Technology in the Classroom Week 3

This week’s reading included the first four chapters of Leading 21st Century Schools (Shrum, 2009). Sounding very much like the ISTE, Shrum informs us that society has changed and that thriving in the 21st century requires critical thinking; problem solving; creativity; the ability to quickly adapt to innovation; communication and collaboration skills; and information, communication, and technology (ICT) literacy. Because expectations for our high-school graduates are changing, curricula must change. I completely concur.

Shrum recommends that web-based technology be used in the science classroom to place the student in the role of scientist, using inquiry-based activities and exploring problems (Shrum, 2009, p.73).  Based on my experiences in the TCPCG program, I recognize that using web-based resources and creating a wiki for a classroom offer many opportunities for learning science and engaging in authentic collaborative projects.

As an example, every high school physics curriculum includes a study of the mechanics of motion, which includes the concepts of speed, velocity, acceleration, mass, gravity, and friction. Having students design and build a roller coaster is, of course, impractical.  However, by using the online resource “fundercoaster” (http://www.funderstanding.com/k12/coaster/) students may build a virtual roller coaster and manipulate these variables freely and without collateral damage.  The rubric for this assignment will require that collaborative assessments (discussions) be held prior to exploring the website in order to answer “predict-what-will-happen” type questions.   To further increase the ICT literacy component of this investigation, grouped students will journal their predictions about and exploration of “fundercoaster” on a wiki page. I hope this will encourage critical thinking about and understanding of what happens when variables are changed.  It is my experience that providing students with the opportunity to be creative makes the project more interesting to them. Perhaps I’ll offer bonus points for creativity and aesthetics (in order to encourage both). Once each group has had a chance to design (and redesign) its roller coaster and journal its "scientific inquiry" process the results can be shared. I love the idea of this practical yet entertaining (hopefully) assessment.

Schrum, L., & Levin, B. B. (2009). Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement in Schools. Leading 21st Century Schools. p. 1-78.

What I Learned Today - Learning Theories Week 3

This week we compared and contrasted Behavior Learning Theory and Cognitive Learning Theory.  Skinner, the king of BLT, believes that if we want to affect the behavior of our students then we need to be consistent in our responses because learning is the process of acquiring accumulative consequences of behavior.  As a teacher, this means I need to have a stable, safe, consistent classroom in which my expectations for behavior and deliverables are reinforced through positive reinforcement.  Bad behavior will be ignored.

Cognitive Learning Theorists believe that if we want learners to succeed, we need to assist learners in their quest to make meaning of new information because learners make meaning of new ideas and experiences through connection to their current conceptual framework.  As a teacher, this means I will need to confirm my student's zone of proximal development and level of understanding/misunderstanding regularly.  This will likely play out via short jeapardy-style questions at the beginning of class and flash cards they fill out with "something I learned today" and "questions I still have".

Learning Theories - Week 3

This week our reading assignments and morning class discussions addressed three psychologist whose theories about how learners learn vary greatly: Piaget, Vygotsky, and Skinner.

Piaget - Piaget believes that development occurs in stages: beginning with sensory motor (in infancy), then pre-operation, concrete, and then formal (which includes abstract thinking).  Learners form scaffolds of understanding and new material either needs to be assimilated (accepted into the scaffold) or accommodated (the scaffold of understanding has to readjust).  A teacher's role is to identify where a student is in terms development and understanding and differentiate one's lesson.  A learner's role is to input and work to accomodate new information.

Vygotsky - Vygotsky believes that children learn through social context.  A teacher's role is to act as a more knowledgeable other (MKO) while students learn from each other.

Skinner - Skinner believes that learning was the process of acquiring accumulative consequences of behavior.  A teacher's role is to reward behaviors that lead to skill acquisition.  Learners have an innate ability to learn and respond to the stimuli of the classroom.

Each of us were invited to create assessment questions on one of the above psychologists based on Bloom's Taxonomy.   The following are answers to three questions randomly chosen.

Q1 - Q6: What are some aspects of Piaget's theory that could cause criticism of his theory?

According to Piaget, teachers should construct lessons at the developmental level of the learner.  Considering the diverse maturity levels of a typical high school classroom, this is not very practical advice.  Also, if a learner can't progress until he/she develops towards the next stage, there is nothing for teachers to do to move a learner along towards abstract thinking.

Q2 - Q6: Recommend the kind of learning environment Vygotsky would most approve of?

Vygotsky would love the Socratic method of teaching, where the teacher asks thought provoking questions and students collaboratively work out their ideas.

Q3 - Q3: Show how Behavior Learning Theory and Social Learning Theory can work together in a lesson?

By reinforcing participation and completion of homework assignments, students will learn mind-on behavior (Behavior Learning Theory).  Using jigsaw-based discussions can lead to increased understanding and comprehension (Social Learning Theory)

Internet in the Classroom

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is an organization committed to providing guidance to teachers and administrators “as they transition schools from Industrial Age to Digital Age places of learning” (ISTE, 2011).  ISTE has formalized its core objectives into the National Education Technology Standards (NETS), which have been differentiated for each group in the education system: NETS-T for teachers, NETS-S for students, and NETS-A for administrators (ISTE, 2011).   These standards are importance because they establish criteria for technology competence that should to be incorporated into my curriculum whenever possible. 

I recognize the value of including technology education in the classroom, however, as a pre-service teacher, the question I have to answer is how.  Dr. Donald Leu of the University of Connecticut has created several lectures regarding projects and methods for achieving the NET-S goals.

