Reflecting on the semester

I learned a great deal this semester in my Technology courses.

I had the opportunity to try out several technology tools that I was unfamiliar with, including Blogger, VoiceThread, MovieMaker, and GoogleDocs. This is why I decided to pursue this degree; I wanted to be exposed to new innovative technologies that I could implement in my classroom. I am excited about the variety of ways these programs can be used with students to serve a variety of purposes in virtually every subject area and grade level.

I also learned a great deal from my peers in my coursework this semester. Through online discussion and viewing my colleagues' projects, I was able to see how different programs can be used to meet the ever changing demands placed on us as teachers. Online interactions provided us with the "anonymity" that would allow us to speak more freely than we might have in person.

I think I speak for everyone in my courses when I say that we learned a lot from doing by actually using the programs and from interacting with each other and hearing how technology is integrated by our peers.

PBL and GoogleDocs

I recently had my first experience using GoogleDocs and making a PBL proposal for an entire school. My group and I made a proposal to improve reading scores at my school. It was great to have a group of people to work with on this project. I learn a lot from others' perspectives and insights about how a project should be carried out and about the expectations of a project. I am glad I was able to use GoogleDocs. I like the program, although I do not yet feel completely confident in my ability to use it effectively. I think with older students, this program would be an excellent tool to use. I would have liked to have used it in high school or college to work on papers and other group assignments.

MovieMaker

I recently had my first experience with MovieMaker. I have used the comparable Apple program, iMovie, several years ago during my Master's degree program, and I must say that this MovieMaker program pales in comparison. iMovie is exponentially more user-friendly and easy to navigate and use. It took me a very long time to create my movie; I can't imagine how long it would take for my students to learn and use the program. I do think they could benefit from being involved in the Movie making process, perhaps by being recorded or creating slides, however, I am not so sure that they could make an entire movie independently in a very efficient manner. I would love to be proven wrong though, so if you have used this program successfully with elementary school students, please post!

GoogleDocs

I recently used GoogleDocs for the first time for a grad school project. I have zero experience with this tool and I am looking forward to using it and becoming more proficient with it. It seems like a very useful tool because multiple project participants can be given access to a document and can add files, changes, etc. from any computer with internet access. It allows for convenience and collaboration in the easiest of ways. I would like to use GoogleDocs with my students one day. I have heard from my classmates that they use it with their students...if you do, and you wouldn't mind sharing how you use it and the logistics of it, I would love to hear about it and learn from your experience!

Project Based Learning in the Classroom

I really enjoyed reading my colleagues' PBL lessons they created this week. It was interesting to see how differently we were all able to integrate the various subjects. I think that PBL offers a great opportunity to 1)really get students engaged in learning, 2) integrate subjects, and 3) allow students to use their learning in a real-world, authentic situation. However, PBL can also be a daunting task for a teacher to undertake. It is very time consuming to plan and to implement. It requires collaboration among various teachers and a variety of materials. Because this type of learning is (sadly) not very common in K-12 classrooms, I feel that the first few times students attempt a PBL project, they might need a lot of guidance. However, with some persistence, patience, planning, and practice, I think students and teachers alike can become more proficient at using PBL in the classroom and will really see the benefits in student learning.

I would love to hear how you use PBL in your classroom!

Reviewing with VoiceThread

I recently used VoiceThread for the first time with a small group of students. The VoiceThread lesson was aimed at 4th grade students who needed to review the content from our animal adaptations unit. First we reviewed the types of adaptations and how they help animals meet their various needs. I showed several pictures of animals and asked the students to respond with their thoughts about the animals' adaptations and how they help them survive in their habitats. I found that the students were highly motivated to complete this assignment and to do it well. They were much more thorough in their answers and offered much more detail and explanation than they would have if I had asked them to write their answers on paper.

Next time, I would like to use this program as a reading group assignment. I feel it lends itself well to this activity because it can be differentiated based on student ability or interest. I think students could discuss the books they are reading in our reading groups and give their opinions, inferences, predictions, and thoughts based on images that I post on the VoiceThread depicting the setting, characters, plot, or theme.

Here is a link to my project: http://katieadams.wikispaces.com/VoiceThread+Project

I would like to hear more ideas about how this useful tool is being implemented with students. If you have a VoiceThread experience to share, please post it here!

ComicLife-my new favorite program

I used ComicLife for the first time to create a comic strip to use with my students. The topic I chose to teach with my comic strip is simple machines. I had a great time creating my comic strip, and I am confident that my students would absolutely love using this program. This experience opened my eyes to the countless ways this program can be used, across subject areas and grade levels. It can be used in virtually any classroom, with so many benefits! Students get engaged in their learning on a deeper level and are enthusiastic about it. They improve their writing skills and their technology skills.There are so many learning opportunities with this program, I can't list them all. Now if I can just find a way to get this program on our school computers....anyone have any suggestions? Because now that I know about it, I want to use it!!

