Word Cloud

Chapters 10 and 11

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” The same can be said for education. If a student does not keep pace with his or her peers, perhaps it is because he or she learns a different way. Let that student learn the way he or she most clearly benefits, however different it is. Regardless of the class you teach, general ed, ICT, self-contained, elementary, adolescent, etc. your students are individuals with individual learning needs and preferences. As educators, it is our responsibility to respect and acknowledge these differences within our instruction. Technology is a great tool to assist in differentiation of instruction. There are a number of digital tools and apps that allows students to learn the same content through different methods of instruction. For example, the SMARTBoard can be used to assist those students who thrive on visual cues and on sensory-motor involvement. It is also possible to use technology within the classroom to allow students to create and publish work as extensions to already developed lessons and as a means for increased assistance for those students who need the guidance. Technology is also a way for students to work together and provide peer-to-peer assistance and guidance in mixed-ability groups. It is important to reach all of the students, and although it requires more planning and a larger time investment, the goal is for each student to reach his or her potential. 

 Reflective thinking is an important skill to develop whether or are a student or a professional. Reflective thinking allows you to assess what worked and what needs improvement, what you understand and what you need clarification on. Without reflection, the information you have learned and the lessons you have implemented have no meaning, they are simply things that happened. Reflection gives purpose and meaning to tasks and information. It allows you to contextualize information and come to conclusions about the importance and relevance of the information in terms of your own personal experiences. Professionals need to be engaged in reflective thinking in order to assess whether or not their instruction was valuable and effective, to plan for the future, and in order to model the process for their students. Students should think reflectively in order to better understand what they need as learners and to assess their own development. Digital technology can be incorporated to facilitate reflective thinking activities. Portfolios and student participation systems are just two examples of this. The development and maintenance of a portfolio will allow a student to see his or her progress over a period of time, evaluate his or her strengths and weaknesses, and encourage the student to think about what could be done to improve in the future. Student participation systems, such as handheld and wireless tools for interactive learning, allow individuals and the class as a whole to reflect on their commonalities and differences in comprehension and opinions. Teachers may be able to use these tools as a way to gauge student understanding of a concept and visually represent to the class the breakdown of information.

Questions: 

1. What are some specific tools that are good for differentiation? 

2. How can we promote an understanding of the benefits of reflective thinking to our students? 

3. How can younger students (ie, K-2) engage in reflective thinking in an age appropriate manner?

 

11/11/15

       My major take away from today's class is that while assistive technology is important and potentially life changing for students with disabilities, it is also valuable for students without disabilities. There is a tendency, and I fall into this category too, to think of high-tech inventions when thinking of assistive technology. However, assistive technology can be as simple as behavioral management tools, manipulatives, and pencil grips. These tools are certainly not exclusively for students with disabilities, and while they can still be used for those students, they can also be applied to all students.

       There was a comment made in the video we watched about the assistive technology that stuck with me. It was said that many people working with people in need of assistive technology often don't know the options available to them. This is a huge problem. How can we expect to help individuals in need of extra assistance when professionals are not aware of the options available to them? We need to become more educated and make learning about our opportunities a greater priority in order to better help ourselves and our students.

Chapters 7 and 8

"Synchronous communications occur in real time, as with cell phone conversations or text message exchanges. Individuals converse as if face to face; there is little to no wait time for a reply to statements." (pg 188). 

"Asynchronous communications involve a time delay, as with email messages, online discussions, or blogs. Communicators wait for replies to their statements, although the usual time lag is dramatically shorter than for a letter or postcard sent through postal mail." (pg 188). Synchronous conversations are increasingly easier to have nowadays. You no longer need to be face-to-face with another person, nor do you both need to be near your landline phone. Now all it takes is the ability to send a text message, which takes virtually no time to send and reply to. This means there is a vast difference in the way people used to obtain information and they way people are able to do this now. Communicating and obtaining information is now, essentially, instantaneous. It means that more information can be communicated at a quicker rate and that this information can become widespread at a much more rapid pace than previously. Such is the case with social media. A video can go viral in no time at all. A statement made by a political candidate is public knowledge within the hour. The events happening in your community may not be spread by word of mouth, but the story is spread just as quickly, if not quicker. This also changes today's society sense of patience and ability to delay gratification. It is often said that today's generation of kids are constantly in need of immediate gratification, and that very well may be true. These kids are able to obtain answers at a moment's notice. They can instantly ask someone a question via text or social media. They have seemingly limitless options for entertainment via apps, websites, video games, and television. It makes sense that this generation would demand more immediate gratification because the technology that they are immersed in is one of immediacy.  Generations who grew up relying on postcards and letters would have a vastly different sense of what is an acceptable time frame for a response to a question. It also means that newer generations may have seemingly shorter attention spans, though I am not entirely convinced that this is true. I think it may be more a result of changing societal norms. For example, it is no longer is it acceptable to wait two weeks for a response to a personal message. 

What does this mean for today's classrooms? It means that information must be presented at a different rate and in different manners. Students are easily able to access information, that is no longer a major concern. A larger concern is their ability to determine what information is reliable and relevant. It also means that educators today have the unique ability to show students how to access information in a number of different mediums. Teachers may still instruct students on how to conduct paper-based research, however, they can also show students how to conduct database searches, how to use different apps to organize and access information. It is also possible for students to gain information via computer-based games. Skills learning games use elements of game play to involve students in learning academic material. In stealth learning games students learn without realizing they are learning because academic skills and information are embedded within the activities of the game. "At the same time, more and more teachers are engaging in educational networking (also called social networking for educators ). Educational networking involves teachers using social networking technologies for educational rather than social purposes. "

Readily available information also means that students may conduct research themselves. Teachers are no longer the most readily available source of information. This lends itself to inquiry based instruction. Students can, and should, be given the opportunity to seek answers to questions themselves. There are even "intelligent tutoring systems" in which software programs are able to improve student performance through the continued use of the system. One such example is iReady. (http://www.curriculumassociates.com/products/iready/diagnostic-instruction.aspx). 

Two options for usage of social media, websites, wikis, etc. that are presented stood out to me in particular. 1) Publishing student work and 2) building learning communities. These are two processes that students will be engaged in outside of the classroom on a regular basis and I think there is something to be said for presenting students with opportunities to explore everyday skills and activities through an educational lens. 

Here is a discussion of education (what it is, why we need it, and how it could be changed) on YouTube, a good example of how quickly and widely information can be spread and new platforms on which it can be presented. 

Questions: 
1. How does readily accessible information effect the everyday structure of today's classrooms?
2. Do you believe that today's students have shorter attention spans?
3. What is one way that we, as educators, may use digital technology to instruct students on how to build a learning community that is safe, respectful, reliable, and ethical?

10/21

We began our discussion of WebQuests today, mainly focusing on what is expected and what the ultimate goal of the project is. While the project does seem to loom overhead, I feel more comfortable beginning the process now than I did at the beginning of the class.

While looking at previously submitted WebQuests I noticed a common theme: students are expected to create something. I need to take time to think about this in the context of my topic, but it is certainly my main goal when developing my WebQuest. I want the students to be able to create something digitally, not just explore digitally. While both are important and relevant skills, I think the entire project will become more engaging and exciting if the students are actively involved in the process of making something.

I also want to try and challenge myself to create a WebQuest that is accessible on mobile devices because many elementary classes are using iPads more frequently.

Theories of Learning - 10/7/15

Today's discussion on learning theories put into perspective all of the different strategies that are currently being pushed in schools. There has recently been a movement to increase student reflection. Students are being asked to reflect on what they learned, what they did well, and what they need to work on more frequently. Often through the use of a rubric. While this strategy might seem superfluous, it makes a lot of sense when you consider a learning theory such as constructivism that suggests that the learning process is a continuous process of experience and reflection. Another example is the Common Core Math standards. Common Core asks students to explain how they arrived at their answers, and not just by showing their work, but by writing a sentence or two to explain the concepts behind the math. It's difficult for me to do because I was never asked, as a student, to learn the why's, only the how's. Math becomes less of a recall process and more about constructing meaning behind concepts. It takes learning to a higher order of thinking. Education is a constant source of debate and discussion and whenever there is a large change in our students' expectations there is always concern and criticism, and rightfully so. It is important to question the credibility of practices. However, today's discussion helped me to think about these new expectations in a new light: theories of learning.

Lessons Learned 9/23

Today I got a better understanding of how the digital divide presents itself in our society. Ten years ago the divide was largest between socio-economic groups, however, today it is much more prevalent between age groups (the elderly being less likely to own and use different types of digital technology). I always assumed that lower income households would be less likely to own digital technology, but today it seems that technology is becoming increasingly more affordable. This trend means that more and more people have access to the Internet regularly. It's safe to say that I had some misconceptions about the widespread availability of digital technology that was corrected during today's class.