GAME Plan Reflection

            As this course comes to an end, I am thinking of all the new knowledge I have learned about technology and how I can utilize it effectively in my classroom. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) urge teachers to teach technology with purpose and not just for the sake of using technology. I believe only using technology for the sake of using it would be a disservice to my students. My job is to create purposeful instruction with clear goals. This is where the GAME plan model is effective.

            The GAME plan model is an easy way to have students monitor their own actions toward a goal.  I am going to have my students set reading goals for the new nine weeks.  I plan to use the GAME plan model.  The students and I will decide upon at least two actions that can help them meet their own goal.  The monitoring will happen at week five to see if they are on track.  This will be a way for the students to show ownership of their actions toward a goal.  I often set goals for my students, but for some reason neglect to tell them to the students.  What I am learning is that students need to have a purpose for their actions and goal setting creates that purpose. 

            I have made some adjustments to my class based on my learning in this course.  For my unit plan, I incorporated wikis into my class.  I will also be incorporating digital storytelling as the last piece to my unit plan.  These are both ways to solve the problem as given in my problem based learning unit.  I would like to incorporate at least one problem based learning unit each nine weeks.  My student's engagement and learning through this one will help  me determine if that is attainable. 

            My students are taking to these technologies very well.  It has been a frustrating learning experience for me though.  I have spent a great deal of time teaching students how to use the technology which then puts us behind schedule.  I did not take into account the amount of time it would take me to teach the students.  Ertmer and Simmons (2006) said that teachers need to have knowledge, beliefs, confidence, and a supportive culture to integrate technology into their curriculum.  My biggest pitfall has been the supportive culture.  Our school recently went "virtual"  and this has caused so many problems with our networked computers.   I have had students lose information that was saved.  We have not had access to the internet when we were suppose too.  Not all computers on our mobile cart worked correctly so we borrowed net books from other classes only to find out that students cannot save to their own folders from net books.  The list actually goes on.  I found that I was weary of pursuing technology because of these issues, not to mention the time that I was giving up in instruction trying to fix these problems.  We are getting ipads soon so I hope these issues will be resolved quickly. 

            My own GAME plan is still coming along.  My first goal was to be a leader in technology by this coursework, learning from seminars and webinars, and blogs.  I must say this class has taught me a lot about technology.  I am continually sharing with my peers so this is an ongoing action that I am meeting.  Seminars and webinars have not come as easily as I liked.  I thought I was going to be able to attend one in November, but that feel through.  I need to continue to browse the web in hopes of finding free webinars.  It seems there is not money for this type of  professional development right now.  I am still viewing blogs.  I will admit that I do not contribute as much as I should.  I just think that my situation right now does not allow for me to contribute effectively with trying to do graduate work and all my other duties as a mom, teacher, student, and wife. 

            My second goal was to utilize an Edmodo site for my students and parents.  This is also ongoing.  The site is up and running, but has lost momentum with the students.  I know this is my fault and I am working to remedy that.  Last week, I began using the calendar on the site.  I am going to begin using the site with my reading groups to have the students blog and respond about their reading.  I will share my expectations about this at parent teacher conferences this week.  It is my hope that since parents will have direct contact with me about the site they will begin using it as well. 

            The most important thing I have learned in this course is that baby steps are still steps.  For my own sanity with instruction and technology, I must begin small and allow students time to practice and learn through technology then when they are ready add another piece.  I think I have been excited about my own learning and trying to incorporate too much at one time. 

 

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.

 

Ertmer, P., & Simons, K. (2006). Jumping the PBL implementation hurdle: Supporting the efforts of K–12               teachers. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 40–54. Retrieved from                 http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=ijpbl.

