Cooperative Learning

In some of my business education courses I use cooperative learning which “focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 139). I often tell my students that they could be the smartest person in the world but if they cannot work cooperatively with others they do not stand a very good chance of being successful in the business world. Almost every job out there requires people to work together. “To be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today’s students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 139).

I often use informal cooperative learning where I have students, think, pair and share. I will pose a question, students will think of an answer, they will turn to the person next to them and discuss their answers and then I ask a few students to share out with the class as a whole. This often allows students to get different perspectives on the issue.

I have students teach each other mini-lessons in my Business Law class. I use this strategy because students have to work together, be creative, and still cover their assigned content. Students are free to make their presentations any way they choose but I do not allow them to use PowerPoint. Many students just fill the slides with information, read directly off the slides, and they go too fast for any content to be absorbed by the listeners. Some examples students have used instead of PowerPoint are Publisher (to create pamphlets), gameboards, podcasts, and dioramas. In the future I will be excited to show students VoiceThread and all the possibilities it entails.

The one instructional technology tool that I would like to experiment with is Moodle. My district has tight regulations on websites visited by students. Because of these restrictions and rules I cannot create a class wiki or blog. I will be very interested to see if Moodle will allow me to use these other tools and if it is more user-friendly then our district websites we created long ago. Does anyone have experience with Moodle that is willing to share the ups and downs?

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

Voicethread!!

I am very excited to use this new technology. I think it could and should be the next best thing in educational technology. I started by going to VoiceThread and browsing all of the VoiceThreads out there. This is one technology that really can be used with any age level! Here is a VoiceThread that I created for my accounting students. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

http://voicethread.com/?#u1330905.b1376001.i7294756

Constructionist/Constructivist Learning Theory

In this week’s Learning Resources I learned about the Constructionist theory which closely relates to the Constructivist Learning theory. Constructionism, “requires the learners to construct artifacts reflecting their acquisition of knowledge” (Orey, 2001, p. 5). One element of Constructionism is Learning by Design (LBD). “Learning by Design strongly suggests that tasks should be based on hands-on experience in real-world contexts” (Orey, 2001, p. 6). Luckily in most of my Business Education classes students can see how the concepts and ideas learned directly relate to the real-world. I try to make the content as relevant to their personal lives as possible.

This week I viewed the website VoiceThreads (http://voicethread.com/) where building artifacts can be collaborative, interactive, and interesting. I foresee myself being able to act as a guide on the side while my students create lasting artifacts and are actively engaged in learning. As we begin our journey with VoiceThreads I am growing excited with anticipation on what students will be able to create. At the end of the semester I would like to see students look back at their first VoiceThread and reflect upon all they have learned.

In both Constructionism and Constructivism learners are actively constructing meaning for themselves, but Constructionism is, “a theory of learning that states people learn best when they build an external artifact; something they can share with others” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). I often ask my children to create projects and artifacts. In the future I would like to utilize educational technologies to allow my students to create the same artifacts and projects but through the use of technology. I believe learners will much more excited to tackle a project when they can use the computer and really ‘wow’ their audience with the results!

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories. [Motion Picture]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Behaviorist Learning Theory – Is there a place for it?

According to Dr. Orey, behaviorism is used every day (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). I know I use it with my own children, with my students and with other adults. This week I viewed specific strategies that correlate with behaviorist learning theory. The first strategy was reinforcing effort. As I looked at a rubric from our text that allowed students to grade their own effort I was impressed. Often my students wonder why they did poorly on an assessment and their resulting answer is some reason beyond their control. When I sit down with them to discuss how much effort they put into the homework they begin to realize they did not sufficiently prepare in order to be successful on the assessment. I plan to implement this rubric hoping my students will be able to honestly grade themselves and chart their effort on homework with the resulting score on an assessment. “The instructional strategy of reinforcing effort enhances students’ understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 155).

