Week #9 Reflection

This weeks reading brought about 2 trends/issues that hit home for me as an educator.  The first being the section comprised of the conversation on student use of technology as a tool changing teacher and student classroom behaviors.  Technology is something that students are always actively seeking to use, and has shown drastic results in my classroom.  When technology is incorporated into a lesson, project, or activity, the student thinking that is shown is much deeper and holds more meaning.  Even using a simple technology program, such as ClassDojo to monitor student behavior and share results with parents, helps to improve student interest, participation, and learning.  However, the results aren't always carrying across to standardize testing.  This is something that we, as educators, struggle to deal with every year.  How do we continue to advance students with technology while still passing the assessments that are mandated upon us?

The second trend/issue that stood out to me was the section discussing the technology integration: preparing for the twenty-first century.  This is something we've been discussing a lot in my district and throughout my county.  Technology integration is always a key component, but the portion that stands out to me most is the word "integration".  Teachers are always quick to add in a technology project, a Web 2.0 site that they have found, a new app on their classroom iPad's, etc.  However what skills are they teaching our students? How are they preparing them to be 21st Century learners and leaders?  One of the most important things I teach my students throughout the year is how to "use" the computers.  We work on not only the fun Web 2.0 things, but we also talk real-world skills.  One of the best programs I have found to help lead educators down this path, is the 21 Things for The 21st Century Teacher.  If you haven't checked it out before, I encourage you do to so!

Google Maps and Week #8 Reflection

I am in LOVE with the new Google Maps and I can't wait to use this with my class next year!  We teach Michigan geography as our first social studies unit in 3rd grade.  As part of the unit, students have to learn and memorize the Great Lakes Region along with key points in Michigan.  Each year we have the students make a map as a way to practice their thinking.  However, the new Google Maps project will allow them to create an electronic version instead.  I can just imagine my students adding pictures of the different places, adding details beyond the required places, and even adding in specific boundaries for the states and region borders.

As an example for the basics of the region maps requirements, I designed a sample map:




Chapter 18 Reflection:
The two noteworthy ways that I found related to education were the "subject-matter experts" along with the "technology-based training delivery".  Our district relies on the teacher staff to be subject-matter experts, and use these "experts" to create SAC's (or subject area committee's).  These SAC's are used to analyze curriculum and assessments, design new materials, purchase appropriate items, etc.  all based off one subject area and one grade level.  These subject-matter experts, like in business areas, must be available to educators when releasing a new curriculum - similar to how they must be available in business's because it is "critical to the project".

The education world also relies on "technology-based training delivery", similar to the business world.    A perfect example of this is the 21 Things for the 21st Century Educator project that runs throughout the state of MI.  The district I belong to (Oakland County) runs this program entirely online, while providing the much-needed professional development hours that teachers need to renew their certifications.  The program allows teachers to be involved in "collaborative activities" along with conducting a "self-study" that allows us to be flexible within our own classroom activities, personal lives, etc.  Technology-based training is a widely used concept amongst educators, in and out of the classroom.

Best Surprise EVER!

This weekend I received the best surprise EVER!  My twin is in the Air Force, and is stationed in Texas for the time-being.  I rarely ever get to see him in person, however we stay in constant contact through Skype or Face-Time when the military allows.  But it's been almost a year since I've seen him, and over 2 years since he's been home.

Needless to say, I was extremely surprised when he walked through the door of my house without me ever knowing he was coming!  He's home for just under 2 weeks, and I plan to enjoy every minute of it!

Week #6 Reflection

This week’s chapter has my brain spinning round and round.  I honestly found it difficult to read, and often found myself reading paragraphs over again several times in order to comprehend what was being said.  (I’m going to blame my niece and nephew for being cute little distractions while their Mom was at work this week!  Here's hoping I got the concepts right!) 

Once I got through the concepts behind HPI, I found myself comparing it mostly to the teacher evaluation system we have established here in Michigan and my district.  Teachers are often evaluated by a few classroom tours and visits.  This is a snapshot into our daily instruction, interaction with parents and teachers, and our everyday happenings.  However these 30minutes “visits” are enough to judge a year’s worth of educational happenings in the eyes of the public.  The vision of HPI is stated as being: “to achieve, through people, increasingly successful accomplishments, directly tied to organizational goals, that are valued by all stakeholders, including  those who perform, their managers, their peers, the organization as a whole, shareholders, customers, regulatory agencies and even society itself.”  It is within this vision statement that I feel we lose HPI in our environments.  How can it be a vision that shows improvement in our schools when we are constantly at “war” with the public and “society” for what is equitable in our schools and classrooms?

The other key point that caught my attention was Gilbert’s 4 principals and theorems laid out on page 137 of Chapter 14.  Each of these 4 key points describes exactly how performance should focused.    One of my favorite of the 4 points was the comment “A system that rewards people for their behavior without accounting for accomplishment encourages incompetence.”  As an educator, or in any profession for that matter, why would I want to work just as hard on a difficult task, when a coworker can work on an easy task and receive the same praise and reward?  I often feel that this is where our evaluation systems fall apart.

I feel that HPI is a great concept, and that with equitable input as HPI suggests, evaluations and systems set in place by the group as a collaborative would be a better success than when forced upon us unwillingly.

Podcasts and The Classroom

Podcasting is another of my favorite activities to complete in the classroom with my students.  We currently create podcasts as book reviews for future students.  We then link the podcast with a QR code that we print and tape into our classroom library books.  Audacity is an amazing program  to work with when creating podcasts!  My 3^rd and 4^th graders are able to easily create and record a podcast episode, without any help from me! And I think one of my favorite teachers was the lack of a required microphone when using the iPad! So simple to use.

My students are also looking forward to a creating video podcast this year that will be based around their research units.  The classroom will be writing research reports, but will present their materials through a podcast session using Windows Movie Maker and Audacity.  These will then be uploaded to our classroom website for parents to enjoy!

Since I sadly lack permission from parents to post student podcasts online, and is required in our district, I cannot share their student samples.  Therefore, I’ll share two of my favorite podcasts that I subscribe to as an educator.  I tend to listen to podcasts during my runs or off my Nook.  Therefore, I use the links a lot more than I do the iTunes access:

http://techlandia.podomatic.com/

Techlandia is a teacher generate site that promotes not only technology integration into schools, but provides instantaneously useful skills that can be directly applied to your classroom instruction the very same day.  One of the best notes about this podcast series, is the fact that it’s styled after late-night tv shows, which makes for a great and humorous listen normally!

http://edreach.us/channel/googleeducast/

Another of my technology downfalls is my obsession with everything Google.  I use Google Drive to store all my materials, Google Maps to go on virtual field trips, Gmail as my daily correspondence, and every other Google tool in between.  I was exposed to the Google Education Podcasts this summer through a Google Teacher Summit that I was invited to.  The Google Educational Podcasts are soley based on Google technology in the classroom, and was to actively implement Google into your everyday use.

Theories of Learning

The behavioral learning theory , while older, is a solid ground upon which teachers build their lessons.  Human choices are controlled everyday by behavioral stimulation (ex: we buckle up in cars so the buzzer doesn’t go off as we drive).  Students are no exception to this learned behavior, and ultimately learn certain materials through a behavioral process.

The main concept behind the behavior learning theory is the positive reinforcement.  While this makes for excellent classroom management skills, it also ties into students grasping concepts quickly.  In using this learning theory throughout classroom planning, the first major step is establishing a foundational point, or observing the students background knowledge.  To do so in my classroom would consist of utilizing a Cultures of Thinking routine names “think, puzzle, explore”.  During this routine students look at images or ponder a unit as a whole.  This routine asks students to share their thinking about the topic, similar to the “K” of a KWL chart.  This area allows students to share what they already know, while putting it into a “thinking” context which allows them to alter their choices later (rather than a “know” context, which perceives it to already be correct).  The puzzle portion of the routine allows students to share their puzzles, or questions, they have about the topic.  Why are the prices different for the same item? Why do companies charge differently?  The explore portion gives the students a chance to brainstorm ways we could go about exploring answers to our questions.  What could we do to figure out the reasons for the different costs?

After completing the routine, the students would be guided into a partner activity.  The best activity for this learning style is a game, iPad app, etc. that allows for immediate feedback.  One of the tech tools that I love to use for such an occasion, is the clickers that go along with the SMARTBoard software we have in our classrooms.  These clickers allow students to text, type, calculate, and enter in their answer.  All while allowing them to see immediate feedback on their answers.  The SMARTBoard clicker file would have questions that ask students to “pick the better deal”, kind of like the old shopping game shows.  Teacher lead discussions between each questions to lead to an in-depth discussion on why the answers were correct.  As an end result, the classroom teacher would be able to see how the student thinking changed throughout the SMARTBoard clicker file, and would show if the students were able to grasp the concept by the end of the lesson.

