Teaching+with+Technology

Teaching with Technology [|course based reflection wek 2 teaching with technology.doc] The “Teaching with Technology” course was designed around the concept of group collaboration and using the strength of each member of a team to complete a group project utilizing universal design. "If educators work together to plan their instruction and simultaneously plan ways to evaluate throughout the unit, they will develop a wide variety of interesting models" (Solomon & Schrum, 2007, p.170). One of the tools we used was the CAST building site to help us understand universal design and the layout of a strong, student centered lesson plan. I was initially extremely concerned about the feasibility of a group of unknown people working together to come up with a common document. We used a number of tools such as Google Sites, Google Docs, and Skype to manage our group information and to develop and share ideas. Working collaboratively with a group was the most challenging part of the course, as we had to work with each other from a distance. I felt that time and schedule differences were the most difficult obstacles to overcome. I think if you are using this type of system at a school or in a district, the timeline is critical. It takes longer than sitting in one meeting all together because you have to wait for everyone to respond through the technology tool being utilized. On the other hand, it allows each participant time to gather their thoughts, put them down in coherent matter, and come up with, I believe, a richer and deeper final outcome. I would make the timeline long enough for responses, but short enough so that it doesn’t get pushed aside in the race to finish everything else each participant has on their own plate. For my own experience in the class, I was surprised at how well the project came together, and it was all due to technology. Standard V was addressed as I was able to experience tasks involving technology used to enhance productivity and professional practice (ISTE, 2001). The use of the shared Google Doc for brainstorming, the shared Google site, and Skype communication did make the task easier. This type of course work was exactly what we needed if we are to teach other teachers about technology applications. From the moment the group project was formed, I was worried that I would be the weakest link. Typically I like to work on a project alone because I like to feel “in control of the outcome.” However, I learned so much from the other members of the team that I have since become very excited at using this forum as a viable and beneficial learning and working tool.Readingabout learning communities and then actually working in a learning community made me a true believer of this type of learning experience. In fact, I created and used a wiki site for my students to use during one unit in my health class. Once the students understood the process, they were excited at the use of technology, something they always seem to yearn for given their status as technology natives, and their projects turned out much richer and with more depth of understanding than in prior years. “Activities in which students are taking an active role and sharing information with each other make for noisy classrooms. To an outsider, the classroom may appear to be in chaos. This does not mean that students are not leaning. Such activities are often more motivating and interesting to students because they are learner-focused and authentic"(Sprague & Dede, 1999). By all indications, this was true for our group collaboration experience as well, since we would be online for hours typing and chatting on Skype. Everyone was excited to share their ideas, and each idea seemed to flow to another and then another as we developed a final product. I found the experience to be, overall, very enjoyable and a nice change from working by myself on course work. By completing the embedded course assignments, I was able to practice Standard II which describes the job of technology facilitators and leaders as those who plan, design, and model effective learning experiences supported by technology (ISTE, 2001). I also learned that the way we have traditionally taught needs to change. Today, all schools are equipped with the basic technology to model this type of collaboration to their students. UDL principles regarding the three brain networks need to be addressed along with the implementation of technology to motivate and support individual student learning styles. As a result of completing EDLD 5364, I am using more collaborative learner-centered lesson plans, as noted above. I also found it was easier to adapt the projects to each student’s individual skills and needs to make the experience and learning more valuable to that person. The more that student feels the information is worthwhile to his/her life, the more likely the student is to learn and retain the information, which is, ultimately, the goal of every lesson. Educational technology is intended to improve the educational program from what it would be without technology. The only way that can happen is when we continue to explore quality research based instructional models for our classrooms and then implement those we find would be beneficial for our students and our teachers. I feel that inquiry and project-based approaches, combined with a focus on curriculum, will effectively support the infusion of educational technologies into the learning and teaching process. As a technology leader, I need to be a Constructivist if I want to be successful; I need to build on my prior knowledge and experience to formulate new and related learning experiences for my students and staff. At my school, we did, in fact, try a technology based professional development learning experience so our teachers could experience its rewards as I did through my class. Our teachers weren’t quite ready for a wiki site to go to yet, but we took a lesson design template in our department and shared it through email with everyone noting their comments. The teachers in my department found this very rewarding, and I hope to build on this foundation each year. When you use relevant elements of multiple learning theories, social structure, and technology you can create a powerful construct for learning in the 21st century (Perrin, 1995). My experience within EDLD 5364, has opened my mind to the need for today’s classroom to be student-centered; now I must keep researching and generating new meaningful lessons for my students. References International Society for Education. (2001). NETS for Technology Facilitators and Leaders. Available from [|www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTechnologyFacilitatorsandLeaders/Technology_Facilitation_Standards.htm] Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools.Eugene,OR: International Society for Technology in Education. Sprague, D. & Dede, C. (1999) Constuctivism in the classroom: If I teach this way, am I doing my job? //Learning and leading with technology. 27 (1).// International Society for Technology in Education. 6-17. Perrin, D. (1995) //The University of the Future//: USDLA Journal, Vol. 9. No. 2 ||
 * A. B. As campus professional development activity, create a wiki-based study group with 8 teachers leading and support teachers who analyze data related to student learning, create a lesson using Universal Design for Learning at the CAST Lesson Building at [] , create a sample electronic book to share with your learning team members. Lastly, add a team reflection to your Google site about the process of creating an electronic book. ||
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