We Teachers are Rather Good at Magic

What do you feel is the most useful technology you have learned this semester?  How do you plan to use what you have learned?  How can you use technologies to engage your students in active learning?

I first of all cannot believe the semester has flown by so fast!! It’s been a wild ride.  This class has been extremely useful to me, and I have loved learning all of the new technologies and learning how I can apply them.

My favorite technology I have learned is probably Nearpod, because for me, slideshows are fun to make, but not so fun to listen to.  It’s easy to get distracted and completely miss important topics.  With Nearpod, it makes the slides interactive and different, so that it is easier to both control the classroom and to engage your students.  The fact that this technology existed and I had never seen it completely blew my mind!

I plan on using what I have learned in my own classroom, and even teaching my sister what and how to use it when she has to teach her senior year English class!  These technologies are incredible when it comes to active learning, an the way they engage students makes my job as a teacher that much easier.  

Explain how your investment in your own professional development related to technology will impact the academic achievement of your students.

My own personal philosophy is that if I don’t know the materiel I can’t teach the materiel. This is what inspired me to pursue a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies- I want to teach about History and English, but both of those courses when seen in light of the Education track didn’t provide me with enough materiel to learn in order to feel comfortable teaching it.  

The same idea applies to professional development in the way of technology.  If we as teachers refuse to put the effort in, how can we expect our students to?  One of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher was because I love the school environment, and I love learning new things.  Professional development is one of the ways that I can continue to learn.  

What do you see as the greatest value technology has to offer with regard to managing time, space, and people?

Technology has changed our world dramatically from when the first schools started popping up all over the world.  Even the simplest technologies of widespread communicative schooling and automatic bells for classes and times between them have made our schools that much more efficient and productive.  

The greatest value of technology though is the ability to communicate with so many people.  It is nearly impossible in our disconnected connected world to organize people, and manage time and space without widespread technological communication.  

This can come in many forms from sending letters and news back home with kids from school, or having an email system, or a phone line, or even a webpage like Edmodo or Tumblr as a way to communicate with virtually any number of people. It give organization to your classroom and a schedule for both parents and students for what to expect for their week.  Even for younger students, this is still appreciated, as it allows parents to still feel like they have some say and control over what their students are learning, even if they really do not have much input.

How do you see technology benefiting you and your students with regard to assessments?

The benefits of technology in a classroom are often centered around the actual learning of the material. But there are actually many benefits to using technology for assessments.  This can be anything, ranging from online quizzes to a digital gradebook to even just using scantrons.  All of these things provide greater accessibility for both the teacher and for the student. If a student is out sick and will be missing an in class quiz- if it was online, the student could still take the quiz at home.  For teachers, online quizzes often grade themselves, and therefore save valuable time that could be spent grading the papers that cannot be graded by anyone else.

Though I do know some teachers still use a paper gradebook, (and I can see the benefits of this as the very tactile person that I am) most schools do provide an online gradebook that greatly increases the student teacher communication and participation in the class.  If the student (or their parents in my own experience) notices (via the awesome online gradebook they can check on their phones and computers practically anywhere) that the student is not achieving to the standard set, they can talk to the teacher and quickly and easily reach a solution to help that student achieve.  

As much as I hated scantrons in my high school, there was no doubt they were must easier on my teachers to grade than 30 fill in the blank tests.  It allowed us to get our grades back faster, as well as our teachers to be under less stress over the never ending pile of grading they get to do.

What new strategy, technique, or technology might you try when you are faced with the need to differentiate instruction for special needs students?

I myself have not had a lot of experience with people who have special needs, especially in a classroom setting.  My highschool was rigorous, and because of that could not and would not slow down for those who needed to be taught differently.  Not that they were treated unfairly, but that they simply usually went elsewhere or learned at home.  Though, when considering teaching at a public school, I must look at these students and do my absolute best to help them.  

For students that are hard of hearing, I might employ the use of a whiteboard or an audio device that enables them to hear me better.  I could also talk to the special ed teacher and decide if these strategies would work best for them or if something like a whiteboard or a text to speech program would work better.  These students often have a team behind them to support them, but that does not exclude me, as I should strive to balance them in my classroom while at the same time being their cheerleader.  

-        Mission and vision statement

I plan on using technology in my classroom to aid my students in their learning by presenting them several different methods to learn and work through problems and projects presented in the duration of the class.  By integrating technology as a normal part of classroom time, I aim to teach my students the importance of learning how to study using the tools they have available to them in my classroom and at home.  It will also broaden my student’s perspectives of resources and how to navigate the ever changing technology of our modern world.

-        Communication plan

I will use the program Edmodo to communicate with parents and students, giving them sort of a one stop shop to find curriculum, specific assignments, details, and a documented way to contact me as an instructor with concerns and or for additional help. Having a clear and documented communication plan for your classroom is extremely important in order to keep everyone up to date with the events and responsibilities of students, and so that you can be sure that everyone is held accountable for their actions and words in the unfortunate event that something bad happens.  

-        Integrating Instructional Technology

I will provide a safe and responsible learning environment by monitoring device use while in my classroom, and in the event that my school provides take home devices, I will control the downloads and accessibility of the device.  I will rely on technology that is accessible from the internet, which is the safest choice before knowing the capabilities of my school or the students in my class.  Some of the programs I plan on using are Prezi, Nearpod, Poll everywhere, and Edmodo, all that do not require more than a login or a device.  This can extend learning by being available outside of the classroom, so that students can study outside of class.  

-        Differentiating Instruction through Technology

Technology can assist me in helping students with evaluating the pace my students are learning.  By conducting weekly informal assessments, I can see what my students have learned.  One of the ways I as a student myself enjoyed this practice was through games or Poll Everywhere that created a word cloud with the information that the students all contributed anonymously.  ON that note, using anonymously based technology is another good strategy in order to see what as a group they are missing, without singling out or embarrassing any students.  Also by providing an office hours system after school allows for Students to individually receive help with any problems or learning issues they have.  

-        Technology Support Assessment

What is one hardware system that will improve the overall academic achievement of your students? Explain why.

In my own high school years, I rarely ran into the use of voting or any sort of response system in the classroom that was not verbal (and that rarely happened).  But upon entering college, I have used these type of response systems several times, and quite frankly, I’m sold on them.  I think they are the most useful programs that we can implement in classrooms, because they help us as teachers hear our students and see what they are struggling with.  

Programs like Nearpod and Poll Everywhere are online as well, and they are so easily accessible and interesting that student participation should shoot right up.  They are engaging in a non-confrontational way, making learning more fun and engaging without making it a game.  

The only downside I see to these types of programs is the ability to get students to use them.  The best way for them to work is for students to have their own mobile device for them to respond with.  While realistically, most high school students have their own smartphones, this is not something you as an educator can or should rely on.  If your student (s) don’t have a device, they are instantly excluded from your activity and singled out to be unable to learn like the other students.  

There is always the possibility that your school has mobile devices for your students, but this is also not something to rely on.  Even if the school has provided devices for everyone, there are still problems of connectivity and internet and unfamiliarity with the system that can prevent learning.  

What do you believe is the most valuable use of the Internet to enhance and support the learning experience?

The most valuable use of the internet is the resources it brings. We live in a connected, global world, and if a historian discovers a new artifact in India, we in the United States could know about it that same day!  The same hour!  It’s incredible how connected we are, and when you bring that sort of power to the classroom, there is no limit to creativity or curiosity.  

As a future history teacher, I have so many more resources than any teachers before me had.  I have access to so many primary source documents- I and my class are able to go all the way back, read what was originally written, and interoperate that for ourselves.  It’s a sort of magic that takes place in a classroom, as you and your students are able to form opinions and study what others thought and compare and contrast all the information that you can find about a certain topic or a certain period of history.  The magic of discovery and learning is a particularly valuable one, and I am persuaded to think that technology and the internet only make it better.  

Some quick history examples that I could not have without the use of the internet:

-BBC

-History Channel

-National Archives

-Smithsonian Museums

You may be thinking: ‘Micaela, wouldn’t the information found here still be accessible if the internet didn’t exist?’  Yes, it probably would.  But would I and my class who are hundreds or thousands of miles away be able to get our hands on these?  No.  Even Skype in the Classroom connects teachers and students from all over the world together to talk and discuss written works and stories as if they were in the same room!

Locate one example of how technology can be integrated into each of the following content areas:  math, science, and social studies.  Describe how this will be effective in helping your students learn the subject matter.  Describe how it will engage the learner.  Describe your overall assessment of the technology’s value and/or challenges you foresee.

Technology in the classroom in general is very important, but it’s about time we looked at specifics.  Math tends to be one of the least favorite subjects, even though there are plenty of students who enjoy it.  (I might be a bit influenced here with my own personal distaste for the subject). I did some research, and one of the more interesting ideas I came across was a site called desmos- (x) which featured a ‘Function Carnival’ that played a short animated clip, then allowed students to work the math involved in the (real life) example.  They then got to check their answers by applying the function to the example, and then in a graph seeing the difference (if any) between theirs and the answer.  This is far more engaging than a lecture, and gives the more immediate need for learning and more hands on learners a few more opportunities.  

Moving onto Science, I reviewed this program earlier in my personal technology project (x) but as a download, this program tracks, graphs, and calculates everything you could possibly need to use in a science class at any age.  The challenge with this one is that it is rather complicated if you don’t have any experience with it- seeing as it does do EVERYTHING.  It engages the learner by giving them an efficient way to track through their project and create detailed graphs and figures for lab reports.  

Lastly, coming around to social studies, I found this to be incredibly difficult.  The challenge with Social studies is not to make it a list of things to memorize, but something fun and entertaining- a story to learn and to love.  (can you tell where my passion is?) After scouring the internet and only finding more of the typical (boring) resources, I finally resorted to the growing field of virtual reality museum tours.  While they do exist, and can potentially be amazing and a fun experience for both teacher an student, the technology there is still… in progress, in my opinion.  It requires a certain headset (ranging from 4k-10k in teacher geared packs for students) and then a membership type of system to Google Expeditions. (x) The idea is amazing, and if it ever really makes its way to the classroom, I cannot wait to see the possibilities and options of what we can accomplish with them.  

What new or improved integrated technology ideas/applications can you use to support reading and language arts instruction?

In 2007, Edutopia asked teachers to create a list of technologies they thought could be useful in their classrooms.  Among these were Bluetooth, MP3 Players, universal remotes, and graphing calculators (kopp 53) Looking at this list, a lot of the technology that stood out seemed old to me.  Technology has come so so far in the past nine years.  There is so much more to see and use, and especially with the use of mobile devices we can expand learning outside of the classroom so easily.  Some examples that come to mind are programs like spreeder, quizlet, and even the smartphone.  

Spreeder is a program that I personally use when I have a good chunk of digital text to read.  It focusses on the problem of reading speed, and says that we waste a significant amount of time skipping from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.  Instead, once the information is inserted, it flashes easch word on a blank background at your desired speed.  It’s incredibly useful especially if you do not have enough time to finish your reading.

Apps like quizlet also take learning out of the classroom, and can be used both in class and out. It takes the form of a website and an app on a smartphone, making it just as mobile as a stack of flashcards but twice as useful.  With the tap of a button you can have the program read the word AND the definition to you.  This proves to be an amazing resource not only for memorization but also for learning literacy, and difficult vocabulary words.  

What do you want to know and be able to do with regard to technology integration?

Read on Dropbox

An essential part of technology integration is knowing how your school applies or if they require you to follow a certain technology standard.  Once you figure this out, you have to ask yourself another question: What do you do with that?  For this example, we’ll use ISTE’s national standards as a guide for our hypothetical school.

At the top of the list of things you want to know and do with technology integration is what and how your kids respond to.  Some classes my respond better to videos and interactive group projects, while others may prefer slideshows and games.  For each class, you want to be able to provide the best way to learn according to the class.  This is one of your greatest strengths as a teacher: being able and willing to adapt to circumstances and to be able and willing to learn technology with your students in order to provide them the best education possible.  The Forest Lake Elementary School uses assessments to determine and individualize their lessons and teaching, and in addition using ICAP style lesson planning to individualize the type of learning for each student. This is only one way to learn, and while it is very different from what is common in classrooms, that does not make it bad.  Almost all of the elements that they use to track a student’s progress could be applies less formally in any classroom across the world.  The entire emphasis is to mold your lesson around your students, not to try and mold your students around a lesson.  

To apply this to myself, and my future class, I would love to be able to use technology integration to make learning as fun as I found it to be when I was the same age as my students. The goal is to teach to a lesson plan to reach a benchmark of knowledge, a benchmark for testing, but that is not the most important part to me.  The most important part of being a teacher is instilling a love of knowledge and learning in all of my students to come.  

Technology, when used correctly, opens the doors wide to all that learning and education can be. It completely transforms the scene, and I for one, am so excited to see what we come up with.  “Used to support both teaching and learning, technology infuses classrooms with digital learning tools, such as computers and hand held devices; expands course offerings, experiences, and learning materials; supports learning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; builds 21st century skills; increases student engagement and motivation; and accelerates learning.” (Department of Education).  This though, is all theory, all smoke, with no evidence.  Do teachers and students really take advantage of the online tools they have?  Is there any substance at all to the idea of online learning?  “According to findings culled from five meta-analyses, blending technology with face-to-face teacher time generally produces better outcomes than face-to-face or online learning alone (Cheung and Slavin, 2011; Cheung and Slavin, 2012; Tamim, Bernard, Borokhovski, Abrami, and Schmid, 2011; Means et al, 2009; Means et al., 2013). ” (Edutopia) Research says that it does help us- so from there, how do we create an effective, multimedia lesson?  

Step one: Decide what kind of technology works best with your lesson

For a history lesson, perhaps include a funny clip from drunk history, or a song from Hamilton, reinforcing what you are teaching with humor.  

Step two: Use media to make the lesson INTERESTING not more complicated

If there are too many videos or interactive pieces to your lesson, kids can and will get bored of it, and fail to stay engaged with you as you attempt to teach.  

Step three: run through your lesson once (or a few times!) so you know what to say when and so that you kow the technology enough to not trip over yourself and make it less helpful than it is intended to be.

If you don’t know what you are doing, then what good is the presentation doing? 

These tips are very general, but they are a good way to create a solid presentation involving technology that can and will be engaging to your students!

Words: 353

(Read on Dropbox)

     In our world, students and potential student live their daily lives surrounded by technology.  You would be hard pressed to look in the average American home and not find a TV, a tablet, a smart phone.  All of these devices have been integrated into our lives and they make our lives easier while also enabling us to do more.  So when we talk about the idea of technology in the classroom we must consider this: this technology is not new to our students.  Focusing in on grade school (K-8) these students probably not only have the same technology in their homes, but also have not lived in a world where computers and Google did not exist.  So how would they respond to integrating this technology in their classes?  It would be safe to say that the reaction would be positive- getting to use an IPad for school is exciting, and it is much more fun than worksheets and pencils that are constantly breaking.  Giving students digital homework as well, comes with the same reaction- Online homework is way more fun than paper homework.

     According to the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning “Zywno and Waalen (2002) confirm the hypothesis that hypermedia instruction, or instruction using hypertext and multimedia, enhances academic performance in students across learning styles. In particular, classes that combine information and communication technologies with face-to-face traditional learning increase the engagement of students by intersecting learning styles (Cobcroft et al., 2006)” (Pg 3) This is only another reason that we should bring this new technology into the classroom.  By allowing our children the opportunity to learn in all of the best ways that they can, we are pushing them forward, into the future, and making their road to greatness all the better.  And really, shouldn’t we do everything we can to help our children succeed?

 xx WC: 308 xx

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