Gagne’s Theory of Instruction is very similar to “traditional” lesson plans and workshop formats that are used today in classrooms.  Each lesson is conceived of many smaller pieces, which together form a complex lesson session designed to help guide student thinking throughout the day.  The key pieces to this workshop time lead to a complex, well thought-out, lesson plan.

To begin using Gagne’s theory in a classroom lesson, the lesson plan is broken into 9 key parts:

1) Gaining Attention – To begin the lesson I would pull my class to our group gathering space on the carpet.  On my table in front of them I would have several packages of cookies, all different brands and styles.  By including something the students can relate to and desire, the teacher automatically draws in the student interest.

2) Informing the learner of the objective – At the beginning of each lesson we are required to state the targeted learning goal for the day.  At this point I would explain to my class that I am planning a party for my niece, and need to purchase enough cookies for our family and all her friends.  I went to the store, but was overwhelmed with all the options and choices.  However, I wanted to pick the best “bang for my buck”, and get the most out of my purchase.  I would explain to my class that today they are going to help me determine which cookie purchase would be the best purchase for my party.

3) Stimulating Recall of Prior Learning – This is the point in the lesson where I would ask students to generate or brainstorm thoughts and ideas as to how we could solve my problem.  As students brainstormed ideas, I would remind them of their multiplication and division units we’ve been completing, along with their prior knowledge of cookies, money, and shopping.

4) Presenting the Stimulus – After the students brainstormed their ideas and strategies, I would pick one type of cookie package to model with.  At this point I would ask the class what information about this package we need to know (ex: number of cookies, price).  With student guidance, I would use this time to completely model going through and finding the unit price per ounce on my model package.

5) Providing Learning Guidance – Sometimes students need a cue or a helping hand to guide their thinking throughout a process.  During this time, I would help to guide students towards a strategy that works best for the class overall.  As a teacher this is hard to predict, as each years group of students thinking would change depending on the students.  While I encourage using strategies that work for the individual, having a starting point helps to guide them along when stuck.

6) Eliciting Performance – During this time I would have the student’s partner up to explore the remaining packages of cookies, and determine the price per unit of each type.  This gives the class the time to practice their strategies, while I conference with those students who are struggling.  This is one of my favorite times during a lesson, because I’m able to helps those who need assistance, while being able to push those whose thinking has already achieved the task requirements.

7) Providing Feedback – At the end of the partner time, the students would come together to share their findings as a class.  This gives us a chance to reflect on how their thinking has grown, while simultaneously giving me the time to help fix any errors or mistakes on a whole classroom level.

8) Assessing Performance – After sharing as a class and working with partners, I would have my students conduct an exit ticket.  Exit tickets are designed to quickly showcase the students thinking, all while giving a brief assessment to show if they are on-track or needing further assistance.  The exit ticket for this lesson would have students determining the unit price per item for a box of pencils and erasers to sell at the school store.

9) Enhancing Retention and Transfer – To finalize the learning, the students would have a daily practice page or homework page that would have them taking the skill learned to another application (ex: pricing items to construct our own classroom store or farmers market within our building).

The situated learning theory, in my opinion, is a project-based learning style.  This style allows for students to use real-life situations to help build problem solving and mathematical thinking skills.  In this case, to achieve the desired goal, I would have students create a classroom store.  The students would need to decide what items we would sell in our classroom.  Once the students have decided on their items, we would be able to begin breaking down the unit costs to determine how much we should charge in order to gain a profit.  This would stimulate conversations about unit price, needs, consumers, purchasing, tax, etc.  which would help to guide the student and thinking.  While this learning theory allows for a more “open-ended” thinking approach, it also requires a teacher to be VERY comfortable with stepping back and letting the students be the leaders.  To allow them to be the students and the teachers of their instruction.

Embedding Media In Blogs

One of my favorite things about the district I teach for is their amazing initiative to promote student thinking.  Too many times throughout our students careers they are given exact ways of thinking.  We memorize multiplication facts, but struggle to use them later in life.  We memorize spelling words to pass the test, but still misspell them when writing papers.  Yet, over the past few years, my district has begun to place the emphasis on student thinking, and not the final product.  The growth our students have made is enormous, and Making Thinking Visible has quickly become an everyday classroom use.

When looking for information on Cultures of Thinking, this video gives a great example of one of the routines used with students.  It also happens to be one of my favorite routines!

The Cultures of Thinking Program is all based around this book, written by Ron Ritchhart:

All of our district's training was provided through our school consortium, Oakland County Schools.  We attend all our county training's through Oakland Counties facilities building.

Our Cultures of Thinking training dates keep us plenty busy.  In the end, I keep a separate running tally of how many hours of training provided (over 180hrs last year alone).  Which means my Google Calendar comes into use a LOT!  Embedded is a sample of my October's month of dates.

Photo Sharing and Application Questions

This week for EDT we created a photo sharing album.  I love using Shutterfly, however I don't normally make my albums available for public viewing. For the purpose of this course, I made an album of family pictures to share through Shutterfly's site.  Visit my photos here!  I'm lucky to have an absolutely amazing niece and nephew, along with their mom (my sister who looks just like me!), that live 5 minutes from my house.  We love taking pictures and can sometimes get a little goofy!  I also have a twin brother, that I got to go visit on his military base in TX.  We carried our goofiness across state lines to visit him :)

Application Questions:

The concept of a one-to-one computer availability in the classroom, along with 24/7 internet access, would seem like an amazing resource for classroom use.  However, as shown in this application question, not all teachers would agree.  From past experience, there are 3 major factors that affect the likelihood of such programs succeeding (and I was pleasantly surprised to see them listed in Chapter 3 of our textbook).

The major factors include:

1) Most teachers can be resistant to change.  Unfortunately, in our world, there is constant change.  While most of the time these changes are smaller in nature, and easier to handle, the minute large changes such as everything all of the sudden being online, can cause massive wide-spread panic.  As a result, many teachers find themselves resistant to changing their routines.  They aren’t as comfortable as what they have done in the past, and when combined with all the other little changes that happen each year, it’s easier to resist the big changes looming in their face.  For example, in the past 8 years I have taught (in order) 3 yrs of fifth grade, 1 year of fourth, 1 year of third, moved to another state which means all new curriculum, taught 1 year of third, 1 year of fourth, and now a third/fourth grade combination classroom.  That makes for 8yrs of having to learn a new curriculum each year, along with everything else required.  So while I’m a very tech savvy teacher, someone who isn’t as tech savvy might find it easier to resist that change in favor of mastering the basics of the curriculum and their classroom.

2) Another factor that affects teachers is the top-down changes that occur in districts.  While school boards, superintendents, and other administrators think and feel that they are making choices that positively affect classrooms, sometimes they fail to consider the teachers opinions and thoughts.  Top-down changes are rarely welcomed in schools, as there is a major disconnect between the board office and the classroom.  It creates an automatic negative attitude towards changes, which is hard to overcome.

3) The final factor that can affect the program is the failure to provide teachers with adequate guidance as to how to integrate the new media into their instruction practices.  Unfortunately in today’s society not everyone is as comfortable with technology as they should be.  Handing a teacher a computer, software, and programs they have never used before can be overwhelming and confusing.  And as any human being, the logical next step is to set it on a shelf and ignore it for as long as possible.  Having all this technology and resources at your fingertips is fantastic.  However, if you fail to understand how to use it, all you’ve done is given a teacher a very expensive door-stop or paperweight.

In searching for ways to mitigate such negative outcomes of technology programs, there are two suggestions I would give:

1) Include teachers in the decision making process.  Start out small, with a core group of educators who are respected in their district and have a grasp of technology use in the classroom.  These educators can help make decisions on purchases, programs to use, ways to integrate, staff trainings, etc.  The major plus of having a core group of teachers become the leaders of the program: they become the “cheerleaders” for the district.  They become the voices that share how great the program is, how well it can be used, and the most important “if I can do it, you can do it” challenge.

2) Provide staff training on a consistent basis throughout the year.  Most districts provide an initial training that gives an overview and the basics.  However, they fail to provide a consistent amount of planning and training throughout the year.  It is essential that teachers have a chance to communicate their thoughts, concerns, and issues.  All while having a chance to share with their peers the good and bad aspects of the programs.  Teachers feed off each other, so the ability to share how it is being used in classrooms helps to brainstorm other effected uses that teachers can immediately take back and use the next day.