EDUC 6713 Reflection

            Throughout this course, I learned about developing a GAME plan. GAME stands for Goal, Action, Monitor, Evaluate (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).  This model is used to develop engaging lessons. Prior to this course, I have never heard of a GAME plan, however, I typically do that when creating lessons.  The part that often gets overlooked is the evaluating the lesson.  After teaching a lesson, we are immediately thinking about the next. I need to ensure that I am setting time aside to evaluate my lesson.  When I have time, I write myself notes about a particular lesson so I remember what needs to be changed for the next year.  This course has taught me to always remember this step to improve my instruction.  I have also used a GAME plan to set goals using the ISTE NETs. I monitored my progress and saw myself reach my goals.  This is an effective method for setting and reaching goals.  Students can also use this method. 

            I have also learned about different technology tools I can incorporate in my lessons. The purpose of my taking this master’s program is to learn more tools and techniques. Three in particular that I have learned and implement are problem-based learning, social networking/online collaboration, and digital storytelling.  I have tried each of these in my classroom after designing lessons in this course. My students’ favorite was digital storytelling.  My students always enjoy when I show them math videos on YouTube created by other students. They are always telling me they want to create one.  When students create a video, I have found they are more eager to share it. I can now take these videos and create a private YouTube channel.  I can give my students the link so they can share their videos with their family and friends.  Kids today are so interested in YouTube and watching videos online.  They get excited when they get to be the star of one of those videos. Overall, I believe I learned valuable tools in this course that I can continue to use in my classroom. 

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.

 

Monitoring my GAME Plan Progress

I have been successful in finding information and resources needed in order to complete my GAME plan.  To communicate with different stakeholders, I just need continued access to online tools.  The hunt for resources pertaining to increased technology is always ongoing. I am still searching for more activities that will promote student creativity.  I have also spoken with my colleagues who have shared some resources with me. 

I do not feel as if I need to make any changes to my action plan. The action plan I have set has been very realistic. The only thing I need to consider is that reaching these goals take time and it is ongoing.  I can communicate with all of my parents today but in order to reach my goal, I need to continue communicating.  In addition, I can create one engaging activity that uses technology with my students, but I do not consider that reaching my goal. I need to continue creating these types of lessons to keep my students’ creativity going.

I have learned that parents really do appreciate teacher communication.  I have had parents tell me that they had no idea a situation was happening in school or that their child did not inform them of an important deadline.  I have also learned that creating and finding engaging activities with technology is not as difficult as I thought.  There are so many online resources to help with this and I have plenty of resources in my school.  These activities take some time to prepare for but my students really enjoy working with technology to further their knowledge.

I do not have any questions at this time. However, I would like to ask my colleagues’ opinion on a piece of technology. I have downloaded the app Cel.ly on my iPhone and can access it online. What are your thoughts on asking students and parents to subscribe so they can get text reminders to their cell phones? 

Carrying Out my Game Plan

My GAME plan consists of two goals: 1. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation and 2. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. In order to be successful in achieving these goals, I will need some resources. As I collaborate with different stakeholders, I will need access to Moodle and email. On Moodle, I plan to post more resources that my students may find valuable. Websites like www.khanacademy.org have helpful videos that teach students a particular concept. I can find videos pertaining to my lessons to post for students. As I try to reach my goal of designing lessons that promote creativity and learning, I first want to consult with my colleagues. Many of my coworkers, both in and out of my department, have great ideas that promote creativity. As I consult with them, I hope to modify some lessons to engage my students more.

I feel as if I have all of the information needed in order to increase my collaboration with students, peers, parents and community members. It is just up to me to increase this communication. In order to help with the designing of my curriculum, I would like to access a website or a book that has Algebra 2 specific ideas. I hope to find some good ideas or spark my creativity to develop a lesson on my own.

I have already started to increase my communication with different stakeholders.  I have sent more emails to parents regarding their child and upcoming due dates and tests. In addition, I have posted more resources on my Moodle page. However, I am still working on developing more engaging activities to spark student creativity.  

My GAME Plan

I feel very comfortable using technology and I feel like I should be using it more in my classroom with my students.  I am a third year teacher and in the past I have been just trying to make it through.  As I am being more experienced, I feel as if I have more time to create new engaging activities for my students. In order to increase the amount of technology used in my classroom, I have created a GAME plan meaning I have set my Goals, planned Action to take, thought about how to Monitor my success and then Evaluate my success (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).  I have set two goals for myself. I would like to improve upon two indicators from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Education Standards (NETS-T). The first indicator I would like to improve upon is “Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation” (ISTE, 2008). The second indicator is “Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.”

In order to collaborate more with stakeholders, I would like to add to my Moodle.  Our district has recently changed to Moodle and teachers are still getting started. I have set up my computers course on Moodle but I have not set up my math courses with much detail. I would like my Moodle page to share information with parents about their child’s algebra class.  I would also like to send out more emails to my parents. In order to design more learning experiences with digital tools, I plan to collaborate more with other teachers. I share information with other teachers in the math department very often and we work together nicely. I think by collaborating with them and using what I am learning in this course, we can develop some authentic learning activities using digital tools to promote learning and creativity.

