Course Reflection - Technology By Dawn Dupree

As a “digital native,” I have now witnessed the opportunity on how to create an environment for my students that is unlike the learning environment that I experienced when I was growing up (Laureate Education, Inc., 2007a). In many ways, this course has helped me to develop my technology skills in my own classroom. As a teacher, I have come to realize the importance of technology as being an integral part of the 21st century classroom for my students in this global world (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). The judgment that I had made in the past in regards to the fact that I thought my students learned like I had learned in school is truly a misnomer. It is the reality that many of my students are technologically savvy in different social ways, but it is my responsibility as the teacher to help my students see how technology can be a fundamental part of their learning environment within the classroom as well. My job is not to lecture my students anymore, but to take the information that they are finding on line and to help them to interpret and synthesize the information for whatever their future use maybe for that information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b).

The knowledge that I have personally gained from the course is finding out about the different educational locations that are available for me to use with my students. I had never really used blogs, wikis or podcasts before, so it was an awakening to me to see the potential of how many of these resources could become a part of our everyday lives in our classroom. As I look at my classroom with my stack of books, essays, papers and students portfolios, I recognize the future of my classroom could be transformed to on-line books, on-line portfolios, and online-essays/papers that are placed in a drop box for me to grade using the same tools that we use in our online classes. The reality is that my classroom could become a classroom where we work on-line, while I facilitate and moderate the learning process. I could become a teacher who helps with their questions and technological needs. My students classroom would become a student centered classroom, and I would move aside for my students, so I could allow them the opportunity investigate and learn on their own (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a).

I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process because I have recognized now that a student centered classroom using technology will lead to a classroom where students view learning as interesting and fun (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). It becomes a classroom where students have buy into what their performance tasks can be in the classroom. I can see that many of students can perform many of the same tasks on line instead of in the traditional way using the text book, a pencil and paper. This class has opened up new opportunities and possibilities that I had never dreamed of using in the past.

The classroom that I now envision for myself will be a classroom that is no longer centered on me, but centered on the learning of my students. This type of classroom will allow for students to become thinkers, and with this I will become the facilitator in regards to their learning process. I try to allow for students to guide each other in their thoughts and evaluate the knowledge they are learning not only from me, and the activity, but from the knowledge and understanding that they will gain from each other (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). As a result, I will have many of my students completing assigned tasks by creating blogs and responding to our students blogs based on a proposed discussion question created either by me or by other students. The wikis will become a place where assignments and portfolios will be turned in for future use and reflection. In another area of the classroom, students will be preparing podcasts to use for their future product, a movie.

I realize that as a teacher if I plan to strengthen my knowledge it will require me to become more comfortable with the use of this new technology of using blogs, wikis, and podcasts in my classroom with my students. Using it in my on-line class, this is far different than using and monitoring it in a classroom with my students. This will be a gradual process that I will have to implement over time in small steps, so that I can gain confidence along with my students in the use of this new technology. It will require me to continue to blog, use wikis and podcasts more often on my own too because if I am not then I am not practicing my own new skills with this technology.

My first long term goal will be in regards to gradually bringing in technology to my classroom through the use of implementing discussion forums by use of blogs based on classrooms ideas and responses that are being studied in the classroom. This would not only allow students to do things differently, but also allow students to do different things (Associated Press, 2008). In replacement of classroom journals, students would have the opportunity to respond to one another’s thoughts, ideas, and reflections. As a part of that same goal, I look forward to using wikis as online portfolio for my students and a place to turn in classroom multi-media projects like podcasts and movies. For example, I have the students make a movie trailer for the novel, The Giver. I have so many different ideas that can offer to my students just by viewing some of the great ideas that students have posted on YouTube for their class projects, such as raps, trailers, specific scenes and alternate endings. It is the ability to show students the possibilities, and I can offer them choices to be able to share with their classmates by posting on their blog or wiki sites. At their own convenience, students will be able to comment on each other’s work outside of the classroom. I see this as class work and homework that students will want to do. I need to stop being afraid of technology, but embrace the possibilities of variety academic learning opportunities that I can create in my classroom that will inspire my students to want to learn and create. I reject the idea of being one of those “older workers” that watch as the younger generation of teachers become accustomed to the latest technology wave, and I sit on the sidelines mourning a time that has long since passed away (Tapscott & Williams, 2007).

My second long term goal is to start to use the Promethean software provided by my school in our new classrooms. If I am not one of the chosen ones to be able to participate in the use of the Promethean boards in the classroom, I still want to be able to buy and use the tablet that would still create that interactive environment beyond just the use of blogs, wikis and podcasts My other goal is to create an active classroom also through instruction as well. I would like to create a multi-faceted environment where students will be able to work on different projects and assignments on the computer, while I also provide small group instruction.

As an educator, it is my job to be that 21st century teacher that inspires students to reach beyond the social aspects of technology, but it is my job to lead them to the realization that technology can be an important part of their educational future as a learner.


