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Spotlight on Emerging Technology: Online Learning in K-12 Schools

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Refection-Reaching and Engaging all Learners though Technology

As classroom teachers we all face with the responsibility of meeting the diverse needs of our students. This course has as its main theme to provide teachers with the tools to think about and implement strategies to use technology to meet the needs of all students. The course opened with discussions on the benefits of technology in meeting the needs of diverse learners. Among the many benefits, Throne & Smith (2009) highlighted the important roles that technology can play to personalize learning by bridging the gap between the content and students learning preferences. They also suggested that technology can engage all students as it enables them to connect with the real world in a fun and informative manner.

This course provided teachers with systematic approach to using technology to meet the needs of diverse learners. The first step points teachers to the need to know their students. In particular, their learning styles, readiness, interest and intelligence preferences. Technology offers teachers many survey options that they can use to assess their students. The results of technological surveys must be confirmed by careful observation and continuous monitoring and re-assessment. The second step guide teachers to customize their curriculum. Mc Laughlin (2010) suggested to teachers to build maximum flexibility into the curriculum with the view to provide every student with maximum opportunities to learn the material. The final step in the processes is to link the students to the curriculum. This is where technology offers its greatest advantage to reaching and engaging all learners.

This course has pointed me to several ways that I can intentionally respond to the diverse needs of my students through the use of technology. I have adjusted all my teaching by using multiple modalities in each of my lessons. Multiple modalities give me the option of differentiating the product, process or content of learning according to the learning styles, interest or readiness of my students (Tomlinson, 2009). I have started using technology to support students’ recognition by offering them various ways of receiving sensory information: varying font size and color, pictures, sound, moving images, video are some of the tool used. In addition, students are encouraged to use internet research tools to acquire background and other readiness information. I have also commenced thinking and using technology to support my students’ strategic networks. I have guided my students to use the technological resources to plan and organize their ideas through the use of concept maps and graphic organizers. In addition, learning material is customized so that students can use technological resources to work on task at their pace and interest. They are also guided to use multi-media tools such as digital storytelling, windows movie maker, PowerPoint to construct presentation to demonstrate their mastery of content.

Tomlinson (2009) suggested to us that differentiation is not a teaching strategy but an approach to teaching and learning that will benefit all students no matter their gifts, interests, disabilities or learning challenges. It is therefore important for all teachers to think of multiple ways to reach all students using a variety of teaching strategies and modalities. We must always endeavor to maximize our students learning at all times. Technology integration gives us the best option for doing this.

Reference:

Bray, M., Brown, A., & Green, T. (2004). Technology and the diverse learner: A guide to classroom practice. USA: Corwin Press, INC.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use. USA: Laureate Education, INC.

Hall, T., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A. (2003). Differentiated instruction and implications for UDL implementation. Retrieved June 18, 2011from http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated_instruction_udl

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Carol Ann Tomlinson, Stephanie Throne and Grace Smith.

Wilder, P. (2011). Strategy guide: Assessing student interest and strengths. Retrieved June 18, 2011 from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/assessing-student-interests-strengths-30100.html

Reflection-Integrating Technology in the Content Area

The course, Integrating Technology across the Curriculum focuses attention on the idea of self-directed learning through the GAME plan. Cennamo,Ross & Ertmer (2009) suggested that self-directed learning is an individuals effort to learn new skills and knowledge through a clearly defined plans or procedures. These procedures are what encompass the GAME plan. Cennamo (2010) suggested that the GAME plan represents setting clear goals, choosing methods of achieving these goals, regularly monitor those actions and effectively evaluate the final outcome of the actions. Cennamo (2010) also suggested that it is not only important for teachers to use this strategy to increase their knowledge and acquire new skills but it is important for them to guide their students to use this plan to become Self-directed Learners. Learners that can use available technology to acquire information and to transfer the acquired information into usable products.

During the course, I embarked on a GAME plan that sought to engage students' thinking through the exploring of real-world issues and solving real-world problems using digital tools and resources. My goal was to learn new tools and to guide my students to use these tools, through Inquiry-based approaches, to investigate and seek solutions to authentic local and global problems. Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer (2009) described Authentic Instruction as, "an instructional approach that uses real-world issues and authentic problems to facilitate and inspire students' learning and creativity" (p.27). The same source surmised that Authentic Instruction enables teachers,"to meet their curriculum standards in ways that can engage and support their students' interest, creativity and motivation" (p. 40). As I learned new tools and strategies, I updated my action plan, after careful monitoring and evaluation. In addition, the students were introduced to creative ways of demonstrating their learning using technological resources. In summary, the GAME plan supported my teaching by providing a framework that encourages continuous planning, monitoring and evaluation in all aspects of the teaching/learning process.


This course has pointed me to several areas that I can use technology to improve my content delivery. I found the principals of Individualized Learning most urgent and hence I have made the greatest efforts to implement them in my instructions. Individualized Learning proposed the idea that all teachers should develop GAME plans that set goals, actions, monitor and evaluate every child to ensure that they can benefit fully from all teaching/learning activities (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). The study resources suggest that this can be successfully achieved with the support of technology. Hence, I am planning more effectively to avoid one size-fit all instructions, but rather more individually-based approaches that uses technological tools to meet the individual needs of my students. For example, I provide additional links for my gifted students to further their research and collaborative tools for my slow learners to give them additional time and opportunities to communicate their ideas. With the aid of technological resources, individualized assessment and evaluation are given attention as well. I guide my students to use a variety of media to demonstrate their understanding of the content materials. Digital storytelling is one of the tools that I am aggressively investigating for future use in my assessment.

This course exposed me to a variety of technological tools that can be integrated into my two specialized subjects, Geography and Social Studies.

Reference:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaning classroom use-A standards-based approach. USA: Cengage Learning.

Using the GAME Plan Process with Students

The GAME plan process has proven to be very effective in assisting me to set goals, actively plan, monitor, and evaluate my teaching/learning activities. It also emphasised the need to keep an updated portfolio as a means of continuous reflection and evaluation. The GAME plan therefore served two main purposes for my professional development. Firstly, it guided my personal development in understanding and using several technological tools. Secondly, it guided my development in integrating technology into the curriculum and my students use of technology in their learning. Indeed, it effectively supports the idea of, Self Directed Learning. Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer (2009) suggested that Self Directed Learning is, locating opportunities and completing tasks to meet ones own learning goals. This week, I was introduced to the Digital Storytelling tools. I am very exciting about the prospects of formulating a GAME plan to master these tools and introducing them to my students.

The role of teachers in meeting the standard of the NETS-S, is to guide students to the many technological tools that are available to assist them to become more independent learners. In addition, it is important for teachers to guide the students through all aspects of the GAME plan: setting goals, take action to meet those goals, monitoring progress, evaluating development and extend the learning to new situations (Cennamo, Ross & Eetmer, 2009). During this course we discussed, constructed lesson plans and units that clearly demonstrated how the GAME plan can be used to develop the following NEST-S: Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making and Digital Citizenship.

Reference: Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaning classroom use-A standards-based approach. USA: Cengage Learning.

Revising my GAME plan

Out of this week's learning resources, I was very excited to learn about the online collaboration tools and activities. The resources highlighted several creative ways to engage students through online collaboration. Throughout the presentations there were many examples of how both the required content materials and the technological standards can be clearly met through careful integration of both. In addition, many cognitive and socio-cultural benefits were identified as well. My new goal is to use online collaboration tools to link my classroom to a classroom in my sister island of Barbuda, as we work on our natural disaster project. Two of the main challenges that will be experienced are: firstly, the training of the students and teachers to use the technologies, and secondly to coordinating of the times when the two classes can gain access to their computer labs. The question that now arise is, can collaboration activities be successfully executed if both classrooms cannot connect with each other at the same time?

