how to use these applications as well as any other integrated piece of technology.