6715- New and Emerging Technologies Refection

Application 7 taught me that I have the ability to implement emergent technology into my school district. Writing the grant proposal was exciting because I started to think of all the ways our students would benefit from having a laptop with them, at school and at home. Before this course, I had never considered writing a grant that would focus on utilizing emergent technology. In addition, I learned about moodle and other online learning resources that would encourage my students to be reflective learners, and continue their learning outside of the classroom. During the first week of school, I plan on having my students go to the computer lab to take an online survey, and get acquainted with navigating the Internet. Throughout the school year, I plan to utilize moodle, and have my students blog, podcast, and take an online virtual field trip. Overall, this course has given me many online learning tools that support 21st century learners, and prepares them for the future.

6714I- Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology Reflection

I plan to use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiating Instruction (DI) in my classroom throughout the school year, and incorporate technology to help meet the needs of all my students. This course has given me the confidence to teach my colleagues and administration about the benefits of UDL and DI. As a result of this course, I plan to implement what I have learned during the first week of school this year. I will have my students take an interest survey, and then as the school year progresses, I plan to use blogging, podcasts, and a virtual field trip. All of these tools will engage my students, and allow me to offer a differentiated approach to my teaching. In addition, I have already had one meeting with my principal about UDL and DI, and the benefits it will have in Physical Education. I hope to present the same information at a staff meeting later this school year.

Online learning

Here is a link to my podcast about the benefits of utilizing moodle into any type of classroom. Moodle is a collection of online courses created by teachers to help improve their students content knowledge, and meet thier unique learning styles. Hope you enjoy my podcast.



http://cadelman.podbean.com/2010/07/21/online-learning/

Reflecting on my GAME plan

As I reflect on my GAME plan I have created, one thing that sticks out to me is the collaboration between colleagues. I feel I have gained great ideas to use next school year with the feedback from my masters class colleagues. In addition, I believe I have been able to help other professionals in different content areas that I would have normally never interacted with before this class.

Another way I have improved my GAME plan, is by becoming more aware of different strategies to try in Physical Education. For example, I am already signed up for summer and winter workshops that focus on integrating technology into the classroom. I believe the more teachers collaborate and attend sessions about technology the less intimated they will feel to integrate such a powerful and exciting tool.

Overall, I have enjoyed my blogging experience and am excited to use blogging with my students in the fall.

Implementing the GAME plan

My first teacher standard focuses on the incorporatiion of more technology into my content area (Standard 2.a. - design and adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity). For Physical Education, students will now be given time to blog about two reflection questions from class. This will allow me to review and assess their learning, and encourage them to be reflective learners from class. The NETS-S standard that is met for my students is Standard 6.d. - transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies. This standard is the most appropriate because the students are in a routine of reflecting after class, but now they will be reflecting using technology. Before the students would reflect verbally or using paper and pencil, now they will be able to write their feelings and comment on each others' blogs to give feedback. In class, the students might not always get to share their feelings with one another, but through blogging they can take their time reading each others reflections and then comment on at least two classmates blogs.

The second standard I chose to work on as a teacher is Standard 5. d.- contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community. To meet this standard, I plan on attending as many technology workshops as possible. By learning new ways to teach my content through technology, I am allowing my students to view the content with new experiences. For example, having the students monitor their activity time with pedometers, and then tracking their results in math class. The student technology standard that is met is Standard 1. a. -apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. Last year I taught my class how to wear the pedometers and read the results. Next year, I plan to work with their math teacher on recording their data and tracking their results.

Overall, I feel their are more standards met in these examples on a small scale, but I feel that I have chosen the best examples to meet each standard mentioned.

Revising the GAME plan

This week I have been asked to review the NETS-T and evaluate my progress in my GAME plan.

Question 1: What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?
I have learned the value of collaboration with colleagues, and the importance of asking questions when you are not sure about the answer. For example, I have never worked with another teacher from a different content area on the same lesson plan. If I had not developed this GAME plan I am not sure when, if ever, this would have happened. However, now we are preparing to team teach a unit together in the fall of next year, which I can apply to my instructional practices.

Question 2: What goals are you still working towards?
I am still preparing for my workshops in the future that will help me grow my understanding of technology in the classroom. In addition, I am preparing to present with my alma mater at our Ohio Physical Education state conference.

Question 3: Based on the NETS-T, what new learning goals will you set for yourself?
The next learning goal I would like to set is NETS-T standard 1. c.- promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. The reason I am choosing this goal, is because I am planning a few different lessons next school year that will have the students blogging about their learning in Physical Education class.

Question 4: What learning approaches will you try next to improve your learning?
I feel a great way to learn new ideas and strategies with technology is to collaborate with people who are already utilizing these great resources. For example, I was at a P.E. curriculum meeting yesterday and we spent over an hour sharing different ways we are incorporating technology into our class. I gained so many great ideas that I plan on using next school year.

Evaluating my GAME plan

I feel that my actions have been as effective as they can be, considering where I am at in my school year. Tomorrow is my last day with the students, but I have already collaborated with a 5th grade math teacher for the next school year. We plan on mixing our content and making a connection between the two subjects. Since, I have already set up a unit with this teacher, I feel that I have demonstrated an effective action toward this goal. In addition, I feel I am effectively meeting my second goal, because I have already signed up for future workshops in technology and Physical Education.

I have learned the importance and value of communicating with other content teachers. For example, the math teacher and I have developed a more professional bond and respect for the other, since starting my GAME plan. Also, I plan to transfer this demonstration of collaboration and teamwork to my students during class. I feel I can share the communication process that I opened with the math teacher as an example of why sharing great ideas can be beneficial. In addition, I will discuss with my class the value of teamwork and planning ahead. For example, when I give them a cooperative challenge, I will remind the students to share ideas, listen, and then decide on what strategy they want to try first. My second goal can not yet be applied into my instructional practice, because I have not yet attended the workshops.

I have so much that I can still learn from this GAME plan, because I have not had the opportunity to teach this unit, and then reflect on my teaching, and the students learning. Also, I am sure the math teacher will have reflections, and we will need to collaborate on what we are both taking from this experience. A question that keeps coming up is what time of the school year do we want to start implementing our unit. We are thinking about September, but we may have to wait until October, because I have to get my students outside for fitness testing while the weather is still warm. For my second goal, I have plenty to learn from the workshops, while I complete them throughout the year. A new question that has arisen is would I like to participate in a Physical Education workshop at our state level. My alma mater has asked me, and a few other teachers that I graduated with to conduct an elementary content session this December. I am excited to work together with former classmates again, and look forward to attending the other sessions at this conference.

I have adjusted my plan by waiting until the next school year to complete this plan in its entirety, with the help of another teacher in my building. This meets my current needs, because after tomorrow I will have no students to teach for the summer. For my second goal, I have adjusted my needs by accepting to teach a session at a workshop that I was already planning on attending. By teaching a session, I will be collaborating with other P.E. professionals and gain more knowledge through our collaboration of similar content.

Monitoring my GAME plan

As every teacher knows, we are approaching the end of the school year. I only have 5 more days of teaching this school year. However, I feel I am preparing myself to incorporate my 1st goal (have students blog and reflect about their learning) by collaborating with the other teachers for ideas and cross-curriculum suggestions. For example, one of my fellow classmates at Walden mentioned talking to the math teacher when the students are using their pedometers in class. The math teacher is already excited for this unit, and to view the blogs that the students post about P.E. class and math class. I feel I do not need to modify my action plan, as of now, because I plan to start it in the fall and have received only positive feedback from other teachers who will be involved. I have learned the importance of collaboration even more. Prior to this plan, I usually only collaborated with Physical Education teachers about content in my class. However, after this assignment I have learned new types of strategies to combine content from other subjects with Physical Education. The only new question that has arisen since starting, is what time of the school year do I want to start this plan. As of now, we are thinking of starting in the middle of September, because we can make sure the students understand the routines, rules, and procedures of a normal school day.



My second goal is to expand my knowledge of technology. I plan to attend summer workshops, as well as P.E. workshops in the winter of next year. I feel that I do not need to modify anything at this time, nor do I have any new questions. I have not learned anything yet, because I have not attended the workshops. However, I am excited to gain new knowledge about the technologies offered in my district and in my content.

Carrying out my GAME plan

Since one of my GAME plans focuses on blogging, I will first need to teach my students how to blog and blogging etiquette. In addition, I will help them set up their sites and walk them through the process the first few times. "Web-based communications such as blogs or threaded discussions allow for an added layer of complexity as you, other students, and even the original author can return to a posting and provide critique, clarification, or demonstration of further understanding or skill" (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p. 146). Also, I will communicate with their teachers to make sure that they understand the skills I am teaching the students, and what study halls the students are allowed to work on their blogs. Collaboration is important to help the students find success and to grow new ideas and strategies together as a staff. For example, in our masters program we are sharing our ideas and collaborating about what might and might not work. The final step in this GAME plan is careful planning when preparing this Unit. I need to make sure that I have signed out the computer lab when needed, and the laptop for my the days I plan on using it in the gymnasium. In addition, I need to meet with the teachers prior to starting the Unit to make sure I am not conflicting with their content and planning. After creating this GAME plan last week, I have already started collaborating with the teachers to set up this Unit plan for the next school year. They are excited to see technology brought into Physical Education.

To meet my second goal, I have signed up for a summer workshop on using the SMARTboard. I am excited to learn how to use this new piece of technology that was put into our school this year. Our school district has placed at least two boards for each grade level in our building.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. (M. Staudt, & M. Stranz, Eds.) Mason, OH, USA: Cengage Learning.

My GAME Plan

Through my masters course at Walden, I have been able to open my eyes to the value of technology in Physical Education. This week, I am focusing on two NETS-T (National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers) Indicators that I feel confident in performing through my teaching.

The first indicator is Standard 2. a. -design and adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. To strengthen my confidence in this standard, I plan to incorporate blogging into my lesson plans, at least once a week. For example, during study hall, after a P.E. class, students will be required to log in and view the two reflective questions posted in my blog. Next, they will answer the questions in their own blog, and then respond to two or more of their classmates posts. I will monitor the progress of these blogs daily, and challenge the students to continue the discussion throughout the week. The next time I see the students in class, I will bring up some of the discussions that I had read on their blogs. To extend my learning, I could bring a laptop into the gymnasium and project the blogs onto the big screen so all the students could view some of the blogs I am discussing in class that day. Or, I could use the laptop and projector screen to help guide the students in strategies to improving their blog discussions. I will evaluate my learning by reflecting on the students blogs to see if they are transferring the information from the classroom into their group discussions. In addition, I will be able to assess if the students understood the content from class more effectively by viewing each students blog.

The second indicator that I want to strengthen my confidence in is Standard 5. d. - contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community. I plan to achieve this goal by attending local workshops, and my Ohio PE conference, both of which will focus on implementing technology into the classroom. In the past, I have not taken the initiative to view the workshops focusing on technology, because I did not see the need for my content. However, this past year, I made technology the focus on all the sessions I attended at my Ohio PE state convention. I learned valuable techniques and tools that I was able to transfer into my daily Physical Education routine. For example, I now have my 5th grade students track their activity time and steps taken through pedometers, which they wear every class. In order to monitor my progress in this standard, I plan to seek out other local workshops that are offered in my district and at neighboring universities. I will be able to evaluate my progress by whether I attend more workshops and implement more technology into my classroom.

References:

ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Reflection Blog

As I reflect on the course, the most striking revelation I have about the new literacy skills is the fact that all of the skills can be taught in a Physical Education class. Throughout my masters, I have noticed that some of the skills do not apply in a P.E. environment. However, the new literacy skills can all be applied in my classroom, which is encouraging to me as an educator. In addition, I was impressed that I already focused on some of the skills in my classroom before I learned what they were called.

This course was exciting and challenging to me because I had to plan a Unit that involved extra P.E. time in a computer lab, but this Unit also help me gain a clear plan on how to execute the idea. I gained the knowledge in the steps needed to mix together technology, new literacy skills, and Physical Education content into a 4-6 week Unit plan. I am excited to try these new strategies with my 5th grade students, and then maybe my 4th grade students. In addition to the new literacy skills, I also feel I gained confidence in my ability to teach the students how to navigate the Internet. Prior to this course, I did not understand the lack of knowledge most students have in identifying urls, educational websites, etc. Now, I believe I have the tools to guide them through the steps needed to succeed navigating the Internet.

One professional goal that I have set for myself, is to attend more technology classes offered in my district. By attending these workshops, I will gain more knowledge about different strategies and ideas of ways to mix technology and Physical Education. In addition, I plan to attend our SmartBoard meetings, so that maybe one day I can apply for a SmartBoard to use in my gymnasium.

I know that this course will improve my teaching, and that my students will benefit from all the new experiences I can now offer them. Throughout my masters experience, I share with the students what I am learning as a student, and difficulties I face as an "adult" student. I feel my class respects my honesty, and ability to understand what it is like studying and writing papers. "Students appreciate it when we present ourselves as lifelong learners rather than all-knowing dispenser of information". (Eagleton & Dobler, 2007).

Eagleton, M. B. & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet Inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Reflection: Final Blog Posting

After reflecting on my "Personal Theory of Learning" that I completed during week 1 of my masters course, I still feel the same about most of the topics mentioned in my application paper. For example, I wrote about using positive praise as a strategy for classroom management, which I read about in our learning resources as a successful tool when used in moderation. In addition, I wrote about creating a safe environment where the students are challenged, but can still find success and enjoyment in their learning. I still utilize this strategy everyday with my all of my classes.

A learning strategy that I will incorporate into my lessons came from week 3, which focused on the "Cognitive Learning Theories". Our learning resources that that we utilized week opened my eyes to the functions of our brain, and the important role teachers have in student learning. Teachers need to understand how to connect the student to the content, so the students can associate the material, and therefore, be able to recall the information at a later time. One technique I am implementing more in my gymnasium is peer teaching. Our resources mention that the more ways that students are exposed to the material (touch, smell, taste, hear, and see), the more likely they are to remember the information. They need to be able to create their own experiences, which is why I also have them peer teach to recall the information learned, and help others associate the content through each other.

Two technology tools that I would like to use with my students are a virtual field trip and blogging. I believe a virtual field trip will help me teach the students the history of sports and expand their learning about sports played around the world. For example, if I lecture to them about Ancient Greek Olympics, they will only remember one or two things I say. However, if I have them take a virtual field trip to Greece and show them pictures of what the events looked like, what the athletes wore, where Greece is located on a map etc., they will be able to have a more memorable experience through the use of multiple senses. Blogging is another technology tool that will allow my students to record their learning experiences, and communicate with each other. I will have the students blog about what they learned in class, and goals for the next lesson. In addition, I will have them blog on each others pages to give one another feedback and offer different insights about the content they are learning in Physical Education class.

Two long-term goal changes I would like to make to my instructional practices are making more time outside of class to incorporate technology, and also to make more time in class to implement new technology strategies, without limiting the students' activity time. My school has two computer labs, so I plan to sign out one of the labs during the students' study hall to allow the students access to a computer for a virtual field trip or blogging. In addition, if a student has a home computer, they can complete their blogging assignment for homework. However, if a student does not have a home computer, they will have free access to the school computer, in order to complete their out-of-class assignment. Besides using the projector for aerobics DVDs, I would like to connect the laptop to the projector and have the students teach the other students through a presentation about different fitness techniques or a dance. When using the laptop, they can create a powerpoint presentation with different pictures of the movements and the critical elements for the movement. This strategy will incorporate technology, teamwork and collaboration, and get the students up and moving.

Voice Thread

Here is the link to my voice thread about classroom space.

https://voicethread.com/#u658269.b786581.i4174532

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

I thought their were numerous instructional strategies from our book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works that correlate with the social learning theory. For example, one strategy mentioned having the students work together in groups to create their own web site. Each student was responsible for a certain job to make sure that the web site was created with as much information about the topic that they could find. Once the web site was completed, the students wrote a letter to the Chamber of Commerce for the city in which they researched to get feedback from the city. I love the different layers of the social learning theory that tie together with this lesson. For example, the students have to collaborate, cooperate, and work together to research and create their web site. Next, they have to collaborate with adults from their city to get feedback about their creation. Finally, the students also receive feedback and a grade from their teacher. When a student takes ownership in their learning, they feel more responsible for making sure that they succeed, and in return, receive enjoyment for their accomplishments.

Constructivism in Practice

Our book, "Using technology with classroom instruction that Works" discussed different ways to generate and test hypotheses. One teacher, Mrs. Omar, focused on her students learning "that compounding interest and saving money can lead to strong earnings over time" (2007, McRel). She gave each group 3 plans for what they would do with a $10,000 inheritance. Throughout her lesson she had the students working in groups and testing each scenario by entering in numbers, and seeing which plan would work best, and how each investment would end up. The students were first asked to think of a hypothesis before they tested each plan, and then discovered the results over a 30 year period.

I believe this lesson demonstrates a combination of both a constructivist theory and a constructionist theory. The reason I think it demonstrates some of a constructivist theory is that the students are constructing their own beliefs and meanings from this assignment. In addition, their teacher created the spreadsheet, and then just had the students enter in their data. However, I think it is also partially a constructionist theory, because the students created a hypothesis, and then built their knowledge from trial and error. They discovered what would work best for their investment, and learned from applying educational technology. I think the students were engaged during the whole assignment, and this experience was more beneficial than reading about compound interest and saving money. The teacher did state that she created the spreadsheet for the students because they were in 5th grade, and her focus was not on creating a spreadsheet.

Dr. Orey in "Cognitive Learning Theories" explains how the brain connects to previous taught information, and the power of using multiple sensory components when teaching. Students learn best when they can see, smell, taste, hear, and touch what it is they are trying to learn. When those senses are used in learning, it helps the students store the information into a memory that has many different paths to get the students back to that memory when they need to recall that information. In our book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, there are many different instructional strategies that correlate with the information from Dr. Orey's speech, such as, word processing programs as a table-making chart. Students can fill in the table with pictures, key words, and web resources to help them remember the information in multiple ways. This strategy can also be used when taking notes. For example, a student could draw a picture, and then connect key words that link the two pieces of information together.

Overall, I feel our book correlated with our DVD well, and offered great ideas to help the students remember the content in many different ways. I enjoyed reading about all of the different examples that implement the use of technology with learning and remembering information.

Behaviorism in Practice

The first instructional strategy mentioned in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works is "Reinforcing Effort." This strategy correlates with the principals of behaviorist learning theory because it uses collected data to motivate students to work harder. The behaviorist theory focuses on rewards and punishments and different forms of motivation to help the students want to succeed and learn. In the book, they mention creating a spreadsheet based on effort so that the students can visually see their effort and understand how to improve their performance. In my gymnasium, I use educational technology through the use of pedometers to help motivate my students to be more active and teach them that each step is important for their health and activity time. For my older students, I have them set goals and reward them for achieving a certain number of steps, which demonstrates how I implement the behaviorist theory into Physical Education.

