Now What?

As I began working on my GAME plan this week, I encountered a problem that hasn't yet been resolved. When I tried to log on to my SchoolBlog account to download the instruction manual, I was greeted with a message that said, "The page you are trying to access is not available." The page provided an email address of someone to contact to whom I immediately sent a message. Unfortunately, I have not heard back from lsblog@epals.com.

So, I am left with the decision of how to proceed from here. Do I wait to hear back from someone at ePals or do I totally revamp my action plan? I was really looking forward to blogging with my students and knew this was a safe way to go about exposing my fourth graders to this Web 2.0 tool. When I searched the site, I didn't find anything related to SchoolBlog. I'm not sure if my site expired from infrequent use, if the program no longer exists or if I'm trying to get into it the wrong way.

What have I learned? Well, waiting until the last minute isn't the best idea when it comes to technology. Had I tried to download the pdf file earlier in the week (say Sunday night), I may have heard back from a representative from ePals by now and know how to proceed. I've also learned that I can't depend on a program such as this to always be there when I want it. New websites pop up every day and old websites/programs are taken down each day as well, possibly from lack of use, lack of funding or a million other possibilities. Maybe the ePals server is down (although I find it highly unlikely since the rest of the site worked without issues).

So, where do I go from here? Do I search for another “safe” blog site that my district will allow me to use, or do I set up a site on our school Moodle account and learn to use that? Although Moodle is available, I don’t find it to be “kid-friendly” for fourth graders (or inexperienced teachers) and would prefer to use something geared toward younger students. Therefore, my next step is to wait to hear from someone at ePals until Friday (11/26/10). If no one returns my email or SchoolBlog is no longer operational, I will need to change gears and learn how to use Moodle with my class instead. The only problem with Moodle is I’m not excited in the least bit about using it; therefore, I know it will be an issue for me to motivate myself to find the time to “learn” this technology tool. Does anyone know of any other “kid-safe/kidfriendly” blogs? Suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Implementing My GAME Plan

Now that I've identified a goal for myself, what's next? Last year I bugged our district technology director to allow us to use blogs in the classroom. Finally, after providing him with a few documents about ePals, I got the go ahead. So why has it taken me so long to dive in? I guess I've been a little reluctant to try it for fear that I won't know what I'm doing. Here's where my GAME plan comes into play!

The resources I'll need to carry out the plan include:

• The SchoolBlog User Guide at found at http://schoolblog.epals.com/sites/schoolblog.epals.com/themes/epals_schoolblog/ePALS_SchoolBlog_Guide.pdf
• A colleague to blog with me
• A username and password that were created by my Director of Technology
• The blog support team available at SchoolBlog

Additional information I'll need may include articles or web resources on how to best incorporate blogs in an elementary classroom. The Walden library may be of assistance for the articles. I can also do a Google search on elementary classroom blogs to see examples of how other teachers are using them in their schools. If anyone in our Walden class has had success with this technology, their experience would be be beneficial as well.

To be honest, I haven't started anything toward my GAME plan. The first step I will take this week is to download the pdf userguide and read at least one section on how to get started setting up accounts for my students.

My GAME Plan

After spending some time really reading the NETS-T standards, I've chosen to focus on two standards where I believe I need to enhance my knowledge and skills: (1) Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes and (2) Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

I selected the first standard because I feel like so much of my day is teacher-directed and I want my students to take more ownership of their learning to engage their creativity. The second standard was selected to help keep me up-to-date with new technology that could help inspire student learning and creativity. Almost daily you can find a new development in technology and I need to continue to learn what I can even after this course and Master's program are completed.

GOAL: I want to be able to share our classroom learning with others in the world using the SchoolBlog program through ePals. This will allow my students to reflect on their learning by communicating with others about topics we are discussing in class. Students will begin to see that life outside of our four walls is eager to learn from them and discuss their work. My hope is that it will also be a way for parents to see more first-hand what we do during the day. Getting positive feedback or constructive criticism from others will go a long with in building self-esteem and assisting students in evaluating their work.

ACTIONS: To meet my goal, I will need to log on to the SchoolBlog website and either read information found in the help menu or watch a tutorial. I will then need to practice using the blog myself to learn how to post text, video, images and links. To accomplish this, I will elicit the help of a colleague who also has an interest in utilizing technology in the classroom. Once I become comfortable with the program, I will introduce it to my class as a whole group. We will then work together for several classes recording reflections of our learning in different subjects each week (almost like a weekly newspaper). I will send a letter home to parents explaining the activity and ask that they help us by responding to our posts. After students are comfortable using the blog as a whole class, small groups of students will be responsible for blogging about a particular subject each week, switching topics so everyone gets to write about each content area. Finally after several weeks, the students will begin blogging on their own and responding to other classmates and eventually other 4th grade classrooms across the district and maybe even around the world!

MONITOR: How will I know my action plan is meeting my goals? I will keep a journal for recording my thoughts and feelings about each week of blogging. I plan to include lists of things that went well and/or not so well. When things don't go as planned, I will ask a colleague or Walden classmate for advice and revise my action plan for the next time. I'll also provide students with a questionnaire or on-line survey to find out what things they believe are going well and areas where they need more assistance.

EVALUATE AND EXTEND: As I reflect on my journal at the end of the year, I will need to ask myself if I met my goal of incorporating the SchoolBlog program into my classroom. If I haven't, will I try a different program to use for blogging? Did the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? If my students and I determine the program was successful, how will I expand on it the following year? If it was indeed successful, sharing the information with my administration would be one place to begin. My district asks for teachers to present information for professional development during the summer. Maybe I would host a professional development day on Using SchoolBlog in the Classroom for other teachers. This would also incorporate my second goal of Engaging in Professional Growth and Leadership. It would be nice to eventually educate all 4th grade teachers in the district about this program so students can communicate and get to know each other before going to Middle School in 6th grade.

References:

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

EDUC 6712: Reflection

The most striking revelation I had about the teaching of new literacy skills in this course was the need to teach students not only how to read text for information, but also how to sort through everything else that the Web demands of them: opening pages and maneuvering between multiple sites, determining authenticity and credibility, monitoring their reading, and synthesizing information into learning. Thinking back to previous courses, I assume that my students are all digital natives, having lived their entire lives with the Internet. Although they have all grown up with this wonderful technology, they need modeling, guided practice and independent practice to successfully incorporate this knowledge into their everyday schema. Just as parents, caregivers and teachers instructed the children to learn to read and write their ABC’s, I too must educate them on using the Internet safely, efficiently and effectively so they will have a notable benefit over students who have not been educated in the same skills (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007).

Next, the knowledge and experience gained in this course will provide an additional tool to help motivate, engage and inspire tomorrow’s leaders. Using the gradual release of responsibility method, or a scaffolded approach to teaching students, provides them with an opportunity to see the teacher model a skill before ever using it. As students become more adept with the skill or concept, the teacher pulls back allowing for guided practice, helping those students who need more assistance until they are ready to work independently.

Finally, a professional development goal I have is to be an advocate in my district for a strong technology plan that teaches 21^st Century skills to all students throughout their K-12 education. We cannot continue to teach strictly with textbooks, pencils and paper if we expect to engage our students and want them to continue being lifelong learners. To accomplish this goal, I plan to meet with our Building Technology Coordinators to discuss my concerns in hopes that we can work together with the technology committee and Director of Technology to develop a manageable plan where all students in our buildings are exposed to, utilizing and building upon their 21^st century literacy skills year after year. I am committed to providing after school training for other teachers so everyone feels confident and comfortable instructing our children for their futures.

References

Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Bridging Learning Theory and Technology Reflection

Seven weeks ago I developed and wrote my “Personal Learning Theory.” As I reflect upon that writing, I still believe my learning theory to be quite eclectic, drawing on aspects of the Behaviorist, Cognitivist, Constructivist, as well as Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences perspectives. Integrating all of these theories is the best way for me to meet the diverse needs of learners and differentiate instruction for my students. Using technology assists in accomplishing this goal by keeping my students actively engaged in their education.

Some changes I plan to make include recognizing that there is a time and place for on-line drill and practice activities. Since behaviorists believe that students learn by responding to rewards, consequences or a lack of response, this is a way for those children who need immediate feedback to receive it. Websites such as www.studyisland.com and www.arcademicskillbuilders.com are two powerful on-line tools that can accommodate this need.

Another important adjustment I plan to make in my instructional practice includes the use of online concept mapping tools such as www.webspiration.com. Using this learning tool will allow my students to make more connections to access information quickly and easily at a later date.

Two technology tools I would like to use with my students next year include webquests and more interactive video conferences. Webquests support student-centered learning by allowing the children to solve a problem with the teacher acting as a facilitator rather than a disseminator of information. Students are more actively engaged while working cooperatively with their peers to complete this type of activity. When the webquest is complete, the small groups can also then produce an artifact such as a VoiceThread, PowerPoint presentation, blog post, or wiki to demonstrate their learning.

Video conferences are another learning tool I hope to integrate more frequently in my teaching. Having searched the Polycom video conference website, I have found several interactive conferences that encourage active engagement in a student-centered environment. Students become responsible not only for their own learning, but also for the learning of their classmates by using reciprocal teaching strategies such as the jigsaw approach.

Finally, two long term goals for integrating technology into my classroom are using technology as a learning tool rather than as an instructional tool, and having my students create a blog to showcase their work throughout the year. To accomplish the goal of using learning tools, I plan to use on-line concept mapping tools when showing video clips so students need to “do something” with the information they are watching. Achieving the goal of student created blogs will begin in September when the class will work together to build a classroom blog. During the first few months of school, students will practice posting information to the blog so they can then begin creating their own blog using ePals, SchoolBlog, when they return from winter break in January.

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Cooperative learning is just that, cooperative. When someone cooperates with others, they work together. This theory relates to social learning theories by actively involving students in the learning process, allowing them to engage in activities with other learners to construct meaning/knowledge. The main motivator of students is their peers, so what better way to increase their willingness/desire to gain knowledge than by using cooperative learning? Working with other students, children learn how to cooperate with others and solve problems through their interactions accomplishing a task (Palmer,G., Peters,R., & Streetman,R., 2003).

Blogging and wikis are examples of tools that correlate to the instructional strategy and social learning theories enabling students to interact with each other on projects both within and outside the classroom. As students learn different information, the knowledge can be posted on a blog so others can respond to the information. If erroneous material is posted, other group members can submit a reply stating the discrepancy. The two students (and others) can debate the issue, thus building cooperation and communication skills, without ever leaving home. Learning no longer needs to take place within the confines of the school day or community library hours.

The jigsaw activity mentioned by Dr. Orey (2009) and Palmer, Peters and Streetman (2003) allow individuals to learn about "parts" of a larger concept. When the groups get together, either in person or via a collaborative tool such as Facebook, they share their information, feedback is provided, revisions are made, and the group as a whole builds knowledge. If all of the "parts" are needed to put the "whole" together in the form of an artifact, students must not only teach their classmates well enough, but they themselves are placed in the position of learner as well.

References:

Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program 8. Social learning theory [Motion Picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology Baltimore: Author.

Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved May 30, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt

Constructionist/Constructivist Theories and Education Technology

The instructional strategies I explored this week that correlate with the principles of constructivist/constructionist learning theories include the use of web resources as well as spreadsheets. WebQuests are the first tools that come to mind. This form of technology requires students to explore a topic in a small group, examine data, respond to an issue and finally make a decision (Glazer, 2001). WebQuests correlate with the principles of constructivist/constructionist learning theory by the teacher giving up control of the students‘ learning and instead permitting the students to actively construct their own learning (Han & Bhattacharya, 2001). In this type of activity the teacher becomes a facilitator/collaborator guiding the learners in their quest for information. Students are free to investigate the topic, create meaningful learning for themselves, and solve problems.

Another strategy I have used that is similar to a WebQuest is an e-Mission. My students participated in a problem-based situation where a major snowstorm was forecasted for New York City on New Year’s Eve. The students worked in small groups to track the temperature, barometric pressure, clouds and other weather topics. The culminating project was a video conference with NASA to share their findings. Based on each of the four groups’ information, the students needed to determine whether or not the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square should go on as planned, or be cancelled. Student learning was based on solving a problem and working cooperatively with all the other groups. If students used only the information their group researched, a well-thought-out decision could not be made.

The e-Mission was a hands-on, student-centered, problem-based based activity that related to real world events. Students had choices to make and felt safe to do so. Clear expectations were provided by my colleague and I and the remainder of the time was spent guiding student learning. The students left this activity with more knowledge about weather forecasting than previous students who only completed a few hands-on activities and required textbook reading.

References:

Glazer, E. (2001). Problem based instruction. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt

Han, S., and Bhattacharya, K. (2001). Constructionism, learning by design, and project based learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt