Reflection Post for EDUC 6711

When reflecting back on this course I find that, as with most things in education, I am constantly fluctuating and reevaluating my thoughts and ideas on being a better and more effective educator. The learning theories looked at in this course were not new to me. I have studied behaviorism, cognitive, and constructivist theories before. The benefit of this class was in the context in which these theories were presented. Instead of simple facts about the theories and their differences, this course had me putting them into practice and showed how I can integrate technologies that complement the theories. I was able to make immediate changes that can enhance my students’ learning as well as some long-term goals to change my instructional practice in a positive and exciting way.

When I look back over my personal theory of learning from the first week of the course, I think the biggest thing that I have altered is including and emphasizing more the importance of social learning theory. Connectivists believe that people learn about and understand the world primarily through social interactions (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). This is something that I have begun to see as true for my students and myself. By placing greater importance on social learning, I see greater motivation and improved learning in my classroom.

Using concept mapping software and virtual field trips will be the two most immediate changes in technology use that I have made into my classroom. My students enjoy the virtual field trips that we have begun taking. The visual component makes my lessons more concrete in my students’ minds allowing them to more easily make the important shift from short term to long term memory. The concept map software available from IHMC CmapTools are easy to use and can easily be adapted for my students’ use. The ability to add pictures and sounds to the maps again help my students take concepts that may seem abstract and foreign and make them more concrete. Advanced organizers, like the concept map software, help the students to organize and make sense of the content they are learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, pg. 73).

The first long-term goal I have for technology integration into my instructional practice is using available technology to recognize and reinforce effort. My students love to “show-off” their hard work. Using blogs, classroom websites, and VoiceThreads they can publish their work to a wider audience and seek feedback and reinforcement from others. Next year, I hope to set up accounts that will allow my students to use these resources in the classroom. The first step is making sure that I will be able to access the sites in my classroom, as many times, these sites are blocked by my district.

The second long-term goal I have is making sure that the technology I bring into the classroom becomes learning tools and not just instructional tools. While some software is designed to help teachers with tasks like attendance and grade keeping, programs such as PowerPoint and hardware like interactive whiteboards, often ends up being used as only an instructional tool. By making sure to get my students using the technology that is integrated into the classroom I ensure that they receive the maximum benefits from the technology. I can make sure that I am completing this goal by evaluating and reflecting each lesson I teach and looking at the technology I use. Placing the technology into the hands of my students will also increase motivation and have a positive effect on my students’ learning.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program nine. Instructional Theory vs. Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Connectivism as a Learning Theory. Baltimore: Author.

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

VoiceThread

Here is the link to my VoiceThread project for Application 5 in EDUC 6711. In it I talk a little about some of the technology I use in my classroom. Some of that technology is out of date or difficult for some of my students to use.

http://voicethread.com/share/528897/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice (APP 5 for EDUC 6711)

Social learning theory puts forth the idea that people learn primarily from what they observe other people doing. As children, we learned from our parents, siblings, teachers, and peers. Even as adults, we may often learn how to act in a certain situation or environment based on our observations of others. Creating a classroom where social learning theory is practiced means lots of cooperative learning. While constructionist learning theory has an individual creating an artifact, social learning theory has students working together to create the artifact. Given the incredible wealth of technology and Web 2.0 tools available to many people, it is now possible for collaborative learning to occur both with peers in the classroom and around the world.

In their book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) list several ideas for integrating technology into a cooperative learning setting (pgs. 141-154). The first way they suggest is to have students create a multimedia presentation. This can be a high interest and motivating activity for students. The authors note that this is a complex activity that requires a lot of attention to detail and would require students to work effectively in the collaborative environment. The second suggestion they offer is to use Web resources. Web resources allow students to communicate with peers from around the country or world. This communication can be used for further collaboration or a learning exercise. Sites such as ePALS and Keypals Club International help in setting up correspondence from students around the world. Other Web resources include WebQuests to focus students’ learning on the information instead of finding it, and Web site creation tools such as iWeb (for Macintosh operating systems), Publisher, TOWeb, and Cool Page.

Collaborating over the Web also gives teachers and students the chance to organize data and share resources. Shared bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us allow users to collect all their favorite Websites and resources in one location and then share them with others. Teachers can also set up blogs and wikis through sites such as Edublogs and Wikispaces to collect the group’s information.

One of the fastest growing aspects of the Web today is social networking. Sites like Facebook have entered into mainstream culture. It is almost certain today that most of our students are already using resources like this to collaborate and communicate with friends. While many of them do this as a form of entertainment, social networking can be a powerful tool that people can use to find jobs, relationships, and more. Regardless of our feelings towards using these tools, our students need to learn how to use them in a responsible and useful way. Used correctly, these tools will be essential to our students’ future as a member of today’s global workforce.

Resources

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