The smartboard project took a great deal of time. I believe that it should become easier as I have real objectives and classroom. Further comments can be found on my rubric.
The list of websites devoted to teaching and learning through technology is very helpful and thought provoking.
There were some sites that I felt were potentially dangerous such as livemocha.com. Asking children to hook up with strangers on line raises big red flags.
The 2 websites that appeal to my desire to more actively engaging students are Journey North ( http://www.learner.org/jnorth)and safesharetv (http://www.safesharetv.tv)
As I expect to be teaching general science Journey North is "a robust, interactive tool that tracks student progress towards specific goals, uses self selected content" and it is live (Annenberg, 2010). The migration of any species is always unique one season to the next.
This is a very focused activity that requires the same academic output yet input is unique. This also creates a platform for students to present and teach other children in the class which supports self esteem and confidence. I also like the fact that the class can also compare the results of the prior year migration and then draw comparisons and analyze how this impacts their prediction of future results.
Lastly, the process by which students acquire necessary data is safe and also purged for authenticity.
The second site, sharesav.tv is a resource that I believe will support the ability to use Internet project as a teaching tool. This resource allows me to pre-screen the data that is in the student's projects and eliminate any inappropriate content.
I also have the chance to understand the validity of the information and research sites listed as useful to gain further information. The ability to have a wide variety of websites in one location will allow for consistent access to data and questions, inquiries from the class are contained in the website content. It appears one needs to set up an account so I have not yet been able to source or find information for further research.
If I were to use either of these tools in the class room, I would insist that everyone go to the website, www.Albion.com and reference the book Netiquette (Shea, 1994) so there is an understanding of what is appropriate when interacting on line. She is known as the Emily Post for the digital age. The full text is available on the Albion website.
References:
Shea, V. (1994). Netiquette Albion Books.
Retrieved June 27, 2011 from http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/0963702513p4.html
Annenberg (2010). Journey North: A global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. Annenberg Learner. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from
http://www..learner.org/jnorth/Annenberg Learner
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Week 6 Video editing projectg
It feels great to be coming down the home stretch in this class. Last project to tackle is the wiki.
The video project was fun, frustrating and ultimately good experience. I must say, however, that as with many of our course projects, the lack of time available to get hands on experience with the software made the project painfully long.
The number of requirements necessary to meet minimum standards for the video was really, really aggressive given we had a 1 hour demo as the whole of our instruction.
As I reflect on this class, I can't help but feel that either the syllabus is way too broad and the deliverables are not consistent with the brief instruction we have received don't correspond with our experience. Or the deliverables are right and the syllabus is way too aggressive.
I am left feeling like I have a lot of morsels but no solid food.
I have learned very little about a lot of platforms. I am disappointed because as pre service teachers we need to know this technology.
The video project was fun, frustrating and ultimately good experience. I must say, however, that as with many of our course projects, the lack of time available to get hands on experience with the software made the project painfully long.
The number of requirements necessary to meet minimum standards for the video was really, really aggressive given we had a 1 hour demo as the whole of our instruction.
As I reflect on this class, I can't help but feel that either the syllabus is way too broad and the deliverables are not consistent with the brief instruction we have received don't correspond with our experience. Or the deliverables are right and the syllabus is way too aggressive.
I am left feeling like I have a lot of morsels but no solid food.
I have learned very little about a lot of platforms. I am disappointed because as pre service teachers we need to know this technology.
Monday, June 27, 2011
End of Day T2P week 5
I loved the fact that we had the chance to think toward the student as a whole. The Motivation, The Emotional impact on learning, the brain and how we contribute towards shaping our own learning style and intrinsic rewards, the social aspects of learning and the importance of bringing the authentic self to every event.
I spent a great deal of time yesterday putting together what I believe to be a pretty tight T2P. This is posted under week 5.
Interestingly, I am surprised or have dissonance regarding the final assignment. Not the work or the thought process. Rather I think it may be the deliverable and how it is coming together for me.
As usual, I need time to sit with the information presented today and see how it might alter or refine my thinking on the nuances of ethics and values and how it impacts the classroom.
T2P Week 5
If the teacher actively models and encourages trust and empathy, provides meaningful content and attends to the emotional and intellectual need of the students nestled in an inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment
I spent a great deal of time yesterday putting together what I believe to be a pretty tight T2P. This is posted under week 5.
Interestingly, I am surprised or have dissonance regarding the final assignment. Not the work or the thought process. Rather I think it may be the deliverable and how it is coming together for me.
As usual, I need time to sit with the information presented today and see how it might alter or refine my thinking on the nuances of ethics and values and how it impacts the classroom.
T2P Week 5
If the teacher actively models and encourages trust and empathy, provides meaningful content and attends to the emotional and intellectual need of the students nestled in an inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment
then students will have the opportunity to be an active participant selecting
meaningful content aligned with an important goal that motivates and engages them academically and emotionally allowing them to construct meaningful knowledge by critically analyzing, assimilating or accommodating newly acquired information that erects a framework which is flexible yet strong enough to endlessly support new information as it becomes available
because he/she created knowledge in a way that is transformative and unique, enhancing self confidence, evolving emotional literacy and infinitely expands the possibilities of future learning such that motivation and curiosity sustain the desire to learn and learning provides motion and curiosity.
Sugata Mitra recognizes that in nature, all systems self organize to support the group. His research demonstrates that our children self organize in order to learn (mitra, 2009). They teach themselves, then they teach others and others learn by watching. I support the notion that the desire to learn is natural and we instinctively support each other to learn. This is also supportive of the role motivation and empathy play in the learning process. Nel Noddings’ theory on the ethics and necessity of caring and how caring transforms the learning process into a meaningful, sustainable experience is supportive of Mitra’s theory.
