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.