EDLD 5364- Week 5 Reflection on Teaching with Technology

This weeks reflection upon teaching with technology have widen my knowledge about the future of education.

Videos

First of all, this weeks videos focused on the “big thinkers” about their perspective on digital media, ethics, and parental involvement. James Paul Gee, an Arizona State University Professor, explained in his video how he sees a bright future for video games in the learning process, in and out of school. Howard Gardner, founder of multiple-intelligences theory, discussed the challenges ethics, and education face as face as digital media becomes more prevalent. He emphasized that there are five ethical senses: identity, privacy, ownership-authorship, trustworthiness, and credibility. Sasha Barab, a Professon of learning sciences at Indiana University, explains how new-media literacy are creating new opportunities for student participation. Barab big thinking is that “it’s not the kids who are the problem, it’s the way we are thinking about school.” He emphasized the importance of starting to appreciate the power that game has to offer in order to engage students in what interests them, and to use failure as a motivator. The Vision for Technology in K-12 Education was a great short video that had many “What if…” questions. Questions and concerns that would lead to a 21^st century learning and teaching environment. Lastly, the video A Vision for the 21^st century Learning emphasized on our our world, our education system in the 21^st century is built asa mass standardization response to the industrial revolution at the turn of the 20^th century. Our world today consists of digital technology, constant networking, instant gratification, global conectiveness, different stimuli than previous generation. The key idea of this video, for me, was that global awareness and technology are critical to ensuring our children are prepared for the 21^st century work environment. Overall in the 21^st century classroom teachers serve as coaches/mentors and students are empowered, and ultimately learning will take place. It is a time to have a vision, and hope, and to make things happen!

Readings

In this weeks readings we read the Pitler text, were he shares his ideas on how significant it could be to lead students to deeper understanding and relection through explicit direct instruction that accommodates all diverse learners. He emphasized the importance that it is for students to receive explicit direction in identifying similarities and differences. Pitler gave a wide array of example of how to guide our students in this way of thinking, he recommened that students use comparing, classifying, metaphors, and analogies. With the 21^st century resources that we have, it is easy for teachers to model and use a variety of graphic organizers and visual tools that would engage students in the learning process. In addition, these technology resources can be applied to help enable learning and reflection. Another great emphasize in Pitler’s text for this week was to guide students through the use of technology to facilitate learning, so that they can acquire higher order thinking skills. In the Solomon & Schrum text the emphasize was in how technology offers an array of possibilities for authentic assessments. Solomon’s & Schrum’s explanation, supported what the “big thinkers” explained within this weeks videos. In this text, it was explained that when students are engaged in solving worthy problems or questions of importance in a collaboration environment, it’s a natural fit to share the rsults and refelction with an authentic audience for feedback and presentation. With the ease of the many Web 2.0 resources that are readily available for student use, it empowers students to create, collaborate, present, and gain feedback about what they’ved learned. Overall, teaching with technology continues to gain way in the educational field and we are becoming more and more virtual. We are creating classrooms that stress the ability to solve problems collaborately and innovate.

Work Cited

Big Thinkers: James Paul Gee on Grading With Games

Citation: Edutopia.org (nd). Big thinkers: James Paul Gee on grading with games. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-james-gee-video

Big Thinkers: Howard Gardner on Digital Youth

Citation: Edutopia.org (nd). Big Thinkers: Howard Gardner on Digital Youth. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-howard-gardner-video

Big Thinkers: Sasha Barab on New-Media Engagement

Citation: Edutopia.org. (nd). Big Thinkers: Sasha Barab on New-Media Engagement. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-sasha-barab-video

Vision for Technology in K-12 Education

Citation: Youtube.com (nd). Vision for Technology in K-12 Education. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhoOG5Kf1w4
 

Citation: Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 155-164.

Citation: Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 168-176.    

EDLD 5364- Week 4 Reflection on Learning

Videos Reflection
 

This week’s videos were very impressive and inspiring! The best part of the videos was having the opportunity to see “real teachers” teaching and learning alongside “real students”. The creativity that students portrayed was amazing; they were all engaged and interested in learning. In addition, having a principal/CEO like Larry Rosenstock from High Tech High would just be ideal for the 21^st century school. These real live classrooms are a great example of what Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University Professor, explained were the key to successful schools. They are all forming social and emotional learning, which is a crucial part of teaching. Schools need to be places where strong relationships are formed. They need to be a place where students are engaged in working in collaborative groups, on hard problems that require creative solutions. It is by natural instinct that we collaborate with others and seek solutions to our own problems. It is by natural instinct to learn through this particular method, therefore we should create “Project-Based Learning.” Which would transform the educational system by putting students at the center of the learning, and only then, will they be engaged, focused, challenged, and determined to do their best. As teachers we need to put students in the position where they will use the knowledge they acquire. We have the resources, the technology to enhance teaching and learning. According to Project Learning, Project-Based Learning is the path to knowledge in the 21^st century, it is about learning through developing interest. The videos also emphasized the importance of creating a respectful environment, where we are integrating schools and the community.

Readings Reflection

In this week’s readings, Pitler stressed the importance of implementing learning activities that supported cooperative learning strategies. When students work in groups, they make teaching and learning connections with each other. They make construct meaning of the new knowledge by interacting with each other. The real world requires “people” to work cooperatively, and our readings explained the same concept with our students. Students must be able to learn and produce content cooperatively. If we teach with technology we are helping, our students acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to work with others (collaboration) and willingly help and support each other (cooperatively). Through the readings, it was also emphasized that teachers need to provide opportunities for students to work jointly in a virtual environment.

McRel Technology Initiative (MTI) Program was introduced in this week’s readings; it is a program that addressed the issue that schools lacked the appropriate technological guidance, resources, and professional development programs to support them in becoming high-performing learning systems. MTI created and tested a comprehensive, research-based model of professional development that helps teachers integrate technology into their classroom instruction and ultimately, helps students achieve challenging content standards. By reading about the program and implementing various strategies or components with teachers and students, I believe that technology leaders, students, faculty, and teachers would benefit from an intervention program that would help in identifying the curriculum and technology integration needs. It would also help in designing a plan that will lead towards successful outcomes.

In the Pitler text, I learned that it was important for students to engage in cooperative learning activities because it facilitates group collaboration, provides structure for groups, and students are learning and teaching each other.

Solomon and Schrum explained in Web 2.0 that technology leaders should support professional development for teachers in the use of Web 2.0 tools by creating effective programs, preservice learning, building communities of practice, technology literacy training, and professional development and web 2.0 tools.

In the Rose and Meyer text I was amazed at how various media types and the UDL framework support improvement in the evaluation/assessment process. Specially were the text explained that “digital tools and media make it possible to design ongoing assessments that support individual differences in recognition, strategic, and affective networks, giving us a more accurate measure of students' achievement in relation to the learning goal.” By providing students with the digital tools and media, we are providing learning and teaching opportunities at their individual level of comprehension. In conclusion, the Rose Meyer text emphasized that teachers should provide Flexibility in Presentation, Flexibility in Expression and Strategic Supports, and Flexibility in Engagement in order to obtain the most accurate and most informative ongoing assessments.

Work Cited

Videos

Edutopia.org (December 10, 2007). The Collaborative Classroom: An Interview with Linda Darling-Hammond. Filmed at the CASEL forum in New York City. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/linda-darling-hammond-sel-video

 

Edutopia.org (nd). Project Learning: An Overview. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-overview

 

Edutopia.org. (nd). Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-teachers-vicki-davis

Edutopia.org (nd). High Tech High Taking the Lead: An Interview with Larry Rosenstock. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age-technology-larry-rosenstock-video

Edutopia (nd). Team Teaching: Two Teachers, Three Subjects, One Project. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age-technology-blood-bank-video

Readings

Pitler, H. (2005). McRel technology initiative: The development of a technology intervention program final report (Contract Number ED-01-CO-0006). Aurora, CO: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED486685)

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 139-154.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 99 – 116.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Chapter 7. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/

EDLD 5364 Week 3 Reflection on Learning

Overall, this week was a very intense week with the readings, videos, and all the work and collaboration that took place within our teams Google doc and Google site.   The videos were very interesting and inspiring; they also provided guidance to planning with the use of technology. The videos from edutopia.org emphasized on how our students now days are the “Digital Generation.” Technology for these students is more than just a tool; it is a frame for their world’s vision. With technology, students are hyper-connected and engaged in self-directed learning to create, explore, compose and express. Two great examples of this were seen in the videos that showed Luis the 18-year-old student from Oregon, and Cameron an 11-year-old student from Indiana. Both showed a great interest and knowledge with technology and were great at problem solving. Another key piece of information given in the videos was the Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom, which I felt adamant about and glad that I am using most of them within my own classroom.   Within the reading lots of great information was explained. Overall, for this week in particular the readings explained the goal of the UDL, which is to provide every student customized and responsive experience. In order to do that, teachers must design an instruction to support recognition of learning, strategic learning, and affective learning. Universal Design Learning gives a learning opportunity for all it supports and challenges learning. The UDL principles were also important in order to develop my own UDL lesson; they included representation, action/expression, and engagement. In the readings, Pitler gave us four planning questions, which were helpful throughout this week’s assignments. He explained that the lesson should always begin with these four questions in mind: 1) What will students learn? 2) Which strategies will provide evidence of student learning? 3) Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate learning? 4) Which strategies will help students, practice, review, and apply learning? Finally, Solomon & Schrum provided great examples of how to integrate classroom applications using the tools for learning and with teaching content.   Work Cited   Videos   Edutopia.org (nd). Welcome to the Digital Generation. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-project-overview-video   Edutopia.org (nd). Digital Youth Portrait -- Luis. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-luis-video   Edutopia.org (nd). Digital Youth Portrait -- Cameron. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-cameron-video   Schooltube.com (nd). Kansas Technology Rich Classrooms – Partnership for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved from http://www.schooltube.com/video/36743/Kansas-Technology-Rich-Classrooms--Partnership-for-21st-Century-Learning-Summit-Video#   Boxoftricks.net (nd). Top 10 Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiisteObuhk   Reading   Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Chapter 6. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/   Cast.org (2009). Cast UDL book builder. Center for Applied Special Technology. Retrieved from http://bookbuilder.cast.org   Cast.org (2009). Model UDL lessons. Center for Applied Special Technology. Retrieved from http://udlselfcheck.cast.org/   Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 77-98.   Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 41-58, 217-225.

EDLD 5364- UDL Lesson Builder & Reflection

CAST’s UDL LESSON BUILDER

Lesson Overview

Title:	Romeo and Juliet for a Digital Age
Author:	Martha Martinez Adapted from National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Subject:	English I
Grade Level(s):	9th
Duration:	Five-50 minute sessions
Subject Area:	Literature
Unit Description:	This lesson invites students to use their understanding of modern experiences with digital technologies to make active meaning of an older text, such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, by asking students to create their own modern interpretation of specific events from the drama. Students first brainstorm a list of technologies they use, and then imagine what would happen if Romeo and Juliet were set in a modern-day world and that technology was available to the characters. Students work in small groups to create technology profiles for characters in the play, and then discuss their ideas with the class. Next, students select from a variety of projects in which they re-imagine a scene from the play with modern technology incorporated. Finally, students share their projects with the class and discuss why they made the choices of scene and technology that they did.
Lesson Description for Day:	Session One 1.      Explain that you are about to begin an exploration of digital technology. 2.      Ask students to brainstorm a list of technologies that they use, see, or know about in their notebooks, in order to give students a few minutes to gather their thoughts. 3.      After everyone has collected a short list of ideas, invite students to share the technologies and write all the responses on the board, chart paper, or an overhead. This list will be used as a resource for students' projects, so be sure to save it for use in later sessions. 4.      If students begin running out of suggestions, encourage them to think about the technology available in specific locations and situations, such as the following: What technology do you o   Have in your backpack or locker? o   See in the classroom and locations in the school? o   See in the workplace (yours, a family member's, or someone else's)? o   See on your way from home to school, in the mall or grocery store? 5.      After you have collected a list of terms, be sure that students can define or provide examples of all the technologies that have been listed. The simplest option is to review the list and ask a student volunteer to explain and provide examples. The process should involve most of the students in the class. 6.      As students generate details and explore the technologies, encourage them to make connections to the ways that humans are involved with the technologies. Establish that no matter how efficient technology becomes, its use requires humans who can write, speak, read, listen, and understand. 7.      Return to the text that the class is exploring (in this lesson, Romeo and Juliet). 8.      Ask students to imagine what would happen if the play were set in a modern-day world and technology was available to the characters. 9.      Students might free write for several minutes to gather their ideas and then discuss them with the class. 10.  After several minutes of discussion, arrange students in small groups and assign each group a character from the play, using as many of the following as possible: Montague, Capulet, Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, Friar Laurence, the Apothecary, Lady Montague, Lady Capulet, Juliet, Juliet's Nurse. Include additional characters as desired. You might assign each group one primary character and one secondary character to cover all the characters in the play. If the remaining class time is short, concentrate on covering only the primary characters from the text. 11.  With group members, ask students to create a technology profile for the character(s) they have been assigned. 12.  If students need an example, choose a minor character and work through the questions for that character. For instance, the apothecary would probably be a pharmacist in a modern drugstore. He probably uses a wide range of technology in his daily work. Ask students to brainstorm a list of technologies that the pharmacist might work with and work from there as a class to create an example profile as a model for the group work. 13.  Once you're certain that students understand the process, ask them to work in their groups to profile the characters that they have been assigned. 14.  Ask students to prepare their profiles to present to the class. If desired, hand out chart paper and markers for students to gather their profile details on; or ask students to write their details on a section of the board. 15.  Provide feedback and assistance as students work. 16.  Once groups have completed their profiles, gather the class and ask each group to present the profile for their characters. If possible, post the information in the classroom so that students can return to the profiles during later sessions. 17.  For homework, ask students to reflect on the technology profiles in their journals. If you prefer giving students a prompt for their journal entry, ask them to respond to the following questions: "What surprised you the most about the modern-day interpretations of the characters from Romeo and Juliet? Why? Share any observations that you made as other groups in class shared their characters' profiles. Be sure to indicate whether you agreed with their profile, and reflect on any details that you would have changed if you were profiling the characters."
State Standards:	NCTE/IRA NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience. 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound–letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics). 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts. 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

 Goals

Unit Goals:	Students will: 1.    Explore the literary elements of character, conflict, resolution, and setting. 2.    Analyze a piece of fiction for highlights and significant passages. 3.      Compose original reactions to text. 4.      Participate in active learning, taking the responsibility for making meaning of text.
Lesson Goals:	As students generate details and explore the technologies, they will make connections to the ways that humans are involved with the technologies. Establish that no matter how efficient technology becomes, its use requires humans who can write, speak, read, listen, and understand.

