EDLD+5364+Teaching+with+Technology


 * EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology Reflections**

**Week 1 Webinar Reflection** The week one webinar for EDLD 5364 – Teaching with Technology held on Saturday, February 26, 2011 was attended by over forty individuals. Technologically, the session ran smoothly. I had no issues with audio, video or bandwidth.

It is not always necessary for me to participate in the webinars, but I always leave with a better understanding of the subject at hand. I find it quite reassuring to hear that other students often have the same uncertainties regarding the assignments as I do. This particular session was helpful in answering many questions regarding our group project.

**Week 1 Course Reflection** Teaching theory was a primary focus of this week’s coursework. Constructivist, Connectivist and Cyborg theory were covered in both the readings and videos.

I have always viewed myself as a constructivist, adhering to the theory that individuals construct learning by building upon their existing knowledge base. However, our world is changing and becoming increasing smaller with the increased use of technology based communication, making the theory of connectivism more prevalent. With connectivism, learning is considered to be a continual process and more about knowing where to find knowledge needed within various networks (Mason, 2011). I find myself melding into a hybrid of these two theories. I believe both to be true and practical in today’s educational and professional environments. I have often told my own children, now ages 13 and 15, that it isn’t always important that they know all the answers, but that they know where to go to find them. I didn’t know that this was actually an educational theory!

Cyborg theory, which is founded upon the way humans and machines interact, predicts that the melding of humans and technological devices will have tremendous implications for education (Mason, 2011). We are already seeing this in many educational settings. Assistive technology is already in place to help individuals with hearing, vision, mobility, and almost any other type of physical impairment. We can only imagine that as technology continues to advance, so will our ability to improve our human abilities.

Work Cited Mason, D. (2011). EDLD 5364 - Teaching With Technology Week 1 Lecture. Beaumont, TX.

**Week 2 Course Reflection**

This week the discussion and reading addressed the use of technology to address different learning styles and disabilities. Chapter 1 from //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works// introduced us to classroom applications for word processing software, brainstorming software, data collection tools, web resources, and communication tools such as e-mail and blogs.

//Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age// provided valuable advice regarding the use of a universal design for learning to reach the needs of all students regardless of their ability or disability. Lessons created using the principles of universal design allow teachers to meet the high standards imposed for learning and provides the flexibility to meet the multiple learning styles present in the classroom.

Source: Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works//. Alexandria, VA: Asociation for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Chapters 1, 15-38.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). //Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning//. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Chapter 1. Retrieved on October 5, 2009, from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/

**Week 2 Group Reflection** This week our group met online on Thursday evening to discuss options for solving the scenario. We selected a 7th grade math topic – complementary and supplementary angles, since Laurie and Diana are both math familiar with the material and my husband, who teaches middle school math, can step me through any roadblock I may incur with the subject matter.

We discussed using interactive white board lessons, Geosketchpad, TI SmartView emulation software, Styx, and digital photo stories in our unit. There are many ways to incorporate technology into this lesson.

The one area of difficulty will be to address the learning needs of the blind student in the scenario. I spent several hours researching assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired. There are several devices available that we could incorporate into our lesson – digital text readers, talking calculators, and raised line printers to name a few.

We decided that Laurie would work on the lesson introduction, Diana would prepare the lessons, and I would construct the assessments. I enjoy working with my group members, and I am confident that we will devise a great solution to the scenario!

Week 3 Reading Reflections The readings associated with week three of Teaching with Technology focused primarily on technological tools that could be used by teachers to enhance their daily classroom activities. In chapter 2 //of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works,// the author covers topics such as word processing applications, data collection tools, web resources and communication software. Each of the examples listed provide teachers with valuable means of delivering feedback to students.

In the appendix of the book, the author discussed planning for technology use in the classroom. He listed four essential questions that should be asked during the planning process and a model lesson plan template to simplify the procedure. Incorporating technology into the classroom successfully does include a great deal of preparation. I can begin using these tools in my job now!

I found the CAST book builder website to be a lot of fun. I can see many uses for this application on all three of our district campuses. Thanks for sharing.

Source: Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works//. Alexandria, VA: Asociation for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Chapter 2, 41-58, Appendix, 217-225.