GAME Plan for Actions

Dr. Patricia Alexander (Laurate Education, 2010 ) states that the characteristics, actions, and beliefs of teachers can be directly related to learning. I believe this to be true. I am still a learner and I believe that students should see me learning alongside with them. Recently, I created a GAME plan to help me continue being a leaner. Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer (2009) advise that a GAME plan is a way for a self- directed learner to respond to the continuous technological changes. Responding to these changes will make me a better teacher and prepare my students for twenty first century skills. The Partnership for Twenty First Century Skills report that students will be required to communicate, collaborate, and think critically in the future workforce. My job as an educator is to model and prepare my students for this. My GAME plan will help me meet these goals.

My first goal is to be a leader in the process of integrating technology into our curriculum with ipads. The actions I am taking to meet these this goal are as follows. Underneath the numbered goals will be my current action to meet the goal.

  1. Earn my master's degree in the integration of technology in the classroom. I will use the knowledge I am gaining about technology in my class as well as share this with my colleagues.

A. I am in the process of earning my master's degree. I have been "stealing" numerous ideas from my peers about current technology uses. My graduate work has also taught me about the complexities of teaching students how to use the internet as a tool. This past week I used a lesson I created from my last class to teach students how that not all resources on the internet are accurate.

2. Attend seminars and/or webinars on teaching with the use of ipads. Then prepare a presentation for teachers at one of our monthly teacher meetings.

A. I have not been attended a seminar or webinar. I have found a seminar in November that would be very helpful in setting up the ipads, finding resourceful applications, and learning the basic functions of the ipads. I am hoping there is enough money for my school to send me.

B. I have not planned to teach at our monthly meeting in October. The ipads are still not ready for to be distributed.  Do you possibly know of any free webinars?

3. View and contribute to blogs about the integration of technology in the classroom and the best apps to use for students in fourth grade. I will incorporate these apps and practices into our daily routines.

 A.I have spoken with colleagues from my school about apps they have found to be used in their class. I have recently found a few applications that I have found will be useful in my class. Prensky (2008) states that technology should not be incorporated just to be incorporated. We are implementing the imovie app next week.

B. I have contributed to the blogs of my peers through my classes. I follow three other blogs sites about technology, but I have not found new blog sites to follow. Do you follow any blogs that deal with integrating technology that may be helpful?

  The second goal is to utilize the social networking site of edmodo to collaborate with students, parents, and other teachers to improve my classroom practices. The actions I am taking to meet these goals are as follows. I will list the goal and then tell you my actions to meet those goals.

  1. Set up a class site on edmodo. Teach students and parents how to use this site as a classroom tool.

A. I have an edmodo site set up with all of my students currently participating in the site. Students have taken polls, responded to literary questions, and added pictures. I have set up a monthly electronic calendar to keep parents and students informed I wanted to have a student page and an separate parent page. I believe this is a technical error on my part. I need to either contact the help desk through the site or speak with a colleague who also utilizes the site. My students are excited about the site.

2. Join learning communities that are available on the site.

A. I have not added learning communities to my page as I have intended to do. This will allow me to connect to with other teachers in fourth grade. This would require me to ask to be added to different communities. I have not taken the time to do this yet. It will be very valuable to me and my instruction.

3. Post assignments that must be completed through the site itself. This will allow parents and other members who have our classroom code to view and participate in our learning.

A. My students have not had graded assignments through this site yet. For this, I will need to be certain that the students who do not have internet access have the time needed in my class to complete the assignment. One way this will be easier is when we have greater access to technology like the ipads that will be added to our rooms. I am thinking I will begin this by setting groups up according to the students' reading groups. There we would be able to talk about the specifics of the books we are reading.

  I recognize that I still have work to do to attain my GAME plan. I will continue working to achieve these goals for the benefit of myself and creating a classroom where students are active rather than passive. All students want to learn. I must find the best way to benefit my students in their learning process. Technology seems to be that tool.

  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.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). 2011. DVD 1: Designing Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Teaching and Learning. Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Patricia Alexander.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/storage/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf Prensky, M. (2008).

Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

Creating A GAME Plan to Meet Technology Standards

 

Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer (2009) suggest that all teachers should develop a GAME plan. This consists of setting goals, taking action to achieve those goals, monitoring your progress, and evaluating or extending your growth towards attaining the goals. I have developed a GAME plan as a way of meeting ISTE NETS-T standards. Setting these goals will promote my own self-directed lifelong learning as well as help me promote self-directed learning in my students.

 

The first standard I would like to address is standard 5 indicator A.

Standard 5:  Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

 Indicator A. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning

 

My goal is to be a leader at our school as we begin to integrate a new technology for the teachers and students with the addition of ipads.  The ipads are in the process of being set up so that each class will have a total of ten available and each teacher will have their own ipad to be used for teaching. 

Actions to complete this goal are:

1. Earn my master's degree in the integration of technology in the classroom.  I will use the knowledge I am gaining about technology in my class as well as share this with my colleagues.

2.  Attend seminars and/or webinars on teaching with the use of ipads.  Then prepare a presentation for teachers at one of our monthly teacher meetings. 

3.  View and contribute to blogs about the integration of technology in the classroom and the best apps to use for students in fourth grade.  I will incorporate these apps and practices into our daily routines. 

I will monitor my growth and progress by setting up a timeline for the actions I have developed.  I will earn my master's degree in February.  I will use the resources I have learned to help fellow teachers throughout the integration process.  I will teach at a teacher's meeting by the first of the year.  I will view and contribute to blogs as an ongoing action.  I will incorporate new apps for classroom use throughout the school year.  I will only incorporate those that will be beneficial to our classroom structure.  Prensky (2008)  states that technology should not be incorporated just to be incorporated.  I agree with this statement.  Students need to see how technology can be useful in their learning not just shown that it is there to be used. 

I will evaluate my own progress at the end of the this 2012-2013 school year. I will ask myself if I was successful in adding technology as a tool for learning.  I will ask myself if my peers seek me out as a leader in our new technologies.   I will take time to reflect upon whether or not I have been successful in being a leader to teachers in my school.

The second standard I would like to address is standard 3 indicator B.

Standard 3: Model digital age work and learning: Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

Indicator B: Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

 

My goal is utilize the social networking site of edmodo to collaborate with students, parents, and other teachers to improve my classroom practices.

 

Actions to attain this goal are:

 

1.  Set up a class site on edmodo. Teach students and parents how to use this site as a classroom tool. 

 

2.  Join learning communities that are available on the site.

 

3.  Post assignments that must be completed through the site itself.  This will allow parents and other members who have our classroom code to view and participate in our learning. 

 

I will monitor my own progress by setting dates to have met each goal.  I have set up an edmodo site.  The students have not been added. I will do that this week.  In the next three weeks, I will teach parents and students how to use the site.  I will join learning communities over the course of the next few months.  I will begin posting assignments to the site by November. 

 

I will evaluate my progress by asking parents if they feel our site is useful to keeping them informed.  I will ask students how they feel their learning is enhanced by edmodo.  I will document how often I use or steal ideas from the communities I have joined on edmodo. 

 

The GAME plans for each goal will help me be more confident with technology in my classroom and promote my proficiency.  This will not only enhance the teaching of my studnets, but also my own self-directed learning. 

 

 

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.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.
Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

 

Final Reflection

This course has required me to learn about new technologies that I can take back and teach my students.  It has also forced me to examine some of my current teaching practices and strive to make them better.  These two things alone will improve my interactions with my students thus making me a better teacher.

