Final Reflection of course EDUC 6711

Reading over my “Personal Theory of Learning” paper from week 1 has caused for some deep reflection on my part.  I still stand firm in my personal theory of learning and believe that every student is capable of learning.  Each student brings their own unique personality, culture, values and experiences into the classroom.  I want to aid every student in any way possible, and in as many ways as possible.  Therefore, it is my job as an educator to get to know my students personally and learn their preferred learning style.      

Over the past couple of years I have been very diligent in my efforts to seamlessly incorporate technology into my classroom.  I believe that technology needs to be a part of our everyday learning.  It is the way of life in the 21^st century and I want my students to be capable and ready for the future.  While I have always known the importance of technology use in the classroom, this particular course has opened my eyes to the differences between using technology as an instructional tool versus using technology as a learning tool.  While I do see the need for lecture style technology use every now and then, (i.e.: a simple PowerPoint presentation created by the teacher) the technology should be placed in the hands of the students. 

I already have a couple of ideas for using technology as a learning tool for next school year that places the students in the driver’s seat.  I am really looking forward to implementing VoiceThreads with my kindergarteners next year as they publish their own books in writer’s workshop.  Of course my students will need assistance with the actual technology use but I want them to be in control of everything else.  It is very important that this be a learner centered activity.  I want the students to be actively engaged with the technology, not apart from it (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Aside from all the learning that will take place during this project, I am also super excited about capturing their little voices – I know their parents will love it too.  Such a wonderful keepsake from Kindergarten! 

I also look forward to having my students take virtual field trips and create concept maps to organize their thoughts and ideas.  Our class recently got iPad minis, so concept mapping will be easy to do any time now.  No more waiting for the computer lab!  Concept maps are a form of cognitive learning that engages students and deepens their understanding (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  This simple cognitive tool is also a great visual that helps students organize the information learned (Orey, 2001).             

Over the course of the last few weeks, I have really enjoyed learning about the nine clusters of research-based instructional strategies.  Dr. Deborah Pickering and Robert Marzano suggest that teachers choose a couple of strategies to focus on at a time with students, as they believe that the instructional strategies are only effective if the students become proficient at using them (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  I have to admit that I was guilty of trying to do everything last year.  Therefore, my instructional skills will change for next year as I plan to focus on two: Identifying similarities and differences and the use of cues, questions and advance organizers.

I have two goals for the future with regards to changes in my instructional practice regarding technology integration.  Number one: There are many options for final unit projects that I don’t ever think about incorporating such as video presentations, podcasts and song writing.  All of these can be completed with the use of technology and cater to many different learning styles.  Number two:  I would like to become more effective at using images in my classroom.  The use of images is very powerful to the visual learner and will be easy to implement at the kindergarten level.  The use of images is supported by the cognitive learning theory and will help students remember key concepts (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  I plan on achieving this with my students as they create PowerPoint presentations. 

All in all, I want to be the best teacher I can be.  I want to go the extra mile to ensure that every student in my class is learning and reaching their full potential.  And I want to use technology with my students everyday in an active, engaging format!  I need to put the technology in their hands and let them run with it.       

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eleven: Instructional strategies, Part one

            [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from            

http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.e            college.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program thirteen: Technology: Instructional tool vs.

        learning tool [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

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

Voice Thread

http://walden.voicethread.com/share/4660745/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the resources for this course over the past few weeks, but I have to say that this week’s reading on Cooperative Learning in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (2012), was one of my favorites.  It is obvious that cooperative learning and social constructivism go hand in hand.  You almost can’t have one without the other.  Therefore, I liked this chapter because of all the examples it gave of incorporating technology into a social constructivist classroom. 

Vgotsky’s social learning theory emphasizes the importance of social interaction on learning as well as culture and society’s influence on individuals and their construction of knowledge (Kim, 2001, p.2).  Social constructivists believe that learning is a social process and that meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged and talking (p.2).  Vgotsky also believes that every learner needs the input and guidance from a more knowledgeable other to assist in the zone of proximal development (Laureate Education Inc., 2011). 

Cooperative learning is an instructional strategy that focuses on having learners interact with each other in small groups to enhance learning (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012, p.73).  Cooperative learning can increase student motivation, academic engagement, and self-esteem (p.73).  My goal as a teacher is to encourage and equip my students to be successful in life.  “To prepare for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will someday inherit, students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively – both in person and online” (p.74).  For this reason, I must afford my students the opportunity to connect and collaborate with peers on projects that require many skills. 

There are many ways of integrating technology into the social constructivist classroom through the use of collaborative groups.  I love the idea of creating a short movie, building a webpage, publishing a blog, and creating a wiki.  These forms of multimedia allow for student communication.  Instant messaging, Skype, FaceTime, TypeWith.me, and Google Calendar are also excellent examples of services that allow learners to collaborate and cooperate to learn, regardless of location (p.80).  Technology uses such as these have the ability to change learning.  When I was in elementary school, the only interaction we had with other learners were the ones we had with our peers in the adjoining classroom at our school.  We might have had a pen pal in another state, but that conversation traveled through ‘snail mail’, so it wasn’t very effective.  The web has changed education – the way we teach, learn and live.

Resources

Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on June 4, 2013, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/.  Retrieved from "http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism".

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video

webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollegecom&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1.

Piter, H., Hubbell, E.R., & Kuhn, M.  (2012).  Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2^nd ed.).  Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Constructivism in Practice

Of all the learning theories explored thus far, I have the say that my kindergarten classroom is most in line with Jean Piaget’s Constructivist/Constructionist Theory.  The constructivist theory puts the learner in charge of his learning and the role of teacher shifts to that of a facilitator.  “…Knowledge is not simply transmitted from teacher to student, but actively constructed in the mind of the learner” (Han & Bhattacharya, 2001, p.4).  Constructionism in the classroom involves the learner in real-world tasks where they investigate, solve problems and create artifacts that represent a learning outcome that is meaningful to them (pp.4-6). 

Project-based learning is a comprehensive approach to learning that involves engaged learners in cooperative, complex activities (p.11).  This method of learning is an example of a constructivism because it reflects a student centered learning environment and places an emphasis on object/artifact creation as part of the learning outcome that is based on real life experiences with multiple perspectives (p.12).  Firsthand experience is key to the constructivist theory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) and “Generating and Testing Hypotheses” follows this belief to the fullest. 

Generating and testing hypotheses is more effective over traditional style (lecture) teaching lessons because “…students who generate and test hypotheses by engaging in problem solving have a clearer understanding of lesson concepts” (Pitler, Hubbel & Kuhn, 2012, p.204).  Technology can play a major role in generating and testing hypotheses because it allows the student to spend more time interpreting data instead of simply gathering data.

I personally like the idea of using spreadsheets to generate and test hypotheses.  Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, et al., 2012), gave a great example with the interactive spreadsheet that the teacher created for her students to manipulate different retirement amounts saved over the course of 30 years.  Had the teacher made her students calculate every amount by hand, she would have lost valuable class time while the students were computing tedious math calculations.  This spreadsheet lesson was a great use of educational technology that allowed the students to gain a deeper understanding of investment basics and required them to use critical thinking skills to make predictions (p.210).  What a great, problem-based, constructionist approach to learning example. 

Resources:

Han, S., and Bhattacharya, K.  (2001).  Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning. 

In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.  Retrieved on May 27, 2013 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt. 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that      works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cognitivism in Practice

Over the past couple of weeks we have read some really good articles and books about learning theories and classroom instructional strategies.  All of this new information has gotten my wheels turning.  I didn’t realize until last week that I supported behaviorism in many forms in my current classroom.  And now, I am learning that I support many aspects of the cognitive learning theory as well.  Many Cognitive Tools (Information Seeking, Information Presentation, Knowledge Organization, Knowledge Integration, and Knowledge Generation) have multiple roles for students in how they interact with new information (Orey, 2001, p.5).  With the cognitive learning theory, students must be able to acquire new information, organize and synthesize it, create, and share knowledge (pp. 5-7).

