Final Update and Course Reflection

At the beginning of this course, I developed two distinct GAME plans that would help me to meet NETS-T technology standards. My first goal centered around my development of an authentic learning experience that I created for this class. My second goal was devoted to my joining of the Professional Development Committee at my school and all of the outcomes of participation in this. Because of the time frame of this course, I was unable to completely finish taking action on either of my goals. However, progress was made toward each of them.

                For my first goal, the development of the “Weather-Wise” authentic learning experience, I was able to create most of the necessary components. During the past weeks, I created five client profiles, explaining their specific vacation requests. I also developed the project explanation flipchart and the rubric that I will use to assess my students’ work. At this point, I only need to finish creating the custom Google search engine that my students will need to use in order to conduct their research. Once this has been completed, my lesson will be ready for implementation. I plan to put this into action later this fall, once my students have reached their unit on meteorology in science. At this point, I do not see any alterations that need to be made to my GAME plan, and I hope to continue moving through the action, monitoring, and evaluation steps.

                My second goal centered on me joining my school’s Professional Development Committee. Over the past two months, I have applied for and been appointed to this committee. I have also attended a summer planning meeting with my co-committee members. At this meeting, we discussed our goals for the upcoming year, including conducting a technology survey, attending a workshop on global collaboration, and piloting an “online classroom” platform. In my GAME plan, I specified that I would be creating an online portfolio throughout my participation on this committee. At this point, I have only gotten so far as to create a folder in which I have saved various documents, links, and resources related to the topics mentioned at our meeting. At this point, I would like to edit my GAME plan for this standard and specify that my new goal is to take the time to create this digital portfolio. I do not want too much time to pass before I organize these resources in a manner that makes them usable.

                Overall, I have enjoyed using the GAME plan to set goals, actions, and plans for monitoring and evaluating my progress. This has been especially helpful because it has taken the act of setting goals a step further than I normally would have done. In planning ahead and making considerations about the actions I will take to meet a goal, the ways I will monitor my progress, and the methods I will use to evaluate myself, I feel as though I set myself up for success. Formulating a goal is easy. However, I have seen within this activity that it is in the defining of the last three components that has the greatest impact for a successful outcome.  This is a concept that I intend to carry into my future instructional practices. I also hope to incorporate this type of planning into my students’ educational experiences. I believe that in creating a GAME plan, a student will develop a realistic, attainable strategy for meeting goals. Ultimately, this is a lesson that can serve my students well beyond my classroom, and it can lead to their development of an approach that can assist them in meeting their goals lifelong.

                Within this course, I was given an opportunity to develop a technology-rich mini unit for my science content area. I look forward to implementing it in my classroom this fall. As a content area teacher, I have always felt it was important to incorporate technology into my instruction. In fact, this is what led me to entering the Walden program. The new school year begins in just a few short weeks, and as it does, I hope to take some of the ideas that I garnered in this class and implement them into my classroom.

I enjoyed learning more about problem-based learning, and I now understand how it, specifically, can be implemented into a content area. The act of creating a lesson that did just that took a bit of the mystery out of the process, and it helped me to internalize the difference between problem-based learning and project-based learning, a confusion with which I admittedly entered this class. As an avid user of social networking, it was interesting to consider its applications within the classroom setting. I look forward to incorporating wikis more into my instruction. Finally, in learning about digital storytelling, I was introduced to a powerful alternative to the typical Powerpoint presentation. I plan to edit a few of my lesson in which students normally would have used Powerpoint, or some other presentation software, in order to present what they have learned. This year, I would like to have students create digital stories to help show their understanding of content and incorporate various forms of media. According to Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009), “…both educators and business and industry leaders have increasingly stressed the importance of developing students’ creative and critical thinking skills” (p. 23). Implementation of the GAME plan strategy, problem-based learning, social networking, and digital storytelling into a content area classroom will certainly help any student to develop their creative and critical thinking skills and prepare them for their futures.

 

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.

GAME Plan Progress Update 2

With this week’s focus on assessments, I decided to concentrate my actions on creating an appropriate assessment for my first GAME plan goal. In this first goal, I aim to create an authentic learning experience for my students. They will be put into groups representing the Weather-Wise Travel Agency. Within the project, groups will be given a client for whom they need to design a vacation package. Their client will make requests as to the time of year they want to vacation (spring, summer, fall, winter), the type of location that they visit (city, beach, mountain, desert, etc.), and the type of weather they hope to experience on their trip (hot and sunny, windy, rainy, cold and snowy, etc.). Student groups will research their clients’ wishes and make a recommendation for their trip in the form of a group travel brochure and presentation. Within these presentations, groups must share their clients’ requests and explain the rationale for why they selected the particular vacation site. Because this problem-based activity presents many challenges for grading, I have decided that a rubric will be the best way to assess learning.

Rubrics are a helpful type of assessment because they allow a teacher to assess student work without subjectivity, and they provide an opportunity for the teacher to share feedback with the student (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). According to Cennamo et al. (2009), “Rubrics are framed by some type of scale, but the degrees of the scale are clearly described or defined to demonstrate different levels of quality” (p. 155). Brookhart (1999) explains, “Your rubric should relate to the standards or learning goals for the activity, lesson, or project and the descriptions should clearly describe the levels of performance rather than subjective judgements” (as cited in Cennamo, et al., 2009, p. 155). Below you can find the rubric that I have created for use within this authentic learning experience.

 

	4	3	2	1
Client’s wishes	All of client’s wishes are clearly defined.	Most of client’s wishes are clearly defined.	Client’s wishes are not clearly defined.	Client’s wishes are not defined.
Vacation Site	Vacation site is identified and vividly described.	Vacation site is identified and described.	Vacation site is identified.	Vacation site is not identified or described.
Rationale	Rationale for vacation site selection is clearly described and based upon evidence found in research.	Rationale for vacation site selection is described and loosely based upon evidence found in research.	Rationale for vacation site selection is clearly described.	Rationale for vacation site selection is not described.
Understanding of Content	Rationale demonstrates clear understanding of the content (weather patterns).	Rationale demonstrates understanding of the content (weather patterns). While no inaccuracies are made, understanding is not clearly demonstrated.	Rationale demonstrates some understanding of the content (weather patterns). Some inaccuracies are made in rationale.	Rationale does not demonstrate an understanding of the content (weather patterns).
Brochure	Brochure is visually appealing with no errors in grammar or spelling. All project requirements are present.	Brochure may or may not be visually appealing with very few (1-2) errors in grammar or spelling. All project requirements are present.	Brochure is not visually appealing or has many errors in grammar or spelling. One project requirement is missing.	Brochure is not visually appealing and has many errors in grammar or spelling. More than one project requirement is missing.
Sources	All sources are listed in appropriate format.	All sources are listed. There are few (1-3) errors in format.	Not all sources are listed OR many (4+) errors exist in format.	Sources are not listed OR format is inaccurate.
Presentation	All presenters demonstrate good speaking skills (eye contact, volume, etc.). Presentation shows signs that it has been rehearsed.	Most presenters demonstrate good speaking skills (eye contact, volume, etc.). Presentation shows signs that it has been rehearsed.	Few presenters demonstrate good speaking skills (eye contact, volume, etc.). Presentation may or may not show signs that it has been rehearsed.	Presenters do not demonstrate good speaking skills (eye contact, volume, etc.). Presentation has not been rehearsed.

 

             As I work my way through my GAME plans, I have experienced a few difficulties in finding resources. This challenge has arisen in the area of finding appropriate websites for my students to utilize during the research portion of the Weather-Wise Travel Agency lesson. I am able to find many sources detailing the weather patterns found in various locations around the globe. However, it has been challenging to amass a large selection of possibilities that are appropriately geared toward my students’ age level (fifth grade). As I attempted to find these resources, I did make one revision to my lesson plan. Instead of focusing strictly on the study of climate, I realized that it is more accurate, and easier to understand, if my students use common weather patterns to help them select their vacation sites. I have learned that using a GAME plan to identify my goals, actions, monitoring, and evaluations has helped me to efficiently work toward solving my goals. At this point, I still have much to complete in order to meet both goals. However, with my GAME plan as a guide, completion is certainly attainable.

 

 

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.

GAME Plan Progress Update

In completing this week’s learning resources and reading this blog prompt, I can see that my personal GAME plans are going to be challenging to work through completely during the duration of this course. However, I will be able to make progress in setting my goals and taking action upon them. My first goal, aiming to meet NETS-T indicator 2.a., is to develop the authentic learning experience that I brainstormed during week one of this course. As a second component to this goal, I would like to use the lesson within my science class this fall. However, since school is not currently in session, I will postpone that portion of my GAME plan for now. At this point, I have not yet begun to take action on meeting this first goal. My focus was centered more upon my second goal over the past week.

