The Final Blog Posting...

I can not believe that this class is already coming to an end. I feel like we just started. I have learned so much about technology, myself, and my classmates and I feel as though I am well on my way in terms of successfully using technology in my classroom.

As I as result communicating with my classmates I discovered that my original GAME plan was too broad and needed to be turned into a simpler plan. Since then, I have been very pleased with my progress in achieving these goals. As I learned new information I shared my findings with my students so I am not the only one who has benefited from my GAME plan. A goal that I am going to add to my GAME plan is to work with my students as they create their own classroom GAME plan. I mentioned this last week in my blog and I can not stop thinking about how beneficial a classroom GAME plan would be.

Overall, I an very pleased with this class. I feel as if I have learned the most from this course and I am excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel as I complete the last two courses at Walden.

Happy Holidays to all and God bless!

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

I know how important it is for my students to understand NETS-S. I say this because I know how important it is for my to the the NETS-T standards.

In order to show students the importance of these standards I would start by showing them my GAME plan. I would take the time to describe my goals and why they are important to me. I would also have my students brainstorm ways that I tried to reach these goals in the classroom. Following this discussion I would pull up NETS-S on the mimio for the class to review. Together we would point out each standard and discuss what each indicator means.

Finally, we would create our own "Classroom GAME Plan". Since my students are young I think starting with a group GAME plan and reviewing the plan as a class periodically would be a good way to demonstrate the importance of the technology standards. Together we can help each other be successful and achieve our goals.

Revising My GAME Plan

I feel like I have gained even more knowledge in the world of technology since the beginning of this course. I have learned new and exciting software and social networking sites as well as learning more about some technologies that I thought I new all about! Best of all, my students are benefiting from this knowledge because I have been teaching them most of the new and exciting technologies as I learn.

I also believe that I am more aware of the NETS-T and the importance of each standards. My GAME plan has evolved. I went form a broad lengthy GAME plan to a more specific plan that focuses on just one factor for each goal.


Facilitating and Inspiring Students Learning and Creativity was my first NETS-T standard. I took that standard and modified it to the following:



1. Students will create meaningful age-appropriate activities that incorporate technology and promote creativity.



I am still using many of the resources that I found or that my classmates shared on their blog postings to promote creativity but I have also started to let me students find various activities on our school's "Student Intranet". This "Student Intranet" is our schools version of the Internet for kids. All of the website on this page are safe and wonderful for students to use. I think it's important to get students feedback in the classroom and having them help to find creative technology activities is one way to keep them engaged with technology.



My second NETS-T standard that I chose was Design and Develop Digital-Aged Learning Experiences and Assessments.



Here is the goal I created for this standard:



2. Students will use various forms of technology indepentently and interdependently to show their understanding of the particular subject being taught.



Last week I talked my lesson for application where students research cultures on a particular continent, compare and contrast the cultures to their own, and present their information. Since then I added the steps of researching how the particular culture celebrates Christmas. My students are really enjoying this project as they work on their own and in their small group. They also get plenty of time to use the computer and other resources. I have not really done much else for this goal since this project is taking up the last two weeks leading up to Christmas.

For now, I am happy with my progress in the world of technology and I am also pleased with the materials my students have learned about and learned how to use. I look forward to setting new goals for my GAME plan in the future.

Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

After reading my classmates thoughts and ideas I decided restate my 2 goals in a simpler manner.





Goal #1: To create meaningful, age-appropriate activities that incorporate technology and promote student creativity.



Goal #2: To have students use various forms of technology independently and interdependently to show their understanding of the particular subject matter being studied.

I believe that in this weeks application, Application #5, is going to cover both of my GAME plan goals. As I create my Social Studies lesson based on the People and Societies, I will be determining how students can use their creativity to present their information about their continent and the culture of people who live on each continent. I will also allow my students to use various forms of technology to research and present their information to the class.

Though this PBL lesson will take some time and planning on my part, I am looking forward to creating and implementing this PBL lesson in my classroom before the holiday season.

Monitoring my GAME Plan

After reviewing my GAME plan, I feel as though my plan is a little too lengthy. Because of this I feel that maybe I need to modify my GAME plan. I would love any thoughts/suggestions from my classmates. As a teachers I know that collaborating with others is one of the best ways to learn so I would appreciate any feedback! Thanks!

