Monitoring GAME Plan Progress

As I consider the steps I have made towards my goals set forth in my GAME plan, I am finding that all of the resources that I said I would need are available to me.  I have access to Remind 101 as well as Edmodo.  The students already have their Edmodo accounts, and since it is so early in the spring semester, I feel like I can still send home parent information for signing up for parent accounts as well as Remind 101 account setup.  I do not see the need to modify the plan in this aspect right now.  

The only thing that I am struggling with now is the goal of having a PLC with colleagues to share ideas for technology integration.  There are a lot of things going on in the spring semester as far as benchmarking, and our flexible year days are also coming up.  The teachers on my campus are always a bit hesitant for another thing to be added to their plate, so I am not sure how another committee or group would be received.

I have learned that when setting goals, to be realistic about the expectations you set for yourself.  I think that most of my goals are reachable for me this semester.  The things I am wondering about are whether my goals should be more substantive and less in number.  Maybe I should have set 1 or 2 goals that would require a little more work than several smaller goals like I have.  

In reviewing my GAME plan, the goals I set for myself can be summarized as, I want to get better at using digital tools to communicate among my peers, parents, and students.  The actions that I suggested for myself in order to reach my goals involved using tools and applications to keep in touch with parents and students.  I also said I would like to start a group on my campus where we can share ideas for digital tools that we have tried and how they have helped in the classroom.

The resources that I will need to carry out my plan involve applications for communication.  I think the surprising thing to me is that I already have some tools at my disposal, I have simply struggled with the task of actually using them.  For example, Remind 101 is something that I mentioned that is free to use, I just need to set aside the time to set it up.  This is a texting tool that allows you as a teacher to send out mass texts to parents, without giving them your personal cell phone number.  This can be a convenient way to keep parents up to date without having to spend too much time on contacting them.

I also would like to utilize Edmodo more for parent communication.  There is a feature that allows students' parents to sign up for a free parent account and view assignments, calendars, and grades for their student only.  Finally, I mentioned using a website or blog to keep parents up to date on the events in my classroom.  These are all tools that would be very easy to set up, especially since they can all be done for free.

So far, I have been able to set up student Edmodo accounts.  Unfortunately, when I sent a parent letter home inviting them to sign up, I only had one parent sign up out of my 135 students.  I think this goes back to the typical problem of sending a note home with students and wondering if it ever really makes it into the parents' hands.  I might try to address this by asking our district public relations officer to post something on our official Facebook page to notify parents of the tool so that they can sign up.

My GAME Plan

For the past three years, I have taught technology as my content in my technology applications class.  I had previously integrated technology into my math classroom when I was a math teacher.  This year, I took a different approach in my curriculum by trying to teach more core content and embedding the technology.  I wanted to step away from actually teaching technology, focus on important content, and allow students to explore and discover the technology tools on their own.  I would say that this has become my strength when looking at the ISTE Standards for Teachers (www.iste.org): 

• 2A:  Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
• 2B:  Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.   

I have found that it is much easier and beneficial to allow students to be in charge of their own learning, especially when it comes to technology.  I used to teach my class in the traditional way that most computer technology labs are taught.  The teacher models how to navigate through programs such as word processors or spreadsheets and students have to copy exactly what they see.  Everyone produces the same product and things such as margin width and line spacing are measured on each student's paper.  I have had more success allowing students to figure out how to do these things on their own as long as they have the guidelines and a rubric of some sort that shows them what I am looking for.  

One thing that I know I struggle with is the collaboration aspect of 21st century learning.  I know how important this skill is, in addition to communication.  However, I find that I struggle with effective communication with others outside of my classroom.  

• 3B:  Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
• 3C:  Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats

I know that there are many tools and resources available that should make this part of my job much easier, but I find that this often takes a backseat to other things in my profession.  In order to get better in these important indicators.  

My goals are to:

• Utilize digital tools available to me in order to collaborate with peers for new strategies for use in the classroom in order to support classroom learning and student success
• Utilize digital tools available to me in order to communicate effectively with students and parents to provide a sense of transparency about the happenings in my classroom

The actions that I will take in order to achieve these goals are:

• Suggest starting a campus PLC where interested parties can share ideas for integrating technology into the classroom on a weekly basis utilizing digital tools such as blogs, wikis, or a simple email group
• Find one new digital tool to use, e.g. Remind 101, for communicating the weekly class agenda with parents as well as utilizing the Edmodo calendar feature for students.  
• Begin a monthly classroom blog to share with parents, peers, and community members which will showcase the happenings of the 6th grade technology applications classroom

I will monitor my progress by creating and updating my calendar where I keep track of all important dates, meetings, and appointments and setting reminders for the tasks that need to get done on a monthly and weekly basis.  

In order to evaluate and extend my learning, I will try to add one more action to my list for next school year, either replacing something that did not work, or in addition to my successful actions.