In order to take action upon this first goal, I need to access the instructional materials that I plan to use during my instruction of this unit. This will require me to log into my school’s digital folder system through the remote desktop and to go into my classroom to retrieve the hard copy versions of some of my other resources. I need to do this to ensure that my lesson fits within the scope of the curriculum I will be covering prior to the lesson, and so that I can be certain the lesson is appropriately challenging for my fifth grade students. As Rose and Meyer (2002) assert, “Universal design for learning suggests that teachers can remove barriers to learning by providing flexibility in terms of options for materials, methods, and assessments” (as cited in Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 116-117). One way that this flexibility can be afforded is by presenting the information to my students at a variety of reading levels. Instead of setting my students free to research anywhere on the internet, I will create and have my students use a custom Google search engine. Therefore, I will be able to remove some of the reading barriers an open internet search would provide to my lower readers, and I can still challenge my gifted students and higher readers with articles and information at their levels. If any readers of this blog happen to know of some grade five appropriate website examples on climate, I will gladly take the suggestions!

               My second goal sets out to meet NETS-T standard 5.b., and in order to exhibit leadership within the area of technology infusion, I need to join my school’s professional development committee. For this goal, I have already begun to take action. Over the past week, I contacted the professional development committee chairperson and expressed my interest in joining the committee. I wrote a paragraph rationale explaining why I wanted to join the committee and how I thought I would be able to make a positive impact on the school climate by taking part in it. I then emailed this explanation to the chairperson and the teacher’s association president, who then appointed me to the committee. Finally, I made an alteration to a planned event that I had for Friday, August 2, 2013, so that I am now able to attend the summer planning meeting for the committee.

               While this goal will certainly help me to meet the NETS-T indicator, it does not require me to create or teach a specific lesson. Therefore, I have no need to gather resources to meet this goal; the resources will be provided to me in the form of in-services, trainings, and opportunities to pilot new forms of technology through the Board of Education. I am especially looking forward to the piloting opportunities, and I hope to have the opportunity to try out new devices and programs that can be used as assistive technology. As Dr. John Ross explained in this week’s learning resources, it is imperative that teachers know how to use the assistive technology they have available before expecting students to use it (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). This is a new portion of my goal that came about as a result of learning more about assistive technology through reading and viewing this week’s video segments.

 

References:

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

 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Meeting Students Needs with Technology, Part 2. [Video webcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3399044_1%26url%3D

GAME Plan for Meeting NETS-T Indicators

It is important today for teachers along with their students to be efficient self-directed learners. An educator that is a lifelong self-directed leaner will “be able to respond to the rapid and continuous technological changes that inevitably will occur during your professional career, keep your skills up-to-date, and better meet the needs of your students today and in the future” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.7). One way that individuals can become more proficient at self-directed learning is by utilizing the GAME plan (Cennamo, et al., 2009). In the GAME plan, a teacher or student sets goals, plans and takes action, monitors their learning, and evaluates their progress toward meeting their goals (Cennamo, et al., 2009). The following is my GAME plan for increasing my proficiency and strengthening my confidence in my ability to meet two of the National Teacher Education Standards for Teachers, or NETS-T.

Indicator One: NETS-T 2.a: Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity (NETS for Teachers, 2012).

G(goals)

My goal is to formally develop the authentic learning experience which I brainstormed for my application last week and use it in my science classroom.

A(action)

In order to meet this goal, I will create all of the necessary components of a lesson entitled Weather-Wise Travel Agency. In this lesson, students will be placed into cooperative groups in which they will conduct research, analyze data, and draw conclusions in order to decide an appropriate vacation destination based upon their client’s requests. Groups will utilize information gathered from the internet and their knowledge of climate trends to solve their problem. Specifically, I will create at least five different client profiles, each with different requests as to the time of year, location type, and hopes for projected weather. I will also create a project explanation presentation and handout explaining the guidelines for the project. Finally, I will create the rubric which will be used to assess student group performance on the project.

The second segment of my action plan will be to conduct the lesson in my classroom. During my unit on meteorology, the project will be explained, students will be put into groups, client requests will be distributed, and students will begin working to solve their problems. I will act as a facilitator during this portion, moving from group to group to provide assistance and clarification where necessary.

