EDUC 6713 Course Reflection

When looking back at my GAME plan, I have learned that incorporating these types of lessons with a lot of collaboration and technology requires much preparation and time. I feel that I must do a better job of preparing my students for the technology they will use, and set more guidelines for group work. As far as influencing my instructional practice, I feel I have more confidence about implementing project-based learning in my classroom as a result of this course. Using and implementing my GAME plan has given me that experience to work out the kinks and learn what it takes logistically to use this type of instruction. As far as modifying my GAME plan from this unit, I would give more structure for students and less options when creating their lessons and digital stories.

Some immediate adjustments I will make in my instructional practice as a result of taking this course is that I would like to include more project-based learning in my lessons. I would like to start by doing one per unit, which would give me six for the year. This is a bit ambitious in my opinion, but I feel that it is doable, and if I do not reach it I will still have implemented some project-based learning into some of my units. I would also like to include online collaboration into my classroom throughout the year, maybe in the form of a blog or wiki, where students can use it as a homework helper as a start. As far as digital storytelling goes, I would like to use it possibly once a semester on standards and units that have more real world contexts so that I can see how this method works for a high school mathematics class.

Response to Monitoring my GAME plan comments

I am having issues commenting to my own blog, so I am responding to your comments in a new post.

Keri,

I have only used Geometer's sketchpad in my classroom. It is useful for my students. It does take some time for students to get used to the interface. I would think in an elementary setting that it may be possible to use in some capacities with the older grades.

Thanks,
Bryan


Susan,

I am currently a member of both NCTM and subscribe to Mathematics Teacher. They are both excellent resources that I use often to improve my teaching ability.

Thanks,
Bryan


Erinn,
Thank you for the suggestion with brainpop. I try to use review games and activities whenever I can to generate interest in my classroom. This will help me add to my collection of resources.

Thanks,
Bryan


Tammy,

Thanks for your thoughts. My problem with teaching high school mathematics, is that many of my standards are hard to relate to students' interests or my own. For example, factoring quadratic equations, using properties of circles, and using the characteristics of inverse functions are all standards in my curriculum that are extremely hard to relate to students' lives. I hope that through my research I can better learn how to connect them to my students.

Thanks,
Bryan

Monitoring my GAME Plan

Thus far, I am having mixed results with the resources and information I need to continue my GAME plan. I mentioned that one resource I need the most is time. I am coming up on summer break, which will give me time to research what I want to add to my instructional techniques and skills, as well as analyze my lessons to see where I can fit in real world problems and applications. I have yet to choose which research journals I want to frequent with my research. Two that I have looked at using are the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, and the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education.

As of right now, I do not feel that I need to modify my game plan. I feel I need to spend a little more time researching instructional techniques, and finding more reliable resources. I also need to research how my curriculum relates to student interests and real world problems.

So far, I have learned that I can use the position equation to model quadratic functions with my students. In this formula, one can find the height of an object being thrown into the air at any given point in time. This is a great application that students can model themselves. In addition, there are many applications of area and surface area that can be used to model quadratic equations in real world situations. I have also learned that right triangle trigonometry can be used to model solving right triangles in many real world situations such as finding the heights of very tall objects. In terms of technology, I have begun to learn how to use the moodle that my system just started so that I can upload resources, lessons, and assignments online that students can access outside of the classroom.

There are no new questions that have arisen as of yet. The main question that I still have it how can I integrate technology into my instruction so that it will benefit my students. That includes, how can I get more technology into my students hands in order to further learn the content they need to know in my classroom.

Thanks,

Bryan

Carrying out my GAME Plan

Perhaps the most important resource I need in carrying out my GAME plan is that of time. It is very important that I set aside time to review my current lessons, and research how they can be modified to include more activities that relate them to real world problems. Another resource I will need is a classroom set of TI-Nspire handheld devices with the accompanying Navigator system. These devices make mathematics very interactive and dynamic for the user, and they allow students to turn in activities completed on them by submitting them to their teacher using the Navigator wireless system. This system also allows the teacher to upload assignments to the handhelds for students to open. Another resource I will need to complete my research on the latest digital tools in instruction is access to journals and articles on the use of technology in the mathematics classroom.

Some additional information I will need in carrying out my game plan is some of the career interests my students have, so that I can look into how our standards may relate to them. I also need to find out what some of the leading research journals, websites, and other resources are for integrating technology into instruction. Some of the steps I have taken thus far in carrying out this GAME plan is beginning to do research on digital tools in the classroom by looking at how I can best implement the use of TI-Nspire handhelds into my instruction. I will also look into ISTE’s website to decide on a research journal that I will subscribe to in order to look into techniques to use with technology and instruction.

Thanks,

Bryan

GAME Plan

The two indicators in the NETS-T that I would like to strengthen my confidence in are:

1.b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources, and

5.c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).

My goal for the first indicator is to expand my instructional techniques in one of my curricular units to include more explorations and investigations into real-world issues. I want to use technology to help create lesson plans that involve my students solving and exploring problems that occur in the real world. For the second indicator, I would like to set aside an intentional time on a regular basis to research how new and current digital tools are being used to help teach students.

To achieve these goals, I need to first analyze and review my current lessons within the unit I want to implement more real world lessons. I need to see which content standards best lend themselves to this type of lesson and exploration. Then, I need to think about and research how these standards can be applied to real world issues, and how this relates to my students’ interests and thinking. As far as using technology, I want to increase the use of my classroom set of TI-Nspire handhelds to complete these investigations and activities because it is easy to upload and collect completed lessons and activities to and from these handhelds. In order to reflect and evaluate the use of digital tools by other professionals and educators, I need to assign a scheduled time every week to do this. This could be 15-20 minutes per day or maybe thirty minutes twice a week for example. To do this research, I plan to begin by following the journals on ISTE’s website.

To monitor my progress on achieving my goals, I will periodically need to self-assess myself on my lesson planning and on my research of technology tools. In my lesson plans, I need to look at whether I am focusing on students solving real world issues, and whether I am allowing students to utilize technology such as the TI-Nspires to do so. In my research, I need to discern whether the articles and websites I am using and studying are giving me the feedback and information I need to improve my instructional methodologies. I need to be make sure the time I am spending on this is worthwhile, or do I need to rethink where I do my research on this topic.

To extend my learning with the first indicator, I must look at how the lessons I modified went, and whether they met my learning goals. If not, I need to make notes to adapt and adjust them for improvement in the future. If I did meet the learning goals, I would then move on to think about how I could implement more real world problems and lessons using technology into my other units. With the second indicator, I must take what I learn and try to implement some of the instructional techniques and ideologies to see if they fit with my students and teaching style. I must also continue researching, as it is an ongoing process should continue to drive my improvement as a teacher.

Thanks,

Bryan

References:

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

EDUC 6711 Reflection

Upon reflecting on my personal learning theory, the biggest change that I would make as a result of completing this course would be to have my students working with each other to build their learning. My learning theory is that I believe we learn by doing, but that we often need to be directed or guided into the learning that we want for our students. I think using cooperative learning strategies more often will help learners learn by doing because people are learning by doing through the interactions they are having with other people. I made this change because according to Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), students construct meaning for new knowledge by working with others in cooperative groups.

Along with making the change to my personal learning theory, I have also benefited from learning new educational technologies presented in this course. Those technologies are using virtual field trips within my classroom, as well as utilizing VoiceThread as a tool for students to present what they are learning. I will try to use virtual field trips more often in my class now because it is a way for students to see how the content we are learning applies to their lives. It is also an interesting method where students have input into what happens in the lesson. VoiceThread is an easy to use tool that my students will be able to use right away. I will definitely try to use this tool in my classroom soon. I like the fact that students can easily add text or voice recording to their presentation with this tool. I would use this as a culminating project for students to show what they have learned after a particular unit, or as a way for students to review for an exam or test.

The two long-term goal changes I would like to make to my instructional practice by integrating technology are to use multiple virtual field trips in my classes during a school year, as well as having students make presentations using VoiceThread on a regular basis. My plan for using virtual field trips is to try to find one virtual field trip per unit that applies the standards of the unit to a real-world situation. I have six units in my current course, so six virtual field trips in one year would be a good number without overusing this method. The hard part is finding these field trips for higher-level math courses. I may try to contact business owners from math-related fields in our community to get ideas for resources. I plan to use VoiceThread as a method for students to present their findings through learning tasks at least once a unit. We do several learning tasks per unit, and I often have students create a short presentation using poster boards or other mediums to demonstrate their findings to the class. I think we could have students make them more formal with VoiceThread by going to the computer lab at least once a unit.

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

Week 5 Voice Thread Assignment

http://voicethread.com/#q.b1713761.i0.k0

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

The instructional strategy of cooperative learning correlates with the social learning theories because it focuses on having students work together in order to improve their learning (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Students working together to create artifacts and discussing ideas is a major tenet of social constructivism (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Part of working together through cooperative learning has students talking and debating, which allows students to learn from others who are more knowledgable than themselves on different topics, whether they be academic or socially. This is the concept of the more knowledgable other in social learning theory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). When students work in groups cooperatively, they construct and new knowledge through these interactions (Pittler, et al., 2007) Having students work together and take ownership of their own learning allows them to deeper their understanding because they are using higher level thinking skills. I agree with this because I believe we learn from our experiences with other people. Even people who are self-motivated and driven to learn and succeed mostly by themselves have learned or observed that behavior from others in my opinion. Using the cooperative learning strategy keeps students interested and motivated, especially if they are working on problems that are meaningful and worthwhile. Having students interested allows them to delve deeper into the concepts they are learning to construct new meanings because they will have more lively discussions.

References:

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

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

Constructionism/Constructivism in Practice

Constructivism with a "v" has to do with the idea that students construct their own understanding of concepts, while constructionism with an "n" has to do with the idea that students learn best when they build or construct an artifact that can be shared with other students (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). The instructional practice of generating and testing hypotheses follows the learning theories of constructivism and constructionism because students are actively constructing their own understanding by generating their own hypotheses, and they are building artifacts by testing their hypotheses.

I believe generating hypotheses is a very worthwhile task for students because of the high cognitive demand it involves. They are constructing their own understanding because they are using their own ideas to come up with new hypotheses. According to Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007), using these types of complex mental processes enhances students' understanding of content. I can think of no other way to put constructivist theory into practice than to have students complete these tasks, because students have to truly create their own ideas and understanding.

Testing hypotheses is a great example of constructionism because of the many ways we can implement this strategy. Of course, the most obvious examples occur in science where we conduct physical experiments to get results. However, this can go beyond the science classroom to incorporate other content areas. The advancement of technology has helped this instructional strategy become more effiicient because students can spend less time on gathering data, and more time interpretting it (Pittler, et al., 2007). This is important because one key idea of constructionism is that students build an artifact in order to share it with others so that they may learn and benefit from it. Allowing the builders of the artifact to spend more time interpretting data will allow for more thinking on analyzing the results and reporting them to others.

References:

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

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

Cognitive Learning Theory in Practice

The instructional strategy of cues, questions, and advance organizers help to increase students' ability to organize, use, and retrieve information (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This correlates to the cognitive learning theory of elaboration because this strategy helps students to make numerous connections between information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Teaching students to organize information using these methods also helps to train their brains to store and retrieve information within their long-term memories. Both cues and questions help students to retrieve prior knowledge from their long-term memories, while advance organizers help students organize and focus their learning for retention in their long-term memories (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Advance organizers can also be used to reinforce Palvio's dual-coding hypothesis because many are used with both texts and images (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). The examples presented Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007) are expositiory, narrative, and graphic organizers. All of these have the capability for reinforcing dual-coding, but the main advance organizer that prefer is the graphic organizer because it is more visual. This applies to cognitive learning theories because "integrating multiple senses in presentations improves learning" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2007).

The summarizing and note taking instructional strategy helps teach students to blend information into shorter forms (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Summarizing helps to improve short-term or working memory because it chunks information into smaller pieces. Summarizing information teaches students to learn what is necessary in the information they are presented with. In my opinion, summarizing information is similar to the networks of information that Dr. Michael Orey discusses when describing long-term memory because they have to omit information, keep information, and possibly add information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2007). They are making those connections between networks because of these decisions they are making about the presented information. Note taking relates to cognitivism because it also helps to organize information for students as well as to help them deepen their understanding of information (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, (Pittler, et al., 2007) say that it is beneficial to vary the note-taking methods in your class. This is similar to the cognitivism idea of appealing to more senses. That is because mixing up your methods should include techniques that appeal to visual learners as well as auditory learners.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program five. Cognitive Learning Theories[Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Behaviorism in Practice Assignment

Reinforcing effort is one instructional strategy that correlates with the learning theory of behaviorism. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) state that success is the wisest choice for people to achieve and maintain success because it is the only source for which an individual has control. They also claim that belief in one’s self has a pivotal role in student motivation and achievement (Pitler, et al., 2007). Therefore, it is paramount as teachers that we address students’ beliefs about how their effort influences their learning. The reason I believe this strategy correlates with behaviorism is because of the methods that Pitler, et al. present for students to track their effort along with their achievement. Pitler, et al. (2007) present a rubric students can use with a spreadsheet to keep track of their progress. They also show how teachers can create surveys to have students self-assess themselves, and track their effort over time. These methods are used to help students change their beliefs, and make connections between effort and achievement (Pitler, et al., 2007). This aligns with a key idea of behaviorism, which is that behaviors are learned, and they can be unlearned or replaced as well (Orey, 2001).

Another instructional strategy that correlates with behaviorism is homework and practice. Homework and practice provide students opportunities to increase their knowledge of the content as well as to become more capable with their basic skills (Pitler, et al., 2007). This strategy corresponds with behaviorism because of the opportunities for specific feedback. This feedback is a form of reinforcement whether it is positive or negative. This strategy can also be used through technological resources so that students can have immediate feedback. There are many online resources available for students in many different content areas. One example of educational technology that presents this type of immediate feedback is the spelling and grammar check and autosummarize tools for Microsoft Word (Pitler, et al., 2007). Another aspect of homework and practice that aligns with behaviorism is that it requires multiple practice sessions for students to become competent with a certain skill, while it takes multiple rewarded responses for a behavior to be learned (Pitler, et al., 2007).

References

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved January 12, 2011 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.