HanNa Chung's Educational Technology Blog

Throughout this course, I have been able to learn about new and emerging technologies and how they can be integrated into the learning environment. As I reflect on the learning activity and implementation plans that I have developed, I have become more aware of how new and emerging technologies can play a crucial role in enhancing student learning. The activity and plans that I created have helped me to understand how technology can be used so that I can prepare students to become 21st century learners. I was able to design an activity that incorporated a new technology that can be introduced to students to not only learn the content but to provide potential 21st century learning skills. Trying to promote teacher leadership and change in instructional practices through encouraging others to use new and emerging technologies is evident in the plans that have been written.

The first adjustment that I would like to make is to work on motivating and encouraging fellow colleagues to use new and emerging technologies in their classrooms. Demonstrating the new technology and sharing the many benefits and advantages to them can help to convince them of enhancing teaching processes and student learning. “Developing new methods and new materials takes time and planning. Our focus, however, must be on our students” (Gillard & Bailey, 2007, p. 92). Knowing that using technology can benefit our students should be a good enough reason to take a risk and give the new technology tool a try. Lastly, I would also try to stay positive and supportive while helping to make a change in their teaching and while learning a new technology.

The second adjustment that I would like to make is to stay current and up to date on new and emerging technologies especially those that are relevant to the field of education. One way to do this is to continue to create networks with fellow educators and to read the blogs of those teachers who I have taken this course with. I would also like to use MUVE’s like Second Life and Discovery Education “to receive alerts about upcoming events and professional learning opportunities” (Dembo, 2008, p. 48). By joining a community of educators who have the same vision and ideas on integrating technology and finding new and emerging technologies, we can work together to share and support one another on what technologies can be useful and meaningful in the classroom. Being informed and aware of this topic will allow me to share the latest technology tools with my students and demonstrating them so that they are able to also know of what 21st century learners need to know and be able to do.

The last adjustment I will make is to reflect on my current instructional practices and lesson plans to make revisions and enhancements that will fully benefit student learning and achievement. While thinking back to lessons that have been taught, concepts that have been presented, and assignments that have been assigned, I want to see what changes can be made to integrate technology and what tools would be most efficient and effective. I have come to learn that educational technology can be used in many subject areas and in a variety ways. I want to ensure that I am using technology throughout instruction that will help to address the learning styles and support the learning needs of my students.

Educational technology has become a part of my teaching and the instructional strategies that I incorporate into the classroom. Throughout this course, I was able to learn about new and emerging technologies that can enhance student learning, enrich curriculum, and expand my teaching practices. “Teacher leaders have a positive influence on the entire school as well as the classroom” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). I want to become a teacher leader that supports educational technology and create change in student learning and teaching practices with the change agents in mind.

References:

Dembo, S. (2008). Virtual worlds for educators. District Administration, 44(11), 48–52.

Gillard, S., & Bailey, D. (2007). Technology in the classroom: Overcoming obstacles, reaping rewards. The International Journal of Learning, 14(1), 87–93.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program three. Introduction to teacher leadership. [Webcast]. New and emerging technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Here is a link to my presentation on Online Learning in K-12 Schools. Take a look and a leave comment! Thank you!

Online Learning in K-12 Schools Presentation

Throughout this course, I have been able to learn about the many aspects of how teachers can reach and engage all learners through technology. It has been insightful and very motivating for me to make future adjustments to my instructional practices to ensure that I am meeting the diverse needs of all students. The changes that I potentially want to make in my classroom will only benefit the learners in my classroom.

The first adjustment is one in my thinking and planning that is involved when designing lessons. The principles of universal design for learning (UDL) and differentiated instruction should always be considered and used when planning for instruction. Understanding the three brain networks, and how they function are important as I implement multiple means for expressions, engagement, and representation. “UDL is an instructional approach that opens learning for all students” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009c). Knowing this, I want to make sure that the principles of UDL are used to assist learning for all students. It is also crucial that I understand and find student differences in the differentiated instructional classroom. “DI is not a set of strategies but a way of thinking and learning” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b) as it will help to provide students with supports that have clear goals. Technology can be used to give support and to meet their various needs.

The second adjustment I would like to make is to consider students’ interests, learning profiles, and readiness that can only help me to understand them even better as a learner. With this knowledge, I can use this information to differentiate content, process, product, and learning environment in a more accessible way. This can be done through technology using online surveys and alternate assessments to evaluate students’ progress and enhance their learning. “DI suggests that we view our role as a co-collaborator with our students and to help them to grow along the path of the learning journey” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009a). I want to become a co-learner with students and giving them guidance and some control on what and how they will learn and demonstrate their knowledge. Addressing their learning styles, engaging them in richer experiences and activities, and assessing them in multiple ways. Technology can be used to do all of these things to address learner differences and needs.

The third adjustment is to incorporate more technology tools into my classroom. I want to learn more about creating digital portfolios, setting up virtual labs and simulations across multiple content areas, and VoiceThreads or Power Points to display what they have learned. Through these tools, I want to address the ELL, GT, learning disabled, and IEP accommodations that are required for students to learn and to customize their learning.

The principles of UDL, DI, and educational technology are interconnected and I have been able to realize the many benefits of planning with these in mind. The goal is to personalize learning, engage students, prepare students for the global workplace, and to just make learning fun!

References:

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

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

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

HanNa Chung

The GAME plan I developed helped me to accomplish two of the many standards that are part of the NETS-T standards. As a teacher, I have a responsibility to ensure that I am using these standards for teachers to help me to integrate technology in all my instructional practices. The GAME plan was an essential part of meeting those goals and having a path to guide me through how to accomplish the goals. I was given step-by-step directions and I feel that I am now confident in developing additional GAME plans for myself to grow as a teacher. It was also very supportive and encouraging to share my GAME plan with colleagues and to receive constructive feedback from one another to improve the actions that I have taken. I was given much insight from following blogs from colleagues and reading about how they have created their goals and actions, and were monitoring and evaluating their plans. I was able to better understand the process and how I also need to learn more about technology. I could see that there are many teachers who feel this way and are working towards improving their teaching practices and strategies. The whole process gave me opportunities to not only participate in the process but to evaluate how others were accomplishing their goals along the way. As I continue to network and read the blogs of fellow teachers and about their GAME plans, I would like to use the suggestions and feedback to teach students about the GAME plan and in using technology to enhance their learning. “Self-directed learners plan, monitor, and evaluate their actions” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009b). It is important for all learners to be able to set goals and evaluate their progress throughout all learning processes. Using a classroom blog and setting up blogs for all students in my classroom is one goal that I have established and would like to work towards in order to facilitate reflective learning. Eventually, I want students to explore their options in learning new content and use technology to become self-directed learners.

The first adjustment that I will make in my instructional practices regarding technology integration in my classroom is to provide students with enriching and engaging activities with the content. Problem based learning is a way that I can create this in my classroom. I have come to learn the many benefits of implementing problem based learning with students and have gained experience in creating lesson plans. In this learning environment, students can use technology to learn new content, find solutions, and to use technology to demonstrate their new knowledge. “As teachers its really our responsibility to make sure that we provide access to the curriculum to all of our students and technology really provides a venue to reach many more students than we were able to” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009a). I would also like to use technology to meet the needs of all learners. Ensuring that ELL, GT, culturally diverse, and all students regardless of abilities, learning styles, and interests are gaining skills and content that is most appropriate for them. I also want to use different types of assessments to monitor and evaluate their learning. Technology can be a solution in this endeavor. I can collect, analyze, and evaluate data in many ways to ensure students are understanding content and making progress. Creating surveys, writing reflections on blogs, and using clickers with an interactive whiteboard are all possibilities that can be used with students. Using technology to present content, monitor students’ progress, evaluate their work, and to give them options to demonstrate their knowledge are endless. Technology can be used in all content areas to reach all learners.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009a). Meeting student needs with technology part one. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). Promoting self-directed learning with technology. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.

HanNa Chung

The GAME plan process has helped me to examine the NETS-T standards and to reflect on my current instructional practices and strategies. With the multitude of standards, the GAME plan allows for a more organized way to think about them and to guide me in making the right choices in meeting those standards. Using the GAME plan process has given me a step-by-step path in achieving my goals that I wanted to accomplish. There are also NETS-S standards for students to help them develop proficiency in technology. Some of these standards go hand and hand with the NETS-T standards for teachers. I feel that as I plan my lessons with the teacher standards in mind, some of the student standards can also be met. For example, creativity and communication are standards that students and teachers need to accomplish and can be done simultaneously in certain situations. As I model, promote, and advocate digital citizenship, students should be able to also learn about the responsibilities of being a digital user. Just as I have used the GAME plan to learn about and practice the standards, this is exactly what I would like for my students to engage in as well. The first thing that I will have to do is to show the students the NETS-S standards and explain to them what each indicator means while providing examples as needed. Then, I will also like for the students to think about what goals they would like to have, choose the actions they will take, monitor their learning, revise their plans of actions if needed, and evaluate their process and progress of accomplishing their goals. One way to assist students in this process is giving them a choice in how they will share and monitor their GAME plans. Blogs can be used as I did for my GAME plan process in the same way that they will post and others will comment. This was a very helpful tool as it allowed for feedback to be given every step of the way and suggestions and support to help encourage the process. I also think VoiceThreads could be used for students to share their goals and to discuss their progress. Again, comments can be made on this platform to receive support and additional ideas from others. I also think that a checklist of some sort made on GoogleDocs with timelines could be helpful for students to keep track of what they need to do, when, and how to accomplish their goals. I think that as long as students are following the GAME plan process, they will be able to decide how to share this process in way that is most comfortable to them and that makes sense. With all the students having different GAME plans, it will be interesting to see how students will use their plans and to find out the actions that they will take to meet them. The hope is that all students will be creative in their process and the actions that they take will involve them gaining new knowledge and insight about learning from the lessons and concepts that are being taught.

HanNa Chung

Goal #1: Communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

1. What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I have learned so much about blogs and would like to begin implementing the use of blogs in my classroom. I have a blog site that I have found and want to use with the students and will begin using it with reading and writing. One way that I want to use blogs in reading is to have students respond to their reading on a blog rather than in their journals. This way, classmates can leave comments and give feedback about what was written on the blog. I would also like to see how blogs could work with writing. Having students free-write and write their assignments on blogs could help them to see what they are typing and to more easily get feedback from students about their work. I also would like for students to search other blogs and read their posts to get ideas and suggestions.

2. What goals are you still working toward?
The goal that I am still working toward is how to most effectively and efficiently get student and parent feedback about my classroom blog. I have been thinking about creating an online survey that students can complete in class while parents could complete it at home. For parents without computers, a paper and pencil survey could also be sent to get feedback from everyone.

3. Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself? If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?
I feel ready to set new learning goals for myself. The goals that I have selected go handy with the goal that I am trying to accomplish and therefore I feel that I have in a sense prepared myself towards meeting the new goal. The goal is to collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation and to promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. This can be done while teaching students about blogs and how to use them as well as working with blogs outside of our classroom walls and meeting new students to gain new knowledge.

4. What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
Next time, I would like to try to incorporate a new technology tool to improve my learning and in reaching towards the goals. I also would like to try to collaborate with another teacher to work together and support one another in meeting new goals.

Goal #2: Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

1. What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
Thus far, I have learned more detail about creating a bibliography and citing sources that I can teach my student more in-depth. I have also learned that modeling and advocating are two important characteristics when trying to teach a new technology or skill.

2. What goals are you still working toward?
I am still working on how to integrate this goal with other subjects. I want to show students how this concept can be applied to other areas of their learning and how they can use it in their future. I want to make sure that students realize that what they are learning is relevant to their future and are able to make real-world connections.

3. Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself? If you are not ready to set new learning goals, how will you extend what you have learned so far?
I think that I am ready to set new learning goals because the current goal can lead me towards a new goal of designing or adapting relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

4. What learning approaches will you try next time to improve your learning?
Next time, I would like to try sharing my findings with colleagues and getting more feedback from them. I tend to keep things to myself because of my lack of confidence in technology but I think that by sharing new and exciting things that I have learned will not only benefit them but also my learning.

HanNa Chung

Goal #1: Communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

The actions that I have set up have helped me to stay on track in meeting my goals. It has helped me to take steps in accomplishing the goal. I have created a blog account and have begun setting up the blog to share classroom information but it has not gone public yet. I have created a list of features that I would like to include into the blog that I think will be most useful and purposeful for both parents and students. A letter has also been drafted to let parents know about the upcoming blog and why it will benefit them and their children. It would be great for parents and students to get excited about it. As I have been planning this classroom blog as a way to communicate with students and parents, I realized that it would be very engaging for students to use blogs for learning as well. To get this started, I have been working on a permission slip for students to take to their parents and know that I will need to teach rules/guidelines for blogging, Internet and blogging safety and teaching them how to use one. For these endeavors, I will still need to teach myself about the many features that a blog can include and how to actually get them on my blog. I feel that I may also have to start brainstorming some future problems and questions that I may encounter with parents and students when they are using the blog. I think coming up with some issues and solutions or a Q & A may save me some time in the future resolving any problems. I want to make sure that the blog will give me the maximum use of communicating with parents and students. My next task will be to think of those Q & A’s as well as how I will gain parent feedback most effectively. I do not feel that I have to adjust my plans at this time but it makes me think about other goals that I can set.

Goal #2: Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

To model and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, I have found many websites and presentations that I can use with students. Many of the websites are kid-friendly and for a student audience. By teaching these topics, I have learned that students can try to make reference pages, bibliographies, formatting, and text citations with better ease and familiarity. This lends into teaching students more about researching and getting more in depth in the various topics and possibly preparing students for the future. Besides lessons and modeling, I need to think about other ways to address the topic on copyright and safe use. I have seen many videos on these topics about real stories about kids who have gotten in danger or in trouble. Although, I am not sure that these videos can be shown to students without parent or school district permission. This is something that I will have to look into and review before showing them to students. Currently, I want to try to take more time to research on this topic and find ways to integrate it across other content areas as well. Creating a timeline for myself may be an adjustment that I make to my action plan to accomplish certain tasks may be a good idea to keep myself accountable in all that I want to do to meet and exceed this goal.

HanNa Chung

Goal #1: Communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

To communicate information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers, I wanted to begin drafting up a classroom blog site as well as creating an email list of all the parents to send a monthly or weekly newsletter to. I decided that if I were creating a blog that served partly as a classroom newsletter then I would not have to spend the extra time writing an email to all the parents. Knowing this, I have decided that making the email newsletter would not be necessary at this time and will be deleted from my action plan until needed. To make the blog, I have been taking the time to look at other teachers’ blogs to get ideas and suggestions about what to put on it, how I can make it look, and what features would make students and parents want to use it. I have learned a lot about the content that can be placed on a blog as well as new and exciting ideas on what I would like to include in my blog. I have yet to actually create the account and make the blog to actually use and this is something that I will have to investigate further as I have a few questions regarding the logistics of creating it. How will I get all students to make an account? Besides, writing posts and comments, how can I add pictures, videos, or graphics? What other tools do I need to know about in order to place them on the blog? I feel that I only know the very basics of putting together a blog and will need to research on the actual making of one as I want to be sure I know how to use it before teaching it to parents and students.

Goal #2: Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

Last week, I was able to find a variety of resources regarding copyright laws, safe and legal use of digital information and technology that I can implement and model. I learned about the different ways that I could teach this subject to my students and the many activities and materials that are available both online and in print. I think my action plan is still a reasonable one and one that I can follow through on. I think the only question is when I can find time to implement these lessons and how can I integrate this important subject with the other content areas?

HanNa Chung

Interest Survey
Title: Interest Inventory
Description: The interest inventory allows for students to tell their teachers about the many things that they like and dislike. The beginning of the survey asks for students to write their answers about several questions about them. The students are then asked to read through the eight different groups and circle the things that they enjoy or are interested in. With this inventory, teachers are able to gain valuable insight about their students and their interests.
Grade Level: 3rd -5th grade

Learning Styles Survey
Title: Learn More Indiana- Learning Style Assessment
Description: The learning style assessment is a test that asks several questions that need to be answered with a choice of often, sometimes, or seldom. After answering the questions, you submit them to generate a results page that ranks the type of learner you are as visual, auditory, or tactile. It gives you a score and the description of each of the learner types and study tips to go along with them. The assessment was simple and short while sharing purposeful information about your learning styles.
Grade Level: 3rd -8th grade

Multiple Intelligences Survey
Title: Birmingham Grid for Learning- Multiple Intelligences Take the Test!
Description: The multiple intelligence test is forty questions consisted of five fairly intense sections of to be answered on a rating scale. When you are finished, the results are shown on a chart that clearly displays the percent of which you are kinesthetic, logical, intrapersonal, visual/spatial, linguistic, interpersonal, musical, and/or naturalistic. A results code is also shown that can be saved to print or view your results again at a later time or to share with others.
Grade Level: 3rd-8th grade
Below is the same test but for grades 9th-12th
URL: http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/choose_lang.cfm

