Voice Thread

My Voice Thread

I look forward to your comments on the concerns I mentioned on my Voice Thread. This was my first time using Voice Thread and I simply loved it!

 The URL to my Voice Thread is: voicethread.com/share/1470553/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Connectivisim
Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories. Learning is a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements – not entirely under the control of the individual. 
http://hccweb3.org/musings/?p=35

AND

Social Learning

Social learning has always been around. We as individuals know very little of most things--only from our individual perspective. Thus, we are often like the blind men feeling an elephant and describing the parts they encounter--but never quite arriving at the whole. In discussion with others, the whole is gradually formed thus enabling us to view the entirety, and arrive at a "holistic understanding"--a much bandied about term. 

http://idreflections.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

Connectivism and Social Learning Theories are inter-related. In order to understand the relation between them it is important to know their definition. “Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired, and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. Also critical is the ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday” (Siemens, 2005, para. 24). The Social Learning Theory of Bandura emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Bandura (1977) states: "Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action" (Bandura, A. 1977). The images that I posted on the blog explain the relationship between the Connectivism and Social Learning Theories. These days we are all ‘connected’ and access to information is very easy. When knowledge is acquired with ‘social interaction’ and collaboration, it is most beneficial.

Cooperative Learning is an excellent strategy for Social Learning Theories. Cooperative learning provides students with the opportunity to work in groups with their peers, either using technology or just an activity in the classroom. “The instructional strategy of cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning. When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others.” (Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, 2000). By helping each other with the projects or the assignments, students learn to communicate and work collaboratively.

Technology plays an important role in cooperative learning. It facilitates “group collaboration, proving structure for group task, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face” (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K). Connectivisim is a way for people to interact with each other on the internet to gain knowledge that is networked. Wikis and blogs are good examples of Connectivism and Social Learning. In a wiki, people collaborate and work cooperatively to gain knowledge or information. In the video Connectivism as a Learning Theory, George Siemens discusses Connectivism and describes how this theory meets the criteria for being a new theory of learning. According to him, Learning Theory has three roles; it explains how learning occurs, allows us to create future models of learning, and lastly, helps us to make sense of the present. I was very impressed with George Siemens’ explanation of Connectivism and the Learning Theories of Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism and their relation to Connectivism. I agree with him that knowledge resides in connections and “Learning is an act of forming networks and navigating networks of knowledge” (Laureate, Education, Inc.).

I explored the Social Learning Based Technologies that were suggested in this week’s resources. Out of the six suggested social learning technologies that support and facilitate social learning approaches including communication, collaboration, and cooperation, I use four of them for ‘connecting’ with my peers and students. The first one is Facebook – social networking site. By using Facebook I am able to connect with my friends, teachers, and classmates in a social setting. We have many educational sites that are also connected to Facebook and share valuable information via a social setting. The second tool that I use with my students is Webquest. The third tool that I use regularly is Google Docs. Instead of using flash drives or e-mailing documents to each other, I use Google Docs with my grade level teachers to share information on lessons and documents. Lastly, the blogging site that I use everyday is Blogger (http://www.blogger.com, instead of Edublogs). I maintain a classroom Blog and my students and I connect with each other every day. They post comments on the assigned work and I regularly comment back on their posts. This learning that they are able to accomplish after leaving their classroom is very exciting. Besides maintaining a blog, I Skype (http://www.skype.com) with different teachers around the country and my students love this experience. “Communicating with students in other cities, states, and countries broadens the perspective of students and challenges them to learn about other cultures, languages and issues throughout the world” (Pitler, H. et. al).

“Cooperative Learning promotes social interactions; thus students benefit in a number of ways from the social perspective. By having the students explain their reasoning and conclusions, cooperative learning helps develop oral communication skills” (Guinevere Palmer, Rachel Peters, Rebecca Streetman). Cooperative Learning is one of the instructional strategies that link with the principles of social learning theories and Connectivism. All the social learning based technologies of multimedia; web resources and communication software facilitate Cooperative Learning.

