CEP 811 Reflection

As another class draws to a close, it is again time to reflect.  CEP 811 has provided a great opportunity for learning.  I was able to gain confidence in my technology skills through the course content and setting.  I am content in my growth this semester, and feel the only thing that limited my growth was the fact that my family was battling sickness for most of the month of April (which took away from my study time).  I am grateful for this assignment, as it forces me to reflect upon my personal learning goals while challenging me to continue setting goals for future growth.

Two of the most important things I have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology are creating barrier-free learning opportunities (through the utilization of UDL Principles) and examples of effective face-to-face strategies to utilize in my classroom.  The UDL Principles are a very helpful tool to measure my lessons against.  This is especially important for me because I tend to have a form of "tunnel vision" sometimes, and struggle to balance integrating innovative technology while including successful teaching strategies (as was apparent as I struggled to complete my StAIR project).  Sometimes I get so focused on providing my students with new and interesting technology that I forget to focus also on solid pedagogy.  Examples of effective face-to-face strategies also provide me with ways to keep my lessons balanced and interesting.

Throughout this course, the integration of web-based technologies helped me think about and evaluate the uses of technology.  I was able to fully immerse myself in the role of the student, which provided me with a useful perspective while working online.  This experience will help me create more effective lessons in the future, both in a traditional classroom and also possibly in an online course format.

During CEP 810, I was required to create a Personal Technology Plan.  My goals for the months of March and April were to create a webpage, explore the possibilities for using classroom response systems, learn to use an online survey generator, and learn to use an online rubric generator.  Serendipity prevailed, and these goals aligned with CEP 811's coursework.

My Personal Technology Plan outlines specific goals for the next several months.  I plan to continue to work on these goals, and when they are completed I will focus on my RSS Feeds in more detail.  For May and June, I will be exploring online content area tools, online digital differentiation tools, online digital citizenship resources, and online storytelling tools.

I am grateful for the opportunity to complete CEP 811.  It has been an interesting and useful course.  I am looking forward to continue on my MSU EduTech journey in the fall.

Online Learning

The Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience Guideline Companion Document contains practical examples of how to meet Michigan's Online Experience Curriculum Requirements.  Examples are clearly outlined, and include concise commentary and links to online resources.  I enjoyed reading this document, and was relieved to see that I already had working knowledge of the activities listed.

This semester, I have focused my learning examples on the second grade.  As I reviewed the experiences in the Michigan Merit Curriculum's companion document, Online Field Trips stood out as one of the easiest activities to implement in my classroom.  With more district budget cuts looming on the horizon, it makes sense to find less expensive ways to implement a variety of learning experiences.   It is easier (in terms of paperwork) and less time-consuming to take an online field trip.  Also, I would be able to choose the precise venue I would like, at a time and date of my choice, without compromising due to budget, weather, travel distance, and availability of busing.

Participating in online field trips can help provide authentic learning experiences similar to real-life field trips.  Online field trips would add interest to many social studies and science units.  Pedagogically speaking, they would be well suited to deductive instructional strategies.  Collaborative grouping would also be a good way to participate in an online field trip.

Two of the activities that I feel would be challenging to implement at the lower elementary level would be Online Resource Validation and the Electronic Portfolio - for different reasons.  Online Resource Validation is an important activity, but better suited for an older child in terms of the critical thinking skills needed.  Although a simplistic version of the activity may be useful as an introductory lesson, most second graders would have difficulty completing a more complex version of the task.

I think the Electronic Portfolio is a wonderful idea, but I am having a hard time visualizing how this would be organized for easy access by both parents and teachers.  There are inherent difficulties with keeping files like this organized and useful, especially over a span of many years.  Negatives aside, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a thirteen-year (or even a four-year) online record of student work?  I would like to learn more about this, especially how school districts are using this idea as a meaningful learning tool.

I appreciate the Michigan Department of Education's efforts to create clear, well-organized, and useable documents.  It makes curriculum planning so much easier when documents with useful examples are made accessible online.  I hope that they continue their efforts to provide such examples, and also to foster collaboration as we continue to make necessary curriculum changes in the next few years.

Wikis!

This post is an explanation of the work I have completed for CEP 811's Wikis Lab.


Wikipedia Activity
My first task was to update something from my school's Wikipedia entry.  Since I am not currently working, I chose to focus on the school district that my children attend.  Whitehall District School's Wikipedia entry still contained the board member list from 2008-2009.  Here is a screenshot of my work:

My second task was to create my own Wiki.  I ended up creating two of these.  First, I created a StairSpace Wiki.  This is a spot to organize various StAIR projects.  It can be found at http://stairspace.pbworks.com/w/page/52604923/FrontPage.

Since our family has been participating in some spirited discussion about this summer's vacation prospects, I thought that a Vacation Planning Wiki would help organize our ideas.  I shared our vacation planner with my husband, and plan to show it to my children within the next week.  This is a screenshot of the Front Page.  My Wiki can be found at http://chenfamilyvacationplanner.pbworks.com/w/page/52595140/FrontPage.

Applying Universal Design for Learning Principles

The Center for Applied Special Technology, or CAST, is an educational research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals.  CAST's Universal Design for Learning Principals help educators create more inclusive lesson plans.  It is very easy to unintentionally create barriers for student learning in your classroom, but organized reflection using UDL principles is a great way to identify ways to improve teaching and learning.

Below is the Educator Checklist of UDL Guidelines that I completed using my "Creating Story Problems" lesson plan.  The checklist highlights several ways that the lesson plan falls short, especially in the areas of goal-setting, student self-regulation, personal reflection on reaching goals, student choices for the presentation of their work,  and teacher modeling of transfer of knowledge.  I have provided links to both my original and improved lesson plans.

Link to my original "Creating Story Problems" lesson plan

Link to my improved "Creating Story Problems" lesson plan

MERLOT Learning Material Evaluation: Wordle

A sample Wordle word cloud based on the instructions for this assignment

This is an evaluation of the MERLOT Learning Material "Interesting Ways to Use Wordle in the Classroom" by Tom Barrett and submitted by Dorothy Fuller.  The GoogleDocs presentation provides examples of how to use Wordle in a variety of subjects and grade levels.  Educators are encouraged to submit ideas, which are reviewed and added to the document.

Wordle is an excellent example of a simple, flexible teaching tool that generates unique and dynamic word clouds.  Although it was difficult to choose, my favorite ideas from the presentation are Wordle Word Walls (slide #34), Using Wordle for Character Descriptions (slide #23), and Guess the Fairytale (slide #6).  Wordle is a quick and easy way to add relevant, dynamic graphics to a variety of applications.

 

Quality of Content

Wordle is a tool that can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom.  My four-star rating is based on the fact that is it merely a tool, and is subject to an individual's use of the tool and how the individual connects the tool to learning within the classroom.

I also rate the GoogleDocs presentation at four stars.  Fifty-two interesting ways to use Wordle in the classroom are presented, and most of the examples are of high quality and appear to be connected to educationally significant concepts.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool

Wordle can be used in a variety of stages in the learning process/cycle.  A Wordle could be used as an introduction to the explanation portion of the learning process.  It could be also be used as a graphic organizer in the demonstration or practice stage, as either a teacher-created or student-created activity.

The presentation is focused on providing many ideas to incorporate Wordle in the classroom, and does not focus on one learning objective.  Students are able to use Wordle as a tool to generate word clouds, but the significance of Wordle output varies.  The target learners can range from early childhood to adult, and from technology-hesitant to technology-capable learners.  The media-rich presentation of material allows Wordle to enhance instruction, both for faculty and students, and the simplicity of the web-based software allows it to be readily integrated into a variety of curriculum and pedagogy.  Although reaching teaching-learning goals are dependent on user capabilities, the GoogleDocs presentation provides a variety of examples for use.  The document's slides contain teaching-learning goals that are easy to identify, and are a wonderful starting point to create customized learning assignments for one's own classroom use.

Ease of Use

The layout of the computer interface is extremely easy to use, and is consistent and visually distinct.  Wordle is a two-step process, so it is unlikely that the user will get trapped or lost in the material.  The website has a clearly written troubleshooting guide that is easy to navigate.  Wordle is not flexible in its use; it only generates word clouds.  Most children would have no problem generating their own word clouds with little or no instruction, and Wordle's output is attractive and interesting.  The clouds are easy to manipulate, and the limited options for colors and fonts are presented in a familiar format which allows students to customize their work without becoming overwhelmed.

Personal Learning Reflection

As my CEP 810 coursework draws to a close, it is time to reflect upon the learning that has occurred in the past eight weeks.  My goals at the beginning of class were to explore technology-based tools for differentiated instruction and to gain a better understanding of current "hot topics" in the realm of educational reform.  I feel that I have met my second goal reasonably well (using my RSS Feeds page and Twitter), but my first goal has evolved somewhat during the learning process.