The second strategy I reviewed related to homework and practice. “As an extension of the classroom, homework provides opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of the content and to gain proficiency with their skills” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 187). Behaviorism is related to observing and measuring human behavior. There is almost always a direct correlation to amount of time spent on homework and assessment scores. Retention rates of information are much higher when delivered in multiple ways. Students that hear information in class once and never visit it again will lose that information quickly. I often use educational technology intertwined with homework practice. For example, in my Computer Applications class students are asked to play one of the interactive games at home as part of their homework assignment. The games are modeled after famous game shows such as Wheel of Fortune and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The textbooks are kept in the classroom and the games are often asking for definitions. The students come back to class with lists of words they want to look up to achieve mastery on the game. Mastery is not required; the students find the games, relevant, fun and engaging. The point is that the students want to do well, they are enjoying their homework and doing more than is actually required.

In my high school, academic rigor is expected. Students will often spend 4-6 hours after school completing homework assignments. I find this amount to be beyond excessive, is anyone in a similar situation? What do you think is a reasonable amount of homework every night for high school students?

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Behaviorist Learning Theory. [Motion Picture]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

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

New Mind Set: Reflection

• In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?

This course has allowed me to experiment with new technologies available in Web 2.0 that I was either unaware of or did not know how to use. I find myself thinking about which lessons I can implement a blog, a wiki, or a podcast. The course gave me cross-disciplinary examples that I was able to share with the staff in my building. I was also able to reflect on my shortcomings and recognize ways that I can further develop my technology skills.

• In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?

I have deepened my knowledge of teaching by realizing that the traditional way of lecture and text is not going to work as sufficiently as other methodologies. Todays students learn in a faster-paced environment. The read/write web should be utilized as much as possible for acquiring information and teachers must be accountable for teaching students how to differentiate between reliable and unreliable sources. I have learned that the majority of my students are Digital Natives. The more I can tap into this new information and integrate technology into my classroom the better prepared my students will be for the work environment and culture that awaits them!

• In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?

I have only been teaching for seven years. When I went through college the learner-centered theories were just being introduced. Therefore, I keep my lectures to a minimum. I find out what the students already know and move on from there. I know that I can maintain their attention in a lecture for about 10 minutes so I keep my lessons short. Because I teach Career and Tech. Ed. the majority of my classes utilize project-based learning.

• In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?

I can continue to follow the various websites I have found that are dedicated to technology education. I have set up an iGoogle page with RSS feeds for the sites I find valuable. I found when I integrated a podcast as a final project for one of my classes that nearly all of my students were excited and wanted to start right away. I sat down in an informal manner with quite a few students to reflect and see how we could do it better the next time. One of my students had a great idea and when I praised his thinking you could see the sense of pride. I value the information and knowledge that my students come into the classroom with and I enjoy letting them teach me new things!

• Set two long-term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?/

1. My first goal is to have Audacity placed on each student computer in my room and to get quality headsets for each student. Obstacles: I have to get permission to add any programs onto the computers first from my department head, then the principal and finally the technology installer at the district level (a.k.a. a ton of jumping hoops). The other issue is finding the money for the headsets. I have a large budget but I think I may ask for grant money from the PTSA at our school.

2. My second goal is to convince my principal and the district administrators to allow me to create a class wiki for my Business Law class. Obstacles: The culture of no in my school. One administrator in particular is unfamiliar with most new technology therefore the unknown is frightening. Instead of trusting in the staff to make knowledgeable decisions she just says no. I am going to not let this discourage me. I am going to keep going back to her and asking again and again. I will show her the readings and data that I have accessed through my Master's classes to document how this will increase student achievement.

• Refer to the checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course?

When I referred back to the checklist from Week 1 many of my answers were that I integrated technology in the classroom often. One area I did improve on was -Promote the development of leadership and technology skills in my students and colleagues. I initially answered rarely in this area. Over the length of this course I have forwarded on useful websites, spoke with colleagues about lessons I saw in the videos that I thought they could apply/use, and I have shared the ways I have been able to integrate new technologies in my classroom. I feel I am moving further along the continuum but I can continue to improve.

My First Classroom Podcast!

http://azizehc.podbean.com/mf/web/bhnrmz/My1stpodcastmp4.m4a