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/