Education in the 21st Century!

UDL, DI & Technology

2010-08-22T21:37:00.001-04:00

Throughout the course of eight weeks I have participated in online discussions regarding UDL and DI through a social collaboration site and Walden’s class discussion boards. Through the social collaboration site created by my group and weekly discussions my colleagues and I have shared a variety of resources and tools to help implement UDL and DI into our classrooms. Through resources such as the udlcenter.org I have been able to learn and better understand the purpose behind Universal Design for Learning also known as UDL. The main principle behind UDL is to provide an opportunity for all types of learners to learn and that there is no single approach that works for all students. As educators we need to know our students interests, learning styles and readiness levels in order to provide them with an engaging learning experience. One way of reaching our students is to provide them with variety and options for learning new content as well demonstrating content they have learned. In order for this to occur it is important to differentiate our instruction and incorporate as much technology into our lessons as we possibly can. Differentiating Instruction (DI) allows educators to create activities and assessments that target the different interests, learning styles and readiness levels of students.
I have come across several resources that I have found useful to help me incorporate the concepts behind UDL and DI into my classroom this coming school year. The majority of the resources I have found are online, which is a positive thing because they all allow me to provide learning options for my students through the use of technology. The following websites/resources which I have found useful and will be using are:

www.webspiration.com
www.thinkfinity.org
www.readwritethink.org
www.everythingdi.com
www.docs.google.com
www.glogster.com
www.schoology.com
MOODLE(accessible through my school district)

The resources listed above provide different ways for my students to learn and display content they will learn in my social studies classroom. The first website is a great way for students to learn how to organize their thoughts and ideas by creating their own interactive graphic organizers. Having taught ELLs for almost five years it has come to my attention that they really enjoy graphic organizers. Rather giving them one I create or copy out of a resource book this gives them the opportunity to use the computer and be creative by creating their own graphic organizer. Websites such thinkfinity.org and readwritethink.org provide a wide variety of resources for teachers and students to learn new content. Readwritethink.org is a great way for me to incorporate language arts into the classroom through interactive activities the site has online for students. These sites not only give me and my students options for teaching and learning they are also technology based.
Coming from a district that has focused on integrating the principles of UbD (Understanding by Design) a teaching methodology that focuses on creating learning environments with the learner in mind, I will be supported in using the concepts of UDL and DI in my classroom. My district has also been focusing on providing a quality education geared towards the 21st century learners that sit in our classrooms. One way is to bring in new technology and methods of teaching our students both inside and outside of the classroom. This summer I was trained on how to use MOODLE and GOOGLE applications to teach my students. MOODLE allows me to create an online classroom experience for my students. Through MOODLE they can continue learning once they leave my classroom by simple logging onto the school site using their school account. Once in MOODLE I can leave assignments that vary from surveys, quizzes, multiple choice, short answer and even scheduled chat times. Through GOOGLE apps such as their email accounts and GoogleDocs students can participate in online discussions and collaborate and group projects. These tech based tools allow me to provide instruction in a new way, allow my students to participate and present what they have learned in a new way as well as continue the learning experience outside of the traditional classroom setting.
Immediate changes that will occur in my classroom in regards to technology integration is to simple add more of it on a regular daily basis. I will be starting off the school year using the MOODLE class accounts I have created for my students. Through MOODLE my students will be able to access important information such as their syllabus, homework resources, and assignments. Once their Google email accounts are assigned I will teach them how to access their Google accounts so that they can begin to participate in online discussion and group collaboration assignments. While they will still take part in traditional practices such as note-taking and paper tests I will also include technology based assignments and assessments. Through this course and other courses I have taken through my program at Walden I have learned that technology is one way of providing instruction and learning to my students. Even though I now have a long list of technology resources/tools it is best that I focus on just a few in my classroom in order to really know how well it works. As I become more comfortable with using technology and other methods of teaching such as differentiated instruction I will be able to add more new ideas and strategies as I go along. It takes time, patience, and a lot of practice before I can even call myself an expert.