Evaluating GAME plan progress

My game plan is progressing very well. We have structured our project along the lines of a problem-based activity. From their research so far, it was easy to guide the students to understand that out region is prone to tsunami since our island sits on an active earthquake belt similar to Japan. We have decided that the people of our island need to be made aware of this threat and what they can do to minimise the effect on our lives. The students are presently documenting what information our people need and how we will communicate this information to them. The students have several opportunities to work with several technological tools as they investigate this real-world issue. The students will work in groups to research and develop their community information strategy and tools. What technological tools can I use to assist the students to collaborate in designing and developing their communication strategies? What online tools are available for communicating with a large number of persons? I will model the use of a few strategies as I further advance my second goal, which is to model the use of technology.

Monitoring your GAME Plann Progress

Progress report on GAME plan:

Cap 1: Are you finding information and resources you need?

The students were able to investigate the earthquake and tsunami in Japan through the Internet and the news networks e.g. CNN and BBC. I took a television in the classroom for the students to watch the coverage of the Japan disaster. The took notes on questions such as: What effects did the Tsunami had of the lives of the people of Japan? What effects did the Tsunami had on the natural environment of Japan? They were also encourages to record the observations and feeling about the disaster.

Cap 2: Do you need to modify your plan?

I need to develop a class project around the topic. This will give students more direction and something to work towards. I will use the ideas discussed this week on problem - based learning.

Cap 3: What have you learned so far?

I have learned that learning can be very meaningful when real-world issues are used to develop the content goals. This is obvious from the level and type of questions that the students ask. When I listen to them talk outside of class they are discussing the issues. Normally this does not happen very often. Technology is a very powerful tool to bring the learning a live for students.

Cap 4: What new questions have arisen?

The most important question for me at this time is, how will I further guide my students to use this new understanding to inform decisions on the threat of tsunami on our local environment?

I know this is a huge responsibility for children at this age, but may be I could limit it to the school and their home/community.

Carrying Out GAME Plan

To execute my GAME plan effectively, I will need the follow resources, at least four laptop computers with internet access and microphone, projector and screen, digital camera, CD /cassette player. In addition, I will need the support of the IT technician to ensure that the IT resources are in place or time can be made available for my students to use the computer lab for some of our classes.

I will also need to compile a list of websites that contains the information that I need as well as a number of software that contains the processing tools that I will guide the students to use.

So far I have selected the content area that I will use for this activity. Nature Disasters is a very important topic in the Geography curriculum and with the frequency of major global disasters, authentic data is readily available. I have commence discussions with the IT department for the use of the IT labs for some of the classes in this unit. I have also started to use my laptop and other technological devices to model creative and innovative approach as I teach my classes. The students are liking my new approach.

Developing my Personal Game Plan

The two subject areas that I teach, Social Studies and Geography require constant engagement in real-world issues and phenomenons. The students are often required to to engage in research in a wide variety of topics and issues. These disciplines also provide many opportunities for students to put forward creative ideas for solving real problems on national and global levels. For these reasons the performance indicators (NETS-T) that I found most comfortable implementing are discussed below, along with suitable game plans for their implementation:

Game Plan 1

Goal: Teacher engages students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.


Action: Use a variety of technological resources to stimulate students interest in real world issues and problems. Use inquiry-based strategies to guide investigation into content areas. Additionally, guide students to implement the use of technological resources to demonstrate understanding of content materials.


Monitor: Ongoing assessment of students' work through students' personal notes, online portfolios and artifacts, through standard grading and feedback. Ongoing assessment of students' progress in developing technological skills.

Evaluation: Provide individual and whole class feedback and guidance in content and technological skills development . Provide opportunities for students to share, comment and revise their work.

Game Plan 2

Goal: Teacher promotes, supports, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

Action: Create the learning environment that enables students to construct new ideas and products that are useful and innovative. Guide students to use technological resources to create new theories, new products and new solution to problems (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

Monitor: Ongoing assessment of students thinking and progress through monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of their thoughts and actions (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

Ongoing assessment of students progress in using technological resources to support their creative thinking and new ideas development.

Evaluation : Provide individual and whole class feedback and guidance on the value and worth of their ideas . Provide opportunities for students to share their impression on the value of their new ideas and products. Additionally, provide opportunities for students to give their feedback on the teacher's effectiveness in creating an effective learning environment that support creative thinking.

Reference:

Cennama, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standard-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). (2008). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved (March 10, 2011) from http://iste.org/