I have always believe that it is beneficial for students to participate in hands on activities in a classroom as opposed to sitting in a desk and listening to a teacher lecture. I continually try to make my lessons hands-on, fun, and stimulating for my students. In this week's resources I learned a little about Contructionism and the role it plays in a classroom. The Contructionism Theory is the idea that you need to have first-hand experience with things to understand things (Leaureate, 2009).
Technology is a wonderful tool to have and implement in a classroom. Technology allows students to be hands-on with lessons and projects. I use several types of technology in my classroom. I have a SMARTboard and create many of my lessons using this tool. There are 10 computers in my classroom that allows my students to have access to what I am doing on the SMARTboard. We have created a blog together, watched Brainpop videos, viewed PowerPoints, etc. The use of technology in my classroom keeps my students alert, excited, and even in tuned with the lesson I am teaching.
My students love making PowerPoints. I think it makes them feel a little like they are the teacher, which of course they love. They pick a topic, research it, and then create a presentation that I allow them to share on the SMARTboard with the class. All of these things correlate with the Constructionism Theory by giving the students that hands-on experience they need to fully understand and absorb the information. It allows them to build something on their own, which is what Constructionism is all about.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Cognitive Learning Theory in the Classroom
Cognitive Learning Theory is prevalent in most any classroom you would come across today. In this week's DVD presentation, Dr. Orey refers to the Information Processing Model, in which the brain first receives information and then stores it in short term, followed by long term memory. Students are doing this every day in class with the information they are being taught. As a teacher, it is my goal to teach students information which ultimately they will store in long term memory.
Dr. Orey also refers to Paivio's dual coding hypothesis which involves information being stored as images, text, and even smell. I know that I personally remember things better when I have an image in my head that I have somehow related to what I learned or connected with a smell of a certain activity that I participated in. I try to incorporate images in to as many lessons as I can. I teach a lot of lessons on my interactive white board.
Online sites such as BrainPop and United Streaming are sites that I use often in my lesson. The visuals, sounds, and images help the students retain information, especially when they are able to make a personal connection with the things they are seeing. Dr. Orey talks about Elaboration Theory which is the primary mechanism for storing stuff into long-term memory (Laureate, 2009). When students are learning something new that they don't know anything about, they associate some piece that is familiar and make a connection to help them remember. Instructional strategies such as using online educational sites in your classroom is definitely something that I find effective and useful in my classroom.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2009. Behaviorist Learning Theory: Cognitive Learning Theories (DVD). Baltimore, MD. Author.
Dr. Orey also refers to Paivio's dual coding hypothesis which involves information being stored as images, text, and even smell. I know that I personally remember things better when I have an image in my head that I have somehow related to what I learned or connected with a smell of a certain activity that I participated in. I try to incorporate images in to as many lessons as I can. I teach a lot of lessons on my interactive white board.
Online sites such as BrainPop and United Streaming are sites that I use often in my lesson. The visuals, sounds, and images help the students retain information, especially when they are able to make a personal connection with the things they are seeing. Dr. Orey talks about Elaboration Theory which is the primary mechanism for storing stuff into long-term memory (Laureate, 2009). When students are learning something new that they don't know anything about, they associate some piece that is familiar and make a connection to help them remember. Instructional strategies such as using online educational sites in your classroom is definitely something that I find effective and useful in my classroom.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2009. Behaviorist Learning Theory: Cognitive Learning Theories (DVD). Baltimore, MD. Author.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology
Well, I thought I had this whole blog thing figured out, but I'm realizing I might not be as "tech savvy" as I once thought. I logged on to my blog today and saw that my original post has disappeared! I'm not sure what happened, but let's try this again.
I am still continuing on my journey of becoming a tech savvy educator. I am not quite where I want to be, but I have had fun learning about new tools and various technology based instruction that I can implement in my classroom. I am currently taking a class where I am learning about the connection of learning theory, instruction and technology. In this week's resources I learned about the instructional strategy of reinforcing students' efforts through the use of technology. Technology makes it easier for students and teachers to track the effects of effort and facilitates more immediate feedback (Pitlet, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 156).
Spreadsheets are a great way to reinforce students' efforts. My students participate in an online reading program called Accelerated Reader. This programs allows students to read books and then take quizzes online about the book they have read. Every few weeks I print out a spreadsheet that keeps track of the books and quizzes the students have completed and a chart of the progress they have made. By looking at the chart, students can clearly see the relation between their efforts and grades they earned on their tests (Pitlet, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 159). I would like to take this strategy a step further and have my students keep track of their own progress by having them create a spreadsheet through Microsoft Excel. I have 10 computers in my classroom so each student would have ample opportunity to keep track of their progress on the computer.
This strategy goes right along with the behaviorist theory in teaching. Accelerated Reader, along with the use of the spreadsheet to track progress, is a type of positive reinforcement. At the beginning of each 9 weeks, each student, with my help, sets a goal that they would like to reach. The goal usually involves raising the percentage correct on tests and the number of books read at each student's level. At the end of each 9 weeks, we have an AR celebration for those students that met their goals. This positive reinforcement encourages the students to work hard and improve their efforts to create positive outcomes.
As I said before, I have had a lot of fun learning about the various ways to use technology in my classroom. I have enjoyed trying new things that I have learned in class and implementing them in my classroom. I am not only teaching my students about these new tools in technology, but I am learning myself as we go!
References:
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., (2007). Using Technolgoy with Classroom Instruction that Works, Alexandria, VA: ASCD
I am still continuing on my journey of becoming a tech savvy educator. I am not quite where I want to be, but I have had fun learning about new tools and various technology based instruction that I can implement in my classroom. I am currently taking a class where I am learning about the connection of learning theory, instruction and technology. In this week's resources I learned about the instructional strategy of reinforcing students' efforts through the use of technology. Technology makes it easier for students and teachers to track the effects of effort and facilitates more immediate feedback (Pitlet, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 156).
Spreadsheets are a great way to reinforce students' efforts. My students participate in an online reading program called Accelerated Reader. This programs allows students to read books and then take quizzes online about the book they have read. Every few weeks I print out a spreadsheet that keeps track of the books and quizzes the students have completed and a chart of the progress they have made. By looking at the chart, students can clearly see the relation between their efforts and grades they earned on their tests (Pitlet, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 159). I would like to take this strategy a step further and have my students keep track of their own progress by having them create a spreadsheet through Microsoft Excel. I have 10 computers in my classroom so each student would have ample opportunity to keep track of their progress on the computer.
This strategy goes right along with the behaviorist theory in teaching. Accelerated Reader, along with the use of the spreadsheet to track progress, is a type of positive reinforcement. At the beginning of each 9 weeks, each student, with my help, sets a goal that they would like to reach. The goal usually involves raising the percentage correct on tests and the number of books read at each student's level. At the end of each 9 weeks, we have an AR celebration for those students that met their goals. This positive reinforcement encourages the students to work hard and improve their efforts to create positive outcomes.
As I said before, I have had a lot of fun learning about the various ways to use technology in my classroom. I have enjoyed trying new things that I have learned in class and implementing them in my classroom. I am not only teaching my students about these new tools in technology, but I am learning myself as we go!
References:
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., (2007). Using Technolgoy with Classroom Instruction that Works, Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Sunday, February 28, 2010
I'm a Technology Savvy Teacher. . .almost :-)
I’ve been working to earn my Master’s degree in “Integrating Technology in the Classroom”, through Walden University. When I first started the course Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, I felt like I was well on my way to being a technology savvy teacher who was doing a great job at integrating technology in my classroom. Throughout the weeks of this course and with each new assignment I was given, I realized that maybe I didn’t know all there was to know about integrating technology into my class.
In my course DVD resource, Dr. David Thornburg quoted some teachers that he had asked about technology in their classrooms. They stated, “It has allowed me to move from a didactic teacher-driven world to a more inquiry-driven, project-based world” (Laureate, 2008). This is exactly how I feel. All of the technology that I was using in my classroom before, like my SMARTboard and computers, was completely teacher driven. I never allowed the students to explore and create student driven projects. After taking this course, I have learned about so many new fun and exciting things in technology that will allow me to create a more inquiry-driven, project based classroom, i.e. blogs, wikis, podcasts.
There was a time when I dreaded taking my work home each night and creating lesson plans for the week. During this course, I have learned many new things that I am trying to integrate into my classroom, and now I actually look forward to exploring and creating new ideas and lessons for my class. To teach technologies effectively, educators must learn to use them effectively (Richardson, 2006). I have realized that in order for my students to understand and be excited about the new technologies I am teaching, I have to truly understand it also. I don’t want my students to just understand how to use the technology, but I want it to drive them in their academics and have a positive effect in their learning.
One goal I would like to set for my classroom is to create a class webpage. I am fortunate enough to be at a school where 95% of students have computers with internet access at home. I’d like to use the webpage to post assignments, links and resources for projects, and even a resource page through a student created wiki. My second goal is to create a classroom blog. I would like the blog to be used in our class from the first day of school to the last. I’d like this to be a place where students can communicate with one another and build a classroom community. It can also be used for nightly reading responses. Parents will be able to actively participate in the blog as well. I believe that a class webpage and a class blog will be a great way to integrate technology in my classroom and truly open up teacher/student/parents communication.
As I said before, I once thought that I was a technology savvy teacher, but I am quickly realizing that I have a lot more to learn when it comes to technology. At times it can be challenging and difficult to understand, but I accept the challenge and am excited about all that it left to learn when it comes to technology.
Resources:
Laureate, Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). “Bringing the Fun into Teaching with Technology” [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
In my course DVD resource, Dr. David Thornburg quoted some teachers that he had asked about technology in their classrooms. They stated, “It has allowed me to move from a didactic teacher-driven world to a more inquiry-driven, project-based world” (Laureate, 2008). This is exactly how I feel. All of the technology that I was using in my classroom before, like my SMARTboard and computers, was completely teacher driven. I never allowed the students to explore and create student driven projects. After taking this course, I have learned about so many new fun and exciting things in technology that will allow me to create a more inquiry-driven, project based classroom, i.e. blogs, wikis, podcasts.
There was a time when I dreaded taking my work home each night and creating lesson plans for the week. During this course, I have learned many new things that I am trying to integrate into my classroom, and now I actually look forward to exploring and creating new ideas and lessons for my class. To teach technologies effectively, educators must learn to use them effectively (Richardson, 2006). I have realized that in order for my students to understand and be excited about the new technologies I am teaching, I have to truly understand it also. I don’t want my students to just understand how to use the technology, but I want it to drive them in their academics and have a positive effect in their learning.
One goal I would like to set for my classroom is to create a class webpage. I am fortunate enough to be at a school where 95% of students have computers with internet access at home. I’d like to use the webpage to post assignments, links and resources for projects, and even a resource page through a student created wiki. My second goal is to create a classroom blog. I would like the blog to be used in our class from the first day of school to the last. I’d like this to be a place where students can communicate with one another and build a classroom community. It can also be used for nightly reading responses. Parents will be able to actively participate in the blog as well. I believe that a class webpage and a class blog will be a great way to integrate technology in my classroom and truly open up teacher/student/parents communication.
As I said before, I once thought that I was a technology savvy teacher, but I am quickly realizing that I have a lot more to learn when it comes to technology. At times it can be challenging and difficult to understand, but I accept the challenge and am excited about all that it left to learn when it comes to technology.
Resources:
Laureate, Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). “Bringing the Fun into Teaching with Technology” [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
And the technology journey continues. . .
In just a few short weeks I have created a blog, contributed to creating a wiki, and now I am learning how to create a Podcast! This whole road to becoming a technology savvy teacher has been quite an experience. I have enjoyed every minute of it! The best part has been taking the things I have learned and integrating them into my daily lessons in my classroom. This week I created a questionnaire for my students regarding their use and knowledge of technology. I am still in the process of interviewing the students and creating a podcast. I have created a website through Podbean and hope to have my podcast up in the next few days.
Here is a link to my podcast site. Enjoy!
http://ahanes.podbean.com/
Here is a link to my podcast site. Enjoy!
http://ahanes.podbean.com/
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Welcome to the 21st Century!
For part of an assignment in my Master's class at Walden University, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, I visited the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website. Otherwise known as P21. P21 was created to support and provide tools and resources to prepare students for life in the 21st century. After navigating the website, I find it to be quite resourceful and informational. As a teacher, I struggle everyday with finding time to teach my students the proper tools and skills that they will need to know about technology to be successful in their future.
The P21 website provides various online links with tools and resources for teachers. One of the best link I found was Video 21. This link has a variety of videos that show what 21 century education looks like in the classroom. The Science lesson I watched modeled critical thinking, problem solving, and technology skills by the students. This is a great resource for teachers who are striving to bring these critical skills into their lessons, but aren't quite sure how.
The website states, "P21 Leadership States design new standards, assessments, and professional development programs that prepare students with the 21st century skills they need to be successful in school, work, and life. I was suprised to see that only 14 states are part of this state initiative. Preparing our students for the 21st century is something that should be done across the board, not just in 14 of our 50 states. I teach in Georgia and it is not one of the states. This is something I would like to research more and find out what initiatives my state is actually taking to prepare our students. In the meantime, I can definitely use this website as a resource in my own classroom.
website: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
The P21 website provides various online links with tools and resources for teachers. One of the best link I found was Video 21. This link has a variety of videos that show what 21 century education looks like in the classroom. The Science lesson I watched modeled critical thinking, problem solving, and technology skills by the students. This is a great resource for teachers who are striving to bring these critical skills into their lessons, but aren't quite sure how.
The website states, "P21 Leadership States design new standards, assessments, and professional development programs that prepare students with the 21st century skills they need to be successful in school, work, and life. I was suprised to see that only 14 states are part of this state initiative. Preparing our students for the 21st century is something that should be done across the board, not just in 14 of our 50 states. I teach in Georgia and it is not one of the states. This is something I would like to research more and find out what initiatives my state is actually taking to prepare our students. In the meantime, I can definitely use this website as a resource in my own classroom.
website: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Blogging in the Classroom
I am very new to blogging and still learning the ins and outs of the whole process. I am always thinking of ways that I can incorporate what I am learning through my master's class into my own classroom. I am currently teaching second grade and I am fortunate enough to be at a school with wonderful technology and I teach students that have access to computers at home. This week I was going through the units I wanted to teach for the next nine weeks. Every year we do a big unit on Charlotte's Web. Part of the unit requires the students to keep a discussion journal. Each night they read a chapter of the book and write their thoughts in the journal and share with the class the next day. I realized that this would be a perfect time to bring blogging into my classroom! I could like to set up a Charlotte's Web blog for my class. Instead of having students write in a journal each night, they can blog. Then, each day in class I can pull up the blog on the SMARTboard and we can discuss each other's thoughts and opinions about the book from the blog. I think that this would keep the students interested and it would be a great introduction to blogging. I can't wait to start!
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