Week #3 Carrying out my GAME plan- Kayla Shandra

Carrying out my GAME plan- Kayla Shandra

Week #3

January 18, 2012

There are still a few things that I need to accomplish before I start my GAME plan. I need to consult with a few colleagues and collect some more data on my students. Once I have this information then I can start moving towards my two goals of learning along with my students and altering my lessons to better meet the needs of my students.

In order to carry out my GAME plan I will need support from the technology/computer teacher and librarian, who also works in our media center. These teachers are very good with computers and troubleshooting any technology problems that I may come across.  I will also need to access to different presentation software that my students can use at the end of their project.

Some additional information that I will need is initial observations of my students regarding their strengths and weaknesses. One of my goals is to alter my lessons to best meet the needs of my students, so I need to get more information on my students and try the find the key to motivation. In order to do this, I plan on observing my students over the next few days while I give them a variety of different activities. I may even do a trial run where I have the students split up into groups and have the students assign jobs to each other while they complete a mini-activity. I will watch for how they split themselves up, and how they work together as a group. I will be able to see the group dynamics, and any problem areas I will need to address. This will serve as a type of formative assessment, so I can see what types of problems may arise or if there will be anything that needs to be adjusted (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I will also be able to observe the groups dynamic. I will be able to see which students work best together and which students I need to keep separate.

I also plan on completing a few labs using new Vernier Lab software and equipment that I have never used before. I plan on having the students work with the equipment during a basic lab experiment to learn how to use the equipment. Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer (2009) stated that observing students during activities is a way to monitor the effectiveness of a lesson. I will be walking around to each lab group and monitoring their progress and I will have students report how they are using the equipment in their experiment. The students and I will be working together and giving each other feedback on the lab equipment. This will help me accomplish my second goal which is to work more with my students to learn new programs, technology, and strategies that can be useful in my classroom.

It is important for teachers to know the learning preference and the needs before they design a lesson (Naimia, Siraj, Abuzaid, & Shagholi, 2010). So far I worked with our librarian who made a wiki with all different resources for students to use. She showed me a link on the wiki that takes the students to a survey where they can see what type of learner they are. I had the students take the survey at home and bring their results to me a few days later. As I suspected, almost of the students were visual learners. I knew that many of my students were visual learners already, just from what they told me in class, but I never thought that almost all of them were. I know now that I need to start adding more visual activities in my lessons to appeal to the majority of my students. Knowing what types of learners are present in a class is also important when you have to decide what type of technology will be useful in your lessons (Naimie et. al, 2010). This information gave me a good jumping off point to start planning my lessons and accomplishing my goals.


Kayla Shandra


References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Naimie, Z., Siraj, S., Ahmed Abuzaid, R., & Shagholi, R. (2010). Hypothesized Learners' Technology Preferences Based on Learning Style Dimensions. Turkish Online Journal Of Educational Technology - TOJET, 9(4), 83-93.

My Personal GAME Plan- Kayla Shandra

Shandra, Kayla: My Personal Game Plan

Week #2

1/10/2012

Indicators:

1.      Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with the students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual knowledge.

Goal: Work together with my students to learn new programs, technology, and strategies that can be useful in my classroom.

2.  Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

Goal: Alter my lessons so that they best meet the needs of all my students and motivate my students.

My first goal was that I want to work together with my students to learn new programs, technology, and strategies that can be useful in my classroom. I feel that a lot of times I do not have enough time to learn new technology and programs that can be beneficial to my students. It is very hard for me to find time to learn new technology and programs and plan meaningful, engaging lessons. I am a bit of a control freak and get very anxious when I do not know exactly what will happen throughout the lesson. I want to take a step back and go into a lesson, admitting that I do not know a lot about the program, and tell the students “let’s work together to explore and brainstorm different, creative ways that this new program can be used in our classroom”. I would also challenge my students to find aspects of the program that may be “hidden” and only a really tech savvy person would be able to figure it out.

My second goal was to alter my lessons so that they best meet the needs of all my students and motivate my students. I do try to do this with my students, but unfortunately I am inconsistent or there is so much to get through during my lesson, that it gets pushed aside. I have to be honest, when I wrote this goal, I sat and thought how I can do this without creating even more work for myself, so that I do not get overwhelmed and quit. I thought about having my students do more group projects, where each student would be assigned a job. The job would be specific for each student’s needs. For example, for the students who are visual leaners, they can work on the graphics and visual aspects of the presentation. For my kinesthetic learners, they can concentrate on actually completing the hands-on activities etc. It is really about knowing the strengths of the students and letting them showcase their talent to their group and the rest of the class. I feel that this would serve as motivation for the students. Sevinc, Ozmen, and Yigit (2011) found that students in a science class were more motivated when they actively participated in a laboratory activity they were familiar with, because students felt more successful when they worked on something they knew how to do well. I feel that this applies to any activity that a student does. If the students are completing something they are good at and interested in, they will work harder because they have a higher chance of being successful.

I will monitor my progress by completing a deeper reflection at the end of the lesson. I will be making notes on how successful the lesson was and the level of motivation and engagement of my students during the lesson. I will reflect on each strategy after I use them and try different ones if I need to.  I will also ask myself if any modifications will need to be made to my lessons and then make the appropriate adjustments (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

After I monitor my progress, I will evaluate and extend my learning by looking at my reflections and observation notes. I may even look at my students’ grades to see if there was an increase or decrease.  I will decide whether or not I reached my goals, or if there are any further modifications I may have to make. I will also ask myself “what will I do differently in the future?” (Cennamo, Ross, &Ertmer, p. 5). If I reached my goals and all the strategies worked, then I will do more research and continue using those strategies and any other that I come across in my research.

Kayla Shandra

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom        use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA:     Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Sevinc, B., Ozmen, H., & Yigit, N. (2011). Investigation of primary students' motivation levels    towards science learning. Science Education International, 22(3), 218-232.

Final Reflection EDUC 6711

Throughout the course, I have been exposed to various learning theories and different strategies that teachers can use in their classroom.  Before this course I have heard of these theories but have never learned strategies on how to apply these strategies in my lessons. I was able to expand on my personal learning theory, and incorporate new technology in my classroom that will greatly benefit my students’ education.

During week 1, I was committed to the constructivist learning theory. After this course, I remain committed to constructivism, but I also would also like to include the social learning theory and the cognitive learning theory. It is important to not only concentrate on the students working together to create an artifact, but it is also important to concentrate on how well the students work with peers and having the students understand their own thinking process. Team work and collaborative learning is very important in school as well as in the work force. Many employers look for prospective employees with these essential skills.

I will definitely be using SpiderScribe and VoiceThread in my classroom. In fact I am currently using both tools in a few of my classes. I believe that these two tools allow students to organize their thoughts and information they research to make connections between the information. These are essential skills to have in order to gain a deep understanding of the material. Tools such as VoiceThread allow students to work collaboratively with each other and learn how to communicate and discuss topics with peers. I would also like to start a classroom blog where the class can view and comment on discussion topics that I post. This will further promote the importance of being able to discuss information with others in a respectable way.

           My first long term goal is to have students work in groups more often. The social aspect of group work is very important. Students learn valuable skills when working with their peers, such as communication and collaborative problem-solving skills (Pitler, Hunnell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Students also learn to listen to their peers and respond in respectful ways, even though someone may not be pulling their weight or have a differing opinion. In order to achieve this goal, I will be rearranging my desks into small groups so that it will be easier to work with partners or groups during class outside of the lab setting. Instead of having students get up and move their desk if I want them to work with their peers, I can have them take about 5 minutes to discuss the topic with the students in their group, instead of adding the distraction of moving desks.

My second long term goal is to explore new programs and technology tools with my students. One thing I learned in this course is that there are many useful programs out there that can aid in students learning. I plan on challenging students to find new and exciting programs that can help them in class and present them to the class. I can even have students think of ways to use familiar tools, such as a social networking site, and have them brainstorm ways that we can use them in class. I plan on doing this at the beginning of the next school year so that the students may utilize these skills and programs throughout the year.

In conclusion, after this course I feel well prepared and well equipped with the tools I need to successfully incorporate technology in my classroom. I learned that the constructivist, cognitive, and social learning theories work well for me because they help prepare my students for the real world.  I will be using tools such as SpiderScribe to help students organize their thoughts, Voice Thread to help students present their thoughts, and blogs to promote discussions between my students.  I feel that I grew as an educator and that my students will benefit greatly from the skills I have learned in this course.

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

Kayla Shandra

Social Learning and Social Networking

Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) defined collaborative learning as when students work together in groups to enhance their learning. By working together with their peers, students can “make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge”(Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007,p.139). I explored a variety of different cooperative learning strategies and a few social networking strategies. As I explored both types of strategies, I started to make connections between the two and how I can incorporate both in my classroom.

When it comes to using Facebook in my classroom, I tend to be cautious. Almost every student has Facebook, but the last thing they use it for is academics. I came up with the idea of having students design a class Facebook page. I would assign different roles to students to create the page. We could have a homework posting area, homework help, class discussions etc. I would need the students help to come up with more ideas. Students would also be responsible for maintaining and updating the page daily. I would of course need to set strict ground rules, such as no inappropriate posts or pictures. Although I am hesitant, I think it can be worth a try.

