EDLD+5364+Teaching+with+Technology

= = = = = = =Final Reflections:= =__ 1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned? __= = I had hoped to learn how to use technology and integrate it into the curriculum, to teach our 21st century students in ways to motivate challenge and engage them. My goal was to learn about technology and to find ways to teach students; especially those who are struggling, to become interested in learning again. Being a math teacher, and seeing daily how the old way of teaching is very ineffective and leaves many kids behind, I am hoping to find ways to change this. With the use of technology, students can look at concepts in more concrete ways to understand the principles and ideas behind the problem situations. Students can get in groups to work together, brainstorm and collaborate and use technology like wiki’s, blogs, and other sources to create projects, research, and problem solve, and in the process learn so much more than they would with the typical paper and pencil worksheets. I do feel that I accomplished and learned a lot in this class, especially through the group project, but also through the wealth of information and resources the readings and videos provided. =

= = = __2. To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?__ = = I believe in the subject area I teach, which is mathematics, students could especially benefit from the incorporation of technology to bring interest, understanding and life to the mathematical concepts. Many kids are bored with math and feel they can not do it. Showing them different ways to look at this subject, to study and to learn by creating projects, doing hands on activities with the help of digital tools and media would not only eliminate the boredom most students feel, but also get the kids motivated and help the take pride and interest in what they are learning. However, with the ever present pressure of performing and achieving for the TAKS test, I feel there is not enough time and there are not enough Teks appropriate computer based materials in math that I and our district know about that we could implement to help our students advance. Through wikis, blogs, movie maker, etc., many projects can be created, yet schools need programs which line up with what the state requires them to teach, program that can be adjusted to the individual needs of students, including GT students, lower level students, yet also physically handicapped students. I wish TEA would take the initiative to move forward into this direction. =

= = = __3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?__ = = I believe looking at our group project, we were very successful and accomplished all we set out to do, and all my own assignments went good as well. My team members and I had worked together in the past on other projects in this degree program and somewhat know each other, our strength and weaknesses. In this aspect I feel all went well. After reading all the wealth of information in our assigned readings, looking at the UDL website and watching the videos, I was eager to research some of the websites and actually try some of the activities and resources with my TAKS math students to get a feeling of how I could incorporate technology to help them find a better understanding of this subject. Unfortunately, with all the workload from school, finishing up the first semester and worrying about final exam grades, and the workload of this college class, I was not able to do the research needed to find some math programs my kids can use. I am looking forward to finally having a little bit of a longer break between courses to do some research and spending some time looking at some of the websites that were listed in Web 2.0 and some of the other assigned readings. =

= __4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?__ = = I feel that I was very successful in completing all the assignments. I loved the class and felt that it was filled with information I can eventually use in the classroom. The individual assignments were not difficult to do, many readings, wiki reports and building a lesson through the UDL lesson builder. The UDL book builder is great! I can see how this is a tool that teachers and students could use to learn and create. The possibilities here are endless. Students can let their imagination run wild and create all types of projects. My little book was about my granddaughter and me, titled “Meagan and Nana.” It was fun creating it and I learned a lot about technology while doing it. The group project was challenging and a large project for our little group of three students. It took us a while to decide on a topic and the how and what to do. Once we knew what we wanted to do, the biggest challenge was over. All three of us decided to create our UDL lesson around our chosen topic, which was in the area of social studies. After that we were able to pull our lessons together and brainstorm on the appropriate technology activities we wanted to use to finally finish our project. It all came together like we hoped and I enjoyed working with my teammates. =

= = = __5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?__ = = I have to say, this has been one of my favorite courses so far. I feel that the information provided will be very useful for me and my students in the future. I love technology and I am eager to learn what I can do to help my kids do better in math. I was surprised to learn about the technology advances which already have been made in education and the actions that government has already taken to put technology in to school. However, I am sad that with all the initiatives taken, schools are still so far behind and our students are not having the benefits of being educated with all the new technological advances they should be, especially students who are academically struggling or physically handicapped. Looking at leadership skills, I believe all teachers must have them to guide their student’s through a successful school year. While working at our group project, at times all three of us stepped up and took leadership and initiatives to work together and do the best we could do to create a good assignment.tions: =

=Week 5 Thoughts and Reflections:=

Like usual, the readings were very informative, and filled with thoughtful information. Assessments in school need to be changed, along with the implementations of technology into the curriculum to make sure every student has the same opportunity and chance to show what he/she can do, in ways which are not hindered by basic paper and pencil tests which are usually just slightly modified, like even the state TAKS tests are. I love the quote out of the Web 2.0 book, stating: “After all, if you are integrating new tools, you do not want to assess these outcomes with old models - or to put it another way, you don’t want to put new wine in old bottles.” The way we assess our students now, fits the good old “teacher instructed” education, which must change to motivate our 21st century students. However, this is a slow process, and most school districts are not where they should be when it comes to using technology to teach our kids.

Effort is what most students do not realize shows progress and success. We need to show and teach the relationship between reinforcing personal effort and positive outcomes. I strongly believe in talking positive and giving students praise when they earn and deserve it. I know to often these kids come to school hearing things no one should have to listen to ever. I know my math students are smart, yet little self confidence and self esteem leads to bad grades. Many have the attitudes “why even try, I know I can’t do this, my parent were bad in math, and I am too.” This is just not true, and I wish parents would realize what they do to their kids when they tell them these things. I could see how showing effort and achievement spreadsheets, comparing students showing effort on homework, asking questions in class, studying, etc would be a wonderful tool, to not just incorporate technology and math both, but also to open some of these kids eyes to what they can accomplish.

= = =Week 4 Thoughts and Reflections:=

I was very interested to find out in this weeks reading how much effort our government has actually put forth to advancing our schools and students in the area of enriching education with technology. I did not realize our politicians had taken serious steps to try to advance American schools to compete with the rest of the global world, Sadly much of these efforts are not seen in many of the schools, which makes me wonder if the problem is administration, reluctant teachers and professional development or the availability of appropriate materials which can be used to incorporate technology.

Teaching math, for most students a rather boring subject, I have not been able to find much technology that I can use to teach the curriculum. I would love it if there were TEKS approved programs to help these kids learn the materials in different ways than me teaching them. Especially students struggling with the subject could benefit seeing math concepts in a more concrete manner with getting more immediate feedback to their answers. I see the benefit of the type of projects like we are creating as our assignments, yet in math, I could only see this type of activity as an end of school activity after the dreaded TAKS test is over. I know the kids would love it and benefit from it, especially the group activities. In modern work circumstances, more often then not work is established through group interaction. Students need to learn how to collaborate and interact with each other. There are so many benefits with technology incorporation, so where is the problem in most schools, why is it not happening, or am I just not patient enough.

Looking specifically at the subjects of math and also science, I believe educational software companies would profit substantially from creating programs suited for schools to engage our 21st century learner to be interested in. Our reading materials have listed a wealth of websites to investigate and research, which I will try to do as soon school work slows down slightly.

= = = = =Week 3 Thoughts and Reflections:=

Chapter 6 in the article of the “Universal Design for Learning” was very informative as were the readings and activities from the “Center for Applied Special Technology.” With time and research I see how the use of technology and good teaching methods could help every student to be successful, especially those who are struggling or physically or mentally challenged. For some of these students modern technological advances may be the only chance they have to become self supportive adults and make it in this demanding economy. Like the readings said, teachings needs to be done in multiple ways for all students to learn. What bothers me, is that with all the knowledge and technological advances our country has, schools are being left behind, and our students are still being taught the same way their parents were. As a teacher I feel helpless to be responsible to teach the TAKS materials, and at the same time know that there are so many better ways to do this, by incorporating appropriate technology and programs. The problem is finding these resources and getting administrative backup.

I loved reading all the information about using technology in mathematics in the two chapter books. “Web 2.0’ stated that “the possibilities of using Web 2.0 tools in studying mathematics are almost unlimited.” I guess I have a lot to learn. Time is defiantly an issue when teaching and at the same time going to school myself. In this book I read about several great ideas and websites I can research when I have a chance. One teacher created a wiki for her classrooms to collaborate on, which sounded like a great thought. I liked the idea of creating a challenge problem of the week, and letting the students discuss it on a wiki page. It would also be nice if the kids could create a community through the wiki to help each other on homework or other challenges.

