Reflection 10

Reflection #10
Taking this class has helped me learn a lot about what I plan to be in the future. This class has showed me how to do one of the most basic things that I need to know to become a teacher. That is how to do a lesson plan. Lesson planning is one of the most important parts of being a teacher because that is how you organize what you are going to teach your students. In this class I have learned about various types of lesson plans. I have learned about Behaviorist lesson plans which is basically where the teacher shows the students something specific and then gives the students something to work on that helps them practice what they just learned. This is probably the most common lesson plan. I also learned about Constructivist lesson plans. This lesson plan is basically when the teacher puts the students into groups and has the students research a particular subject and then each group has to do a presentation based on their findings. I personally like this one because it gives the students a chance to do some collaborative work and at the same learn something new. I also learned about the transpersonal approach to teaching. This approach is a mix between Behaviorist and Constructivist lesson plans which involves grouping of students and they learn about power and self identity as well. Apart from actual lesson plan methods I also learned how to explain to others what lesson planning is in general. By preparing hand outs and power point presentations I learned how to explain with information and pictures what lesson planning is. I also learned something very important in this class and that is my teaching my philosophy. This is because that way I have a better idea of how I should teach because it is what I believe in. By taking this class, I also learned that technology has advanced in such a way that now you can make a digital story. That means that you can record yourself or pictures and speak in order to read a story to your students instead of having to read an actual paper story. This is a very interesting and new method in which you can read effectively to your students. I also had the chance to learn about telecollaborative lessons in which students communicate with students from other parts of the world online and they do research on certain things and then they talk to each other about it. It is actually a very interesting way to learn because you are learning something new and meeting new people from other countries. I believe that taking this class has really helped become a better teacher and I am sure that I will use everything that I have learned in this class in the near future.

Reflection 9

Reflection #9

While taking this technology class, I have learned many ways in which technology can be used as instructional delivery. To begin with, the internet is the main source of technology which can be used in order to research. Researching the internet gives teachers the resources needed for instructional delivery. Websites are also a resource for teachers in which they can find worksheets for students and they can also find videos to provide the students with some more entertaining classes. The internet can also help teachers find information on anything they want to incorporate into their lessons. There are also online assessments which you can create in order to have your students take online quizzes or practice class work. Some teacher’s like to give online quizzes or even there are programs that help you do your work online. Another example of this would be the telecollaborative lesson. This is an online activity in which students communicate with each other from different countries. This is a great way to teach your students and at the same time they are getting to know other people. This is a great method of teaching especially for students who like using the internet. Technology also involves the digital story. This is a modern way of making a story. You can record your voice, a video and create a story that will be more entertaining for students rather than reading an actual book. A lot of teachers prefer this method since they get more attention from their students. Another technological advance for instructional delivery are projectors. Teachers create power points, work sheets, videos, or any other type of work and they can show it to their students with a projector. Instead of having to hand write things and put them in the over head projector, this projector is connected to the computer and it automatically shows what you are doing to the students. There are also some very interesting computer programs that have been put into public schools in which the young kids get to practice their basics. These programs are interactive and at the same time teach the students what they need to learn. This helps the teacher take some time to help other students that are behind because these programs keep the children glued to their computers. Technology has advanced incredibly and in a way it has made work for teachers a lot easier. Nowadays you don’t really need to create your own work sheets; you can just search for them online. Any type of worksheet you might need, you can find it online. There is also the computerize grade books which calculate the grades for you and all you need to do is input the grades. It is amazing how many things a computer can do for teachers!

Reflection 8

Reflection 8
After taking the Educational Philosophy Survey, I discovered that I am mostly Constructivist and Progressivist. I believe that one of the best ways of teaching is by constructing your own reality. Using prior knowledge and experiences we can interpret objects or events. (Instructional Design & Learning Theory) Some of the assumptions of Constructivism which I believe in are the following: our knowledge is constructed from prior experiences, as we are learning it is considered to be a personal interpretation of the world, by using our experience we build meaning using the active process of learning, the growth of concepts comes from negotiating meaning and also using collaborative learning, and also it is good to situate learning in realistic settings. (Instructional Design & Learning Theory) I believe that by using the knowledge gained from previous experiences to what we are learning now, we can put the information together to interpret different situations or problems. The survey also said that I am a progressivist which means that education should have some basis on the principle that humans are social animals, meaning that we learn best by using real life activities and interactions with other people. (Progressive Education) There is a process which was made by a famous philosopher named John Dewey which really helps to support my way of thinking. The following is the procedure of the Dewey’s model: First you become aware of the problem, Second you need to define the problem, Third you need to come up with a hypotheses to solve it, Fourth you need to use your past experience to evaluate the consequences of the hypotheses that you came up with, and Fifth is where you need to test the most probable solution. (Progressive Education) As part of the progressivism view, there is the idea that we don’t like to just give the students book work and teach them directly what they need to know, we like to teach them but using more realistic activities and examples. It is the idea that you learn by doing. A good example of this would be when you are teaching the life cycle of the butterfly to your students. Instead of showing the students pictures or videos of the different stages, you can actually buy butterfly eggs and have the children observe the stages in real life butterflies. This helps the children get the hands on experience they need and also makes the classroom environment more interesting. By taking this survey, I am to the conclusion that I am a Constructivist and also a Progressivist. I totally agree with these results because I am a person who really likes hands on activities with real life activities and at the same time I like to use my prior knowledge and experiences to interpret new ideas and events.

Reflection 7

Reflection 7
What exactly is a digital story? A digital story is a modern way of expressing a story. The reason that digital stories are modern is because they include images, music and sometimes a narrative with voice included. This helps to give life to the characters as well as the scenes going on in the story. (Digital Storytelling) Many digital stories serve a purpose. Usually they are used in electronic portfolios. Digital stories in portfolios help to introduce ourselves in many ways. An example would be listening to the voice of the author. Another way would be leaving us the legacy of our families. There is also the biography which gives facts about a particular life. The memoir is more like a personal story in which the storyteller is talking about their own life. (Digital Storytelling) The other important part of digital storytelling is the reflection section. This part includes: The transition which is when you reflect on major changes or transitions in the life of a person. Decision and Direction deals directly with making decisions and which way you should go with. Benchmarking Development is when you think back about what you intended to do. There is also changing over time where you keep a collection of what has happened over a period of time. (Digital Storytelling) The last section is the artifacts. This includes evidence of collaboration where you document the group efforts. There is documentary which is fact-based and does not contain emotional content. Record of experience is where you can describe an experience as part of a service learning project or other. Oral language can be either giving examples of your native language or providing a recording of voice. (Digital Storytelling) Usually digital stories will be 2 to 4 minutes, is a narrative in first person, is recorded with the own persons voice, the illustrations are still images, and they make contain an optional music in the background. (Digital Storytelling) In order to create a digital story, the first step you should take is to find out a purpose of the story and who will be listening to the story. The following should be put in a digital story: A point of view, A dramatic question, Emotional Content, The Gift of your Voice, The Power of the Soundtrack, Economy, and Pacing. (Digital Storytelling) In my opinion, the invention of digital storytelling is a great modern to create a story. Not only does it look better, but it also catches the attention of the listeners better than a regular story. It is really a true beauty.

Reflection 6

Reflection 6
What is a Telecollaborative lesson? A telecollaborative lesson is simply an educational project in which people share information with other people over the internet. (Tools and Resources for Developing a Telecollaborative Project) An example of this would be to get your classroom and another classroom in another country to communicate and share information about a common subject. There are some steps to organize a telecollaborative project. I will explain each step to get a better understanding of it. Step one is choosing the curricular goal or goals. There are two very important factors that need to be taken into account when designing the goals. First of all you need to make sure that they tie directly to the curriculum and second to make sure that it could be accomplished using more traditional learning. The teacher should also try to identify not only what the students will be learning but also what activities they will be completing. (Harris, 1994) We move on to step two which is choosing the structure of the activity. There are many different ways in which these activities can be organized. Sixteen structures have been identified that help make the learning process easier for the students. They are divided into 3 groups. We have the Interpersonal Exchanges group which includes the following structures: keypals, global classrooms, electronic appearances, electronic mentoring, and impersonations. The second group is Information Collections which includes: information exchanges, database creations, electronic publishing, tele-fieldtrips, and pooled data analysis. The last group is Problem-Solving Projects which includes: information searches, parallel problem-solving, electronic process writing, serial creations, simulations, and social action projects. (Harris, 1994) Now we have step three which is exploring examples of other online projects. It is a great idea to view examples of other projects after you have decided which structure you will be implementing. There is something called Gopher which provides a collection of precollege online activity descriptions which can be viewed for extra help. (Harris, 1994) As we continue to step four we are ready to determine the details of the project. I will give you an idea of what some of the details should include: the projects title, the purpose, the contact information of the person in charge, usually the teacher, the curricular areas, grade level, number of people, summary of the project, how to register, timeline of the project, procedure, sample, and the conclusion of the project. (Harris, 1994) The next step would be number five which is to invite telecollaborators. After the project has been set-up and uploaded to the internet, you should write a description to be posted in public discussions. After this, we have step six. In this step you form the telecollaborative group. After you have responses from people, you should send them the detailed file and this way form the group. Step seven is basically to communicate. Finally we reach the last step. Step eight is to create the closure. (Harris, 1994)

Reflection 5

Reflection 5
What exactly is cooperative and collaborative learning? Let’s begin by analyzing what is collaborative learning. Collaborative learning is a method of teaching and learning in which student’s team together to explore a significant question or create a meaningful project. Some examples include: a group of students discussing a lecture or even students from different schools working together over the internet on a shared assignment. (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004) Then we have cooperative learning which is a specific type of collaborative learning. Cooperative learning is where students work together in small groups on a structured activity. They are individually accountable for their work and also the work as a group is assessed. They work face to face and learn how to work together. (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004) Working in small groups helps students develop their interpersonal skills like sharing their strengths and developing their weaknesses. Three things are necessary to create an environment where cooperative learning can take place. They are the following: First, the students need to feel safe, but also challenged. Second, groups need to be small enough that everyone can contribute. Third, the task student’s work together on must be clearly defined. (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004) The following show how providing a small group forms a place where: learners actively participate, teachers become better learners an d learners sometimes teach, respect is given to every member, projects and questions interest and challenge students, and others. Cooperative and collaborative learning are very different from traditional teaching approaches in that students work together rather than compete with each other individually. (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004) There are many benefits of cooperative and collaborative learning. They are the following: Celebration of diversity, meaning that students learn to work with all types of people. Acknowledgment of individual differences, which means that when questions are raised, different student’s will have a variety of responses. Interpersonal development where students learn to relate to their peers and other learners as they work together in group enterprises. Actively involving students in learning is where each member has the opportunity to contribute in small groups. More opportunities for feedback occurs because since there are more exchanges among students in small groups there’s more personal feedback. (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004) There are also some weaknesses identified in cooperative and collaborative learning. They are: Making members of the group responsible for each other’s learning. Another weakness is Encouraging only lower-level thinking and ignoring the strategies necessary for the inclusion of critical thought. (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004) I will end this explanation with some recommendations: Making sure to identify clear questions at the outset, Resolving small group conflicts as soon as they arise, Creating rubrics at the beginning of any assignment, helping students reflect on their progress, and finally expecting excellence from all students and letting them know that you believe in them and their ability to produce excellent work. (Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2004)

Reflection 4

Reflection 4
Inquiry-based learning is based on the fact that inquiry implies involvement that leads to understanding. Involvement in learning implies possessing skills and attitudes that permit you to seek resolutions to questions and issues while you construct knowledge. (Thirteen Ed Online, 2004) The word inquiry is defined as seeking for truth, information, or knowledge by seeking information by questioning. This is something that us humans carry throughout our lives. The importance of inquiry is that people need an understanding of how to get and make sense of data. (Thirteen Ed Online, 2004) Instead of accumulating date and information, we should move toward the generation of useful and applicable knowledge which is supported by inquiry learning. Using the process of inquiry, individuals construct much of their understanding of the natural and human-designed worlds. Inquiry is not really looking for the actual answer, but seeking appropriate resolutions to questions and issues. (Thirteen Ed Online, 2004) We cannot learn everything but we can develop skills and nurture the inquiring attitudes necessary to continue the generation and examination of knowledge throughout their lives. There are four essential elements of effective inquiry learning. They are:
1- Experts see patterns and meanings not apparent to novices.
2- Experts have in-depth knowledge of their fields, structured so that it is most useful.
3- Expert’s knowledge is not just a set of facts --- it is structured to be accessible, transferable, and applicable to a variety of situations.
4- Experts can easily retrieve their knowledge and learn new information in their fields with little effort.
Inquiry learning can be applied to all disciplines. We need many perspectives for viewing the world. Some views include artistic, scientific, historic, economic, and others. (Thirteen Ed Online, 2004) There are also some important outcomes of inquiry learning. One outcome is that it should be useful knowledge about the natural and human-designed worlds. How are they worlds organized? How do they change? How do they interrelate? And how do we communicate? (Thirteen Ed Online, 2004) The following show inquiry learning in practice: Students view themselves as learners in the process of learning, Students accept an “Invitation to learn” and willingly engage in an exploration process, Students raise questions , propose explanations and use observations, Students plan and carry out learning activities, and others. (Thirteen Ed Online, 2004)