Curriculum Focus for this Semester

Topic 3: Standards

            I decided to create a technology supported science unit for students in 3^rd grade.  My focus standard for this unit is third grade science standard 3.8 – Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change. I have also listed the Technology standards that I will fulfill.

Science:

Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change

3.8       The student will investigate and understand basic patterns and cycles occurring in nature.

            Key concepts include:

b) animal and plant life cycles.

Technology:

Basic Operations and Concepts

C/T 3-5.1         The student will demonstrate knowledge of the nature and operation of technology systems.

·         Communicate about basic technology components with appropriate terminology.

C/T 3-5.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology:

-          Follow rules for personal safety when using the Internet.

C/T 3-5.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of technologies that support collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

-          Work collaboratively when using technology.

-          Practice and communicate respect for people, equipment, and resources.

-          Understand how technology expands opportunities for learning.

C/T 3-5.6 The student will use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.

-          Collect information from a variety of sources.

C/T 3-5.8 The student will use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

-          Use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities.

Response to Digital Media* New Learners of the 21st Century Video

Topic 4: Video Response

            The learning program I am focusing on is the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. I think it is interesting that a lot of questions are being raised about cultural institutions and whether they are in sync with the world as it is changing. As discussed in the video, many program directors at museums like the Smithsonian are taking a more critical look at the museums’ programs and asking whether they are relevant and do they show an understanding of young people that would allow this generation to connect with the content. Diana Rhoten, Program Director, Digital Media and Learning, Social Science Research Center stated that in this day and age, the responsibility of libraries, museums, schools, afterschool programs, is to help kids identify their interests and then become more advanced in that interest. I completely agree with her statement. We as educators need to meet students where they are and then be able to provide them with the tools and experiences to advance their interests and understanding so they are prepared for the world they will be entering. I thought the use of a digital scavenger hunt was a great way to get the kids involved in learning the content at the museum. Also, with the digital element of this activity, the kids are learning these 21^st century technology skills, while learning the content information they need. The use of the cell phones makes activities like the museum visit more exciting for the kids which in turn gets them to be more engaged in their learning. Mobile learning also prepares the kids for life outside of the classroom because they are actually out in the world learning. They are not sitting in a classroom with books. With the use of technology, learning is becoming more relevant and useful to the students.  Something that particularly stood out to me in the video was Diana’s comment where she says that “digital media doesn’t mean we have to build a whole new infrastructure, it doesn’t mean you have to digitize all of your content, what it means is, there are now a set of tools out there, many of which are available for free, that you can use to make your assets accessible by a whole new population. They’re learning visual literacy.” Diana’s perspective makes this change to digital learning seem less daunting and more manageable. The tools we need to transform our classrooms are there, we just need to make use of what we already have and start to implement their use a little at a time. 

Reaction to “Giving Reluctant Students a Voice”

The topic of reluctant students has been discussed many times during our classes in this cohort. This is a topic that is very personal to me as well. Throughout my schooling experience, I was often one of those reluctant students. It wasn’t that I was necessarily afraid of sharing my ideas with the class, but the issue of time to formulate what I was going to share was often a factor. As Reynold Redekopp and Elizabeth Bourbonniere discussed in the article, students process information and formulate responses at different speeds. I have often found message boards and blogs to be helpful to me in sharing my ideas with the class. By using these technology tools, I have had the time to take in what everyone else is saying, develop my own opinion, and express myself in a coherent manner.

            Some students may be reluctant to share ideas simply because they are shy. They may feel uncomfortable speaking in front of their peers. By allowing students to go online with a screen name that shields their identity, students may be more apt to freely express their thinking. The only problem that I have ever had with technological aids being used for conversation is I think that it doesn’t help students to develop the necessary social skills that we still need in today’s world. We are still in a world where face to face interactions occur daily and are often necessary. Since this is the case, I think it is essential that students learn to develop confidence and communication skills to communicate with others in person. I think the best methods of instruction that we can provide our students is a mixture of technology and in person interaction. By providing our students with both, we are giving the reluctant students a safeguard for openly expressing themselves, but we are also teaching them how to become better communicators in person. I know through my own experiences learning how to  and practicing communicating with others, I have become a faster and more coherent communicator. 

Flipped Learning - An Educational Movement in the 21st Century Classroom

Topic 1: What Blog did you read and what did you think?

I read, “Flipped Learning, Turning Learning on Its Head!” written by Pal Fredrik Borresen. I chose this blog because I was interested in learning more about the incorporation of technology into classrooms to meet the demands of the  21^st century learner. I was particularly interested in whether the article would address integrating technology into the elementary school classroom. I am currently pursuing a degree in elementary education and have been increasingly surprised as to how much learning has changed since I was in elementary school. Students are learning reading, writing, history, science, amongst a whole on slot of other skills through the increased use of technology.  Although I used technology in my everyday life, I feel that I still have a lot to learn in order to meet the technology needs of the upcoming generation of students.

I found the idea behind the “flipped classroom” intriguing. The idea that students learn the curriculum content through video or recorded PowerPoint slide shows at home, so that teachers can use class time to expand upon that knowledge through hands-on, cooperative learning experiences is interesting. I definitely see Borresen’s perspective of how “Flipped Learning” is helping to increase the students’ learning experiences in the classroom. As someone who is planning to teach in the elementary grades, I would be interested in learning more about how the “Flipped Classroom” would work for younger students. From my experience working with elementary aged children, it seems to me that at that stage, children need a lot of structure, support, and guidance in maneuvering the curriculum. I wonder if the “Flipped Learning” model would be effective with elementary school students for this very reason. I guess for elementary aged students, the teachers would choose one or two lesson ideas to convert into “flipped learning.” Maybe these lessons would provide reinforcement of what had already been taught and practiced in the classroom. If that is how teachers are seeing flipped learning as beneficial for elementary classrooms, then I am all for it. I just am hesitant at how effective it would be in being the primary deliverer of instruction to these young students.

As for the layout of the site, I personally found it very difficult to maneuver. Each page seems like it is cut in half. The top portion of the page includes the site menu and a scroll bar that lets you scroll through the various postings on the site. The bottom portion of the page is devoted to leaving comments and bookmarking pages. I found this layout very challenging for me. I wish the information in the article took up the whole page and then there were separate tabs that you could click on to read and post comments or bookmark a page. Maybe there is a way to minimize the bottom portion of the page so that the postings are full page. I was not able to figure it out and ended up printing several postings so that I could see them in their entirety which helped me read and understand them better.