M(monitor)

As I monitor progress, I will look to see if there are any additional components to the project preparation that were not included in my action plan. Anything needing to be edited or added to the project will be done. As students work on the project, I will record observations as to how the project is running and how well my students are able to meet the expectations. I will use my observations to further refine the project for the future.

E(evaluate and extend)

As my goal is to create a learning experience using digital tools which promotes student learning and creativity, I will be looking to see if this lesson is an example of an authentic learning experience. I will be evaluating it based upon the characteristics of authentic learning. This includes learning that is autonomous, active, holistic, complex, and challenging (Cennamo, et al., 2009). This goal will be extended by reflecting upon the lesson and making any necessary changes to it for the future. I will also be able to extend this goal by using it as a model for additional lessons that I create for my science content.

Indicator Two:

5.b: Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others (NETS for Teachers, 2012).

G(goals)

My goal is to become a member of my school’s professional development committee. As a member of this committee, I will play an integral role in guiding technology integration within my school, especially as that is the specific focus for the next school year. I will work with the curriculum coordinator and other colleagues to attend professional development on various innovative technology resources, gather input from staff members, coordinate and lead trainings for staff members on the school’s existing technology, and take part in a professional learning community on this topic. I will also pilot the new technological resources being considered by my Board of Education.

A(action)

In order to meet these goals, I must first be appointed to the committee. With the promotion of one committee member to an administrative capacity and another member leaving for a maternity leave, there are open slots on this committee. I will first email my interest to the committee leader and become a member. Then, I will participate in the summer planning meeting scheduled for the end of August. At this meeting, I will learn the specific time commitments required of me, and I will meet these commitments as the school year goes on. I will participate in all of the areas of the committee that were mentioned in my goal.

M(monitor)

In order to monitor my progress, I will create a professional development portfolio. This portfolio will allow me to “collect and reflect on artifacts that document professional growth” (Cennamo et al., 2009, p. 13). I will include supporting documents and artifacts, digital and print, for the different facets of technology integration that we discuss and evaluate. I will also record my observations on the experience as part of this portfolio.

E(evaluate and extend)

In order to evaluate my effectiveness of meeting my goals, I will look back through my portfolio. I will look to see if I was able to join the committee, participate in the various professional development opportunities, take part in the professional learning community, and pilot new resources for my colleagues. I will be able to decide how to extend my goal through reflecting on its completion. I will use my evaluation of my ability to meet the NETS-T indicator to decide if I need continued growth or if there are any aspects in which further learning interests me.

References:

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

NETS for teachers. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

Website Evaluation Jing

Today, I created a jing modeling how to evaluate a website using Alan November's REAL model (November, 2008). The website I evaluated was the Save the Northwest Tree Octopus site. The jing has been broken into two parts, so please view both. Enjoy!

Jing Part One:

Narducci_treeoctopus_part1


Jing Part Two:

Narducci_treeoctopus_part2


References:
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

A Reflection on Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

Reading back over the “Personal Theory of Learning” I developed during week one of this course, I can see that my fundamental beliefs remain the same. I still believe that students learn best through a hybrid combination of the different established theories of learning, especially the cognitive, constructivist, and social learning theories. I still do believe that there is a mental process that must take place in order for connections to be made between new ideas and those already established in one’s understandings. Likewise, I maintain that the communication and collaboration components of the social learning theory play an integral role in an individual’s learning experience. While my beliefs did not change drastically, my general understanding of each of the learning theories has certainly deepened. Instead of only knowing about these theories through the observations made in my classroom and personal learning experiences, I can now identify elements of them in the effective instructional practices used in my classroom. For example, it is now clear to me how the art of summarizing utilizes principles from the cognitivist learning theory, and cooperative group activities support the ideas behind the social learning theory.

An immediate adjustment that I will make to my instructional practice is that I will cultivate the use of educational technology as a learning tool more so than as an informational tool. I can now see that I am guilty, as an educator, of monopolizing the use of technology in my classroom. While educational technology may always play a role in my daily lesson plans, it is disproportionately used as an instructional tool. I would like to make my lessons more student-focused, and I would like to create lessons where students have more of an opportunity to use technology as a learning tool. Two tools that I am especially interested in utilizing in my classroom are VoiceThread and webquests. Both of these tools support the constructivist theory of learning. In each activity, students, or student groups, are required to create an artifact or solve a problem to show their learning. Both activities also embody elements of the social learning theory as they encourage cooperative learning. I am excited to expand my use of VoiceThread and webquests with my students. The practice and opportunity to create useful applications for these tools within our coursework has prepared me to use them in my class.

