I liked the video clip “Beginning the journey Five-year-olds drive their own PBL projects.” I thought the students were very engaged in their learning, well behaved and interested in the subject matter. I think these factors were fostered because of the use of technology, small groups, and the opportunity to explore through hands-on applications.
Although I must say, I am slightly bothered by this clip as well when I start to think how I can apply these concepts to my classroom. The teachers in the video worked with students in groups of 4 to 6 and their school had the adequate amount of technology to support learning. Since these students were young, teachers needed to do most of the “research” on the internet but the students were able to take part in the process. I have a classroom of 22 six-year olds and I don’t have access to a Smart Board. I can access the internet and display it on the large screen in the front of my classroom, but because our school doesn’t have a very good firewall/filter, I am always leery about doing live searches with my students in fear that something inappropriate might become displayed on the screen.
I do think that engaging students in these real-life applications and simulations is imperative to their academic and social development, but I wonder if those teachers have a curriculum dictated by their district to adhere to. The reason I think that is because it seemed as if topics were chosen from students interests. Today most school districts decide the curriculum, so I am wondering how to make the best of these worlds meet. I was shocked at the resources the school had available (the mock airport, security check, control station and cruise ship). That must take a lot of planning and preparing on the teachers part! My hat’s off to them!
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the clip. The idea of incorporating technology to make learning more engaging and authentic is so important to today’s children. When students are interested in what they are learning, and they discover the tools that can help answer their questions and find out information about things they wonder about, it will surely create a path of life long learning. I think project-based units are a great way to enhance any curriculum. This concept can easily be applied to science and social studies curriculums in any grade level with connections to reading and math. When young students are given a topic, they immediately form thoughts and questions about it. Project-based learning when combined with the use of technology can make learning fun and memorable for students.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Technology to Support Learning (Chapters 5 & 6)
After reading chapters 5 and 6 I realized that I use more technology that I initially thought in my instruction. Often times my students are exposed to these programs when they go to the computer lab and work with the technology teacher, but in the classroom I use some data collection and analysis tools, material generators and electronic maps. Below I discuss some of the ways I use technology in my classroom and how they make a difference in student learning.
My district offers the option to generate our science tests with a test generator program in order to differentiate for a variety of learners. I have only used the program once because in first grade we rarely give science tests; it is more hands-on, project-based learning. Depending on my group of students, I can see using this program more frequently for struggling readers or students with IEPs. This program can make a difference with individual learning needs because I can create questions to have fewer choices, rephrase questions, change multiple choice answers into short, written answers, etc. Now that I am more comfortable with the first grade curriculum, my goal is to use this program more frequently.
All of my grades are entered online into my electronic gradebook. This is a very helpful program because it allows me to analyze student scores in a particular subject or over a period of time, and find the mean score of an assignment without spending a lot of time crunching numbers on a calculator. Parents also have at-home access to their child’s grades and my comments about their child’s achievement in my class. I have found the electronic gradebook to be very useful and a time saver. It is also a great way to stay connected with parents and keep them updated about assignments and progress in our classroom.
Another way technology helps make a difference in student learning is through online data analysis programs. In the fall, winter and spring all first grade students are tested on their phonological awareness, oral reading fluency and comprehension. Although the test is given orally by a teacher, the data is entered online. After all students are tested, the first grade teachers sit down and review the data. We use the online tools of the data analysis program to create charts of student progress and leveled groups for our students within our classroom. The information is presented in a clear and easy to read format which means more time for teaching! Once we have grouped our students, teachers are able to meet the individual learning needs of a small group that need to work on a particular skill, instead of working with those students who have mastered the skill. It is also useful for identifying students who need to be challenged, and areas of weakness for the struggling readers. Next year my district will be using the NWEA MAP test for first grade students. This test is taken entirely on the computer, therefore teachers do not need to enter any data, but can still obtain the same benefits.