My initial theory about learning follows Constructivism theories.  I believe students learn best by being active in their learning and by being given a chance to practice on multiple levels. The more you engage a student the more likely the students will remember (Kottler, Zehm,& Kottler, 2005). I understand how students learn and develop. I plan my instruction based on accessing prior knowledge and building on information as I plan lessons. It is my belief that if students are guided in constructing their own views then it will be more meaningful and thus connect to their prior knowledge.  I still believe this.  Much of the learning in this course supports and suggests that allowing students to explore is the best form of teaching and learning. This course has given me a better understanding of the importance of allowing students to discover their own learning and how that leads to long term memory. 
The immediate adjustments I plan on making to my instruction are using the interactive whiteboard in a more interactive sense.  I know that sometimes I just use it as a presentation tool.  I am aware that my students are more engaged when they know they will be using the board and I need to give them the chance to do that more often.  I also need to allow my students the time to enjoy technology as well.  I know there are numerous games that students can play online to practice math facts or grammar for example.  I do not make time for this in our schedule and I think the students would benefit from this especially since summer vacation is coming up.  It is my hope that the students will utilize these games on summer vacation. 
The two new technology tools that I am very excited about integrating into my classroom are Voicethread and Spidescribe.  VoiceThread is a way to allow students to view information that they can comment on via text or sound.  I believe this is a way to meet diverse learners.  Struggling students are given a chance here to use their voice instead of having to write it all down.  It gives them a chance to have a sort of conversation.  I believe that the possibilities are endless with Voicethread.  My students will have many ideas about a way to utilize this tool when I introduce it to them.  The other tool is Spiderscribe.  This is a  tool that can be used for concept mapping.  I believe that concept mapping is important for students to do because it shows them the connections among a subject.  It also allows the students to make those connections.  Making connections is essential in long term learning. 
I have set two goals for the following school year.  One of the goals is to set up a class wiki where the students can add information about Indiana.  I envision this as a class wiki where we add many pages over the course of the school year so that we can access and use it for various purposes.  I am going to implement this goal by becoming better familiar with the wiki.  I am going to spend time this summer finding sites that students may browse for information.  I will need to allow my class the opportunity to navigate the wiki.  I currently have four computers available in my room for use and will need to determine how to make those computers available to all the students.  Another goal of mine is to use the site edmodo in a more educational manner.  I created an edmodo site for my students this year.  It is sort of like facebook for our class.  I enjoy reading and participating in the conversations that the students have on there.  I do post questions and we take surveys, but I have really allowed the students freedom to use it as a social tool.  I would like to create a more educational site with my class next year.  I will invite the parents to participate and use this in place of the class web page that we have.  It will be a place where the students and parents can check calendars, add pictures, see what we are learning, and participate in our discussions.  I really like that I am in control of what is posted and that no one else can be apart or view our page unless they have a password.  I believe that my class is more community centered now that we have this site set up. 
This course has forced me to evaluate myself as a teacher.  I have learned that there are numerous opportunities for students to be using technology tools in our classroom.  I am thankful to have the chance to learn about these new and exciting tools.  I think the biggest problem I face is finding the time to explore the tools in order to teach the students how to use them.  Then I remember that I should allow the students to explore the tools on their own and that will be a learning opportunity for them.  Bottom line is that students need to be familiar and exposed to the technology tools available to them.  This is the future of learning and it is my job to get them ready for the future. 

Kottler, J. A., Zehm, Stanley J., Kottler, E. (2005).  On Being a Teacher: The Human       Dimension. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Social Learning Theory

I believe the social learning theory is another effective way of educating students.  Michael Orey reports social learning as a way for students to learn through interactions with others.  The theory suggests that students will be impacted by the social interactions that occur while working with their peers.  One way the theory is put to the test is when students must teach their peers.  An example discussed was when medical students could articulate a solution to a problem, but not actually apply their learning to solve the problem.  Michael Orey described this as situated cognition.  The social learning theory is one way to help dissolve this issue as peers are responsible for teaching one another while the teacher acts as a facilitator. 

The Internet makes the social learning theory more suitable in classrooms today.  There are many resources on the Internet that allow students to work collaboratively on projects via the Internet.  Technology can facilitate group interactions while providing structure for group tasks, and allows members of groups to communicate even if they are not face to face.  Technology allows schools to service students at anytime and facilitate their growth into lifelong learners. 