References

Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Learning Press.

Guinevere Palmer, Rachel Peters, Rebecca Streetman: Cooperative Learning: Retrieved on January 31, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Cooperative_Learning

Johnson, D.W., Johnson R.T.,& Stanne,M.B. (2000). Cooperative Learning Methods. A meta-analysis. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota.

Laureate, Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Constructionist & Constructivist Learning Theory [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: George Siemens

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

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, Retrieved on February 1, 2011 from  http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm

Constructivism in Practice

Constructivism in Practice

Constructivist and Constructionist are two learning theories that help students learn in an effective manner. The article Constructionism, Learning by design and Project Based Learning gives an excellent explanation of the comparison between Constructionism and Constructivism. It states that, “Constructionism (Papert, 1993) is both a theory of learning and a strategy for education. It builds on the "Constructivist" theories of Jean Piaget, asserting that knowledge is not simply transmitted from teacher to student, but actively constructed in the mind of the learner.” (Seungyeon Han and Kakali Bhattacharya). The difference between the two is that Constructivism “expresses the theory that knowledge is built by the learner, not supplied by the teacher” while Constructionism “expresses the further idea that happens especially felicitously when the learner is engaged in the construction of something external or at least sharable" (Papert, 1991, p.3).

            The instructional strategies that are discussed this week talk about Project Based Learning (PBL), Learning by Design (LBD), and Problem Based Learning. All of these learning strategies are tools for Constructivism and Constructionism and they differ only in a few aspects. The basic criteria for these learning strategies are that in this “learning environment, the instructor acts as a facilitator and guides the learners along their paths of learning. Learners are assigned tasks in which they must implement particular instructional goals. They investigate, create, and solve problems” (Seungyeon Han, et al).

            In the book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors talk about the importance of Generating and Testing Hypotheses. These techniques are associated with Constructivism, and the book states that “ when students Generate and Test Hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content” (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. p.202). This chapter provides a wealth of information on how teachers can implement these learning strategies of Constructivism in their lessons. Using technology to help students work on their projects can be very rewarding for both teachers and students. “Technology can play a vital role in generating and testing hypotheses because new developments in probeware and interactive applets allow students to spend more time interpreting the data than generating the data” (Pitler, H. et al. p. 203). The authors suggest six tasks (systems analysis, problem solving, historical investigation, invention, experimental inquiry, and decision-making) that can help students Generate and Test Hypotheses. They recommend spreadsheet software, data collection tools, and web resources as excellent facilitators for these six tasks. Of these three suggestions, the one I found most useful for my third graders was the web resources site called ExploreLearning (www.explorelearning.com). This is an interactive website that involves critical thinking, collaboration, and communication among students. These three criteria are important for Project Based Learning and help students to learn their concepts better. I also did a lesson on Graphing skills with my students and they loved it (http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=630). I took my students to the computer lab, and each student experienced graph making skills first by themselves, and then with a partner. By the end of the lesson, they were conversant with bar, line, and pie graphs. This shows that Constructionism and Constructivism can certainly be enhanced by the use of technology.

          After this week’s reading I truly believe that students learn better when their learning is Project Based and Problem Based. In my classroom, I implement many interactive lessons on the smart board, along with visual representations of videos before teaching a lesson. However, I think I do very little Project Based Learning (PBL) for my students. I have plans to implement the strategies for a Constructivist classroom in the near future. “A constructivist classroom is one that concentrates on students forming his or her ideas, concepts, and conclusions while encouraging a more student-centered approach to education. Whereas in a traditional, didactic classroom, a teacher may simply instruct and leave little time for classroom discussion; in comparison, a constructivist classroom would expect and reinforce a more egalitarian setting where students construct or co-construct their knowledge and focus on their learning process rather than learning products. When the teacher is in the role of a facilitator and students are actively engaged, then constructivist learning is being promoted within the classroom” (WikiBooks).

References

Papert, S. (1993). The Children's machine: rethinking school in the age of the computer. New York: Basic Books.