Finally one of my favorite tools to use in the classroom is Google Earth. In reading we read a story called “Me on the Map” and it is all about finding your place in this world. It talks about how we live on streets, in neighborhoods, in towns, in states, in countries, on continents on this big planet called Earth. The story takes the readers through each location and explains its importance. I use the LCD projector in my classroom to illustrate the concept from the book. We start with the big picture of planet earth. Then we “fly” to our continent (country, state, city, neighborhood, street, and house). The students always make a lot of noise when I show them this because they think it is so cool. I think it is a great example of how technology builds interest and helps students connect learning to their lives. It helps make the concept of finding your place in this world much more concrete.
My district offers the option to generate our science tests with a test generator program in order to differentiate for a variety of learners. I have only used the program once because in first grade we rarely give science tests; it is more hands-on, project-based learning. Depending on my group of students, I can see using this program more frequently for struggling readers or students with IEPs. This program can make a difference with individual learning needs because I can create questions to have fewer choices, rephrase questions, change multiple choice answers into short, written answers, etc. Now that I am more comfortable with the first grade curriculum, my goal is to use this program more frequently.
All of my grades are entered online into my electronic gradebook. This is a very helpful program because it allows me to analyze student scores in a particular subject or over a period of time, and find the mean score of an assignment without spending a lot of time crunching numbers on a calculator. Parents also have at-home access to their child’s grades and my comments about their child’s achievement in my class. I have found the electronic gradebook to be very useful and a time saver. It is also a great way to stay connected with parents and keep them updated about assignments and progress in our classroom.
Another way technology helps make a difference in student learning is through online data analysis programs. In the fall, winter and spring all first grade students are tested on their phonological awareness, oral reading fluency and comprehension. Although the test is given orally by a teacher, the data is entered online. After all students are tested, the first grade teachers sit down and review the data. We use the online tools of the data analysis program to create charts of student progress and leveled groups for our students within our classroom. The information is presented in a clear and easy to read format which means more time for teaching! Once we have grouped our students, teachers are able to meet the individual learning needs of a small group that need to work on a particular skill, instead of working with those students who have mastered the skill. It is also useful for identifying students who need to be challenged, and areas of weakness for the struggling readers. Next year my district will be using the NWEA MAP test for first grade students. This test is taken entirely on the computer, therefore teachers do not need to enter any data, but can still obtain the same benefits.
Finally one of my favorite tools to use in the classroom is Google Earth. In reading we read a story called “Me on the Map” and it is all about finding your place in this world. It talks about how we live on streets, in neighborhoods, in towns, in states, in countries, on continents on this big planet called Earth. The story takes the readers through each location and explains its importance. I use the LCD projector in my classroom to illustrate the concept from the book. We start with the big picture of planet earth. Then we “fly” to our continent (country, state, city, neighborhood, street, and house). The students always make a lot of noise when I show them this because they think it is so cool. I think it is a great example of how technology builds interest and helps students connect learning to their lives. It helps make the concept of finding your place in this world much more concrete.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Digital Natives
I think the term “digital natives” is very fitting for today’s students. I am astounded at what some of my first grade students know about computers and their advanced experience with technology. As an immigrant to technology, it has taken many years for me to learn what some of my students seem to inherently know. By incorporating contemporary instructional software to engage students in their learning, teachers can foster growth academically, socially, and provide real-world applications. After watching the two video clips, I realized that certain digital programs can enhance and promote higher–order thinking skills by engaging students actively in problem solving simulations and having them apply critical thinking skills to the program they are working on.
By integrating technology into daily instruction, teachers would be able to address a variety of different learning styles and levels. The video clip, “Digital Youth Portrait: Sam,” touched on so many varieties of technology that can be applied to the classroom. One that caught my attention in particular was the illustration of using an ipod. When students are auditory learners, it may be difficult for them to sit down and read a book to themselves. The clip pointed out that a book can be downloaded on an ipod and the student can read along as the book is read aloud. This application allows students to have books and opportunities for learning with them wherever they go; meaning that learning is not solely limited to the classroom.
We read earlier in the course that some theorists believe that learning takes place when students can connect a concept to their prior knowledge. Since students of today most likely have had some experience with technology, they are probably interested in what it has to offer. Interest in something can lend itself to a longer attention span, which I then can conclude may lead to an increase in the rate and amount of information students can learn.
If I was teaching in an ideal technology situation, I see using technology as a wonderful tool for learning. Since I teach first grade, I don’t think my students would be creating video games, but I would love to use computers as learning tools to teach the curriculum. Having computers for every student would mean endless options of teaching to each learner’s ability level and interest. Students would have access to word processing, spreadsheets and graphs. I found table 4.3 in the book to be interesting because it states that students have shown greater quantity of writing, fewer mechanical errors and a better attitude towards writing when using a word processing document.
Although many positive things can come from using technology all the time in the classroom, I think there are also some negative things that can come from such change. With young students, the teacher may spend more time teaching how to use a particular program rather than getting to the curricular learning objective. Also, since only 33% of students in low income households have computers at home (Prensky 2001) if learning is always taking place on the computer, students may have a difficult time applying their learning outside of the classroom if it is not in the same accessible context.
In general, I think that increased technology usage in all classrooms would provide numerous benefits, but I still think there needs to be a “paper and pencil” application to learning.
By integrating technology into daily instruction, teachers would be able to address a variety of different learning styles and levels. The video clip, “Digital Youth Portrait: Sam,” touched on so many varieties of technology that can be applied to the classroom. One that caught my attention in particular was the illustration of using an ipod. When students are auditory learners, it may be difficult for them to sit down and read a book to themselves. The clip pointed out that a book can be downloaded on an ipod and the student can read along as the book is read aloud. This application allows students to have books and opportunities for learning with them wherever they go; meaning that learning is not solely limited to the classroom.
We read earlier in the course that some theorists believe that learning takes place when students can connect a concept to their prior knowledge. Since students of today most likely have had some experience with technology, they are probably interested in what it has to offer. Interest in something can lend itself to a longer attention span, which I then can conclude may lead to an increase in the rate and amount of information students can learn.
If I was teaching in an ideal technology situation, I see using technology as a wonderful tool for learning. Since I teach first grade, I don’t think my students would be creating video games, but I would love to use computers as learning tools to teach the curriculum. Having computers for every student would mean endless options of teaching to each learner’s ability level and interest. Students would have access to word processing, spreadsheets and graphs. I found table 4.3 in the book to be interesting because it states that students have shown greater quantity of writing, fewer mechanical errors and a better attitude towards writing when using a word processing document.
Although many positive things can come from using technology all the time in the classroom, I think there are also some negative things that can come from such change. With young students, the teacher may spend more time teaching how to use a particular program rather than getting to the curricular learning objective. Also, since only 33% of students in low income households have computers at home (Prensky 2001) if learning is always taking place on the computer, students may have a difficult time applying their learning outside of the classroom if it is not in the same accessible context.
In general, I think that increased technology usage in all classrooms would provide numerous benefits, but I still think there needs to be a “paper and pencil” application to learning.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Teaching Interests and Instructional Topics
Being that this is my first post, I wanted to talk about some of my teaching interests and topics which I would like to integrate technology into. I teach first grade, so naturally I am interested in teaching reading. The students are so eager to learn about how different letter combinations make words and that those words have meaning. Reading is a skill that is used throughout your entire life, so I feel it is so important to help children become engaged readers from the very start. There are so many opportunites to incorporate reading into all curriculum areas, and the use of technology enhances the way in which teachers can teach reading. Today's children are so driven by technology and things that appear on screens, that it seems like a no-brainer to use their interests to support learning. There are so many websites and programs that can build reading skills. I would like to use some of those educational websites in my teaching practice. Each classroom in my school has an LCD projector that is connected to the teacher's computer. I find that using the projector to do even the most mundane task can make it more exciting and engaging. I use the LCD pretty regularly, but there are so many more opportunities to use the technology my district provides that I would hope this course helps me to recognize.
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