The End of the Road

For this final course blog post the focus will be on the following questions:
In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?
In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?
Set two long-tem 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?
Refer to your checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course?
This course, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, has forced me to confront my insecurities with new technology. Prior to this course I had knowledge of what a blog or wiki was but would never dreamed of using them to teach with. In fact my coworkers have wanted to form a class wiki for awhile and I have been putting them off. I now feel confident not only to take part but I feel I could take the lead and create our wiki.
I understand that students learn differently, what this course has helped me with is the identification of the necessary skills for the 21st century learner. Through the readings and assignments I realize now how important collaboration and communication are. Another key understanding is I as the teacher do not need to know everything about the technology I am using. Keengwe, Onchwari, & Wachira pointed out in their article the importance of modeling for students when dealing with technology issues. In this way students gain valuable problem solving skills.
The greatest lesson I learned in regards to teacher centered vs. student centered teaching occurred when I turned the technology over to my students. Previously I used technology to present lessons with little student interaction, however during this course I put the tools in the students hands. I was no longer teaching with technology but through it. The students were engaged throughout the entire lessons.
In order to grow as a teacher, you must stay current in your field and seek out new resources. It is important to be flexible and willing to step outside your comfort zone for the benefit of your students. In my case, this means staying abreast of the new technologies that are in use and working with them to improve my skills.
The two goals I have set are: to establish a classroom blog and to administer the GLAD test within my classroom. In order to establish a classroom blog I will have to obtain permission from my administration as well as the parents of my students. I will use the blog primarily for responding to current events. The GLAD test is a district assessment provided by our Intermediate School District. I would like to use lap tops and administer the test in my classroom. In order to do this I will need to coordinate with the technology teacher in our building as well as the E.U.P.I.S.D. (Eastern Upper Peninsula School District.).
Many of my answers have changed from the checklist. The largest change involves the use of technology to collaborate and communicate with students, parents, colleagues, and community stakeholders. The most recent changes made are I have switched to group emails instead of monthly newsletters. I have a website that lists links to lessons and during the 4th marking period instead of having my students write journal response, I had them email them to me. It may seem small but what I am most proud of is at the end of this school year I had my students review a current event news site and we posted a comment together and then they posted one individually. I would have never done this before taking this course.

Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). The us of computer tools to support meaninful learning. AACE Journal, 16(1). 77-92

Podcast App5 assignment

http://www.toofiles.com/en/oip/audios/mp3/app5morgans.html

This is the link to my podcast. I learned many things for this assignment, especially what not to do.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills Organinization

I am currently enrolled in a masters course entitled Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. This week's assignment was to review The Partnership for 21st Century Skills Organization website. Up until this course I did not realize this organization existed. The site itself has a vast amount of information and resources regarding the implementation of technology in our schools. The contributing members listed on the site are numerous, they range from Intel to Walt Disney. Even though there is a higher proportion of commercially based entities, the educational field is still represented.

The Partnerships goals move beyond the simple incorporation of technological elements in the classroom. They define specific skills that are critical for the success of the next generation. The skills speak to effective communication, creativity, and the ability to problem solve. The organization purports these skills can be developed via the use of the 3Rs and the 4Cs. The Partnership has developed a comprehensive bridge model to aid all parties involved in the process of implementing their plan. The model addressed everything from Curriculum and Instruction to Professional Development. I found the model to be quite impressive. It is detailed, but not overwhelming.

The site itself was fairly easy to navigate. I enjoyed the videos and was able to watch Ken Kay the president of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills speak on the organizations views regarding National Standards. As I was viewing the segment, I found myself thinking about how will I change my teaching to address these skills. The biggest change is to move away from paper pencil assignments and towards project based learning. Not to simply assign a research report but to make it only one component. I think having students produce a product gives them a sense of accomplishment. Service Learning is also away to incorporate many of the skills addressed by the organization. Working together to solve a community problem.

How Can I Use a Blog

I would like to consider how best to use a Blog in my classroom. Currently I teach 4th grade all subjects. In my classroom I use the Quality Learning approach as developed by David Langford. One of the many elements of this approach is student input and responsibility regarding their learning experience. A tool I use is called a Parking Lot. The Parking Lot is used for students to post what they feel is going well, questions, concerns, issues and ideas for improving the teaching and learning going on in the classroom. It is in the form of a poster and I feel a Blog would be a great replacement. As a class we would all have access and would be able to have discussions.

I would also like to use a Blog for the purpose of journaling. One of our morning routines is to write in a journal. The students have the option to write to a supplied prompt or to free write for a set period of time. Many students do not enjoy the physical act of writing, however, put them on a lap top and their keyboarding skills are phenomenal. A Blog might encourage my reluctant writers to contribute.

The Reluctant Techie

Yes, it is true I am not a natural. Even though I use technology everyday in my personal life, I am not as comfortable as I would like to be regarding the use of techology in my classroom. I regularly use the web and my promethean board but I have yet to venture further. This blog is my first step into the deep end.