Reflecting On My New Technology Experience

Recently I have become more comfortable with incorporating technology into my classroom. This particular class has helped me to learn new programs that I can utilize with my students in order to enhance their learning. Before becoming involved in this class through Walden University, I had no knowledge of blogging, wikis, or podcasts. These were all a foreign language to me. Although I might have been overwhelmed at first, I am confident that my experience in creating and using these programs during this course will prove to be beneficial throughout my teaching career. I have begun thinking about how I would use each of these with my students. For example, I would love to have my students create a wiki in groups about various aspects of the Great Depression. For podcasting, I am looking forward to using this program to assist students as well as parents in learning our new challenging math curriculum. Many parents have questions about how to use new mathematical strategies that are being introduced. Currently, educators are teaching students how to multiply and divide much differently than in the past when their parents went to school. Therefore, parents need extra guidance in order to help their children at home. Providing an instructional podcast would be helpful to these parents. Lastly, I could use blogging for our science experiments in order to share results as well as predictions for upcoming activities. Children can respond to each other and contest hypothesis’ that are made.

During this course, I had the opportunity to interview several students regarding their use of technology. This was an eye-opening experience for me. I realized that much of my teaching style needs to be adjusted in order to be more effective in the classroom. Since my students are Digital Natives, they are used to having technology surrounding them and using it frequently. However, when they are in the classroom, they rarely use technology tools. I need to make their learning environment more conducive to their needs. In order to do this, I need to make my lessons more student-centered and allow students to investigate their own answers to their problems through means of collaboration and hands on activities. I can achieve this by implementing the new ideas learned from this class and my future courses through Walden.

My first goal in transforming my classroom into a more technology friendly environment is to implement a blogging website. Currently, our school is not allowed to incorporate this type of technology in the classroom. Therefore, this might require me to make a particular proposal to the administration regarding how I would use blogging effectively with my students. In this appeal, I would need to clearly convey how blogging can enhance learning in order for them to understand the importance of allowing me to begin this project. I would also need to create a letter to request permission from parents for the students to participate in this project.

My second goal in transforming my classroom is to become more proactive with technology and learn how to adjust my lessons to accommodate the technology resources that we possess in our school. I am always being pessimistic about our technology resources and complaining that we don’t have enough computers. However, I need to remember that many other schools are worse off than ours. I need to use the technology that we have to the fullest potential. To do this, I plan on revising my lessons to incorporate a technology lesson or activity each week or every other week. This will force me to appreciate what we have in our school as well as provide appropriate activities that will adhere to the needs of my children.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

I had the opportunity to analyze the website The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. I was impressed with the purpose of this website. Overall the mission of this team is to reduce the gap between "the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and the skills they (students) need in typical 21st century communities and workplace" (Our Mission, 2004). A proposal for the solution to this problems is for our countries schools to align our classroom environments with the real world environments that our students will eventually enter. In order to do this, classrooms need to incorporate the 21st Century Skills and facilitate the mastery of them.

I gained an appreciation for this website quite quickly. I believe the mission is clear and meaningful. As educators, it is important to do what is best for the children. If we are noticing that students are having difficulty in the workplace because they are lacking skills to be successful, then it is our job to ensure that we make the appropriate changes in our instruction and teaching environment to resolve the problem.

One reason why I liked this proposal is because it illustrated what all students need to be knowledgeable or proficient in, in order to be successful in the working world. It shows educators what type of education and experiences they need to provide their students so that they can thrive in the real world. I am pleased that these skills are not just limited to using technology based programs. Teachers should also incorporate interdisciplinary themes into core subjects, such as Health Literacy. This is so important for many reasons. For example, the obesity rate seems to be increasing as we speak. Many of us know that obesity can lead to worse situations down the road. My mother had a heart attack 2 years ago and one of the reasons was because she is overweight. Not to mention, our students need to be appropriately informed about drugs and alcohol. So many capable students have walked down the wrong path and became involved with dangerous substances. If they have more information about this topic, they could make a more informed decision when approached by peer pressure.

I was truly surprised that only 10 states are currently partners in reinvigorating 21st century skills. My question is this: If this is such an importance to the children of the future, than why aren’t there more states involved with this collaboration? If it is so essential for students to master these 21st century skills to be successful in the workforce, than more states should become partners with this program. I feel that the U.S. Department of Education should make it mandatory for each state to develop new curriculums that will support these 21st century skills. From personal experience, we continue to receive new curriculums that do not adhere to these skills. We are wasting time and energy teaching skills to children that will not benefit them later in life. We need to create curriculums and standards that will enhance the students' learning and provide them with the expertise they need to flourish on their own.

Resources:

Our Mission. (2004). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Retrieved January 27, 2009, from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=188&Itemid=110

Skills Framework. (2004). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Retrieved January 27, 2009, from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=120

Using My Blog!!

There are several ways in which I could use my blog. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to have 4th grade students access blogs in our school. Therefore, I would use this blog more for an informational website for parents.

One way I would use this blog is to inform parents of upcoming events each month. I could create a calendar that they could access. On this calendar, I could update when tests will be given, when field trips would occur, early dismissal days or days that the students do not school, etc. I can post my classroom schedule for parents if they want to visit during American Education week. This way, they will be able to modify their schedule in order to attend a specific subject that they would like to see their child in.

Another way to incorporate my blog is to post class averages for recent tests that were given. If I post the minimum and maximum test scores of a test, then parents can get an idea of where their child has performed in comparison to the rest of the class.

Our math curriculum is quite challenging, even for parents. Many of the ways we teach how to do multiplication and division are much different than the way the parents, or even I, had learned. Therefore, this blog could be a perfect opportunity to share some step by step strategies that could help parents assist their children in manipulating these algorithms. I could eventually create a podcast of these strategies so that the parents could listen to instructions on how to complete various problems using these different methods. If students were allowed to interact with the blog, this could also be beneficial to them. Many students easily forget what is taught during the day. If this is the case, they could visit the blog at night, and refresh their memory of what they learned in class that day, hence becoming more successful completing homework.

Lastly, I could use this website to request for volunteers for parent helpers during the week. This could be for making photocopies, posters, and cutting items. I could have parents sign up for upcoming field trips, to help organizer holiday parties, and for special events such as our Agricultural Laboratory that visits in December year.

Sharing Activities

This was an activity that I tried with my 4th graders this year. They loved it because it gave them a chance to know me a little bit more personally and the fact that there are a "lie" in the game grabbed their attention. Obviously, you can adapt this to your life.

Three Truths and A Lie

Which statement is a lie?
a. My daughter just turned 2 years old.
b. My daughter’s name is Maya.
c. My daughter does not walk yet.
d. My daughter has only 2 teeth.

Which statement is a lie?
a. I have 4 siblings.
b. I have 1 sister.
c. I have 4 brothers.
d. I am the youngest in my family.

Which statement is a lie?
a. My husband’s name is Alix.
b. My husband has a twin brother.
c. My husband and I went to Cancun, Mexico this summer.
d. I have been married for 3 years.

Which statement is a lie?
a. I am a sports fan.
b. This is my second year teaching.
c. I love spending time at the beach.
d. I drive 40 minutes to work every day.