Dr. Leu recommends four models for teaching with the Internet: Internet Workshops, Internet Projects, WebQuests and Internet Inquirty.  Similarities among the four models include opportunities to develop competency in the NET-S goals: learning about internet safety; using technology effectively and productively to conduct research and use web-based information (ISTE, 2011); developing critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making skills in order to evaluate the validity (or bias) of web-based information (ISTE, 2011); and the importance of collaborating and sharing information (ISTE, 2011).  (Leu, 2002)

The differences among the models are a result of each model’s purpose.  An Internet Workshop is designed as a simple group-research activity that can be adapted to most curriculum units.  It is effective in developing content knowledge, strategies for finding and using Internet information resources, and develops skills for collaboration.  An Internet Workshop is best used with open-ended questions related to the curriculum unit, thus allowing students to find and collaboratively present multiple-sources of information.  Collaborative contribution to the curriculum unit is the primary object.  An Internet Project includes all the objectives of the Internet Workshop but its goal is to have an inter-classroom, possibly an international experience to solve a problem or simply to increase understanding.  Web-Quests are internet projects that have already been established online.  Clear directions and a list of resources required for participation is provided online.  Internet Inquiry is distinct in that the topic of research is student-directed (Leu, 2002).

My collaborative teacher has informed me that there is no smart board available for the classroom.  Technology in the classroom is limited to an overhead projector and a portable, shared projector unit for the computer.   I personally have a projector that will integrate with my computer and the classroom is equipped with a rolled-up white screen, so I will be able use power point presentations and web-based resources.  After considering the NET-S standard and Dr. Leu’s discussion, I believe an Internet Inquiry project will be very compatible with my curriculum to bring a discussion of current events in science into the classroom.

References:

Leu, D.J., Jr. (2002, February). Internet Workshop: Making time for literacy [Exploring Literacy on the Internet department]. The Reading Teacher, 55(5).

International Society for Technology in Education, 2011. Standards for Global Learning in the Digital Age. 

EDCI 5065 Week 2 - Theory 2 Practice essay

Last week the main question we addressed was "what is needed for successful learning to occur?".  This week the focus was on us as a teacher and what we should bring to the teaching/learning mix, again, for successful learning to occur.  In Judy Yero's "How Teacher Thinking Shapes Education, the point was well made that teachers create an environment by their actions, thoughts and words that greatly affect whether a student will feel, for lack of a better word, wanted in the classroom.  One example was whether to describe one's classroom as a zoo or a beehive.  There are values intrinsic in the words I use and I must be careful to keep my words nonpunishing, welcoming, and honest (but polite and respectful).  The students will know how I feel about them by the words I choose.


In David Hansen's "Teaching and the Moral Life of Classrooms, he presents very clear examples of how teachers can create a classroom in which life is as close to fair as possible.  As a society we want our citizens to take turns, treat each other with consideration, be supportive instead of judgmental, and make a personal commitment to learning.  As a teacher I must demonstrate fairness, rationality, respect for myself and the classroom, appreciation for diversity, and even punctuality.  I must model the behaviors I want to foster in my students.  Only then will the classroom have the feeling of being a safe environment for people to be free to get their geek on.  


We talked about how people learn.  I believe that people learn best in an environment in which mutual respect and mutual enhancement is present.  The student-centered approach is   particularly challenging to me.  But I own the benefits of having discussions that lead the students to their own "aha" moment instead of me lecturing for 45 minutes and telling them what they need to know.  I need to make room for off-topic questions, personal discovery and self-directed learning in a physics class.  


If a teacher accompanies students as an expert learner and "guide on the side" through their learning experiences, then the student is more likely to learn because he or she is being given some freedom (which is a demonstration of trust and positive expectations) within a structured, predictable, safe environment while the teacher is available to encourage positive behavior, provide modeling as needed, and engage in an authentic relationship with the student that will hopefully motivate the student to develop competency.

EDCI 5065 Week 1 - Theory 2 Practice essay

There are many ways to educate.  There has to be because each person will learn best acording to their unique scaffold.  I am still at the sponge mode of pre-service teaching.  I have learned some new words that are critical to thinking like a teacher.  Today I experienced a class that encorporated a variety of the learning styles: aural, social, language, visual, verbal etc.  Today was the first time I have experienced a successful group project in academia.  It was a wonderful experience.

I think several specifics made this activity successful and different from the failed attempts I've experienced previously:

• personal choice in team membership
• criteria of diversity for each team
• no established leader, just cooperative involvement by all team members
• a task that was group-think oriented and benefited from diversity.

We all did our homework, so personal motivation to succeed is a factor in our being prepared to share.  I also noticed that throughout the day we were encouraged to learn from each other instead of the teacher. This increased cohesion in the group

How Does Learning Occur

To be considered: what is the role of the teacher and what beliefs do I have about how people learn and develop competency.

Beliefs About How People Learn:

• Student learn best in environments that are structured (e.g, consistent and predictable) but not rigid
• Mutual respect between the teacher and students and among students will foster a safe learning environment and opportunities for mutual enhancement
• Students will need academic support in skill and fundamental knowledge acquisition.

Beliefs About How People Develop Competency

• A student-centered classroom encourages students to participate in discussions and ask questions that make the information presented meaningful to them.
• Students must learn to think for themselves and question the material
• Students must be allowed to personalize the classroom and explore ideas on their own
• Students need time to think and process

If a teacher wishes to create an optimal learning environment, then the information to be learned needs to be presented in a safe, structured environment that fosters mutual enhancement and personal interest because this presents opportunities to demonstrate competency.