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

Seungyeon Han and Kakali Bhattacharya: Constructionism, Learning by design and Project Based Learning: Retrieved on January 26, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Constructionism,_Learning_by_Design,_and_Project_Based_Learning

WikiBooks: The Practice of Learning Theories/Constructivism: Retrieved on January 26, 2011 from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/The_Practice_of_Learning_Theories/Constructivism

Cognitivism in Practice

Mind Map branch: Mind mapping complements cognitive learning

“Learning is a process which pulls together emotional, cognitive, and environmental factors and experiences in order to acquire, enhance, and make changes to an individual's skills, knowledge, values, and views. Learning theories are therefore an attempt to describe how people learn” (Learning Theories). Cognitivism is a learning theory that deals with the information processing of learners. In the video, Cognitive Learning Theories, Dr. Michael Orey talks about the Cognitive Theories (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). He states that Cognitive Theory is the way humans process knowledge, and that there are different components of Cognitive Learning Theory. These components are Limited Short Term or Working Memory, Elaboration, Allan Paivio’s Dual Coding Hypothesis, and the Network Model of Memory.

In the article, Cognitive Tools it is stated that “Cognitive tools impact student learning by causing them to think about information instead of reproducing and/or recalling information. Information is shifted through and evaluated for its’ validity, reliability, and applicability to research and problem solving activities” (Brent Robertson, Laura Elliot, Donna Washington). Cognitive tools help students learn new information more effectively and they allow “students to interact with information in order to acquire, synthesize, create, and share new knowledge” (Brent R. et al). In the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, I read about two instructional strategies that embed technology: “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking.” These two strategies use the cognitive tools required for students to learn.

“The instructional strategies Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers focuses on enhancing students’ ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic” (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K.p.73). This chapter talks about focusing on what is important rather than on the unusual, and it emphasizes the use of technology to help students learn. It also talks about the importance of using word-processing, spreadsheets, concept mapping software, and multimedia tools for cognitive learning strategies. Word processing can be used for expository, narrative, and graphic organizers, while spreadsheets can be used to make rubrics or help in difficult math problems. Brainstorming software or concept mapping tools (e.g. inspiration) are good for organizing thoughts, and the repeated instruction can help students see and hear the information repeatedly. “Auditory learners have the added benefit of being able to listen many times to information in order to understand it better” (Pitler, H, et al p. 79). Multimedia software is another great cognitive learning tool. Google video, Brain Pop, United Streaming and Teacher Tube have some excellent resources that can help students “activate prior knowledge and develop a mental model to help them understand new information” (Pitler, H, et al. p. 82).

“The instructional strategy summarizing and note taking focuses on enhancing students’ ability to synthesize information and distill it into a concise new form”(Pitler, H, et al. p. 119). In this chapter, I learned so many things about word processing that I had not been aware of earlier. The auto-summarizing tool is very helpful, and is an excellent means for students, not only to summarize their work, but also to help them in their writing process. “After a student has completed a rough draft, he or she can use the Auto-Summarizing tool to see if Word identifies the same main points that the student intended”(Pitler, H, et al. p. 124). The Note Taking sections suggest using graphic organizers, while the Summarizing section talks about concept mapping tools like inspiration to organize thoughts. The web resources provided in this chapter are very useful. My class is working on a non-fiction research project and I plan to use the Note Star 
( http://notestar.4teachers.org) website for them to organize their research. This chapter also explores the communication software of wikis and blogs as excellent tools for cognitive learning, especially for note taking and summarizing. I have a classroom blog and the students are very excited about it. I get comments from students on the blog on a daily basis. At times, they use the blog to summarize their thoughts, and love to get feedback from their peers or teachers. In my blog I have interactive games (http://www.multiplication.com/interactive_games.htm), Podcasts (http://preetisingh.podbean.com/podcasts/) and Virtual tours (http://www.magictreehouse.com/teachers_resource_center#home?intro=0), to name just a few of the resources my students can visit. “The blog serves as an archive of class discussions for later review” and just like Mrs. Holt (in this chapter) I share the “blog’s web address with parents, who enjoy getting a peek at the conversations taking place in the classroom” ”(Pitler, H, et al. p. 138).

