Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction and Technology Course Reflection

I am working on my masters’ degree from Walden University. When this course began, I analyzed my personal learning theory. In teaching mathematics, my education philosophy most closely matches the Cognitive Theory. Paul Friere stated that “To study is not to consume ideas but to create and re-create them”. After reflecting on all the learning theories in this course, I still believe the cumulative nature of mathematics is best taught with the cognitive theory, but that it must be complemented with cooperative group learning for our 21st Century Learners.

I will adjust my instruction by including more technology based cooperative constructivist activities. I have learned the rubric design is critical to ensure accountability and that each activity must be designed with three stages: planning, implementation and reflection. I have implemented a tutorial project with my Algebra class. Most students used Jing (http://www.jingproject.com/); one student used VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com/share/811543/). The second technology I will continue to implement is the use of Flip videos to model mathematical functions. I experimented with it this semester and was able to create a demo and have 3 students publish to our wiki (http://hurricanemath.wikispaces.com/Kent-Adv+Algebra2) modeling quadratic functions with volleyballs, soccer balls and footballs. These activities allow students to create and re-create their ideas about mathematical concepts.

I have two long term technology goals. The first is to use the technology to have students design graphic organizers such as concepts maps. I think this would be best implemented at the beginning of the course. We are on a block schedule so I can begin implementations in January. My second goal is help design a quiet space with a computer and microphone for student recordings. I had students who wanted to create a podcast or comment on a voicethread stay after school for a quiet environment. If we had one computer, perhaps with a carrel around it, creating a cubicle in each lab, it would give students the privacy and quiet they need to record. I will bring this proposal to the building technology committee.
It was fascinating to revisit the learning theories I had studied in college through a technology lens. So many things have changed. There have been advances in brain research and web2.0 tools that are now readily available to our students. I will continue to research how these tools can be used educationally and seek professional development to use them to their fullest potential.

VoiceThread

Please view my VoiceThread about student language in school at
http://voicethread.com/share/776333/

Social Learning Theories: Social Constructivism and Connectivism

Can learning happen in isolation? I can lock myself in a library, read, study, and even build an artifact, constructing knowledge in my mind, but without feedback, how do I know if I have a misconception? The presence of others allows for us to converse about a topic, refine our understanding and hear other people’s perspectives of the same information.

Social Learning Theories state that the context and culture are an important aspect of “constructing knowledge and understanding the world around us” (Orey, 2009). There are two theories on how this can happen in today’s education: Social Constructivism and Connectivism.

In Social Constructivism, students collaborate and interact WHILE engaging in the construction of an artifact. There are many ways to group students so the group can make sense of the project, plan, encourage, confirm, and validate results. Most students will be in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), or ready to learn stage, each contributing their own unique skill. Others may be the Sage, or the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and help lead the group.

Cooperative Learning (CL) is a structured approach that complements Social Constructivism. Not having formal training in CL, I realize that I have confused Group Work/Collaboration with Cooperative Learning. I often assign a task, ask the students to pick groups and plan an activity with the discovery method to create a poster or Powerpoint presentation (artifact). Cooperative Learning shares these qualities, but also has the structure of a Pre-Implementing Phase where the teacher selects groups, arranges the room, prepares students for conflict resolution and creates a rubric where both individual and group members are accountable. Then in the Implementation phase, the teacher monitors behavior and intervenes as necessary, while allowing for the learning to occur through student dialog. Finally, in the Post-Implementation stage, there is a forum for reflection and closure.

Without hands-on professional development in this area, it is difficult to fully appreciate all the ways social learning in cooperative groups can occur. Common examples are Pair-Share, JigSaw, Split Class Debates, and Circle the Sage. I have been in professional development workshops that utilize these strategies. Use of these methods will allow for greater student engagement and provide benefits socially, psychologically, academically and offer a variety of assessment. The students can practice the social skills of leadership, decision making, and oral communication. The will gain self-esteem, feel part of a group, and be in a safe environment. Studies show CL activities result in greater retention of knowledge.

Does all of this have to happen with groups of your students in your room? The Connectivism theory says no. For the 21st Century learner, the internet is a vast area to network and collaborate with others. The read/write web allows us to have group members in another state or even another country! Each learner can create a Personal Learning Network through blogs, videoconferences, wikis, twitter and voice threads then share his knowledge through social bookmarking sites with others. With the exponential increase of knowledge, and the burden this generation has to know more, students need a place to network and store this information. Hand-held technologies makes their information accessible at their fingertips 24 hours a day. To give students the social skills to be successful in today’s work force, the use of Social Learning through Cooperative Activities is an essential tool.