Methods

Anticipatory Set:		1.      Students should have completed reading and discussing Romeo and Juliet before this activity takes place. 2.      Make copies of the Character Technology Profile Questions, Modern-Day Interpretation Projects, and the Rubric for Modern-Day Interpretation Projects for students, or make overhead transparencies to share the information with students. 3.      If desired, complete the ReadWriteThink lesson Paying Attention to Technology: Writing Technology Autobiographies prior to your unit on Romeo and Juliet to expand students' awareness of the technologies in the world around them. 4.      Review the List of Technologies to familiarize yourself with the possible items. Students will brainstorm their own list in Session One, so this list is available only to help you predict students' responses and enable you to encourage them to include a wide-range of digital tools. 5.      Review the available Web-based resources suggested in the Website section to ensure which pages to share with students. 6.      Test the ReadWriteThink Printing Press, Persuasion Map, ReadWriteThink Webbing Tool, Drama Map, and/or Letter Generator on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tools and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.
	Introduce and Model New Knowledge:	Explain that you are about to begin an exploration of digital technology. Ask students to brainstorm a list of technologies that they use, see, or know about in their notebooks, in order to give students a few minutes to gather their thoughts.
	Provide Guided Practice:	Character Technology Profile Questions Imagine that the characters that your group has been assigned live in the modern-day world, just as you do. Assess the characters’ understanding and interaction with technology based on what you know about the character and your knowledge of the available technology resources in the world today. As you work, answer the following questions: What kinds of technology do the character own? Does the character know how to use items or does he/she need help to use it? What kinds of technology does the character use that he/she doesn’t own (for instance, a computer at the library)? How often does the character interact with technology? What does he/she use the technology for? How does the character feel about technology—comfortable? uneasy? skeptical? appreciative? optimistic? etc. Why does the character feel as he or she does? What is the character’s biggest fear about technology, and why? What technology item (for example, an iPod, a laptop, a cell phone) does the character like the most, and why? Does the character own the technology?   Add any other details about the character’s interaction with technologies that you wish.   Be prepared to share your profile with the class.
	Provide Independent Practice:	For homework, ask students to reflect on the technology profiles in their journals. If you prefer giving students a prompt for their journal entry, ask them to respond to the following questions: "What surprised you the most about the modern-day interpretations of the characters from Romeo and Juliet? Why? Share any observations that you made as other groups in class shared their characters' profiles. Be sure to indicate whether you agreed with their profile, and reflect on any details that you would have changed if you were profiling the characters."

Assessment

Formative/Ongoing Assessment:	Focus on observation and anecdotal note taking as students work on their projects to provide ongoing assessment of their progress. Use the Rubric for Modern-Day Interpretation Projects to assess the electronic scrapbook and the oral presentation.
Summative/End Of Lesson Assessment:	Ask students to prepare their profiles to present to the class. If desired, hand out chart paper and markers for students to gather their profile details on; or ask students to write their details on a section of the board.

 

Materials

Computers with internet access

Romeo and Juliet textbook

Student Journals

 

Having the UDL Lesson Builder template available for our Universal Design for Learning made it easy and convenient to complete a lesson. In my UDL Lesson students will use their understanding of modern experiences with digital technologies to make active meaning of an older text, such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, by asking students to create their own modern interpretation of specific events from the drama. The lesson builder helped me stay focused on each particular objective. The layout is easy to follow and it makes it easy enough for other teachers/substitute teachers to use. I also liked how the lesson builder divided the lesson into sections: lesson overview, goals, methods, assessments, and materials. Each section of the lesson engages students in a variety of activities that encourages them to integrate technology into their research. The lesson also gives students the opportunity to explore, express and create in a small group setting. Overall, I would recommend the UDL Lesson Builder template for any lesson.

 

EDLD 5364- Week 3 UDL E-Boook Builder Reflection

This was my first experience working with E-Book Builder. I created a four page book about Shakespeare titled, "If You Give Shakespeare a Pen". I based my story on one of my favorite children's literature book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff. I liked the concept of the cause and effect that I followed in my E-Book, the web site (Book Builder) was somewhat user friendly for me. But I could foresee how my students (7th grade) would be confused because the process was a bit challenging at first. Once I began making my E-Book, it was great to be able to use the site in a creative way. I like that the site offers lots of choices for the layout and text. I specially liked that each text box or picture box has a reference for a source, it is important that students understand the concept of giving credit to the original source. Overall, I think I would use this E-Book Builder with my students to spark some interest in writing with the use of technology.

 

~Martha Martinez

 

Access to my E-Book here: "If You Give Shakespeare a Pen" by Martha Martinez

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=65244&page=1

Site Reference: Cast UDL Book Builder http://bookbuilder.cast.org/