New technologies

New Technologies

It seems there are new technologies being introduced in the world of education almost every day.  Due to our recent Title 1 funding in our school we have had a new wave of technology programs and gadgets being delivered to our school.  Sometimes teachers are not thrilled with these new forms of technology because it means something else they have to learn and attend trainings to figure out.  The entire process can be really demanding and frustrating.  I have not had very many opportunities to present new technology to the other teachers in my school.  Recently all of my accommodation plans for my ESOL students have been placed online and are now done electronically.  Teachers have to log into the program and use pull down menus to fill in the different forms of instruction and accommodations they are using with the ESOL students in their classes.  It is an easy process that should take less than ten minutes to complete the entire form for their content area class.  Using this technology made the process much easier and no longer required the teacher to print out the forms and then get half a dozen signatures.  Despite a step-by-step training session and a detailed e-mail with screen shots demonstrating the process to use the technology, it was still met with resistance, multiple questions, and frustrations.  It seemed as if everyone was always forgetting a step or forgetting to click on the proper links.  Most of the teachers in the school just acted like it was something else they had to do.  They seemed to get frustrated really easily despite the fact that the technology was really easy to learn and was designed to make their lives better.  There were some teachers who even refused to use it at all.  It was met by frustration and somewhat of a helpless attitude.  Some people just refused to use it after it didn’t work the first time and just gave up easily.  There are many methods I could incorporate using Keller’s ARCS model to motivate the teachers in my school.  “Keller assumes that students or teachers motives together with their expectancies will influence the degree of attention and effort they will supply to a learning task.  Although effort then contributes to performance, so, obviously do the individual’s current abilities, skills, and knowledge” (Driscoll, 2005).  I would apply the four conditions of motivation to the situation: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.  The teacher in my school would need to be energized and motivated to use the technology in the school.  The best way to address the problem using the ARCS system would be to have another staff development session focusing on bringing the issue to the attention of the faculty by telling a funny story that ties into the technology.  Then I will explain the relevance of the technology because it is a state law and it requires that the teachers use the technology to complete the forms.  I will help the teacher build confidence with the program by showing them how to use the technology and then having them work in the lab and use the technology while I am there to help them.  Allowing the teachers to work in the labs individually to practice the technology will help them build confidence and be satisfied with the program.    

References

            

Driscoll, M. (2005).  Psychology of Learning for Instruction (3rd ed.).  Florida State University, FL: Pearson Education, Inc.

Connectivism

How has your network changed the way you learn?

My network has changed the way I learn in several different ways.  Each year I spend in the teaching profession my network grows a little bit by the end of the school year.  After teaching for 10 years in the same school district my network has gradually increased over the years and become quite large as indicated in my mind map.  My network provides me with new technologies, collaboration, and support when I need new information or help on a project.  Colleagues, friends, and family provide me with research, support, information and collaboration opportunities to try out new things in my classroom.  We can also collaborate to share new ideas and strategies that have been successfully used in other classrooms. Technology training, websites, and software are often share between colleagues through e-mail, meetings, or social gatherings.  My network provides me with more opportunities to learn through school, friends/family, and everything that can be found on the computer such as the internet, e-mail, and the various forms of technology.  Probably the biggest change in my network that has changed the way I learn is the speed of information that I can get regarding anything in the educational field. Information is literally at my finger tips that I can access from my phone or computer.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?

There are several digital tools that facilitate learning for me in the classroom.  Computers and any kind of electronics used for presentations would probably best facilitate learning for me.  Computers provide access to internet programs and websites that allow students to use hands on methods to learn new materials.  I tend to work better at meetings and trainings when the instructor uses a hands on approach taking step by step instructions and completing them using a computer program.  I also enjoy multimedia presentations that include sound and graphics to present new materials or ideas.  I also use Skype and Elluminate for collaboration with colleagues across the country.  Other types of digital tools such as document cameras and LCD projectors can also be beneficial to learners.

How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?

There are several ways I learn new knowledge when I have questions or do not understand new content material.  The first step I would use is to research this new topic or idea to see if I can answer my questions.  The majority of the time I like to answer my own questions and research the answers myself.  There are also times when I have to reach out to people in my support network to help me with my question.  For example, my friend is a local school technology coordinator in our district and I go to him whenever I need help or a recommendation for a good program to use in my classes.  I also have a wide network of friends and family that are in the profession that I can turn too if I need help with a question.

