Screencast Evaluation of Computertan.com

Class Reflection

As I have read my personal learning theory from week one a few times over, I feel confident that everything I stated is still in my theory of how students learn.  In fact, I can now add titles to some of the ideas that I listed in that initial essay.  One thing I described is how many of the best learning experiences I have had a part in consisted of something being created by the learner’s own two hands, and I can now title this theory constructionism. This theory “emphasizes the value of learning through creating, programming, or participating in other forms of designing,” and tends to add personalization and motivation to student work (Han & Bhattacharya, 2001).

Another philosophy I have been an advocate of for years is that more school projects and practice needs to be focused on real world applications.  To me, learning facts or ideas without any idea of how to implement them in a real setting is mostly a waste of time.  Now, I know from personal experience that you sometimes pick up where to use those facts later down the line, but it would have been much more beneficial to be exposed to those connections near the onset.  This theory now has a name attached also, and it is called problem-based learning or inquiry. “Problem-based inquiry is an effort to challenge students to address real-world problems and resolve realistic dilemmas,” (Glazer, 2001).  I love this approach, and wish more high schools would buy into it instead of focusing on how to score proficient on state standardized tests.

I have also added a few modifications to my learning theory, including the importance of using technology as a learning tool as opposed to an instructional tool and mastering learning strategies over the course of my career.  As Dr. Michael Orey points out, there is a distinct difference in using technology as the teacher in front of the class, and activating the learner’s creativity and potential by giving the technology to the kids (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).  This will be an important philosophy to adhere to as I start to include new tools and lesson plans.  Secondly, I have found value in the idea that a teacher should not try to implement a handful of things all at once, but is better off to master a skill or two at a time.  This idea was brought to light as Dr. Debra Pickering discussed how it might be good for a teacher to concentrate hard one year on adapting their curriculum to include identifying similarities and differences and maybe experiment with another, but it can be ineffective to try too much (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).  So mastering a few proven strategies at a time as opposed to racing between several will be more beneficial for student learning.

In the short-term, I will do my best to include wikis and VoiceThread in the fourth quarter this year.  I have already had two classes start wikis, and now just have to follow though on finalizing them.  My algebra 2 class is working on a quarter long project that has them posting the procedures they learn, and attaching pictures of graphs and other images that add value.  The geometry wiki project has students creating a series of images using similar shapes in Geometer’s Sketchpad, and then pasting the images online with complementing descriptions.  Each of these wikis are being done collaboratively in groups and will enhance learning through comparisons of their work to others in the class, as well as teaching them how to use web building tools.  I have not determined exactly how I will use the VoiceThread software yet, but I know I will require them to solve real life problems online using both the audio recorder and webcam.  This will teach students important 21^st century skills including problem solving, communication literacy, and using modern recording applications.

In terms of my instructional strategy repertoire, I have surely picked up two skills to focus on in the upcoming year, and they are nonlinguistic representation and identifying similarities and differences.  I already use both, but I have not mastered either.  In daily lesson planning I will use a template next year that has check boxes for both, and I will strive to include them regularly.  For example, I will modify my Promethean flipcharts by adding images to support ideas, and videos to strengthen procedures.  To ensure I also include more ideas of similarities and differences, I will use a prompt from Dr. Debra Pickering where students are required to identify the topic and format, identify characteristics, explain how they are similar and different, and at the end of the lesson, state what was learned (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).  In this type of teaching I will also include many images where they can visually compare and contrast, and aim to use proper examples and non-examples of desired traits.

The visions of my long-term goals include making my classroom fully supported online, and having a problem-based attachment to every unit.  The importance of an online classroom is to make learning mobile and available to students no matter where they are or what they need help with.  One of the hardest things for me to do is find the time to catch students up when they miss class and to find the time to stay after school multiple days per week for individual help.  My goal is to use this summer to create my own classroom on Google sites complete with printable homework, notes, and numerous resource links.  I already know how to create a wiki from these classes, and will use a few model sites to setup my framework.  I am even thinking I should attend a web design seminar in my off months.  The problem-based inclusion will probably take a little more time because I have to come up with authentic problems, possibly centered on a thematic unit.  However, I will set a goal to make two units problem-based next year, and then evaluate where to go from there.  In any case, I have added several new technologies and strategies to implement and experiment with.  It was my goal to learn new and innovative ways to use technology in the classroom and begin to reshape the direction of modern education, and I think I have made progress again in this course.     

References

Glazer, E. (2001). Problem Based Instruction. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved <April 17, 2011>, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Han, S., and Bhattacharya, K. (2001). Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved <April 17, 2011>, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program eleven. Instructional strategies, Part one [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program thirteen. Technology: Instructional tool vs. learning tool [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

VoiceThread: Prioritizing Time

Hello everyone.  I've uploaded a my VoiceThread topic and chose to focus on a current struggle I'm having with balancing time commitments.  If you have any good advice or are a strong organizer, I invite you to share your opinions.  Thanks!

http://voicethread.com/?#u1739094.b1904029.i10028407

Three Effective Social Learning Tools

In this week’s resources, I investigated several trending techniques in education that fall under the category of social learning strategies.  With all of the Web 2.0 tools available for classroom use, it would take a pretty thick book to examine each to see if they were indeed social.  So I have picked just three tools that I feel are socially related from the vast array of choices: Multimedia presentations in the form of videos, cooperative websites, and online learning communities.  In each of these strategies, it is important to administer a variety of criteria to group students and to promote interaction and team accountability (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

Making video productions in a fantastic tool to use in today’s classrooms and helps students capture skills that can be carried across curriculums and general interests.  In our current digital age, it is essential knowledge to know the trade of designing and streaming videos.  In fact, videos are quickly replacing other media as the go-to source for quick knowledge and for posting personal ideas. The students can capture and share their learning using I-movies, Camtasia Studio, and other video editing software, and should be formatted according to rubric-formatted guidelines.  This strategy offers multiple social learning aspects including cooperation, collaboration, and behavior modeling.

Cooperative websites are another great social tool that utilize collaboration and teamwork.  Free website applications are now common among stable hosts such as Google or iWeb.  In the creation of these sites, students are gaining valuable exposure to another essential 21^st century skill of designing and showcasing via the Web.  For example, I just had my students begin the design of a Wikispaces page that serves as a host for their notes on the procedures used in algebra 2.  So in formal groups they have been assigned to create a step-by-step process list for each newly acquired skill, and organize them collectively in a social environment.  This practical strategy calls for attention to detail and peer-revisions of notes.

Lastly, online learning communities offer a social network that is similar to Facebook.  These secure neighborhoods provide tremendous opportunities for students to share thoughts in discussion boards or blogs, share resource links, and submit work (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Some of the more common providers of these online services are Moodle, Blackboard, and MyBigCampus.  This tool is centered around social interactions and if carefully administered, can model anything from professional online etiquette to audience accountability.

References

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

Constructivist and Constructionist Instructional Strategies

Constructivism in theory is centered on the concept that each unique individual formulates an understanding of objects or ideas based on their personal experiences.  Dr. Michael Orey examines how his mental understanding of a chair is not exactly like my depiction of a chair simply because we have had different experiences with the object (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010).  In my geometry classroom, I may use a problem that involves the construction of a roof truss and picture examples from my prior work in construction.  Students, however, may not have encountered a truss before, and would have a higher degree of difficulty in understanding the problem because the object is foreign.  These differences in our schema regarding the shape may call for more images or hands on activities that embed the idea into their brains.

In relation, constructionism is a learning theory that has students designing their own artifacts, and is an active builder of their own knowledge (Han and Bhattacharya, 2001).  This building can be hands-on or technology oriented and usually revolves around a central theme or problem.  There are a lot of great tools to use in this learning model, and we explored several of them this week.

The first strategy I will examine is problem-based learning.  This approach has countless applications in the classroom, and an important one for this week is WebQuests.  A WebQuest is defined as “a web-based, inquiry-oriented activity through which students examine evidence about a particular topic and then respond to an issue or make a decision from a particular point of view” (Glazer, 2001).  This is a tremendous tool for lessons that have students problem solving and investigating independently or collaboratively.  In any case, the students have a real-world task to explore through a series of resources links and guides to hypothesize and construct their own solutions.  Through active investigation, students will accommodate their finding to any prior knowledge to generate valuable and meaningful solutions.

A valuable constructionist strategy is project-based learning, and it offers immense opportunities for students to build artifacts.  To fully utilize this approach, the process should take numerous lessons and have complex tasks (Han and Bhattacharya, 2001).  Ideally, the end result of this task is an elaborate artifact that showcases the learning that has taken place.  I can remember one example from my middle school years in which I investigated Switzerland in a project called the Festival of Nations.  I created a detailed and colored coordinated map of the country, cooked a recipe from the native culture, designed a cheese pamphlet in Microsoft Publisher, and much more.  I still have many of the artifacts today because they had a lot of personal meaning to me.

 Lastly, generating and testing hypotheses is a great tool in activating prior knowledge and connecting it to real-world problems.  In one classroom example, 5^th grade teacher Mrs. Omar uses real spreadsheet data to have her students consider a scenario of the best way to invest a ten thousand dollar inheritance (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  After the students’ make their hypotheses of the best choice, they use interactive spreadsheets to compare and contrast the outcomes over time.  Such learning experiences require the students to make a choice based on their prior knowledge, and test the validity of their ideas.  This strategy, like the others, results in genuine learning through active participation, while building an understanding of logical reasoning.         

     

References

Glazer, E. (2001). Problem Based Instruction. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved <March 24, 2011>, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Han, S., and Bhattacharya, K. (2001). Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved <March 24, 2011>, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program five. Cognitive learning theory [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.

Cognitivism in the Classroom

Cognitive learning to me has everything to do with getting students brains to mentally process information at optimal speed.  To put it into perspective, I think of it like driving from Chicago to Houston.  There are probably infinitely many ways to get there, but only a few ways that might be in consideration for the fastest route.  Today, we can use Google Maps, Mapquest, Bing Maps, or a host of other services, including a GPS, to make that choice for us.  It used to be that you had to use a map and make your own choices, and before maps, I’m assuming you just gave it your best shot if you had to go.  So in relation, a person’s mind can figure things out numerous ways, but the fastest way can only be taken if your brain knows the route.  Maybe it is a poor analogy, or understanding, but it makes sense in my mind.

According to dual coding theory, these routes are very possibly created separately in the brain for written information and visual information, and the images are very important for many learners to make connections (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010).  In connection to education, when you think about the way notes are usually taken by students, they are primarily written with no visual representation.  I find this to be especially true for topics that tend to be more procedural rather that special, at least in mathematics.  For example, when I teach spatial geometric topics, the material usually gets ample visual representation.  However, when I teach a more abstract topic like algebra, the only frequent visuals are graphs that may be hard to interpret. 

One great strategy to aid the notes and procedures in such courses is to organize key concepts visually using advance organizers.  These graphic organizers can be great tools in helping students understand connections between material, and accompanying the tool with “higher level or essential questions” can help to achieve high results and deeper learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  In my algebra classes, I could use an online organizer to have students make flow charts of key concepts like factoring polynomials or graphing parabolas.  Flow charts will give the students a visual representation of the process involved with the topic.  In addition, I could deepen understanding by having the students connect concepts across units to see how the information ties to each other visually.

Also during note taking sessions, I see too many students writing down my presentations or quotes word for word.  According to our week’s strategy resources, “Verbatim note taking is perhaps the least effective way to take notes” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  To help change this problem, I could use Microsoft Word to show students how to synthesize notes using different tools such as track changes or auto summarize.  However, I feel that students should also be able to do these types of summaries under their own power.  I have heard of some classes using a highly acclaimed style called Cornell notes, but I find it simpler to use daily encouragement and shared note-taking sessions to teach the students key strategies in taking quality notes.  In these sessions we do a variety of things including taking your own notes from textbooks and comparing them with your group, including visual representation of big ideas, and putting new information down in your own words.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program five. Cognitive learning theory [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.

Beneficial Behaviorism Strategies

The first and second day of class are always in contention with the most important days of the school year for the success of my students.  I believe that being proactive instead of reactive is essential for setting a high bar of expectations.  On day one I always end the last ten minutes of the class by explaining how to pass the class and how to excel in life. It is a triangular scheme that focuses on how each and every person controls their attitude, effort, and knowledge.  If students can learn to examine and strive in these areas, the human mind is capable of unbelievable things.

With this idea in mind, I will turn to the behaviorist strategy of reinforcing effort.  If students are praised for effort on a regular basis they will often begin to increase their levels of contribution, seeking out that praise.  However, this only works if genuine praise is given for genuine effort.  “Technology makes it easier for students and teachers to track the effects of effort and facilitates more immediate feedback” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Sometimes it can be beneficial to track students’ effort with rubrics or graphs to help them identify where their effort has paid off.  I use an online grade book called Zangle to chart these types of successes and make printouts to show students how their efforts affected assessment scores or other major benchmarks.     

In connection with this idea, it is also fundamental to reinforce the proper completion of everyday practice problems.  This is especially true in procedural studies such as mathematics or English, and students need to view these exercises as important.  I am a firm believer that, “Mastering a skill or process requires a fair amount of focused practice,” and it is hard for the modern student to stay focused without prompt reinforcement (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Students that have grown up in a digital age are used to getting information quickly, and using technology to harness much of the daily reinforcements can be a monumental aid to teachers and student learning.  This behaviorist strategy can be used through a variety of applications and online programs, and I have used numerous types including one this week in my geometry class using an interactive applet from Shodor (http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/Angles/). 

These are only two of the many behaviorist strategies that could be used to benefit education.  The key idea seems to be finding innovative ways to use technology as a reinforcement aid that leads to motivated participation.  I for one will keep looking for these techniques and sharing them with my colleagues in an effort to positively shift modern education.  

References

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

A Reflection of My Role in Modern Education

I am currently in pursuit of my Master’s degree at Walden University, and the course I have recently finished focused on the impact of technology on society, work, and education.  In the duration of this course I have researched and discovered many new tools to incorporate innovative technology into my classroom, as well as the influence these advancements will have on the current shift in school curriculum.  With the big picture in mind, the role of students and teachers alike are changing due to the vast amount of knowledge available in an online, global web.  As Thomas Friedman explains, “We are now in the process of connecting all of the knowledge pools in the world together,” and students can have access to this information without relying on textbooks and lectures (2005).  Understanding this situation and the workforce that awaits today’s students, we need to teach the skills and tools that will prepare them to be the most successful in life.

In this class I have advanced my own technological skills by learning new tools such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, voice-recording software, RSS feed applications, and more.  This blog site has taught me how powerful writing for an audience can be, and how displaying your work for everyone to see places extra accountability on the author.  As part of a team I collaborated in engineering a Wiki site, which modeled for me how multiple people can edit a work together to showcase a refined product.  In addition, I discovered the power of recording my own voice, and the voices of students, to be broadcast for anyone to hear on a podcasting host.  It is essential that teachers are trained in these new technologies and other like them if they are going to be properly modeled for use in student learning.  Teaching will always be a human craft, but presenting these resources for students to use will allow them to take learning into their own hands.    

Through this course, I have also deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process.  I understand how the current education model came into existence through the changing work environment of America.  The current stage of our educational system is still being run according to the cycle of agricultural seasons and the procedural job market of the industrial age (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010c).  However, the shift of job markets has now shown an increasing demand on workers ability to gather information themselves and communicate that information to others, often via the Internet.  “It used to be that schools and teachers ‘owned’ the content they taught to their classrooms,” but this is no longer the case (Richardson, 2010).    

There are new skills that have been targeted as the traits students will need to prevail in the 21^st century.  Atop the list of these skills are critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, communication, creativity, leadership, self-direction, collaboration, and information literacy (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010b).  Though it would be hard to examine each of these skills separately, I see a trend in them that advocates for the use of technological devices that allows them to discover and investigate on their own terms, and often as a group.  In any case, listening to lecture or having students only access a single textbook to lead their learning seems to be a style that breeds dependency, and may also be a reason why many students find that school is a waste of their time.      

When I analyze these skills, they also point to learning that is student-centered, and uses the teacher as a master facilitator. Student-centered learning illustrates an environment were students can be self-directed and learn to feel comfortable finding their own answers to problems.  Ideally, when this type of learning takes place a teacher can find more time to work with students one-on-one and differentiate instruction based on individual learning preferences.  However, I cannot see how this mode of instruction is possible without the aid of the proper tools; a personal computer and the Internet.  Dr. David Thornburg used a quote from Seymour Papert to highlight this situation questioning, “What impact would a pencil have [had] on education if you had to go to a pencil lab to use one?” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010d). 

I have always wanted to cultivate a learner-centered classroom, but never had a grasp of how to accomplish it.  My belief is now in well planned, capturing lessons that are centered around innovative technological tools.  What is more, I do not have the time to accomplish this all on my own, but instead need collaboration in the department to construct an enriching curriculum.  To do my part, I must commit to being a life-long learner.  In this class we have learned only a handful of the applications available, and becoming a member of organizations such as the Partnership for 21st Century Skills or the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will help me stay connected to innovation.  Plus, continuing in my professional development courses will continue to evolve me into a master educator of the 21^st century.

The true test of this philosophy will come into play in my own classroom.  To make myself accountable of this, I have been asked to set two goals for myself in the next two years.  My first goal will be to devote myself to finishing my Master’s program at Walden, while learning and implementing each tool I learn along the way.  For example, I have learned to use blogs, wikis, podcasts, and RSS feeds already, so before the end of this school year I will have experimented and reflected on each of them to determine their role in next year’s curriculum.  My second goal will be based upon David Thornburg’s idea that the, “Real power comes when we use new technologies to do different things, not just to do the same thing differently” (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010a).  To accomplish this purpose I will record at least one new technology that I use to teach different things every semester.  This semester I have already committed to using a networking hub called My Big Campus to create a social online group in one of my classrooms (http://www.mybigcampus.com).

So far, I have only managed to incorporate a Wikispaces page and one new design based assessment into my curriculum since the beginning of the course.  So as I examine my checklist of 21^st century skill practices from the beginning of the course, there are only minor changes.  I have begun to design instructional activities that require collaboration and real-world application, but it is a time-consuming task to do alone.  It took four hours to create each of the two new lessons, and it is hard to find the extra time on top of other tasks I have to accomplish on a regular week.  I have also identified that I need to model reflective practices in my lessons so that students can self-examine their learning as I have done in this essay.

Lastly, to finish my thoughts as they pertain to the checklist and my overall success as a teacher, I have realized that I need to make a difference in my school first.  I have to be a leader in modifying the curriculum that my school uses by modeling successful works through student creations or artifacts, examples of innovative lessons, and student testimonials.  If I can demonstrate and promote the model we have begun to develop in this course, I may be able to get teachers and administration to buy into and join this effort.  I am still in the learning process, but have already joined the technology committee in my school and shared new tools with teachers in my department.  I am making progress and by continuing to push, I feel I can make a difference in the future of education.  

References

Friedman, T. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Picador.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 1: Emergence of educational technology [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 11: Skills for the 21st century [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 3: The 3rd wave [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 13: Today’s Students [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Today's Students on Technology: A Podcast Episode

This was my first ever podcast experience and actually, my first time recording my own voice in a long time.  This broadcast is just a small representation of the discussions we had, and we all used notes to help us deliver our opinions, so some of it will sound scripted.  My recordings were created using the Mac application GarageBand, and the students were only present during the portion they speak in.  For those of you who have never done a podcast, I recommend giving it a try, and be patient because it is a little tricky. 

Click on the blog title or this picture to listen.

Join the Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Start by watching this Youtube Video on P21

Partnership for 21^st Century Skills

If you caught the recent State of the Union Address delivered by President Obama, you may recall him proclaiming, “Maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to America's success. But if we want to win the future -- if we want innovation to produce jobs in America and not overseas -- then we also have to win the race to educate our kids” (Obama, 2011).  This vision, this dream of the future, will require teachers and schools to reshape the current style of education into a new model.  One of the leading organizations advocating such a philosophy for educating our nation’s youth is the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). 

P21’s mission statement is “to serve as a catalyst to position 21st century readiness at the center of US K12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders” (http://www.p21.org/).  This message points to the need for American education to catch up to the world around it.  I agree with P21’s goals and am on board to use the resources the organization provides, and I’m not the only one it seems.  Look at the members that have partnered with this organizations and you will find front-running companies such as Apple, Adobe, Microsoft, and Verizon just to name a few.

Within an hour of browsing the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website, I found some great online resources.  One of the tools they have provided the public with is called Route 21 and it provides links to hundreds of resources they have found to encompass 21^st century skills.  On one of the links I located several innovative teaching games including one created by an MIT student called, Lure of the Labyrinth.  I was also surprised that my home state of Wisconsin is on board with the program, and shows that we have current initiative to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs in our schools (http://www.p21.org/). 

The only issue I have with P21’s theories and ideas is e-school for high school students.  I have never liked this idea and feel that young adolescent students should not be allowed this option until they are eighteen years of age.  My thoughts are that young children need more direction than e-school can offer, and being able to properly interact in a real, social environment is still an essential skill for any individual.

The website did cause me to examine my own practices, and I found that on most levels, 21^st century teaching implies than students have regular accessibility to modern computers and the Internet.  One cannot use wikis, blogs, podcasts, or other Internet applications if the tools are not there.  Furthermore, the use and variation of technological interfaces such as multi-user virtual environments with avatars or traveling augmented reality sessions described by educational technology pioneer Dr. Chris Dede would currently be impossible in low-fund schools (Laureate, 2010).  So in order for this vision to sweep the nation, our schools are going to need some help financially.  

   

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 12: Technology interfaces [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Obama, B. (2011, January 25). The State of the Union Address.  Speech delivered at the House of Representatives Chamber at the U.S. Capitol.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2011 from http://www.p21.org/

Using Blogs in the Classroom

I teach geometry and algebra 2 at the high school level and am looking to begin a blog for my classes that will create a place for students to collaborate on the content of the course, as well as provide addition opportunities for them to better understand the material. Being a math teacher, most of the work students are assessed on has little to do with writing and is focused on problem solving.  So introducing blogging in my courses would have to be done in a creative fashion.  My initial thoughts are to setup up a site that uses pictures of common problems from a section and have students explain the process in which they use would use to solve it.  According to Will Richardson, “One of the biggest potentials of Weblogs is the ability to create spaces where students can collaborate with others online.”  So in this classroom portal space, students could discuss with one another where they are having problems on their work and help one another.  Presumably, I could post my advice, or at least come the next day already knowing their struggles.

Another good starting point may be to post a weekly challenge problem that students can try to solve, while allowing for them to collaborate their ideas on how to attack it.  This would hopefully generate a competitive atmosphere where students who want to be challenged can showcase their knowledge.  I would make it mandatory for solutions to be submitted on the blog in a well-organized document to foster professionalism. 

Another direction I could head would be to create a blog site that harbors links to informational sites on the topics of the course.  This would be great in supporting them from home when they have trouble finding time to set up meetings with me or other tutors.  I could link sites that further explain the topic, or videos from Youtube, Brightstorm, and other similar video collections.  After all, “Being able to connect ideas and resources via linking is one of blogging’s most important strengths,” (Richardson, 2010).  This would not only aid struggling students, but also help students who missed class and are falling behind.  It would also enhance lessons by making them mobile and showing the material from another point of view. 

Lastly, I could connect the blog links to the school website for easy of location or possibly show students how to create a Google Reader account.  If they had their own RSS feed to these blogs, checking them for updates daily would be much quicker.  Looking ahead, this seems like a large step in the right direction.  Now all I have to do is master the technique of blogging myself so I can successfully model it to the students.  

References

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

The Hottest Technology on the Market: Use it in School!

Are you sick of school?  Are classes putting you to sleep because your teacher just talks at you and scribbles on the chalkboard?  Do you think there's a better way to learn?  Then I want your ideas!  There are waves of new electronics and technologies on the market today, and some teachers, like myself, want to get them into schools.  Short and sweet, post any ideas you have that would make your teacher's lesson more fun for you.  Focus primarily on the technological aspects of your idea and why it would help you learn.