Learning Profile Inventory
Title: Your Learning Profile
Description: The learning profile assessment is a good way to find out about your students’ study skills and habits as well as their preferences in learning environments. This is very helpful and useful information for a teacher when considering their learning needs and determining what their abilities and strengths are. The test asks several questions that have students answer them based on their opinions about heir ability level.
Grade Level: 3rd – 5th

Goal #1: Communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

To carry out this goal, I will need to take time to research the various tools that could be used to effectively communicate with parents and students. I am aiming at starting a blog for the classroom in an effort to share classroom events and assignments with parents and students. Since I am somewhat experienced with using a blog, this seems to be something that I feel more confident in doing than anything else that I know of. Therefore, I will need to get some ideas from fellow educators who are using blogs as a means of communication. Perusing through their blogs will help me to gain a better perspective on what will go on the blog and how it will look to best attract my audience and be comfortable for them to use. So far, I have been able to get a list of things that I think should go on a blog and the format for which it could be displayed. I will also need to ask colleagues about their opinions and feedback on my rough draft of the blog before making it public. I will also need to notify my school administrators to get permission and feedback from them about starting this as well as asking for additional people resources that they may know in the school district who could help me with the technology. Finally, I would also like to begin a class email group where I can email parents a monthly or weekly newsletter about what is happening in our classroom. For this, I could create an email group with all the parents email addresses instead of adding everyone every time. I will need to send something home explaining this new endeavor and getting email addresses of all the parents.

Goal #2: Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

For this goal, I will need to consult with our school librarian about the school districts specific resources or guidelines regarding copyright and safe/ethical use of digital technology. This may lead me into calling or emailing the head of our school districts technology department if we have one. I will need to research about the resources that could be available to us but no one has ever attempted. I also have a feeling that there may be some lessons already designed and created on copyright and legal use of information that I could use and implement. Finding those lesson plans could be the first step in carrying out this goal. So far, I have been able to find a short PowerPoint on safe use of technology that I could share with my students. But, I could also try to create a PowerPoint or presentation on responsible and appropriate uses of technology that is more catered towards our classroom. Of course, modeling and advocating for safe, legal, and ethical use of technology has been briefly done but I will need frequent reminders before it becomes a consistent habit.

HanNa Chung

The National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) displays a list of standards and indicator for teachers to integrate technology in the classroom. Taking a look at the list, I can see that there are a few that I am more comfortable with. For example, customizing ad personalizing learning activities to address students’ learning styles and needs using digital tools and resources. Then, there are quite a few others that I do not feel as proficient as I would like to be. Therefore, I would like to develop a GAME plan that will assist me in taking the right steps to learning about these indicators and becoming proficient in implementing them in my classroom.

The GAME Plan involves:
(taken from Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use by Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.3)

1. Setting Goals
2. Taking Action to meet those goals
3. Monitoring progress toward achieving goals and
4. Evaluating whether the goals were achieved and Extend your learning to new situations.

The two standards and indicators that I would like to strengthen my confidence in is:

Goal One: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

Particularly with the indicator of communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

Action:
The actions that I will take to achieve this goal are to research digital tools that are available to use to communicate with parents and students. I want to seek out ideas and suggestions from other educators by reading their blogs or class websites about ways to effectively communicate relevant information to students and peers using technology. I may be able to find out what works and what does not work with classrooms. Afterwards, I will begin to draft different ways to communicate with my students and parents that would be most useful and beneficial to them and in what information would need to be communicated. This could be in the form of emails, newsletters, classroom blog or website. Another way would be to ask students and parents about what information they feel needs to be addressed on a monthly or weekly basis.

Monitor:
I can monitor this goal by allowing parents and students to give me feedback about the actions that are taken through online surveys or emails. When relevant communication is given, parents and students will be informed and learning will occur. Another way to monitor the progress of this goal is if parents and students are following through on meetings or assignments.

Evaluate and Extend:
To evaluate this goal, I will have colleagues give me feedback about what they have observed in my classroom-learning environment. I will also ask for parents and students to give compliments about the actions that were taken and/or to state improvements.

Goal Two: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.

Particularly with the indicator of advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

Action:
The first action in achieving this goal is to consistently model legal and ethical use of digital information and technology in the classroom. Another action is to design and implement lessons for students on the topics of copyright laws and safe and ethical use of digital information and technology as we use them in the classroom.