            These instructional strategies of Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers, and Summarizing and Note Taking correlate with the principles of cognitive learning theory. Cognitivism recognizes learning as a mental process. Learning takes place when the mind makes connections that allow a person to recall information successfully. The tools that enforce this connection in our brain are the cognitive tools, and these tools help students Seek and Present information, Organize, Integrate and Generate knowledge. The use of technology tools discussed in this book also enhances the cognitive learning theory whose main aim is for students to understand, retain, and recall information.

References

Brent Robertson, Laura Elliot, Donna Washington: Cognitive Tools: Retrieved on January 18, 2011 from

http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Cognitive_Tools

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Dr. Michael Orey

Learning Theories: Retrieved on January 18, 2011 from http://www.about-elearning.com/learning-theories.html

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

Behaviorism in Practice

Behaviorism in Practice

John B. Watson (1878-1958) and B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) are the two principal originators of behaviorist approaches to learning. Watson believed that human behavior resulted from specific stimuli that elicited certain responses. Expanding on Watson's basic stimulus-response model, Skinner developed a more comprehensive view of conditioning, known as Operant Conditioning (Orey, M. (Ed.). 2001). In the video Behaviorist Learning Theory, Dr. Michael Orey also discusses Behaviorism as Operant Conditioning, and this represents “reinforcement of desirable behavior and punishment of undesirable behavior” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).

In the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, I explored two instructional strategies that embed technology: “Reinforcing Effort” and “Homework and Practice” (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. 2007), and how they relate to the behaviorist learning theories. In the chapter “Reinforcing Effort” the authors talk about how students need to learn the importance of effort in their school work. They should understand the correlation between effort and achievement. The authors suggest using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to track students’ effort and their achievements. This is a behaviorist approach because students get a visual representation and they strive to work towards doing well in school. I use Microsoft Excel in my classroom to keep track of students’ behavior. If they acquire three checks in a day, they get snack and recess taken away from them. Interestingly, and as explained by the behavioral theory, as soon as I display the excel sheet on the smart board a noisy class becomes quiet. It works most of the time, but the noise level goes up pretty soon as soon as the excel sheet is minimized. This is a classic example of Operant Conditioning of negative reinforcement. The excel sheet I use for Behavior Reinforcement and write a comment on why the check was given to that student, so that I have a record of their behavior for parent teacher conferences.

“The instructional strategy of reinforcing efforts enhances students’ understanding of relationship between effort and achievement by addressing their attitudes and beliefs about learning” (Pitler, H., et al. 2007. p 155). Instead of reinforcing efforts, I am reinforcing behavior by using this excel spreadsheet.

The second instructional strategy tool that the authors talk about is “Homework and Practice”. Homework is reinforcement of things taught in school and “having students practice a skill or concept enhances their ability to reach the expected level of proficiency” (Pitler, H., et al.,. 2007. p 188). The technologies discussed in this chapter are word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, multimedia, web resources and communication software. I use all these tools with my students, and have created a classroom blog on which my students work on one skill each week. They type their blog homework using word processing, I post YouTube videos for them to comment on, and they are required to visit websites for math and grammar practice. Drill and practice works very well especially for math facts. I use the drill and practice approach by assigning students to websites (on the classroom blog) to practice their facts. Then they have to make a comment on the best website and the area they improved upon (subtraction, addition, multiplication, or division). I have seen a great improvement by students practicing their facts on the computer and playing games to learn them, instead of using a paper and pencil to practice them. I also assign homework every day for them to work on a software program called “Study Island”. This program helps them get ready for the standardized tests. Besides the paper pencil homework, I also assign a other homework on the blog. I started the blog in the first week of November, and since then I have seen a big difference in my students’ academic performance.

 In the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, it states that “Online education games have an inherent appeal and generate immediate feedback that allows a student, parent, and teacher to monitor progress toward mastery” (Pitler, H., et al.,2007. p 195). I encourage my students to go on the blog as much as possible and try the websites I have recommended to them. This instruction strategy is positive reinforcement, and I am lucky to have very supportive parents who also like the idea of having a classroom blog for their children.

Instructional strategies of “Reinforcing Effort” and “Homework and Practice” have a direct correlation to Behaviorism. “Positive reinforcement is presentation of a stimulus that increases the probability of a response and Negative reinforcement increases the probability of a response that removes or prevents an adverse condition” (Orey, M. (Ed.). 2001). Negative reinforcement is when I use the excel worksheet to track my students’ behavior and they get a check on the sheet for not behaving in class. With three checks in a day they lose snack and recess time. Positive reinforcement is when students play games to increase their math facts and get results right away to experience their success. This positive stimulus makes the students’ perform better, and these strategies are thus correlated to Behaviorism.

Even though the instructional strategies and behaviorism are effective ways of teaching students how to behave and perform well in school, in my view, the Operant Conditioning of “punishment and reward” are only short-lived, and will not have a long-term effect in teaching students to behave in an appropriate manner. Behavior should be taught by “Modeling, Shaping and Cueing - Modeling is observational learning; Shaping is the process of gradually changing the quality of response; and Cueing is providing a child with a verbal or non-verbal cue as to appropriateness of a behavior” (Orey, M. (Ed.). 2001). I too am guilty of falling in the trap of Operant Conditioning, and would like to use the ‘Modeling, Shaping and Cueing’ methods in my classroom to improve student behavior.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author. Dr. Michael Orey

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on January 12, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Behaviorism

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

Reflecting on Integrating Technology in my Classroom

Even before students come to school, they are using technology!

This course, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, has been a very exciting one for me. I had been looking forward to it ever since I got Will Richardson’s book “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms” in the mail. I have always been very interested in technology, and when it came time to create a blog, wiki, and podcast, everything else came to a standstill for me, and these activities consumed my life. My students saw the excitement in my teaching when I introduced these Web 2.0 tools to them, and they became energized to use them with me. Before this course, I had no idea how to create these Web 2.0 tools, let alone integrate them in my lesson plans. I have already made a fundamental change in my teaching methods by integrating technology. Firstly, I have started using a classroom blog on which my students are assigned homework every Sunday, and have a week to finish their work. I read all the blog comments to them every morning and students have told me that it is the best part of their day. Last week students collaborated with each other on their social studies words and created a podcast that helped them do very well on their test. They are using the 21^st century skills in their learning.

Since the social studies podcast was such a success, I have taken on another endeavor with my students. Grammar is an integral part of the third grade curriculum, and I plan to make a podcast of grammar words and post it on our classroom blog for students to access all year long. Every student will be assigned a word to research and then they will collaborate with each to compile it into one document, and create a podcast for the blog. This course has provided me the tools to take on these technology-oriented efforts and helped me immensely to develop my technology skills as a professional teacher.

My teaching and learning process has transformed and significantly enhanced since I started this course. I have started to look at my lessons closely and make sure that I am including technology with my instructions. By using a classroom blog, I feel my students are learning beyond their classroom walls. The 21^st century skills require students to focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, to prepare them for the future (P21). By integrating technology in my classroom, I plan to infuse all these qualities of P21 in my students.

As the course ended, I realized that I have changed my perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered. Earlier, I was uncomfortable about a noisy classroom and wanted students to do their work independently. More recently, I have recognized the importance of students interacting with their peers to gain knowledge. Now I assign partners when students do their math journal pages, and upon finishing their writing piece, they meet in a group to discuss each other’s work. In this manner, I am moving my teaching from teacher-centered to learner-centered. I make a conscious effort to do this and have printed out guidelines from the National Capital Language Resource Center that remind me to teach with a learner-centered focus.

One way that I will continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement is by always keeping my focus on the well-being of my students. I plan to constantly take the extra step, educate myself, and learn the skills required for my students to succeed with the 21^st century skills. After completing my graduate degree, I plan to take refresher courses in technology to always remain current, and implement this knowledge in my classroom.

I have two long-term goals for transforming my classroom environment. First, to integrate technology in my classroom by writing lesson plans that include technology based lessons, and second, to make sure that technology is used as a learning tool instead of an instructional tool for project-based activities.

At this time, I am fortunate that I do not have any real institutional or systemic barriers to overcome since my school and the district have made the integrating of technology in the classroom a mandate for this year. My only concern is that budget cutbacks or other factors in the future may adversely impact the continuation of this support that we currently have.

In order to ensure that my lesson plans reflect my teaching practice of integrating technology in my classroom, it is imperative that all content standards included in the lesson are supported by the use of technology. I have started blogging and podcasting with my students and this has been a huge success. This is a big deal for my third graders, and gradually I would like to introduce them to the creation of a class wiki. I have to make a conscious effort to ensure that I am successfully integrating technology in my classroom.

My second goal is to make sure technology is used as a learning tool. While doing a lesson on a smart board, I sometimes do the interactive activity myself instead of asking the students to come up and touch the smart board, especially when I am time constrained. From now on, I will make a conscious effort to involve them with the technology instead of doing everything myself. By making technology-based lessons more student-centered instead of teacher-centered, students will become more enthusiastic about their learning.

I have reviewed the self-assessment checklist from Week 1 after completing this course, and reflected on the improvements in my teaching strategies. In the first section of this form, “Practices to Support 21^st Century skills,” most of my answers have changed since I have improved in all the categories. In the second section of “Developing Technology Skills for the School and Workplace Environments,” not too much has changed so far. In the next year or so, I will work on becoming more proficient in teaching with technology integration in my classroom, and then venture out to be a leader in developing technology skills in my colleagues.

My outlook on integrating technology into the classroom has changed a great deal after completing this course. Earlier I had mentioned that I used PowerPoint, Smart board, Brain Pop, and YouTube videos in my class. Just doing all these activities did not translate into integrating technology in my classroom. These activities are for the most part teacher-directed and not student-centered. This course has expanded my horizons and taught me different ways to help students learn. Introducing them to a classroom blog, assigning work for the students on the blog, and helping them create a podcast of their social studies vocabulary words are examples of integrating technology. Students are collaborating to learn from each other. I am now definitely “doing different things” rather than “just doing things differently,” and moving my students towards 21^st century skills is very rewarding.

Profiling Students of Today

http://preetisingh.podbean.com/

Technology is a part of culture for our students these days. These generations of students are considered Digital Natives because, right from the time they are born, they are exposed to technology. Due to this exposure, these students relate better to lessons taught with the aid of technology. I teach third grade in a suburban community and have 25 students in my class. The cultural demographic of my class is:

Asian Indian: 52%

African American: 20%

Middle Eastern: 12%

White: 8%

Hispanic: 8%

I gave my students a survey to see how technology affects their lives. After looking at the results of the survey, I came to realize that almost all my students were involved in some aspect of technology on a daily basis. Only two of my students do not have a computer at home. Both of these students wrote on the survey that they miss not having a computer, and that their parents are getting them one for Christmas.

Since I have started the classroom blog, I see the enthusiasm students have every day about posting comments on their blog and doing their homework. I have seen a drastic difference in their attitude towards homework assignments. They are very proud of themselves because we are the only class in the entire school that has a blog, other than one maintained by the computer teacher.

I plan to capture this enthusiasm and start podcasting material before every unit test. Next week, my students will be recording their social studies vocabulary words. I will upload these words in a podcast and attach this to the classroom blog. Students can listen to the words on their iPod (most of their parents have an iPod). They are excited to work on this project and almost every one of them took their social studies book home this weekend to practice vocabulary words. I feel the passion for learning in my students and this is due to the technology I am using in the classroom.

I interviewed three of my third graders to see how technology affects their daily lives. I hope you enjoy the podcast!

The URL to my podcast is: http://preetisingh.podbean.com/