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology: Connectivism. Retreived November 29, 2009 from
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology: Cooperative Learning. Retreived November 29, 2009 from
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Cooperative_Learning

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology: Social Constructionism. Retreived November 29, 2009 from
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism

Orey, Michael. (2009, March). Social Learning Theories. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Laureate Education Inc. Baltimore, MD.

Siemen, George. (2009, March). Connectivism As a Learning Theory. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Laureate Education Inc. Baltimore, MD.

Hypotheses Testing in Project and Inquiry Based Instruction

The Constructivist theory believes that knowledge is constructed in the mind of the learner. A natural extension of this theory is the Constructionist theory which believes learning occurs in the mind as a student builds an artifact. Both of these theories share qualities. In the learning environment, the teacher is a facilitator while the learner is expected to investigate, create, collaborate and use multiple strategies to arrive at a conclusion. The project/artifact should be a genuine, authentic task which will be shared and which will be graded on a rubric. In the student project, there are three phases: the planning stage, the implementing stage and the processing stage. (Orey, 2001)

Complementing these strategies with Hypothesis testing and technology will greatly enhance student understanding. The web site, Instructional Strategies That Work, Marzano, Pickering and Pollock list six classroom strategies in which to apply hypothesis testing: System Analysis, Problem Solving, Historical Investigation, Invention, Experimental Inquiry and Decision Making.

In system analysis, problem solving and historical investigations, the students can investigate using computer simulations to test their hypothesis. In decision making, the students can track the outcomes of different decisions in a spreadsheet to organize the results. In mathematics, experimental inquiry can be used to model and understand a natural phenomenon, such as gravity and its effect in sports.

Next week my Advanced Algebra 2 class will begin studying quadratic functions and their graphs: parabolas. There are many skills involved: finding the vertex using the formula x=-b/2a, finding x-intercepts by factoring, completing the square and using the quadratic formula. This will require some traditional instruction. To see parabolas come to life, I will incorporate both experimental inquiry based instruction and project based instruction.

We will begin our Balls of Fun study, with a project based activity: Parabolas in Flight. The artifact the students will create will be a video of a ball’s trajectory. In the planning stage, the students learn the trajectory formula and watch a demonstration video I upload to teacher tube (http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=146265&title=Parabolas_in_Flight&ref=nancykent) In the implementation stage, they will collaboratively make a video of a football pass, basketball shot, golf shot or soccer ball kick. Then using Windows Movie Maker, will investigate the trajectory formula for that specific event. While in the computer lab, they will use an online simulation of a cannon to investigate any additional factors that may affect their calculations. In the processing stage, they will share their video and if given parent permission upload it to teacher tube and link it to our wiki. They will receive immediate feedback from the class presentation and additional feedback from family and friends if they upload to Teacher tube. I am hoping this will take the formulas out of the textbook and bring them to life!

Our next activity will be inquiry based. In the planning stage, the students will learn quadratic regression on the graphing calculator and fill in a template (available at Instructional Strategies That Work - Experimental Inquiry Hypothesis Framework), with a hypothesis explaining the parabolas involved in a bouncing ball. Is each subsequent bounce related to the one before? Does each ball type have its own bounce back rate?

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2006/restitution.shtml



Image by MichaelMaggs with a Creative Commons Attribution Sharelinke 3.0 License from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bouncing_ball_strobe_edit.jpg

In the implementing stage, they will use a graphing calculator motion sensor to capture data on the each parabola bounce and compare vertexes, looking for a pattern. As they share they will verify their results with others.

Both of these activities will allow students to construct knowledge in their mind about parabolas and their qualities. The second will allow them to develop a hypothesis and test it. I want to continually align my practice with technology and help instill as many 21st Century skills as I can in my students.

Marzano, Pickering and Pollock. (2009). Instructional Strategies That Work. Retrieved November 24, 2009 from http://allenswanson.org/marzano/Generating_and_Testing_Hypotheses.htm

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology: Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning. Retreived November 24, 2009 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Constructionism%2C_Learning_by_Design%2C_and_Project_Based_Learning

Concept Maps

This concept map was designed at www.bubbl.us to be used with a Virtual Field trip at
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/robotics/



Great new video at The Futures' Channel

Cognitivism In Practice with Technology

The cognitive learning theory states that learning is the ability to store facts, processes and episodes in long term memory and to be able to retrieve them through a complex network based on connections to other ideas. Michael Orey describes a three stage processing model for information processing: Sensory Input, Short Term Memory and Elaboration or Rehearsal for Long Term Memory (Orey, 2009).

Teachers should utilize technology as an instructional strategy to complement all stages of the learning process. Four of the eight multiple intelligences described by Howard Gardner (Orey, 2001) identify a sense as a way human beings process information: verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic and musically. The cognitive theory works best when two of the senses are used together a process called the dual-coding hypothesis. This way, the brain will code the information through two pathways in the brain. The use of informational images with a fact in a Powerpoint presentation can create an associative connection. For example showing a skier on a steep mountain will help students understand the concept of slope on the Cartesian graph. Computer simulations are also a powerful tool to visually see how changes is the numerical value of the slope could change a steep black diamond run to a flat cross country ski experience.

A learner can only process 5 to 9 pieces of information at a time in short term memory. To organize these facts or processes, the data needs to be arranged to make connections between them. A word processor, such as Microsoft Word can be used in note taking by using bulleted lists, tables or the AutoSummarize feature. If a student needs to revise their work, there is also the Tool – Track Changes feature. The use of two column notes or templates will also tie in the dual-processing hypothesis. New research by Novak’s research program at Cornell has discovered that a concept map imitates the storage process of our own human brain (Novak & Cañas, 2008). Teachers can use concept maps to plan their units or students can construct their own at places such as My Webspiration or Spinscape. There are also many types of advanced and/or graphic organizers which serve to enhance a “students' ability to retrieve, use, and organize information about a topic.” (Hansen, 2009). Templates are available on the internet.

Technology is also a valuable tool in the elaboration process of transferring information to long term memory. The learner can create episodes through Virtual Field trips, podcasts, teleconferences or experiential learning activities such as internships, co-ops, service learning or role playing scenarios. (Orey, 2001).

For teachers to effectively incorporate technology in their instruction, they should plan activities so students are learning WITH multimedia, not from it!


Hansen, Kevin. (2009). Technology that Works. Retrieved November 15,2009 from
http://technologythatworks.wikispaces.com/Cues%2C+Questions+%26+Advance+Organizers

Novak, J. D. & Cañas, A. J. (2008). The theory underlying concept maps and how to construct and use them, Technical Report IHMC CmapTools 2006-01 Rev 01-2008. Retrieved November 15, 2009 from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Web site: http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.pdf

Orey, Michael. (2009, March). Cognitive Learning Theories. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Laureate Education Inc. Baltimore, MD.

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Experientaial Learning. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Using Behaviorism for Improving Effort

I teach freshman in an Introduction to Algebra course. In the transition from middle school to high school the expectations increase. Students are expected to take more responsibility for their learning and behaviors. The book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works highlights two of McREL’s classroom recommendations for teachers:

1) “Explicitly teach students about the importance of effort”
2) “Have students keep track of their efforts and achievements”. (Pitler et at..,2007)

To put this into practice with the Behaviorist Theory, the teacher must define for the student the behaviors expected. By starting with an Effort Rubric, students can self-assess where their behaviors fall in terms of Class Notes, Attention, Participation, Homework and Studying. To continue to reinforce the importance of these behaviors, student could track their progress in a spreadsheet, easily converted to a visual graph.

If the desired behaviors are seen, the teacher can offer a positive reinforcement. While developing these skills, positive reinforcement will also be reward by increased grades. They will also see their peers modeling positive behaviors. Students will then begin to internalize the correlation between effort and achievement, and mature into productive, successful high school students.

Hansen, Kevin. (2009). Technology that Works. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from
http://technologythatworks.wikispaces.com/Reinforcing+Effort .

Pitler et at..(2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL).

Forms of Data Represenations

NCTM Data Representation:
Last spring, I attended a lecture in Washington DC given by Jim Rubillo; a former President of the National Council Teachers of Mathematics. One of his topics was multiple representations of data:

Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

This week I will begin a new course at Walden University called Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. I learned so much in my last technology based class and feel I have successfully transferred that knowledge directly into the classroom. Over the summer, I taught members of my department about wikis and convinced them to start a department wiki at

www.hurricanemath.wikispaces.com

The students are able to support each other and collaborate using a technology they love. It has been a huge success - even the local paper wrote an article about it!

Walden Course Reflection

I am enrolled in an online Master’s Program at Walden University. As I finish an eight week course: “Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society”, I am overwhelmed by how much I have learned about the new Web2.0 educational opportunities. I feel like a completely new teacher!

Before I enrolled in this class, I prided myself on being a tech savvy teacher. But this course introduced me to the following technologies and how to use them in an educational setting: blogs, RSS, podcasts, wikis and how to find locate educational resources.

Based on ISTE standards, the New Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy and 21st Century Skills, I have reflected on how I use technology. I have discovered I have been using technology to automate processes, to not innovatively engage a digital native (see post below). I need to teach for the communication age, not the industrial age. Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat should be required reading for all educators to understand the three gaps American education has to confront: the ambition gap, the numbers gap and the education gap. The knowledge I have gained in this class will move me to the next part of the Learning-with-ICT Curve and be an early adopter of online collaborative projects!

Given the resources at our student’s fingertips, the teacher is no longer the source of information. As technology has changed, teaching needs to move from a teacher-centered learning environment to a student-centered one. We will be their guide and help them assess the information they find and construct new knowledge using multimedia and technology. With more student centered collaborative learning, the students will share more responsibility for their learning. By being able to publish to a global audience, they will take more pride in their work.

I need to continue to expand my knowledge by reading educational blogs and continue to research web quests and mind tools. I need time to digest all this knowledge and reflect on how I can incorporate it into my math lessons. I have started a wiki for my students and plan on embracing these new technologies. I have enrolled in a summer course on Windows Movie Maker where I will receive a free flip camera for my classroom!

One goal to transform my classroom is to acquire the tools I need for students to use Web2.0 tools. I would like microphones, headphones and flip cameras. I will continue to look for opportunities like the above course, lobby for department funds and apply for online grants like DonorsChoose.

A second goal is to continue to research the “Route 21” ICT Literacy Maps for Mathematics, to design classroom activities and to develop rubrics. When I completed the ISTE Performance Indicator checklist before I started this course, I had checked “Sometimes” for collaborative projects where students take responsibility for their own learning. This course has helped me gain a better understanding of what global collaboration really means, and I will use this new knowledge to guide me forward!

Podcast On Digital Natives Computer Use

I recently interviewed my Statistics Students on Technology Use. You can hear the podcast at:

http://nancykent.podOmatic.com

Here are the questions I asked them:

1. What current technologies come to mind?

2. What technologies do you use at home the most?

3. How much time to you spend a day using technology? Is it limited?

4. What technologies do you use for educational purposes at home?

5. What technologies do you use for educational purposes during the day at school?

Digital Natives

Digital Native Students Prefer:

• Information gathering quickly from multiple multimediasources
• Multitasking
• Pictures, sound and video
• Random access to hyperlinked multimedia information
• Working interactively and networking with many others simultaneously
• Learning what is relevant,instantly useful and fun
•Like parallel processing
•Like to network with others
•Like to learn “just in time”

Digital Immigrant Faculty Prefer
• Slow and controlled release of information from limited resources
• Complete one task before moving on to the next task
• Like singular processing and single or limited tasking
• Text
• Providing information linearly, logically and sequentially
• Working independently
• Teaching to the curriculum and examinations
• Like to work independently
• Like to learn “just in case”

Source: http://www.labschool.ucla.edu/outreach/PTAConf2006.pdf

Partnership for 21st Century Skills Web Site

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills website has a wealth of resources. My first impression upon reading the MILE guide was disappointment, they had been in operation since 2001 and I have never heard of them! They have a very altruistic mission: to help incorporate the skills our students will need to be successful in the 21st century. They have brought together an impressive list of major stakeholders in technology and education. The technology organizations includes Intel, Cisco, Dell, Apple, HP, Intel and Microsoft. Education members include all levels from Sesame Street and Scholastic to McGraw Hall and the National Education Association.

The web site has resources to help you pave the way down “Route 21”. They have developed a Framework for 21st Century Learning and encourage educators to blend the Core subjects with Life and Career skills, Learning, Thinking and Innovation Skills and Information Communication Technology (ICT) Skills. The site also has an impressive source of publications; my favorite was the content specific Literacy Maps.