I was given the opportunity to explore several technology-based tools for creating more meaningful instruction during the course.  These tools included Adobe Presenter, various blog platforms (Blogger and WordPress), and forums that facilitate discussion of teacher-supplied tips (MACUL Space and Twitter).  All of these tools are also important components of any technology-enhanced classroom, not just for differentiated instruction.  Since technology is changing so rapidly, I now realize the importance of having skills that allow me to grow in my knowledge of technology rather than just a few specific tools to enhance my teaching.

One of my assignments that exemplifies good teaching with technology is my Fourth Grade Public Issue Solution Campaign, the lesson I contributed in ANGEL to address one of the NETS-S standards.  This lesson meets Common Core Curriculum Standards in Social Studies and NETS-S standards in a project-based lesson with real community service outcomes.  Although some of my fellow classmates were skeptical of fourth grade students being successful with a project of this magnitude, I believe project-based learning can provide the motivation for students to excel in ways that may surprise adults.

From my experiences in an online class during CEP 810, I have a greater understanding of my students' perspectives in completing online course work.  A reliable and up-to-date Learning Management System that is mobile-compatible is the foundation of successful online learning.  It is important for the course content to be a balance of many easy-to-complete tasks, ample opportunity to participate in content discussion with classmates, and a few larger capstone projects (for example, one group project and two independent projects for a semester-long course).  Finally, encouraging instructor feedback and clear rubrics for projects help to create a supportive learning environment.

I have developed two new goals for my continued growth in the area of technology.  My first goal is to explore the use of handheld devices in a classroom setting to enhance learning.  My second goal is to follow the goals and timeline outlined in my Personal Technology Plan in order to intentionally gather a broad knowledge in areas of technology in which I am less than proficient.  It is my hope that these two goals will help me develop successful skills to create a technology-imbedded classroom.

Creative Commons

Would you ever consider taking a published book, reproducing it entirely with your name listed as the author, and then try to have it published?  While most people would consider this theft, the same standard is not generally regarded when applied to Internet content or data files.  Fair use policy, when applied to the Internet, seems to have taken on a broad, and often unclear, presence in classrooms today.

In order to avoid the gray areas of fair use policy, one alternative is apparent:  Creative Commons.  Publishing your work under a Creative Commons license allows you to clearly state the parameters that others may legally use your work.  A perfect choice for teachers, Creative Commons content allows you to safely (and legally) imbed content (including videos, images, and worksheets) in your teaching without the worry of copyright infringement.

An example of such use is my Research Project lesson for this week.

Graphic Organisers, a photo by hastingspeel on Flickr.

This week's Research Project focus is to organize data using a graphic organizer.  In addition to giving examples of various graphic organizers (see above photo, which also includes a teachable moment regarding spell-checking), I will fill out a chart to provide an example of the organizational process.  My sample topic is "All About Bugs."

Butterfly1, a photo by tobyandetta on Flickr. 

What is my Learning Style?

During my undergrad experience, I had the opportunity to take a wide array of classes.  Most professors used a variety of teaching methods to meet the needs of students, and in those classes I was very successful.  There was, however, one set of classes that I barely passed.  They were both taught by a professor who used a standard lecture (with vigorous note-taking on my part) and quiz style of teaching - no discussions, no projects, and questions were only allowed during the last five minutes of class time.  As I reflect on my experience in those classes, I am puzzled by my poor achievement.  I understand why a kinesthetic learner would have difficulty, but why did I struggle when I generally identify myself as a visual learner (according to the VAK learning style model)?

Out of the three VAK learning style models, visual, auditory and kinesthetic, my placement is clear.  I believe, however, that all three types of learning style models are important aspects of information synthesis for all learners, regardless of preferred learning style.  Although each of us can identify a learning style that is more important for us, we ignore other learning styles at our own peril.

In order for students to be successful, they must be able to interact with classroom content in a variety of ways, regardless of their preferred learning style.  When we create lessons that focus on the learning strengths of one "type" of student, we are missing the point.  A well-rounded classroom has opportunities to interact with curriculum in a variety of ways, which in turn creates a more well-rounded learner.

In a more challenging student group, it may become apparent that gearing lessons toward the preferred learning style of your more difficult students has a positive benefit to the entire class.  When students are able to immerse themselves in content, it is easier to make progress in the class as a whole.  Since we have little immediate control over curriculum content, it is important to remember that we do have a choice in how we present content and allow students to interact with the content.