Monitor:
To monitor this goal, I will need to assess students on the use of digital information to check for understanding and analyze that data. I can reflect on my lessons to see if they were carried out efficiently or if they need to be improved and that I am modeling on a daily basis by using a journal or checklist.

Evaluate and Extend:
If students are correctly using digital technology and are documenting their sources, then I will know that students understand. If not, re-teaching strategies will need to be taught.

This seems to be a great initial start in moving towards achieving my first goals of meeting the standards of educational technology for teachers.

Visit the Website for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to see the complete list of the National Education Standards for Teacher (NETS-T).

HanNa Chung

Literacy skills that have been taught in the past are vastly different from new literacy skills of the 21st century. The skills that were taught when I was attending school are not necessarily the essential skills that are needed for the 21st century learner. New literacy skills need to be taught to our students in order for them to be properly trained and prepared for the future. The importance of new literacy skills need to be modeled and taught especially within the student’s daily curriculum. It becomes the responsibility of the teachers to ensure that all students accurately develop and are fully equipped with new literacy skills.

The most striking revelation I had about the teaching of new literacy skills to my students was that it is very important to utilize the strategies of modeling and think-aloud. As I began using an inquiry based learning approach, I was reminded of the many learning strategies that will need to be employed in order for students to fully understand the process as well as the skill. The process needs to be modeled, practiced, and designed in a way that students can follow step by step. Not all students have used technology nor do they know the vocabulary that it involves. Some students have not even used a computer until they have come to school. Students need to be given time to learn the skills that are involved in the basic functions of the Internet. This was a challenge for me to understand but have come to realize that all students need to be taught the proper use of search engines, keywords, and being able to evaluate their searches and websites to gain useful information. Using modeling and think-aloud, I am able to demonstrate to students these new skills that they can also achieve.

As I continue to practice inquiry based learning while implementing technology, I look forward to extending my knowledge on student assessment. I have been taught the ways to support my students inquiry learning in the classroom and how assessments can be used to not only grade their assignments but to analyze their work that can drive my instruction in seeing what they have understood. Assessments can be used by students to give them clear expectations and guide their learning. The knowledge and experience that I have gained have helped me to see the importance of teaching literacy skills as well as how they can be an asset to the classroom and students. I wish to further plan lessons where students will be taught the curriculum while also obtaining these skills.

Professional development goals are always set for me to continue to strive for success and aid in fostering an engaging and safe classroom learning environment. One goal that I would like to achieve is to learn more technology software and tools that can aid in implementing inquiry based learning in my classroom. I need to feel confident in using a new or interesting teaching aid before implementing it in my classroom. I want to take the time to learn from others and teach myself about the technology tools that are available to use in classrooms. One way to accomplish this goal is to continue to seek out networks of colleagues who are also using technology in their own classrooms and read about their challenges and successes. Another way is to take a risk in trying out new tools and designing lesson plans that will support the curriculum. Lastly, I need to continually reflect on my teaching practices on inquiry based learning projects with students and with colleagues.

For the past several weeks, I have been given the opportunity to reflect on my personal learning theory while reviewing about the various learning theories. I have come to realize that students learn, think, and process information in various ways and with multiple instructional strategies needed in their learning environments. I still believe that students think and process their learning in unique and interesting ways according to their individual needs. “Different students have different modes of learning, and their learning could be improved by matching one’s teaching with that preferred learning mode” (Riener & Willingham, 2010, p. 33). Using the multiple intelligences is still a factor that I will use in my teaching. But, another factor in learning is to make observations and changes based on the needs of my different learners and to implement strategies that will help them to learn best. “To create the best possible learning environment for your students, you need to have an understanding of how a student learns” (Leaver-Duffy, 2008). A modification to my personal learning theory as a result of the course I have taken is to ensure that I create an environment which students can learn with their peers through collaboration and cooperative learning, giving students opportunities and exposure in using technology as a learning tool more than an instructional tool, and providing experiences that help students to be successful. Due to the course I have taken, I have come to gain a better understanding of how learning occurs, what happens in the brain of a learner, and how students and teachers can use educational technologies to enhance and support learning. “Learning is making connections and strengthening them” (Laureate Education Inc., 2010a). I feel that students need to consistently make connections between what they are learning and what they already know and to constantly be practicing and using their knowledge. I also feel that learning is a social process in that “meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities” (Orey, 2001). The fact that students can create and construct ideas and knowledge through interactions with one another opens up many learning ideas for me that correlate with students’ learning process.

In the past, I felt that I was using the technology that I had available in my classroom to the best possible ways that I could. Now, I have been taught many different uses of programs that I currently have, been introduced to some amazing new websites, and taught new ways to use the technology that I have. This course has helped me to not only learn new technology but to feel comfortable, eager, and willing to use the technology in my classroom and with my students. “When students work WITH computer technology, instead of being controlled by it, they enhance the capabilities of the computer, and the computer enhances their thinking and learning” (Orey, 2001). Instead of asking what I can do with technology, my thinking has changed to what can my students do with technology, and how can they use it to learn. There is a sense of excitement and confidence in using technology that was not evident before in my classroom

Two technology tools that I would like to use with my students are VoiceThread and Webspiration. VoiceThread is an online social tool that creates engaging and interactive learning for students. This educational technology supports the social constructivism learning theory in that it is a way for teachers to incorporate this tool for a social learning process. My goal is for students to use VoiceThread to learn with one another in a cooperative learning setting. Cooperative learning involves “students working together to attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively” (Orey, 2001). This can be used with math to solve problems that are open ended to spark discussions to share multiple perspectives among students. I could also use this tool in writing and having students share their writing and being able to receive constructive feedback from peers to help in revising and editing their writing pieces and thoughts. I would also like to use VoiceThread to create a Science question where students will have to make predictions with one another and then gain knowledge about the different solutions. Through the use of a VoiceThread, students will discover new ideas, expand their knowledge, be exposed to an experience with other students. As a result, students gain problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, social behavior skills, and communication skills while being in a supportive and encouraging environment to learn. Grades will increase as well as retainment of the information that was obtained. Teachers are giving students the opportunity to communicate and share their ideas and thoughts either through text, audio, of visually with each other.

Webspiration is a concept-mapping tool that can be used with students to summarize or note take important information. It is a “cognitive tool to learn with as opposed to from” (Orey, 2001). The concept map is a graphical tool that helps students to organize and display their knowledge. The cognitive learning theory supports this technology tool where students are able to make connections and networks among their ideas both new and old. Students are able to visually see the connections they have made and the ideas that they have found. Concept maps can most be used in my classroom while they are reading their novels and taking notes about changes in theme and characters. I also would like to use concept maps in Social Studies while the students are researching about government laws. They are also able to create outlines from their concept maps to display their information in a different way and templates can be made for students to save time from students trying to create graphs or table to organize the information. When students are faced with challenging, confusing, or even a lot of information at once, a concept map is a technology tool that can be used to sort the information and to link ideas to one another in a more easy and structured way.

A long-term goal that I would like to make in my instructional practice regarding technology integration is to stay current with technology. I have learned the importance and advantages of using educational technology in the classroom. A way that I would like to achieve this goal is by reading online articles, magazines, and books related to technology. I would also like to have discussions with colleagues, create connections and networks among other teachers who are interested in integrating technology, and involve myself in professional development trainings and workshops. I am eager to learn about new and exciting educational technology and in creating meaningful and engaging lessons with it in my classroom. At the same time, I would like to try to incorporate these new technologies into my lessons and using technology as a learning tool. “The least powerful instructional strategy is lecturing” (Laureate Education Inc., 2010b). This is a strategy that I am used to doing in my classroom and at the time may have seemed to be the most comfortable and easiest. I am now learning that the best way to make my lessons more useful and engaging for students is to integrate technology as a learning tool where students use technology. My goal is to work on our classroom being a student centered learning environment more than a teacher centered one.

Another long-term goal that I would like to make in my instructional practice regarding technology integration is creating a classroom webpage with my students. This webpage would include information about me, our classroom, the school, and also important information for parents about student assignments, important events, and current curriculum that their child is learning. It would be a great way to open communication and build a relationship with each other. The website would also be for students to be used at home and at school. I have never made a website before and would therefore need assistance from our county’s technology department to find out the rules for our school district as well as the help from colleagues who have already created one. To go along with this idea, I would like to make a class blog for the students. We would use this blog to learn about various books, unique math techniques, facts about social studies, and to make and share predictions in science experiments through posts and comments made by teachers, students, and even parents. To accomplish this goal, students will need to be taught the purpose and the basic functions and features of a blog. Of course, the students and I can work together to evaluate our blog and to reflect on what we have posted and learned throughout the months. My goal is to use blogs and the website to enhance student learning while using technology as a learning tool.

