Reflection

Reflection

            Looking back and reflecting on this course, this course has opened many doors and opportunities for my classroom to expand and presented new challenges to me as an educator and also new challenges for my students to overcome.  We are certainly living in a technological age with technology being used in almost all aspects of live.  Teachers must stay current in their classrooms and the only way to do this is through the use of technology.  Examples of this technology can be blogs, wikis, podcasts and RSS feeds (Richardson, 2010).

            This course has helped me in many ways.  It has made me think outside the box and think of creative ways to present the same information I was currently teaching to my students but now through the use of technology.  For example, an idea I now use is a blog for students to write entries based off of diseases we have discussed and learned about in health class. As Dr. David Thornburg and Hall Davidson stated in the video, "Technology's Influence," "technology is allowing project based learning and expanding student creativity" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). This class also deepened my knowledge of teaching and the learning process because it made me think like a student.  I began to ask myself, would my students enjoy this activity, does it present information to them in a way that is different then what they have seen all day.  The podcasts activity that was completed in this class gave me many new ideas on how students can present information to the rest of the class.  Instead of a basic skit, now the students can create their own podcast, something new and interesting.

            As a fourth year teacher I am beginning to see that the teacher does not need to control every aspect of the classroom.  By beginning to let students work on their own, letting them develop their own ideas and create their own projects the classroom is changing to a more project based learning environment.  A teacher driven lecture is not allowing the students to explore and challenge themselves.  The students are bored with lectures and enjoy using technology and moving around the classroom.  This is creating a stronger learning environment and changing my classroom from teacher centered to more learning centered.

            With every passing day new technology is being created and modified.  The only way to stay on top of the ever changing technology is to continue to use it in the classroom, take classes to learn more about technology and to visit workshops about technology.  Technology increases student achievement because the students are more motivated and eager to use technology.  Any student who is motivated and gets to use different forms of technology and experience a different classroom structure will produce a higher quality product.  When students are producing quality work they are learning more and working towards fulfilling their potential.

            Two goals I want to accomplish to help transform my classroom are to continue to use blogs and teacher created websites to have students interact more with each other and also students across the globe.  I think students working on large country or global project would be very interesting and foster a high level of learning.  The students would learn how to work with others and communicate with each other even though they are not in the same school.  This activity would require connecting with another school interested in the same type of activity and also require my school having up to date technology so the students do not get frustrated with lacking technology.  I would also like my health students to create different types of podcasts to create messages about the dangers of drugs.  This would be an end of the semester project where the students would work in groups of two.  The students would create a podcast about drugs or drug addiction and post it on the internet and on the morning announcements.  Since the students work will be on display for everyone to hear the students will take pride in their work and put forth a high quality effort.  Both of these goals can be accomplished in the next two years if I put in the effort to organize my thoughts and work with the technology experts in my district to set up computer labs in my school to insure they equipped with this type of equipment.
            Looking back at our week 1 checklist the biggest change I see is in my teaching practices.  No longer am I asking students for written responses on notebook paper.  I have adapted those lessons to having students respond to weekly questions on my blog.  Students now are not only writing to me but they are writing to their classmates.  They are responding to each other and sharing their thoughts.  Learning is taking place outside the walls of my classroom and now into their homes.  Having students work together from other classes and forcing them to collaborate on the computer is a fascinating tool.  The students enjoy using technology, whether is being a blog, email, RSS feeds or wikis.  The students are motivated and eager to come to class.  Behavior issues have since declined because of the new found interest in the class.  Most of all I am now able to create various activities that allow students to use many different types of digital tools.  Giving them choice of what tool to use allows the students to learn from one another because some are stronger than others in different technological areas.

References:

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Today's Students

The link below is for my podcasts on today's students.

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/12103/episodes/59321

My podcasts is about intergrating technology into the classroom.  I interviewed three students asking them about the use of technology at their home and in our school.  I also asked the students if they wished they used more technology in school and if they had any teachers who used technology what type of technology did they present to them in the classroom.

21st Century Skills

21^st Century Skills

            Technology changes daily and schools and educators must find a way to keep up with the changing times.  Using blogs, wikis, and podcasts in the classroom are becoming more common and something the students look forward too.  Before viewing the Partnership for 21^st century skills website I knew technology was important in the classroom but I never realized how much new technology is also changing our workforce.  Teachers must incorporate technology in the classroom or they will be letting their students down.     

            After visiting the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website for the first time my initial reaction was this was a step in the right direction to help formulate a plan to keep our young students prepared to compete in the international job force.  The website spoke about the model framework they have created to help students and teachers understand the importance of technology. “The Framework present a holistic view of 21^st century teaching and learning that combines a discrete focus on 21^st century student outcomes with innovative support systems to help students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21^st century” (Partnership,2011). 