References
Smith, M.K. 2004) Nel Noddings, the ethics of care and education, the encyclopedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/thinkers/noddings.htm
Goodman, G.S. (2008)Educational psychology An application of Critical Constructivism, New York, Lang.
A good teacher is
A good teacher
understands that there are 2 agendas in each day.
One is to share knowledge in a way that is meaningful and can be constructed so as to assimilate assimilated new information
One is to expose the students to ethics
A good teacher can sense the energy in the room and adapt on the fly
A good teacher models truth and walks the walk
A good teach engages her students in learning activities - allows creativity
A good teacher provides opportunities for students to build self esteem and confidence
A good teacher for her students and shows it in ways they can recognize
A good teacher graciously accepts feedback and gives it authentic consideration
A good teacher knows when a student is struggling and has created an environment in which it is safe for the student to ask for help
A good teacher starts with the big picture and challenges the students to analyze and give thought as to what it means to them
A good teacher can laugh at herself
A good teacher embraces group learning
A good teacher provides varied activities to capture imagination
A good teacher lays the platform for alife long desire to learn
If the teacher models and encourages trust in a safe inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment
If the teacher models and encourages trust in a safe inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment
then students will have the opportunity to critically analyze, assimilate or accommodate newly acquired information such that the knowledge authentically challenges their values beliefs and construct of the environment.
because he/she created knowledge in a way that is relevant and meaningful, it expands the possibilities of future learning and fosters self confidence, collaboration and the ability to have strong convictions about the end result.
*** I would add Nel Noddings and Daniel Goldman
Paulo Friere and Lev Vgotsky would contend that this learning could not have been created without the (MKO) more knowledgeable other trading roles between teaching and learning with his/her student. Friere believed that the ability to question and create dialectic information between people yields the most robust results. As Vogetsky believes, each learner comes to this place with a unique set of experiences and is thus able to synthesize the learning such that it enables each student to create his/her truth and have the convictions to carry this knowledge forward.
TCPCG Week 5 Motivation
Ola Sra. Mondragon,
Esperando que te encuentres que se encuentre bien.
(*I hope that this message finds you well. English translation only added for assignment purposes)
Thank you for asking Dr. Garcia for input regarding Ronnie, your struggling student.
I sympathize with your concern for Ronnie and also with the frustration he is experiencing. Serendipitously, My focus is on learning and teaching children with special needs. The class is now studying learning theories that might be of help.
Exchange students can easily be overwhelmed as they try to assimilate to a new environment. This is common and may be enhanced if the following issues are present: the content is above the student’s ability, the student feels that they will not succeed in the new environment, the content and context don’t fit with prior understanding or the information is not supporting the student’s goals.
Unfortunately, the reality of Ronnie’s situation created anxiety and confusion which quickly squelched Ronnie’s motivation because his situation did not contain the 3 important elements effecting learning: the content was not tied to his self chosen objective of becoming a teacher, the context and social reward system inherently excluded Ronnie, the work was not commensurate with his ability (Goodman, 2008)
The result is that Ronnie has completely disengaged from the experience.
With greatest respect, I believe you are unknowingly contributing to the situation. You articulated that you are frustrated and don’t have positive feelings about Ronnie. This is impactful as Ronnie is now struggling with his self esteem as he falls further behind, the shift to teaching for a test inherently segregated Ronnie which makes him feel isolated and lastly he now feels the (real or perceived) withdrawal of your support and attention reinforcing his belief that he has already failed.
Ultimately Ronnie has lost motivation and his interest in learning such that it now affects his quality of life and his self esteem. This adds an additional complication as Ronnie now has emotional barriers to learning that will need to be addressed. A school of theorists suggest that emotional intelligence is more closely linked to success than IQ and is closely entwined with motivation. Neither EI or IQ alone is a recipe for failure in every situation(Goodman, 2008).
When reinforced and supported, motivation drives a person to procrastinate less, persevere longer and actively engage in the task at hand which results in improved performance. We need to recognize that in this instance Ronnie is a student with special needs as his fluency skills make it difficult for him to succeed in the general education classroom.
As the standard curriculum is currently focused on things that don’t effect Ronnie, this time could be productively used to instruct Ronnie at the appropriate level so that his growth will be measured from the appropriate benchmark.
There is scientific research that focuses on what is motivating to learners. The findings support that individuals allowed to choose the learning content which enables them to drive for mastery in an area which holds great meaning produce the most robust and innovative results (Pink, ).
In order to distill down the quantity of information so that it is actionable is a complex project. I have found the website Priceless-Teaching-Strategies.com to be most helpful. It has resources that address the many ways that teachers can facilitate and create the best environment in which learning can occur. The link follows.
http://priceless-teaching-strategies.com.
I look forward to the day when Ronnie teaches me conversational Spanish.
Lori Klimach -
Theory to Practice (volume 4, edition 82).
If the teacher actively models and encourages trust and empathy, provides meaningful content and attends to the emotional and intellectual need of the students nestled in an inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment
then students will have the opportunity to be an active participant selecting
meaningful content aligned with an important goal that motivates and engages them academically and emotionally allowing them to construct meaningful knowledge by critically analyzing, assimilating or accommodating newly acquired information that erects a framework which is flexible yet strong enough to endlessly support new information as it becomes available
because he/she created knowledge in a way that is transformative and unique, enhancing self confidence, evolving emotional literacy and infinitely expands the possibilities of future learning such that motivation and curiosity sustain the desire to learn and learning provides motion and curiosity.
