Reflection

Immediate adjustments I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration as a result of my learning on this class would be to always consider the different learning styles of all students.  The best approach to take is to address a variety of learning styles with a teaching plan. Also i would encourage students to understand their preferred leaning style. With me encouraging students to understand their learning styles, by the time students reach the college level they would have figured out the best and most productive way to study to retain information. With my knowledge gained in this class I will also make students aware of the various learning styles and encourage them to consider their preferred style as they complete their studies.

The first technology tool I will use with instruction in my classroom would be eThemes.  eThemes is a content-rich, kid-safe online resources that enhance teaching. eThemes provides free, fast access to over 2,500 collections of websites. eThemes researches and creates resources for the student, eThemes saves the student time  unlike wading through millions of hits on Google, trying to find a few websites that meet the student needs.  eThemes does the searching for the student by giving them more time to improve their objective and actually learn. 

The second technology tool I will use with instruction in my classroom will be WebQuest. WebQuest will be a toll specifically for me as a teacher to use.  WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. I see WebQuests as a way to make good use of the internet while engaging my students in the kinds of thinking that the 21st century requires.

My repertoire has expanded in one of many specific ways. One way that stands out beyond other ways is I have many different instruction strategies that I can use to address different learning styles. With these strategies I can make my instruction more effective because it specifically addresses the specific student learning styles. 

Lastly, long term goals I would incorporate in my instruction would be ALWAYS  consider the different learning styles in my instruction and always make sure the technology tool I incorporate keeps all my students engaged in learning.  One way that I will achieve these goals above would be to always monitor my data. I feel if I monitor my data correctly I will be able to see which students are gaining knowledge and which students are not. With this knowledge I will be able to make the needed adjustments for student achievement. 

Voice Thread

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Instructional Strategies and the social learning theory

The social learning theory is the vision that individuals comprehend/learn by monitoring others.  It’s also said that students are actively engaged in developing meaning in developing meaning while conversing with peers and interacting with their surroundings. (Laureate Edition, Inc., 2011).

Cooperative learning is one instructional strategy discussed in this week’s discussion and it supports the social learning theory. Cooperative learning is an approach to organizing classroom activities into academic and social learning experiences. Technology can help cooperative learning to be more effective. When I give students a cooperative learning project more than likely students decide to create PowerPoint Presentations where their research is Internet based. The assignment that I love to give the most is when I assign students to research 3 famous people, tell their history, and their role in the community. After research students will work together to present a group presentation. I think PowerPoint presentation is a good group tool mainly because students have the opportunity to collaborate their ideas into one slide and make it one complete thought. Also, technology can be a vital tool used in the classroom to incorporate cooperative leaning. In my classroom students use TV’s and camera’s to have online class with students from other districts, this gives them a great opportunity to hear other student’s ideas and be able to compare those ideas to their own. Our course text talked about students creating websites, social bookmarking, web-based multiplayer games, and blogs as ways to boost social interactions amongst students. The tools listed above can be incorporated in instruction to boost cooperative learning and reinforce social skills that 21st century students need to succeed in the world today.

Constructivist/Constructionist Learning

The constructivist theory says that individual learners construct mental models to understand the world around them. Ways the instructional strategies correlate with principal of constructivist/constructionist learning theories is by understanding how students learn.  

The best way to help students  learn is by having students construct their own knowledge instead of having someone construct it for them. Learning is an active process of creating meaning from different experiences. In other words, students will learn best by trying to make sense of something on their own with the teacher as a guide to help them along the way.

The instructional strategies are put in place aligned with the constructivist theory with this understanding, that all sensory input is organized by the person receiving the stimuli, it cannot always be directly transferred from the teacher to the student. This means that a teacher cannot "pour" information into a student's brain and always expect them to process it and apply it correctly later. 

With the constructivist theory saying that individual learners construct mental models, i feel the instructional strategies were built on by certain guidelines. It should be recognized that a person's prior knowledge may help or hurt the construction of meaning. People's prior knowledge comes from their past experiences, culture, and their environment. Generally prior knowledge is good, but sometimes misconceptions and wrong information can be a hindrance. Sometimes time must be spent correcting prior knowledge before new learning can occur.

Cognitive learning theory and how it relates to instructional strategies

Constructivism theory  knowledge that argues that humans gain knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and their ideas. After viewing instructional strategies from the resources this week i found that instructors have to adapt to the role of facilitators and not teachers. A teacher is intended to give a lecture that covers the subject matter and help the learner to get to his or her own understanding of the content. Also, the learning environment should also be designed to support and challenge the learner's thinking. While it is recommended to give the learner ownership of the problem and solution process, it is not the case that any activity or any solution is acceptable. The critical goal is to support the learner in becoming an effective thinker. This can be achieved by assuming multiple roles, such as consultant and coach.The strategies listed above correlate with constructivism by helping the teacher accommodate the way students or humans gain knowledge. The strategies give the student the opportunity to learn the way they learn best.

Behavioralism in Today's Classroom

The behavior learning theory is an attempt to describe how people learn thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. (James, 1999) Learning theories have two chief values. One is in providing us with vocabulary and a conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe. The other is in suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems. (James, 1992) The theories do not give us solutions, but they do direct our attention to those variables that are crucial in finding solutions.
The role this theory plays in the classroom is by giving the teacher a guide and different portals to relay the vocabulary and framework to the student. With the theory being used as a guideline teacher integrate different types of technology in their instruction to follow the theory. Different ways they integrate technology with regards to the theory is, for vocabulary have students use Spelling City (spellingcity.com) to learn their spelling words, vocabulary words, or site words through games, practice, and quizzes. Spelling City is a free resource for teachers/students. Also, teachers can create a game show for their students to participate in as a review for an upcoming assessment.

Reflection

·         In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?

This course has helped to develop my own technology skills as a professional teacher giving me knowledge on how technology should be integrated into the classroom everyday with instruction to keep students up to date and technology savvy.  

·         In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?

I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process by incorporating technology in my instruction everyday and assigning one up to date technology assignment to my students twice a week.

·         In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?

Ways I have changed my perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered is by being open to new ideas and blogging on different sites to gain information about new technology to share in my classroom.

·         In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?

Ways I can continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement is staying technology savvy, using blog sites to talk to other teachers in the teaching profession to share ideas, and always incorporate technology in my instruction.

Long Term Goals
Long term goal #1- Each student who comes through my class within the next two years will leave computer savvy. Also, each student will understand the completeness of blogging and its importance.
Long term goal #2- I will attend 10 professional development workshops to further my knowledge in technology within the next 2 years.
No answers have changes after reviewing checklist from Week 1.

21st Century Skills

After visiting the website  Partnership for 21st Century Skills, I discovered that there is a need for skills to be proper in the workplace, but a lot of schools arent in the movement to get the needed skills.  At the website there were a variety of videos and blogs for educators to explore.
Information on the site that suprised is how the mission was to serve as a catalyst to position 21st century readiness at the center of US K12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders. With this missionin place I think all students will get proper exposure to 21st century skills and be able to use them on a daily basis. Information I disagree with on the site is basically the set up the page. The site doesnt come of as being a catalyst for incorporation 21st century skills into the classroom. I feel the setup of the site could be a bit more appealing to technology to support its purpose.

The implications of my students and myself as a contemporary educator are in line with many of the state initiatives.

Technology in the classroom

 I am currently taking a class at Walden University called  Integrating Technology into the Classroom. I am very excited because I currently teach and I want to learn more ways to use technology to teach my kids. Unfortunately about six years ago, the internet was limited both in what it could do and in who used it. Many people had heard the word but did not have a clue what it was. Today, teachers have not only been exposed to the internet but also have access at home or at school. In fact, a large number of schools are being retrofitted to place the internet in every classroom. Even more exciting than this is the newest technology: Wireless. A school can purchase a 'Portable Classroom'. This consists of laptops networked together, allowing students to work at their desks WITHOUT wires. If the laptops are networked to a printer, students can print from their personal computer to the classroom printer. I this day in age I want to use every tool I can in my classroom to have my students as prepared as possible for the technology filled world.

Byron 

Technology in the classroom