            After reading their mission statement, “To serve as a catalyst to position 21^st century readiness at the center of the US K12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders” (Partnership,2011) I was able to gather a better understanding of what this site wanted to accomplish.  If you explore the website closely almost every subject taught in public schools has its own map for the future.  The website breaks down new technology terms and maps out what the students should be accomplishing in each grade level.  It closely resembles a curriculum map but this map focuses mainly on technology.  For example when reading over the science map, the introduction of the map states  the following, “This map provides opportunities  to engage students and teachers in geographic inquiry that align with contemporary methods and concepts for studying Earth in terms of natural and human characteristics” (Partnerships, 2011).  As you read through the map all different skills are listed and after each skill the break down what should be accomplished by the end of fourth grade, eighth grade and high school is listed.  Each skill for each grade level has a learning outcome, three to four examples and technology that should be used to accomplish your learning outcome.  Not only is this site helping students and teachers use technology but also focusing on 21 century jobs.  As Dr. Thornburg stated in this week’s video employers are listing similar job requirements they want in each candidate.  The skills he discussed were, critical thinking, problem solving, team work, communication skills, familiar with information technology, leadership skills, is a lifelong learner, strong ethics, has professionalism and most importantly are creative and an innovative thinker (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008).  The site also touches on the importance of speaking opportunities and oral presentations.  All skills needed for a 21^st century employee.  I will often revisit the site to make sure I am properly preparing my students for the new technological world and properly prepare them for the international working world.

            Information that I was disappointed with rather than disagreeing with was the absent of physical education and health on their website.  As a physical education teacher and health teacher I am always looking for ways to incorporate technology into my classroom.  There were maps available on the site for world language, English, science, math and social studies.  While there was a map discussing the importance of collaboration and teamwork which takes place in the gym but I wish it was more detailed and explored more ways to incorporate technology into the classroom.  As American students are becoming more comfortable with technology and it is becoming more accessible the growth of child obesity grows.  I think this website should examine the importance of active and healthy lifestyles while incorporating technology.  Students spend hours on the computer now a days but lack exercise habits and nutrition habits.

            The implications are clear, all teachers and students must adapt to the changing age of education.  I must continue to learn about technology and use my many resources to help brainstorm ideas and concepts to incorporate technology into the classroom.  Not only will it help the students in the classroom and at this current time but it will help prepare them for their future.  Technology has become a must of everyday life and teachers now must make it a part of everyday education. 

            “Regardless of how educators feel about the potential of wikis, and I can understand the hesitancy many teachers feel, one thing remains certain:  The collaborative environment that wikis facilitate can teacher students much about how to work with others, how to create community and how to operate in a world where the creation of knowledge and     information is more and more becoming a group effort” (Richardson, 2010).

As the author Will Richardson stated above, we may be hesitant to use technology in our classrooms but it is becoming increasingly clear if we do not we would be falling behind the times and letting our students down.

References:

http://www.p21.org/index.php- The partnership for 21st century skills.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Skills for the 21^st century. Baltimore, Maryland

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Blogs in the Classroom

An idea I thought of for the purpose of my blog would be having the students write entries based off of diseases we have discussed and learned about in health.  As Dr. David Thornburg and Hall Davidson stated in the video, "Technology's Influence," "technology is allowing project based learning and expanding student creativity" ( Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).  I feel my idea would help expand student learning and creativity.  My idea is, I would have each student pick a given disease we have discussed in class to write about.   The blog entries would focus on having the students write on the idea of how their live would change if they had this disease.  Not only would students write entries on how their live would change but I would have them write entries as if they had the disease and have them research different struggles they may face day in and day out.  We discuss disease topics such as heart disease, asthma, allergies, and sexually transmitted diseases.  By doing an activity like this it would force the student to learn about the specifics of their disease while also incorporating technology into the classroom.  To take this activity one step further I would require students to comment on at least three other students’ blogs.  My blog would create a place for students to interact about content and also act as a location which showcase students work.    As Will Richardson states, "giving students their own Weblogs can change much about the traditional classroom.  This creates a digital filing cabinet for peers and teacher response" (Richardson, 2010).

Even though I teach health education to 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade students this activity would also incorporate their writing and vocabulary skills. Blogs are also opening new opportunities for students to improve their writing.  "They can use blogs as journals or as places to publish creative writing for larger audiences.  The possibilities really are endless" (Richardson, 2010).   I feel this would be an excellent activity for my students because they are not only learning about the facts of each disease but they are now putting to use their knowledge and they can see how the disease can affect their everyday life.  Many times students do not realize the complications of a disease and how it would change their life forever.  Many of the diseases we discuss in class are diseases we can prevention by living a healthy and active lifestyle.

This is just one way a blog could be used in my classroom.  There are so many different uses for it however, "teachers can use their blogs to post class related information such as calendars, events, homework assignments and other pertinent class information" (Richardson, 2010). 

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Technology influence. Baltimore, Maryland

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Technology and society. Baltimore, Maryland

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.