= **Week 3 UDL Lesson Reflections** =

Creating UDL Lessons was the topic of week three. We were provided with links to three websites designed to help up prepare our lessons using the UDL model. I found the Cast UDL Lesson Builder, located at [] to be a wonderful tool. By using the lesson builder and the tips provided, I was assured that I was including every element necessary to create a lesson that addressed the learning needs of every student.

We are expected to accommodate and modify for every student in our class. Since learning styles are different for everyone, it is important that we learn to plan to address these differences, not just guess as to whether we are meeting their needs.

I chose to create a lesson for a 7th grade math class. The topic was complementary and supplementary angles. My goal was to include instructional methods that would address each of the three networks – recognition, strategic, and affective – in my two day unit. Through the use of video, audio, and kinesthetic techniques, I feel that I accomplished this goal and created a lesson that will reach all students, regardless of their learning style.

Week 3 Electronic Book Reflections Creating the electronic book using [] was a lot of fun. I wanted to use the book as the hook to my UDL lesson. I utilized the free images available from the Microsoft website for the photos and then used Photoshop to crop and adjust the image size. I used Audacity to record the audio clips prior to embedding them into the book.

The book builder was simple to use. I completed the project without difficulty. Locating and cropping the images was the only time consuming part of the project. This application could be used by students and staff alike.

The electronic books could be used to provide students with additional information on any topic. They could be used to supplement lessons as a form of remediation or as an enhancement project for advanced learners. Since the books include a visual and auditory component, it provides students with a multi-sensory learning experience. The possibilities are endless for this application.

=**Week 3 Group Reflections**=

Our group met twice this week through Google Chat. The group decided to use my UDL lesson for our group activity. Laurie opted to address the modifications and accommodations for the students with learning disabilities, Diana is going to work on developing activities for the gifted and talented students, and I will address the needs of the blind and hearing impaired students.

In addressing the needs of the blind student, I suggested that we use tools such as a raised line printer. Math and geometry are difficult concepts for sightless students to comprehend. The tactile element added by the raised line images will allow the student to “feel” the relationship between the angles.

Hearing impaired students will be assisted by adding increased visual elements to the lessons. The interactive white board activities will also assist these students in understanding the concepts being taught.

**Week 4 Reading Reflections** In week four of EDLD 5364 – Teaching with Technology, we had the opportunity to revisit Chapter 5 of //Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools//. This section of the book covered items related to professional development, and mentioned two topics of grave importance to me – teacher technology literacy and accountability. Many educators are reluctant to vary from their tried and true classroom methods and will not unless it made clear by campus administration that it is expected and that they will be held accountable.“Many studies of educators’ lack of technology implementation have found that the lack of accountability from administrators on their actually accomplished technology goals has been the most influential in practice (Schrum, 1999).

As the district instructional technology specialist, it is my responsibility to provide our teachers with technology skills and integration training, but regardless of what I do, I cannot make them learn or use the technology. They must take on some responsibility for the skills and be accountable for their own learning.The text reinforces my belief that it is important for us to team with district and campus administrators to build a strong system of training and accountability for our teachers.

References: Schrum, L. (1999). Technology professional development for teachers. //Educational Technology Research and Development// (ETR&D), 47(4), 83-90.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, New schools.// Eugene, OR: International Society of Technology in Education, 99-116.

**Week 5 Reading Reflections**

This week the reading stressed the importance of authentic assessments and reinforcing student effort. I believe that all students want to succeed, whether they admit it or not. 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 readings from //Teaching with Technology with Works// gave many illustrations of how we can use technology to provide our students with this valuable reinforcement. Rubrics, spreadsheets, charts and surveys are just a few of the ideas it presented.

The readings from //Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools// discussed the issue of authentic assessments. I have frequently used portfolios with my high school classes as a means of formative assessment and have found it to be very beneficial to me and my students. It provided the perfect format for determining how far my students had progressed from one point in time to the next, but most importantly, it allowed each student to select the items they were most proud of to be included. It became more than a grade, it became their own personal show piece that they could keep and share. I love using portfolios!

References: Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 155.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, New schools.// Eugene, OR: International Society of Technology in Education. = =