EDLD+5364+Teaching+With+Technology

** Teaching With Technology ** This weeks’ readings were a good start to the course. Moving from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 is something that we continue to struggle with at times. Many teachers are used to the traditional ways of a presentation style of teaching and find it hard to shift to a more collaborative method. As Marc Prensky states, our education system is not designed to teach the students of today. The videos on the different methods of teaching were interesting, especially the Cyborg method. I found it quite interesting that Kevin Warwick actually implanted chips into his own arm “enhance his human abilities.” Even more amusing was the fact that his wife did the same and they connected literally. What a trusting and supportive wife! Out of this eeks’ readings I partcularly enjoyed Learnng as a Personal Event as part of the SEDL program. The constructivist view states that learning builds on prior knowledge. I liked the metaphor of a detective starting a case with what they know and building upon those clues through a variety of sources in order to learn more and solve the case. As students gain information from a variety of sources then it results in their learning the content from the newly acquired knowledge. Skilled teachers begin with their students' interests and build upon those interests. If teachers were just to deliver the content without taking into consideration student interest, then the content would only reach a few of the students. If, on the other hand, the teacher related the content to the students’ interests they are more engaged and more likely to gain a better sense of understanding of the content.
 * Week 1**

This week I was interested to find out about the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). I wasn’t aware that the site existed and was pleased to find the numerous resources. Another interesting thing I learned was about the Universal Design for Learning. Universal Design for Learning, UDL, serves as the blueprint for CAST. The principles of UDL are that 1) multiple means of representation give various ways of acquiring information and knowledge, 2) multiple means of expression allow alternatives for demonstrating what students know and 3) there are multiple means of engagement. This shows us the need for teachers to customize learning. Universal Design for Learning is also based on brain research. The research tells us that each brain processes information differently, almost like having a unique finger print. While designing lessons there are three types of tasks. First there are recognition tasks that are the “what” of learning. Second there are strategic tasks that are the “how” of learning. Finally, there are affective tasks that are the “why” of learning that engage and motivate the learner. Use of all of the tasks helps to address the individual differences of learners. As part of our reading from // Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works // we learned about using graphic organizers as one way of reaching diverse learners. Pitler states, “…students with special needs and English language learners, may represent their current and desired knowledge by choosing from the hundreds of graphics and symbols included.” One thing that I forgot about when using Kidspiration is the ability to import custom graphics. Knowing this, I think that I will be able to share this and use it with the diverse groups that I support.
 * Week 2**

This weeks reading from // Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works // included the four planning questions for instruction.
 * Week 3**
 * 1)  What will students learn?
 * 2) Which strategies will provide evidence of student learning?
 * 3) Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate learning?
 * 4) Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply learning?

Differentiation is the most significant part of answering question three. In conjunction with the readings from//Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning//, Chapter 6., I can begin to use the ideas for instruction to support the three types of learning; recognition, strategic, and affective. This chapter offered valuable insight when it comes to planning our lesson. In regards to differentiation, Pitler states, “Teachers differentiate instruction by modifying the depth or complexity of the content, the process by which students learn the content itself, and the products students are expected to create, based on consideration of learning styles, interests, and skill levels.” This was great to hear because I think many times teachers think they are differentiating when they change the expectations and not the process of reaching the expectations. This often leaves students labeled as special ed., ESL, or with another learning disability with less expectations than those students without the labels. It's not that the student cannot be expected to learn the objective, it is just the manner in which they reach that goal. The goal can be reached by all students, just in different ways. In trainings that I offer in the future, I will try to offer examples of multiple ways to differentiate, so that all students can reach the expected outcome. I think my role as instructional technology facilitator plays a significant part in making sure that all teachers are aware of ways to differentiate, so that they can then apply their learning in their lesson plans. I look forward to helping teachers I support in their planning.

This weeks reading from //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works// described generalizations for cooperative learning groups. The generalizations were good reminders such as to use ability groups sparingly, keeping them small in size, and using them consistently and systematically as long as they aren’t used too much. This all makes sense and is a reminder to me as I lead trainings with teachers. The same rules apply to them. I believe the smaller the group the better at times. Having too many people in a group will lead to some members not participating. Also included were recommendations for classroom use. Again, it’s always good to keep the groups to a manageable size and use a variety of groups. Students shouldn’t always be grouped with the same students over and over again. Informal, formal, and base (long-term) groups should be used. Using base groups for the semester or the year will help to build trust and teamwork. Pitler states that these base groups are ideal for activities such as field trips.
 * Week 4 **

The videos from this week included some inspiring young students in classrooms that were really involved in the use of technology. I really enjoyed the interview with Larry Rosenstock from High Tech High. When he asked teachers what their most memorable moment in high school was and then turned it around and asked if they were teaching like that was great. I’ve done the same thing when training and teachers want me to do something for them instead of let them learn by doing. I ask them if they would expect that from the students. If they can truly tell me that they would do the work for their students, then I can’t argue with them, but it’s never happened.

This week we finished up the readings from Pitler as well as from Solomom and Schrum. In the readings from //Web 2.0: New tools, New schools//, Solomom and Schrum talk about assessment. They discussed the importance of formative evaluation in determining how well students and teachers are doing. As we continue to make sure and include strategies for assessment for learning in our staff developments, I can relate to the authors. Unfortunately, some teachers are taking longer to use formative evaluation and/or some get stuck using the same strategies over and over. We are looking for ways to address this need in the future. Solomom and Schrum also discussed examples of Web 2.0 tools for authentic assessment. Anything from podcasts, videoconferencing, social bookmarking, or electronic portfolios can be used for authentic assessment. In // Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, // Pitler discussed the need for reinforcing effort. It’s not only important to teach students the importance of effort, but to also track their effort and achievement. Pitler offers tools such as spreadsheet software and surveys as ways of tracking achievement. Spreadsheets could be used in conjunction with graphs to show the relation between the amount of effort and the amount of achievement. Using such graphs is a clear visual to show that effort pays off.
 * Week 5 **