Final CEP 810 Reflection

As I reflect upon the entirety of the the course, three primary concepts surface regarding what I have learned and how my practice will be affected, both as a teacher and as a learner. I feel empowered by the resources, tools, and elements of philosophy I have added to my repertoire through this learning experience.

I continued to be struck by the truth that teaching and learning are collaborative. The task of compiling my professional learning network illuminated the idea for me that resources exist in number to help teachers grow, and grow in little, time-efficient snippets that are therefore attainable and immediately available to put into practice. Organizations such as ISTE, Edutopia, and Edudemic provide accessible research online. Social media platforms like Twitter offer quick yet valuable thoughts for busy professionals. Additionally, creating the PLN helped me identify all of the colleagues in my building, my district, and my graduate program that are available and open to collaboration. With all of these resources in place, I have grown accustomed to tweeting out a question, calling a colleague, or checking an article for innovative ideas that ignite my students’ learning in authentic ways. Recently I wondered how other 1:1 format teachers support parents when they feel low efficacy with their child’s technology. I addressed it on Twitter and then called an instructional coach in another elementary building and within 24 hours, I had received a cache of helpful suggestions which I then offered to parents during conferences the following week. The turnaround time is so minimal that it makes improving my teaching effective and expedient.

Another growth area for me arose out of the new technologies I encountered during the course. Learning how to use an RSS feed helps me keep abreast of highly relevant educational topics that I now have no need to search for, as they are now delivered to me daily through the feed. Using SpringPad as a “mind dump” platform proves especially helpful as I balance the multiplicity of demands being a teacher requires. Gaining facility with Popplet enables me to quickly and effectively illustrate concepts for my students. The idea of repurposing technological tools for education that may not have originally been intended for classroom use, like Popplet, to map students’ thinking is proving powerful for students as it clarifies our collective ideas in a visual way.

As a teacher and as a learner, I can identify ways in which I have improved my practice philosophically as a result of this course. I am more cognizant of my own learning practice, and the work and thought it requires to approach a new skill or concept when both the content and the process are new. In both the networked learning project and the TPACK cooking assignment, I encountered new technologies (utensils, video recording devices, YouTube channels) that required specific procedural knowledge I had not yet required. On top of that, the academic assignments attached to those technologies were also priorities. Each time I began a new task, I had to consider the goal at hand, whether it was slicing a fruit salad -admittedly, not especially academically challenging- or producing a media presentation, but I also needed to acclimate myself to new technology. As a result, I have adjusted my practice as a teacher in that the intention with which I approach technology in my classroom has improved. When I taught my CEP 810 project-based technology lesson plan, I helped students create Need to Know lists for both the content at hand (new knowledge about a caterpillar) and the process of learning that content (accessing technological resources for a purpose), where before I likely would have done only the former. Additionally, my concern for fair use has deepened and my practices regarding searching for images and illustrations to use have tightened based on my new understanding of the philosophy behind Creative Commons licensing.

The major concepts I’m still grappling with are related to how, specifically, I can integrate both authentic project-based learning and networked learning into my teaching. The overarching idea that teaching with technology is both complex and beneficial is evident. The potentials are great when executed successfully, not only for accessing a wide array of sources and experts but also for growing as self-aware, self-directed learners who acquire new learning in context, which I have learned is crucial for student retention of learning. What is challenging for me is the reality that, while third graders are extremely perceptive digital natives, their level of media literacy sophistication is not yet highly developed, and therefore any project-based, process-driven learning requires huge amounts of scaffolding in the areas of informational reading, synthesizing information, evaluating the validity of sources, and increasing independence. Older students possess the skills and maturity to accomplish more, but that doesn’t mean younger students can’t engage on a deep yet developmentally appropriate level. Equipping me with accessible resources, a growing technological toolbox, and a more intentional philosophy of technology integration, CEP 810 has prepared me for further exploration of TPACK concepts related to pedagogy and approach in the teaching of elementary grades as I continue my coursework.

Perhaps most importantly, I have learned that the process of learning is just as critical as the outcome, if not more. The goal is not criteria or scores, but reflection and growth. Learning transfers when we acquire concepts authentically and combine them with our adapted background knowledge.  “One of the earliest studies of expertise demonstrated that the same stimulus is perceived and understood differently, depending on the knowledge that a person brings to the situation,” (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 2000, p. 32) so as I learn, I create an amalgamation of my past experience and new discoveries. I’m eager to continue to enact these principles moving forward.

References

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school (Expanded edition). (pp. 3-78).  Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368

Networked Learning Post #3 – Classroom Applications

Wednesday has become my dedicated SMART Board Exploration Day in my classroom. Though I spend time with it during other times as well, with my newsletter published for the week and my teammate in a weekly mentoring meeting, I find myself with 50 (usually) uninterrupted minutes of time to improve my facility with the SMART Board. This week I wanted to be ready for my math class and prepare for our summative assessment using SMART Notebook. Knowing how to perform a skill and actually executing it in context are two different ideals, so I used my time to explore the functions of the SMART Notebook software as they relate to math assessment.

Referencing the videos I’ve watched previously, I walked through the initial stages of preparing a notebook. Working through those tutorials, I was able to develop a new notebook containing the week’s warm-ups. To this point I have taken advantage of YouTube tutorials from one primary source, Fuse School. It seems counter-intuitive, but because my focus is more specific now and narrowed in scope, tailored to creating a SMART Notebook for warm-ups to use for formative assessment, I am branching out as I search for further information and my sources have, in fact, expanded in scope. One helpful tool I discovered to enhance my assessment notebook was the SMART Recorder. Since our current focus is on solving expanded addition and subtraction problems, I could see value in being able to record multi-step processes for future student viewing, so I searched for a helpful tutorial and I found several. Here is one of the most helpful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9qiH-jAq-Q

I found myself stopping and starting, stopping and restarting the video in order to solidify both my understanding of how to use the tool and how it might be useful in my math class. I was reminded of the district’s instruction model, the Gradual Release Model. As I reflect on this type of learning, I realize now I found myself intermittently on different points of the continuum of direct instruction, guided practice, collaboration, and independence. Even though I was learning this new skill by myself, I required differing frequency and intensity of instruction from the video.

Through this experience, I was able to develop greater empathy for my students, who move fluidly among the four phases to learn new concepts every day.  The SMART Notebook can be created and saved for future use when students are not actually at school. One of the most significant benefits this notebook has for students is that it serves as both a) a catalyst for collecting data about student understanding of core math skills and b) an opportunity for me to maximize my time with students by conferring with them about the daily formative assessments in the math workshop format. That’s powerful because it enables students to solve problems and receive feedback almost immediately; without the board I wouldn’t have the expedient feedback loop that both encourages students to examine their learning process and adapt it as necessary and affirms their work, motivating them to embrace the next challenge.

Networked Learning Project Week 1 -or- Why Technology Outranks Dessert (at least this time).

So much potential…

Initially, I wanted to learn to make baked Alaska.

I’ve always marveled at the fact that one can experience both a frozen and fresh-out-of-the oven dessert simultaneously. I mean, what could be more exciting that defying the cardinal laws of cooking? On Sunday night, I had pastries on my mind.

Fast forward to the beginning of my work week. In July, I acquired a SMART board in my classroom which my former teaching partner, with whom I had worked closely for three years, bequeathed to me as during his move to Massachusetts.

“You’ll have to teach me how to work this thing,” I marveled.

“I won’t be around,” said he, optimistically. “But you’ll be able to figure it out.” Hmmmm.

For the first two weeks of school, the SMART board has faced north, south, and east in my classroom. It’s been rolled toward my desk, toward the window, and toward the cubbies. My students have tripped over it; the brand new teacher I’m working with has experienced it obstructing her view to my desk; and I’ve become increasingly more nervous by the day that something, heaven forbid, is going to happen to it.

“Aerrgh!” I sighed on Thursday, exasperated.

“You sound like you’re about to explode in there!” my newbie laughed. Enough is enough, I decided. I know this board is going to be incredibly helpful as well as inspiring once my facility with it sufficiently increases, and also I’m tired of feeling like an underachiever. Tech support or no tech support -and let’s face it: the latter is definitely my reality here- I have got to learn to integrate this blessed piece of technology.

Thus, suddenly and quite unexpectedly, I bid my confection aspirations farewell and committed to enhancing my teaching (and fulfilling my educational technology class project requirements) with -wait for it- successful integration of new educational technology.

Before I really began the process, however, I needed to evaluate how my board was going to best serve my students. I could think of a multitude of ways to use it that might be interesting and cool to my students: demonstrating how to use certain apps on their iPads, editing pieces writing during writing workshop, displaying and manipulating websites and the like. However, the question I always return to in moments of decision regarding technology is: “How is this technology going to improve student understanding and achievement?” That is the central question, after all.

I began to reflect: In which subject area my students might benefit from a technology-based intervention. The district’s GAN (Greatest Area of Need) is currently math. Already my teaching teammate and I mix our classes and work with our special education provider to pre-test and differentiate instruction for our 60 students. We are working to structure our Everyday math curriculum around a math workshop format and we have flipped our instruction using our student iPads and Explain Everything. Using the SMART Board to highlight important segments of instructional videos, demonstrate skill concepts, organize and categorize math concepts, and give students opportunities for guided practice, seemed excellent ways to support and extend the math structure we have in place.

Armed with a clearer vision, I was ready to learn more about the SMART technology in order to conceptualize what it might look like in my classroom. Since I needed to work my way from the ground up, my first step was to consult the wealth of knowledge that is Google. The first YouTube tutorial I explored was called, “SMART Boards: Why Are They So Easy to Use?” Wow. Thanks a lot, 656,000 viewers, for making me feel like a total ignoramus.

Next, I located a video called “Complete SMART Board Tutorial,” created three years ago. Now that’s more like it. Nothing like going back three years in the field of technology to create yourself a little efficacy. The tutorial was pretty basic and included some stellar use of freeze-frame, but it was just what I needed to get my feet wet.

I found out the first step to setting up a SMART board is to orient the project to the screen. I was mentally transported to my ophthalmologist’s office as I tapped the little red triangles that acclimate the board to the projector. Once that was accomplished, I familiarized myself with the wonders of the right-click button. Controlling my desktop using my own hand was practically breathtaking. Minority Report had nothing on me!

All of my oooohing and aaaahing -If you think I’m joking, you’re thinking erroneously- came to a halt, however, when I realized my projector was oriented far above my board. No problem, I thought, I’ll just hop up barefoot onto my kidney table. What other course of action would I take wearing a dress?

So up I scurried and manipulated the projector to match my board. The lens now perfectly centered, I ambled back down…only to watch the projector angle back upwards again. Much to my surprise, the technology office sent a tech the day after I submitted my request to adjust the projector to fit my SMART board screen!

Now that I’ve taken the first step off the cliff and actually begun to enjoy a modicum of success and develop a proficiency with the hardware, I’m eager to further explore what else I can learn about how to use the SMART board software specifically in the content area of math. Having centered in a topic, I can begin to conceptualize what improvements the board will bring to my classroom and explore options from teachers in environments similar to mine, keeping math as my focus area for student achievement. The situation reminds me of what our assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction is always telling me: “If people don’t make specific commitments to their new learning, no matter how top-notch the professional development is, it will not transfer to the classroom.”  Perusing the readily available tutorials and chronologically organized, task-oriented videos, I am optimistic that I will be able to commit to adding some much-needed, readily applicable tools to my toolbox with the continued help of YouTube tutorials and, moving forward, the added assistance of help forums. Here’s hoping!