One part of my GAME plan was to keep myself current in the world of technology and I feel as though I am doing this rather well. I have been researching several websites and resources and have found several that I think will be quite useful. I have also had a chance to get some really great resources from my classmates' blog postings. Here are a few resources that I think are wonderful:

www.funderstanding.com/content/inspiring-creativity-in-student

I was able to get some inspiring ideas from this site. Creating meaningful learning that involves students showing their creativity is a huge part of my goal and I was excited to find this site.

www.4Teachers.org

When you get to the 4Teachers home page there is a link called Teacher Tacklebox which is a wonderful resource for any subject and how to incorporate technology!!

www.school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

This is a site created by an educator named Kathy Schrock. This site has some really great rubrics for assessing students work.

Overall, I am pleased with my findings and the resources that I've been able to use from my Walden classmates. I am anxious to get some feedback on my GAME plan so I can have a more concrete plan set into place.

Finally, I just wanted to share with everyone how thankful I am for all the blessings in my life and I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! God Bless!!

Carrying Out my GAME Plan

Last week I stated my goals for my GAME plan. This week I thought about what resources I would need to follow this through.

#1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

First, I have begun communicate with my co-workers to gather ideas, resources, and any additional information that could help me to create these meaningful activities for my students. Depending on the activity I choose for my students I know that I will need to gather any materials that they may need to complete the activity. These resources could be as simple as a pencil to something more advanced like a assisted technology devise. I will also model how to use many different forms of technology to show students how diverse technology really is. Again this is just a start to follow through with my GAME plan.

#2 Design and Develop Digital-Aged Learning Experiences and Assessments

I feel like my second indicator is similar to the first because as I develop digital0aged learning for my students they will automatically be inspired to learn. Again, I have begun discussing various activities with my co-workers to collect a wide array of resources for my students. I plan to also spend some time doing some research online as well as interviewing my students to determine what technologies they may want to learn more about/use in the classroom. Stay tuned...

My Personal GAME Plan

After reviewing the International Society for Technology in Education's NETS for Teachers I was able to choose, examine, and come up with my GAME plan fro each idicator.

I chose to create a GAME plan for indicator #1 which is Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. This indicator focuses on technology, subject matter, and learning to promote creativity. Here is my GAME plan.

G (goal): My goal for this indicator is to create meaningful, exciting, and age appropriate lessons and activities that allow students to be creative and inventive. I also want to promote problem solving whether it be while collaborating with others or by oneself.

A (action): In order to achieve this goal I will construct exciting and hands-on activities that incorporate various forms of technology. I will also promote collaboration by having students contribute to small projects for the assigned activities. Finally, I will model the importance of working independently as well as in a group. Modeling how to use various technologies and activities are a huge importance so I will be sure to do so frequently.

M (monitor): I think watching students and observing students is one of the best ways to monitor students and their understanding of their subject matter. I will observe students as they embrace their creativity while constructing their project. I will be able to see what students are struggling. If I see students struggling to complete their projects independently then I will be sure to take action and rethink a new plan to make the student(s) successful.

E (evaluate): To evaluate the students I will look at the project they created to give me an idea of what students have learned and how they expressed themselves and what they learned through technology. This evaluation will also let me know what students still need to work on. Students will choose one of the projects that I modeled for them previously.



I chose to create a GAME plan for indicator #2 which is Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. This indicator focuses on designing and customizing technology experiences for students. Here is my GAME plan.

G (goal): My goal for this indicator is to create technology-rich lessons and activities that maximize learning. I want students to be active participants for their own learning and to be able to create and produce a variety of projects by using technology.

A (action): The actions I will take in order to achieve my goal is to keep myself current by exploring and researching new forms of technology, discussing technology with my co-workers and peers, and attend various professional development opportunities that pertain to technology. I will also look at my current lesson plans and evaluate how I could successfully incorporate technology into my lessons. I will create differentiated activities so my students have choices on how they wish to complete the activities.

M (monitor): I will monitor myself and my students in many ways. First, I will monitor myself by taking a look at the time each day that I spend incorporating technology into my lessons. I will monitor my students by observing their learning. I will also look at my students formative and summative assessments/projects to see if what they are creating follows the directions of each lesson. If my students are not showing the success that I had anticipated then I know that changes will have to be made.If my students are successful in what they are creating then I will know that I achieved my goal.

E (evaluate): To evaluate my students I will create rubrics that correspond with each activity/project. I will also conference with each students and together we will reflect on what they learned and discuss their project and how it relates to the materials that were taught. This entire process will take time and patience for my students and I. We are learning and growing together.

Reflection: Final Blog Posting for 6711

As this class comes to a close, I did some reflecting on the knowledge I have gained over the last eight weeks. I took a look at my “Personal Theory of Learning” that I wrote during the first week of class and my feelings towards it is still pretty much the same. I discussed the difference and importance between learning theories and instructional theories. “Understanding learning is just the first step a teacher must take in planning effective instruction. Learning theory tells us how learning might occur” (Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. 2008). I used this quite in my paper and I feel it truly that teachers must first understand how young minds grow and discover new pieces of knowledge before any real learning takes place. Instructional theories than, “immerse” the mind in meaningful instruction according to Dr. Michael Orey (Laureate Educational Inc., 2008). Planning meaningful and interactive lessons is very important to me and I am currently working on creating new and exciting lessons for my classroom that will integrate more technology into learning. I also want to use more of the technologies that are available in my school for this upcoming school year.
Two technologies that I plan to use for this upcoming school year are the Flip video camera and the SMART Response clickers that accompany the SMART Board. My school got both of these tools during this past school year but I never used them. My plan is to use the Flip video camera to record group projects such as Readers Theater. I also want to use the Flip camera to record video for Voice Threads. The SMART Response clickers (use to be Senteo clickers) will be great when reviewing for spelling, math, and reading tests. My students and I can plan games such as Jeopardy while using the SMART Response clickers. I can also create my tests, pull them up on the SMART Board, and have my students take the test by using the clickers. I look forward to using both technologies in my classroom.
Along with some immediate changes that I plan to make in the classroom, I also have several long term goals. My first goal is to become better acquainted with some of the technologies discussed in this course as well as previous courses. I want to become experienced and learn more about Voice Threads, blogs, wiki’s, concept mapping, Microsoft Excel, Moodle, and many other technologies that I have used once or read about. I feel that this is an important and necessary goal to have because I need to be knowledgeable and understand how these technologies work in order to effectively teach my students. My final goal is to stay current with technology. Technology is always changes and my goal is to stay as current as possible. I will try to achieve this goal by reading books and articles related to technology. I also want to go to workshops and any other professional development opportunities that may involve technology.
In conclusion, this class has been very meaningful, exciting, and has really made me want to learn even more about what technology is available for teachers and students to use. I am currently making adjustments to my instruction and to plan to create even more meaningful activities and lessons while incorporating new technologies into my classroom.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author

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

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Social Learning is definitely important in today’s classrooms. Students can be actively engaged in learning while collaborating with others and working with technology. The text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, provides many web collaborative links including a link called JASONS Project that focuses on hands-on science activities for students (Pitler et al., 2007). Even though I teach first grade and the text suggests using this link for students grades 4-9, I still thought this site was really cool!

A major theorist in social learning is Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky believed in the “Zone of Proximal Development” and believed that children should learn age appropriate information then have support of their learning through others. He called these “others” in learning the “More Knowledgeable Other” (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). To me, that means that I am a “More Knowledgeable Other” for my students. I feel it is my duty as an educator to provide as much knowledge to my students as possible and to create meaningful learning experiences so students retain information while working together, exploring, and having fun.

One of the ways I plan to continue to create meaningful learning experiences is by incorporating the interactive Voice Thread. I think this could be a very powerful tool for my students. It may take time for my young students to be able to create and use this, but I am up for the challenge. I created a Voice Thread for my students like Mrs. Kathryn Arnold suggested for Application #5. Here is the link to my very first Voice Thread: http://voicethread.com/share/1184881/.

In conclusion, I feel that educators can use so many social learning ideas in the classroom. There is so much learning that occurs when working with others and allowing students to work with and teach each other is priceless.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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

Constructivism in Practice

The constructivist theory is a theory based on the original ideas of Jean Paiget. In a constructivist theory, "students are engaged in learning and the process of creating an artifact" (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). Robin, a fellow Walden student stated, "Project based lessons are a fantastic way to integrate this theory" (Stimpson, 2010, May 26). I completely agree. I also found that the more I read about the constructivist theory, the more the wheels started turning in my head started turning as I started thinking of the endless ways to incorporate this into my classroom.

One of the supplemental resources for this week explains several thoughts about what a constructivist classroom should look like. The link is as follows: http://www.sedl.org/scimath/compass/v01n03/1.html. Ideas as simple as asking open-ended questions and encouraging dialogue between students are just a few of the thoughts on this website.

The chapter text, DVD, and many of my classmates express their interest in using technologies such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Power Point to have students create projects and complete assignments. I think I would also start introducing technology and designing classroom assignments that involve students using these technologies.

Finally, our instructor, Kathryn Arnold, provided a very helpful website on her personal website. The link to this website is as follows: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/designpatterns/all.htm. This website gives ideas for using WebQuest focusing on higher level thinking.


