Learning Statement Number 2

In these past two weeks we have been very busy, between learning to be part of an online learning community and learning about new online technology. So my second learning statement comes from the latter. I am learning to use, and evaluate emerging technologies. In the fall I hope to add to that learning statement and take those technologies into my practice, but for now I am learning to use them. This learning statement relates to capacity number 3: use, evaluate, and integrate existing and emerging technologies into your practice.

In terms of evidence on learning about new technology, I have added the links to my delicious account, my own reflections on the technology and I have signed up for some of the new technologies like Audio boxes. I have also explored styks.com an animation tool for creating stick figure animation. We have spend time each day on 'tech tapas', sharing with each other websites and tools that we have found. This has been incredibly useful. Most of the sites or tools my fellow colleagues used in their practice, and are sharing what they have found useful. We have also had the opportunity to evaluate education sites that may be useful especially if we are trying to find a colleague to connect to else where in the world. What a world of knowledge out there.

Project Based Learning Sounds good, but . . .

When learning and seeing it in action on the video it sound really good. I just wonder if it would work across the board. Introduction to Project Based Learning article has some very valid arguments for PBL; collaboration, tools and skills, performance-based assessment, authentic learning connected to real world issues. All good. As a elementary school teacher it would work, it is like across-curricular projects. Some of our curriculum lends itself well to this approach. I still worry about the time and the resources and different learning styles. Is this another band-aid approach to the education system - like moving from Phonemic Awareness to Whole Language learning? Is there one solution to upgrading the education system to make learning relevant to the 21st-century? The idea behind PBL is exciting to me as a teacher, I start thinking about what I teach and how I could do this and maybe have done this already, but do I want it to be mandated as the way we will now about teaching - no. And the reality is with the amount of curriculum we are suppose to cover I don’t see how this is possible. The article mentions “. . . making deliberate decisions about topics that you want to teach in depth versus topics that can be simple ‘covered.’” What about those students who need more time on some of those ‘simply covered’ topics - we want to shoot for excellence and mastery do we not?

Curriculum and Technology

“In short, the theory and practice of technology integration need to be inextricably connected to the process and products of curriculum development.” (Rethinking Technology in Schools, Domine, p.99)

You can’t separate them, the process and products of curriculum development and the integration of technology. They need to be linked. Especially in our education system which is curriculum driven. Technology isn’t suppose to be thrown in haphazardly, just to be able to say - “look I am using technology in my classroom!”, but it should be intentional and connected to the process and products of curriculum development.

What this means to me - in a nut shell - plan what I am going to teach first, what are my goals for my students, what do I want them to learn, what knowledge and skills do I want them to gain and then look at where technology can support this process of learning. Though I find that sometimes I get caught up in the ‘toys’, there are some very interesting technology tools out there which are fun to play with and introduce my students to it. But as our professor continually reminds us - Pedagogy first!

The irony of it all

This week in my course work I have been learning about online PLN's. For our portfolio at the end of these two courses we need to create learning statements. One of my learning statements is that I am learning to participate in and appreciate what it means to be part of an online Professional Learning Network (global network community). This relates to program capacity 5: assess, evaluate, use and participate in new media interactions in education. Up until this week I have not seen the value in going online, reading and commenting about what others say about education and technology. Or even putting ideas or questions out there to the education community. Don't get me wrong, what people have to say and put out there online is important there are some interesting opinions and theories out there, but I did not see how it would help me, or why I should spend time searching for them. I also didn't think I could contribute to it or had worth while ideas to share. Though I believe in being a life long learner, I did not see how spending time on the internet reading others opinions was useful. I realize this is very ironic. I am an educator, I tell my students to be open minded about learning, yet I have been very against things like twitter. But as I am 'forced' to try new things in this course and leave my comfort zone, I have been forced to confront my own assumptions once more and my own 'road blocks' to my own learning. We were encouraged to ask an online learning community about technology related to a specific curriculum goal, so I went on to Classroom 2.0 and put out a query, low and behold someone responded and gave me some great ideas. Where does this leave me - needing to re-evaluate my thoughts/assumptions on technology and education and learn to keep an open mind - make my technology box bigger.

Assessment - important or not

In my LTT course we have been discuss assessment in education and evaluating other peoples blogs/website and their opinions on assessment. I have to say I do not agree with Gary Stager in his statement that assessment is an interruption to learning. Assessment is there to inform both the teacher and the students about learning. Chris's statement of assessment as mentoring is powerful.

Assessment can be a powerful instructive tool for students. It becomes even more powerful with the students are involved in it in some way. Last year I had my class assess each others writing, I had them read another classmates essay, and assess whether the classmate had included the criteria I had set out at the beginning. I watched my students have 'ah ha' moments, and even before they were given their own essays back realize what they had missed. It was empowering for them and me.

Personal Learning Networks

Over the past two days we have been exploring Twitter and various websites that might support our own learning. I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed again about how much is out there. Just trying to find out 'who to follow' on Twitter is a job and a half. And then once you choose someone to follow they post websites that might be useful and then you find yourself checking those out, which inevitably leads me to another site and someone else to follow and more educational opinions to read about. As I said a bit overwhelming.

I find that trying to create my own personal learning network is harder or maybe easier than I expected. Finding relevant education sites and people to follow is easy - there are so many, but finding the time and patience to read through everything is hard, and then taking the time to process it and incorporate it into my own evolving educational beliefs. More and more I am seeing the value of creating a personal learning network, and hopefully I will soon feel brave enough to join the discussions. I have joined Classroom 2.0, and signed up to be apart of 'The Tomatosphere" Project, and think I will join the educators PLN. Collaboration is important, I encourage my students to work together. I need to do the same.

Knowledge . . . Education . . .Technology

Why content? Technology uses across the content areas? Across the grades? Our education system?



While I was reading Gilbert's article, Knowledge, the disciplines, and learning in the Digital Age, I kept thinking that if we could do it all over again . . . if we could recreate the educational system today what would the education system look like? Our educational system needs a change, it feels like we are so content driven that we lose sight of purpose of education. Content is important, but also the process of getting there, the skills, problem solving, social interaction, etc. Technology across the grades and content areas can be used to explore, manipulate, present, analyze the content in dynamic ways. Technology enhances the educational process and opens up the world. Gilbert says that knowledge is constructed collaboratively, what better way to do this than the the medium of technology.

The Program Capacities - My Goal

Capacity number 5: Access, evaluate, use and participate in new media interactions in education.

This is the hardest one for me to wrap my mind around and to stretch myself to do. It is going beyond my comfort zone to comment on someones blog or join in an eluminate session. I think that I have nothing worth while to contribute or say. Though I believe that the global perspective is important and I find it worth while to read other peoples articles, and comments and I will need to join in. If knowledge is built together through conversation, than I need to get involved.

A Goal for September 2010

From the ISTE standards one goal I have chosen to focus on this next semester is to advocate, model, and teach safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. For my teaching practice I believe this is an important part of the curriculum and an important skill for the students to learn. With the Internet everything is available at our finger tips, ‘just Google it’ is a common phrase in the classroom. Last year, with my grade 6 class, I tried to do a research project just using the books in the library. I had to relent when I realized that the library did not have the resources available. So the students need to learn to use the Internet appropriately - not just copy and paste and then change one or two words. Even though I teach this and proper note taking, with the use of the computer it is just to tempting to students to take short cuts - so I feel I need to be more proactive.