It is obvious that we can't teach each lesson focusing on every learning style we have in the classroom.  Our focus needs to be on creating interdisciplinary units that incorporate activities at all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.  It is interesting to note, regardless of what learning style model is chosen (Myers-Briggs Personality Types, Kolb/McCarthy Learning Cycle, Felder/Silverman Styles, and Grasha-Riechmann Learning Styles are a few of the more recognized models), as one creates opportunities for students to work within the upper levels of the scale, lessons will naturally incorporate all learning style models.

RSS Page Reflection

Keeping current in the field of education takes a focused effort and, lately for me, quite a lot of time.  One of my personal goals is to find a more streamlined process for synthesizing both a wide variety of information and also exploring several topics in depth.  Using my Google Reader RSS feeds allows me to meet this goal.

Here are my Google Reader RSS feeds:

It is important for me to be able to quickly scan general articles in education, while also learning about more specific topics in the areas of brain research, teaching music, and using technology in the classroom.  Several of my RSS feeds have been chosen for their breadth of topics:  Education Week, ISTE Connects, NPR News, and Will's Weblogg-ed.  Other feeds have been chosen for their focus on a single topic: Edutech Today Newsletter, iLearn Technology, Dana Foundation's Master RSS Feed, Music Matters Blog, and Technology & Learning.

Users of RSS feeds can take advantage of a technology that allows the user flexibility, both in content and convenience.  Although my original goal was to track changes to these pages on a daily basis, I have fallen into a pattern of checking the feeds several times a week.  This allows me to keep up with current events when I have the time.  Content varies greatly from day to day.  If something unusual is happening (such as the internet blackout on January 18, 2012) I am alerted to the event, and also able to find several articles written from varying perspectives. Even if it is just a "normal" week, I have gained valuable knowledge from the variety of articles that I have had the time to read.

RSS feeds are interactive and fun.  The screen shot below shows a blog comment I made on January 20th.  Although I didn't win, I was entered into a drawing for a research-based classroom playlist.  Commenting on blog posts and news articles also gives me a way to ask questions of the author or argue a point. 

January 19, 2012 Screenshot:

On January 19, 2012, I enjoyed learning about the internet blackout from iLearn's perspective.  I also read an article in EdWeek, "Connecticut Education Commissioner Proposes Overhaul."  Connecticut is in the process of big educational changes, and my RSS feeds allow me to quickly and easily find information on a specific topic with my imbedded search tool.

January 27, 2012 Screenshot:

On January 27, 2012, EdWeek featured another article about Connecticut, "Connecticut Educational Reform Group Offers Priorities."  I also learned about a speed-booking technique in iLearn.  Speed-booking is a great way to assist students in forming literature circle groups.  It is similar to a process I have used in the past, but this technique provides a slightly different emphasis.  I bookmarked the article using my Delicious account, so that I can refer to the article at a later date.

January 30, 2012 Screenshot:

On January 30, EdWeek had an article about Kentucky's new student assessments titled "New Kentucky Student Assessments:  Prepare to be Confused," and Will's Weblogg-ed featured an article labelled "A Couple of Bold Ideas at Educon".  Will is a very thoughtful blogger, and I enjoy the wide variety of topics he covers.  His perspectives on innovative schools were timely and extremely relevant to the many educational reform discussions.

As I continue to read and learn from my RSS feeds, I am excited at how this technology is a more user-friendly version of my old "file full of torn-out magazine articles."  Not only can I use my Google Reader page at any internet-connected computer, I can also access my Delicious account to file and retrieve vital information.  The days of dragging piles and piles of paper from work to home, and back again, are gone.  With a more streamlined process, I am able to stay more organized and focused on my goals.

PC Maintenance and Security Lab

Atomic Learning's PC Maintenance and Security Workshop provides a nice assortment of tutorials.  It was difficult to choose just three topics to blog about!

Tutorial #1:  Defining Malware

Prior to this tutorial, I was only vaguely familiar with the term "malware".  Malware is actually malicious software of any type that is meant to harm computers.  It includes viruses, trojan horses, and spyware.

Tutorial #2:  Optimizing Your Folders for Better Viewing of Files

Did you know that you can arrange your file icons by name, size, type, or even by the date it was last modified?  If you would like to apply your arrangement to every file you view, just look under tools -> folder -> options -> view and simply choose your preferred view.   (I will definitely be sharing this information with my mother, who could benefit from a more organized file view.)

Tutorial #3:  Comparing and Contrasting Hardware and Software Firewalls

This was another tutorial that I chose due to my inadequate knowledge on the subject.  I was surprised to learn that there are two kinds of firewalls: hardware and software.  It is recommended that anyone using broadband internet service and/or wireless internet have both hardware and software firewalls to protect their computer.  Hardware firewalls are generally built-in as part of your router, hide your computer from the internet (from general malicious scans), and block inbound traffic that you didn't initiate.  Software firewalls must be installed (many security suites include such software), and some block outbound traffic.

