Final Reflection

          In the beginning of this course, seven weeks ago, I started learning about technology and teaching strategies.  I thought that I was pretty technologically savy, but come to find, there are some great tools out there that I didn’t know existed.  This course has helped me find and learn how to use some new technology in my classroom and also how to group and teach students even better than before.

          Looking back at my personal theory of learning, I stated that “in short, my learning theory boils down to the need for patients, understanding, believing in them, getting to know them as individuals and as learners and finally using the best strategies available and keeping up to date with current research.”  When I was addressing my theory I wrote that I was a young teacher just in my beginning years and that I expect my theory to change as I grow and learn in this profession.  Thinking about all the learning that I have done through this course I still stand by all my major points.  I still believe that our youth requires patients, understanding, and someone who truly believes them.  Through this course I can stand by my statement even more through learning more strategies to use with my students.

          In this course I have learned how to use several great tools with students.  Two examples that I hope to use in the future are SpiderScribe and VoiceThread.  SpiderScribe is great because it allows students to visually see what they are mapping and allows them to think deeper.  I really enjoyed using VoiceThread because you can make a presentation however you want.  If you want to share your thoughts on someone else’s you can do it by webcam, voice recording, or text.  It is also neat because if you were having students respond to a prompt, students can hear and see other students’ responses to help them form an opinion if they are not sure what to say.

          Immediate adjustments that I have already made as a result of this course would be with how I group my students.  I tend to put students who are near the same academic level together.  However, learning about cooperative grouping has opened my eyes to how I should group my students.  Since learning about cooperative grouping I have changed my grouping strategies and it has become less strategically grouped and more random (but never completely random).  I know that I will be using SpiderScribe later in this year.  Because students have already had some experience with it this year, it will only become easier and easier to use.  By the end of this year it will be a tool that they can use on their own, and they may even use it next year in 6^th grade.

          One long-term goal that I have in regards to technology and instructional practice would be to integrate more technology opportunities for students.  I want my students to leave me with a variety of technological experiences so that when they enter middle school they have experienced more than the usual PowerPoint and Microsoft Word use.  A second long-term goal I have is to expand my goodie bag of technological strategies for my students to use.  I hope that through my courses at Walden I will gain more and more strategies to keep in my back pocket.  As I’m acquiring books and strategies from Walden I am moving these books into my classroom with plenty of post-it notes and highlighted parts.  I’m hoping that this way, I will be able to access any strategies whenever I need them.

                   In conclusion, this course has helped me grow as a professional teacher.  This course has helped me gain some new insights and new strategies to use with my class of fifth graders.  I am excited to move on to our next course to see what more there is to learn.  I cannot wait to learn new strategies and new technology that I can implement them in my current and future classrooms. 
 

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

          This week I familiarized myself with social learning theories.  In the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works I read about cooperative learning.  Thorough reflection on both these topics I realized that they have similarities and work well together.

          Social Learning theories are based on students working with their peers.  In comparison, cooperative learning “focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.139).  It is necessary for students to learn to work together.  Now, more than ever its important for students to learn to successfully work together because they “will inherit [… a] virtual workplace” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.139).

          Social networking tools allow you to group students however you feel.  The cooperative learning strategy suggests that grouping “based on ability levels should be don sparingly” and I can understand why this is done (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.139).  Students these days are very aware of their academic ability and will quickly figure out (or try to figure out) who is in the high group, who is in the average group, and what students are always in the low group.  This is not a good strategy to use for social networking because student can quickly see who is paired with who each time.  I believe that you need to mix the abilities up so that students are able to teach each other and learn from each other.

          “Cooperative learning groups should be rather small in size” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.139).  I love creating small groups for a couple reasons.  One reason is because they are much more manageable.  In addition, it is easier to group students together because you have fewer personalities to think about.  Lastly, the smaller groups allow me to choose which ability levels will work flawlessly together and gain the most knowledge from each other.  In this way, small groups allow you to group more students will different students.  Your students are not complaining about always having the same people in their group.  They are getting to know other students in their class who maybe they wouldn’t have decided they wanted to be friends with.

          When it comes to multimedia I believe that it is important to have “individual and group accountability” especially when students are creating a group project (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.140).  I believe it is important for students to understand that they are working as part of a group and that they also get an individual grade also.  By providing a group and individual grade you can be sure that everyone is making an effort.  If a student isn’t participating it won’t necessarily affect a group grade, but their individual grade.  This way, students work together because their grade partly depends on it but also because they are part of a group.

          Communication software is awesome to have access to because it “allows student to collaborate on projects without the constraints of time or geography” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p.153).  In my classroom currently, I have a blog.  I post the question every Friday, and the students have until the following Thursday at lunch to get in their answer.  I require a number of sentences because in fifth grade, if I didn’t they would answer in one word if they could.  Responding with the appropriate length is something we are working on as a class.  Students will need to be modeled how to appropriately respond and what a ‘meeting standard’ grade looks like. 

          In conclusion, social learning theories and cooperative learning are intertwined and work flawlessly together.  I believe that social theories and the cooperative strategy work remarkably well together and I think that I am using both together know in my classroom without realizing it.

Resources

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

Be sure to check out the book: Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works

And the online book sections: Social Constructivism, Cooperative Learning and Connectivism.  

Be sure to check out my VoiceThread !