Insights and Reflections

            As I look back at my philosophies on learning that have been developed over the years, I realize that they are simply a work in progress.  That goes for the things that I learned during my undergraduate degree as well as those that I added in my current course.  A good quarterback will lead a team by giving a hundred percent on the field.  A good boss is one that has high expectations and leads his employees by example.  Similarly, a good teacher should lead their students by also being good learners.  Teaching is not a profession that has one blueprint to be followed until the year is over to produce a perfect outcome.  Each teacher brings their own thoughts and prior experiences to the table just as the students do and needs to use those experiences to try to make connections in the classroom. 

Teachers create cues and advanced organizers to help students make connections to previous knowledge in order to create a foundation in which students can build new understandings. (Pitler et al., 2007)  During week one of my current course, I reflected on my undergraduate degree and the learning theories that I most identified with.  My focus was on Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences and I cited pieces of technology that I used in my own classroom that supported his theories.  After learning more about the beneficial integration of technology in the classroom, I see now that some of the ways I have implemented technology in the classroom have been teacher centered and may not have had the desired results with respect to the learning outcomes I wanted students to experience. 

            I think the main change that I will make regarding my technology implementation in my classroom is to try to find ways for the students to learn from the technology.  My eyes have been opened to the fact that I use technology frequently in a lecture type of atmosphere so that the class is centered on what I am doing rather than what the students are learning.  After trying different projects, I have seen the positive results of proper use in the classroom.  There are two different tools that I plan to use in my classroom as a result of my new outlook on technology use.  The first is the Voicethread tool that I experienced during my bridging learning theory course.  This Internet based technology allowed my students to create their own version of vocabulary and kept their interest better than many of the other vocabulary techniques that I have used over the years.  The second is an idea that I have come up with on my own after reflecting on the different things that I have read over the duration of this course.  I recently purchased an iPad for my own personal use.  It has a program on it called iMovie and is basically a video editing program which is fairly easy to manipulate.  By allowing students to access the cameras that are built into the device,  they can create their own videos and mini documentaries that could engage them further and help them to develop a better understanding of certain areas of the curriculum.  Each person relates to new knowledge by actively constructing their own meaning based on prior experiences. (Laureate, 2011)  Students can use each of these tools to work in groups and create products that enhance their understanding and allows them to learn in new, more exciting ways.

When I decided to become a teacher, my decision was reached from a desire to help students learn and to connect with them in ways that I felt were being overlooked.  I have had teachers in my life that were very exciting and I have also had some that were incredibly ineffective.  Over the years I feel that I myself have become a little stagnant and perhaps have lost sight of my original intention.  After reflecting on my classroom and the techniques that I use to teach my students, I find myself wanting to accomplish two things in the coming year.  I would like to recapture my own desire to connect with students in a meaningful way and I would also like to find ways to use technology in the classroom so that students are excited about the content and are eager to become immersed in the learning process.  Each of these desires can be achieved by using technology in ways that are not just teacher centered.  Finding new tools, learning to use them myself, and then implementing them in the classroom are only a piece of the puzzle.  I feel it is equally important for me to be excited about the material and find ways to use my own experiences to enhance the lessons.  By finding new and exciting ways to learn, I will then be able to transfer that excitement to the students in my classroom and lead by example rather than to lead by lecture.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Social Learning, Voice Threads, and Technology

Jason Hoffman’s Voice Thread  www.voicethread.com/share/2299644/

The technology that is available today can be both a hindrance as well as a benefit.  Sometimes the only difference between the two depends on how and for what reason the technology is utilized.  Students today are immersed in technology.  They have video game systems that connect to the Internet.  The phones in their pocket can do as much as many home computers from any location.  Even the mp3 players that they use can do many things that were unheard of a short time ago.  These devices provide instant feedback in multiple formats and students have become accustomed to this steady flow of data and information.  Traditional methods of teaching such as lecture or worksheet teaching simply will not hold their interest. 

            Social learning has been a large part of how I have mastered concepts and ideas since I can remember.  It still is.  Whether it’s watching older boys jump their bike a certain way, buying clothing seen on a television ad, or bouncing ideas off colleagues at a staff development meeting, we all participate in some form of social learning.  Even little things, like following a crowd to the entrance of a ball game, are learned responses to observed behavior.  Most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action (Laureate Education, 2011). 

            Most educators and students alike are familiar with social networking tools such as Facebook, My Space, Twitter, and YouTube.  Countless hours are spent looking at what other people have done or created and then commenting on it or mimicking it.  Technology is already being used in people’s personal lives to exchange information, form ideas, and engage in ongoing conversations.  They may not always be positive, but they still fit the concept of social learning and connectivism.  With all this technology available in so many facets of society, it makes sense that the classroom should utilize some of the available tools to engage students in learning.  A simple tool like voice threads can enhance a lesson and help to make connections in learning that may not otherwise have been possible.  Students can collaborate and build on each other’s ideas to form a final product that is much more powerful than copying definitions onto paper.  In the voice thread linked above I experimented with some simple definitions since math vocabulary is sometimes difficult to develop interest in.  What I found was that students visited the site from home on their own, discussed it amongst themselves, and talked about it the next day without being prompted.  Integrating technology into lessons that are based on group collaboration and experience based learning not only allows students the chance to learn from each other, it builds a much stronger foundation of knowledge that may not have existed with a more traditional approach to teaching. 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program nine: Connectivism as a Learning Theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn