Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
End of CEP 812 Reflection
What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?
The biggest thing I've learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology is to take the time to thoroughly explain each step in the process to your students. Don't assume they know anything already. This will save on confusion from their perspective and will help ensure they are able to independently work with the technology when the time comes.
I have also learned to think more critically about "bumps in the road" when implementing a new technology. Prior to taking this course I was the kind of teacher that just "took things as they came". In other words, if a problem came up, I thought about how to fix it. But until a problem arose, I didn't think much about what could happen.
I've also thought more deeply about holding students accountable for work done in a digital format and teaching them digital citizenship before turning them loose in a blog or wiki!
How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
Prior to taking this course, I had been using the web-based technology of using a website to organize course information and communicate to parents. I had never really thought of students creating websites to host or showcase their work. This is an idea I may incorporate sometime in my teaching future.
I also feel that in this course, compared to CEP 810 & 811, I've become more familiar with wikis - and the power they can have in the classroom for collaboration purposes. This is probably because my TechQuest and SIG Proposal both utilized wikis as a major component, but either way, I'm glad to know more about them as I feel they can be one of the most powerful of the Web 2.0 technologies.
Through posting our assignments in a blog and having peers from our group comment on them, I can see the potential for using blogs in the classroom. In the other two certificate courses we used a blog to post personal reflections. This was good for the purposes of that course, but before this course I was having a hard time trying to figure out the full advantage to using blogs in the classroom.
How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?
I have actually learned more than I ever expected to through my three certificate courses. My goal coming into the program was to learn as many new technologies as I could and integrate them in to my classroom. I was really to the maximum of technology integration as I could be prior to entering the certificate program with the resources I knew how to access and use. Through these courses I have learned to use the following new technologies:
I have several technology goals. I have listed them in the order of priority:
1. Develop a 9 week technology elective course to teach this year to my middle school students.
2. Implement my TechQuest plan with my 7th and 8th grade science classes.
3. Continue to support the teachers in my building with professional development opportunities in technology.
What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
Plan for Accomplishing Goals:
1. Technology Elective Course - I have already begun to create a website describing course objectives and posted some WebQuest activities for extra credit. I am incorporating my Fair Use Lesson Plan into this course. I will need to work with the media specialist at my school to see if students will be able to create websites using Google Sites and use Blogger, as I will incorporate WebQuest design as a course assignment and blogging weekly progress toward course goals. Once I figure out which web-based technology my students have access to, I can start designing the projects in more detail. I will do this before school starts this year. I also need to create a course outline of the technology I will teach each week and sequence the projects/assignments on paper so I fit everything I'd like to teach into the 9 week block.
2. TechQuest Implementation - First, I need to figure out if students can access Wikispaces through their student accounts at school. If they can't, I'll need to figure out a way to get these allowed. I can contact the technology specialist to help with this. I then need to spend sometime digging into the features of Wikispaces to see how to set up student accounts and enable the proper protection for students. I can do this before school starts. Once I figure this out and am comfortable with it, I can begin creating my detailed lesson plans about what to teach and how to teach the various components of my TechQuest plan.
3. Technology Professional Development - I am the chairperson of the Technology Committee for my school. Last year I began hosting monthly 30 minute workshops to teach teachers new technology skills. Toward the end of the year I introduced creating websites using Google Sites. This really took hold and teachers loved it! We had one workshop session on creating a site. I had 7 teachers in attendance to learn, plus 5 people from the Technology Committee there to support! Over the summer, my principal sent out an e-mail that he'd like every grade level to develop a website this year and begin posting newsletters electronically to help save on paper costs. I have helped 6 teachers over the summer develop websites by coaching them in the steps. My big goal for this year is to have every grade level develop a website, and the skills needed to make it more than just text. I am working with teachers at their current capacities and what they think their site will need. I will start the year by hosting at least 2 Website workshops to help everyone get on board or learn new skills.
I would also like to see our yearly technology survey become digital, so we don't have to spend a lot of time manually analyzing responses. We use responses from this survey to figure out what areas teachers would like to focus on for technology professional development. To do this, I will need to talk to the technology specialist at my school and run this idea by her. Either she or I could take our original format of the survey and convert it into Google Apps or Survey Monkey.
The biggest thing I've learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology is to take the time to thoroughly explain each step in the process to your students. Don't assume they know anything already. This will save on confusion from their perspective and will help ensure they are able to independently work with the technology when the time comes.
I have also learned to think more critically about "bumps in the road" when implementing a new technology. Prior to taking this course I was the kind of teacher that just "took things as they came". In other words, if a problem came up, I thought about how to fix it. But until a problem arose, I didn't think much about what could happen.
I've also thought more deeply about holding students accountable for work done in a digital format and teaching them digital citizenship before turning them loose in a blog or wiki!
How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
Prior to taking this course, I had been using the web-based technology of using a website to organize course information and communicate to parents. I had never really thought of students creating websites to host or showcase their work. This is an idea I may incorporate sometime in my teaching future.
I also feel that in this course, compared to CEP 810 & 811, I've become more familiar with wikis - and the power they can have in the classroom for collaboration purposes. This is probably because my TechQuest and SIG Proposal both utilized wikis as a major component, but either way, I'm glad to know more about them as I feel they can be one of the most powerful of the Web 2.0 technologies.
Through posting our assignments in a blog and having peers from our group comment on them, I can see the potential for using blogs in the classroom. In the other two certificate courses we used a blog to post personal reflections. This was good for the purposes of that course, but before this course I was having a hard time trying to figure out the full advantage to using blogs in the classroom.
How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?
I have actually learned more than I ever expected to through my three certificate courses. My goal coming into the program was to learn as many new technologies as I could and integrate them in to my classroom. I was really to the maximum of technology integration as I could be prior to entering the certificate program with the resources I knew how to access and use. Through these courses I have learned to use the following new technologies:
- Blogs - Blogger
- Wiki - Wikispaces
- Screencast for storing online images, videos, and podcasts
- Audacity for creating podcasts
- You Tube recording and uploading video
- Microphone
- Webcam
- Google Apps spreadsheet for surveys
Not only did I learn the mechanics of these new technologies, but I learned how they can be effectively used in the classroom. There is a big difference in knowing how to operate a technology, and knowing how to apply it to meet an educational need. Along these lines, I've learned how to think about a problem I encounter in the classroom and which technology might be best to address the problem. Over the course of these classes I have had a reversal in my thinking about integrating technology. Prior to these courses I would try to integrate a technology just because I thought my students would like it more or my building was pushing us to use the new technology they had purchased. I mainly used technology to enhance my presentation by making things "look cool". I am now more thoughtful about integrating technology by making sure that it fits a need I have so that I am implementing change with difference, rather than just change.
Do you have any new goals?I have several technology goals. I have listed them in the order of priority:
1. Develop a 9 week technology elective course to teach this year to my middle school students.
2. Implement my TechQuest plan with my 7th and 8th grade science classes.
3. Continue to support the teachers in my building with professional development opportunities in technology.
What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
Plan for Accomplishing Goals:
1. Technology Elective Course - I have already begun to create a website describing course objectives and posted some WebQuest activities for extra credit. I am incorporating my Fair Use Lesson Plan into this course. I will need to work with the media specialist at my school to see if students will be able to create websites using Google Sites and use Blogger, as I will incorporate WebQuest design as a course assignment and blogging weekly progress toward course goals. Once I figure out which web-based technology my students have access to, I can start designing the projects in more detail. I will do this before school starts this year. I also need to create a course outline of the technology I will teach each week and sequence the projects/assignments on paper so I fit everything I'd like to teach into the 9 week block.
2. TechQuest Implementation - First, I need to figure out if students can access Wikispaces through their student accounts at school. If they can't, I'll need to figure out a way to get these allowed. I can contact the technology specialist to help with this. I then need to spend sometime digging into the features of Wikispaces to see how to set up student accounts and enable the proper protection for students. I can do this before school starts. Once I figure this out and am comfortable with it, I can begin creating my detailed lesson plans about what to teach and how to teach the various components of my TechQuest plan.
3. Technology Professional Development - I am the chairperson of the Technology Committee for my school. Last year I began hosting monthly 30 minute workshops to teach teachers new technology skills. Toward the end of the year I introduced creating websites using Google Sites. This really took hold and teachers loved it! We had one workshop session on creating a site. I had 7 teachers in attendance to learn, plus 5 people from the Technology Committee there to support! Over the summer, my principal sent out an e-mail that he'd like every grade level to develop a website this year and begin posting newsletters electronically to help save on paper costs. I have helped 6 teachers over the summer develop websites by coaching them in the steps. My big goal for this year is to have every grade level develop a website, and the skills needed to make it more than just text. I am working with teachers at their current capacities and what they think their site will need. I will start the year by hosting at least 2 Website workshops to help everyone get on board or learn new skills.
I would also like to see our yearly technology survey become digital, so we don't have to spend a lot of time manually analyzing responses. We use responses from this survey to figure out what areas teachers would like to focus on for technology professional development. To do this, I will need to talk to the technology specialist at my school and run this idea by her. Either she or I could take our original format of the survey and convert it into Google Apps or Survey Monkey.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Project Evaluation
I have not yet had a chance to implement my TechQuest, so this post will be from the perspective of what I assume will happen. Please be reminded, for my TechQuest I will be creating small study groups who will use a wiki to collaborate on study guides for science tests throughout the year.
I will evaluate the success of my TechQuest from data obtained from several sources:
1. Student feedback from online surveys. Please recall as a part of my implementation process I will have students take online surveys about their participation, and that of their group members, 3-4 times a quarter. On these surveys, I will also have a question or two related to how helpful they perceive the study groups and wiki collaboration to be. If the students believe the study groups are useful to them, they are more likely to be engaged and studying, and this would be an indication of success. I will also be open to student's ideas for adjusting my TechQuest plan, as needed, if they for some reason should feel like any part of it is "busy work" or unhelpful to them.
2. Science test scores. Although in my 7th grade classes I will not have any prior "hard data" to compare their science test scores using wiki collaboration to test scores from using traditional study methods, I can look at overall test scores in each class to see if most students are achieving an A or a B on their tests. If students are passing tests with scores like this, this will be an indicator that my TechQuest is successful. Of course, I don't have any way of knowing for sure that it is my TechQuest that is helping students achieve these scores, but I can assume it is playing a portion of the role.
Something I always have the students do when they finish taking a science test is complete a "self-assesment" of how they think they did. They check boxes in two columns of a page to indicate the things they did that helped them prepare well for the test, and things they either did, or didn't do that may have detract from their score. This information can help me, and students analyze what they are doing well (perhaps in their study groups), or what they may need to work on. These self-assessments combined with test scores can be a good indicator of how the wiki and collaboration groups may be supporting student learning and how successful the program is.
3. Group work observations. The final indicator of the success of my TechQuest will be the observations I make as groups work together either in the classroom or in the computer lab. As I am circulating and listening to conversations, I will get a sense for how each group is functioning and how they are using their time to build community and collaborate on whatever project is at hand.
In thinking about the current components of my TechQuest project, there is nothing I would change. However, I do need to have a plan in place for consequences should a student sabotage another's work, or simply copy the work of others and then post it as their own.
I know unexpected things always come up when you actually implement something, but without knowing my new students yet and all the variables they will bring to the atmosphere of the project, I find it extremely difficult to predict major structural changes I will need to make. What I really like about my implementation is that it is progressive in nature. We will begin by forming groups and then working in the classroom to build a sense of community within the groups.
I suppose one dimension I could add to the formation of groups is the assignment of group roles so each member has a specific part to play. I know this can be helpful in balancing the work load, which is one of my goals, and it can create a sense of interdependence among the group members. I did not include this in my original TechQuest design, as I do not want to groups to feel like they are bound to rigid roles, but yet, as the groups develop, I want students to assume natural "roles" in accomplishing the task of supporting one another. At this point, I am still more comfortable with students finding comfort in a role they naturally gravitate toward. I think this will work because I have an accountability system in place with the peer evaluations of participation and the group points students can earn toward an end-of-the-quarter incentive for demonstrating good group work.
Things I like and will keep the same are:
I will evaluate the success of my TechQuest from data obtained from several sources:
1. Student feedback from online surveys. Please recall as a part of my implementation process I will have students take online surveys about their participation, and that of their group members, 3-4 times a quarter. On these surveys, I will also have a question or two related to how helpful they perceive the study groups and wiki collaboration to be. If the students believe the study groups are useful to them, they are more likely to be engaged and studying, and this would be an indication of success. I will also be open to student's ideas for adjusting my TechQuest plan, as needed, if they for some reason should feel like any part of it is "busy work" or unhelpful to them.
2. Science test scores. Although in my 7th grade classes I will not have any prior "hard data" to compare their science test scores using wiki collaboration to test scores from using traditional study methods, I can look at overall test scores in each class to see if most students are achieving an A or a B on their tests. If students are passing tests with scores like this, this will be an indicator that my TechQuest is successful. Of course, I don't have any way of knowing for sure that it is my TechQuest that is helping students achieve these scores, but I can assume it is playing a portion of the role.
Something I always have the students do when they finish taking a science test is complete a "self-assesment" of how they think they did. They check boxes in two columns of a page to indicate the things they did that helped them prepare well for the test, and things they either did, or didn't do that may have detract from their score. This information can help me, and students analyze what they are doing well (perhaps in their study groups), or what they may need to work on. These self-assessments combined with test scores can be a good indicator of how the wiki and collaboration groups may be supporting student learning and how successful the program is.
3. Group work observations. The final indicator of the success of my TechQuest will be the observations I make as groups work together either in the classroom or in the computer lab. As I am circulating and listening to conversations, I will get a sense for how each group is functioning and how they are using their time to build community and collaborate on whatever project is at hand.
In thinking about the current components of my TechQuest project, there is nothing I would change. However, I do need to have a plan in place for consequences should a student sabotage another's work, or simply copy the work of others and then post it as their own.
I know unexpected things always come up when you actually implement something, but without knowing my new students yet and all the variables they will bring to the atmosphere of the project, I find it extremely difficult to predict major structural changes I will need to make. What I really like about my implementation is that it is progressive in nature. We will begin by forming groups and then working in the classroom to build a sense of community within the groups.
I suppose one dimension I could add to the formation of groups is the assignment of group roles so each member has a specific part to play. I know this can be helpful in balancing the work load, which is one of my goals, and it can create a sense of interdependence among the group members. I did not include this in my original TechQuest design, as I do not want to groups to feel like they are bound to rigid roles, but yet, as the groups develop, I want students to assume natural "roles" in accomplishing the task of supporting one another. At this point, I am still more comfortable with students finding comfort in a role they naturally gravitate toward. I think this will work because I have an accountability system in place with the peer evaluations of participation and the group points students can earn toward an end-of-the-quarter incentive for demonstrating good group work.
Things I like and will keep the same are:
- Heterogeneous, assigned groups
- Team building activities and hands-on experiments/group work prior to work on the wiki
- In-class time given to develop sense of community
- Direct instruction given to all about how to post on a wiki and proper digital citizenship protocol
- Private and digital self - and peer-evaluations
- Point incentive for good group work
Some good lessons I have learned actually came through the research I conducted for my part of my groups SIG proposal. Our topic was using wikis as a collaboration tool to motivate students to learn. I was in charge of finding resources to help teachers plan for implementing wikis into their classroom. Since I have never implemented a wiki in my classroom for any purpose, I found it helpful to learn from teachers who have already tried and learned some things along the way! Here are the most helpful tips I've learned that I will incorporate into my implementation:
- Be very specific and show students how to interact with the wiki in a step-by-step manner.
- Do not assume that just because students are "digital natives" that they know how to effectively use the Web 2.0 tool.
- Give students time to practice their "wiki skills" in an environment where they can ask questions.
To see more ideas for successful wiki implementation visit our SIG planning page at: http://sites.google.com/site/20techies/planning-preparation
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Personal Reflection
When I began the TechQuest project at the beginning of the course I thought of an authentic problem in my classroom to address with technology, but in the back of my mind I thought "I'll probably never do this." Now that I've gone through the process of really thinking about my plan for implementation, I now believe "this is so cool, I'm definitely going to do this!" I think it's great how my mind has changed and how the process of thinking about how to address this problem that seemed so complicated and "messy" at the beginning seems so doable and fun now! I think this has been a very useful assignment, and I like how we have taken the entire class to slowly work on it. I think providing time for these plans to sink in my head was much needed! I feel like though this I've actually helped myself plan for the coming year! YEAH!!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Internet Research for TechQuest Project
Introduction
In my previous post, I listed the URL's for five websites I used to help me write the description for my TechQuest project. In this blog post, I have annotated each site in reference to how it has helped guide my quest, and I have followed these annotations with a summary of how I performed my search for these sites and what I learned about the process of searching for Internet resources.
Research and Resources
• "Focus on Effectiveness: Integrating Technology into Research-Based Strategies"
by Dr. Robert J. Marzano
http://www.netc.org/focus
This website outlines Dr. Marzano's 12 research-based instructional strategies for improving student achievement. I am implementing two of his strategies in my TechQuest: "Homework and Practice" and "Cooperative Grouping". Two of Marzano's thoughts on practice: "Practice means students are engaged in applying new learning, often repeatedly. The goal of practice is for students to get as close to mastery as possible." A key thought from Marzano about cooperative grouping: "Organizing students in heterogeneous cooperative learning groups at least once a week has a significant effect on learning."
• “Putting the Pieces Together: Integrating Technology with Marzano’s Instructional Strategies”
by Sherri Miller
http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008
This site provides examples of how technology can be integrated into each of Dr. Robert J. Marzano's effective instructional strategies. I focus on two of Dr. Marzano's strategies in my TechQuest:
1. Increasing Value in Homework and Practice
This site suggests using "ExamView" to create online practice quizzes
and tests. I looked into accessing "ExamView" to incorporate with my
students; however, it is not free. There are many free quiz-making sites
so I plan to use the idea of providing online quizzes with immediate
feedback as a strategy in helping my students study more effectively.
2. Incorporating Cooperative Learning Effectively
This site suggests many ways for students to engage collaboratively while
using technology. The site does not specifically recommend using wikis,
however, it does mention several ideas that follow the same principle of
what I am proposing to do in my TechQuest.
• “Teaching and Learning Online with Wikis”
by Naomi Augar, Ruth Raitman, and Wanlei Zhou
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.133.1456&rep=rep1&type=pdf
This article begins with defining what a wiki is and gives examples of different kinds of wikis available. The article then moves into describing a problem Deakin University had in regards to students collaborating in online classes and how a wiki proved to be a successful solution in increasing collaboration among peers. This article supports using wikis for collaboration in educational settings. The article offers a balanced perspective of integrating wikis into the classroom by citing two problems along with its support for their use in learning:
1. "Inappropriate posting of content" and
2. "Unintentional deletions"
• "Using Learning Technology to Support Student Study Skills"
by Jen Harvey and Helen Watt
http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/implementing-it/support.htm
This article discusses reasons why it is important for students to learn how to study effectively in the context of what is required of students who enter college. The authors point out that students need a large array of study skills to be successful in college, and the student needs to know when to employ which skills. "Ultimately, their [the students'] success or failure within university courses can be determined by their ability to adopt the most appropriate strategy within a particular learning situation. This might, for example involve working within a group to prepare an oral presentation on a given subject or studying for a multiple choice question test." The article also points out that because study skills are not a specific discipline, it is not designated as any one grade level or teacher's responsibility to teach these skills. This can lead to students not being prepared for the expected tasks in college. Along with providing support for study skills to be taught to students, the article also suggests several programs and technologies to help aid students in college who are deficient in these skills. Ultimately, this article supports my claim that my educational concern is valid.
• “Wiki as a Teaching Tool”
by Joseph T. Chao and Kevin R. Parker
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.105.8172&rep=rep1&type=pdf
This site focuses on the use of wikis in the classroom. It outlines instructional approaches such as cooperative learning and collaboration and the constructivist approach to learning. A list of uses for wikis in the classroom is also given such as "group authoring" and adding documentation for a research project. In support of using wikis for collaboration the authors state, "Wikis can be used to facilitate computer-supported collaborative learning, i.e., the development
of collaboration by means of technology to augment education and research."
Reflection on Searching for Internet Resources
The first step I took to locate Internet resources for my TechQuest was to use the links provided to me by my fellow colleagues in this course from feedback on my draft of my project description. I copied and pasted these three links into my web browser and read the content. All the links suggested to me were applicable and became a part of my supportive research. Two of these links were related to effective instructional strategies and one of the links was about the study skills students need to be successful in college. Knowing the information I had, I knew I needed to find information about how people are using wikis to support collaboration in the classroom. I then went to my favorite search engine, Google, and typed in "using wikis for student collaboration". I was able to find the remaining two articles I cited above in this search. I was selective, however, and my two articles were in the form of pdf files. I didn't know this at the time, but Valenza recommends typing in "pdf" in your search options to get more scholarly articles.
When performing Internet research, I automatically go to Google without even thinking of other options because it is so convenient. I have a Google search window as a part of my toolbar on my Internet browser and I am so used to using it to answer quick questions, that I don't even think of going to the MSU research publications. However, even though I think I found credible sources in my Google search, I am going to try and remind myself to use a different means of securing quality information the next time I need to perform research. I don't want to be stuck in the same pool of facts that everyone else is drawing from, and settle for "good enough" as a part of the "information underclass" when I have the opportunity to access more (Valenza)!
From my research, I learned that my solution to my educational concern is grounded in sound research by Dr. Marzano and that others have found wikis to be a powerful tool to promote collaboration among students. I have also learned that there is a lot more information available on the topics included in my TechQuest than I have time or space to annotate here. My research is proof that Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way we learn and share our learning experience with others.
In my previous post, I listed the URL's for five websites I used to help me write the description for my TechQuest project. In this blog post, I have annotated each site in reference to how it has helped guide my quest, and I have followed these annotations with a summary of how I performed my search for these sites and what I learned about the process of searching for Internet resources.
Research and Resources
• "Focus on Effectiveness: Integrating Technology into Research-Based Strategies"
by Dr. Robert J. Marzano
http://www.netc.org/focus
This website outlines Dr. Marzano's 12 research-based instructional strategies for improving student achievement. I am implementing two of his strategies in my TechQuest: "Homework and Practice" and "Cooperative Grouping". Two of Marzano's thoughts on practice: "Practice means students are engaged in applying new learning, often repeatedly. The goal of practice is for students to get as close to mastery as possible." A key thought from Marzano about cooperative grouping: "Organizing students in heterogeneous cooperative learning groups at least once a week has a significant effect on learning."
• “Putting the Pieces Together: Integrating Technology with Marzano’s Instructional Strategies”
by Sherri Miller
http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008
This site provides examples of how technology can be integrated into each of Dr. Robert J. Marzano's effective instructional strategies. I focus on two of Dr. Marzano's strategies in my TechQuest:
1. Increasing Value in Homework and Practice
This site suggests using "ExamView" to create online practice quizzes
and tests. I looked into accessing "ExamView" to incorporate with my
students; however, it is not free. There are many free quiz-making sites
so I plan to use the idea of providing online quizzes with immediate
feedback as a strategy in helping my students study more effectively.
2. Incorporating Cooperative Learning Effectively
This site suggests many ways for students to engage collaboratively while
using technology. The site does not specifically recommend using wikis,
however, it does mention several ideas that follow the same principle of
what I am proposing to do in my TechQuest.