Sugata Mitra recognizes that in nature, all systems self organize to support the group. His research demonstrates that our children self organize in order to learn (mitra, 2009). They teach themselves, then they teach others and others learn by watching. I support the notion that the desire to learn is natural and we instinctively support each other to learn. This is also supportive of the role motivation and empathy play in the learning process. Nel Noddings’ theory on the ethics and necessity of caring and how caring transforms the learning process into a meaningful, sustainable experience is supportive of Mitra’s theory.
References
Smith, M.K. 2004) Nel Noddings, the ethics of care and education, the encyclopedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/thinkers/noddings.htm
Goodman, G.S. (2008)Educational psychology An application of Critical Constructivism, New York, Lang.
Pink, D., Need info
Esperando que te encuentres que se encuentre bien.
(*I hope that this message finds you well. English translation only added for assignment purposes)
Thank you for asking Dr. Garcia for input regarding Ronnie, your struggling student.
I sympathize with your concern for Ronnie and also with the frustration he is experiencing. Serendipitously, My focus is on learning and teaching children with special needs. The class is now studying learning theories that might be of help.
Exchange students can easily be overwhelmed as they try to assimilate to a new environment. This is common and may be enhanced if the following issues are present: the content is above the student’s ability, the student feels that they will not succeed in the new environment, the content and context don’t fit with prior understanding or the information is not supporting the student’s goals.
Unfortunately, the reality of Ronnie’s situation created anxiety and confusion which quickly squelched Ronnie’s motivation because his situation did not contain the 3 important elements effecting learning: the content was not tied to his self chosen objective of becoming a teacher, the context and social reward system inherently excluded Ronnie, the work was not commensurate with his ability (Goodman, 2008)
The result is that Ronnie has completely disengaged from the experience.
With greatest respect, I believe you are unknowingly contributing to the situation. You articulated that you are frustrated and don’t have positive feelings about Ronnie. This is impactful as Ronnie is now struggling with his self esteem as he falls further behind, the shift to teaching for a test inherently segregated Ronnie which makes him feel isolated and lastly he now feels the (real or perceived) withdrawal of your support and attention reinforcing his belief that he has already failed.
Ultimately Ronnie has lost motivation and his interest in learning such that it now affects his quality of life and his self esteem. This adds an additional complication as Ronnie now has emotional barriers to learning that will need to be addressed. A school of theorists suggest that emotional intelligence is more closely linked to success than IQ and is closely entwined with motivation. Neither EI or IQ alone is a recipe for failure in every situation(Goodman, 2008).
When reinforced and supported, motivation drives a person to procrastinate less, persevere longer and actively engage in the task at hand which results in improved performance. We need to recognize that in this instance Ronnie is a student with special needs as his fluency skills make it difficult for him to succeed in the general education classroom.
As the standard curriculum is currently focused on things that don’t effect Ronnie, this time could be productively used to instruct Ronnie at the appropriate level so that his growth will be measured from the appropriate benchmark.
There is scientific research that focuses on what is motivating to learners. The findings support that individuals allowed to choose the learning content which enables them to drive for mastery in an area which holds great meaning produce the most robust and innovative results (Pink, ).
In order to distill down the quantity of information so that it is actionable is a complex project. I have found the website Priceless-Teaching-Strategies.com to be most helpful. It has resources that address the many ways that teachers can facilitate and create the best environment in which learning can occur. The link follows.
http://priceless-teaching-strategies.com.
I look forward to the day when Ronnie teaches me conversational Spanish.
Lori Klimach -
Theory to Practice (volume 4, edition 82).
If the teacher actively models and encourages trust and empathy, provides meaningful content and attends to the emotional and intellectual need of the students nestled in an inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment
then students will have the opportunity to be an active participant selecting
meaningful content aligned with an important goal that motivates and engages them academically and emotionally allowing them to construct meaningful knowledge by critically analyzing, assimilating or accommodating newly acquired information that erects a framework which is flexible yet strong enough to endlessly support new information as it becomes available
because he/she created knowledge in a way that is transformative and unique, enhancing self confidence, evolving emotional literacy and infinitely expands the possibilities of future learning such that motivation and curiosity sustain the desire to learn and learning provides motion and curiosity.
Sugata Mitra recognizes that in nature, all systems self organize to support the group. His research demonstrates that our children self organize in order to learn (mitra, 2009). They teach themselves, then they teach others and others learn by watching. I support the notion that the desire to learn is natural and we instinctively support each other to learn. This is also supportive of the role motivation and empathy play in the learning process. Nel Noddings’ theory on the ethics and necessity of caring and how caring transforms the learning process into a meaningful, sustainable experience is supportive of Mitra’s theory.
References
Smith, M.K. 2004) Nel Noddings, the ethics of care and education, the encyclopedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/thinkers/noddings.htm
Goodman, G.S. (2008)Educational psychology An application of Critical Constructivism, New York, Lang.
Pink, D., Need info
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Week 4 T2P
If the teacher models and encourages trust in an inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment and presents challenges at the student's instructional level
then students will have the opportunity to achieve optimal learning in ways that are relevant to them and allows them to demonstrates cognitive understanding and mastery which builds self esteem and confidence in their ability to assimilate new information because
because they have actively participated in the process, have assimilated this knowledge into their existing cognitive framework and can freely and creatively express themselves
Not in context not in context....
Friere theorizes that group, social, critical thinking = knowledge and growth. Piaget would say appropriate cognitive level
that will influence their critical thinking, enhance their self esteem and stimulate their natural predisposition to learn and consequently desire to express themselves in meaningful dialog that may spur individual and social discourse. many situations that will increase their self confidence in ways that are personally valued by the student.
then students will have the opportunity to achieve optimal learning in ways that are relevant to them and allows them to demonstrates cognitive understanding and mastery which builds self esteem and confidence in their ability to assimilate new information because
because they have actively participated in the process, have assimilated this knowledge into their existing cognitive framework and can freely and creatively express themselves
Not in context not in context....
Friere theorizes that group, social, critical thinking = knowledge and growth. Piaget would say appropriate cognitive level
that will influence their critical thinking, enhance their self esteem and stimulate their natural predisposition to learn and consequently desire to express themselves in meaningful dialog that may spur individual and social discourse. many situations that will increase their self confidence in ways that are personally valued by the student.
Monday, June 20, 2011
tech 4
This week's readings were very relevant and will serve for a resource for all the the special educators in the class. The tablet technology is moving just as fast as smart phones when they were first available. It is this way with the latest versions of the Kindle and the Nook as it relates to technology for text to speech.
In order to provide the most relevant and helpful assistive technology for each student I would pair them as follows.
The child that has autism and is non verbal could benefit from the new SGD (speech generation device) technology which is currently becoming available. Most of the devices can work with multiple screen types (TV, Computer, Iphone App). The most popular and familiar technology is marketed by DynaVox. The student can download 1 of 3 voices that they choose to represent their spoken word.
On a wider scale, Speech-to-text "allows students to get their ideas onto documents faster because they do not forget it due to how slow they type" (sic) A meta-analysis study done by Forgave, found that five students who wrote stories by using a speech to text software were longer in length than when they had handwritten a story.
The individual that needs temporary assistance due to a broken arm would find speech recognition software helpful. The software changes words to text.
The individual with low vision would benefit greatly from DAISY books. Daisy stands for Digital Accessible Information System. This new technology eliminates many of the obstacles with books on tape and allows those with vision problems to truly communicate in the digital, global information world.
Lastly, the student that is hearing impaired would benefit from a speech to text software platform. There are many on the market and Barnes and Noble is due to have a new version in stores this summer.
Assisted Technology in Education / Autism,
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Autistic Volume 4, retrieved on June 18, 2011
T2P Round 3 Week 4 with Spreadsheet Link
Learning Theories Worksheet
The morning session was a pleasant way to start the week. The teaching methodology was more directive than normal but it was appropriate for the subject matter. Additionally, the build up to the segment was perceived as authentic in regards to our educational experience. Modeling self reflection and course correction to accomodate student's actual understanding and knowledge at that singular point in time was huge for me.
It was also an effective strategy to to throw in a new "think, Pair, Share" methodology tying Self Determination and the 3 big wins of autonomy, connectedness and competence. Just when we became "comfortable" with the routine you mixed it up. Also a great add was having the class provide the example and the group built on the initial idea.
One would assume that since we created these questions that they have meaning and context for us and therefore there is a greater interest in learning more about the issue. Vgotsky would be proud. I am writing with a bit of humor but truly I was incredibly impressed to see how you (seemingly) effortlessly made so many learning theories come to life.
Conversely, I was glad that I recognized them! That said, I now feel as ambivalent about my T2P statement as I did during week 1. Synthesis and connecting all of this rich information has my puzzler puzzled.
HA! Version 5:
The morning session was a pleasant way to start the week. The teaching methodology was more directive than normal but it was appropriate for the subject matter. Additionally, the build up to the segment was perceived as authentic in regards to our educational experience. Modeling self reflection and course correction to accomodate student's actual understanding and knowledge at that singular point in time was huge for me.
It was also an effective strategy to to throw in a new "think, Pair, Share" methodology tying Self Determination and the 3 big wins of autonomy, connectedness and competence. Just when we became "comfortable" with the routine you mixed it up. Also a great add was having the class provide the example and the group built on the initial idea.
One would assume that since we created these questions that they have meaning and context for us and therefore there is a greater interest in learning more about the issue. Vgotsky would be proud. I am writing with a bit of humor but truly I was incredibly impressed to see how you (seemingly) effortlessly made so many learning theories come to life.
Conversely, I was glad that I recognized them! That said, I now feel as ambivalent about my T2P statement as I did during week 1. Synthesis and connecting all of this rich information has my puzzler puzzled.
HA! Version 5:
If the teacher models and encourages trust in an inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment
then students will have the opportunity to critically analyze, assimilate or accommodate newly acquired information such that the student views learning and knowledge in a transformative way
because he/she created knowledge in a way that is relevant and unique, it expands the possibilities of future learning and fosters self confidence, collaboration and the ability to have strong convictions about the end result.
Paulo Friere and Lev Vgotsky would contend that this learning could not have been created without the (MKO) more knowledgeable other trading roles between teaching and learning with his/her student. Friere believed that the ability to question and create dialectic information between people yields the most robust results. As Vogetsky believes, each learner comes to this place with a unique set of experiences and is thus able to synthesize the learning such that it enables each student to create his/her truth and have the convictions to carry this knowledge forward.
Vicki Davis T2P2 Week 4
If learners are given the opportunity to apply critical thinking, apply life experiences and synthesize information and experiences in an atmosphere of knowledge creation, global citizenship and empowerment to engage and share their unique view of the information then true knowledge will be created because students have individually and collectively constructed the learning in ways that are relevant to them as a team, a learner and a purveyor of this new knowledge they actively participated in the process, and can apply this knowledge in ways that will increase their self confidence. 12:00 Version.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Technology Week 3
The Wiki informational links were very helpful. I found 2 videos on eduwiki.edu particularly helpful. The clips were examples of how to best utilize wikis for an advanced literacy class (Sharpe, ) using scaffolding and advanced student participation as the project unfolded.
Collaborative projects rooted in technology in the special education environment could be useful in the following situations.
Using reading and decoding skills as the educational focus, a project that helps students put words / sentences into context and further reading comprehension could be a video project.
Two groups of students would each have a project topic and random video clips that they can use to bring a written passage of text to life. The purpose is to work on written word interpretation, object, action, outcome written comprehension.
The other team will try to guess what the video is about (like pictionary). The richness of the discussion is where the small group learning should facilitate comprehension. The teachers questions then turn to sentence construction, what tools would be used to find answers to questions, etc.
At the end each student would contribute thoughts / reflections on what they learned regarding how to learn.
A more advanced group of students could work on creating a wiki for a science project. The students would individually complete the experiment in class. They would work as a team to create an educational write up of their experiment to share with other "scientists". One page could be on proper lab safety and materials needed. One of the results, the theory, etc.
This project covers many key literacy skills and also collaboration skills between the team. As they edit the wiki they will need to discuss, debate so that the wiki is supporting the same conclusion throughout the paper.
Certainly there are other ways that programs could be used in a inclusion setting but these would be less collaborative and used more as an educational device.
Reference
Richardson, W., Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classroo (Paperback) by Will Richardson Retrieved, June 14, 2011 from http://thwt.org/historywikis.html#wikiplatforms
http://www.amazon.com/
Collaborative projects rooted in technology in the special education environment could be useful in the following situations.
Using reading and decoding skills as the educational focus, a project that helps students put words / sentences into context and further reading comprehension could be a video project.
Two groups of students would each have a project topic and random video clips that they can use to bring a written passage of text to life. The purpose is to work on written word interpretation, object, action, outcome written comprehension.
The other team will try to guess what the video is about (like pictionary). The richness of the discussion is where the small group learning should facilitate comprehension. The teachers questions then turn to sentence construction, what tools would be used to find answers to questions, etc.
At the end each student would contribute thoughts / reflections on what they learned regarding how to learn.
A more advanced group of students could work on creating a wiki for a science project. The students would individually complete the experiment in class. They would work as a team to create an educational write up of their experiment to share with other "scientists". One page could be on proper lab safety and materials needed. One of the results, the theory, etc.
This project covers many key literacy skills and also collaboration skills between the team. As they edit the wiki they will need to discuss, debate so that the wiki is supporting the same conclusion throughout the paper.
Certainly there are other ways that programs could be used in a inclusion setting but these would be less collaborative and used more as an educational device.
Reference
Richardson, W., Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classroo (Paperback) by Will Richardson Retrieved, June 14, 2011 from http://thwt.org/historywikis.html#wikiplatforms
http://www.amazon.com/
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Week 3 T2P Reflections
The start of week 3 and the heat is on. The challenge to pull together the robust information and new concepts is stimulating and I feel good about the content. The added layer of complexity not only challenges us to incorporate our learning, we have to communicate it via new delivery methods (wikis, blogs, jings, diigo) .
This resonates with me as a student and a teacher in that really meaningful work needs to occur across subjects, across instructors. If one element is either missing or not assimilated then it slows down the entire process of incorporating knowledge and putting it to use. Not only must I know how I am doing with the class, I need to understand how the educational experience overall is impacting the students ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding.
Another observation I have made is that the actions of the teacher predicate the comfort level students have as it relates to inquiry and / or clarification. If questions are not answered or the question comes back in a slightly different form then there is a sense of helplessness and students disengage. "It doesn't matter if I don't understand it, she doesn't even know or care that she has lost us". Be honest. If you don't know everything they won't feel that they have to either. Builds self confidence. One of Friere's theories of education is the Theory of Knowledge. As Freire asks all of us to ponder;
This made me think about the immediate feedback a teacher receives from her students. Although not formal there is clearly a message that every student is sending to the teacher. This concept is certainly not a new one but it really hit me that the teacher only has a few minutes to assess, re-direct or change instructional strategy so the learning pathways stay open.
As we are diving into multiple learning theory ideologies and the implementation of these methods, it has re-focused my self reflection. I don't know the author of this quote but it is powerful "You can never conquer your enemy if you don't conquer the enemy inside yourself". It has been a valuable reminder that I have much tolerance for most personalities and there are others with which I am not as comfortable.
These probably all sound like little nuances as I haven't talked much about any individual theorist but I am finding incredible personal and professional value in examining the reason behind the reason. Going Meta on you!
This class felt like an umbrella of "teacher awareness" and the necessity of personal intent and commitment that a teacher needs to possess in order to facilitate knowledge in the best way possible, to the most number of students possible as often as possible.
Finally, I have taken my T2P statement and revised it as follows:
If the teacher models and encourages trust in an inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment then students will have the opportunity to acquire new information in ways that are relevant to them because they have actively participated in the process, and can apply this knowledge in many situations that will increase their self confidence in ways that are personally valued by the student.
Resource
Lyons, J., Issues in Freirean Pedagogy, http://nlu.nl.edu/ace/Resources/Documents/FreireIssues.html, June 20, 1995 Retrieved from New Foundation Gallery, http://newhorizons.com (5/13/2011)
This resonates with me as a student and a teacher in that really meaningful work needs to occur across subjects, across instructors. If one element is either missing or not assimilated then it slows down the entire process of incorporating knowledge and putting it to use. Not only must I know how I am doing with the class, I need to understand how the educational experience overall is impacting the students ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding.
Another observation I have made is that the actions of the teacher predicate the comfort level students have as it relates to inquiry and / or clarification. If questions are not answered or the question comes back in a slightly different form then there is a sense of helplessness and students disengage. "It doesn't matter if I don't understand it, she doesn't even know or care that she has lost us". Be honest. If you don't know everything they won't feel that they have to either. Builds self confidence. One of Friere's theories of education is the Theory of Knowledge. As Freire asks all of us to ponder;
"What is knowledge? How is it different from belief? What is a mistake? What is a lie?" (Lyons, 2008).
He strongly believes that knowledge itself is a social construct.This made me think about the immediate feedback a teacher receives from her students. Although not formal there is clearly a message that every student is sending to the teacher. This concept is certainly not a new one but it really hit me that the teacher only has a few minutes to assess, re-direct or change instructional strategy so the learning pathways stay open.
As we are diving into multiple learning theory ideologies and the implementation of these methods, it has re-focused my self reflection. I don't know the author of this quote but it is powerful "You can never conquer your enemy if you don't conquer the enemy inside yourself". It has been a valuable reminder that I have much tolerance for most personalities and there are others with which I am not as comfortable.
These probably all sound like little nuances as I haven't talked much about any individual theorist but I am finding incredible personal and professional value in examining the reason behind the reason. Going Meta on you!
This class felt like an umbrella of "teacher awareness" and the necessity of personal intent and commitment that a teacher needs to possess in order to facilitate knowledge in the best way possible, to the most number of students possible as often as possible.
Finally, I have taken my T2P statement and revised it as follows:
If the teacher models and encourages trust in an inquiry based, knowledge seeking environment then students will have the opportunity to acquire new information in ways that are relevant to them because they have actively participated in the process, and can apply this knowledge in many situations that will increase their self confidence in ways that are personally valued by the student.
Resource
Lyons, J., Issues in Freirean Pedagogy, http://nlu.nl.edu/ace/Resources/Documents/FreireIssues.html, June 20, 1995 Retrieved from New Foundation Gallery, http://newhorizons.com (5/13/2011)
Week 3 LT1
1. Can you distinguish between actual development and potential development?
This question would fall in the Comprehension segment. The reader is asked to incorporate and distinguish between 2 key terms. must be able to know each area and then add their interpretation.
Answer: Vygotsky believed that learners come with past experiences that color how they interpret the world around them. When a student comes to class, h/she has actual information and he/she retained the information in context. There is no interpreting just an understanding. Vygotsky's theory is that the student has the capacity to add learning, knowledge and applicability of new information. The journey is from the starting line to the Potential and these 2 are different for each student.
2. Can you apply social learning theory to an educational experience of your own?
This is a level 3 / Application question. Requires student to understand the concept of social learning and then make the connection to an individual experience.
The smartboard project that is assigned in the Technology curriculum class. This is not my area of greatest interest and therefore, I am moderately knowledgable on the technology. Our team is providing their understanding and skills so that I can acquire the knowledge at a faster rate than if I had to produce the task by myself.
3. Do you think Vygotsky's social learning theory is an accurate focus and has an affect on student's learning?
Taxonomy Classification - Level 6 Evaluation
Vygotsky's focus on peer, and self guided discovery seems to take a rather narrow view on learning. The combination of low teacher direction and belief that the peers will have the right information to assist the student is a large leap of faith. Without the addition of other focused learning activities the student may not be setting achievable, appropriate goals. Additionally, if left to self select topics within a subject, human nature would be to work on familiar material.
This certainly has an affect on the student's learning in many ways including a lack of social interaction with an expert in the topic (teacher), the probability that scaffolding may not be happening and learning may be less than optimal.
This question would fall in the Comprehension segment. The reader is asked to incorporate and distinguish between 2 key terms. must be able to know each area and then add their interpretation.
Answer: Vygotsky believed that learners come with past experiences that color how they interpret the world around them. When a student comes to class, h/she has actual information and he/she retained the information in context. There is no interpreting just an understanding. Vygotsky's theory is that the student has the capacity to add learning, knowledge and applicability of new information. The journey is from the starting line to the Potential and these 2 are different for each student.
2. Can you apply social learning theory to an educational experience of your own?
This is a level 3 / Application question. Requires student to understand the concept of social learning and then make the connection to an individual experience.
The smartboard project that is assigned in the Technology curriculum class. This is not my area of greatest interest and therefore, I am moderately knowledgable on the technology. Our team is providing their understanding and skills so that I can acquire the knowledge at a faster rate than if I had to produce the task by myself.
3. Do you think Vygotsky's social learning theory is an accurate focus and has an affect on student's learning?
Taxonomy Classification - Level 6 Evaluation
Vygotsky's focus on peer, and self guided discovery seems to take a rather narrow view on learning. The combination of low teacher direction and belief that the peers will have the right information to assist the student is a large leap of faith. Without the addition of other focused learning activities the student may not be setting achievable, appropriate goals. Additionally, if left to self select topics within a subject, human nature would be to work on familiar material.
This certainly has an affect on the student's learning in many ways including a lack of social interaction with an expert in the topic (teacher), the probability that scaffolding may not be happening and learning may be less than optimal.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Technology Week 2 reading
The information provided on the ways that the internet can be used as part of classroom instruction were informative but I was left hungry for more details. Less "polite etiquette" speech and more about how, benefits, etc.
The 4 programs are similar in that they all work towards helping students utilize the web for research, as a facilitator of content knowledge, and it is important that these techniques also focus on students developing good / appropriate usage of the internet to acquire knowledge.
The programs also focus on collaboration and sharing data with a broad group of peers. As noted many times, we are global, we need to understand global societies so that the students will be prepared to contribute successfully in work and communities.
Although based on similar tenants, the Internet Inquiry project is a more self directed activity. Collaboration does occur but only after the student has pondered, puzzled and found the information for which he was searching. The student picks the topic important to them and then continues the share, question, compose and search process.
There are also differences in that the Workshop and Project programs are all initially directed to a site designed or designated by the teacher.
Of course, all of the methodologies focus on content knowledge that can be additive or a part of the lesson plan on the topic at hand.
I am interested in finding some real life examples, key learnings that can help pre service teachers and give me a head start on the classroom next fall.
To that end, I did reach out to my cooperating teacher with the goal of getting specific needs, interests and subject matter for internet based instruction. Have not yet heard back from her but I should have an update next week. Stay tuned.
The 4 programs are similar in that they all work towards helping students utilize the web for research, as a facilitator of content knowledge, and it is important that these techniques also focus on students developing good / appropriate usage of the internet to acquire knowledge.
The programs also focus on collaboration and sharing data with a broad group of peers. As noted many times, we are global, we need to understand global societies so that the students will be prepared to contribute successfully in work and communities.
Although based on similar tenants, the Internet Inquiry project is a more self directed activity. Collaboration does occur but only after the student has pondered, puzzled and found the information for which he was searching. The student picks the topic important to them and then continues the share, question, compose and search process.
There are also differences in that the Workshop and Project programs are all initially directed to a site designed or designated by the teacher.
Of course, all of the methodologies focus on content knowledge that can be additive or a part of the lesson plan on the topic at hand.
I am interested in finding some real life examples, key learnings that can help pre service teachers and give me a head start on the classroom next fall.
To that end, I did reach out to my cooperating teacher with the goal of getting specific needs, interests and subject matter for internet based instruction. Have not yet heard back from her but I should have an update next week. Stay tuned.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Week 2 Learning Theories Reflections
Given the multitude and diversity of the information presented last week as a student, I was experiencing too much information with not enough context.
As I am still trying to master blogging, etc the team has been incredibly helpful and encouraging. This peer to peer mentoring / teaching was very comfortable for me and provided a fresh start to the class. This "learning experience" was helpful as we all experienced things in a different context; as student, teacher and observer.
The social norm of assisting, not hindering learning was implicitly delivered by this interaction. As a teacher, it reinforced my belief that some of the most important things children and teachers learn in school is not content specific. The dynamics of our intel team were very different than last week. We struggled on how to parse out or separate our ideas regarding learning. We also could not self direct ourselves to gain consensus on what the question should answer.
Again, I believe that there is such an enormous amount of partially digested information that synthesis is not yet possible for me. Looking back, one methodology that could be helpful to students would be a 5 minute recap of "let's re-cap what we have learned over the last 2 days. The synthesis of data into a tight list is one way in which I learn and which may be helpful to students.
I really appreciated how seamlessly GNA managed the class such that we never felt rushed, missed information or had no need to "clock watch". The importance of this "under the radar" management skill was evident.
T2P : If mutual respect, knowledge seeking activities and a trusting environment are created then students will have the opportunity to acquire new information in ways that are meaningful for them because they have ownership of the process, have maintained their self confidence and can apply this knowledge to current events.
As I am still trying to master blogging, etc the team has been incredibly helpful and encouraging. This peer to peer mentoring / teaching was very comfortable for me and provided a fresh start to the class. This "learning experience" was helpful as we all experienced things in a different context; as student, teacher and observer.
The social norm of assisting, not hindering learning was implicitly delivered by this interaction. As a teacher, it reinforced my belief that some of the most important things children and teachers learn in school is not content specific. The dynamics of our intel team were very different than last week. We struggled on how to parse out or separate our ideas regarding learning. We also could not self direct ourselves to gain consensus on what the question should answer.
Again, I believe that there is such an enormous amount of partially digested information that synthesis is not yet possible for me. Looking back, one methodology that could be helpful to students would be a 5 minute recap of "let's re-cap what we have learned over the last 2 days. The synthesis of data into a tight list is one way in which I learn and which may be helpful to students.
I really appreciated how seamlessly GNA managed the class such that we never felt rushed, missed information or had no need to "clock watch". The importance of this "under the radar" management skill was evident.
T2P : If mutual respect, knowledge seeking activities and a trusting environment are created then students will have the opportunity to acquire new information in ways that are meaningful for them because they have ownership of the process, have maintained their self confidence and can apply this knowledge to current events.
Week 1 T2P Essay
Ebb/Flow. The class seemed very divided on your teaching style. However, as we discussed that you were most likely modeling - course correcting that the entire team became comfortable.
It was a group effort and an objective to make sure every individual felt valued. The lack of defensiveness, blaming and judging of content or context was admirable. It was a lesson/opportunity to wear multiple multiple hats; student, collaborative peer, teacher. The intriguing aspect was that we really did experience the benefit of utilizing our hypothesis and gauging our results.
The fact that we all provided subject matter expertise and experiences made me feel much better about inclusion in the classroom. Each person had an opportunity to be a facilitator of knowledge and recipient of knowledge.
The "Layering" of activities was very effective as we not only learned new skills, we learned about management of our group. I felt good that my hypothesis on how I could add value to the group was evident. Kaitlyn was the artist and she was the owner of the i-photo experience and also taught us a few techniques. Karina was the collaborator / monitor of alignment and she wrote the final starburst.
