Reading Reflection Week 9

                I thought this chapter was very interesting and made many good points.  I found the most interesting issues to be in the section that discussed the “gap” between “where we are and where we need to be in regard to meeting the technological requirements to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s careers.” (Chapter 21, page 213)

                One point that I found to be very interesting in this section was the percentage of states that require technology training for teacher certification.  Less than half of the states in the U.S. actually require technology training.  That fact is mind boggling considering the fact that we have access to so much great technology for teachers and students.  What was even more interesting is that only twenty percent of states require technology training or testing for teacher recertification.  It is no wonder that many teachers have not changed their attitudes about technology in the classrooms.  The more opportunities they have to work with technology and to see how students can benefit from it, the more likely it is that they will be willing to use it in the classroom.  While I think it is important to have required technology training for initial certification, I think it is even more important to have technology training or testing for recertification.  The newest teachers are getting the most technology training; however, the teachers that have been certified for many years have a limited knowledge of technology.  I think every state should require training and/or testing for initial teacher certification and recertification.

                Another point that I found to be very interesting in this section was the fact that “education is ranked as the least technology-intensive enterprise among fifty-five U.S. industry sectors.” (Chapter 21, page 213)  Education should be number one ranking, next to those in IT or similar fields.  Education is where the knowledge for a career starts.  Schools need to train students early in the field of technology because that is what is at the forefront of our society.  Without the training of technology at an early age, students will have a harder time grasping those concepts later.  Technology in schools should be a high priority and it is not, which is just sad.

                I think the common ground between these two points that I found to be interesting is that there is a lack of knowledge on the importance of technology in Education.  The more knowledge we have, the better choices we can make for our students and they need training in technology early on.  The more educators know about technology and the benefits it can have for our students, the more willing they will be to use it in the classroom.  Teachers need to be open to learning about technology and they also need to be open to actually using it in the classroom.  I think there needs to be a major shift in the focus of education.  The first thing that needs to be done is requiring teachers to have the proper training and testing of technology.  Without that, technology will not go anywhere in education.

Reading Reflection Week 8

               The two ways that Instructional Design/Technology has been used in business and industry that I find the most interesting are using technology to work in teams and looking at learner cultural factors.

                Using technology to work in teams in a Kindergarten classroom setting really didn’t occur to me until I read this article.  I use a lot of technology in my classroom, but most of the time the students are working on their own or together using the same computer.  A way in which I could incorporate using technology to work in teams, in my classroom, would be to communicate with pen pals via the web.  In my class, we have pen pals with a neighboring school.  The students write letters and draw pictures to each other and we see each other once a month at field trips.  However, by only seeing their pen pals once a month (and they don’t really have a chance to interact due to the fact that we are on field trips), means they really don’t have a lot of face-to-face interactions.  By using Skype or another type of video conferencing, the students would get to know their pen pals better.  This would in turn help them connect with their pen pals and therefore write more meaningful letters (teaching them how to write a letter is pretty much the whole point we assign pen pals anyway).

                I thought it was very interesting that businesses are taking learners’ cultural factors into account.  This could definitely be done in my classroom and is already somewhat being done in my classroom now.  When I get a new group of students, I am constantly evaluating how each student learns.  Some of them learn best in a one-on-one situation while others learn just fine in a group setting.  Some students need a visual while others can learn simply by listening.  Another way this relates to my classroom is not only in learning styles, but in communication styles as well.  Some students have a hard time expressing how they feel and it sometimes comes out through physical aggression.  Other students are very emotional and sometimes have a hard time controlling their emotions.  Whatever the case may be, a student’s learning style and method of communication is directly related to their culture or home life.  One example I can think of is a student I have who has a difficult home life.  He has built up anger and has a hard time expressing that anger.  He also craves attention which can sometimes be shown through aggression.  When I first got this student and started noticing these behaviors, I had to look into why and what caused him to act this way.  Was he just simply adjusting to a new classroom environment or was it something more.  I think it is great that businesses are taking the same kind of approach (only the more cultural side of things as oppose to home life) when training staff members.

