Bridging Theory, Instruction, and Technology - A Reflection

Our first application paper for this class was to write about our theory of learning. How did we feel students learn the best? I expressed my belief that students learn the best by playing an active role in their learning (Goemaat, 2015). Throughout this course I have come to believe this even more so than before.
I had written about how technology could be integrated in to a classroom to support the constructivist learning theory (2015). Now, more than ever, I feel that it is imperative for teachers to find a way for students to use technology as often as possible. Our society is driven by technology. As teacher, we must provide opportunities for students to explore and use technology. I believe we must look at our current curricular resources and change or alter their expectations in order to align with standards for 21st Century learners. For example, if your language arts curriculum guides students to use a dictionary or thesaurus, teach them to use the online versions. The likelihood that they will ever use a physical dictionary is slim. The same is true in a math class. What is the likelihood that they will ever physically create a bar or line graph to report data? It would be more applicable to teach them to use a program to input the data and then customize the graphs.
This brings me to the first of the two goals I am setting for myself. We are looking to upgrade our math curriculum to the next version of Everyday Math. I have not had a chance to explore this resource, but having experience with the current version, I know there are ways that instruction and application can be changed to be more technology-rich. There are many times in which students should be using technology to complete tasks, but instead are using pencil and paper and working in their math journals. Over the summer, I would like to map out the first quarter's lessons and make any changes in instruction or student application to allow students to use technology in ways that will be applicable as they move forward in their education. Depending upon how involved I get in the first quarter, I will continue to move through the curriculum until I have identified as many ways as possible for my students to be using technology in mathematics. A roadblock that I can foresee is that we are not one-to-one. This could present difficulties in getting students through practice and application. However, it will open the door to collaborative learning. I will just need to get creative on how I will assess students.
The second goal I have for myself is something I mentioned in this week's discussion post. I would love to use a tool such as VoiceThread to flip my classroom in small ways. I would like to take our research and inquiry projects for Language Arts and create VoiceThreads to introduce them to my students, rather than taking class time. I would also like to explore the possibility of using VoiceThread to do mini lessons that I could link to my class website for parents and students to use at home. By using VoiceThread, this would also allow students or parents to make comments or ask questions. I am hoping to implement this gradually throughout the year next school year.
In conclusion, I still believe that students learn the best by doing. As our society changes, so must our teaching. We have to look at what will make our students the most successful in society. That means that we must be willing to look at what and how we teach in order to create the best possible active learning opportunities for our students.

Resources

Goemaat, A. (2015). Learning Theory. Unpublished Manuscript, Walden University.

Cooperative Learning, Technology, and the Classroom

Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec (1986) defined cooperative learning as "students working together to attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively" (Johnson, et al, 1986 as cited in Orey, 2001). Cooperative learning is an instructional strategy that can be very beneficial when used in conjunction with the ideas presented by Vygotsky's ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) and MKO (More Knowledgeable Other) (Laureate Edu, Inc., n.d.).
Dr. Orey describes a child's zone of proximal development as that space where learning happens. It falls just below what is beyond their comprehension/abilities, and just above what they already know and can do. This is where the social piece comes into play. The MKO or more knowledgeable other is the person or tool that allows the student to make meaning and build knowledge with new information (Laureate Edu., Inc., n.d.).
There are two collaborative tools that I'd like to explore this week. One is something that I am familiar with, as are my students. The other is one that I have used, but may consider using in a different way.
The first tool that is one I use almost daily in my classroom is KidBlogs. Students love this tool and it is a great choice for collaborative or cooperative writing. The difference between collaborative and cooperative is that collaborative activities engage students in producing a product or solving a problem. Cooperative is when students engage in work together in the same way, but they are also held accountable for individual aspects as well (Orey, 2001). Students use this as more of a cooperative tool that collaborative. They write their own entries, but then students can go in and comment on their peers blog. They use the acronym NOW as a reminder of how to leave feedback. N stands for "I noticed...". Students may comment on use of colorful words, figurative language, or any number of aspects of their peer's writing. O is "offer positive feedback". This is where they say something that they liked about the writing. W is "I wonder...". Students give constructive feedback such as, "I wonder if you could help me visualize your setting by adding more sensory details?" I have found that by giving this format, it allows students the direction they need to help assist each other in becoming better writers.
The second tool that my class uses regularly, but I'd like to explore some ways to use it differently to expand our social connections, is Google Docs. I think it would be really fun to collaborate with a classroom in another state or country to create a report or presentation on the same topic. I'm not entirely sure how I could make this work, but it would be fun to try!
We live in a collaborative society, so it is important that we allow students to collaborate together and learn from and with each other.

Resources

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Social learning theories [Video file]. Retrieved from  https://class.waldenu.edu

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

My VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com/share/6686718/

Image Sources:

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