Reflective Thoughts

As I consider how we learn to teach and support information literacy, I have realized what a process this is; both for teachers and for students. In the past I have had my students use the internet to locate information and communicate that information back to me. Now, I have realized what a responsibility I have to make sure that I am properly preparing my students to become more than just users of the internet and to move to a point where they are critically thinking about and evaluating sources, making sure they take the time to be responsible users by giving credit to those who have constructed material and navigate away from the idea of “copy and paste”, and lastly, to ensure that they can synthesize all of the information that is available to them to avoid “textual vertigo” (Laureate, 2008).

This has been a valuable experience to me as I now feel prepared to model for my students the proper way to navigate through material, evaluate the content, synthesize the information, and ensure that ethical practices are being used throughout the whole process. This will be so important for me and my students as we participate in many project/inquiry based projects during the course of the school year.

As I continue build upon this knowledge in my career, I would like to develop my own literacy skills by taking the time to collaborate more with my colleagues on school issues and consciously evaluate ideas and resources that will appropriately help us to improve our teaching and professionalism. I would also like to take the information that I have learned and incorporate it into more inquiry based units in my classroom that would allow for multi modal communication. Many times I have my students use only one medium to produce projects and I would like to see them expand the media options they are using and to eventually use multi- media presentations. I feel that would increase my students’ experiences and performance substantially and I feel that would be in their best interest as it would best prepare them for life after school. I can do this by starting out with small literature projects that I already have in place and add one element, such as the incorporation of a new technology skill. I can then have the students build off of this concept throughout the year; this may allow us to have a culminating multi-media project by the end of the year. This would be a building process but I feel it would be beneficial for my 4th graders to work toward an end project rather than trying to accomplish this all at once to ensure age appropriateness, and most of all to ensure that learning of these valuable concepts has taken place.

Voice Thread - second try!

http://voicethread.com/share/573388/

Voice Thread

Here is my voice thread link:

voicethread.com/share/573388

Social Learning Theory

The basis of the social learning theory according to Dr. Michael Orey is that students are actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing with others. There are many instructional strategies that can be incorporated with this style of social learning that can be easily implemented in the classroom. Some of these strategies include, but are not limited to, video presentations, e-pals, the creation of websites or power point presentations, as well as participating in educational blogs.

The social learning theory helps students not only learn new material, but it also helps them to practice incorporating 21st century skills that they are going to need upon graduation. This includes the ability to articulate thoughts through a variety of means, the ability to work amiably in a group setting, and the ability to use technology to present ideas as well as to conduct research and collaborate with others.

Constructionism

The constructivist learning theory as described by Dr. Orey is a theory of knowledge stating that each individual actively constructs his or her own meaning from their experiences (Laureate, 2009). Contructionism rather is the act of students being engaged in the learning process where they are creating an artifact of some sort (Laureate, 2009).

I personally enjoy creating and constructing my ideas and information into something concrete; there is a sense of accomplishment when I can see, and possibly present, my ideas to others. In the same way it is important for our students to have opportunities to use the constructionism method of learning. Giving young people the opportunity to take ownership of their learning provides them with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in their work. This can be done through hands on activities and technology incorporated lessons. It is also important to keep in mind that this can be done in groups or independently. Such projects can include power point presentations, the physical designing of an artifact, or constructing another original piece that allows the student to express what they have learned and understood from being in the classroom.

Integrating technology into lessons must serve a purpose aside from the fact that it is simply entertaining for students. While that is not a bad thing, we must make sure the focus is on the fact that the content being presented is meaningful and easily understood. As there are many different learning theories and styles it is important to remember that technology affords us the opportunity to present material in a number of ways all at one time. This allows all types of learners to benefit from technology and therefore acquire higher levels of success. One method I particularly found useful through the study of the book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, is the use of spreadsheets to record student work. This allows students not only to do their work on a spread sheet but to be able to accurately track their progress as well. This feedback is very useful and motivational for students today. In addition to this students can use concept mapping to organize their thoughts and to review valuable information. Teachers can also use virtual field trips to help immerse students so to speak into their lessons (Orey, 2009). This helps students become engaged in the information and in turn make network connections in the brain to remember material more efficiently.

Behaviorism in Practice

The correlation between many instructional strategies and the behaviorist learning theory often seem to go hand in hand. One main reason for this is that the students are using technology in a purposeful manner. They are for example, recording information as data to see how they are progressing in their studies. This concrete information allows them to see not only their strengths and weaknesses but also factors that might be causing this to take place. When technology is used in this manner it gives support to what the students are doing well, which can be classified as positive reinforcement. It also may discourage students from study methods (or lack of study) when the records show poor markings as a result. As technology is used to foster a desire for positive change in a student it makes the time and effort spent to use it worthwhile.

Another example is when students use technology while working on homework. This can be beneficial as students not only type out information but also for doing research. Students can use multimedia when completing homework to help meet individual learning styles and to increase the level of understanding (McRel, 2007). As students use these types of materials they are becoming active learners are they are engaged in the learning and resources available to them. This allows the students to make connections to their course and meaningful contexts. When students are able to that, the likelihood that they will develop a passion for learning increases; then, as that passion blossoms it is likely their achievement will as well.

4th Grade Podcast

Here is the link to my class' podcast about technology!
http://fourthgradethoughts.podomatic.com/

~Rachel

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Schools today are very concerned with raising test scores and making sure that students are meeting standards at each grade level. Now there is an organization that is looking beyond the test scores and even beyond the curriculum itself to the skills today's students will need in the future. This organization, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills has a vision that students will not only be equipped in the content areas of education but also in skill areas that will be needed as they become the next generation of workers in our country.

This is important because the skills that are needed in the workplace today are vastly different from those needed even a decade or two ago. I found that this site provided many great tools to help inform schools, businesses, leaders etc... about how they might be involved. I was surprised by the amount of information and appreciated that some of it was broken down by state to give more specific information.

This is helpful to me as an educator so that I can see where my students are as compared to where they should be concerning skills they will need to be able to perform. I can then make more informed decisions about areas where I can improve my teaching of these essential skills to my students so they can achieve success!

Blogs in the Classroom

I have recently discovered blogs for myself, and today I have been exposed to various ways that blogs can be utilized in the classroom. I would love to see my students having the opportunity to participate in such a collaborative community of learners.

I currently teach 4th grade language arts and social studies and I think that a blog would be a really neat tool to use for either one of these content areas, or both! If I set up a blog for my classroom it would be used to give my students the opportunity to communicate and interact with each other about the content of the class. I would also like to see it be used as an online journal of sorts for the students to respond to questions that I would post or to simply share their thoughts with each other. This would enable the students to challenge each other in positive ways and would allow them to express themselves both factually and creatively.

Having a blog for my class would also allow me to occasionally comment back to them or challenge them to think further on specific topics. I also see that this would be a great way to communicate more specifically on assignments and offer more feedback to my students.

Experiences

As I consider the opportunities I had to use technology in elementary school compared to what my students have now, I am amazed by the progress. My computer classes in elementary school consisted of playing educational games once, maybe twice, a week. My students are learning how to type and use word processing, how to use photoshop programs, how to create PowerPoint presentations, and much more! Most recently, my students have been able to use technology to communicate with students from an international school in Mexico. In the near future, they will have the opportunity to video conference with these students to do a project concerning global issues. The fourth graders have been able to "meet" their peers from Mexico through a PowerPoint presentation and are looking forward to learning and working with these students this year!

We have definitely progressed from the days of having computer opportunities once a week simply to play learning games. I am so excited to see what my students are able to do and even more excited to learn new ways to incorporate technology into my lessons. Any ideas for incorporating technology in the classroom would be appreciated!