Reflection for EDUC-6714D-2

Reflection

This course has helped me to take the leap from teacher-driven lessons in which I allowed some choice options now and then to developing student-driven lessons that are designed with my students’ interests, learning profiles, and use of technology in mind. It is this course that helped me fully understand how to create Universal Design for Learning lessons and about the benefits these lessons have for my students. As stated, “UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs” (CAST, 2011). Through the readings, research, and discussions each week with my fellow classmates, I have gathered a wide variety of websites and technology tools that I will be using in my classroom.
The first thing I will do, which I have already begun to start, is to develop a menu box for my students providing them with several choice options of different tasks they must complete as a class work grade. These will help students work with the content we are learning in a meaningful way as they picked the task that was most appealing to them. By doing this, students will be able to better retain the information and be better prepared for the test. Some of the choice options involve using the computer such as designing a restaurant menu that requires the use of five proper adjectives and five proper nouns using Microsoft Word or creating an online comic strip that requires using dialogue properly using the web site http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/ and print it out so it can be graded.
By providing students with some choices options that involve the computer I am helping those who have difficulty staying focused in class or organizing their thought when we are writing. As Bray, Brown, and Green state, “software programs provide multisensory and interactive experiences that can be so important for students who are easily distracted” (49).
Software programs also “help users through processes such as outlining and concept mapping” (p.49). A web site I will be using for our next writing unit is http://www.writingfun.com%2Fwritingfun2010.html&h=b7b9d as it provides a list of different writing styles and graphic organizers. When you click on a writing style, a graphic organizer appears that provides step-by-step instructions on how to follow the writing format for that particular style of writing, and there are examples modeling that writing style. On the side of the page, you can see tips or parts of the format which become highlighted in the text, so you can view how it was used. This web site is going to make life a lot easier for my struggling writers and organizers.
I also want to add more technology options to help customize the assessment processes in class. For my advance students who like to take on challenges I will recommend creating a Prezi presentation as this took my some time to get use to how it worked, but when I was finished I was very proud of my product. Prezi presentations can be assessment options in many units that we study. Another assessment option is to create a podcast which is another flexible option to use in a unit of study. I really liked the podcast idea I found at http://voicethread.com/#q.b425796.i2574380 . This allows students to create poems that depict the Great Depression which is a topic we cover in my six grade reading class. I could also have students create commercials using this website when we study persuasive tactics and create recordings from the perspective of the main character in their novels.
Although technology is not the only way to offer choice options for students regarding the learning process and assessment, it definitely provides a larger degree of choice options then what can be done without it. Not all students have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of technology tools outside of the classroom. Therefore, it is my role as their teacher to design lessons that offer the chance to work with such tools, so they can have exposure to them and begin to develop the skills needed in the workforce. I want to ensure I give my students “equal opportunities to learn” (Cast, 2011).

References
Bray, M., Brown, A., & Green, T. (2004). Technology and the diverse learner: A Guide to classroom practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Center for Applied Special Technology. (2011). UDL guidelines, version 1.0. Retrievedfrom http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines

Final Blog Post

I really liked that this course required us to make a GAME Plan. So often do I learn something and think “I can use that”, but I rarely take it any further and try it out in my lessons. In this course, I set two educational goals for myself: adapting or creating lessons that contain “digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008), and “contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of [my] school and community” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). After setting these goals, I knew I would have to update everyone on how I was doing to achieve my goals and the progress I was making which encouraged me to put them into motion. Through communicating with my fellow classmates at Walden, I was able to learn from their ideas/insight and even share some of my own with them. I began reflecting on my lesson plans each weekend for work to see how I could make improvements for the following week by using some of the technology I had been learning in my course and testing it out with my students. I realize after taking this course how important it is to update lessons, so students are learning the curriculum and technology skills collectively. Digital storytelling and blogging are versatile enough to add to many lessons, so by looking through the units I teach I was able to update the way in which students are sharing and presenting their information. I plan to continue working on my goals by keeping current on the latest technology tools for education and learning how to use them in order to teach my students.

-Lauren Cogan

Reference:

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

The GAME Plan Process Used with Students

In week two, I created My GAME plan goals which involved improving my lesson plans so they incorporate more technology and concentrating on my professional growth specifically learning more about technology that I can infuse into my lessons. I believe I have learned a lot through this class about technology tools that can be used in the classroom such as blogs, wikis, and digital storytelling. These are all tools that help students to develop proficiency skills in the use of technology. These tools can enable students to meet the NETS-S standards such as standard number four: “Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). Each week as I am developing my lesson plans for the coming week, I observe how I taught the lesson last year and determine how I can improve the lesson by using some form of technology that was not previously there. By learning more about technology and then trying it out in my lessons, students are being exposed to more forms of it and thus are able to meet the NETS-S standards.
Using what I have learned about the GAME plan process from this class, I can help my students to create educational goals of their own. Once written down, students can reflect on these goals by updating their progress much as we have with our goals. This will help students to easily view their goals regularly and reflect on their goals which will motivate them to continue trying to reach them.
My goals I developed will help me to continue updating my lessons to meet the needs of my 21st century students.

-Lauren Cogan

Reference:

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

GAME Plan-Week Six

The goals I created for myself about implementing new technology into my lessons and improving on my professional development are ongoing goals. I will continue to work towards my goals for the remainder of the school year. A new goal I would like to set for myself is from the NETS-T standard 3.D. “ model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). This new goal is related to my other goals as it involves me learning about and then incorporating new technology into my lessons. I will be using websites like Free Technology for Teachers to keep me up-dated on the newest was to use technology in the classroom. This website always has great ideas for teachers on how to present the learning content but incorporate technology in the process. New information and reviews are posted every day. Finding time to do the extra research is the problem when it comes to meeting this goal. I could spend hours, if I had that type of time, writing down new ideas on adapting lessons I have or developing new ones that increase the use of technology. Time is always the roadblock.
-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts

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

Evaluating my GAME Plan Progress

This week I have learned a great deal about project-based learning units, and it is wonderful that the one I will be creating for class can be tested out in my own classroom. I have not done many project-based learning units in the past mainly because of the need for technology in every lesson and the fact that we do not have laptops in class really puts a damper on the chance to watch the amount and level of learning that takes place in such a unit. However, I could always try to test out the unit I create over the next couple of weeks during the end of the year when there is less of a demand for the computer lab. My goal of creating more opportunities for students to use and learn with technology would benefit from such a unit, even if it is a mini unit this school year. As stated in chapter eight, “when technology is incorporated in an effective way, it can indeed facilitate creative thinking skills in the language arts classrooms” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.196). When students are engaged in a problem-based learning lesson, they are using their creative thinking skills to help them make decisions and find solutions to their posed problem(s).

Although I am learning a great deal this week about problem-based learning lessons, I still need to spend more time researching this topic before I feel comfortable presenting this unit to my students. Questions that arise are: How do I ensure all students are sharing the work load in their groups? How do I catch students up who have been absent or would their partners do that? How do I find the time to teach those students not comfortable with technology that may be used such as blogs and wiki? I hope by the end of the three lessons I create, I will be more secure with the idea of creating and using a problem-based learning unit in my classroom.

-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts

Reference: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.

Monitoring my Game Plan Progress

Through this course I am learning a lot more about the technology that is available for the classroom which is helping me to adapt lessons to incorporate more technology. One idea that I want to use in the near future is the online testing software called Hot Potatoes. It allows teachers to create questions for students who go online to answer them and then the information is recorded. (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.144). This would allow for quick assessments and record keeping. I also like the idea of moving our portfolios to becoming online portfolios. We recently found out our school is doing away with the portfolio boxes that contain each student’s writing samples from each grade level. We were told they do not have enough time to sort through them each year to move the students’ files to their new teacher’s box. If the portfolios were online then they could be accessed very easily each year. Students will just need to save their work in a word document in order to upload it to a portfolio management system (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, 152). Does anyone currently use an online portfolio system with their students? If so, do you allow them to pick what writing they want to add to their portfolio or are they already selected by you? In my district, the teachers select only four writing samples, each being the marking period’s timed writing which gets scored using the state writing rubric. I would prefer to have the students pick which pieces they want to put in their portfolio, but I currently cannot do that. My second goal, growing as an educator, is being fulfilled by taking this course and learning about the technology available for teachers to us in the classroom. I am gaining a lot of resources and information that I can put into my lessons.

-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts

Reference: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.

Carrying Out my GAME Plan

To carry out my first goal of adapting or creating lessons that contain “digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008), I will need computers. I wish my school district, like my husband’s school district, had laptops available for students to use. If my classroom was equipped with laptops, I would be able to incorporate a lot more technology into my lessons. Students could use the laptops to write essays instead of doing it on paper, and when they went back to peer-edit and revise, less work would be required because the essay would be saved in a Word document. We could create electronic portfolios instead of the boxed ones we currently have, and students could easily publish their work to a blog or wiki. Students could also easily access websites we were exploring in class, take on-line quizzes, and each student could participate in interactive review games. I am currently limited in how I adapt my lessons because of the technology that is available. I have, however, been using the SMART board more in class which enables students to have more chances to interact with it, but I am limited to one students at a time.

For my second goal, “contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008), I will need the assistance of my administrators as they are the ones who plan the workshops we attend in school each year. They usually ask for input and comments from the faculty, so I can inform them that more workshops focusing on technology and content specific ideas would greatly benefit the teachers. I am currently taking this class, so that is helping me to reach my goal of improving and growing as a teacher. Each week I am learning new information and forming ideas that I can use in my classroom if not now then in the near future. I am setting and reflecting on goals I have created for myself as a teacher which is also helping me become an effective educator. And lastly, I am always reading and researching new ideas on the computer for improving my lesson plans. By doing this, I am demonstrating my ability to grow as an educator as I am not doing the same lesson year after year.
With that being said, I feel I am off to a good start on reaching my goals set last week.

-Lauren Cogan
6-7 language arts

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