VoiceThread!

My students finished the VoiceThread and it's ready for comments.  Here's the link: https://voicethread.com/share/3584794/


:) Katie

Final Reflection

             During Week 1 of this course, I reflected on the Learning Theories behind my practice.  Learning Theories have always been an interest of mine as they can be combined to fit the needs of the students and teaching style of the classroom teacher.  Lev Vygotsky is still my favorite theorist because his ideas about the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) fit my instructional style and the needs of my students.  Lev Vygotsky theorized that the ZPD is the distance between a student’s ability to perform a task under adult guidance and/or with peer collaboration and the student’s ability solving the problem independently (Learning Theories, 2012).  According to the Social Theory of Learning, people learn from one another via observation, imitation, and modeling (Learning Theories, 2012).  Learning from a MKO, whether it be from the teacher or a peer, allows different parts of the brain to be activated and connections are made.  When more connections are made, the easier it is for a student to access a memory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). 

            Six weeks ago, I had stated that “Social Learning Theories are the bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories because it encompasses attention, memory, and motivation” (Learning Theories, 2012).   I am still very confident that my classroom environment is a location where students are able to be hands-on constructivists and shaped by social learning opportunities.  However, I would say that I am now more keenly aware of my learners’ brains and what technology tools fit the theories I know fit my beliefs about how I facilitate learning opportunities.  For example, since learning about concept maps and how they replicate our brains’ networks, I now use two different technology programs to support my students in showing their learning in science and writing (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Students use Kidspiration on their own and Cacoo in a guided group.  Another standout technology tool was VoiceThread because it compliments my desire for active, social learning opportunities.  It took me a little more time to prepare my learners for a lesson involving VoiceThread but they finally had their first opportunity to collaborate over one this week.  (I will post the thread after my students are ready for me to share it.) 

            Beyond this course, I have been reflecting on how my instruction will be transformed and thus, have created two goals.  First, I want to expand who my students collaborate with.  It is easy for my students to collaborate with each other and other students in our school but I think it is pivotal that my students experience a wide-variety of viewpoints.  I have friends who teach in Chicago, Oregon, and California and it will be easy to start there. However, my hope is to go beyond those classrooms and connect with students overseas.  I am not sure how to find willing teachers but I know I will start with networking with teachers whom I already know have had connections beyond Federal Way at one point.  Secondly, I want to utilize a virtual field trip for every science and social studies unit we study.  I have used one already in our study of ecosystems and my students loved it!  Knowing my curriculum ahead of time and previewing potential sites will be critical to my success.  I have already bookmarked the sites shared in tour courses’ Technology Resources to help me start planning ahead.  I know I will have a difficult time finding many virtual field trips during our study of Washington State History but I only need one good one to meet my goal! 

            This course was one of my favorites thus far because it combined two of my favorite things: learning theories and technology.  I expanded my knowledge about theories that I was not originally drawn to and was introduced to many technology tools that were unknown to me six weeks ago.  My instruction has been transformed by the intentional technology tools I am using to enhance the lessons I facilitate. If asked, I state the specific research behind what I am using and how my students will benefit.  I think that is the greatest outcome of any class yet!

:) Katie

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2012, September). Activity Theory at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved September 9th, 2012 from http://www.learning-theories.com/activity-theory.html

Social Learning Theory & Technology

            Social Learning is a learning theory where students are actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).   Lev Vygotsky’s theory promotes learning contexts in which students play an active role in learning and where students work cooperatively to build knowledge whether it is with the teacher or a peer.  Therefore the roles of the teacher and student are shifted, where the teacher collaborates with his or her students in order to help facilitate meaning construction in students (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012).  Teachers ought to converse with students over their learning in both one-on-one and in small group settings so students have the benefit of personalized conversation as well as the input of their peers.  Collaboration between students can be formal and informal.  “Turn and talk” is one of the most commonly used impromptu ways to get students talking.  Formal collaboration between students is often done in small groups of 3 or more where the students have a task to accomplish.  Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