Reflection is an ongoing process that teachers should exercise for the benefit of their students but to also better their teaching practices. “If it is worth teaching, teach it well.” (Laureate Education Inc., 2010c). Doing my best to teach to my best abilities is what I want to strive on doing in my classroom. Throughout this course, I have learned so much important information about learning theories, educational technology, and major instructional strategies. My hope is to continue to study and use technology while implementing the instructional strategies that I have learned to enhance student learning.

HanNa Chung

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program one. Understanding the
brain [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD:
Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program thirteen. Technology:
Instructional tool vs. learning tool [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and
technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010c). Program two. Brain research and
learning [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore,
MD: Author.

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

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Riener, C., &Willingham, D. (2010, September/October). The myth of learning styles.
Change, 33-35.

Voice Thread is an online social learning tool that can create powerful and engaging learning experiences for students. Students and teachers are able to create a voice thread that displays work, shows pictures or videos, and gives students the opportunities to show their learning or to gain new knowledge through this tool. This happens because students, teachers, and even people from all around the world are able to see your work and make suggestions, give advice, and make comments about it through texts, videos, audio recordings, and pictures. It is easy to use and very interactive!

Here is a voice thread I recently made on a classroom struggle that I have about getting students motivated to read. How do teachers encourage students to read?

http://voicethread.com/share/1553440/

Please take a look and leave a comment! Enjoy!

The social learning theory occurs in classrooms when students actively engage in constructing artifacts while conversing and working with their peers to produce a final product as they also help one another to understand the concepts being learned. In a social learning process, students work in groups where they are able to contribute their skills and talents; work, share, discuss, communicate, and create their final products in a collaborative manner. This gives each member of the group a sense of ownership and responsibility to learn and to teach the other members in the class. Learning takes place as a social process rather than within the individual. As Dr. Orey states, “Meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities” (Orey, 2001). He also states that, “context and culture are crucial in constructing knowledge” (Laureate Education Inc., 2010). It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide students with meaningful and engaging activities for students to learn and to interact with their peers to produce purposeful learning, as this is the way that students will grasp ideas and concepts. Connectivism is a learning theory that integrates technology, information, and social networking for students to be able to take their knowledge and form networks and to find various networks and to make connections to result in learning. These networks can be teachers, other students, experts, the Internet, and even parents. Cooperative learning is an instructional strategy that can be used as a tool to support the social learning theories.

Cooperative learning is when “students work together to attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively” (Laureate Education Inc., 2010). It is the instructional strategy that “focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 139). Cooperative learning correlates directly with the social learning theories as it supports the idea of students working together towards learning an objective. This strategy not only allows students to gain social skills but helps to prepare them for the future of technology and the working field of being able to produce cooperatively. We need to prepare students for this outside world by incorporating cooperative grouping and collaboration. By students working together, this creates an atmosphere where students are engaged in conversations, discussions, and experiences where they discover new knowledge in a social setting that leads to the creation of a product that display their learning. Students can be placed into small groups of various talents, abilities, and backgrounds to accomplish the assigned goal. According to the text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, formal groups should be set up by teachers with five basic components designed for the assignment. 1) positive interdependence, 2) face to face, promotive interaction 3) individual and group accountability 4) interpersonal and small group skills 5) group processing. With these key components in mind, teachers can plan discovery learning for students in an effective and efficient way. Not only do students learn but they also develop oral communication skills, create positive attitudes, gain leadership skills, learn conflict management, receive constructive feedback, and develop relationships that are encouraging and build self-esteem.

Technology can also play an important and useful role in cooperative learning and social learning theories. There are many ways to incorporate technology to enhance student learning and to promote collaboration among students and allowing communication to occur. For example, students can create movies or websites as their product of learning where they will have to plan, process, and create as a team. Each student will need to do his or her part to get it done. Students can use wikis, blogs, and webquests to work together without being face to face. There are a variety of instructional methods and assignments that can be completed by the students to correlate with the instructional strategy of cooperative learning and the social learning theories.

Jigsaw is one strategy that can be used for cooperative learning. Check out this website to learn more. Jigsaw Classroom

Cooperative Learning Strategies: find out what it is, tips to implement, and advantages.

HanNa Chung

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program eight. Social learning theories
[Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

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