References

Associated Press. (2008, May 9). Technology - Rich Classrooms Render Textbooks Useless. Teacher Magazine

Laureate Education, Inc. (2007). Debate: Digital natives vs. digital immigrants?. [Video]. With Dr. David Thornburg and Hall Davidson].

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008a). Program #17: Changing role of the classroom: Part 1 [Motion Picture]. In Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008b). Program #17: Changing role of the classroom: Part 2 [Motion Picture]. In Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.

Tapscott, D., & Williams, A. (2007, March 26). The Wiki workplace. Businessweek.com. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/mar2007/id20070326_237620.htm?chan=search

Pod Bean Post

http://mrsddupree.podbean.com/

Podcast

http://mrsddupree.podbean.com/2009/10/07/podbean_best_podcast_hosting_audio_video_blog_hosting/

This is the site where you can find the podcast. I am having difficulty converting the file from the original format. Please, view it using the power point link.

Dawn :)

Blog – The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

My initial reaction to the web-site is that it has quite a bit of information in regards to the overall concept or vision of what they want the learning environment for our students to give the impression of being like in the 21st century. It was interesting to view their vision displayed through the idea of rainbow.
The focus was not just on core subjects as being the focal point for a students’ education, but that a student that is ready to compete is this global world needs to be able to also have other skills that include the following: Life and Career Skills, Learning and Information, and Information and Media Technology (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php).

This acknowledgement of skills moves beyond the traditional skills of the 20th century age. These skills are well-rounded and promote a new insight into the student of the 21st century.

This site promotes these skills for grades K-12 as being skills that must be integrated into our own classrooms, but what stunned me the most was the amount of support that was being given by major corporations as a wakeup call to the changes that need to be made if we want to have our own students be able to compete for jobs in these major corporations, since the it is now a global job market versus merely competing with the best of the best here in America.

What I liked most about the website was the link to various education journals and news feeds that delve into the various ideas and concerns that surround this idea of partnering for 21st century skills. On the website it posted the states that are involved in this initiative, but for me it only reaffirmed the obvious that as a nation if we want to make any head way into the advancement of this 21st century partnership that we need to institute a national partnership like many of the other countries have implemented throughout the world(Miners and Pascopella, 2007).

It seems that we are on the threshold of the beginning of change in our ability to transform our classrooms and educational standards based upon this new vision of student that will be prepared for the new workforce of the future. It is with great optimism that I believe that this partnership will shape a new future for our students in the classroom and beyond.

References:
Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration, 43(10), 26–34.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2004. Retrieved September 30th, 2009, from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php.

Blogging in the Classroom

As I think about how I would use blogs in my classroom, the issue arises regarding how to implement the blogs in my classroom. As I read through the material, I began to develop a better understanding regarding the possibilities of how to use blogging effectively with my students. I had heard from other teachers that blogging is a very effective tool to access the teacher’s tool box, but that it can be very overwhelming if a teacher is not prepared for the new responsibilities regarding monitoring the classroom blog.
Personally, I would like to conduct a pilot program with a select group of my students regarding the introduction of blogging for journals, literature circles, and comments or thoughts regarding the Springboard classroom activity before I would introduce into to all of my classes. Due to the fact that I find that many students lack the time in class to have a real class discussion or some are not open to speaking a loud in class, I believe that blogging will open up a new set of possibilities regarding in depth and analytical conversations regarding the discussion topics. I believe that students will be able to begin to synthesize the information as they return to the blogs to view comments and questions, which in turn will take the information to a deeper understanding for the students. As a teacher, I notice that students in the classroom are not always willing to share or provide in depth conversation regarding the topic in front of their peers. But as students begin to write for me, I have witnessed over time in their writing a new level of depth regarding various beliefs and thoughts regarding a multitude of topics. I feel that blogging will open up that door for students to be able to communicate with out the feeling embarrassed or unintelligent. It gives the student an opportunity to think through their ideas before they present those ideas to their peers.
The classroom blogging system that I intend to use is on Google. I like the various tools that are available for teachers to monitor the blogging of students. As a way to thoroughly monitor the information that is being posted from each student, I will have to check through each post before it is submitted to be published to the class. Before I would even have the students begin to blog, I would definitely provide instructions and modeling appropriate blogging behavior before I would allow them to blog on their own. It is important that students recognize what blogging is intended to be used within the classroom. It is not meant to be a social tool for hanging out or seeing a friend’s latest post on their daily lives. It is a tool that is meant to help students to delve deeper into their understanding of the course material, whether it is a poem, short story, novel or movie excerpt. I look forward to my future endeavor of bringing blogging to my classroom as a way to establish a new set of academic bloggers to the read/write web.

Welcome to my Blog

I am an eighth grade Language Arts teacher at Ormond Beach Middle School. Currently, for my third Master's class at Walden University I had to create my first blog site for the class. I hope to use this blog as a way to grow professionally in the classroom. I also hope to use this with my students in the future. In the high schools, I have heard of teachers using this as a way to do breaking the ice activities. I have also heard of teachers using this as a way to expand class discussion beyond the classroom walls. I look forward to seeing how this blogging will help me with my teaching skills in and out of the classroom.
Dawn :)