Module 3 Blog Post - Collaboration

I believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group.  However, some of them choose not to work in a group because they would rather work individually.  Working together collaboratively is a major part of education in today's society.  Collaboration between students as well as teachers can be extremely beneficial in the classroom and professional development settings.  Wikipedia is the result of people collaborating all over the world to correctly identify and define terms in an encyclopedia.  Through the use of the Internet people can use Wikipedia and other websites to discuss and post their thoughts for anybody to read.  Examples of collaboration can be found all throughout our society and not just in educational settings.  Business, sports, and politics also involve a heavy amount of collaboration among  the people involved.  Collaboration can be the most beneficial in an educational setting.  Some of the best professional developments I have attended all involved collaboration with my fellow teachers at some point.  Collaboration among teachers leads to the sharing of ideas and teaching strategies that will benefit the students in their classes.  Teachers can also share lesson ideas with each other including what works and what does not work in order to create the best lessons for their students.    

There are several ways technology can facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles.  Student interaction and problem solving skills can be supported by the world wide web. (http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/proceedings/agostinho/paper.html).  Wikis can be used for class discussions and opportunities for students to post feedback on other students' postings.  Programs such as Skype and Elluminate can be used for collaborative meetings to take with members participating from across the globe. Collaboration is an essential ingredient in the recipe to create an "effective learning environment" as it provides learners with the opportunity to discuss, argue, negotiate and reflect upon existing beliefs and knowledge. The learner is "involved in constructing knowledge through a process of discussion and interaction with learning peers and experts." (http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/proceedings/agostinho/paper.html).  Technology provides students and teachers with communication and opportunities to collaborate with each other in different parts of the country.  Discussion boards and blogs may also be used for students to post thoughts and ideas that can be viewed and commented on by other students.  Technology provides learners with the experiences and opportunities to collaborate and interact with each other.    

Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from  
http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/proceedings/agostinho/paper.html

9/25/13 Blog site responses

 http://cindyleelarochelle.wordpress.com http://understandinglearningtheory.blogspot.com/

Module 2

Cognitivism as a Learning Theory

Bill Kerr makes an excellent point in his first blog.  Learning theories just seem to be a bunch of _isms. Constructivism, behaviourism, cognitivism and connectivism are all learning theories that describe how students learn in an educational setting.  These theories can be confusing at times, but also extremely beneficial for students learning in the classroom.  In my undergraduate and graduate studies I have always read that these learning theories are essential to the learning process and development of students over a period of time.  Recently I have been made aware of new research that suggests that these learning theories are outdated and no longer necessary for students to be successful in the classroom.  Learning theories have always been there for teachers to hopefully incorporate into their planning sessions to meet the changing needs and learning styles of the students in their classes.  Cognitivism and behaviorism are both creditable learning theories that cover different ends of the spectrum.  Cognitivism focuses more on the development of the mind and how students learn and process the information.  Both of the discussions in the blogs seemed to be back and forth with comments for the theories and comments against the theories.  Personally I see benefits in both of the theories and find them to be helpful in the classroom.  There are some instances in the classroom when the behaviorist approach would be the most beneficial for my students to learn new material.  English Language Learners can learn well by applying behaviorist learning principles to my lessons in the classrooms.  They require daily interaction, practice, and reinforcement every time a new skill is mastered.  Cognitivism can also be used in the ELL classroom, but with more advanced ELLs who have to learn more difficult lessons and information.  Another issue to keep in mind is that these blogs were written several years ago and discussed on the Internet.  As the years have passed there have been multiple updates and research that has been conducted that has updated or changed the ideas behind these theories.  In some cases there may be studies out there that have proven that some of these theories no longer belong in education.    

References


Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational/

 Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3^rd ed.). Boston, MA: Peason Education

Module 1

What are your beliefs about how people learn best? What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?

I believe that students learn best in several different learning sceanarios.  Research has provided several examples of learning theories that describe the types of learners out there and how they learn best.  There are also several different learning syles that offer suggestions on how students learn the best.  Theselearning styles are based on periods of research and theories over several years.  The belief is that through learning styles such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles students can learn what is being taught in the classroom.  I believe that with good and effective engaging lessons that all students are capable of learning new material.  Teachers have the power and knowledge to create interesting lessons to challenge their students to learn new concepts and ideas.  Even if you take the various learning styles tests they provide you with three different learning styles that suit each learner.  Effective teachers create lessons that meet more than one of these learning styles allowing more and more students to learn the material.  There are several different purposes for learning theory in educational technology.  Educational technology can be the motivating factor brings about the changes in a student's performance.  "Theories of learning focus on and describe the process of learning." (Driscoll, 2005. p. 23).  Educational technology provides the tools of knowledge and accessories that allows learning to take place.  Technology provides students with task based instruction and opportunities for practice and positive reinforcement on major skills in all of the core subject areas.  For example USAtestprep provides students in Georgia with quizzes, tests, study guides, and games to prepare them for state testing.  This website provides standards based practice for everything in the curriculum for all of the students in Georgia.  According to Driscoll technology can be used to facilitate a learner's acquisition of a learning goal (Driscoll, 2005. p. 23).  

References

Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.