                

Map

View Treasure Hunt in a larger map I am a Kindergarten teacher and so I thought it would be easier to incorporate using a map that I have made for my students to use. In this the lesson, the students will have to go on a "treasure" hunt for sight words on the playground. (In this case, I made a treasure map of the playground). Each sight word will be on a gold coin. In order to find the "treasure", the students would have to use the map in order to find each of the sight words. With each sight word is a clue to where the treasure can be found.

Reading Reflection Week 7

                While reading Chapter 14, I had a hard time relating human performance improvement to my role as an educator.  I couldn’t see past the business lingo because I don’t view my students as employees that need to meet a certain quota.  However, once I saw the HPT model of the International Society for Performance Improvement, it became a little clearer to me.

                One of the ways that I felt HPI related to my role as an educator was how it focuses on behavior and performance.  As an educator, the way my students behave during a lesson can directly affect how they “perform”.  For example, during a math lesson I have a student who gets up very often to use the restroom, blow her nose, etc.  I have found that this behavior greatly affects her learning the math concepts that I am teaching.  The “performance” in the classroom means to me that the students take what they have learned in a lesson and apply it to an activity.  That activity may simply be a worksheet to complete or a test.  Behavior and performance are definitely evident in a classroom environment.

                The other way that I felt HPI related to my role as an educator was the HPT model.  It created a clear cut pathway to describe how to analyze performance and decide what interventions, if any, are needed to improve performance.  I do this in teaching every day.  Every day I assess students as I am teaching them.  If there is a disconnect somewhere and the students are not picking up on a certain concept, I need to figure out what is causing the disconnect.  Is it the way I am presenting the material?  Was the student not paying attention?  Is there an outside cause, such as, illness or home life that is affecting how they are learning?  After looking at all of the factors, I need to decide what the next step is.  For example, if the problem is how I am presenting the material, maybe I need to present it in another way.  Maybe the child needs one-on-one  attention for a certain concept.  All in all, I could see this type of model, or something similar, being very helpful to educators.

                As I said before, I had a hard time looking past the business talk of HPI.  To me, business (especially one with quotas) can be a very cold, harsh environment.  Teaching and especially a classroom community is a warm, safe, inviting environment.  To think of “performance” in a classroom just sounds cold.  After looking past the business sense, it made it a little easier for me to find a connection between teaching and HPI.

                The podcasts I found and subscribed to are great for teachers.  They are very helpful and provide valuable resources for the classroom.  The podcasts range from ideas for literacy and math, as well as, other classroom strategies, such as, tips for differentiating instruction.  The podcasts feature educators with years of experience and others in the education field.  I found the podcasts to be suitable for many grade levels.  Check it out!

                I could see using this podcast and others like it in my classroom, as well as, sharing with fellow teachers.  They have some great ideas and tips that are very useful.  Other podcasts could be great for student use.  I saw several that had music for different subjects, which I know my students would just love.  I could definitely see the use podcasts as beneficial in classrooms.

Podcast

http://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/podcasts




This is a great website for teachers.  The podcasts are very helpful and provide valuable resources for the classroom.  The podcasts range from ideas for literacy, math, as well as, other classroom strategies, such as, tips for differentiating instruction.  The podcasts feature educators with years of experience and others in the education field.  I found the podcasts to be suitable for many grade levels.  Check it out!

Reading Reflection Week 6

The learning theories that could be used to teach learners how to calculate and compare the unit costs of various sizes and/or brands of the same product would be Constructivism, the Cognitive Information Processing Theory, and the Situated Learning Theory.

To teach this concept using Constructivism, I would set up a mock store in the classroom and assign the students to groups.  Each group would be given a set amount of mock money.  Within their groups, they would have to go through the store, using a given formula, and decide what items to buy based on their given budget.  In doing so, they would be calculating the unit cost of each item and comparing them to others.  They will have to decide which items they would be able to get that would give them “more for their money”, as well as, which brand is the cheapest.  At the end of the activity, the students would reflect on how they could use the activity in real life situations and how their parents use this every week when they go to the grocery store.  This activity is supported by Constructivism because it brings the concept to life and they are able to make a connection with it, it allows the students to share the thoughts and ideas on what to buy, and the students are reflecting on what they learned about.

To teach this concept using the Cognitive Information Processing Theory, I could use the same type of lesson as with Constructivism; however, I would need to change a few ideas.  The first being, discussing with the students beforehand what they already know about the different mathematical processes needed in order to calculate and compare unit costs of items (i.e. multiplication, division, etc.).  After doing so, they will be able to make connections on how to use the mathematical processes they already know and how to use it in this scenario.  By using the mock store activity, it supports the Cognitive Information Processing Theory because it allows for the use of different memory systems.  Sensory is used when the students recognize that the same calculation is used for each item.  Short-term memory is used when the students have to remember the different unit costs of each item.  Long-term memory is used because this is a skill the students will remember and be able to use the next time they go to a store.  The Cognitive Information Processing Theory is also supported with this lesson because it keeps the students’ attention, it allows for them to make connections between what they already knew and what they just learned, and students will be able to retrieve this information the next time they go to the store on a budget.

This same type of lesson could be taught using the Situated Learning Theory; however, in this case, I would not give the students a set formula to calculate the unit cost of the different items.  They would use the mathematical processes they already know and in their groups, find a formula that works for them.  This supports the Situated Learning Theory because as a “culture” in their groups, they are learning together what works for them in calculating the unit cost and comparing the different items.  The community they are in decides how they will go about completing the task. 

Map of Ludington State Park

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Favorite Episode of Scrubs

Ruby

Reading Reflection Week 5

Three factors that could have contributed to this project having little effect on the instructional practices employed by the teachers could be teachers being resistant to change, problems with the computers or wireless signals, and teachers not having the proper training to teach using this technology.

                Education has changed so much with the growth of technology in schools.  Technology was very limited when I was in elementary school and many of the teachers I had are still teaching today.  With the ever changing technologies in schools and most teachers working for twenty-five plus years, there is no wonder that some teachers are resistant to change.  Many of our older teachers are used teaching a certain way.  When administrators or society itself asks a teacher to change the way they have been teaching for many years, it is easy to see why they may be reluctant.  In this instance, some of these teachers may be older and have been teaching for many years.  They may not be as open to sending their students home with laptops as newer teachers would.

                Another reason this project may have had little impact on instructional practices is problems with the technology itself.  Computers have a tendency to act up; they may shutdown and lose data which in turn will affect how students learn using the technology.  Also, wireless signals and internet can be unreliable.  If any of the technology is not working properly, students will have a hard time completing assignments and students (and teachers) may get very frustrated.

                One last factor that may have contributed to low impact on this instructional practice is that teachers may not have been properly trained on how to teach using the technology.  If teachers are not properly trained, how can anyone expect them to teach effectively?  Especially is the case with the technology, there are so many ways to do things and teach content that teachers need to be given the proper training in order to carry out lessons effectively.  Also, if teachers aren’t trained effectively, they will have a hard time assisting students on how to use the technology or helping them when they run into trouble.

                Two strategies that could have been employed to help mitigate the factors that I think contributed to the minimal effect this project had on instructional practices are showing all the teachers the effect it could have on their teaching and proper training for these teachers.

                If all teachers were given reasons on how using laptops would help facilitate teaching methods and students’ learning, they may be more open to the change.  Also, if teachers were shown how it has worked in other schools and given testimonials by fellow teachers, they would see that the new technology could really help their school.

                Along with giving teachers reasons, they would also need the proper training.  If teachers were given the proper training they could use the technology effectively and therefore the teachers would welcome the change and students would be better able to use the technology themselves.

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