As I look back on my learning experience during the Teaching with Technology class, I realized that there are so many tools that my students can benefit from. Each week the class offered readings that were beneficial to my development. During week 1, I was introduced to the theory of Constructivism. This theory “posits that students make sense of the world by synthesizing new experiences into what they have previously understood. They form rules through reflection in their interaction with objects and ideas.” (Sprague & Dede, 1999) I’ve seen this type of practice at my current district, so this article was relevant to me. During the summer, I plan on visiting with teachers who currently use this teaching style to discuss management techniques, assessment strategies, etc… During the week 2, I was introduced to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) program. This particular program interested me because of the ability to teach to students strengths using technology. Throughout the course this concept has been modeled each week in the video presentations. It was good to see live examples of this type of program; the only downside was that classes in the videos were small. I would like to see the UDL program modeled in a class with 30+ students, or in a core class. I also enjoyed the Project-Based Learning Concept. This type of learning allows students to look into real world problems and challenges while still meeting the needs of the curriculum. I believe this type of learning can be the most rewarding for students because it causes them to be actively engaged. “Because project-based learning is filled with active and engaged learning, it inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they’re studying. Research also indicates that students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning.” (Edutopia, 2009) The problem I have faced with textbook is readability. The level of the textbook language is above some of my students so they end up uninterested and unengaged. This is another reason project-based learning is a plus in the classroom. Another positive to project-based learning is the collaborative aspect. Students will get the chance to be active and discuss information in ways that are meaningful to them. “I believe every student can learn, every child can learn but where children have trouble is when you have only paper, and only pencil, then only certain types of children are going to succeed.” (Edutopia.org) This quote from Vicki Davis reinforces the need for a change from traditional to 21st century classroom settings so all students’ needs will be met. Educators need to present material in multiple formats so the educational experience is relevant and meaningful.
During this class I learned a lot of new information. Some of the information wasn’t new; I just didn’t know the technical name for it. I found the videos to be the most interesting for me because it was real. Sometimes I relate the readings to theory and I have difficulty picturing what the author is talking about, mainly because of my personal learning style. From experience, I already knew that collaborative learning has many positive effects on the learning process. My development will need to come in the areas of managing a collaborative classroom, lesson structure, and assessment. Even with that said, during this class I have experimented with providing more opportunities for collaboration in my class. My students seem to be more engaged, but I’m not sure if they are actually learning the content. I know they like working with the technology!
This class was one of the most challenging classes for me because I was unsure of the final product. Each week I would look at the videos first to get an idea of the topics that would be stressed for the week. Then I would read the assigned readings. Depending on the topic, I usually would discuss it with a co-worker who was the regions Teacher of the Year. I did this to see what he thought on a particular subject and if would work at our school with the available resources. This particular class was structured around group work and collaboration among the members. I enjoyed this aspect of the class because I had a chance to share ideas with educators from different backgrounds. We met weekly to discuss the assignment for the week and to come up with strategies that best fit our strengths. Personally, I am a kinesthetic and visual learner. Any issues I had with the assignment, I would find a co-worker who had experience in the area and discuss the topic with them. I needed the face to face communication along with information I could have in my hands to use or experiment with. Because I was unsure of the final product, I was not as confident in what I would present weekly. My group members were unsure too. I believe we were looking for a definite model to guide us through the process. Once we decided on a format, we stuck to it. Anytime a member found information that could help either one of us, it was posted to our team wiki site and emailed to every group member. We also utilized Skype weekly, this helped because we could match a name to a face and it created a team bond. Without the team collaboration, this project would’ve been very difficult.
The format of this class really reinforced my learning style. I learn best when I have the opportunity to communicate with people and do work on my own. Plus if the opportunity presents itself, I need to be able to physically do the work. Because of my personality, I do need considerable time to be alone and to make sure I am completely comfortable with the group I am working with. For future references, a resource like Skype would be good because I can match a name with a face. I also have an opportunity to talk with people about others topics besides class. Before this class, I was familiar with Skype but I never used it. My team members suggested using it and it turned out to be a good thing. I know I will be using this resource in the future, regardless if it for class. This was the first group project I have done in 20+ years, I’m not sure I even did a group project in high school. Prior to this project, I was skeptical of group projects because everyone has to be on the same page and committed to the successful completion of the project. As a teacher, I have seen this fail many times and I didn’t want to be in that position. Since this project experience was positive, I am more apt to participate in a group project in the future. As I look ahead, the big question I have with collaboration is “how do you make it work with large classes? and “how do you make this work if students don’t have internet access at home?” I am going to try to offer more opportunities for collaboration but I don’t want to spend excess time teaching the technology, if it is going to hinder their knowledge of content. In the end, they are going to get tested on content.
References
Sprague, D & Dede, C., 1999, If I teach this way, Am I doing my job: Constructivism in the classroom, Leading and Learning with Technology, Volume 27 (1), pg 7
Edutopia.org (nd), Project Learning: An Overview. Retrieved on March 25, 2011 from http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction
Edutopia.org (nd), Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts. Retrieved on March 25, 2011 from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-teachers-vicki-davis-video
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