Final
Reflection of EDUC 6711
In Week I of this course, I was asked to develop my
personal theory of learning, back then I just knew I leaned towards Multiple
Intelligence, which aligned with both Social and Constructivist Learning
Theory. As I continued throughout this
course, my understanding of these learning theories has deepened
tremendously. Not only did I get to look
deeply into these two theories, but I was also able to learn about the
technology tools that go hand in hand with them. Each week we delved deeply into discussion
about the different learning theory, from the Behaviorist to the Social
learning theory, during this time I was able to get a better understanding of
each theory and the technology tool that aligns with them. I realized that the Behaviorist learning
theory is still evident in my classroom, however, it does not play a large role,
and it’s linked to classroom management.
One thing that will definitely stick with me is, the use of many
different type of strategies and technologies can contribute substantially to
the teaching and learning process (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008, p.7).
Now that I am at the final juncture of this course,
I am bombarded with so many different ideas of how I would like to adjust my instructional
practice in regards to technology integration; the big question is what I will
begin with first. The one thing that has
been nagging me the most is how to ensure that I keep using technology as a
learning tool and not as an instructional tool. Learning
technology (student-based) can be defined as the variety of tools students use
to activate knowledge and deepen content (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011a). Please don’t get me wrong, my
classroom is student-centered, however, I would like my students to have more
hands on experience and the ability to work at their own pace, especially for
my diverse students. I guess what I want is my own classroom lab (yeah right),
or access to the laptop cart. There is
so much more I would like to do in my class, but with the lack of resources,
it’s going to be a tedious process.
The first technology tool I would like to use with
my students is the blog. Blogs will
enhance my students’ learning by allowing them to communicate, collaborate,
provide feedback, and assistance. But
most importantly it allows for reciprocal teaching, where students can
summarize, ask questions, clarify and make predictions (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007,
p.137), and the best part of the blog is that the students are given an
opportunity to create an artifact, that they can share. With this form of technology like all the
others I wish to implement, I must secure lab time, to ensure that students get
the allotted time to construct their blogs,
post and provide feedback to other blogs.
The second technology tool I would like to use with
my students is VoiceThread, this is another form of collaboration tool, which
my students will have a blast using.
VoiceThread offers my students the opportunity to once again construct a
product for presentation or sharing with their peers. This form of technology, will allow me to see
how well students understand the concept, and to fix any misconceptions they
might have. With instructional
technology, students will be actively engaged and motivated in the learning
process (Laureate Education, Inc.
2011a).
My two long-term goal changes I
would like to make in my instructional practice regarding integrating
technology will be utilizing Virtual Field Trips and the concept mapping tool www.spiderscribe.com. I placed
these in the long-term goals because in order to carry out these task I will
need to have access to a computer lab or the laptop cart. Virtual field trips can expand learning
opportunities by allowing students to visit places they otherwise might not be
able to visit (Laureate
Education, Inc. 2011b). These visits
allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the content, and allows for
engagement. Like Dr. Orey states
“Virtual Field trip is a powerful tool that creates an episodic that allow
students to make rich connections that they will be able to retrieve at a later
date” (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011b).
In order to achieve this I must first take the time out to design or
research the concepts I would like the students to investigate, then plan the
lesson. I know with virtual field trips,
I must be very organized as it takes time and dedication. Given this information now, I can definitely
plan ahead this summer and align a few virtual field trips with my algebra
concepts.
With using www.spiderscribe.com advance organizer, I am giving my students a powerful
tool that they can use to help process information that they don’t usually use
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2011c). Advance organizers give students the ability to
retrieve, use, and organize what they already know about a topic (Pitler, et.
al., 2007, p.9) which leads to deeper understanding. These tools allow students
to brainstorm either at the beginning or the end of a unit. as it allows
students tonactivate prior knowledge.
The biggest draw back, as with all technology tools is getting to use
the technology, in a school with limited resources we have waiting list of
people trying to get into the computer labs, and it is also on reserve for
Reading/English teachers. With this
activity, I would have the students read throught the chaoter we were about to
begin, as they scan the chapter, they can ask questions they would like
answered, copy down key conceps or define words or terms they are not familiar
with. With doing this the students will
have their own personal study guide. My
aim is to move my students to the 21stcentury, and with these tools
we are heading in the right track.
Reference
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a).
Program eleven: Instructional strategies, Part one [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and
technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b).
Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Video
webcast]. Bridging learning theory,
instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011c).
Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved
from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J.
(2008). Theoretical Foundation (Laureate Education Inc. custom ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Pitler,
H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using
technology with classroom instruction that work. Alexandria, VA. ASCD.
