We have discussed many learning theories, a lot of instructional strategies, and some new technology tools throughout this class. The information has been eye-opening and made me reflect on how and what I do in my classroom. I now believe that it is good to use a variety of learning theories in my classroom. There are benefits to all of them. I think each theory can be effective when used appropriately. I have also realized how educational technologies can help support those theories.
Starting in the 2012-2013 school year I have a list of educational technology tools I plan on incorporating. I want to start using wikis, blogs, podcasts, Voice Thread, and concept mapping. I have been practicing with those tools and am thinking of ways to incorporate them effectively, so I can start the new school year on the right foot. I will be making two immediate adjustments with the remainder of this school year. One of those adjustments is that when I use technology I will attempt to use them more as learning tools instead of instructional tools. I think before this class I tended to use technology mainly as an instructional tool; which can have benefits, but not all the time. What I really need to do is start using technology as a learning tool. I need to get my students to use the technology and for them to learn by using it.
One way I will start using learning tools is with concept mapping tools like Spiderscribe. My students will get on Spiderscribe and work on creating concept maps when they are summarizing information they have learned or when they are note-taking. They will also be able to use this tool to find similarities and differences among two ideas. This will provide them with a kinesthetic approach and a visual approach to these strategies. The other tool I will continue to use immediately is power point and my Smart Board. My focus while using these technology tools will be to make them student-centered verses solely instructional.
My instructional skills have expanded greatly. The nine strategies we discussed have given me some great ideas. I appreciate how Dr. Pickering said we cannot tackle all the strategies immediately and become proficient at them. She suggested take two or three, becoming good at those, and then incorporating more. I do use a lot of those strategies, but I do not think I have used them effectively in the past. It was suggested that we model, practice, and then give the opportunities for the students to use them. We, as teachers, have to teach the instructional strategies. I think in the past I have been more like, “just do it” and not explained how to use them correctly. One of my long-term goals is to work on cooperative learning with my students and I can do that by incorporating technology tools. I am going to introduce wikis and blogs to my students next year. They will work together on building a wiki to reinforce what they are learning in multiple subject areas. First, I will have to teach my students what a wiki is and how it works. This will take modeling, modeling, and some more modeling. Then I will give the students the opportunity to work on a wiki that is already set up. Once the modeling and practice has occurred then my students will be able to create their own. Blogs will be another technology tool that I will incorporate that will reflect cooperative learning, summarizing, providing feedback and recognition, and even answering questions. Again, I will need to first model how a blog works, show them examples of blogs, work on some together, and eventually they will blog on their own. Part of the blog will be used for showing work- poetry, writing pieces, or others. Students and I, as the teacher, will be able to provide feedback for the work that was done. Part of the blog will be for discussion. I may propose a question or a critical thinking assignment and the students will need to respond to the question or assignment on the blog. They will also need to respond to other students’ posts. Over the summer I will be setting up a classroom wiki and blog accounts for my students to be ready for the next year.
The second long-term goal I have is to become more proficient at all the instructional strategies we learned throughout the course. Becoming more proficient at incorporating the technology will help me to be able to demonstrate those strategies and give my students avenues to practice. I need to remember that they need to be modeled. Tied into this goal is the fact that I need to focus on using these technology tools more as learning tools instead of just as instructional tools. I need my students to be actively involved in their learning. I need to start small and work on adding more. If I use a technology tool once a week in each subject as a learning tool and slowly add more; then it will eventually become second nature.
In conclusion, there are many ways I can provide a better learning experience for my students. One, I can continue to incorporate many learning theories. Two, I can make my classroom student-centered by using technology tools as learning tools. Finally, I can use instructional strategies to help my students learn more effectively. I need to not be afraid of making changes. I need to prepare my student’s for the 21st century.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012a). Instructional strategies, part one [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory Instruction and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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