EDLD+5364+Teaching+with+Technology



**Week 5 Reflections **
This week I would like to reflect on the videos I watched, especially those relating to gaming. These videos really validated for me some beliefs that I have had for a long time. I have been out of the classroom for about 5 1/2 years and in my last teaching assignment I taught 6th grade social studies. The curriculum focused on world geography. Although we never played many of the games I referenced in class I managed to engage students in the lesson by talking about video games they played and how they related to what we were studying. I am a closet gamer. I grew up with video games and I love to play them. I also enjoy watching my own kids as they master various role-playing games. So, I knew many of the games and whether or not they accurately depicted historical events. I brought this into our class discussions and reached some students that normally would not contribute.

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James Paul Gee and Sasha Barab provided convincing arguments for using gaming. As I listened to them I remembered the words that I jokingly shared with my students about video games. I used to tell my students to tell their parents that they were learning history so they needed to play more. Little did I really realize then that they were learning so much more. Just as these two big thinkers pointed out, in games you are presented a problem and you work it out (or not). If you fail you are motivated to try again because you have already learned from your mistakes. If only teachers had an easy tool to create games to fit with their curriculum. =====

**Week 4 Reflections **
I found Chapter 7 of //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning// thought provoking. I can appreciate the need to assess students with the same supports used during learning but I am thinking about what we are asking teachers to do. The chapter clearly explained the need and what can be determined by using this type of assessment but how do we support the teacher? Many districts don't have the personnel or give teachers time to collaborate with their peers to support this. In addition, most public schools must meet the demands of standardized tests which don't necessarily fit in with the UDL approach to assessment. I am interested to see what Chapter 8 has to offer. The title, //Making Universal Design for Learning a Reality//, may offer some solutions to implementing this in schools when they still have to follow the rules of standardized testing. I know this reflection should be geared toward the readings but I can' help but mention how this ties in with the videos. I would probably need to go back and review the videos to be sure but I it seems like most of the examples given were not in public schools. Do the schools in the videos that may not be public schools have to follow all the same rules that public schools do? I know private schools in our area don't. I think those schools have greater freedom to use these practices than public schools. It would take a very strong and wise leader to implement these ideas in public schools. Support from the school board and the superintendent would be critical. I am sure it is being done. I would welcome the opportunity to actually see how these ideas are actually working in a public school.

As mentioned in a previous reflection, I continue to enjoy the ease of reading of the book //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works//. The teacher friendly language is perfect for even the most technology challenged teacher. Another great thing about this book is the wealth of resources, both free and fee-based, that are offered throughout the book. It gives many options and solutions for technology integration. This is a resource I will turn to again and again to support teachers. 

 Much of my time this week was spent on the CAST website exploring UDL. Understanding the principals  behind  this philosophy was not difficult however getting a grasp on how to implement it was more challenging. I can definitely  see where a multi-day workshop would be beneficial. I think this is the first time since starting this degree plan that I would have liked to be in a room with a professor and classmates. I am a visual  learner and in this instance, just reading about it and looking at examples did not  seem to be working for me. Therefore , it took me a little longer to complete my <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">assignments <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">this week than it normally does. I was just trying to get it right. The perfectionist coming out in me.
 * Week 3 Reflections**

Education has changed so much in the few short years since I left the classroom. Teachers are expected to do so much more with so little time. Even though I know that I employed many of the strategies and techniques used with UDL, I know that I could have done better. I see how this process can be incorporated into instruction and realize how important it is <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> for <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> this to be implemented <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">school wide <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> to truly affect student achievement.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Week 2 Reflections
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="color: #000080; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;">I am very pleased with the book Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This book is very easy to read and provides practical solutions for integrating technology into existing curriculum. Nothing about it seems scary, so far, unlike many other books about technology integration. Teachers with varying technology competencies would benefit from this book. I would love to share this book with teachers in my district and plan to use it for a book study. Eric Jones (2007) reports that it is more effective to give teachers ongoing training over a long period of time. Teachers feel less overwhelmed with small chunks of information that improve their technology skills over time. This, combined with appropriate support and coaching, is an effective model to support technology integration. My goal is to use this book over the course of a semester or school year to help teachers in my district increase their comfort level with technology while using some of the ideas presented in the book with their students. I look forward to reading more of this book in the next few weeks.

Chapter one of this book focuses on setting objectives so students have a direction for their learning. The main thing that I learned in this chapter is that teachers should set broad and flexible goals. Then, students connect what they already know about the topic with these objectives to set their own objectives for learning. This helps the teacher discover what the students already know and provides "buy in" for the student. If they have their own purpose for learning it is much more meaningful to them. I think this supports the use of technology in the classroom because technology adds motivation for the student. Chapter one provides many ideas for teachers to use technology to help students set their own goals including free applications as well as fee based applications. This is another reason why I really like this book. It gives many options for teachers to match nearly every teaching style.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__References__ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 116%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Jones, E. (2007). Strategies to put instruction ahead of technology. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 116%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Principal Leadership //<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 116%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">, //<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica-Oblique','serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 116%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">7 //<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 116%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(6), 35-38. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 116%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology wih classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Week 1 Reflections
In previous classes we explored the theories of constructivism and connectivism. These theories are pretty straightforward and easy to understand. Something new presented in this week's information was the Cyborg Learning Theory. This was very fascinating to me and I found myself searching for more information on the internet. As I explored more about this theory and the related research, I continually saw images from Star Trek of Captain Jean Luc Picard as a Borg. And then it clicked. I have watched Star Trek for years but never made connections until now. The Borg are Cyborgs. How did I miss it? Now that I have made this connection, I have a better understanding of what the Cyborg Learning Theory is all about. In Star Trek, the Borg are a race with a hive mentality. They work collectively for the good of the group as a whole and they communicate through their cybernetic implants. It sounds like science fiction but people are truly exploring the possibilities. More and more our students, who thrive on being connected, show many of the same traits as the Borgs. What I really mean is they are continually connected to others through socially networking, blogs, wikis and texting. What can be accomplished with cybernetics? What role will it play in schools and classrooms in the future?

Through the discussion board, I am continually amazed by how similar we all are even though we live in a wide variety of locations. I always think that because other school districts have access to more technology that our district is falling behind. We do not have LCD projectors in every classroom and interactive tablets, student response systems and document cameras have been implemented only at campuses that have taken the initiative to find grant money or are fortunate enough to have Title funds. Even so, I see that other districts have the technology but it may not be used to its full potential because teachers do not have the training they need to use the technology effectively in the classroom. Another commonality between us all seems to be the need for more support such as technology specialists at campuses who can offer not only technical and instructional support but also serve as mentors and coaches. Although I find it somewhat comforting that I am not alone in my struggle to promote technology integration in my district, I find it very disturbing that we have not progressed more in regard to technology integration. I look forward to learning ways to help teachers in my district become as excited about technology as I am as well as successful technology integration strategies.