The second instructional strategy mentioned is "Homework and Practice." This strategy correlates with the principals of behaviorist learning theory because it allows students the opportunity to find success and reward from consistent practice and exposure to the material. The book mentions numerous educational technology techniques that can be incorporated to this strategy. For example, word processing, spreadsheets, and web resources that offer tutorials to help the students review the material they learned at school. If they students are getting rewarded by succeeding in their homework assignments, it is likely that they will want to continue this experience with enjoyment. I rarely give homework to my students, but do play games with the students that focus on practicing the movements and activities so that they can find success with each skill. I am constantly reinforcing the cues in class to help the students find success and praising them when they succeed. Practice is an important component in Physical Education that I use daily.

Final Reflection

This course has helped me develop many new teaching strategies that incorporate technology into the classroom. For example, I created my own blog page, collaborated with my classmates and developed a wiki page, and produced a podcast. Prior to this course, I did not know what a podcast was, or how to implement it into the classroom. I know I will be able to successfully teach my students the same technological skills that I have learned, because I have learned them through trial and error. Knowing the basic steps needed to learn these technology tools will help my students find the same success.

I deepened my knowledge of teaching by learning new skills to teach, and through my collaboration with my classmates. Sharing ideas and giving feedback have helped me grow and learn new innovative strategies that will benefit my students and colleagues. In addition, I have gained new learning strategies to solve technological problems that arise in everyday use of the computer. I find myself asking for less help, and instead, taking the time to try and solve the problem on my own. This course has given me the confidence to explore new technological resources that I did not know existed, for example, the wikipedia.

This course taught me the value of allowing the students to take ownership for their learning. For example, more group work and collaboration, and less teacher directed answers. I plan on giving my students problems that typically arise in game play, and allow them time to solve the problems as a team. For a closure, I will guide the students with questions, but allow them to do the teaching and demonstrating for the correct answer.

I will continue to expand my knowledge of learning and teaching through the different Physical Education forums I subscribed to at the beginning of this course. Collaborating with teachers from around the United States will only strengthen my content and strategies that I can use in my gymnasium. In addition to the forums, I will continue my masters at Walden and improve my understanding of how to integrate technology into the classroom.

Two long-term goals for transforming my classroom are to integrate more technology into the gymnasium without taking away from the students activity time, and to plan more lessons that are learner-centered instead of teacher-centered. I plan to accomplish these goals by preparing student-centered lesson plans and working with the staff on computer time for the students when they are in study hall. I will offer computer lab time during the school day for my PE students to complete technology assignments that I have given during class, so that the students can complete their assignment successfully and on-time.

My first podcast

For my podcast assignment, I was asked to interview someone about their daily exposure to technology and their overall comfort using technology. I chose to interview my husband, Joe, who is 32 years old and has been working in the field of environmental geology for the past 10 years. I hope you enjoy my podcast.

http://cadelman.podbean.com/

21st Century Skills

For my masters class, I visited an awesome website http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ dedicated to helping teachers and administration prepare students to be successful in the 21st century. This website is user friendly and offers many helpful resources. Since I was a first time user, I navigated around the FAQ's and learned what the site has to offer and who supports this type of integration of such powerful 21st century skills for education. This site offers videos of different ways to implement 21st century skills into a classroom and resources that meet standards for various subject content. In addition, if you sign up (which is free), you can blog with other teachers and the actual site. These are just a few of the features that stood out on this educational site dedicated to preparing our students for a successful future.

I did not find any major flaws with this site, and was impressed with all the user-friendly charts and research developed to show foundation in the success of this program. While navigating through this site, I found an article about Ohio attempting to get on board with teaching more 21st century skills. Since I teach in Ohio, I was intrigued with the article and impressed with the Governor starting to understand the need for change in our school systems. As a contemporary educator, it is my job to implement technology into my classroom and let the students take ownership in their learning so that they develop proper skills needed for success in the workplace.