Reflection: Final Blog Posting – EDUC 6711- Bridging Learning, Theory, Instruction, & Technology

As an educator in the twenty first century, it is my responsibility to aid in the education of the learner to the best of my ability. To accomplish this challenging endeavor, the teacher must be the leader of the classroom. A true leader motivates and uses various methodologies to stay abreast of latest trends in education over and above, enhancing the student’s sense of self, in a safe and controlled classroom environment. Instructors in all subject matters must facilitate the use of pedagogies that support the different learning styles of their students. Aiding students by differentiating instruction, utilizing the latest in brain research, as well as educational strategies enhanced by technology, rigorous and relevant knowledge that can be imparted on our students.

This is an excerpt from my Personal Theory of learning from week 1. I would not make any major changes in the philosophy aspect of my learning theory but would in the implementation portion of it. From the many different technologies that we have employed in this class, I plan on using Voice Thread and different concept mapping tools such as Webspiration.com, in each discipline I teach as well as the different tracks levels.

I have found Voice Thread to be a wonderful tool that allows the students to express their creativity and knowledge in a variety of ways. It allows them to use Web technologies collaboratively, within the realm of the classroom, as well as in the comfort of their home. After having used it within this course, I found it to have a relative ease of use, which can be helpful when 35 students are in a class.

Another instructional practice I hope to use in a different manner is the concept map. Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge (Novack, J. 2008). This allows the learner to visually connect the information presented and decipher the relationships that have occurred from this display. I have always used them in class however, after creating my own and manipulating it, through www.webspiration.com, I plan on having the students create their own as a way of review and reinforcing classroom concepts.

Two long term goals that I hope to achieve within the next few years, within my classroom, are first to utilize more Web 2.0 technologies and integrate them into the curricula, for my students. Secondly, to write a grant to obtain a set of Apple iPod Touch’s for classroom use. New software tools for educational purposes make it possible for people to perform and learn in far more complex ways than ever before (Orey 2007). It is imperative to use many different methodologies to facilitate student learning. Virtual field trips, concept maps, and other Web 2.0 technologies are cognitive tools, when used effectively, allow lower level thinking skills to be managed in order for higher order thinking skills to be stimulated Orey, 2007). These technologies, along with effective note taking and summarizing, can scaffold student learning enhancing a student’s ability to synthesize information and distill it into a new and concise form (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007)

I plan to achieve this by continuing to utilize my course work from Walden University, which will keep me up to date on the latest Web 2.0 technologies. I also will be collaborating with other teachers and administrators to work on a grant proposal. I hope to take advantage of their expertise in writing proposals and aid my school in this endeavor. I believe these to be excellent way to bring technology into the classroom and a way to bridge cross-curricular connections.

References


Novak, J. D. & Cañas, A. J. (2008). The theory underlying concept maps and how to construct and use them, Technical Report IHMC CmapTools 2006-01 Rev 01-2008. Retrieved from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Web site: http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.pdf

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2007). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved November 17, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

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

Week 5- VoiceThread

Hello Everyone~
The is the link to my VoiceThread. Let me know what you think!
voicethread.com/share/785357/
~Michele

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

I love the strategy that was expressed by Dr. Orey on the Laureate DVD is week. He described how students should be put into groups to become experts on a topic. Then be separated and put into a different group to then teacher their peers the information learned. They then are the expert on that topic and must convey that knowledge to their peers and aid in their learning. I have found this to be an excellent method in my freshman science classes. The student’s besides attaining knowledge and socially interacting with their peers, learns how compile knowledge and present it. I use this in the beginning of the school year so the student’s get used to working with each other but also become familiar with the workings of my classroom and my expectations of a high school student.

I believe that this correlates directly with the principles of Social Learning Theories:
1. Defines how learning occurs in a social setting.
2. There is a cognitive capacity where rich networks are bridged
3. The Zone of Proximal Development is utilized and students are informed of the big picture (rigorous and relevant tasks) (Siemens, 2009.)

Reference:Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author