Universal Design For Learning

2010-07-25T11:07:00.003-04:00

Reflections.....

2010-04-25T20:03:00.003-04:00

Over the course of the past seven weeks I have learned the importance of putting together a GAME plan and how it can help me achieve the goals I have set for myself. I have enjoyed learning and going through the process of the GAME plan that I have had my students create their own GAME plans for the remainder of the school year. The GAME plan allowed me and will allow my students to take responsibility and ownership over the decisions they make whether they be good or bad. I was able to remain reflective about my progress in regards to my GAME plan and that is my hope for my students as well. I have yet to fully meet my GAME plan but I believe that it is one that will take time and will require continued reflection and patience on my behalf. As I have learned new ways to incorporate technology I have tried my best to try out new things with my students. They only way to feel comfortable with technology is to dive right in and take risks. The wondeful thing about this program is that we have opportunities to create these awesome unit plans that incorporate many new strategies and techniques. I must say that every unit plan I have created for each course I have put into action with my own students. It's amazing to see how waht I learn through these courses impact my role as an eductaor in the classroom. As I move forward and the end of the year comes closer I plan continuing my GAME plan over the summer so that I will be able to enter the new school year with bigger and better ideas than what I had the previous year. The more I play around with technology the more my students will be engaged in learning. Engaging students in learning history can be a very tricky thing to do but with the blogs, wikis and other internet related tools I have learned it will not be an impossible task to complete. As a member of the curriculum writing team for social studies I have been able to take what I have learned through this course and others and create awesome unit plans that incorporate technology to help students create authentic pieces of work. I look forward to continue bringing what I learn to my students and my colleagues.

The GAME Plan and my STUDENTS!!!!

2010-04-14T19:47:00.002-04:00

I think that the whole purpose of my GAME Plan is to become a more informed and more effective educator in the classroom. How can I properly prepare my students for the 21st century if I lack the skills necessary to teach them? By learning new ways to incorporate and use technology in the classroom I will be able to better prepare my students as well as engage them more in their learning. Teaching 21st century learners can be tricky especially since they live in a society that relies heavily on technology on a day to day basis. The days of just relying on your blackboard, well decorated classroom and maybe if your lucky an over head projector just won't cut it these days. Students want lights, camera, action when they walk into your room. They want to be entertained and engaged while learning at the same time. Tough act to follow, right? Not as hard when equipped with up to date technology and the knowledge to use it creatively in the classroom. As I continue on my journey I hope to learn, learn, and learn about using different resources that will engage, entertain and educate my little angels! While this school year has been trial and error with the new things I have learned at Walden next year will build a more solid foundation to stand upon.

Where to go from here?

2010-04-08T16:47:00.002-04:00

In regards to my GAME Plan I think I am going to start focusing on how to collaborate with my colleagues as well as include parents into what's going on in the classroom. Since we are nearing the end of the year I plan on putting this all into action for the new school year. This gives me time to really think about how I want to go about this new part of my plan. It would be create to collaborate with colleagues online outside of school. I currently do this with a small group pf my colleagues using google docs to write the new curriculum using UBD or UDL as its known through this course. Other than that I really want to engage parents into what is going on in my classroom and with my students. I was thinking of creating a classroom blog page or webpage where I can display work and post comments or topic discussions. It's hard to develop relationships with parents because they work and are very busy and don't always have the time to go to school. Involving them through technology might be more flexible and less stressful for them and myself. Not sure which way I plan on going but I'm definitely going somewhere with this for teh coming school year! Any ideas or suggestions would be great!

The Game Plan Continues......

2010-03-31T10:22:00.001-04:00

I have to say that the GAMe Plan is still moving along okay but I have begun to realize that it takes alot of time and effort to make sure that I achieve these goals I've set for myself. I have been able to find some good workshops but I don't get to go to any of them until May. Until then I need to do a little research and continue reaching out to my colleagues who are familiar with using technology in theri classrooms.

As of right now I have only experimented with the Windows Movie Maker but the wheels in my head are turning to come up with something new for my kids. I have been experimenting with the idea of having them create their own wiki or blog page but I'm not quite sure yet. The upside of doing one of those ideas is that it can be shared with their family and friends when they are all finished. Any suggestions would be great! Until my workshops in May come along I'm going to focus on using what I have learned through Walden and try incorporating more of that into my lessons. Not too many changes to my GAME Plan but enough to keep me on my toes!

2010-03-25T10:17:00.002-04:00

So far the progress on my GAME Plan has been going very well. I have been able to come across workshops that are offered by my fellow colleagues on Saturdays for the teachers in our district. The great part is that it costs nothing and I have the opportunity to learn with my colleagues from my building and the other buildings as well. As I learn how to use new computer applications such as Windows movie maker, I make sure to implement it into my instruction. Currently my students are busy creating beautiful movies on different Latin American countries. Had I not learned about that program I would of had them do the usual power point or poster for this project. I have not felt the need to modify any part of my plan since I've been coming across good resources. My fellow colleagues at Walden have also shared tips and websites that I can use to accomplish my goals. Overall, I am on track and doing well. How is everyone else doing with their GAME Plans?

GAME PLAN 2

2010-03-17T20:02:00.002-04:00

In order to accomplish the GAME Plan that I have set for myself I need to find the proper tools and resources to help me on my journey. One of the first things I need to do is to look for workshops related to technology that help me understand how to truly use technology to my benefit. By attending workshops I will be exposed to a variety of resources and ideas to use on my own.The workshops would provide a good starting point for learning more about technology. I also need to begin familiarizing myself more with the technology I do have at my disposal and could readily use in my classroom with my students. By becoming comfortable with the smart board technology I recently acquired this year I will feel more confident in using the technology in the class with my students. These are only a couple of things I can use to meet my goals but as I go along and reflect on what I have learned there will be more that I will need or want to know.

2010-03-11T11:51:00.003-05:00

In the age of technology it has become very important for teachers to know the role it can play in their classrooms and the impact it can have on a child's education. In order to successfully implement technology into our daily lessons and into the professional aspects of our profession we need to know how to use it. One way for an educator to be effective in the classroom and professionally is to familiarize themselves with the National Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers (NETS-T). It is part of our responsibility to not only haw to use technology but also how to incorporate it successfully and ethically into our practice to better our students as well as our relationship with the parents.

As I pondered over the five standards and the various indicators associated with each I quickly realized that while I had some strengths using technology I also had my weaknesses. The two standards that I believe I fall short on are standards one and two.

The first standard focuses on how I "facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity" using technology. The second standard focuses on how I "design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments" using digital tools and resources. Under each of these standards are four indicators to help me understand how I can meet each standard successfully. I do not believe I am weak in each standard as a whole but that I rather have weaknesses in part of the standards I have chosen. In the first standard I fall short with the second indicator: b) engage students in exploring real world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. In the second standard my goal is to strengthen my ability to design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity, which is the first indicator under the second standard.

In order to begin my journey of strengthening my ability to meet these particular indicators I need to establish a GAME plan, with my GAME Plan I will be able to map out how I will personally go about becoming more knowledgeable and comfortable with these particular technology standards and indicators. A GAME plan is not meant to be set in stone but rather consist of realistic goals that can be modified as I reflect upon my own learning. Currently I do engage students in authentic learning and I try my best to encourage creativity in the classroom. However, the incorporation of technology to support the authentic learning and creativity has been weak. Part of the reason is due to the fact that my school is just starting to expand on its technology and make it more readily available to teachers and students and secondly I am in the process of learning through Walden how technology can support learning. My goal and plan of action is to find new ways to use the technology currently available in my classroom to enhance and encourage authentic learning and creativity. In order to accomplish my goal I need to learn the various ways of how I can use the technology that I do have at my disposal and incorporate it more often into the lessons I teach. I also plan on seeking workshops related to technology in a social studies classroom and collaborating with colleagues who are more tech savvy than I am. By staying on top of the new technology and learning how to use it I will feel more confident in using it in the classroom. The best way to monitor my success is to keep track of how often or how little I use technology in the classroom. The more it is used then I will know that I am staying on task with my GAME Plan. It is also important that I reflect on what I learn and reflect on the days technology is used in my classroom. Through reflection I will be able to make modifications to my GAME Plan.

Reflection on Literacy and Technology

2009-12-27T16:47:00.002-05:00

As I reflect upon the last eight weeks I realize how much I learned about using technology to enhance the educational experience of my students. Today literacy goes beyond knowing how to simple read and write. Literacy for the 21st century learner involves not only having the fundamental skills of literacy but also using them as a foundation to build upon the literacy skills needed to effectivley communicate their ideas with others using a multitude of resources including technology. Through this course I was able to take an idea I had for my students many months ago and develop it into a well developed inquiry based project using various literacy skills. Not only was I studying and creating this unit for this course I was putting it into practice at the same time. I was able to learn from my students as well as teach them how they can successfully use technology and other resources to gather information and put it together in the form of a book that they will use to teach my ninth grade students. There was a deep sense of accomplishment and joy for both me and my students as we carefully put the pieces together to create the final masterpiece. As I go through each course and learn more about literacy skills and technology I see myself becoming a better teacher every day. I am now able to create lessons and introduce new skills to my students that they will need to be successful in their futures.

In order to continue growing as an educator I must continue learning. Being a life-long learner is something everyone must commit themselves to becoming, especially educators. The way our students learn, work, and communicate is changing the more our society advances. It is my responsibility to stay updated and to be familiar with these changes if I want to be a true asset in their learning. My goal is to continue learning and growing both as an educator and an individual. After completeing this masters program I will continue to seek out professional development opportunites to stay informed of what is new in education and in technology. As I learn new things the next step woul dbe to carefully incorporate what I learn into my lesson planning and instruction. By putting in into real practice I will be able to see what works and what doesn't work well with my students. I will also be preparing them with the necessary skills they will need after high school.

Final Reflection....

2009-06-28T21:10:00.002-04:00

The past eight weeks have opened my eyes up to a whole new world of technology that can be used to teach and prepare my students for the world that awaits them. Even though I had began this class with some knowledge and experience in technology I was truly clueless as to how I could incorporate it to enhance the learning of my students. Once I began to explore the world of blogs, wikis, and pod casts I automatically became hooked! While the school year may be over I am already anticipating the new school year that will begin in September. Hopefully when I return I will have a smart board and projector that will allow me to begin my journey of incorporating technology into my lessons with my students. My plan is to create a blog that will allow my students to interact outside of the classroom on a variety of topics that relate world/American history. Being able to use technology to teach in a new way allows my students to take more ownership over their learning. It will allow me to take the day's lesson beyond the four walls of my classroom. This class has taught me that technology allows students to learn new ideas and concepts on a much deeper level. I will no longer be their main source of information, they will learn how to find their own answers through use of the world wide web! As I continue to learn the connection between technology and education I will be able to better serve and prepare my students for their futures. Through technology they will develop a new style of learning that will help them grow and become lifelong learners. My goal over the course of the next two years will be to use the technologies I have learned through this course to enhance the level of education my students receive. It is important that I use the "right"tools to successfully prepare them for the work place and society that lies ahead awaiting them when they leave high school. The main obstacle I will face in terms of incorporating technologies such as the wikis and blogs will be accessibility to the resources needed to bring those things to my students. In order to overcome that main obstacle I will continue to learn and bring the knowledge I gain to the attention of those necessary persons in my district who can make the decisions necessary to make my goals a reality.

21st Century Skills!!!

2009-05-24T20:37:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything but I'm back and have lots to say about incorporating 21st century skills into our schools. I just finished viewing the website "partnership for 21st century schools and I thought it was AWESOME! I am no stranger to the concept of creating 21st century schools. Earlier in the school year my principle emailed everyone a report about New Jersey and 21st century skills. New Jersey (state I live and teach in) is in the process of turning its highschool into 21st century schools. Unfortunatetly our schools today are still geared towards 19th century life/jobs. How are we preparing our students for their futures if we are two centuries behind? Answer is simple: WE'RE NOT!!! Many college professors and businesses have complained about how ill prepared our students were once they reached their schools or businesses. The best solution to the problem is to find out what our students were lacking and find a way to make it better and right for our future graduating seniors. New Jersey like a few other states are busy rewriting curriculum and redesigning schools that will produce better quality students.
Regardless of whether we like it or not, the world is changing and education has to get on the bandwagon of change. Our students are living in an age of technological innovations and its only going to keep on changing and getting more technical! When it comes to the website and their mission I agree with them 100%! We must change all of our schools for the better and make sure that all students regardless of their socioeconomic status have access to this new 21st century learning. They must be taught to think critically, think on their feet, and be literate not in only in reading and writing but in technology. Once our schools begin changing our students will be placed in a position where they can better compete in our global society. Any thoughts? Please share.

Blogging in the Classroom!

2009-05-13T14:21:00.003-04:00

I knew very little about the world of blogging before taking my technology course for my master's program. I have seen them and written a response here and there but was never sure of how I could use "blogging" with my students. As I learn more about the world of blogging I am very excited to incorporate this style of learning with my students in September.
I currently teach history to 9th and 10th grade ESL at Newark Tech High School. Luckily I teach the same group of students for two years in a row, this allows me to know my students well enough to get busy creating a blog over the summer they will enjoy and benefit from. I have spent sometime brainstorming with some of colleagues on creating a blog(s). We all decided that a blog would give our students the opportunity to interact with one another in a new way as well as give them the opportunity to share ideas with students in other grade levels. Using a blog as a teaching tool will help students read, think, and write more critically. Critical thinking skills are lacking for the students in our school, this would be a new and more interesting way for them to improve their thinking skills. One of the best ways to do this is to assign an id number or tag name for each student to encourage them to speak openly and honestly in their post to one of the teachers or students. Creating a blog for my students may also reach those shy students who like to hide in the back of the classroom hoping I won't notice they are there! What do you all think about blogging? Do we blog or stick to the good old fashion round table discussions in the classroom?

Social Networking Sites & Education?????

2009-05-11T11:33:00.002-04:00

I was wondering if social networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter and the like can be used for educational purposes. Our students are constantly on these sites-are they really learning anything? Can we find a way to make them educational? What do you all think?

What impact does technology have on students?

2009-05-05T14:07:00.005-04:00

Teaching students who are growing up during the midst of a technological revolution can be quite challenging at times. Students are constantly distracted and bombarded by the latest and newest technologies around. It amazes me how a student may walk into my classroom without the proper supplies ( because they have no money) but yet they have the latest new cell phone or ipod! In all honesty I am only 28 years old and am no stranger to the technology of today but I did not grow up with all the same technology as my students. I never heard of social networking sites such as MySpace until I began teaching 3 years ago! My question is how much does technology influence the way students think and learn in the classroom? Students all over the world have so much access to a variety of information and all it takes is a click of a button on a keyboard to get it all. How do we as teachers compete with all of this? Unfortunately I have access to very little technology, a television with a VCR and DVD player and two computers that sometimes work. Some of my colleagues have smart boards, projectors, computers, and a TV at their disposal courtesy of NCLB funds. By no means I am complaining about the lack of technology in my classroom or about technology in general. I am a firm believer that many schools need to update themselves and become a part of the 21st century. Our students have changed but many of our schools/classrooms have not. Since so many of our students are "connected" will the incorporation of modern technology in all our schools result in students receiving a better quality education that will allow them to better compete globally?