Voice Thread - MP3, Ipods and Cell Phones

Would like to hear about your school's policy on MP3, Ipod and Cell Phone use.

http://voicethread.com/share/572502/

Connectivism and Social Learning Practice

Social Learning is when the students are actively involved in constructing artifacts and conversing with others. Cooperative and collaborative learning …. Here we come!!!

Cooperative learning/group learning can drive some teachers nuts! When I mention to some colleagues that my students are going to be working together, eyes roll to the back of their heads, deep sighs can be heard, and the request that my door remain shut during the day are the reactions. For me there is nothing much better in my classroom that to hear students talk about math and problem solving strategies. Yes, it is a bit noisier, but it is noisy when you act 30 kids to take out their books. Do they always stay on task? Of course not, I do not have a perfect classroom. If you do, please tell me your secret.

With the web, cooperative/collaborative learning has gone global (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenski, 2007)! Students can now share information and knowledge with others who take similar classes in dissimilar worlds. Technology continues to open new doors for students to collaborate with others. The possibilities are endless.

I enjoyed looking at the sites suggested for this week. I must admit that I look at Facebook daily, but I am not sure that it would work well for me in the classroom (bit still a good example of a social networking site). Also went through the steps of creating a Secondlife account, once again I am not sure how well this could work in the classroom without some regulations. Google Docs however is not an application I am familiar with but after reading the posts of my classmates, I feel that it is something I should definitely explore more to find ways to utilize it in my classroom.

Keypals, WebQuests, wikis, blogs, and Web site creation are just a few of the strategies mentioned by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenski (2007). I really like the idea of Keypals and students connecting with other students. Some of my students hardly even leave the area we live in; having a Keypal could open them to a whole new world. How exciting would it be for them to share pictures, cultural likenesses and differences with each other through a site that is monitored for educational purposes?

Technology could be a really effective way to bridge the learning theories with careful planning. One must have the end in mind when planning to use technology (and any other strategy) in the classroom. Clear expectations and outcomes should be address and communicated with students.

Constructivism/Constructionism

Students creating something new from knowledge gained in the classroom can be an adventure. Even though I teach high school, something as simple as putting markers and construction paper in the hand of my students usually gets them actively involved. The ideas they come up with are often better than the ones I give them. With the advances in technology, the possibilities are endless (although I will still probably let my students still break out the markers and construction paper).

Orey (2009) states that students get 1st hand experience when building stuff. When students are actively involving learning, they will usually experience success. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) address the ideas of spreadsheet software, data collection tools and Web resources as ways to further incorporate technology into the classroom. Using the suggested tools will “allow students to spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering the data (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, p. 203, 2007). I love the interactive spreadsheet example in our text. Students can actually ‘see’ different scenarios by changing amounts and rates. My students get really involved when we talk about interest rates involving buying cars and houses and saving money, the interactive spreadsheet can show the effects of rates without the students getting caught up in the math.

I believe constructionism is a good theory to practice in the classroom. Learning by creating gives students ownership in the finish product. Students can only benefit in the long run when we encourage them to be creative and use technology. A world of information and discovery is just a click away for our students.

Cognitive Learning Theories in Practice

When thinking of concept mapping and/or graphic organizers, I know I could probably use them more. I use a mapping when summarizing the steps of factoring with my Algebra 1 students, but that is about the only time…. With my Algebra 1 students, getting them to take notes is like pulling teeth sometimes. In our text, Using Technology with Classroom Instructions that Works, the authors state that “although note taking is one of the most useful study skills a student can cultivate, teachers rarely teach it explicitly as a skill in itself.” Many of the Algebra 1 students I teach struggle with taking notes and this statement got me wondering is it because they are not sure how to take notes. I am new to concept mapping programs, but really liked the idea of how with some programs a mapping can be converted to an outline with a simple click as mentioned by Orey. I plan to find a program that will work well with my students and try my best to get some computer lab time for my students.

On the flip side, when I teach Geometry, I have a hard time keeping students from writing everything down. In Geometry, I stress Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski’s ideas of summarizing and using visuals when taking notes. With Geometry, students often get lost in the words of theorems and definitions, summarizing and putting things in their own words often increases their understanding. Concept mapping is something I would like to try with this group all.

In exploring some of the virtual field trip sites, I think I was a little confused in what I was going to find. I was looking more for the type in our video when you could ‘travel’ around a room or landscape, kind of like the virtual tours I take when looking at some houses online. . Most of what I found was like navigating a detailed webpage with imbedded information. I found very few dealing with high school math, but I plan to continue to explore. The idea of traveling through time and countries is certainly intriguing.

Behaviorism in Practice

Our text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, states that “self-efficacy plays a strong role in motivation for learning and achievement” (p. 155). The strategy of reinforcing effort can help a student become more aware of his/her actions. The idea of having students track their own effort and achievement was one I had never thought about doing. Being a high school teacher, I guess I didn’t think that was something that I could do. However the effort rubric may be something I could use. The information on the rubric has many things for students to consider. The rubric would be a good way for students to really think about how effort does effect achievement. Using technology to keep track of effort and achievement can make the activity more relevant and interesting to the student. By becoming more aware of his/her own actions in the classroom could promote a more desirable behavior from the student.

When considering the strategy of “homework and practice”, technology can be a great asset. No longer does a teacher have to rely on the textbook and/or worksheets for homework and practice. Technology opens many doors to make practice more enjoyable. Websites that offer tutorial videos to reading and math games to virtual operations are just a click away. Some websites I use are BrainPOP, The Future Channel, and TestPrep. Some sites even send feedback to the teacher on student performance. Students can receive immediate feedback which can increase their confidence or reveal the need to seek extra help.

Both of the strategies this week are necessary in the classroom. Students need to be aware of their effort and actions in the classroom. While the teacher can use positive reinforcement for good behavior and achievement, the student can also take an active role in examining his/her actions. I think homework and practice will always be a necessary strategy in the classroom. I believe Wolfe (2009) mentioned in last week’s video something about practice and driving. A person can ride in a car for years and even sit behind the steering wheel, but without practice that person will never learn how to drive well. On a personal note…..I am living Wolfe’s analogy….my 15-year old daughter is learning to drive…. Every time I let her drive, I feel sick to my stomach and my life passes before me, but without practice (and me or my husband in the car with her) she will never get the experience she needs to become a good driver!