Reflection on Learning

As I reviewed the learning theory assignment that I completed in week one of this course, I realized that I would make some modifications.  I still feel that learning occurs through meaningful experiences.  However, in this course, I have learned that there are multitudes of technology resources available to use in conjunction with the nine clusters of effective teaching strategies as mentioned by Dr. Debra Pickering (Laureate Education Inc., 2011b).  In addition, I have learned about experiences that involve technology that the students use for their own learning as opposed to the teacher dominating the technology.  One adaptation I would make to my learning theory would be that I do not need to create learning experiences for my students.  They can create their own learning experiences.  My students ask several questions each day.  I have decided that much of their learning could stem from their natural questioning.  Learning, in the real world, does extend from our natural questioning.  Thus, I should use technology to allow my students to learn and showcase their learning about things that interest them currently.  I often assume my students are interested in topics, so I create week-long units about them.  I have realized that I need to let them tell me about their interests.

One major adjustment I am making to my instructional practice is turning instructional technology into learning technology.  Instead of playing videos for the whole class and standing at the front of the room to talk about the video, I can allow students to do their own research.  One specific way I will do this is by posting a picture of chickens and eggs next to a QR code of a hatching chick.  The picture is a nonlinguistic representation of the content that the students will explore.  Pitler, Hubbell, and Kuhn (2012) explain the importance of using pictures as nonlinguistic representations to assist in the students’ understanding (p. 105).  The students can look at images such as the chicken and eggs to determine which video they would like to watch.  Then, they will write what happened in the video to summarize their research.  This is more engaging for the students because they would get to choose their topic.  Also, the students would be conducting and summarizing their research without the help of the teacher.

In my classroom, we do several concept maps to sort and organize ideas.  I will begin using digital concept mapping instead of using chart paper to save paper and allow my students to manipulate the concept map instead of me doing the writing.  They can use pictures.  I would like to use virtual field trips in the classroom.  Dr. Michael Orey describes how virtual field trips create experiences for students: “we can create this episodic memory, we can create a rich experience, and this rich experience could be the foundational experience in this network of ideas that a child can have when they’re learning the content (Laureate Education Inc., 2011a).  There are a few virtual field trips that are age appropriate for my students.  I would like for my students to create these field trips.  Another tool that I will begin using is VoiceThread.  I will be using it to have students comment on each other’s writing.  I will post pictures of their writing on the VoiceThread and have them read their writing into the VoiceThread.  Then, I will have the students post comments on VoiceThreads.  I really found it fairly easy to navigate the VoiceThread app on my iPhone.  Thus, I plan to use iPods and iPads for the students to create VoiceThreads and post comments.

One long-term goal I have to improve my instructional practice is to create an environment where the students can easily access technology to use for their own learning.  Dr. Michael Orey explains that “learning tools are…about what the child can do with the technology” (Laureate Education Inc., 2011c).  My plan to achieve this goal is to make the iPads or iPods available for the students to use to learn and to showcase learning.  I have already begun this process by making the technology readily available by encouraging the students to take pictures of the work they are proud of which will be showcased as a slideshow on our classroom blog.  Also, I am allowing the students to learn how to create digital presentations using a video camera.  The next step I am taking is to provide QR links to virtual fieldtrips or instructional videos for the students to use to learn.  Then, I will allow students to create their own virtual field trips of places we go or documentaries of things we do at school.  Another goal I have is to create a global learning environment by finding classrooms in different parts of the world to communicate.  In prekindergarten, students need to appreciate other cultures.  Interacting with people in different parts of the world would give my students the awareness of places different than our community.  In order to achieve both of these goals, I have discussed the goals with my colleagues at school.  Hopefully, we can change the way we teach to a more student-led, technology rich environment.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Program six: Spotlight on technology: Virtual field trips [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Program eleven: Instructional strategies, Part one [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011c). Program thirteen: Technology: Instructional tool vs. learning tool [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that

works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Social Learning using Technology

Link to my VoiceThread: 

http://voicethread.com/share/4942287/

I have learned a lot about cooperative learning this week using technology.  I have known about how social learning and collaboration are crucial for students to acquire twenty-first century skills.  However, I did not realize that there are so many technology-based resources that will deepen social learning beyond the classroom.  The main strategy that I learned about was VoiceThread. George Siemens states that in the connectivism theory, “visualization is important” (Laureate Education Inc., 2011b).  Students make connections to the images and ideas that they visualize.  VoiceThread is a way to connect content with images.  It supports the social learning principles as the students post pictures with comments for other students, peers, and community members to provide comments.  Having voice comments is an exciting way for students to provide and receive feedback on their work.  This tool also supports connectivism because the students make connections with the visitors of their VoiceThreads. 

Website creation such as creating blogs is another great resource that supports social learning theory.  Students are able to communicate in an open forum with others about their content.  Students could create a blog of how to successfully perform a skateboard trick.  They could include VoiceThreads or videos of the tricks along with the physics explanation of how the trick is performed.  Other skateboard enthusiasts can provide their own ideas.  Also, they could create a social networking community that is based on skateboarding with the interdisciplinary subjects such as math, writing, and physics concepts.  Dr. Michael Orey mentions: “In constructionism, you want kids to learn by building something.  Well, a really powerful strategy is to have kids build something together” (Laureate Education Inc., 2011a).  Constructing a blog atmosphere is a form of constructing a knowledge base on the internet.  The constructing is ongoing and collaborative in nature which is a great way to ensure future learning endeavors.

One social learning strategy that I plan to begin to implement is communicating with ePals found on the ePal website.  I would like for my students to use Skype to share their current projects such as recycling trash into artwork.  As VoiceThreads are “breaking down the walls that are in our classroom today”, I would like my students to share our VoiceThread with our ePals and challenge them to do a similar project (Laureate Education Inc., 2011c).  We would be learning how to create art using fine motor skills, communicate by speaking, and use Skype for global interaction.  I feel that the combination of all of these instructional strategies would lead to long term memory of skills that will be completed during the collaborative process.

Another resource that correlates with social learning principles is that students should communicate throughout the learning process.  I want my students to continue their learning at home.  Thus, Evernote is a resource that could be used to scan projects to email to parents to work with their children.  For example, if I am teaching how we should reduce trash, I would not want to waste paper by sending home a note for parents to create an artifact using trash from around their home.  I would rather scan the previously created project directions to email to parents.  Pitler, Hubbell, and Kuhn (2012) articulate that “[o]ver the past decade, it has become easier and easier to make websites” (p. 78).  Thus, instead of emailing to each parent, I could create a class website to post ideas for home learning with a social context.  Using these strategies will allow for community and global learning connections to take place.  Students will increase their ability to communicate in a variety of ways. 

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Program nine: Connectivism as a learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011c). Program ten: Spotlight on technology: VoiceThread [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Designing Learning Experiences

As I reviewed this week’s resources, I have learned about learning by design, project based learning, and generating and testing hypotheses.   I will explain how these strategies correlate with the constructivist and constructionist learning theories.  Orey explains that “[c]onstructionism, really, is this idea that you need to have this first-hand experience with things to understand things” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  In order to understand new things, students need to go through a process of assimilation and accommodation to achieve equilibration.  Achieving a state of equilibration means that new knowledge is stored in a schema.  To achieve equilibration, the students must engage in assimilation to take new experiences and change how we interpret the new information or experience to fit into our existing schema, or prior understandings.  

One way we can give students the opportunity to work new understandings into their schemas, assimilation, is to allow students to learn by designing products.  Orey (2001) states that “[l]earning by design strongly suggests that tasks should be based on hands-on experience in real-world contexts.”  This statement correlates with the constructionism as it involves constructing a designed product.  In addition to learning by design, project-based learning is another way students construct understandings and skills as they construct projects.  Teachers can combine learning by design with project-based learning by allowing students to design a product such as a bridge on a digital program.  Then, the students could physically construct a bridge.  Throughout this process, the students would be generating and testing hypotheses of how bridges are constructed in a way to support weight.  They will be incorporating several components of learning by design such as authentic tasks, collaboration, experimentation, and exploration (Orey, 2001).  Solving problems is also important in the constructionist process.  Orey (2001) also describes that “[p]roblem-based inquiry is an effort to challenge students to address real-world problems and resolve realistic dilemmas.”  These real world problems, such as falling bridges, create real problem solving opportunities of the project based tasks.  Thus, this experience will give students needed experience with the skills of the twenty-first century work environment.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved

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

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that

works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.