References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). BRidging learning theory, instruction, and technology, Baltimore: Author.

Stimpson, R. (2010, May 26). Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories. Message posted to EDUC 6711 discussion board, Week 4.

Cognitivism in Practice

Cognitive learning, according to Dr. Michael Orey, “revolves around information processing” (Laureate Education, Inc.,). I feel this statement is very true and Chapter 4 and Chapter 6 in the text Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works have many strategies that allow students to process information in different and engaging ways.

Chapter 4 titled Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers gives advice on how teachers and students can use spreadsheets, rubrics, Kidspiration, and Inspiration to create organizers to collect information for learning. The chapter also provides many multimedia options such as BrainPOP, PBS, and United Streaming that provide another strong visual to aid in cognitive learning. These technologies, “provide you with editable visual aids and multimedia resources that appeal to a number of learning styles” (Pitler, et al., 2007). To me, it is so important to have a technology-rich classroom that provides learning opportunities that meet the needs of every learning style.

Chapter 6 titled Summarizing and Note Taking gave me a chance to learn about a few technologies that I was unfamiliar with. “Track Changes” in Microsoft Word was a feature to the program that I was unaware of. I think that this would be a very useful aid when teaching students how to summarize. I also was impressed with the “Note-Taking” feature in Inspiration. This would be a really great way for teachers to share their notes with students. The text states, “Technology can scaffold, or provide support, while students are learning the summarizing process” (Pitler, et al., 2007). I agree with this statement because I believe that if teacher’s model how to summarize and model summarizing often then students will learn to summarize and will be able to store it into their long term memory.

Finally, I wanted to add a link to an article I found by Cara Bafile. The link to the article is http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech164.shtml. The article discusses concept mapping. I thought it was a really informative article and I plan to use it as a reference.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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

Behaviorism in Practice - Week 2 Application

I have many mixed thoughts about behaviorism. To begin, I would like to share a video that I found on YouTube about a Psychology student named Linda and her dog, Milu. Through Operant Conditioning she is able to train her dog. I found this video to be quite cute and it really depicts B.F. Skinner's theory of Behaviorism very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhmONAl6Yiw&feature=fvw

I feel as though behaviorism is still necessary in classrooms as well as in life. This video clearly shows how after reinforcement an animal can do trained to do pretty much anything. This is similar to the "Skinner Box" where the theorist B.F. Skinner used various animals and trained them by controlling their environment.

Behaviorism is used in the classroom more than maybe some teachers think. I feel that teachers should use some behavoristic techniques to teach classroom procedures and promote good choices. Dr. Michael Orey states, "Reinforcement is more powerful than punishment" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). My first grade students know that if they make positive choices there will be a reward. If students do not follow classroom procedures or demonstrate undesirable behavior, there will be a consequence.

Now, here are my mixed feelings. I do not feel that behaviorism should be used to "drill and kill" information. In many schools, teachers are required to use specific software programs in order to raise and improve student achievement. To me, this does not seem like an effective way to teach students and I do not feel as though students would be very motivated to try their best.

I think the best way to teach students it to model, give students hang-on materials to manipulate, and create a positive classroom environment. I strive to accomplish these factors everyday.

I look forward to hearing from my classmates and their thoughts.

References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author

Final Thoughts

I am about to complete my third online course for my Master's Degree through Walden University. I have many thoughts about this course and how it contributed to my learning.

First off, the weekly readings, videos, and discussions were wonderful ways for my to learn new information, discuss new materials, get feedback from fellow classmates, and try many new forms of technology. I was also pleased with the thoughts and suggestions of my course instructor. I plan to keep some of these resources in my classroom and use them whenever possible.

I am also very pleased with my accomplishmentsthroughout this course. I created this very blog page as an assignment which I had never done before. I was also able to contribute to a wiki that was created by a small groups of my classmates and I. The best resource that I was expected to create and use was making my own podcast. With the help of recording software and the website http://www.podcastmachine.com/, I was able to upload my own podcast! I have since created a permission slip to be sent home and get signed so that each one of my students can start using/creating podcast in the classroom. I am very excited to incorporate all of these technologies into the classroom.

The future of technology in my classroom looks great! I plan to continue to use the Smart Board, Elmo, computers, etc. I also plan to further my learning by continuing my Master's courses and exploring the web for other new materials and technology. I plan to give students the freedom to explore various websites and other technology features on the web. I will strive to facilitate, aid, and meet the needs for each student while allowing collaboration, communication, and discussion.