As I am working towards my goals, I will continue to monitor my success. I would like my mentor teacher to help with this.  She has seen my current Moodle pages so I would like her to periodically check them to see how it is progressing. She will be able to give me feedback and ideas of more information to add to help communication between myself and parents. I would also like to share with her the activities I incorporate that incorporate digital tools.  I hope to have one activity per unit to share with her.

                Lastly, I plan to evaluate my success.  By the end of this course, I will look over my Moodle to ensure I have effectively communicated with parents and students. I can also survey my students on their Moodle usage and how it has or hasn’t helped him.  I will also survey them on the technology based activities to get their feedback.  Hopefully students are more successful on the learning targets from these activities when it comes time for a test. 

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

EDUC 6711 Reflection

During week one of this course, I stated that my primary theory of learning was that students learn best when they are given information multiple times using multiple avenues.  I still believe this is true for the most part.  I also think that the more effective methods of teaching them I have, the less amount of time I need to spend repeating the information.  For example, in week one I believed that demonstrating a lesson on a graphing calculator one time would not be enough for students to remember what I taught them.  However, if I showed it to them a couple different times and then did a similar problem on the board, they might remember.  I am now learning that I was using technology as an instructional tool.  If I had used the graphing calculators as a learning tool and allowed my students to explore, they would probably recall the information better and save a lot of time.  I have also learned that I am a believer in the constructionist theory.  I believe that students deepen their knowledge when they take what they have learned and construct something new with it (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).  This requires students to use higher order thinking skills and the information stays with them.   

Throughout this course, I have learned the difference between an instructional tool and a learning tool.  I like to think that I effectively use technology as a learning tool but I can think back to instances where I have used technology as an instructional tool when it would have been more effective to have the students actually explore the technology.  I am going to make a conscious effort to include my students more in the use of technology.  Students are more engaged and remember more when they are a part of the learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b). 

            When I was in high school, I remember doing mind maps in my English classes when reading a novel.  I never thought about having my students create one in math class until taking this course.  I would like to have my students create concept maps using software such as Cacoo or SpiderScribe.  I believe my students will benefit from the organization and freedom that concept maps give students.  Concept maps do not require students to think linearly.  It is easy to add information to any idea without having to erase.  I would also like to incorporate at least one virtual field trip into every course I teach.  Virtual field trips offer students a unique experience.  After researching virtual field trips that apply to high school math, I have found that most of them take the mathematics and apply it to a real-world situation.  This is one of the most important things for me.  I have learned that my students do not care about what is being taught unless they see the purpose in it.  Virtual field trips can help establish that purpose.  These are only two of the learning tools I plan to use in my classroom.  I have learned about a variety of different learning tools and how to incorporate them into my classroom.  The book Using technology with classroom instruction that works has demonstrated numerous strategies to incorporate this technology (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

            Down the road, I see myself incorporating one culminating activity per lesson that involves technology. I would like these activities to vary.  Some examples of technology I would like to use are concept mapping software, virtual field trips, VoiceThreads and wikis.  I plan to start small.  I am going to incorporate one of these tools into each course that I teach and add more each year.  I would also like to do cross-curricular activity with a science class.  Math is always being used in science and I think it is important for students to see the relationships. My students could create a Wiki with the students in the science class.  The class periods do not need to match since the students do not even need to work in person on Wikis.  Students may work on whenever they choose and contribute their part.  This is going to take some planning with a science teacher in order to get this activity going. 

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). (2011b). 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. R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Social Learning in Practice

Social learning theories suggest that people learn primarily through their interactions with others.  I believe that students greatly benefit from working with other students.  This theory goes hand-in-hand with the cooperative learning method I read about in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.  The first reason I believe students benefit from cooperative learning is because students deepen their knowledge when they teach something to someone else.  I have such a greater understanding for the courses I teach after teaching them for a trimester.  I always knew how to do all of the math for each class but I am able to make more connections after teaching it.  I am sure that students feel the same way after teaching a peer.  Also, students enjoy learning from one another.  They may feel more comfortable asking a peer a question instead of raising their hand to ask a question in front of the entire class.  This gives them more confidence as well.  If their answers are confirmed with the student next to them, they may be more likely to volunteer to do a problem on the board for the entire class.  

Technology used in classrooms can also promote social learning.  Many teachers use Facebook, webquests, blogs, Google Docs and more in their classroom.  These tools allow students to work with one other without being face-to-face.  Students are able to share ideas and collaborate at their convenience.  Instead of coming up with or responding to an idea in class, students are able to think about an idea and respond at their convenience on any computer.  In addition to learning the material, students are also learning social skills needed for future careers.  I feel this is extremely important.

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

VoiceThread

Please click here to view my VoiceThread to help with my current classroom issue.