EDUC 7105 Module 6 Blog Reviews

Module 6 Blog Reviews


During the last module of my course, I read and responded to two of my peers’ blogs concerning the integration of technology in teaching and learning:

Yolanda Lyons- http://ylyonstechnology.blogspot.com/2012/05/module-6-blog-yolanda-lyons-when-it.html?showComment=1337797244889#c258423329988010583

Heather Rogers- http://learningtheoryeducationaltechnology.blogspot.com/2012/05/module-6-heather-rogers.html?showComment=1337797695330#c1306888455700896415

EDUC 7105 Module 6 Blog Post

Technology has broadened my ability to access a variety of resources for gaining information, as well as allowing me to communicate world-wide and collaborate on projects. In a face-to-face classroom, I often struggle to listen to lectures or constantly take notes as instructors are teaching. Online learning environments have made accessing resources and setting goals for my learning more realistic. I have found myself to be more successful when I can work asynchronously in my courses, communicate with my peers through discussion boards to expand my thinking, and collaborate in learning communities through a variety of technology resources.


I believe that every child should be given the opportunity to learn. In order to help all students learn, educators must address individual needs and provide a variety of opportunities for learning. With the increasing integration of technology into classrooms, all educators should embrace the opportunity to learn how to use emerging tools and apply 21st century skills to teach students how to use technology effectively to understand content. Before students can use technology for their own research and learning, effective practices should be taught and modeled for students through instruction. Once students are motivated and have a foundation of 21st century skills and knowledge of Web 2.0 tools, instructors should serve as a guide for them in directing students towards appropriate resources and support their use of new technology tools.

The following research examines blending online learning environments and face to face classrooms.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED509636

Reference

Watson, J., & North American Council for Online, L. (2008). Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-to-Face Education. Promising Practices in Online Learning. North American Council For Online Learning. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED509636

EDUC 7105 Module 5 Blog Reviews

This week in my course we discussed the hesitations that educators face when implementing new technology. I read and responded to the blog posts of two of my peers:

Michelle Martens-Dragalin: http://michellenotes.blogspot.com/2012/05/module-5-affective-learning-theory-blog.html?showComment=1336694547579#c5491957299898008875

Shirley Brady: http://sbrady7105.blogspot.com/2012/05/blog-post-module-5-it-is-my-belief.html?showComment=1336694809859#c6154902471445763326

EDUC 7105 Module 5 Blog Post

As I have learned more about educational technology, I have taken a deeper interest in encouraging other educators to use new technology in their classrooms. In a previous course, I surveyed the teachers in my school on their use of the existing technology we have in our school and their feelings towards applying them with students. As technology has become an integral part of our curriculum, more teachers seem to want to use it with students but do not have the confidence or proper training and knowledge to use it effectively.

One of the newest technologies we have integrated into our classrooms are student SMART response clickers. These can be used for assessing student knowledge with instant results, which allows for immediate feedback and whole group review. The students seem very motivated to learn and participate using the clickers, but the teachers have expressed that they would like more training on how to use them and create assessments. With the overwhelming amount of work already required from the teachers, they are having trouble finding the time to create meaningful assessments and get students’ full cooperation in learning how to properly use them. This has resulted in only a few teachers using the SMART response clickers on a daily basis, some using them on a weekly basis, but a good majority not using them at all.

According to Keller’s ARCS Model, in order to motivate learners the instructor must focus on attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (Driscoll, 2005). In my school’s current integration of our new technology, we can gain and sustain teachers’ attention towards their daily use by varying training and instructional presentations of the clicker functions. Each grade level could receive specific training on how to apply their curriculum content towards assessments using the clickers. Their use is already relevant to the teachers because of the ease of getting results of student assessment and having the ability to do an immediate review with students of the concepts that they do not seem to grasp. To build teachers’ confidence in using the SMART response clickers with students, they can create their own goals and guidelines for instructing students on what is expected from their use. As teachers practice creating assessments and using their results, they will become more confident in using them as an instructional tool. Student learning will continue to improve and teachers will see results from the assessments that they create, becoming satisfied and more likely to continue using them.  

Reference

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.