Technology can easily play a major role in cognitive instructional strategies.  When used at the beginning of a lesson, cues, questions and advance organizers focus learning on important content to come (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012, p. 91).  This form of preparation gets the students ready to acquire new information.  The specific instructional strategy of concept mapping is one of my favorite ways of organizing information in a cohesive fashion.  Concept maps replicate the network model of memory, help learners organize ideas, support dual coding of information, and helps learners visualize all ideas (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  Needless to say, visual learners get very excited about concept maps.  My favorite concept mapping software is Inspiration.  My kindergarteners are very successful with this program.  It takes modeling and guidance, but they get it!

Summarizing and note taking is another instructional strategy that focuses on the learner’s ability to synthesize information and condense it into a new form (Pitler, et al., 2012, p.147).  There are many different ways to take notes and a plethora of computer programs to help you do it.  I have learned many new ways of note taking over the past week and plan on using some of the strategies myself, such as Track Changes and AutoSummarize in Microsoft Word (pp.149-150).  My kindergarten students would not be able to complete this form of note taking, but they could very easily use the inverted T method (p.151). 

The above instructional strategies will help me teach for understanding in many ways.  Advance organizers, concept mapping strategies, and note taking can all be produced in hard copy form to serve as a black and white example of students’ learning.  Cues and questions can be discussed verbally and serve as a marker of understanding as well.  I look forward to implementing these strategies in the years to come. 

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program six: Spotlight on technology: Virtual field trips [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

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. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that    works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Behaviorism in Practice

When I sit back and reflect on the many ways that behaviorism plays a role in the 21^st century classroom, I am shocked!  I am not a proponent of B.F. Skinner’s air crib (or baby box) that he raised his daughter in for the first two years of her life, and therefore frown at the mention of his name.  However, I have to admit that I agree with many of the behaviorist principles such as the stimulus-response model and operant conditioning (Smith, 1999) as well as the need for these things in the modern day classroom. 

I also firmly believe that reinforcing my student’s efforts is essential to their achievement at school.  Reinforcing efforts by providing positive feedback is a form of behaviorism at its finest!  The behaviorists view of learning labels reinforcement as the ‘cardinal motivator’ (Smith, 1999), especially when the reinforcement is positive.  Therefore, teachers need to expose students to information related to effort, teach the importance of effort and ways to expend it productively, ask students to keep track of their effort as related to achievement, and reward achievements (Pitler, Hubbel, &Kuhn, 2012, p.57-60).  Encouraging and rewarding our students’ efforts will motivate our students to do well time and time again, which is the epitome of Skinner’s operant conditioning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).   

We all know that technology plays a major role in our current classroom environment and that computers can be used for more than just research.  With the use of spreadsheets and online surveys, technology can be used as a form of data collection and analysis to help students reach their goals.  Online badges and certificates can be created for student recognition; online picture galleries can showcase student work; and communication and collaboration software can capitalize on our students’ natural desire to socialize (Pitler, Hubbel, &Kuhn, 2012, p.65-70).  Playing educational games and taking online tutorials is another way of incorporating technology into the classroom, and in a behaviorist manner.     

Behaviorist theory “…Posits that all behavior is learned habits…” (Orey, 2001, pg.1).  And, what better way to learn something than practice?  Through the use of homework and practice, students can fine tune their skills.  Computer-assisted instruction can be used for homework practice and follows behaviorism because it provides immediate and nonjudgmental feedback, can be individualized to meet student’s desired outcomes, and is motivational (correct responses boosts self-esteem and confidence) (Pitler, Hubbel, &Kuhn, 2012, p. 169).    
      

From free homework passes to missed recess; from smiles and praises to detention; and from behavior management charts to online tutorials, behaviorism is needed in the classroom!

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program four: Behaviorist learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

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. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Smith, K. (1999). The behaviourist orientation to learning. In The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm