Course Reflection

After working on my GAME plan for the last few weeks I feel that it was a very worthwhile endeavor. Even though I have used these lessons in my class before this year, I took what I learned through this course and improved the lessons greatly. I focused my GAME plan lesson around one piece of ext called Killer Angels. This novel deals with multiple narrative sides occurring during the Civil War. I liked using this novel because there are lots of resources, especially technological, that are available online. Overall, I feel like my GAME plan was a great success.

The most interesting thing that I learned during the course of creating my GAME plan was digital story telling. While I had never heard the term before I had used aspects of it in my classroom. I like thinking that in the future I will now have another resource to use in my classroom to gain student interest, improve motivation, and prepare students for work and college. I also really liked how I incorporated digital story telling into my GAME plan. By having the students create videos instead of simply participating in a normal debate it gives them the opportunity to learn the core curriculum and other things like video editing and online research skills. I enjoy how technology can bridge the gap between the common core and aspect of the work place or college! An immediate adjustment to my instructional strategy has occurred while taking classes here at Walden. I understand now that I cannot simple stick to what is comfortable for me when it comes to technology. I have to stay up-to-date and as current as possible to keep my students interested in learning. I will incorporate digital storytelling and other technology immediately.

One other aspect of this course that I feel was very information was social media/networking and its uses in the classroom. I did very little in the past with this form of technology, mainly because I am not familiar with it. My school does not allow teachers to be on Facebook or Myspace, and I have never tweeted in my life. I enjoyed working with my blog space and wiki site. I will be using this technology with my students in the future. I have used blogs in the past, but I feel much more comfortable now after working with them during this course. Overall, this course was very informative and gave me many great resources to implement in my classroom.

GAME PLAN PROGRESS

At the moment I am trying to research new and innovative technology that my students can use on a weekly basis for my GAME PLAN. I want my students to work with at least two forms of technology during each unit of study next year and I want to avoid repetition whenever possible. I was particular happy when I found a new technology called Glogster, which can be found here; http://www.glogster.com/ The basics of a Glogster appear to be that the students can create virtual posters that include links to websites, YouTube videos, Wikipedia, etc. I believe that this technology would work well in my classroom when we work on text presentations, independent novels, and thematic units. I would like to have at least 8-12 new forms of technology prepared for my students when the school year starts. This would allow me to make it through winter break with no repetition of technology choices for my students. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREAT! I have also contacted the district technology coordinator in hopes of finding more technology for my classroom. I discussed the necessary steps with him to obtain new technology for my classroom such as a Smartboard and more computers (I currently only have 4 computers in my classroom and I would like to have at least 8 so larger groups can work together.) I am also looking into grants that are available for improving technology in education in hopes that a colleague and myself can write one next year. DOES ANYONE KNOW ABOUT GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY? I feel that I am doing well in starting my GAME PLAN and there is little at this point that I would change. I am moving forward with my goals and researching the technology that will help me stay relevant and my students reach a higher level of understanding. I wish to as Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer said so well “…think about designing learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (2009, p.32). 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.

ACTION STEPS!

Hello everyone from beautiful West Port Canada! I have been vacationing here with my family for the last week and we have just decided to extend our trip through this week (one of the many perks of both my wife and I being teachers!) Needless to say it is difficult to get some of these class assignments in on time…which makes me understand my students’ positions a little better. There is no internet in the cabin we are staying in and no electricity either, so I have to travel to town and work in a small café when their internet is working which is sketchy at best! This week I have reflected on my personal GAME plan and how I can take action steps to implement it within my classroom. First, I selected two technology standards that I would like to improve upon from the list provided by the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Teachers. The first standard is as follows; Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. The second standard I selected is Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. If you are interested in reading a detailed Game plan for implementing these two standards read my last post! Today I am going to discuss action steps for further implementation of my GAME plan. In order to further my instruction and offer the best possible classroom experience for my students is to continue to learn and grow in the area of technology. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Resources: Some of the resources that I will need to implement my GAME plan include modern technology that students are interested in and enjoy using. I am interested in trying to use the following technology to facilitate a better understand of literary concepts and terminology; weblogs, podcasts, wiki sites, cell phones, PowerPoint, Prezi, etc. These various forms of technology will be incorporated with the daily lessons to help the students learn in new and innovative ways that they find interesting. Additional Information: I know that I will need to stay updated with the best and newest technology so I decided to get my graduate degree in educational technology at Walden University. I believe that this has prepared me to work with new and innovative technology very well, but I will still research technology online. Steps: A few of the steps that I have already taken to implement my action plan are my class blog site were all students are required to post weekly journals. I also run unit podcast that the student watch and respond to online. I hope to incorporate more technology this year. Conclusion- I feel that I am well on my way to achieving my GAME plan, but I still need to work on how well I incorporate technology with the common core. Any suggestions?

International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Teachers

Welcome back bloggers! Well, it has been awhile since my last post so I think I will start with some personal updates! This has been one of the most rewarding and interesting years of my life. As I sit and type this blog my wife and I are celebrating our first year of marriage, (don’t worry I am taking her out tonight I am not that lame) our first child, Jonathan Michael Ruark, was born a month ago, and we just closed on our first home! What a whirl-wind year it has been! Okay, back to business. This week I was asked to read over the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Teachers and I was struck by how unfamiliar I am with them. I have copied a link to the site here if you would like to visit. http://www.iste.org/standards.aspx. I have selected two technology standards that I feel I could improve upon within my own classroom. The goal of this blog is to set up a GAME plan for how I would improve myself with integrating technology in my classroom. So let’s get started! Here is the first standard I struggle with and a GAME plan for how I am going to improve: 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress Action: I find this standard difficult mainly because I have to have the students set their own goals and then give them the freedom to reach them. This is not easy to accomplish as a teacher as most of us crave control and order. I would like to take the following action to improve in this area; students will complete at least two assignments using technology of their own choosing to enhance the overall experience of the assignment. Monitor: I will, as the standard dictates, leave the bulk of the monitoring to the students. I will require that students implement new technology into everyday assignments within the classroom and monitor their progress by conferences and random checks. Students could select to turn in a journal in the form of an online blog or visit my online classroom and post it there. Students could work with multi-media tools to aid in presentations…the possibilities are endless! Evaluate: I would evaluate the students and myself in this area at the end of each unit. After each unit I would conference with every student to make sure that they used at least two types of technology to enhance everyday type assignments. I would evaluate my own success in this standard by how my students work was improved creatively, their individual motivation, and the rate at which the students succeeded in meeting the standard goal. Here is the second standard that I struggle with and a GAME plan for improvement: 3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. Action: I will take the following actions over the course of the school year to meet this technology standard; first, I will require students to post journal responses on a class blog in a similar fashion to how online courses work. Students will be asked to visit the blog once a week to post or respond to a peer message. I will post weekly prompts that deal with current events or literary terminology that we are studying in class. Secondly, I will update and monitor my online classroom to better inform students and parents of upcoming events. This will help improve communication between myself and parents/students. Monitor: I will monitor the classroom blogs and online classroom every Monday and Friday during the school year to make sure that I am current with my classroom events and that the students are posting on the blogs. Evaluation: I will evaluate the effectiveness of my improvement in the area of this standard by reflecting at the end of each nine weeks. I will hold myself to checking the blogs twice a week and grading the students and I will update my online classroom weekly. I know that this standard can be improved by hard work and effort on my part. What do you think of my GAME plan to improve these two standards in my classroom? References: 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

Persoanl Learning Theory Reflections

After re-read and reflecting on my “Personal Theory of Learning” I must say that I feel that I did a pretty good job. My theory revolved around the idea that students learn best when they are placed in an environment that is stimulating and immerses them in the curriculum. I also stated that I felt my style of instruction was must closely linked with social constructivism, which I still feel to be true. I believe that my students have the best chance to learn when they are socially constructing artifacts that show their learning. Overall, I believe that my Personal Learning theory was and is very close to what I believe, but there are areas that I would change.

An immediate adjustment that I would make to my Personal Learning Theory would be to incorporate more technology and different learning styles. Throughout this class I have been introduced to many new forms of instructional strategies and technologies that I believe would truly help my students learn. I would like to start by using more types of technology in different ways. During this class I set up an online blog for both of my classes and I now use these sites for many forms of instruction and learning. I would also say that I would like to include the social learning theory in my class on a more regular basis. I believe that my students would benefit form differentiated instruction out side of constructivism. I also would like to start using more organizing and brainstorming forms of technology like Microsoft Visio to promote student learning in my classroom. My instructional skills have vastly improved because I know have a greater understanding of multiple style of instruction and different forms of technology that work with them. I know try to constantly change my instructional strategies to best serve my students and their diverse needs.

I would like to make two long term changes within my classroom involving technology and my instructional practice. First, I would like to incorporate more technology within my classroom that promotes social networking. Starting next year I would like to have each of my students start their own blog. This would be easy to implement using Google blogs and it would help the students to communicate socially using technology. I could assign discussion topics and have my students post and comment on each others blogs in a similar style to what they will see in college and the work place. Secondly, I would like to work towards having my students use more web based projects. I could accomplish this by removing some of my lectures and replacing them with web-quests and other online tutorials. This would give my students the opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning and accomplish their goals. I would like to remove myself, as often as possible, from the role of instructor and place that responsibility on the students.

After reviewing and reflecting on my Personal Theory of Learning I feel confident in moving forward in the future. This class has given me the tools necessary for success when working with technology and my students.

Cooperative learning and Social Learning Theory

Well, it has been an interesting week to say the least! Massive winter storms ripped through my small community in central Ohio and did some real damage. Most of the homes in the community were without power for 3-6 days and school was canceled three days in a row. It was a nice break, but not having power made it very dull and very cold. You will be happy to know that my power was finally restored this morning and the first thing that I want to do is send some time blogging! This week I am asked to correlate how cooperative learning relates to the constructs of social learning theory. After reading the chapter ‘Cooperative Learning’ in the text Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works I found many similarities to the social learning theory.

What is the focus of cooperative learning? The text states that “…cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning” (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). As a teacher I find this to be the core of cooperative learning; that students will work together towards some common goal. Students in my class are often involved in cooperative learning situations. From small groups to groups organized on ability level I constantly try to utilize all that cooperative learning has to offer. “When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others” (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). I try to use cooperative learning in a way that will present my students with tasks that they will need to approach from multiple angles to solve. In this ways the students need the help of their peers to see the problem from a fresh perspective.

I also enjoyed the chapter’s approach to incorporating technology into cooperative learning. The text states, “Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and by allowing members of a group to communicate even if they are not working face to face” (Pittler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Incorporating technolgooy is crucial for future success for our students as is cooperative learning. I found the section of the text focused on webquests o be especially useful. I often incorporate webquests in my classroom, but never in a collaborative setting, so I am excited to use this instructional technique.

I believe that the strongest link between social learning theory and cooperative learning is that both find their basis in the idea that students need to work together to learn. I would say that cooperative learning is the perfect tool to apply the social learning theory. Social learning theory pushes the idea that true learning takes place only when the student has the opportunity to learn and interact in a social setting. Cooperative learning gives the students the opportunity to work in an environment that is conducive to what the social learning theory stresses as crucial.

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

Generating and Testing Hypothesis

Welcome back to my blog site! Well, it is a new week and it is time to blog some reflections again. This week, in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, I examined an instructional strategy called “Generating and Testing Hypotheses.” Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, layout the underpinnings for generating and testing hypotheses in the text this week. They comment that, “when students generate and test hypotheses they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content” (pg. 202). I feel that this quote exemplifies the strengths of generating testing hypotheses within the classroom and in the field of education. Testing hypothesis is not just a tool that is applicable in science classroom. Generating and testing hypothesis are crucial in the field of science, but as I read the chapter I was looking for how I could use this information in my Literature class.

After some reflection I think that I would like to concentrate on ‘problem solving’ as it is mentioned in the text. “When students problem solve, they look at various solutions given the obstacles and restraints posed by the problem” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, pg. 203). Within the context of the English classroom problem solving is a useful tool that can be easily incorporated with technology. As an example, I use web quests regularly as a supplemental to classic pieces of literature. I give the students multiple problems that they must solve as they explore the web quests. Each question is designed to challenge the student and how he or she views the text. The students must problem solve in order to complete the assignment and gain a new understanding of the novel.

Generating and testing hypotheses also strongly relates to constructivism, which was the focus of this week’s resources. Dr. Orey states in this week’s web supplemental an important element of the constructionist theory, “knowledge is not simply transmitted from teacher to student, but actively constructed in the mind of the learner” (Orey, 2001). Testing and generating hypothesis asks our students to create their own learning and understanding. The teacher is often not as involved in the process of learning during testing hypothesis as they might be if they were working within some other instructional strategy. Students are not simply listening to a presentation or a lecture, but they are instead testing their own ideas and constructs.


Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology

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