Getting Things Done Reflection

Today I mastered my workflow. That sounds super-organized, right? Actually, today I adjusted some of the organizational tools I have been currently utilizing in order to make conscious decisions about my time management. I currently have five major “buckets”: mail basket, smartphone software package, refrigerator notepad, MSU course basket, and my mobile in-box (otherwise known as a purse). Since my “buckets” are located in different physical locations, I am utilizing the Cozi mobile app on my iPhone to keep my lists organized and instantly accessible.

This process was easy for me to complete. Because I already had a system in place, I was able to make small adjustments to allow for more efficiency without spending a lot of time sorting my “buckets”. Some time was spent entering due-dates for my course assignments into the Cozi app, but I spent a majority of my time re-organizing my purse.

The Getting Things Done process helped me re-think my Organize process. Breaking this category into four key actions is a great idea, and will definitely help me streamline my to-do lists. I was able to create three “Key Action Category” to-do lists within Cozi (I can add calendar items directly to my Cozi calendar), and can easily move items within each list based on priority.

I plan to continue to use this process in the future. My major stumbling-point will be keeping my to-do lists updated, so I plan on processing my “buckets” at regular intervals throughout the week. Getting Things Done was an easy way for me to master my workflow.

How Social Networks Fit Into My Workflow

I enjoy social networking sites, especially Facebook. Such sites allow me to keep current with the varied lives of my friends, family members, and acquaintances while allowing them to take a peek into my own life as well. Although I have been utilizing social networking sites since MySpace was popular, this is the first time I have consciously analyzed how social networking can fit into my workflow, as it applies to my personal life, professional life, and the lives of my students.

Social networking sites are well suited for personal interactions. Participating in an online network extends my sense of community, both with people who live in my neighborhood and also friends and relatives, regardless of distance. The effortless ability to connect with people makes my world feel smaller. I also enjoy being able to coordinate social events at my convenience, knowing that others are able to respond at a time that is convenient for them as well.

Professionally, social networking has many possibilities for me. I currently use Facebook to keep up-to-date on the projects that many of my peers are undertaking. I have also been able to keep connected with news stories, special events, and new ideas. My main issue with social networking is the difficulty to make a distinction between professional and private realms. My sister in Arizona, who carries her smartphone with her at all times, posted a joke on my Facebook wall last week – but is this appropriate for my work colleagues to view?

As reliance on social networking increases, I also need to look carefully at ways students create similar public and private distinctions in their online choices. Just as with any learning tool, children need to clearly understand responsible etiquette and be able to conduct themselves appropriately. Of course, attentive supervision and safety features must be in place in order for everyone to be successful.

Over the past few years, I have become more comfortable participating in social networking sites. Although my posting style will never be of the “Here's a picture of what I'm eating for supper” type, I am able to post a few items a week with confidence. I will continue to be mindful of the need to separate my professional and private realms, but I am excited to explore the possibilities of this amazing networking tool.

Web Pages vs. Blogs

When I began my hobby as a web-surfer, back at the turn of the century, I was intimated by website design. I understood that website designers had to be well versed in HTML and java in order to create and publish a website (something I was not willing to invest my time in learning). Fortunately for me, and countless others, blogging has provided an opportunity for individuals to publish web-based content in a user-friendly environment. A coder has to put together lovely templates (using Dreamweaver, for instance) to allow bloggers to publish information quickly and easily. For the most part, websites are designed to be static sources of information while blogs are a more dynamic and constantly updated platform.

Setting Research Goals Using Zoho

Question Cube Tutorial Using Google Docs

Unit Plan Using Open Office

Open-Ended Advanced/Accelerated Research Project

Research Project

Unit Plan

(Grade 2)

An eight-session unit that assists students in creating a short book on the research topic of their choice.

Date	Agenda
01/25/12	Choose Topic, KWL Sheet, Begin Researching, Goal Setting & Timeline
02/01/12	Question Cubes Activity, Continue Researching
02/08/12	Finish Researching, Complete KWL Sheet, Revisit Goals
02/15/12	Begin Rough Drafts (Strong Leads!)
02/22/12	Continue Rough Drafts, Begin Editing/Revision Process
02/29/12	Finish Editing/Revisions, Begin Final Copy of Book
03/07/12	Finish Final Copy of Book
03/14/12	Share Books with Group

Revised 1/17/12