Yet again, none of this helps my students learn math. I am looking for programs, games, etc., to teach, or reinforce the math concepts I teach. The book “Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works” talks about the importance of providing timely feedback, which is what computer programs generally do, and kids also love the games they play, and most important they learn. I am looking to find technology like that which I can use to show, demonstrate, and use to clarify math concepts to even my lowest students.

= = =Week 2 Thoughts and Reflections:=

The article readings for this week were very informative. I was surprised to read how much research has been done to look at the effects of technology on educations, on student achievement, especially at risk students and those with low socioeconomic backgrounds, students motivation, and self-esteem. Looking at all the research in the early years that has been conducted, it was amazing to read how even at that point in time the positive effects off technology in the classroom outweigh the negative ones by far. However, I do not understand that with all the research and the positive proof of incorporating technology into the curriculum, schools are still so far behind the times and teaching is mostly still traditionally teacher instructed. The world is changing, yet despite all the proof and research, our schools are not doing all they can to follow this change and educate students to be competitive with other countries like China and Japan.

I teach 7th grade math and I can tell on my students how bored they can get. We follow all the guidelines the state sets for our students to learn what they need to know to pass the TAKS test for their grade level. Many students will do great, yet they do math because they know this is part of their requirement and they must pass it. However few of them truly love the subject, since without some time and advances of the technologies this subject to most students is dry and boring. In addition, many students struggle to learn math. These students need more hands on teaching and alternative teaching methods provided with the help of technology, to relate to and understand the concepts of this subject. In the school I teach, with classes of twenty-four students, packed with students of all ability levels from Special Education to GT, without coordinated technology incorporation, this is vertually impossible. Schools need to change and move into the 21st century, yet I believe we are all afraid to make the move. How will all this affect TAKS. Ultimately changes need to come from the state, demanding technology incorporation, and school leaders need to take the initiatives and give the ok, to change the curriculum to incoorporate technology.

After reading “Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works”, I felt a little more comfortable about being able to incorporate technology on a regular basis into the school curriculum. Going through this graduate program I am a little worried to be able to guide teachers to do this part, if I myself am not exactly knowledgeable enough on how to do this. I want to learn the “how” and I want to be able to use this degree to teach other teachers how to teach students with the help of technology.

=Week 1 Thoughts and Reflections:=

Much of the weeks assigned readings were related to three learning theories and how they relate to teaching with technology. In the article Learning as a Personal Event: A brief introduction to Constructivism, the author describes this theory as “views learned as the product of experience and social discourse.” Learners have a basic knowledge and idea about a subject, and add to this through interactions and collaborations of gaining new knowledge. Connectivism in contrast connects knowledge to other various sources of other knowledge to form connections and build understanding to learn.

The Cyborg Theory attempts to connects the human nervous system with technology to upgrade humans to be superior and more educated. To change human evolution, Professor Kevin Warwick has been experimenting with implanting electrodes in his body to look at the affects of communicating telegraphically and frequency identification. The implications of this theory are scary. Looking at the medical benefits of helping humans in pain or finding solutions for illness by using electronic input or stimulation, I could possibly see the benefit. However, when I hear talk about implanting chips into the brain to download knowledge and education to avoid students from having to attend universities, or thinking in five or six dimensions which would eliminate talking, I become extremely scared. I love technology and I see all the benefits of it, yet at some point I do feel we are playing GOD. At what point do we cross a point from where we can not return?

The textbook readings were great, and I enjoyed them. My overall concern is that we are leaving our students behind by still being stuck in the wrong teaching era. With other countries movies so fast, the global economy and world market being so competitive, the U.S. is not moving fast enough to keep up with some of the other countries like China and Japan. Our children are “digital natives”, yet the teaching styles and what is being taught is still stuck in the wrong century. Why is the U.S. only in 20th place with universal broadband access? (Web 2.0) (pg. 12) With all the indications we have of this technological driven future, we need to start at the beginning by educating teachers to give our 21st century students the knowledge and education they truly need to survive and need to be competitive and successful in our global economy.