EDLD+5364+In-Depth+Class+Reflection

EDLD 5364 - ET 8035 Teaching with Technology

**__ EDLD 5364 In-Depth Class Reflection __**

1. **Critically reflect** (see note above; not just recitation of facts) upon the knowledge you gained from the assignment.
 * Note: ** **Reflection at a critical level means** writing text that reveals your opinion of the reading or experience, why you hold that opinion, how the experience/assignment/reading could be improved, how you see the reading or experience as consistent or inconsistent with what you have learned so far, implications for the future, etc. Reflection should include more content than just a recitation of facts and you should document your writing with a minimum of 3 references.
 * __ Self –Assessment __**

2. **Critically reflect** upon the relationship between any new information you gained from the assignment with old information you previously held to be true.
 * I believe that what I gained from this class is a realization that learning is moving into an era of real life approaches that must be relevant and significant to our students. To be able to gain our students’ participation, they must become an active participant in their own education. Education must become student-centered, accessible, and customized to meet the needs of our students. Professional development must do the same for the teachers in charge of this future in education. Technology provides the tools to be effective in this quest. Solomon and Schrum makes this point in their book //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. (2007)// by stating “These tools enable conversation, dialogue, and reflection, which are critical to professional growth and development activities. (Jakes, 2006e, n.p.)” (p. 112). **

3. How did the relationship between the old and new information you learned affect your personal experience with the assignment?
 * In the video, ****// Big Thinkers: Sasha Barab on New-Media Engagement, //**** Sasha Barber talks about making real world connections in ways that interactive, positive, and offering constant feedback. He talks about accessing the world through technology by using a variety of gaming and SIM technologies. I love this approach. I often use technology to complement and enrich my teaching, but he is talking about moving beyond this. He is using the technology to make learning, assessment, and feedback a continuous looping, learning experience. The programming gives everyone access to experiences which have never been available in the past. Technology is driving our world, and our students are very comfortable with that. It is time for us to make technology part of our lesson cycle to address the needs of our students. **


 * The old information knew that planning and relevancy are important parts of the lesson cycle. The new information expands on this to help make the lessons student-centered, ands student driven. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski discuss setting objectives on page 17 of their book. The generalizations for setting objectives are: **
 * 1. Setting instructional goals narrows what students focus on. **
 * 2. Teachers should encourage students to personalize the learning goals the teacher has identified for them. **
 * 3. Instructional goals should not be too specific. **
 * These generalizations help us to guide our lessons so that students can customize lessons. We still need direction when planning a lesson. ** ** The Concord Schools’ plan addressed this by using the “Universal Design for Learning, a research-based set of principles that forms a practical framework for using technology to maximize learning opportunities for every student.” (Rose and Meyer, 2002)This plan addresses the following needs: **
 * **Carefully conceived class-wide learning goals, inclusive of all students.**
 * **Individualized approaches for reaching those goals, including customized supports that change as learners progress.**
 * **Assessments that measure ongoing progress and provide teachers and students with useful feedback.**
 * (Rose and Meyer, 2002) **
 * Planning is still an important part of the lesson. Without planning, lessons get off target and do not address the standard. The student does not learn the material that is required if guidance is not provided. The difference is that we are not blatantly stating the material, but we are now guiding the students to discover the material on their own. They are now learning in a way that is relevant and interesting to them. We are teaching them to learn, rather than teaching them data. **

1. **Critically reflect** (see note above; not just recitation of facts) upon your approach and strategies used in completing the assignment.
 * __Learn as a Learner__ **


 * When completing this assignment, I did what many of our students do. I reviewed the given information. I watched the videos and read the articles. Then I reflected on what I already knew and how it related to the new information. I thought about what expanded what I already knew, and what conflicted with what I thought I knew. After thinking about where my weaknesses were, and what I just wanted to know more about, I began researching and collecting data to support and increase my knowledge. **
 * Since collaboration was such a large part of this assignment, I used that resource to brainstorm and discuss the options for what was expected. The different viewpoints helped to provide additional areas of focus. It helped me to address areas I might have overlooked otherwise. The collaborative group also let me depend on others strength in areas that I have a weakness in, and let me excel in areas that others were weak in. This helped me to build skills in areas of collaboration and teamwork. **

2. **Critically reflect** upon how you learn as a learner and how you assess your own performance in completing the assignment(s).


