Spotlight on Emerging Technology: Online Learning in K-12 Schools

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Resources

Young, J., Birtolo, P., & McElman, R. (2009). Virtual success: Transforming education through online learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(5), 12–17.

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Reflection: Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology

As this course draws to an end, I have reflected on the content and ideas that I will bring into my classroom. I look forward to incorporating UDL and differentiated instruction in my lessons in order to benefit each of my students. I also look forward to bringing new ideas to my colleagues. I enjoyed learning from my colleagues just as much as the learning resources. I have saved a lot of the ideas from my group’s facebook page. One of the main reasons why I enjoyed working with my group is that we are able to get ideas from one another on what works and what does not work. I learned a lot about differentiating instruction using technology. Since I began this class, I have reorganized the way that I do my “station teaching” completely. I now have 2 centers which involve technology (computer, Activboard, and listening center). It is easy to doubt a kindergarteners ability to use technology; however, after taking this class I have learned ways for getting to know my students, how they learn best, and how I can accommodate their needs. I now know that I can teach them the necessary skills in a way that is understandable to them and incorporate it into my lesson. The biggest thing that I take from this class is having no fear and no doubt. I have no fear in using technology with my students and no doubt that they can learn it. I look forward to continuing my use of learning profiles with a few adjustments learned from this course to better serve my students. I look forward to beginning each year with the ability to know how my students learn best.

Reflection

As this course comes to an end I am reminded of the new strategies and ideas that I will bring back to my classroom AND my grade level. I feel that I have accomplished a large part of my GAME plan. We have begun technology training for professional development, I have created a class website with links for education games and other parent resources for my parents to view. Last week we had our curriculum night. As I delivered my presentation via the SmartBoard I was very impressed with myself on how far I have come. I continue to include technology into my lesson plans and have already introduced my 2 week old kindergarteners to the computer lab.

I will continue to grow in the area of technology integration but I leave here with leaps and bounds of progress!

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

As I continue to improve my GAME plan, I am working towards a way to introduce this idea to my students. In kindergarten, it is important to teach students the importance of creativity, communication, and critical thinking. Often times I do this through group activities such as role playing, class meetings, and creative writing. I can use the GAME plan process with my students in regards to the NETS-S by having the students first set their goals. Then we will discuss ways that students can accomplish their goals. Since my students are so young, I would have to work closely with my students in helping set their goals.

I have found that establishing my GAME plan and determining how I will achieve the goal is difficult. Although I have learned so much from this process, I feel that I have struggled. I am open to any advice on this process in regards to 5 and 6 year olds.

Revising your GAME Plan/Week 6

I am making a lot of progress as I work towards my goals. I continue to learn about technology and how I can become a better teacher with technology integration. I have kept my original goals in mind but have additional goals as I work towards successfully creating lessons that are appropriate for my students. My principal has added several professional development sessions based on technology. I was glad to see that as we returned for pre-planning. I have recently worked with some of my colleagues to share online collaboration tools.

Although I have learned a lot that can be applied to my instruc
tional practice, I feel that I continue to work towards the goal of creating lessons because of the grade level that I teach. If my students were more independent I would not have as much trouble.

Based on the NETS-T I have set new goals for myself. I am looking to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. I think it is important to introduce students to real-world experience at a young age. As I create technology appropriate lessons, I want to also work on the assessments that I use. Preparing my students at a young age for using technology will set a strong foundation for their future.

Evaluating your GAME Plan Progress

Although I feel that I still have tons to learn, I have gained a better understanding of PBL learning and how it can be applied to my classroom. I have always struggled with the idea of incorporating technology into my class because my students are so young; this continues to be my struggle. I continue to work towards my goals each week through new understandings of PBL. As the new school year is quickly approaching, I have submitted my requests for professional development relating to technology. This is something that all teachers would benefit from.

I have revised my PBL activity to reflect the strategies that I have learned each week. This is really helping me as I begin to plan for the upcoming school year. I have ideas for incorporating blogs, websites, and the internet into my centers.

I am still looking for advice from teachers in the lower grades on how to incorporate technology into my centers. I do not have a para so it needs to be an activity that the students can work on independently. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Monitoring my GAME plan

The course readings and class discussions have really helped and inspired me while working on my GAME plan. My goals are to design and evaluaate lessons using technology and engage in more professional development. I have learned several ways to incorporate technology into my lessons that I will bring to the classroom. I have also looked into professional development opportunities within my school district. Because of budget cuts, our professional development has been cut back and most of our training occurs in the schoolhouse. I plan to talk to my principal about allowing us to have more professional development about technology integration. Each week I continue to add to my action plan. I feel that I am learning so much and knowing that this will benefit me as a teacher is very motivating. The questions that have come up mostly pertain to my lesson plans. I have concerns that my students will struggle with too much technology because they are so young. I also do not have any help in the classroom and I am expecting 23 students in my class next year. I usually do activities with the students in the computer lab but I am very concerned about this coming up year.

Carrying out your GAME plan

My GAME plan involves designing and evaluating lessons using technology tools and engaging in professional growth. Children should be introduced to technology at a young age. I believe that incorporating technology into each lesson will help me address different learning styles in my classroom.

The resources that I will need to carry out my plan are computers, internet, and SMARTboard. Talking to my colleagues at school is an excellent resource because I can get ideas and opinions of other teachers.

After reading the learning resources in this class, I have gone back through some of my lesson plans and revised them to include technology integration. I have found that it is easier for the students to learn something if I begin teaching it right away. I will begin using technology on the first day of school. I will also create a classroom website which will provide my students and parents with important information as well as provide interactive websites and useful information. One of my goals is to take my students on a virtual field trip. This would provide my students with an excellent example of how technology can be used in the classroom as well as address our standards.

GAME plan

The two standards that I would like to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in are standards 2 and 5. Standard 2 involves designing and evaluating lessons using technology tools and resources. Obtaining my Masters Degree in technology integration is my first step towards building the confidence I desire as a classroom teacher. Creating lesson plans that address all learning styles as well as integrate technology into my classroom is another step that I plan to take. Although I teach kindergarten, I believe that introducing children to technology at a young age is important because classrooms are becoming more digitalized each year. Keeping a copy of my lesson plans is a great way to monitor my progress because I will be able to look back on previous lessons and critique myself as well as look to see what worked best and what I can do to improve for next time.

Standard 5 involves engaging in professional growth. As I progress through my masters study, I continue to share with my colleagues and help them to improve their teaching as well. In order to achieve the goal of professional growth, I plan to attend professional development opportunities that allow me to expand my knowledge of technology integration in my classroom. In order to evaluate my learning, I will review what I have integrated into my classroom and how my students responded.

In order to feel that I have achieved my goals, I must see that my students are enjoying what I am bringing to the classroom and that they are learning the best that they can.

Reflection

The most striking eye-opener that I had about the teaching of literacy skills to my students is that it is possible with the little ones. A common stereotype about kindergarten is that we read and play blocks all day. That is not the case now days. We have a very strict curriculum that requires our students to pass a comprehensive list of standards by the end of the school year. A lot of people, including long-time teachers think that 5 and 6 year-olds are incapable of learning how to use technology. After taking this course, I am fully aware that my students can learn these skills with proper guidance. I leave this course taking with me the skills to teach these strategies to my students and other ways to incorporate technology into my classroom. I have learned that it does not take a lot of money and that I am fully capable of teaching these new literacy skills with the tools provided in my classroom and schoolhouse.
My main professional development goal is to bring these skills back to my school and help other teachers learn ways to incorporate technology into their classroom. It is important to challenge our students and this is the perfect way. I now have the strong desire to incorporate new literacy skills into my classroom and help teachers improve their teaching as well. I have loved hearing the stories from my classmates and learning how they use technology in their own classrooms. I feel that sharing these ideas is the best way to learn and grow as a teacher.

Reflection

I have always believed that providing children with a positive, hands-on learning environment is beneficial to their learning. As this course is wrapping up, I will carry with me a lot of new strategies and ways to incorporate them in my classroom. I realized the importance of incorporating technology in my classroom and how to better prepare my students for the future. I also became familiar with the behaviorist learning theory as I often related it to my teaching pedagogy.

I enjoyed learning new ways of incorporating technology into my classroom. Two technology tools that I found interesting and will bring back to my own classroom are concept maps and voicethread. Using concept maps with my kindergarteners will help me in introducing new concepts and relating different ideas. With the younger students, I often have to start very basic and build from there. Although it would take a while and a lot of adult help, I think my students would enjoy creating a voicethread. Some people think that this would be too hard for a kindergarten student but I believe that they can do anything they are taught.

My two most important long-term changes that I would like to make regarding technology integration are to be more involved in professional development opportunities and to get out of my "routine" of lecture and use more of the technology that I am familiar with. Achieving these goals are easy if I put my mind to it and step outside of the box. It is easy to start the school year with your usual routines and continue on with what you are most comfortable with. I feel that if I took the opportunities of different trainings that we are offered throughout the school year as "optional" I would be able to learn new things to incorporate in my classroom. I would also be able to share new ideas with my colleagues. Throughout this course and previous courses I have taken, I have learned several ways of incorporating technology in my classroom. I want to take advantage of this and enhance my student's learning.

Voice Thread

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Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Social learning has become a large part of instruction now days. Whether we realize or not, we all use social learning in one way or the other. In my classroom, I think it is important for the students to learn from each other. Even as a teacher, I learn from my students every day. Several of my students' assignments are completed in cooperative learning groups. Especially at the young age of 5 and 6, it is important for students to learn to work together. In the real world, we have co workers and we must work with them and come up with solutions in a presentable manner. When working together, students learn to be leaders and followers. This also allows my students an opportunity to work on their social skills.

Constructivism in Practice

Dr. Orey stated, "Constructivism is a theory of knowledge stating that each individual actively constructs his/her own meaning" (Laureate, 2008). When reading about generating and testing hypotheses, I found that this strategy correlates with the constructivist views because the students are using problem solving and higher-order thinking. When Dr. Orey spoke about constructivism, he stated that learners "create ideas" that they can build upon (Laureate, 2008).

Constructionism is a "theory of learning that states people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others" (Laureate, 2008). I liked the example of the powerpoint that Dr. Orey discussed in the video. He states that powerpoints can be used to teach or construct information on a topic. This correlates with the constructionist theory because students are able to build upon their learning. I use powerpoints in my classroom very frequently and find that children really enjoy the technology and are engaged in the lesson. I also provide my students with rubrics for each project that we begin. I feel it gives the children a goal and they know exactly what I expect. This is especially helpful for the younger ages.

Project-based learning is most closely related to the constructionist theory because the student controls the assignment. They are able to share the information with others and make the appropriate accomodations.

After reading this week's learning resources, I was able to have a better understanding of ways that students learn best. I feel that my classroom follows more of a constructionist view as I allow my students as much control as they can. I work to teach them to be leaders and independent learners.

Cognitivism in Practice

Cognitive learning refers to "how one thinks" (Duffy & McDonald, 2008,p.20). In this week's learning resources, Pitler,Hubbell,Kuhn,& Malenoski refer to cues, questions, and advanced organizers as ways to "enhance students' ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic" (2007, p. 73). This relates to the cognitive learning theory directly by describing ways that students learn best. Teaching students to use organizers will help them retain information. I believe that breaking down the information makes it easier to "digest". When I begin a new unit, we typically create a KWL and review and discuss it daily.

"Summarizing and note taking focuses on enhancing students' ability to synthesize information and distill in into a concise new form" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 119).My kindergarteners learn best from hands-on activities and visual lessons. Often times we take notes on the ACTIVboard and read and discuss daily as a class. Since the children are just learning to write, I mostly do the writing. At the end of each day, we sit on the carpet and summarize our day. Repeating what we have learned for the day helps children retain the information taught. We usually make things into songs which really helps the children.

Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

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

Behaviorism in Practice

I have to be honest when I say that I agree that behaviorism belongs in today's schools. Whether we realize it or not, we all use some form of behaviorism in our teaching. I use a combination of positive reinforcement, consequences,and behavior modification. I have spent a lot of time with my mentors and learned a lot about behaviorism from watching them. Dr. Orey stated, "human behavior is learned" (2001, p.1). This is true as our students learn from us as well as their mistakes.

The Reinforcing Effort strategy relates to the behaviorist learning theory. People gain success through their effort. This week's learning resources state the importance of effort and achievement; therefore, the effort put forth is based on what that person chooses to do in order to achieve success. I have always believed that I have to work hard to achieve success. I have never had anything handed to me and have always worked hard for everything that I have.

The Homework and Practice strategy also relates to the behaviorist learning theory. Students are given homework as remediation; therefore, they must apply what they learned at school into their homework. The rewards involved include successful learning and better grades. When I was in high school, I went through a stage when I did not want to do my homework. My grades that semester were not the greatest! Homework is the time for students to show what they have learned.

The technology resources correlate to the instructional strategies and behaviorism because they are used to reinforce what the students have learned. Behaviorists believe that external stimuli causes a behavior. In this situation, the technology resources would play the role as the external stimuli. The resources help to evaluate what the students have learned.