EDUC-6711I-4 Reflection

My “Personal Theory of Learning” that I developed in week one has not changed all the much, if at all. If anything I feel more strongly about it. I expressed that as a teacher, we cannot be bias in our approach to learning. We must understand that all students have their own unique way to learn. In Michael Orey’s video, he states that in a “learning theory,” learning must be active in the process. Our instructional theory is what we do to facilitate learning. (Laureate Education, Inc 2010). I expressed how I believe students learn best through a constructivist approach by physically “doing.” Through learning about all the different technology tools and instructional strategies, I feel even stronger about my theory. This course has deepened my knowledge and understanding of learning theory and the use of educational technologies because I have never created a Voice Thread before. I was very skeptical before doing so, but after creating it I realized how easy it was and I enjoyed doing so. I learned how to create concept maps using bubbl.us. Dr. Michael Orey said it best when he said concept mapping is a graphical way to organize information (Laureate Education, 2010).

My immediate adjustments regarding my instructional practice with technology integration will be the use of spreadsheets and concept maps. My instructional practice will not be so lecture based and I am going to try to incorporate more technology. The use of a spreadsheet and a concept map will help students stay organized. Spreadsheets will be helpful when I am graphing different functions. To input a lot of data can be time consuming so a spreadsheet will help in saving time. Spreadsheets are valuable to students generating and testing hypotheses. This helps students become engaged in processing information, applying content knowledge, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). Dr. Michael Orey said it best when he said concept mapping is a graphical way to organize information (Laureate Education, 2010). Using a concept map will enhance students learning by helping them process the information.

Two long term goals I would like to make to my instructional practice regarding technology would be to use more Virtual Field trips or Voice Threads in my teaching. I would also like to incorporate a Class web page or Blog. This would allow for more learning to take place beyond the classroom. I can post Voice Thread on the web page or blog for students to view for help with they homework or just weekly reminders. My strategy for achieving them will be to complete my graduate classes by the end of this school year and I will start planning this summer. By next school year I will have a web page or blog created.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). [Webcast]. Instructional Theory : Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). [Webcast]. Cognitive Learning vs. Learning Theory. Theory. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, Colorado: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL).

Voice Thread Link

Solving Multiple Step Equations

http://voicethread.com/share/2289412/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Social learning theories are based on the idea that students learn by communicating. Dr. Orey states that social constructivism is based on collaborative learning in which students interact with other people while constructing something (Laureate Education, 2010). The idea of social learning theory is highly correlated with this week’s reading in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, “Cooperative Learning.” Cooperative learning can be facilitated in many ways but this week’s reading focused on three resources: multimedia, web resources, and communication software. Technology and the internet has greatly enhanced our ability to communicate with others. Out of the three resourced discussed I like the idea of create multimedia and web resources. I like the example in the book where Ms. Ortiz has student work in groups to create videos about famous mathematicians. Activities such as this one are great when planned for and done correctly. When these types of activities go smoothly, it is often due to the lack of preparation (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007). Students must know what is expected of them. This is where a rubric comes into play. In terms of web based resources, there are so many resources available. The resource I like the best is under course management. I am most familiar with Moodle and Blackboard. To better help my students inside and outside the classroom, I would like to incorporate Moodle. This way if a student is absent or loses something, they can go onto our Moodle page and see what they missed or print off a new copy of whatever they missed. I have a few colleagues at the moment that use Moodle and I really like the idea.

Refrences

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). [Webcast]. Social Learning Theories: Author.

Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, Colorado: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL).