EDLD+5364+Teaching+with+Technology

=Week 5 Reflections: = During this last week of the course, one of the readings came from Soloman and Schrum (2007) in which they stated, "If they [the students] see the rubric for the unit prior to the unit's start, they will understand the outcomes the school is expecting" (pg. 171). Rubrics are the perfect way to communicate your expectations on an assignment in the classroom. For students, rubrics are the ideal tool to help guide them to the grade they want to earn. Students know exactly how much work and effort is needed to earn the grade they want. This helps the teacher grade a variety of assignments, group projects and student performance with evidence to support the grade that is assigned. Parents can better understand how their child was graded on their project, assignment, or performance. This can also serve as a progress report in the sense that parents can see in what area their child is needing further development such as grammar or spelling. = = Solomon, G., Schrum, L. (2007).//Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools.// Washington, D.C. International Society for Technology in Education, (p. 171).

=Week 4 Reflections: = During week 4 one of the assigned readings from Soloman and Schrum suggested that "...Web 2.0 should be used authentically to enable educators to understand and become comfortable with the tools and their potential as preparation for using them in their classrooms" (Soloman and Schrum, 2007, pg. 103). This means there needs to be opportunities for classroom teachers to practice these tools and get comfortable enough using them so that they will become almost second nature. This will help teachers when they teach the students how to use them too. The teachers who regularly practice using technology in their classrooms become the teachers that other educators look to for help and suggestions when they begin to use technology in their classrooms. This will be extremely vital in the upcoming school year since many districts such as mine, will be looking to cut technology personnel. Teachers may or may not have campus technology leaders to help them in the upcoming school year. This is when those teachers who are already "walking the walk" by using technology authentically can help guide the new techies down the road to Web 2.0.

Solomon, G., Schrum, L. (2007).//Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools.// Washington, D.C. International Society for Technology in Education, (p. 103).

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UDL Reflection: Creating the UDL lesson was at first a difficult task because I was not sure how I was going to create a lesson that would fit into the group action plan. Second, I was not sure I knew exactly what the UDL guidelines were and how to meet those guidelines. Once I read about the principles behind the UDL then I made a connection between what my second language learners need and other students with special needs. The lesson I created meets the needs of a variety of students by presenting the information in a variety of ways, by allowing the students show what they know in different ways, and at the same time creating an engaging lesson that keeps them excited and interested about what they are learning. Technology is the easiest way to include all of these guidelines in a lesson. That is why my lesson includes so many technology tools that the students can choose from. This allows them a variety of ways to show what they know about ecosystems and by creating the presentations they are also showcasing their technological abilities.

Week 3 Reflections:


 * || This weeks reading gave me a deeper understanding of how important teaching with technology really is for meeting the needs of all students. "A teacher who incorporates technology greatly expands the pool of resources, means of instructional presentation and support, and modes of product creation available to students, and is thus better equipped to meet varying student needs" (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E.R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., 2007, pg. 219).

This quote selection is going to be my new educational mantra. As I get more and more comfortable with incorporating technology in my first grade classroom, I am realizing that it is a multi-facted evolution. I can not create another powerpoint, flipchart, or movie without planning a lesson in which my students can create them too. I can not bring in a document camera and start using it for my presentations without beginning to think about how my students can use it too. I can not create a Voki and show it to my students without giving them the opportunity to create their own Voki as well. I can not begin a search for resources to use with struggling students with out looking at technology first. Pitler, H., Hubbell, E.R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Denver, Colorado: McREL. ||

=Week 2 Reflections: = During the second week of this course, a quote that gave me an "aha" moment was from Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), which stated, "Allowing students to personalize their learning goals is one step toward ensuring that they understand what they are learning and why. It has the added motivating benefit of allowing students some control and voice in their learning" (p. 20-21). My principle told our staff this year that during walk-throughs and PDAS observations, she wanted to see us tell or post the learning objective for the students so that they would have a better idea of what they were learning and why. After reading the quote I was able to better develop the reasoning and idea behind why my principle wanted us to do that. I began by asking my students why they thought it was important to learn about ___. On occasion a student will give a good reason and then other times they can not think of one good reason. I eventually tell them why it is important to learn what we are learning, but by using the KWHL chart it is there in black and white for them to refer to during the lesson or unit of study. This helps them understand what they are learning and why. Though I frequently use KWL charts with my students, I had never thought of it as a way of personalizing student learning goals. By including the "H" for "How do I want to learn," my first graders can personalize their learning goals and have some control and voice in their own learning. I never knew that a KWHL chart could be so powerful and motivating!

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E.R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Denver, Colorado: McREL.

=Week 1 Reflections: =

This first week of EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology affirmed the reasons why I love teaching with technology and why I decided to pursue this Master's program. Technology really does make a difference in educating our students! There were two specific quotes from this week's readings that helped support this idea for me. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), write about a conversation between a visiting superintendent and a special education high school student, "So, how is this [the one- to- one laptop computer access] really making a difference for you?" The student responds, "Sir, I'm special ed, and I've been special ed all my life, But with this thing here, he said pointing to his laptop computer, "with this, I am just as smart as the next kid" (p.5). What a powerful message this is to those who still have doubts about how technology can truly make a difference in education. Teaching with technology removes many kinds of barriers that keep students from learning in a traditional classroom setting. Schools that strive for all of their students to be successful in their learning experiences know that technology helps teachers and campus administrators level the playing fields for everyone.

Another quote that will make a lasting impact on my teaching style was the following, “When teachers learn to use a new technology in their classrooms, they model the learning process for students; at the same time, they gain new insights on teaching by watching their students learn. Moreover, the transfer of the teaching role from teacher to student often occurs spontaneously during efforts to use computers in classrooms” (Bransford, et al., 2000). I think what the quote explains is that technology use in the classroom helps provide opportunities for students to be the teacher and the teacher to be a student, whether it be to learn how to manipulate the technology or learn new content through the use of technology. We are always telling our students about how important it is to be life-long learners. Because of the constant change that occurs in technology, teachers who keep up with technology and use it in their classrooms are modeling how to be a life-long learner.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E.R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Denver, Colorado: McREL.

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000).How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded edition). Ch. 9, pp. 194-218. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.Retrieved on February 21, 2011, from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6160&page=194