• “Teaching and Learning Online with Wikis”
by Naomi Augar, Ruth Raitman, and Wanlei Zhou
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.133.1456&rep=rep1&type=pdf
This article begins with defining what a wiki is and gives examples of different kinds of wikis available. The article then moves into describing a problem Deakin University had in regards to students collaborating in online classes and how a wiki proved to be a successful solution in increasing collaboration among peers. This article supports using wikis for collaboration in educational settings. The article offers a balanced perspective of integrating wikis into the classroom by citing two problems along with its support for their use in learning:
1. "Inappropriate posting of content" and
2. "Unintentional deletions"
• "Using Learning Technology to Support Student Study Skills"
by Jen Harvey and Helen Watt
http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/implementing-it/support.htm
This article discusses reasons why it is important for students to learn how to study effectively in the context of what is required of students who enter college. The authors point out that students need a large array of study skills to be successful in college, and the student needs to know when to employ which skills. "Ultimately, their [the students'] success or failure within university courses can be determined by their ability to adopt the most appropriate strategy within a particular learning situation. This might, for example involve working within a group to prepare an oral presentation on a given subject or studying for a multiple choice question test." The article also points out that because study skills are not a specific discipline, it is not designated as any one grade level or teacher's responsibility to teach these skills. This can lead to students not being prepared for the expected tasks in college. Along with providing support for study skills to be taught to students, the article also suggests several programs and technologies to help aid students in college who are deficient in these skills. Ultimately, this article supports my claim that my educational concern is valid.
• “Wiki as a Teaching Tool”
by Joseph T. Chao and Kevin R. Parker
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.105.8172&rep=rep1&type=pdf
This site focuses on the use of wikis in the classroom. It outlines instructional approaches such as cooperative learning and collaboration and the constructivist approach to learning. A list of uses for wikis in the classroom is also given such as "group authoring" and adding documentation for a research project. In support of using wikis for collaboration the authors state, "Wikis can be used to facilitate computer-supported collaborative learning, i.e., the development
of collaboration by means of technology to augment education and research."
Reflection on Searching for Internet Resources
The first step I took to locate Internet resources for my TechQuest was to use the links provided to me by my fellow colleagues in this course from feedback on my draft of my project description. I copied and pasted these three links into my web browser and read the content. All the links suggested to me were applicable and became a part of my supportive research. Two of these links were related to effective instructional strategies and one of the links was about the study skills students need to be successful in college. Knowing the information I had, I knew I needed to find information about how people are using wikis to support collaboration in the classroom. I then went to my favorite search engine, Google, and typed in "using wikis for student collaboration". I was able to find the remaining two articles I cited above in this search. I was selective, however, and my two articles were in the form of pdf files. I didn't know this at the time, but Valenza recommends typing in "pdf" in your search options to get more scholarly articles.
When performing Internet research, I automatically go to Google without even thinking of other options because it is so convenient. I have a Google search window as a part of my toolbar on my Internet browser and I am so used to using it to answer quick questions, that I don't even think of going to the MSU research publications. However, even though I think I found credible sources in my Google search, I am going to try and remind myself to use a different means of securing quality information the next time I need to perform research. I don't want to be stuck in the same pool of facts that everyone else is drawing from, and settle for "good enough" as a part of the "information underclass" when I have the opportunity to access more (Valenza)!
From my research, I learned that my solution to my educational concern is grounded in sound research by Dr. Marzano and that others have found wikis to be a powerful tool to promote collaboration among students. I have also learned that there is a lot more information available on the topics included in my TechQuest than I have time or space to annotate here. My research is proof that Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way we learn and share our learning experience with others.
Monday, July 19, 2010
TechQuest Project Description - Final Draft
TechQuest: Project Description – Final Draft
What is the compelling problem of practice or opportunity for gain I want to address in your project?
As a middle school science teacher, one of my primary focuses is to prepare students for high school. I do this by teaching content that will support their learning of more complex science, as well as soft skills such as staying organized and learning how to study effectively. In looking at my 7th and 8th grade class lists from last year, I calculated 40% of my 7th grade students, and 46% of my 8th grade students, struggled with either organization of their personal materials for class, such as binders and homework submission, or studying effectively for quizzes and tests. This data is based upon my observations of their belongings they brought to class throughout the year; recollections of times we had one-on-one discussions about missing homework, or homework that took them a long time to locate due to their unorganized binder; quiz and overall science grades each quarter; and frequent conversations I had with the students over the course of the year about “not knowing what was assigned”.
Adding these percentages together indicates that 86% of the total number of students I taught last year struggled to demonstrate their understanding due to un-mastered soft skills of organization and study techniques. Conversely, when I analyzed quiz scores of those students who consistently earned 90% or above, I noticed that these students were also very organized with their class materials; completed and turn in all homework; and reported via self-assessment surveys that they studied "very hard" to prepare for the quizzes. Due to this data, I believe students do not learn as much, or at least cannot demonstrate their knowledge to the highest potential, if they have not mastered these two vital soft skills of organization and ability to study effectively.
I desperately want my students to realize they are capable of better grades, if they could just learn to stay organized and/or acquire better study habits. I think all my students want to do well, but even with the instruction I provide, they don’t seem to achieve to their fullest potential. I believe there are at least two key factors that contribute to this dilemma. First, it takes effort to stay organized and to study. Not all students have parents who have trained them to put forth the effort even when tasks are difficult or time-consuming. Second, my students are growing up in a culture where entertainment is top priority for them and is easy to access in multiple ways. It requires a significant amount of self-motivation, or parental direction, for students to step away from their adventurous virtual world and "study their notes" or "review their study guide", which involves a static piece of paper, and a pencil.
Although I see a joint weakness in lack of organization and poor study skills impacting student achievement on tests, the problem of practice I will address in my TechQuest is the struggle I face with teaching and encouraging students to study effectively; given their cultural competition with entertainment.
How do I plan to address this educational issue with technology?
I will battle technology with technology. Middle school students love to work with technology. Most of their entertainment involves technology. I can’t say that I blame them for wanting to play video games or chat on Facebook rather than review their study guide. I plan to make studying more engaging and appealing to my students by incorporating collaboration and technology into the way they study. I will also provide opportunities for them to take online practice tests where they will receive immediate feedback on what they have mastered prior to taking the real test in class.
The way I will make studying collaborative is I will form study groups near the beginning of the year for the students in each of my classes. The study groups will have no more than four people in them and no less than three. I will have mixed ability groups in light of research stating, “Low-ability students perform worse when grouped in homogeneous ability groups” (Kulik & Kulik, 1991, 1997; Lou et al, 1996). These study groups will remain in place for the entire year as to build community and cohesiveness with the group. These groups will spend time in class together reviewing on tasks that will allow the group to support and learn from one another, such as reviewing each other’s homework before we discuss it in class and orally quizzing each other from class notes after a lesson. Out of class, these students will collaborate via wiki on a digital version of the study guide provided in class. I normally require students complete all questions on the study guide individually and turn it in the day of the test to “prove” they studied. I would change this requirement to allow the work to be done online via the wiki with their study group members. For accountability purposes, I will require each student identify themselves in every post they make. I will also encourage students to help others in their group to reply to their group member’s posts in such a way that they encourage them to provide complete and thoughtful responses. In class following group collaboration time, we can access each study group’s study guide to see how different groups are interpreting and answering the questions and bring clarity on a whole-group level to what students need to know and understand for the test.
Note: When establishing groups, I will first find out which students do not have Internet access at home and try to group those students together so they can perhaps find time to use school technology to collaborate like the rest of the students, or modify the assignment so they can work collaboratively during class or lunch and turn in a hard copy of their explanations. This modification still utilizes the aspect of collaboration, and has the potential to preserve the technology aspect of this study strategy.
I will investigate how the combination of support, integrating technology with the study process, and opportunity for immediate feedback impacts my students’ motivation to study and n turn, improves test scores.
Research and Resources
• Article by J. Harvey & H. Watt - "Using learning technology to support student study skills"-- http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/implementing-it/support.htm
• Article by Sherri Miller – “Putting the Pieces Together: Integrating Technology with Marzano’s Instructional Strategies” -- http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008
• Marzano’s 12 Instructional Strategies -- http://www.netc.org/focus
• Cautions/Problems with using wikis for student collaboration “Teaching and Learning Online with Wikis” -- http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.133.1456&rep=rep1&type=pdf
• Possibilities of using wikis to promote student learning - “Wiki as a Teaching Tool” -- http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.105.8172&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Implementation
Prior to the start of school, in preparation for launching my students into this collaborative, technologically-based learning project, I will learn more about the service, “Wiki Spaces”, so I can better teach my students how to navigate wikis and post information. I will also need to contact my administration to find their perspective on using wikis for student collaboration, and find out if our school network will allow students to access Wiki Spaces pages. If they don’t, I will contact our technology support person and see if my company will approve Wiki Space sites for students. What I will do during the school year is outlined above, however, it includes thoughtfully forming collaborative study groups (September), teaching students what a wiki is and how to navigate one(September), teach my students aspects of digital citizenship (September/October), allow time for practice and questions about posting items to their wiki (October), teaching students how to access digital copies of the study guide to post and dissect on their wiki (October), and obtain student wiki addresses for monitoring and assessment purposes (October). Once the initial set up is in place, the rest of the implementation will happen as study guides become available and test dates are decided.
How does my project address the four common places of education?
This is a brief summary, as many details are provided in the descriptions above.
Teaching – As the teacher, I will need to have technological knowledge of how to use, set up, and monitor wikis. I will need to employ effective teaching strategies for time spent in the computer lab and to foster social skills for working in collaborative groups. I will also need to have knowledge of the science content in each particular unit of study for which the study guides will be covering.
Learning – The students are 7th and 8th grade science students of all ability levels. Most students are very versed in technology, so they will probably come to class with a good set of skills to help them manage their group wikis.
Subject Matter – 7th and 8th grade science units of study such as: cells, heredity, chemistry, forces and motion, and weather and water.
Setting – The setting is a K-8 charter school on the outskirts of Lansing, Michigan.
What is the compelling problem of practice or opportunity for gain I want to address in your project?
As a middle school science teacher, one of my primary focuses is to prepare students for high school. I do this by teaching content that will support their learning of more complex science, as well as soft skills such as staying organized and learning how to study effectively. In looking at my 7th and 8th grade class lists from last year, I calculated 40% of my 7th grade students, and 46% of my 8th grade students, struggled with either organization of their personal materials for class, such as binders and homework submission, or studying effectively for quizzes and tests. This data is based upon my observations of their belongings they brought to class throughout the year; recollections of times we had one-on-one discussions about missing homework, or homework that took them a long time to locate due to their unorganized binder; quiz and overall science grades each quarter; and frequent conversations I had with the students over the course of the year about “not knowing what was assigned”.
Adding these percentages together indicates that 86% of the total number of students I taught last year struggled to demonstrate their understanding due to un-mastered soft skills of organization and study techniques. Conversely, when I analyzed quiz scores of those students who consistently earned 90% or above, I noticed that these students were also very organized with their class materials; completed and turn in all homework; and reported via self-assessment surveys that they studied "very hard" to prepare for the quizzes. Due to this data, I believe students do not learn as much, or at least cannot demonstrate their knowledge to the highest potential, if they have not mastered these two vital soft skills of organization and ability to study effectively.
I desperately want my students to realize they are capable of better grades, if they could just learn to stay organized and/or acquire better study habits. I think all my students want to do well, but even with the instruction I provide, they don’t seem to achieve to their fullest potential. I believe there are at least two key factors that contribute to this dilemma. First, it takes effort to stay organized and to study. Not all students have parents who have trained them to put forth the effort even when tasks are difficult or time-consuming. Second, my students are growing up in a culture where entertainment is top priority for them and is easy to access in multiple ways. It requires a significant amount of self-motivation, or parental direction, for students to step away from their adventurous virtual world and "study their notes" or "review their study guide", which involves a static piece of paper, and a pencil.
Although I see a joint weakness in lack of organization and poor study skills impacting student achievement on tests, the problem of practice I will address in my TechQuest is the struggle I face with teaching and encouraging students to study effectively; given their cultural competition with entertainment.
How do I plan to address this educational issue with technology?
I will battle technology with technology. Middle school students love to work with technology. Most of their entertainment involves technology. I can’t say that I blame them for wanting to play video games or chat on Facebook rather than review their study guide. I plan to make studying more engaging and appealing to my students by incorporating collaboration and technology into the way they study. I will also provide opportunities for them to take online practice tests where they will receive immediate feedback on what they have mastered prior to taking the real test in class.
The way I will make studying collaborative is I will form study groups near the beginning of the year for the students in each of my classes. The study groups will have no more than four people in them and no less than three. I will have mixed ability groups in light of research stating, “Low-ability students perform worse when grouped in homogeneous ability groups” (Kulik & Kulik, 1991, 1997; Lou et al, 1996). These study groups will remain in place for the entire year as to build community and cohesiveness with the group. These groups will spend time in class together reviewing on tasks that will allow the group to support and learn from one another, such as reviewing each other’s homework before we discuss it in class and orally quizzing each other from class notes after a lesson. Out of class, these students will collaborate via wiki on a digital version of the study guide provided in class. I normally require students complete all questions on the study guide individually and turn it in the day of the test to “prove” they studied. I would change this requirement to allow the work to be done online via the wiki with their study group members. For accountability purposes, I will require each student identify themselves in every post they make. I will also encourage students to help others in their group to reply to their group member’s posts in such a way that they encourage them to provide complete and thoughtful responses. In class following group collaboration time, we can access each study group’s study guide to see how different groups are interpreting and answering the questions and bring clarity on a whole-group level to what students need to know and understand for the test.
Note: When establishing groups, I will first find out which students do not have Internet access at home and try to group those students together so they can perhaps find time to use school technology to collaborate like the rest of the students, or modify the assignment so they can work collaboratively during class or lunch and turn in a hard copy of their explanations. This modification still utilizes the aspect of collaboration, and has the potential to preserve the technology aspect of this study strategy.
I will investigate how the combination of support, integrating technology with the study process, and opportunity for immediate feedback impacts my students’ motivation to study and n turn, improves test scores.
Research and Resources
• Article by J. Harvey & H. Watt - "Using learning technology to support student study skills"-- http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/implementing-it/support.htm
• Article by Sherri Miller – “Putting the Pieces Together: Integrating Technology with Marzano’s Instructional Strategies” -- http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008
• Marzano’s 12 Instructional Strategies -- http://www.netc.org/focus
• Cautions/Problems with using wikis for student collaboration “Teaching and Learning Online with Wikis” -- http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.133.1456&rep=rep1&type=pdf
• Possibilities of using wikis to promote student learning - “Wiki as a Teaching Tool” -- http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.105.8172&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Implementation
Prior to the start of school, in preparation for launching my students into this collaborative, technologically-based learning project, I will learn more about the service, “Wiki Spaces”, so I can better teach my students how to navigate wikis and post information. I will also need to contact my administration to find their perspective on using wikis for student collaboration, and find out if our school network will allow students to access Wiki Spaces pages. If they don’t, I will contact our technology support person and see if my company will approve Wiki Space sites for students. What I will do during the school year is outlined above, however, it includes thoughtfully forming collaborative study groups (September), teaching students what a wiki is and how to navigate one(September), teach my students aspects of digital citizenship (September/October), allow time for practice and questions about posting items to their wiki (October), teaching students how to access digital copies of the study guide to post and dissect on their wiki (October), and obtain student wiki addresses for monitoring and assessment purposes (October). Once the initial set up is in place, the rest of the implementation will happen as study guides become available and test dates are decided.
How does my project address the four common places of education?
This is a brief summary, as many details are provided in the descriptions above.
Teaching – As the teacher, I will need to have technological knowledge of how to use, set up, and monitor wikis. I will need to employ effective teaching strategies for time spent in the computer lab and to foster social skills for working in collaborative groups. I will also need to have knowledge of the science content in each particular unit of study for which the study guides will be covering.
Learning – The students are 7th and 8th grade science students of all ability levels. Most students are very versed in technology, so they will probably come to class with a good set of skills to help them manage their group wikis.
Subject Matter – 7th and 8th grade science units of study such as: cells, heredity, chemistry, forces and motion, and weather and water.
Setting – The setting is a K-8 charter school on the outskirts of Lansing, Michigan.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
1st draft of Project Description for my TechQuest Paper
The purpose of this blog post is to answer the following question:
What is the compelling problem of practice or opportunity for gain that you want to address in your project?
I am a 3rd year middle school science teacher. One of my primary focuses is to prepare students for high school. I do this by teaching content that will support their learning of more complex science, as well as soft skills such as staying organized and learning how to study effectively. I would imagine that at least 50% of my students struggle in one or both of these areas. Consequently, I believe students do not learn as much, or at least cannot demonstrate their knowledge to the highest potential, if they have not mastered these two vital skills. When I analyze quiz scores, those students who earn 90% or above are the same students who have very organized binders, complete and turn in all homework, and report that they studied "very hard".
It takes effort to stay organized and to study. My students grow up in a culture where entertainment is top priority for them and is very easy to access in multiple ways. Students have computers to play "live" video games and visit social networking sites. They have cell phones. They call and text one another frequently. They watch videos and interact with video games. It takes a lot of self-discipline to step away from their virtual world and "study their notes" or "review their study guide".
The problem of practice I will address in my TechQuest is the struggle I face with teaching and encouraging students to study effectively, given their cultural competition with entertainment. I will investigate ways I can make studying engaging for my students by using technology to make it collaborative and interesting for them.
Items I'd like feedback on:
Is my case compelling enough? Would connecting my case to class articles strengthen this?
Would it be helpful if I stated my problem of practice nearer to the beginning, rather than ending with it?
Is my problem of practice "just right" using the Goldilocks anaylogy?
Do I need to elaborate on any particular part or overall?
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback!
What is the compelling problem of practice or opportunity for gain that you want to address in your project?
I am a 3rd year middle school science teacher. One of my primary focuses is to prepare students for high school. I do this by teaching content that will support their learning of more complex science, as well as soft skills such as staying organized and learning how to study effectively. I would imagine that at least 50% of my students struggle in one or both of these areas. Consequently, I believe students do not learn as much, or at least cannot demonstrate their knowledge to the highest potential, if they have not mastered these two vital skills. When I analyze quiz scores, those students who earn 90% or above are the same students who have very organized binders, complete and turn in all homework, and report that they studied "very hard".
It takes effort to stay organized and to study. My students grow up in a culture where entertainment is top priority for them and is very easy to access in multiple ways. Students have computers to play "live" video games and visit social networking sites. They have cell phones. They call and text one another frequently. They watch videos and interact with video games. It takes a lot of self-discipline to step away from their virtual world and "study their notes" or "review their study guide".
The problem of practice I will address in my TechQuest is the struggle I face with teaching and encouraging students to study effectively, given their cultural competition with entertainment. I will investigate ways I can make studying engaging for my students by using technology to make it collaborative and interesting for them.
Items I'd like feedback on:
Is my case compelling enough? Would connecting my case to class articles strengthen this?
Would it be helpful if I stated my problem of practice nearer to the beginning, rather than ending with it?
Is my problem of practice "just right" using the Goldilocks anaylogy?
Do I need to elaborate on any particular part or overall?
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Final Reflection
Introduction
The following is my personal learning reflection about how I have grown in my knowledge and application of technology in educational settings through my participation in this course.
Teaching Strategies
I have learned and grown so much from taking this course. The two largest "take aways" I have from this course from a pedagogical standpoint are the need for students to have immediate feedback in order to continue learning and how to incorporate different teaching strategies into learning tools grounded in technology.
For example, when designing the WebQuest I used the constructivist approach and collaboration as teaching strategies. I have known about WebQuests for several years, but had never thought about effective instructional design with them. If I were to have built a WebQuest prior to taking this course I'm sure I would have designed it as an individual project where students researched information independently and came up with their own final product. I also would not have thought about trying to make sure the WebQuest was "change with difference". I think I would have just found a lot of articles for the students to look at, thinking that I was doing some great thing because my students were "using technology". My mind was very broadened as I began to think about embedding You Tube videos and searching for websites that were interactive and could not be substituted for a printed version of the site. I will carry these principles into my future teaching with technology and WebQuest design.
On a side note: Through what I've learned in this course I have asked my principal if I can teach an advanced technology elective to my middle school students next year and teach them how to build WebQuests for younger grades in science. He has approved this and I am very excited about passing on the information I've learned here!
New Technology Skills
The two most helpful technology skills I am taking from this course are how to build self-teaching, interactive units in PowerPoint using the kiosk mode and how to voice record in PowerPoint. I can think of so many applications for these two technologies. I plan on voice recording over many of the PowerPoints I have already designed for my science classes and post these on my classroom website. I can then use these for several purposes:
1. Accelerate advanced students. Those who are ahead of the class could move faster in the curriculum and listen to my lectures by viewing these PowerPoints.
2. Students who were absent during a major lesson could have access to the information at home. My students have always been able to have access to the notes for the PowerPoint, but I've always felt it was not as effective to have them read the information they missed.
3. Parents can listen to my presentations so they have a better idea of what is being taught in class. Most parents tell me they struggle with helping their student in science because they do not already know or remember the information.
Evaluating Web-Based Technologies
Evaluating web-based technologies has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of expanding the resources I use to engage students as well as teach them life-long technology skills. Middle school students are so interested in technology. I already have a very in-depth classroom website that they use every day. Now I'm thinking about other technologies such as blogs and wikis. I know that students are more motivated to be engaged, in most cases, when they are allowed to collaborate. I am thinking of hosting a wiki where I post the study guide questions and allow students to fill in the answers online (as well as their hard copies). I can then pull the wiki up on the SMARTBoard and discuss the answers they came up with during a review session. I can comment on their posts or edit them as needed. I am excited about the richer, more engaged experience I hope my students will have next year as a result of what I've learned in this course.
Personal Goal Assessment
I have met my personal goals for this course for learning about technology integration. My goals were to not just do the assignments for the credit, but to really learn all that I could through the process. I have learned so many new technology skills and pratical applications for how to integrate new technology into my classroom. I am very satisfied with the amount of learning I have done. Between this course and CEP 810 which I took concurently, I feel like I've grown a year's worth in my knowledge of educational technology.
New Goal
One new goal I have for effectively using technology in the classroom is to use technology to provide feedback for students. In one of Dr. Bell’s early lectures, he describes the evolution of using technology to provide feedback for students and the value of this feedback to encourage learning. My school has two Senteo systems (clickers to use with the SMARTBoard). Until now, I have been reluctant to try and incorporate these because I thought the logistics of using the technology was too complicated. For example, we only have two sets in the school, so I’d have to sign them out and know in advance what days I wanted them. I would also have to spend time creating an account for each of my 150 students. With everything else going on during my first two years of teaching, I didn’t desire to make the time to make arrangements to include this technology in my schedule. After learning about the impact immediate feedback has on student learning, I am now making it a priority to incorporate the Senteo system regularly into my classroom this coming year. I plan to give pretests, formative assessments, and summative assessments with this system. Before school starts I am going to communicate this goal to the technology specialist at my school and have her help me create accounts for each of my students so I’m ready to go once the students arrive.
The following is my personal learning reflection about how I have grown in my knowledge and application of technology in educational settings through my participation in this course.