Finally, I plan to be a lifelong learner of technology taking the skills and knowledge I learn and sharing them with family, friends, students, and co-workers. I feel it is important that everyone is exposed to technology since it is becoming a more vital part of our lives.

My First EVER Podcast!

For my assignment, I was to create a podcast where I interviewed several students in my class and reflected on their responses concerning technology. Here is the link for my podcast. Enjoy!
http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/3631/episodes/16650

Evaluating 21st Century Skills

I had the chance to browse a website called Partnership for 21st Century Skills. The URL for this website is: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php. This site intrigued me because I am a new learner when it comes to 21st Century Skills and learning.

I was impressed with the amounts of information that was provided under each topic tab. I also felt the graphic of the 21st Century Framework was a bit confusing to interpret until I clicked the "Learn More" link under the graphic.

Another useful resource for me on the website was a Power Point presentation. I clicked the "Tools and Resource" tab on the homepage then chose the "Speakers Bureau" link. There is a P21 Presentation that will appear around the middle of the screen. Once I clicked the link I was able to get a more simplified explanation on both the 21 Century Skills and MILE Guide.

As a teacher in Ohio, I was excited to see information about Ohio under the "State Initiatives" tab. I was able to find information about the state of Ohio and what is being done to promote 21st Century learning. Although Ohio is improving in 21st Century learning in the classroom, there is still lots of changes and improvements to be made. I feel the same about myself and what I am trying to promote 21st Century learning in my classroom. Each day I think about how I can encourage 21st Century learning to my young first grade minds. It can be a challenge at times, but little by little this learning is taking place in my room!

Overall, I feel this website provides plenty information about what 21 Century Learning is and what schools are doing to improve. There is also information about professional development opportunities for teachers to attend. I don't feel, however, that a teacher could find lessons or activities on this website.

Using Blogs in the Classroom

Hello one and all! For my assignment in my online class I was asked to post an idea of how I would use a blog in my classroom. Here are two of my thoughts...

I teach first grade. Since I am new to blogging, I my first goal would be to use a blog to post important information about my classroom. I would create a blog that would have our classroom constitution, spelling and vocabulary words, weekly homework, the school handbook, Ohio Academic Content Standards, etc. This would be a place of reference for my students and parents. Even though my school district has their own web page, I feel that a classroom Weblog would definitely be a way to customize information for my room.

My other thought was to be able to post various projects, writings, and other classroom activities onto my classroom blog. This would be a way for students to see their work "displayed" somewhere other than in the hallway. I also think that I could slowly begin to demonstrate and teach my students to upload information onto a blog.

So there are my thoughts. Again, I'm new to the blogging world and I look forward to other thoughts and suggestions on incoorperating blogs into a young elementary classroom.

misterteacher.com - SMARTBoard Mini-Movies & Student Activities

misterteacher.com - SMARTBoard Mini-Movies & Student Activities

Teaching Ideas - Free lesson ideas, plans, activities and resources for use in the primary classroom.

Teaching Ideas - Free lesson ideas, plans, activities and resources for use in the primary classroom.

Smart Board Information and Activities

Hello fellow teachers and students. My name is Mrs. Winner and this is my first ever experience creating my very own blog. I thought I would begin my first blog with a topic I really enjoy talking about, the Smart Board.

I use a Smart Board every day in the classroom and my students really enjoy playing games, completing assignments, and having a hands-on experience.

I want to share some of my everyday activities with you and I would love to hear some fun Smart Board ideas from you too!

My students sign up for lunch each morning marking a T for tray or a P for pack next to their name (I pull up a class list). This is also my way of taking attendance. I know a student is absent if they have not marked a letter next to their name.

I also use a website called Storyline Online which can be found at http://www.storylineonline.net/. I use this website a few times a week. Storyline Online is a website that has celebrities reading children's books. My students love listening to the stories while they look at the illustrations on the Smart Board. Usually my class and I watch these stories right at the end of the day as a relaxing conclusion to the day.

Another way I use the Smart Board is during center time. I often use a website called The Kids Page. Here I pull up interactive jigsaw puzzles for my students to complete. My students love this activity and I too love the activity because it promotes teamwork and sharing. The link is http://www.thekidzpage.com/onlinejigsawpuzzles/. You will find seasonal puzzles for each holiday too!

Of course my students and I use the Smart Board while focusing on reading and math. I use the technology and websites that go along with our McGraw Hill Treasures series. We also use www.pearsonsuccess.net to complete interactive activities that corresponds with our Pearson math series.

These are just a few of my fun activities and ideas that my students love to use on the Smart Board. I would love for each one of you to share your thoughts and ideas!