 * As a learner, I want to be engaged and active. I do not listen well. When information is given in a strictly auditory fashion, I often miss much of the information and often have difficulty with comprehension. I need to “see” what is going on, and I need to interact in some form. I can draw pictures, take notes, or use multi-media. But I learn best when I am actively engaged in the lesson. I love to create and “do”. If I can work my way through a scenario, I can usually remember the information. If I am just told the information, it has no relevance to me, and I probably will not remember it beyond the test. I will probably never use the given information, either, because it is no more than a fact that I memorized to make someone else happy. **
 * My criteria for knowing if I have actually learned information is if I can and do use it. I am often the queen of trivia, I can quote facts and data back very easily. The real test is if I apply what I have learned, then I feel that it is now part of my tool bag and I have actually learned it. **

3. How did your learning and interaction with colleagues (such as discussion forum, web conferences, wiki and blog participation, etc.) affect the results of your performance?


 * Working with my colleagues helps to open up different views and different thoughts. It gives me an audience to help think a line of thought through. Often, someone else can help to provide the missing thought or fact that is needed to help make an idea or topic clear. They can often provide that jump that you can not find on your own. Many times, I may not agree with them, but discussing and defending different viewpoints can often show that we may both be correct. We just came at the problem from different directions. The reflection and dialogue are great tools that are available through collaborating with my peers online and in person. **
 * Solomon and Schrum support this through their quote,” With these possibilities for web 2.0 tools, educators can weave in the potential for building a ‘learning community’ as they become familiar with blogs, wikis, podcasting, and social bookmarking. Not only can educators connect with their peers, but they can have access to experts in a variety of content or process areas. More important, these tools enable conversation, dialogue, and reflection, which are critical to professional growth and development activities. (Jakes, 2006e, n.p.)” (Solomon & Schrum, 2007, p. 111-112). **

1. **Critically reflect** (see note above; not just recitation of facts) upon what you gained about learning and how you learn that will impact your future learning.
 * __ Lifelong Learning Skills __**


 * Planning is so important when creating a lesson that meets the standards, is student centered, relevant, and meets the needs of all the students. The CAST website provided a lot of information to help in this area. Everyone learns in different ways. We need to address these differences, find the strengths that may have been weaknesses in a traditional lesson. I do not learn as well in a traditional setting, so why would I expect my students too. I never do “set and get” well. It drives me nuts. I should not expect my students to be any different. I have found that I can use technology to address these needs in so many ways. By using these options, I can open up a whole world to my students, and to myself. **

2. How will your past interactions and collaborations with colleagues impact your future learning experiences?


 * I can use my past collaborative experiences to help guide the planning and focus for collaborative lessons for my students. I can use what worked well, and change or monitor those areas that were chaotic or ill-structured. Since I actually participate in this style of learning, I can help my students be successful by providing insight and direction for them. **
 * Beyond modeling and planning, the collaborative groups and discussions help to provide a focus for my thoughts and ideas. They help give direction to new plans, topics, and ideas. They also help to show what is or is not feasible in real life. By discussing thoughts and plans, I have been able to find areas that will not work, or need to be changed so that it works better. These groups and discussions help provide a support group of people who have similar goals and their input is relevant to the direction that I want to go. **

3. As a lifelong learner, what questions or issues challenge you and are worthy of future research or investigation?


 * As a lifelong learner, I would like to find ways to make gaming and SIM technology more available to all students. I know this is a way of effectively teaching students, but it is often not available for certain topics or lessons. I would like to find ways to make this type of learning more accessible at school and at home. I would also like to find ways to make this type of technology more accessible for those students with special needs, such as blindness, learning disabilities, or other issues that make average gaming difficult for those learners.**


 * References:**

// Big Thinkers: Sasha Barab on New-Media Engagement //. Retrieved on April 1, 2012 from []

Hubble, E., Kuhn, M., Malenoski, K., Pitler, H., (2007). //Using Technology with Classroom// //Instruction that Works//, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, by ASCD, p. 17.

Rose, D. & Meyer, A. (2002).//Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design// //For learning.//Alexandria,VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Website. Chapter 1. Retrieved on March 11, 2012 from []

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. (p.111-112)