Teaching Strategies
I have learned and grown so much from taking this course. The two largest "take aways" I have from this course from a pedagogical standpoint are the need for students to have immediate feedback in order to continue learning and how to incorporate different teaching strategies into learning tools grounded in technology.
For example, when designing the WebQuest I used the constructivist approach and collaboration as teaching strategies. I have known about WebQuests for several years, but had never thought about effective instructional design with them. If I were to have built a WebQuest prior to taking this course I'm sure I would have designed it as an individual project where students researched information independently and came up with their own final product. I also would not have thought about trying to make sure the WebQuest was "change with difference". I think I would have just found a lot of articles for the students to look at, thinking that I was doing some great thing because my students were "using technology". My mind was very broadened as I began to think about embedding You Tube videos and searching for websites that were interactive and could not be substituted for a printed version of the site. I will carry these principles into my future teaching with technology and WebQuest design.
On a side note: Through what I've learned in this course I have asked my principal if I can teach an advanced technology elective to my middle school students next year and teach them how to build WebQuests for younger grades in science. He has approved this and I am very excited about passing on the information I've learned here!
New Technology Skills
The two most helpful technology skills I am taking from this course are how to build self-teaching, interactive units in PowerPoint using the kiosk mode and how to voice record in PowerPoint. I can think of so many applications for these two technologies. I plan on voice recording over many of the PowerPoints I have already designed for my science classes and post these on my classroom website. I can then use these for several purposes:
1. Accelerate advanced students. Those who are ahead of the class could move faster in the curriculum and listen to my lectures by viewing these PowerPoints.
2. Students who were absent during a major lesson could have access to the information at home. My students have always been able to have access to the notes for the PowerPoint, but I've always felt it was not as effective to have them read the information they missed.
3. Parents can listen to my presentations so they have a better idea of what is being taught in class. Most parents tell me they struggle with helping their student in science because they do not already know or remember the information.
Evaluating Web-Based Technologies
Evaluating web-based technologies has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of expanding the resources I use to engage students as well as teach them life-long technology skills. Middle school students are so interested in technology. I already have a very in-depth classroom website that they use every day. Now I'm thinking about other technologies such as blogs and wikis. I know that students are more motivated to be engaged, in most cases, when they are allowed to collaborate. I am thinking of hosting a wiki where I post the study guide questions and allow students to fill in the answers online (as well as their hard copies). I can then pull the wiki up on the SMARTBoard and discuss the answers they came up with during a review session. I can comment on their posts or edit them as needed. I am excited about the richer, more engaged experience I hope my students will have next year as a result of what I've learned in this course.
Personal Goal Assessment
I have met my personal goals for this course for learning about technology integration. My goals were to not just do the assignments for the credit, but to really learn all that I could through the process. I have learned so many new technology skills and pratical applications for how to integrate new technology into my classroom. I am very satisfied with the amount of learning I have done. Between this course and CEP 810 which I took concurently, I feel like I've grown a year's worth in my knowledge of educational technology.
New Goal
One new goal I have for effectively using technology in the classroom is to use technology to provide feedback for students. In one of Dr. Bell’s early lectures, he describes the evolution of using technology to provide feedback for students and the value of this feedback to encourage learning. My school has two Senteo systems (clickers to use with the SMARTBoard). Until now, I have been reluctant to try and incorporate these because I thought the logistics of using the technology was too complicated. For example, we only have two sets in the school, so I’d have to sign them out and know in advance what days I wanted them. I would also have to spend time creating an account for each of my 150 students. With everything else going on during my first two years of teaching, I didn’t desire to make the time to make arrangements to include this technology in my schedule. After learning about the impact immediate feedback has on student learning, I am now making it a priority to incorporate the Senteo system regularly into my classroom this coming year. I plan to give pretests, formative assessments, and summative assessments with this system. Before school starts I am going to communicate this goal to the technology specialist at my school and have her help me create accounts for each of my students so I’m ready to go once the students arrive.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Web 2.0
Introduction:
Web 2.0 is a broad term that describes a world wide web that is more connected and interactive than the first web generation. The first web generation (Web 1.0) had static pages of text and images that communicated information in on direction: from designer/publisher to customer/information consumer. The difference now, is that you do not have to be a person with any money to publish. There are many free sites and new applications such as wikis, blogs, websites, social networking sites, podcasts, and video creation sites that gives a larger voice to the common public. Web 2.0 innovations have also opened the minds of educators to new ways of thinking about teaching and learning.
Consider the following questions that focus on connecting instructional strategies to Web 2.0 technology:
1. What instructional strategies would fit well with using blogs in the classroom? Why?
- Collaboration - students and teachers could post comments to one another's posts
- Inquiry - students could blog about their understanding of questions they've posed, or even comment on what others have discovered
- Idea based - the teacher could state the big idea/metaphor, and students could blog about how this idea could be applied to another area of their life, or blog about what questions this understanding leads them to
2. What instructional strategies would not fit well with using blogs in the classroom? Why?
- Didactic - however, this strategy could be modified to incorporate blogging. For example, the teacher could teach the information, and the students could come up with examples and post them on their blog. This would broaden student's perspective on how this rule/information can be applied
3. How could you see Blogs being used in your classroom with your subject matter?
- I could see myself using blogs to enhance science discussions in middle school science. I have found it difficult to stimulate rich discussion on a topic where students respond to one another's ideas. I believe there may be several reasons why this seems to be so difficult. One reason could be lack of think time during a live discussion. Another reason could be the level of risk involved with sharing your ideas aloud with others. I think if students were to respond to each other's blogs a more interactive discussion could take place because these barriers would be minimized.
Web 2.0 is a broad term that describes a world wide web that is more connected and interactive than the first web generation. The first web generation (Web 1.0) had static pages of text and images that communicated information in on direction: from designer/publisher to customer/information consumer. The difference now, is that you do not have to be a person with any money to publish. There are many free sites and new applications such as wikis, blogs, websites, social networking sites, podcasts, and video creation sites that gives a larger voice to the common public. Web 2.0 innovations have also opened the minds of educators to new ways of thinking about teaching and learning.
Consider the following questions that focus on connecting instructional strategies to Web 2.0 technology:
1. What instructional strategies would fit well with using blogs in the classroom? Why?
- Collaboration - students and teachers could post comments to one another's posts
- Inquiry - students could blog about their understanding of questions they've posed, or even comment on what others have discovered
- Idea based - the teacher could state the big idea/metaphor, and students could blog about how this idea could be applied to another area of their life, or blog about what questions this understanding leads them to
2. What instructional strategies would not fit well with using blogs in the classroom? Why?
- Didactic - however, this strategy could be modified to incorporate blogging. For example, the teacher could teach the information, and the students could come up with examples and post them on their blog. This would broaden student's perspective on how this rule/information can be applied
3. How could you see Blogs being used in your classroom with your subject matter?
- I could see myself using blogs to enhance science discussions in middle school science. I have found it difficult to stimulate rich discussion on a topic where students respond to one another's ideas. I believe there may be several reasons why this seems to be so difficult. One reason could be lack of think time during a live discussion. Another reason could be the level of risk involved with sharing your ideas aloud with others. I think if students were to respond to each other's blogs a more interactive discussion could take place because these barriers would be minimized.
Monday, May 31, 2010
New Wiki
I created the following wiki to use with my school's technology committee. I was the chairperson this year, and will also chair the committee next school year. I am going to invite the committee members to use this wiki to share ideas. I have added a survey widget to the homepage for the current members to provide feedback of their experience on the team this past year. You may visit my wiki at:
https://windemeretechcomm.wikispaces.com/
https://windemeretechcomm.wikispaces.com/
Editing Wikipedia
I teach at a charter school which is a part of a company called, "National Heritage Academies". I found someone had already started a Wikipedia page about the company. I added the section you see outlined in orange in the image. There is much more that can be added to this page.