There were several resources listed this week.  One that I am familiar with and have used in the past is WebQuests.  WebQuests are activities that allow students in a class or from different locations to work on a project or tackle a particular problem.  They focus on using information rather than finding it.  I designed a WebQuest for sixth grade students that took them on an African safari.  The students had to gather the supplies they needed and then change routes as they encountered issues with the animals.  This is definitely a task to be taken on in groups.  The students worked together to complete the webQuest.

Social sites were listed as a resource as well.  I have began to use edmodo in my class for my students.  Only my students and their parents are allowed to log into our account.   We began to use it as a place for discussion about books.  We have taken surveys on this site.  Students have shared accomplishments with one another.  I believe that our class is more of community since we began this site.   I like the way the students drive one another on this site.  There are times during classroom discussions that I must stifle the conversation for lack of time, but on this site they can carry one the conversation.  At times, I have posted a comment from class that day just to continue the conversation.

Social learning theory is like the other theories.  It has a place in my classroom with behaviorism and constructivism.  They are all embedded into my classroom.  I believe to reach all students you need a variety of teaching styles.

Voice Thread
https://voicethread.com/?#u2624020

References
Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Social Learning Theories. [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory Instruction and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author

Instructional Strategies for Constructivism and Constructionism

Both constructivism and constructionism theories deal with students creating their own meaning by constructing it themselves.  This involves the students being very active in learning.  Teachers are more of facilitators in this type of environment which can be very challenging at times. 

This weeks resources focused on how technology can help students with this type of learning environment.  Michael Orey suggested allowing students to create meaning through the use of PowerPoint.  Turning students loose to research information and then organize it in a manner that is presentable can be a very challenging task.  I believe students need to be taught to learn in this manner.  They need to be shown proper ways to research and organize information.  This is where the challenge happens in classrooms.  Teachers think they must spend so much time teaching content standards that they do not take the time to teach these other important skills.  I realized the hard way that my students were ready for this type of learning.  I allowed my students to research an area in the state of Indiana and make a brochure to persuade others to visit the area.  The students were engaged in the learning and were teaching each other how to find information.  Most all of the class was active in this process.  I was surprised at their creativity with this learning activity.  I have also allowed my students to make news broadcasts telling everyone about the upcoming weather and how to stay safe.  This was after reading books in our reading workshop time about weather.  I gave them a rubric of expectations and turned them loose for four days to prepare.  The ideas they came up with were more creative and brilliant than I ever could have created.  It also built on 21st century skills of collaboration which proves to difficult for fourth graders with no exact direction.

 It is difficult for some of my students to not be given very specific directions, but I am learning there is great value in me taking a step back and having them create their own meanings.  I am fortunate enough to be able to give my students these opportunities with technology.  It concerns me though the students who are not fortunate to be able to learn through this manner. 

  References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (2010) Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories.

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning happens in three stages. Students engage in sensory input.  This information is stored in the short term memory or working memory.  Then once it has been put to use enough or connections have been made the information becomes stored in long term memory.  This is the ultimate goal in terms of learning.  The trouble with this type of learning is that not all students are going to make the same connections thus not all will store the new learning in long term memory.  This is where the use of organizers is beneficial to all students.

The idea of concept mapping is not new to education.  It is a great way to organize thoughts.  The use of technology in concept mapping is a new idea to me.  Concept maps allow students to make a dual coded connection.  Michael Orey reports that dual coded connections are more likely to create long term memory.  Students will get the benefit of visual and text with concept mapping.  I believe concept maps would be very beneficial in the beginning for introduction of a unit or at the end to summarize the learning.   

Graphic organizers can be used in many ways to introduce new information.  This would be one way to tap into the learners background knowledge and possibly expand it for working memory to take place. 
Using technology as a tool for introducing new materials will spark interest in students.  Most students are familiar with technology well beyond that of their teachers.  Allowing students to engage in the creation of concept maps and graphic organizers will likely produce long term memory. 

Behaviorism

When I initially think of behaviorism, I think of what some people would call the "old school" way of teaching.  This comes to mind for two reasons: one is B.F. Skinner's idea of operant conditioning.  This means that we reinforce the desired behaviors with praise or reward.   An example would be rewarding the students who turn in all their work on time with free time. The hope would be that this would promote this positive behavior thus increasing the learning taking place. The other side of this theory is to ignore or most often punish the undesirable behaviors as a way of trying to decrease the behavior.  An example would be taking away recess for a student who did not complete their work.  I believe this is used in some form in most classrooms.  I know that I try to use praise and reward as an effective method, but sometimes consequence and punishment are used also.  Both can be an effective way to manage behavior in the class.  The second idea of behaviorism is that drill and practice are the best methods to teach skills. 

The drill and practice of skills is particularly important when thinking of remediation of students.  Michael Orey states that students are sent to practice skills on a computer because they have not mastered the skills in the classroom.  He notes there is a negative connotation with this.   The resources provided this week are drill and practice sites that students could use to gain expected skills for the classroom.  I believe the skills that could be practiced are valuable to students.  Some of them like math facts or grammar rules are skills that I think students would benefit from the practice and drill method of behaviorism.  I think students would enjoy the ease and simplicity of the sites while still mastering an important skill.  I also believe that this type of learning could be used for summer practice and practice at home.

All teachers want students to learn.  It is our job to be certain to find the best method for each child.  I believe a variety of methods is most effective in meeting the needs of students.  The sites listed follow the behaviorism method of teaching through practice and drill.  I believe there is room for this in the classroom, but do not believe it should be the only method of teaching any skill. 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Behaviorist Learning Theory [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory Instruction and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author

Smith, K. (1999). The behaviourist orientation to learning. In The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm

 

Final Reflection

This course has been the most beneficial course I have taken.  The requirements for the course have pushed me to leave my comfort zone and work with technology in ways that I had never dreamed I would.  Not only has it sparked my interest in technology it has also helped my students.  They are excited about the new changes happening in our classroom.  I have incorporated a wiki for the intermediate teachers in our building.  My students are blogging and I am going to begin a wiki for our classroom as well. 

I am finding that although I am a learner also in the process of using the technology tools the students are still receptive to the changes.  They are showing me new tools and are excited about what is happening in our class.  Their enthusiasm for learning pushes me to incorporate more and more technology into our daily class.  It feels good to know that I am giving my students the best possible tools for learning and they are enjoying their learning more and more.  Providing students with 21st Century Skills is very important to me.  I want to prepare them to the best of my ability. 

Technology has also made the students be responsible for their own learning.  They are posting to discussions, making weather reports that we video taped, and they are working in groups to create rather than listen.  I have found that I am more of a facilitator or coach in the process than the leader.  According to David Hall being able to collaborate and communicate is a necessity for students since the jobs of the future will have employees all over the world working through the use of technology.

I have changed a few things since the beginning of this course.  I make an effort everyday to use technology in an exciting way whether it be the Internet for research, finding a video to expand an idea, or allowing the students to use the interactive whiteboard to do Math.  I am beginning to have students work more in groups to collaborate on projects than I did in the beginning of the year.  There are always ones who cannot get along very well and those are the students I try to be certain are getting along because they need to develop the skill more than anyone. 

One long term goal for my classroom is to create and utilize a wiki for the class.  I want students to have a place where they can log their work they have found on famous Hoosiers.  I think this would be such an accomplishment for the students to see at the end of the year.  It would also enforce collaboration and communication skills.  I need to teach the students how to use the wiki and then require a posting or two a week to maintain it.  Another goal of mine is create student portfolios that are electronic.  I think this would  be a way to showcase work as well.  Each student is given an account on our server.  Students would have a place to store their work.  I know that as a writer I rarely write with pen and paper anymore so I would like to teach students about the writing process with the computer in mind.  Most often my students do not enjoy the writing process because of revision and editing.  I think the use of the  computer may change this fact. 

Technology with fourth graders

I was surprised to find out how many hours my students spend using technology.  They spend more time playing video games or games on the internet than they do using social media sites, instant messaging, or text messaging.   I wonder if it has something to do with the age of the students.

http://soundcloud.com/tmcnew/tech-with-fourth-graders/s-mmji3

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

The website http://www.p21.org/ explains the new common core state standards (CCSS) and the needs for the increasing technology in our school curriculum.  I spent the day with the curriculum director of my school going over the common core standards and what that means for the previous standards.  I came to the conclusion that it will mean teachers will need to teach for depth rather than surface coverage.  I have always thought this would be the best way to teach, but have also worried about the standardized test that my students take.

The CCSS will create a national baseline for all students.  This means that all students in the United States will be expected to master the same standards.  This will be monitored by the key performance outcomes.  The standards are based on the 3R's and 4C's.  The 3R's are the core subject areas and the 4C's are critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation.  Higher order thinking skills will help students transfer knowledge from one subject area to another.  Isn't that our overall goal?

I must admit that I am not normally a fan of change.  I tend to think  if something is not broken then there is no need to fix it.  With that being said, I realize that many of our methods of teaching are broken.  We are not preparing students for the world they will soon be required to function in properly.  Combining the entire framework with the necessary support will increase student engagement in the learning process. 

The site has an enormous amount of information for educators. I especially appreciated the links to professional development.  I will be taking this site to my administrators and encouraging them take a look at the possibilities.  I am currently learning about some of the technical aspects of teaching students for success in the 21st century, but I am worried about my peers who are not pursuing their masters degree at this time. 

The ideas on the site like recording their reactions to a book and then pod casting it so that others can respond is a completely different idea than any I have thought of.  I see how this is a higher level thinking skill than just a reading response.  I do believe students will be interested in this type of learning.  I also believe that I have a lot to learn about teaching students how to navigate the Internet as a learning tool.  This is why I am here learning with the rest of you.  I am excited, nervous, and exhausted all at the same time.  How do you feel about the future of education?

Fourth Grade Blogging

As I mentioned earlier, blogging is new to me. I am excited about the possibilities, but I am also unsure where to start. 

I am thinking that I may begin by having my students do a form of reading response.  I think the easiest and best way to teach and learn about blogging simultaneously would be for me to read a book to my class.  I could post a question or comment and ask my students to respond.  I think the discussions that could spawn from this type of communication would be very valuable to reading comprehension.

I am also thinking that a blog would be an excellent place to showcase student writing.  Students are apprehensive when it comes to writing and I often have to wonder if this is something that I convey to them.  I, too, am an apprehensive writer so having this showcase would help.

Inviting parents to view our blogs would also be an effective means of communication.  I think this would be helpful for those parents who work and are not able to get into the school on a regular basis.  It would be one more way to keep them informed. 

A few other thoughts:

• weekly assignments
• specific projects
• field trips
• helpful websites

My school does have a website to post this sort of information.  It is not user friendly at all.  Pictures must be loaded and deleted one by one.  I can say honestly that I do not utilize it because of the times it takes to use. 

Linked In

I think I have all of my classmates linked to my blog.  I am finding that this is not as difficult as it seems, but since I am new to this it is kind of like deciphering Japanese.  It makes think of my fourth graders and the first time I make them calculate double digit multiplication or convert fractions.  Reminds me that patience is the key.

New to blogging!: RSS feed

New to blogging!: RSS feed: I am unsure how to be certain if I have this set up as RSS feed. I hope it is correct.

RSS feed

I am unsure how to be certain if I have this set up as RSS feed.  I hope it is correct.

Excited fourth grade teacher who is new to blogging.

My name is Teresa McNew.  I am new to the world of blogging.  I am currently in pursuit of earning my master's degree in technology for the classroom.  The world of blogging seems to be a very valuable tool for students.  I  am excited about the possibilities of my own learning so that I can take this knowledge back to my students.  For those of you familiar with this process, I am wondering if you have any pointers for me as a newbie.  Thanks, I look forward to our further correspondence. 

Teresa