Here is a link to my project, if you would like to check it out! I'd love to hear your comments about it or about using comics with students.

http://katieadams.wikispaces.com/Comic+Life+project

Problem Based Learning + Technology = A Dream Come True, if I can do it!

While I truly feel that problem based learning techniques, coupled with Web 2.0 tools and other technology, sadly, I do not use these as much as I would like to in my classroom. Because of time and materials constraints, it is a struggle to fit it in with the rest of the curriculum. I am always interested in how my colleagues are able to balance all of the expectations on teachers including this one. I am really enjoying hearing about how everyone in my graduate program uses these techniques in their classrooms. It is truly inspiring to read about the creativity and incredible teaching going on. It has made me more determined to include more of these great ideas with my own students this year. It seems that the results are worth the time and effort put into the PBL/Technology package.

As Egbert puts it, in Supporting Learning with Technology, "with effective PBL, students can become more engaged in their learning empowered to become more autonomous in classroom work....Students can gain a deeper understanding of concepts, acquire skills necessary in the real world, and transfer skills to become independent and self-directed learners and thinkers outside of school". Isn't this what we all hope for? I can't think of a better outcome!

So far, so good...

Reflecting on this blogging experience thus far, I have learned that I have a great deal of work to do to make my blog what I want it to be. Viewing my classmates' blogs and reading their comments on others was invaluable. Their thoughts made me think about my own blog and how I can improve it. I realize now that I need to change it to make it look more professional and more user-friendly. Most of all, I realize that I am guilty of not having very conversation-provoking posts. My posts are more journalistic and do not prompt readers to reply. I will definitely have to work on this in future posts. While I still have some changes to make, I feel proud of myself for creating a blog at all, and I am excited about what else I will learn about blogs and how mine will evolve throughout this course. I know that this experience will prepare me to use blogging effectively with my students this year.

Defining Technology Integration

In my own words...

Technology integration is the use of tools and innovations to enhance student engagement and achievement of learning goals. Effective technology integration involves the use of effective tools and not just for the sake of using technology. Students learn more, enjoy learning more, work more efficiently, and use more higher order thinking skills.

References
Egbert, J. L. (2009). Supporting Technology with Learning:Essentials of Classroom Practice. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

Reflecting in the Classroom

One of the main purposes of this blog is for me to reflect on my use of technology in the classroom and on how I see others use it and to find ways that I can improve in this area. As with teaching in general, reflecting on technology use is very important. Each year, student technology competencies and comfort levels change, as do the most up-to-date technology tools. So, it is vital for us to reflect on what is working with our students (or other teachers' students) and to keep striving to improve.

I plan to reflect on the projects I complete in this class and technology I and other teachers use in my school. I can't wait to hear about how you use technology too, so I can see how I can implement your ideas with my own students.

Article: Article Quantity versus Quality: A new approach to examine the relationship between technology use and student outcomes

Summary:
In this article, the author insists that it is more important to consider what technology tools are used and how they are used instead of how much they are used. Technology use has increased exponentially in the past ten years. $66 billion has been spent on technology for use in U. S. schools alone. Despite this trend, studies are inconsistent in determining if technology integration alone is actually beneficial to student learning. Some studies claim that technology is vital, while some say it has no effect, and still others say it is actually harmful to students. Two issues are mentioned that drive the technology-student achievement controversy. Problem 1: Many studies do not differentiate between various types of technology tools. They consider them all the same and therefore equally substantial in student achievement results. Problem 2: Many studies consider the amount of time spent with the technology instead of the quality of its use. In a study described in this article, there are four student outcomes that were examined: Student academic achievement, Technology proficiency, Learning habits
and Developmental outcomes. The findings of this in depth study determined that when only examining the amount of time spent on computers, no significant relationship was found between technology use and student learning. However, when how technology was used was investigated, a considerable correlation was identified between use of technology and student results.

Commentary:
I thought this article was useful for me as a teacher because it deals with an issue that many educators forget about: technology quality vs. quantity. Not all technology tools are created equal, and just because something can be done with technology, doesn't mean it should. Teachers should always be thoughtful in their integration of technology and include appropriate tools that will assist students in reaching their learning goals.

Reference

Lei, J. (2010). Quantity versus Quality: A New Approach to Examine the Relationship between Technology Use and Student Outcomes. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(3), 455-472. Retrieved from ERIC database.