For a better view of this page visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Heritage_Academies
I also added two new categories to the bottom of this Wikipedia page. They are "Charter Schools" and "Education".
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Good Middle School Science WebQuests
I teach 7th and 8th grade science. Below are some high-quality, engaging WebQuests I've come across that meet the National Heritage Academy (NHA) learning objectives:
1. Body Systems - "Mission: Cyborg Human"
by Caroline Hughes, Oklahoma State University
http://questgarden.com/103/17/1/100505084432/index.htm
NHA Objective: Describe the interaction between each of the human body systems, including homeostasis and the mechanisms that maintain the balance of body systems.
This WebQuest does an excellent job of engaging and motivating middle school students to learn the organs in each body system and their function through the goal of learning about them in order to help "Captain Awesome" save the planet from "Professor Terrible". The author, Caroline Hughes, does a tremendous job of weaving the storyline into the introduction, task, and process to captivate the learner and establishing a compelling, immediate purpose for learning this content.
2. Cell Parts and Function - "Cell Factory Records Presents"
by Robert DePung, Hancock Place Middle School
http://questgarden.com/83/07/7/100316131930/index.htm
NHA Objective: Describe the basic functions of cell organelles in plant and animal cells
This WebQuest is very well thought-out and will definately grab middle school student's attention. This WebQuest appeals to the dreams and aspirations of many young people with the theme of producing a hit album for a record company. The graphics are supportive and attractive. The rubric is detailed. Everything about this site is polished and engaging.
1. Body Systems - "Mission: Cyborg Human"
by Caroline Hughes, Oklahoma State University
http://questgarden.com/103/17/1/100505084432/index.htm
NHA Objective: Describe the interaction between each of the human body systems, including homeostasis and the mechanisms that maintain the balance of body systems.
This WebQuest does an excellent job of engaging and motivating middle school students to learn the organs in each body system and their function through the goal of learning about them in order to help "Captain Awesome" save the planet from "Professor Terrible". The author, Caroline Hughes, does a tremendous job of weaving the storyline into the introduction, task, and process to captivate the learner and establishing a compelling, immediate purpose for learning this content.
2. Cell Parts and Function - "Cell Factory Records Presents"
by Robert DePung, Hancock Place Middle School
http://questgarden.com/83/07/7/100316131930/index.htm
NHA Objective: Describe the basic functions of cell organelles in plant and animal cells
This WebQuest is very well thought-out and will definately grab middle school student's attention. This WebQuest appeals to the dreams and aspirations of many young people with the theme of producing a hit album for a record company. The graphics are supportive and attractive. The rubric is detailed. Everything about this site is polished and engaging.
Considerations for Creating Computer-Based Instructional Objects
What are "computer-based instructional objects"?
Computer-based instructional objects (CBIOs)are modules created to engage students in the learning process through digital means. Some examples of computer-based instructional objects are stand-alone instructional resources (stAIR projects) and WebQuests. Each module is designed to accomplish specific learning goals. WebQuests are a good way to used an inquiry-based approach to learning content in any discipline, while stAIR projects may use elements of inquiry, but are better suited for teaching specific information using a combination of deductive and inductive instructional approaches. Although these instructional objects usually take on different forms from one another, both are intended for students to operate and learn from independently.
Some Considerations for Creating Computer-Based Instructional Objects so Students Can Use them Independently:
1. Reading level. A CBIO may indicate a particular grade-level, however, since all learners do not read at grade-level, a teacher should identify the reading level of the module and make sure to make a good match between student reading ability and appropriate reading level of the module.
2. Accessibility. A CBIO should be accessible to all learners. Pictures and graphics should contain a description to help the visually impaired.
3. Differentiation through appropriate support. Some students will need more support in order to use a CBIO. Webquests with a variety of websites to use as resources will allow for differentiation based upon reading ability, learning style, and computer literacy skills. stAIRs should have re-teaching methods built in to simplify information and perhaps teach it using a different approach if the feedback to the student is they got a question incorrect.
4. Minimize noise. Good CBIOs will be designed with the least amount of noise (page clutter, animation) possible. This is good for all learners, especially those who are easily distracted.
5. Opportunity for success. CBIOs should be designed so all learners can experience success. Students will not want to work independently on a task they do not feel successful at, or something they feel is too overwhelming to try to succeed at. Sequencing tasks in small steps and providing frequent affirming feedback, even if it's in the form of "good try" if a student gets an item wrong, will help students feel successful and motivated to complete the task, thus working independently - longer!
Computer-based instructional objects (CBIOs)are modules created to engage students in the learning process through digital means. Some examples of computer-based instructional objects are stand-alone instructional resources (stAIR projects) and WebQuests. Each module is designed to accomplish specific learning goals. WebQuests are a good way to used an inquiry-based approach to learning content in any discipline, while stAIR projects may use elements of inquiry, but are better suited for teaching specific information using a combination of deductive and inductive instructional approaches. Although these instructional objects usually take on different forms from one another, both are intended for students to operate and learn from independently.
Some Considerations for Creating Computer-Based Instructional Objects so Students Can Use them Independently:
1. Reading level. A CBIO may indicate a particular grade-level, however, since all learners do not read at grade-level, a teacher should identify the reading level of the module and make sure to make a good match between student reading ability and appropriate reading level of the module.
2. Accessibility. A CBIO should be accessible to all learners. Pictures and graphics should contain a description to help the visually impaired.
3. Differentiation through appropriate support. Some students will need more support in order to use a CBIO. Webquests with a variety of websites to use as resources will allow for differentiation based upon reading ability, learning style, and computer literacy skills. stAIRs should have re-teaching methods built in to simplify information and perhaps teach it using a different approach if the feedback to the student is they got a question incorrect.
4. Minimize noise. Good CBIOs will be designed with the least amount of noise (page clutter, animation) possible. This is good for all learners, especially those who are easily distracted.
5. Opportunity for success. CBIOs should be designed so all learners can experience success. Students will not want to work independently on a task they do not feel successful at, or something they feel is too overwhelming to try to succeed at. Sequencing tasks in small steps and providing frequent affirming feedback, even if it's in the form of "good try" if a student gets an item wrong, will help students feel successful and motivated to complete the task, thus working independently - longer!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Traditional Websites vs. Blogs
What are some differences between a traditional website and a blog?
A traditional website predominately communicates information in one direction: from the website creator to the public. One major difference between a traditional website and a blog is a blog allows opportunity for two-way communication. A blog creator, and whomever they add as an author, will post information on their blog. Members of their virtual audience may post a comment and a rich dialogue may ensue. I view traditional websites as places to go to get information, like going to the library to check out a book. In comparison, visiting a blog would be like participating in a book club or literature circle: people with a common interest can share information and receive feedback from others.
Another difference between a traditional website and a blog is the level of networking that can be achieved. A blog allows people to comment on others' thoughts and for relationships to be built. People of similar interests can follow others' blogs and blogs can also be linked together to create virtual communities. A website is practically unedited or altered by those who view it. The only connection made is usually to a contact person for the site. Greater communication and opportunity for networking are two major advantages of a blog versus a traditional website.
A traditional website predominately communicates information in one direction: from the website creator to the public. One major difference between a traditional website and a blog is a blog allows opportunity for two-way communication. A blog creator, and whomever they add as an author, will post information on their blog. Members of their virtual audience may post a comment and a rich dialogue may ensue. I view traditional websites as places to go to get information, like going to the library to check out a book. In comparison, visiting a blog would be like participating in a book club or literature circle: people with a common interest can share information and receive feedback from others.
Another difference between a traditional website and a blog is the level of networking that can be achieved. A blog allows people to comment on others' thoughts and for relationships to be built. People of similar interests can follow others' blogs and blogs can also be linked together to create virtual communities. A website is practically unedited or altered by those who view it. The only connection made is usually to a contact person for the site. Greater communication and opportunity for networking are two major advantages of a blog versus a traditional website.
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Phil and Jess Scaggs