Looking at my classroom in its current state, I am able to identify two areas that I would like to improve or maintain over the long term. The first goal is to make my classroom into a more student-centered environment, where my students regularly utilize educational technology to construct artifacts, solve problems, and show their learning. The utilization of the resources presented in this course will help me to solve this goal. Incorporating tools such as webquests, advance organizers, VoiceThreads, Power Points, Prezis, concept mapping, wikis, and blogs will provide my students with opportunities to become proficient users of these types of tools. I can work toward this goal by starting small and adding one technology-based, student-focused activity per marking period. I can continue to make additions until I have at least one activity per unit of learning in my curriculum. The second goal that I endeavor to meet is to make my classroom into a place where new ideas and technologies are welcome. Many of my current students will be responsible for using technologies that have yet to be invented when they embark on their career paths. I need to foster an environment where it is permitted, and even encouraged, to experiment with new media and technology. By opening up my plans to the inclusion of new ideas, and staying abreast of innovative resources through learning communities and technological blogs, my classroom will be a place where students can prepare for their futures.

 

Social Learning in Action

            The social learning theories are built upon the premise that children learn best by working with others to create artifacts to show their understanding. As the name implies, a special importance is placed upon the conversations that result from this kind of group work. In “Social Learning Theories,” Dr. Orey explains that the communication that occurs within this type of learning can help to make a concept more concrete and understandable for a child (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Another element of social learning that Orey describes is the creation of a social network within a class (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). One way that teachers can facilitate this type of networking is by providing their students with cooperative learning experiences. In cooperative learning, “students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007, p.139). In a cooperative learning experience, each individual group member’s ability to show understanding is critical to the success of the overall group. Therefore, students work together, and “each individual team member is responsible for learning the material and also for helping the other members of the team learn” (Orey, 2001).

            On last week’s discussion board, based upon the topic of problem-based instruction, I focused on a web quest that I have utilized in my classroom. This web quest requires student groups to act as travel agencies and develop vacation packages to planets in our solar system. While I have already focused on the elements of constructionism present in this web quest, I did not expand upon the social aspects of the activity. Upon grouping students, they each receive a specific job on their team: astronomer, space suit designer, rocket specialist, or travel agent. The group’s goal is to create a complete vacation package that will be accepted by the “investors” who will listen to their presentation. In order to develop this package, each position has its own task-specific research to complete and artifact to create. However, students in each position do not work in isolation. They first “jigsaw” to meet with the other students in the room who share their role. As all of the rocket specialists or travel agents meet together, their conversations are structured so that they discuss the specifics of their assigned responsibilities. Since each child in this group (say, the entire group of spacesuit designers) will later be working with the unique characteristics and elements that are specific to their planet, students are able to utilize this time to brainstorm together about their assigned artifacts. Once each student has a strong grasp of their role, they regroup back with their travel agency partners to plan the specifics of their group presentation and identify the interaction between their jobs and the implications of different characteristics of their planet. Overall, during the web quest, students work with at least two different groupings of classmates to collaborate on alternate aspects of their final projects.

            The example of this web quest shows the connection between cooperative learning and the social learning theories. Cooperative learning is “a teaching strategy which allows students to work together in small groups with individuals of various talents, abilities and backgrounds to accomplish a common goal” (Orey, 2001), and this web quest meets that criteria. The idea that students utilize social skills and teamwork in order to create a final artifact also clearly defines it as an example of social constructionism. In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, a variety of multimedia, web resources, and communication software are provided as examples of technology-based cooperative learning activities that can be used in a classroom. Key pals, wikis, and Voice Thread are three specific examples of resources that can help to teach students how to collaborate with their peers. The inclusion of this instructional strategy is critical within a classroom because Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) identify that, “to be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today’s students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively” (p. 139). Cooperative learning activities can profoundly help students to develop the skills necessary to be prepared for their futures.

 

            Please visit and comment on my static electricity voice thread in order to see collaboration in action: http://walden.voicethread.com/share/4099120/

 

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

 

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.