I am ever cognizant of my age, my business experience and life experiences with the goal of providing informal, non-directed methods of exploration and thinking.
It was a group effort and an objective to make sure every individual felt valued. The lack of defensiveness, blaming and judging of content or context was admirable. It was a lesson/opportunity to wear multiple multiple hats; student, collaborative peer, teacher. The intriguing aspect was that we really did experience the benefit of utilizing our hypothesis and gauging our results.
The fact that we all provided subject matter expertise and experiences made me feel much better about inclusion in the classroom. Each person had an opportunity to be a facilitator of knowledge and recipient of knowledge.
The "Layering" of activities was very effective as we not only learned new skills, we learned about management of our group. I felt good that my hypothesis on how I could add value to the group was evident. Kaitlyn was the artist and she was the owner of the i-photo experience and also taught us a few techniques. Karina was the collaborator / monitor of alignment and she wrote the final starburst.
I am ever cognizant of my age, my business experience and life experiences with the goal of providing informal, non-directed methods of exploration and thinking.
- If there is a safe learning environment that accounts for multiple types of learning, participation and small group interaction, then both the teacher and the students will experience a high-level of energy and motivation throughout the day because there are bell ringers that signify start and end of a project, the appropriate learning methodology can be used for individual tasks and there will be opportunities for encouragement and course correction to help students be successful.
Week 2 Learning theories
Week 2 scholarly activites
The articles assigned for Week 2 reading were engaging and though provoking. When I reflected on how I might add value to students, these areas all came to mind.
Two of the most salient observations are that we are teaching and modeling behaviors in the classroom that will shape how our students interact with the world. My initial thinking on this topic was quite contrary in that I didn’t believe that we teach children this life skill. Yet we do and it is this hidden curriculum that good teachers address and authentically practice in the classroom.
For me, the knowledge acquired in this program should help me be purposeful as a leader and a teacher. The importance of teaching children what I have learned in the executive suite as it relates to the appropriate and under the radar skills needed to be successful in the world resonated greatly for me. It provides me, as a student, the framework on how to best incorporate a learning style which should maximize examples and strategies that should improve knowledge assimilation of these skills. One of which is literacy.
A cornerstone or foundation for student success in the classroom as well as social success is literacy. As a special education teacher I will be highly engaged in helping students with LD to acquire this critical life skill. One resource that addresses knowledge transfer and content knowledge acquisition specifically dedicated to improving literary skills. on the classroom is www.FCCR.org. The sight provides resources that focus on teaching reading and oral comprehension in children as young as 3 years.
One tab on the website is a repository of classroom activities and examples of lesson plans targeted to address specific learning styles. As a preservice teacher this information provides a template of proven methodologies and delivery techniques that will facilitate student learning in reading. Obviously, delivery and mastery of these guidelines and theories should enhance the learning opportunity in the classroom.
The second tab examines appropriate assessment tools, their proper usage and how the data can and should influence the teaching and learning methods that correlate to the individual student. Knowing the proficiency of each student in core skills should absolutely be utilized for content and/or testing accomodations for children with special needs.
A very important issue that will only increase over time is students as English language learners. This is a new content area for me and does need some different teaching, learning strategies. The textbook, “Teaching Reading Sourcebook”, Novate, R., Arena, Novato) has 2 chapters specifically dedicated to teaching English to students regardless of their age. This material is important as it is very focused on parental involvement which is specially critical for children with special needs.
The first 2 resources focus on preparing me to be a better teacher in the hopes that my acquisition of knowledge on how to best engage and interact with all students with special needs.
The last resource that provides a hands on, group centered approach to acquiring math skills is the website www.Coolmath4kids.org. The interactive nature of the tasks are designed to scaffold information in a way that expedites the acquisition and retention of math skills.
As direct teaching is not the most successful and engaging strategy, the small group setting should provide not only content learning , it will expedite the learning process. The group presentation and collaborate, peer to peer learning is a wonderful way to mix up the learning activities and acquire the skills of successful team interaction.
The majority of this document focuses on the teacher’s knowledge acquisition as I am a novice in teaching and learning techniques. The fact being that if I don’t understand the multiple methods of teaching and the availability of resources designed to ensure success in the classroom, it does not matter if the content is properly arranged. Whether assigned, I am going to come back to this lesson every 2 weeks so that I may continue to record and gather resources that will best help children learn.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Introduction to Lori
My name is Lori and in my prior life I was a Senior Executive with extensive experience in Sales, Marketing and Business Development. The hardest jobs were also the most exciting, creative and game changing in their respective industriest ie:National Launch of Neutrogena Color Cosmetics and 2 distinct Yankee Candle brands into Kohl's and Target.
Having recently opted out of Corporate America I am pursuing a lifetime goal which is to teach and to learn. M;y Certification program is Special Education and will (hopefully!) be adding a General Science Certification later in 2012.
Hobbies include sailing, playing in the dirt, cultural events and swimming. My nephew is the perfect little man in the world (Yeah, Yeah, your kids also!)and spending time with him is my absolute favorite hobby.
Having recently opted out of Corporate America I am pursuing a lifetime goal which is to teach and to learn. M;y Certification program is Special Education and will (hopefully!) be adding a General Science Certification later in 2012.
Hobbies include sailing, playing in the dirt, cultural events and swimming. My nephew is the perfect little man in the world (Yeah, Yeah, your kids also!)and spending time with him is my absolute favorite hobby.
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