Teaching Style

Did you learn about your teaching style in the OR project? - Discuss your teaching strengths and weaknesses from this on blog

I learned that I like to interact with my students! To me (and constructivists), you learn best by exploring and being able to ask questions. It was difficult for me to do this project, but only because I think that teaching someone how to use Evernote is too simple. There isn't really a 'challenge' in it. I think that the app is very self explanatory, so having to type up a tutorial to tell people to "click ok" is a bit tedious for me. That being said, I think a step-by-step guide could be very beneficial for many people, especially people that are new to mobile technologies.  A digital native would probably not benefit from this tutoria, but my target wasn't a digital native, so it works. I'm not the type of learner who reads step-by-step instructions--at least not initially, so teaching that way is somewhat of a challenge to me.

Teaching Technology Project

My teaching technology project has unfortunately not been at the top of my to do list.  I will be teaching the app Evernote, which is an app that can be used to store notes and information across multiple devices.  My objective for this project is: participants will be able to create 3 notebooks, input two notes, a pdf, and a photo.  Participants will also share at least one of these items with another person, and access their Evernote account on two separate devices.

So far I'm surprised that Evernote has a ton of other apps that work with it.  Should I demonstrate those too, or would that be too much?

Professional Development Plan

I am not really sure what I want to do when I grow up, but one career I am thinking about is being a technology coordinator in a school or district.  If I were to do that, most likely I would be in charge of creating professional development for teachers on how to use technology in their specific classes.  So my overall goal under the ISTE Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership would be to create a PLC in the school that will compile and distribute an iTunes U course with resources for technology integration and other sources like global and local professional learning communities.

To do this, my short term goals are to:

Before school: Create iTunes U Course

By October: Gather teachers from each subject area to participate in this PLC, and an outline for what the course will contain

By November: Develop a rubric/guide to determine the reliability of a source

By December: Have at least one source from each subject area posted to the iTunes U course

By January: Have at least a total of 3 sources for each subject area on the iTunes U course

By February: Distribute the always improving iTunes U course to the school with an explanation of how to access, use, and provide input

Long term goal:

Create an PLC in the school to compile and distribute an iTunes U course with resources to global and local professional learning communities by the end of the school year

To determine if this PLC is successful, I would assess by: 

If course is coming along as planned, then part of the goal is met.  

The PLC will conduct voluntary walkthroughs with teachers who care to participate in the iTunes U course to see the tools/strategies/resources that were provided by the course in action.  

Surveys will be conducted on what teachers in the entire school want/need in the iTunes U course, and if these needs are being met. 

Professional Development

What are some things you can do for free to improve your technology skills?

For me, the most beneficial thing I do to improve my technology skills is Google and playing around with it.  When I get a new technology, or read about one, I research it as much as I can.  Google is my best friend, so is Mashable.com, and my eduction page on Flipbook.  Twitter is a great way to create a professional learning community, and there are many technology to hashtags to follow.  These include, #edtech, #mlearning.  I also follow ISTE connects on Twitter, and other technology companies and websites.

When I get a new technology I also play around with it.  Just discover things.  For example, when I got my Promethean Board I tinkered around with it.  I clicked on buttons to see what they would do. I explored other people's posts, tried to figure out how they did certain things.  There are also a lot of webinars and wiki pages devoted to technology education.  There are a plethora of books dedicated to teaching 'digital natives' as well.

Sandholtz Chapter 5

Chapter 5 mainly discusses how peer tutoring and student centered learning is beneficial to both teachers and students. There was a lot of qualitative evidence of low performing students being very good at certain aspects of technology, or what was being taught, and in turn those students taught other students.  Many teachers were initially upset or worried about the change in their classroom--having kids talking with out permission, or not being the only source of information.  Eventually teachers realized that having students teach improved their self efficacy and motivated them. This helped created a shift in many of these classrooms as collaborative communities, not just teacher led instruction.

This chapter is interesting to me because when I was going through my undergrad all we talked about was collaboration and constructivist theories.  It was drilled into my head that collaboration was better for students, and I completely agreed. I know that many teachers who have been in the profession for a while struggle greatly with collaboration in their classrooms.  Also, many teachers don't like to admit that their students may have more knowledge then they do in certain areas.  For me, that was never an issue.  I was very open to my students being collaborative.  I did have issues when I asked them to do work individually.  I wanted there to be a balance in my classroom, but I think that collaboration does greatly benefit students and teachers.

Sandholtz Chapter 4

Chapter four begins by discussing the technical issues that occur when using a new technology.  She also discusses how technology easily leads itself into cyberbullying, cheating, and doing illegal things online.  This chapter walks us through the frustrations that occur during the first three phases of technology integration: entry, adoption, and adaptation. When teachers are at the entry level, everything is a mess.  Teachers are unsure how to use all of the equipment, how to integrate it into their curriculum, and how to manage this new technology's interaction with students.  During the adoption stage teachers are aware of the technology and their students' interaction with it, so teachers are able to anticipate issues and begin creating solutions before they get out of hand.  During the adaption stage teachers and students are using the technology to their advantage and using if for specific needs.  The book describes how teachers use the computers to create databases and calculate grades for them.

I definitely went through the first two stages in my classroom.  Having computers in my class was awesome.  They kids loved them and always wanted to use them.  I had a heck of a time managing my students' interactions with them, though. It took a few times using the computers to really get the students using them for research, and not trying to look up other things. It was very important to set up routines on how to get the computer, hold the computer, charge the computer, and put it away.  I initially thought that seniors in high school would know that, but they definitely needed instructions and constant reminders. I think that as technology becomes even more ubiquitous in schools that there will be a constant transition of teachers in each of the stages of implementation. Things as small as downloaded applications will also use this cycle.  I think teachers should be aware though, that they don't need to try to use every type of technology in their classroom.  Use as much as you are comfortable with, and when you are ready--just don't make that an excuse not to use technology.

Sandholtz Chapter 3

Chapter 3 in Teaching with Technology is titled "The Evolution of Instruction in Technology-Rich Classrooms."  It discusses teacher's personal beliefs in instructional evolution and how their epistemological beliefs as well as their beliefs in instructional technology will affect their implementation and overall attitude towards technology.  This chapter discusses the stages of instructional evolution, which is much like the other change theories. Entry is when the teachers were just beginning.  They were trying to set everything up and deal with the logistics of using new technology.  Adoption is the next stage, and that is where the teachers were trying to figure out how to use this technology in their daily instruction.  There were still issues, but they were actively trying to use it.  The adaptation phase was when the use of the technology occurred more frequently and was authentic and useful--not just using the technology to use it, but to add to the educational needs of the students. Appropriation is the next stage where there is a shift in the attitude toward the technology. It occurred after success with the technology and knowing that it was a benefit to the students. Some teachers in this stage showed that they have not only accepted technology in their lives, but have become dependent on it. The final stage of the evolution of instruction is invention.  This is where teachers use the technology in a different way then they have been shown and discovering how it can be used for them specifically and their students.  This chapter also emphasized the need for teacher support through implementation.

This chapter discusses many things that we read in the other book including change theory and teachers' need for support when implementing anything, especially technology. I liked this chapter because it discussed how the technology increased student and teacher motivation.  I am curious, though, how much the use of technology now affects motivation.  I have no doubt that it increases motivation initially, but I wonder if students now will get bored after using technology that they use everyday, like computers. I really enjoyed reading teacher's reactions to using the technology.  I wish I could hear all of their reflections!