Reflection

As I look back on my personal theory of learning from week 1, I am pleased to see that I still feel the same way about how I want to approach learning in my classroom.  As a result of learning more about the different learning theories from this course, I am strong in my belief that in the technology classroom, social constructionist learning is best.  Dr. Michael Orey states that constructionism allows for students to engage deeply enough in creating a product that they are forced to use tools to solve problems.  (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012a).  I have become a little bit more open-minded to the behaviorist theory of learning; however, in my classroom I feel that the only place you would see anything behaviorist would be in behavior management.
 It is so important that I now understand the difference between technology as an instructional tool, versus technology as a learning tool. Technology must be put in the hands of the students in order to reach the full benefits of technology integration.  According to Dr. Orey, using technology simply in the form of a delivery method can make a bad thing worse (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012b). Technology in the hands of students is a true learning tool, and it is important to recognize the difference here.  Simply using technology to deliver instruction, while effective sometimes, is just not enough anymore.  Students must be allowed to have creative power, which also further exemplifies the constructionist theory that students learn best by creating artifacts.  From this new insight, I hope to be more purposeful in putting the technology in the hands of the students more often than not.  
I really like the ideas for student blogging and wikis in the classroom.  I would like to have students use a blog as a digital portfolio this year.  I think that it is important to find ways to allow students to show off what they do in the classroom.  The blog also turns it into a social thing.  By allowing students to share and discuss work, this should produce higher quality products.
In my classroom, I want to allow for more creation of products and exploration using technology.  In order to accomplish this, I will have to take on a facilitator role.  I will need to provide a lot of up front planning in order to ensure that students are successful, without having to lead them as much along the way as I would before.  Also, I have been toying with the idea of flipping the classroom, where tutorials and lessons are provided online, and class time is spent actually working instead of listening to a lecture.  This is going to be a learning process for both me and the students, but in the end I think it will be best to shift the classroom to a student-led environment.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). 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

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). 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

Voicethread

http://walden.voicethread.com/share/4768226/

Social Learning and Cooperative Learning Practices

This week I explored social learning theory and some cooperative learning activities.  Social learning and cooperative learning are essentially based upon the same principal.  Social learning states people learn when actively engaged in construction of artifacts while conversing with others, or in collaboration with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  It is believed that conversations lead to a better understanding of the subject being discussed.  There is the concept of the more knowledgeable other which refers to someone with more or better understanding of a topic.  This might normally be assumed to be the teacher, however that is not always the case.  The more knowledgeable other can be a teacher, but according to Dr. Michael Orey, it can also be a peer or a piece of technology (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  So, not only does social learning work because it allows students to access information from other people or things, it also provides a sense of validation and encouragement (Laureate Education Inc., 2010).  It is also true that learning can be deepened through interaction with others, and it also increases motivation in the student.
This ties in directly to the practices described in chapter three of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.  This chapter described cooperative learning strategies using educational technology.  Technology is such a natural way to facilitate social learning and collaboration in the classroom.  For example multimedia is one artifact that students can collaborate on.  This can be a simple presentation created in PowerPoint or can be an iMovie created on an iPad.  There are enough things to do to create a quality multimedia project that multiple roles can be assigned to students in a group.  When students know that the end product depends on how much effort they put forth, this is a sure way to get students to work hard.  It is important to plan enough ahead of time in order to structure these type of activities so that student success is ensured.  
Communication and collaboration software by nature is directly tied to the social learning theories.  And now we are no longer held back by location, rather we can communicate with virtually anyone if the world if we wanted to.  This really enables social learning on a whole new level.  Websites such as the Flat Classroom Project (www.flatclassroomproject.com) and Edmodo (www.edmodo.com) are excellent examples of how technology takes social learning beyond all boundaries that previously existed.   WebQuests can also be used as inquiry-based activities that students complete while working together.
There is no doubt that cooperative learning technologies fit right in with the social learning theories.  This is the beauty of educational technology.  It seems that you can find a tie to almost any learning theory and learning style and this shows just how much technology can be effective in engaging all students.

References

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.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.

Constructionism and Hypotheses

This week I explored the constructionist learning theory and looked at some instructional strategies that correlate with this theory.  I am glad that I was able to get some insight into the difference between constructionism and constructivism, as I have heard these terms used interchangeably and never knew which was the right term to use.  In this content, I will be referring to constructionism, which is the learning theory that states that individuals learn best when they are able to construct something that can be shared with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  When we speak of constructionism and how it is applied in the classroom setting, we are often referring to project-based learning, or problem-based learning.  This is the theory that I identify with the most in my practice, and that is because it fits directly in line with the vision of the district that I work for.

In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, chapter nine focuses on generating and testing hypotheses.  At first glance, I wondered how this applied to subjects other than science.  But this chapter explains how this fits in to other subjects and it also correlates to the constructionist theory.  When I thought about it more, generating and testing hypotheses is really what we are asking our students to do when we engage in constructionism.  They are engaging in the problem solving process.  Generating hypotheses can often take the form of brainstorming using software such as Inspiration and Kidspiration (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012).  Testing hypotheses really is the process that students take in order to create their final product.  Often in this process data analysis and collection is necessary.  In my own experience, Microsoft Excel has come in handy in a project where students had to analyze large amounts of data.  By using a program that does the calculations instead of having students do this manually, instructional time is maximized and learning objectives are met, while students gain deeper understanding and use critical thinking skills (Pitler, et. al., 2012).  These tools work seamlessly with the constructionist learning environment because they allow students to brainstorm and make predictions, as well as aggregate data in order to test hypothesis.  This can then result in better quality student work and final products, because students have been scaffolded to a higher level of thinking. 

Resources

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

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