The information is organized into Skills, Support Systems, Resources and Partnerships with states. It surprised me that they had links to all media references, even those who were not supportive, such as “Backers of ‘21st Century Skills’ Take Flak”. They also had videos to address the people who say their skills undermine the currently taught skills and attempt to explain how they actually support them when the skills are integrated.

This is a wonderful resource for both students and educators.

21 st Century Skills

It terrifies me to think of the disconnect that the education environment has to the business environment. We are not always flexible, we still have students sitting in rows from 8 – 3. Most of modern communication systems are blocked in the classroom and we are isolated in classrooms limiting collaboration. The business world is embracing technology much quicker than the educational world.

As a teacher in my school, we have the spectrum of teachers trying to embrace technology while others are avoiding it. We all have access to a web portal through our district web page, but less than 20% of the teachers post information on it. We have the same statistics for our electronic grade book (which is not available online to parents). These programs do not even begin to address the wealth of online tools known as Web2.0, a read/write web.

Except for some small pockets of innovative staff, teachers are still operating in the industrial age.

Ok, now for the realitiy check.
I use technology every day: electronic grading programs, maintaining a teacher web portal and communicating to parents and colleagues by email. But I do not always have the tools in our work environment to achieve this such as access to a computer during my prep. We do not have any computers in the staff room, that would be heaven! I have one computer in my classroom, but during my prep, another teacher is teaching in my room, so I do not stay in my room. When I try to correct student work for my computer programming class, I need to load the student’s work from the server, which I also can not access from home. It is imperative I purchase a computer at home to do my work. After I have completed all of this daily work in the evening, it is exhausting to begin prepping an innovative use of technology in my classroom, but I do because I am very passionate about it. But then, when I have prepped a lesson at home, it will not work in our labs due to restrictions and blocked sites. It is often these frustrations that cause teachers to follow the path of least resistance, which in our industrial environment is not the use of technology.

What skills do we need to be preparing our students to have in the 21st Century?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o
Are we teaching them?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l72UFXqa8ZU

The Wealth of Information on Blogs via Wiki

Educational Blogs can help teachers sort through the immense resources on the web. Teachers are also creating wikis to organize the blogs. Here are 3 from my Walden class:


Group 1: http://educatorresourceratings.wikispaces.com/

Group 2: http://rating-educator-resources.wikispaces.com/

Group 3: http://walden-tech-resources.wikispaces.com/

Using a Classroom Blog

I teach mathematics to ninth to twelfth graders at a public high school. I think that a blog would be a good instructional tool so that everyone can have a voice and access to the teacher for individual comments. I currently have a class portal at
http://www.hartfordschools.net/Schools/HHS/FacultyandStaff/Math/KentNancy/tabid/425/Default.aspx
which I update every Friday. I post the next week’s assignments, links to our online text book and other useful sites, but it is not interactive. I can think of two useful ways to use a blog in my math classroom.

The first would be to build a body of knowledge around the current topic. I could address common misconceptions and be available to help with homework. I could also post related reading or links that expand the topic if I organize it by chapter and concept. It would be a forum for students to “talk” about mathematics which would allow for greater understanding and a collaborative workspace as students do their assignments. I could also publish student work for students to model. This could serve to inspire student who would like to learn more and expand the walls of the classroom.

The second idea came to me as I was grading a long term problem solving assignment in my Honors Algebra 2 class. I realized some students had a misconception early in the process and therefore the solution was incorrect. If they had had a space to post their ideas, I could have guided them in the right direction. It could be a place for them to interact about content.

Great video references on blogs and rss feeds

Teaching the Net Generation

When people comment on my job of teaching teenagers, I always say, "they are the most amazing people"! Here is a video that proves it:

http://netgened.grownupdigital.com/video/no-future-left-behind-1

Are we holding them back?

Using Techology Thoughtfully

Last summer, I began to analyze how I was using technology. Was I using it to its fullest? I saw some using smartboards to match definitions - when you got the definition onto the word balloon correctly the balloon popped. Although interactive, I knew there was more. I was reminded of Bloom's taxonomy and found out their is a new Digital Blooms' . This included verbs such as blogging, filming, animating, wiki-ing, publishing, videocasting, and podcasting. I knew I had some learning to do. I enrolled in a master's program at Walden University called Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Follow me on my journey of integrating technology into my math classroom.

Just found www.Classroom20.com - it is a great web site, being a visual person, I love this new graphic!