The second tool I would use is blogs. Students can work in small groups to design and maintain a blog related to science. I would run it similar to how we run our blog posts in this course. Each group would be responsible for posting early in the week and reading/responding to classmates blogs. Students will need to communicate and work with others in their groups to keep the blog up-to-date.

No matter what social networking strategy I would use, I would give the students a rubric outlining how they will be graded based on their participation. I would also give each group a sheet where they have to assign a role to each group member. The main goal for all these ideas is to have students work together to build something, communicate with their peers, and support each other, which is a main goal of social learning. It also allows students to see how the social networking sites can be used for other purposes, rather than discussing their social lives!

Here is the link to my VoiceThread:

http://voicethread.com/share/2498859/

Kayla Shandra

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

Constructivism in Practice

I use generating and testing hypotheses all the time in the laboratory portion of my class.  During my lab, I present students with a problem and they must work with their lab group and try to solve that problem. Once in a while, I give the students a list of materials and have them develop their own scientific questions from those materials. With the new developments in technology, students can use equipment such as, probeware, to gather and interpret data (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). In my Biology class, I use Vernier probeware.  A series of different probes came with the set along with a personal labquest computer. The students use the probes, which are connected to the lab quest computer, to collect and store data. Students can then go back and look at the data and start to interpret and analyze that data.  I feel this is connected to constructivism because students are working with their lab group to conduct an experiment, collect their own data, and finally, produce an end product. This relates to project-based learning because students are building their own knowledge throughout a hands-on projects and activities, and producing some sort of artifact which showcases that knowledge gained. In my case, the artifact is either a technology based presentation of results, or a lab report. The learners are also engaged in a complex activity that takes place over a number of class periods, which is a main aspect of project-based learning (Orey, 2001). Overall, constructivism is a learner-centered strategy where the teacher simply serves as a guide (Orey, 2001).  I believe that constructivism goes hand in hand with project-based learning. Through project-based and constructivist lessons, students work together to solve a problem or answer a question and then share their results with their peers (Orey, 2001).

Kayla Shandra

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.

Cognitivism in Practice

Cues are used to help students know what they are about to experience during the lesson (Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  When starting a new unit, I often give students an anticipation guide that not only allows me to assess their prior knowledge on the topic, but it also gives the students a sneak peak at what will be learning throughout the unit.  As far as questioning, I always begin and end my class with a question. My warm-up question either serves as a review from last class, or it connects in some way to the new material. My exit slip questions are almost always a review question, so that I can assess the students understanding of the lesson.

One of my favorite things to use are advance organizers. When I started teaching three years ago I only gave advanced organizers to students to my special education students who needed them. When I saw how much it helped them with note taking, I decided to start using them with all my students. My students love advanced organizers and I believe that it helps with their note taking skills. Students are learning how to organize their notes and pick out main ideas, instead of writing every single word they see in the paragraph. I often include a summarizing part to my graphic organizer so the students can make connections and write all the information in a way that shows the overall picture, which is the main goal of summarizing (Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

I often use concept maps as a type of advanced organizer or as a brainstorming activity. When I use it as a brainstorming activity, I try to tap into a student’s prior knowledge and see what they know about a certain topic.  I believe that when using virtual field trips it would be beneficial for students to have some sort of concept map to organize all the information they gather. It can also serve as a guide through the virtual field trip which can make the field trip more meaningful for students. If the student have a concept map guiding them, they will be less likely to just click through the information because they will have to stop at certain points and read and record certain information.

Kayla Shandra

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

Behaviorist Learning Theory

As I looked through the learning resources and sample websites, I noticed that although the online activities were different, they all we set up very similar. Dr. Orey (2010) mentioned that reinforcement and punishment are very important parts of the theory of behaviorism. Teachers should always try to reinforce positive outcomes. I noticed that during all the online activities, when the correct outcome was accomplished, the program gave some sort of positive reinforcement. For example, during one of the activities where the students had to put the correct amount of change in the piggy bank, the piggy bank changed color when the correct amount was chosen. When students see this positive response, it motivates them to try their best. It also serves as a form of reinforcement. This can be applied to homework. When students work hard on a homework assignment, they should learn to expect a good grade. When I hand tests and homework back to the students, I make sure I put a sticker and a positve comment at the top of their paper to reinforce their hard work. I also noticed that when an answer was incorrect, the activity either told the student that the answer was wrong, or it had the student try over and over again until the correct answer was chosen. I can see how this can serve as a type of punishment and will discourage incorrect answers.  Many times, a prompt was given to the student to direct them in the right direction.  The goal of behaviorism is to change a student’s behaviors using punishment and reinforcement and these online activities clearly show this (Laureate Education,Inc.,2010).

Laureate Education,Inc.(Producer).(2010) Behaviorist learning theory [Video webcast].