            Within the classroom Social Learning Theories can be implemented in endless ways.  First, creating multimedia presentations is a natural environment for cooperative learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Students research, prepare material, create, and present as a collaborative unit.  Student work ought to be guided by the rubric that will be used for assessment.  Types of multimedia presentations students could create are PowerPoint, ActivInspire, Animoto, Podcasts, Wikis, and VoiceThreads.  Secondly, students could collaborate with students in another location with the use of communication software.  Technology allows students to collaborate on projects without the constraints of time or geography (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Two that are used frequently are Skype and FaceTime.  Skype is a phenomenal service that allows multiple users to talk for free through their computer (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  I have used Skype to converse with other teachers when I taught abroad in Austria and so my students could share their work with students in another classroom.  FaceTime is a program that comes with Apple products and connects to other Apple products for free.  FaceTime can be used in the same ways that Skype can, provided both ends have an Apple product. Lastly, one technology resource that I would like to try is keypals.  These resources allow communication between students in other cities, states, and countries while challenging them to learn about other cultures, languages, and issues throughout the world (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).   Having no experience using a keypal, I am curious if others have had success or advice in students using keypals. 

            My classroom is strongly based in Social Learning Theories as I strongly believe that students learn best when they are learning from a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO), just as Lev Vygotsky theorized (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  I don’t necessarily believe that students can’t do things on their own but I adamantly believe that student learning is deepened when they actively engaged in constructing artifacts and working with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).   How do you promote Social Learning Theory in your classroom?

            Finally, this week I created a VoiceThread to try a new means of collaboration between myself, my students, and other classrooms.  I proposed three questions to my students and their responses will be their comments on my VoiceThread.  If you would like to comment or ask my students any additional questions related to our topic, the link is https://voicethread.com/share/3482011/. 

:) Katie

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2012, September). Behaviorism at Learning-Theories.com. September 13th, 2012.  Retrieved from http://www.learning-theories.com/behaviorism.html

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

Constructivism & Generating and Testing Hypothesis 

            Constructivism is a knowledge theory that can be challenging for my students to feel successful with. Constructivism states that each individual actively constructs his/her own meaning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  So many of my students thrive under structured explorations or projects where I am giving them clear guidance and support. Many feel uncomfortable when lessons rely on their own ideas of how things work and their own discovery of main ideas (Culatta, 2011).  I know this is partly because I have some insecure students and others who have overly supportive parents.  I have thought a lot about how I can use the theory of Constructivism in my classroom while keeping in mind my students’ emotional needs. 

            To challenge my students in an appropriate way, I want to engage them in a system analysis.  Students will study parts of a system and make predictions about what would change if one or more parts were altered or removed (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  This process will fit in with our ecosystems unit perfectly as students will be able to engage in system analysis in two different scenarios.  First, I will use an online tool called My Life as an Elk to help my students have a virtual experience.  This interactive “game” allows a student to alter an elk’s habitat to see what will happen to the elk and its population.  I also felt that this would be relevant as elk are an animal many students in my class already have some background knowledge of just by living in Washington.  Second, students will create a wiki about an ecosystem of their choice.  In their wikis, students will discuss all the elements of the ecosystem and include a page where they predict what would happen to the ecosystem if ______ happened to the ecosystem (ex. humans put a road through it).  Other groups would be able to comment and add their predictions.  Also, there would be a follow-up page where students will have researched it using the Nature Works website.  From there, students would add their findings to their wiki after the other groups have had a chance to predict also.  This will be a huge test to my students critical thinking and collaborative skill set but system analysis will allow my students to engage in complex mental processes, apply content knowledge, and enhance their overall understanding of the content (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

            For my readers, if you can think of any other age appropriate applications of Constructivism please offer suggestions below in the comments!  Keep in mind, my school has very limited technology (a shared set of 10 computers for every 3 classrooms) and I teach an immature group of 4^th graders. 

Thanks,

Katie :-)

Resources:

Culatta, R., (2011).  Innovative learning: constructivist theories of learning.  Retrieved from: http://www.innovativelearning.com/educational_psychology/constructivism/index.htm

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Cognitive Learning Theories in Practice

 

            Cognitive Learning Theories focus on ways information is processed and stored (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  This theory is valuable for teachers as it is the foundation of what we do.  One thing I do to support student learning is trying to incorporate multiple senses throughout my lessons (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  After my exploration of resources to integrate more than one sense into various lessons, I am committed to using this virtual field trip resource as often as possible.  The idea that we can go where we cannot physically is incredibly inspiring!  I cannot wait to take my students on virtual field trip through ecosystems that are not located in our region!  I can also see students connecting to locations mentioned in the books we read together.  The connections made will create episodic memories that are based in rich experiences (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  The more connections a student is able to build in relation to the content being taught, the easier it is for them to access information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). 

            To support students’ ability to make connections about our content, it is vital to use advance graphic organizers or another template for students to organize their learning.  Advance graphic organizers help students focus their learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).   In my opinion, they are more than just a Venn Diagram.  These organizers offer cues, guiding questions, or visuals that offer students a clearer sense of what they are going to learn and what the learning objectives are for that lesson (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  When using graphic organizers, I like to use a program called ActivInspire because it is very student friendly and can be edited post-creation by the teacher or by students.  By saving it to our student server, students are able to edit it, save it, and I can put my feedback directly onto the page.  I also like to use templates or frames prior to students summarizing information.  This will be especially helpful when my students begin responding to reading on our classroom blog and creating wikis to summarize science and social studies units.  Wikis and blogs are excellent ways for students to demonstrate summarizing while collaborating over content in a place where I can provide immediate feedback (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). What are some other ways I could support my students through cues and questions? 

            Today, I introduced the idea of Concept Mapping as a way to further support the cognitive development of my students.  Concept maps are a fantastic way for students to replicate the network model of memory (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Concept maps let students to visually show connections as some information can be stored as images as well as text (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Using concept map software allows teachers to integrate technology while keeping the focus on accessing the information stored in the brain.  The program I will use with my students is called The Brain and can be downloaded on PCs and Macs.  Are there any other concept mapping softwares that are student friendly? 

Thanks for reading and participating!

:) Katie

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

Behaviorist Learning Theory in the Classroom?

This week I have been reflecting on the best practices within the Behaviorist Learning Theory.  I tend to be drawn to Social Learning Theories but am finding that Behaviorism has some very strong ideas in relation to homework and reinforcing student effort.  Behaviorist Learning Theory is focused around reinforcement of desired behaviors in students (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). 

Reinforcing Effort

                All teachers reinforce the behaviors they wish for in their students whether it is through words, rewards, or another system.   When reinforcing effort given by students, it is essential to recognize that not all students believe in effort (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Often times these are our students who need the most positive support socially and academically.  Thankfully, students can learn to operate from a belief that effort pays off even if they do not initially have this belief (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Clear behavior expectations will reinforce appropriate behaviors (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  One of the ways to help students track their efforts is through technology.  In the past I have used spreadsheets to create graphs that communicate the data and open up a conversation with feedback.  While I found this effective, I have transitioned to using an iPad app called Teacher’s Assistant to track student behaviors.  The data can not only be shown or printed off to share with students but it can be emailed to parents to reinforce student’s efforts as well.  Another element of the app that I like is that I can track student’s homework as a means of reinforcing effort.   Are there any ideas on how else effort can be reinforced with technology?  I am always looking for ideas of what works or doesn’t work!

Homework

                 In my school district the question “to give homework or not to give homework?” has been discussed for the last two years since we adopted a Standards Based Grading System.  The purpose of homework should be identified and articulated and then, communicated to students and parents (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).   Homework should be meaningful practice that compliments the work being done in the classroom.  If homework is assigned, then feedback should be given promptly to students to reinforce the work that is expected.  The Behaviorist Learning Theory supports this premise because as patterns of behavior are reinforced, the individual is conditioned to respond (Culatta, 2012).  Technology facilitates homework and practice by providing a wealth of resources for learning outside of the classroom, making it easy for students to work on collaborative homework assignments and providing “drill and practice” resources that help students refine their skills (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).   While I don’t drill students on facts in the classroom, I use web resources like ixl.com and xtramath.org to support student’s continued practice outside of the classroom environment.  One resource I hope to use in the future for collaborative homework is Google Docs.  A colleague of mine has used this with her gifted 2/3 multi-age class.  The feedback being exchanged between the teacher and students is high-quality and value.  Has anyone else used a collaborative homework resource like Google Docs? 

Do you have any other suggestions that would work for my 4^th grade students who have limited access to technology at home?

Thanks for being part of the collaborative process of teaching!

:) Katie

Resources:

Culatta, R. (2012).  Instructional design: Learning theories. Retrieved from: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/index.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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