Reflection Time Again!

My personal theory of learning remains the same-- a compilation of many theories working together to meet students’ needs. I have certainly added more information to my ideas about learning and remembered the “why” behind some of the things I thought I had just been doing naturally, such as positive reinforcement as a behaviorist trait.

One strategy I will employ more now in my language arts classes is using non-linguistic representations for definitions or making story boards to show comprehension. I used many pictures in my French lessons, but failed to see the value in English classes. What seemed like overkill to me will now be another chance for my students to make a visual connection with a word or concept. I will use voice thread as one of the major conveyors of non-linguistic communication. Students struggling to find a writing topic can look at a thread, either with or without sound, to spark their imaginations. Vocabulary can be reviewed by watching various student generated voice threads. I will also be using sites for mind mapping to give my students that visual aide to organizing material. I can see both voice thread and concept mapping as tools I will use as instructional, but will also assign to the class as learning tools that lend themselves easily to cooperative work.

For the long term, I think an overall goal will be to put more thought in to using technology as a learning tool rather than instructional. Students can get a tremendous benefit from opportunities to create. Although I use cooperative learning quite frequently, I do see the additional step of letting the group teach others as a possibility I have missed. It is obvious now that group members can all contribute to a voice thread or wiki from their home computers or one in our media center. I have already planned to add a technology project to three of my units next year: a voice thread or podcast book talk; a “Christmas Carol” wiki; and a career research blog.

Another goal is inspired by Dr. Pickering’s emphasis on students’ need for “explicit guidance” before independent practice. Although I do model most assignments for my classes by sharing the first paragraph or stanza I wrote, I sometimes skip giving the guidance of how to prewrite. The graphic organizers online will be a great help with this, as will the comparison process of identifying similarities and differences to classify things, like different types of writing. I can model my meta-cognitive process during prewriting with a voice thread or even take them through a virtual field trip of a poet going through this process. Technology makes taking these extra steps very easy on teachers and engaging to the students.

My Voicethread

http://voicethread.com/share/1191235/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Cooperative learning has been around all of the sixteen years I have taught and has stood strong as other trends came and went. I have used partners and groups of four on a daily basis in my French classes, and now try to incorporate grouping in language arts. The grouping itself is crucial, as recommendations include: using ability based sparingly; using base, formal and informal grouping; and keeping the size manageable (Pitler, 139-140). I like Ms. Ortiz's rubrics included in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works for holding every participant accountable for their part in the task and letting them be the more knowledgeable other for one part. Discussing, teaching, hearing others, putting it all together validates the whole learning experience for the group as they are socially interacting to construct or solve something like a webquest or group project. On a smaller scale, breaking down long readings and using the jigsaw method Dr. Orey spoke of in the video also gives students the chance to specialize in one part and inform the others in the group. As George Siemens pointed out, with our information abundance and incredible networks, learners of today will have to work cooperatively with groups spread across the globe. Networking will be the best way to learn and continue to grow on the job.

Included in the social learning model, George Siemens spoke of the incredible tools we have now in visualization. The only interactive game I have used is to post the website for Admongo.com when we were studying propaganda. Students enjoyed jumping around and finding the questions and I even saw a few going to the site during free time on the computer. I know there is much more in this realm of virtual field trips and opportunities to connect with others using Skype, Delicious, and wikis. Some of the tools I have used for personal networking can certainly be brought in to the classroom to allow the social aspect of learning to cement the connections we make with our environment, the people in it, and our discoveries.