Reflecting…

When I began this course, I was more a bit overwhelmed by what I thought was the complexity of Web 2.0. After becoming more informed, I found it easy to navigate the different technologies required by the coursework. I also learned how to incorporate different media into my classroom. Doing each of the applications increased my confidence and mastery of each task and led me to work more effectively when teaching 21st Century Skills. Using technology in my classroom will increase student engagement and learning, and will only continue to improve as technology becomes more accessible in my school.

Because of my experiences in this course, not only know do I know how to use different programs and websites, I know that they are user-friendly. I never thought I would ever create a podcast or even edit media in that way, but I felt comfortable doing it. I also learned the variety of ways to use this technology personally and professionally (Richardson, 2008). I began seeing possibilities all around me in my classroom, including posting podcasts for my students to review materials or provide directions. I began identifying ways to meet the curriculum using wikis and blogs and other forms of technology to the point that my co-teachers were excited about the possibilities.

I have become aware of the difference technology makes to students. Their level of engagement is increased more than I could ever imagine. By interviewing my students on their usage of technology inside and out of school, I can begin thinking of ways to incorporate what they know as digital natives into my lessons. Students today think differently and need to be reached differently because of their experiences with technology they come to school with (Prensky, 2001).

Teachers at every level from novice to expert have begun changing the ways they teach their students. By incorporating technology, I can allow students to increase their capabilities of learning and collaborating with peers instead of learning just from lectures or teacher-led discussions and activities. Students are more invested in learning and are able to find means to express themselves and show their understanding of course material if allowed to choose the medium in which they present it. I have become more creative ways to evaluate and assess student progress. Although it does take more planning and initial instruction and modeling of the technology, students spend more time constructing their own learning and creating products.

Since I know that these methods are successful with my students, I am motivated to continue learning how to use technology to increase student learning. I have found Prensky’s articles very interesting and informative on the subject and will seek out more of his work and research. When searching articles in the Walden databases, I have found a plethora of information dedicated to this topic. I find that by staying informed on the research, I am able to better apply it in my classroom. Subscribing to blogs related to the topic and those posted by teachers hoping for similar outcomes is also a benefit to my continued learning. I also collect data within my classroom to track student progress and I hope to see a positive shift in learning as I teach my students during their high school careers.

Over the next two years, I plan to create a working document in the form of a wiki in my learning strategies course for students receiving special education support. There is currently no text for the class and having this resource would help students during and after they complete the year. Students will complete all entries, revisions, and additions to the document. After this year’s class completes the document, next year’s class will review and revise materials as needed. Right now, in my school, no one is incorporating the use of this technology in their classroom. I hope by seeing my students’ success will inspire teachers.

I also plan to create a capstone project for seniors to complete before graduation. As juniors this year, they will be learning different types of technology and learning a repertoire of media which they can use in and out of school. Students will be required to respond to a prompt involving problem solving skills, reflection of their learning, and goal-setting for their future. They will be asked to express themselves using a multimedia means most comfortable for them. This will only be possible if students become comfortable using available media and hopefully technology my school will be acquiring in the future. Students will need to use their skill set to work within and outside the classroom to compile their learning to complete the project.

The most important thoughts I take from this course are that students today are different and therefore, teachers need to be different. If I am to meet the needs of all of my students, I need to teach them and prepare them using the technology available to us. This task seems daunting and overwhelming at times, but after becoming familiar with the media, the possibilities for teaching and learning are endless.

Resources
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wiks, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/2246/episodes/9687/media_files/26064/download/3/file_140kb_mon.mp3

Please take a few moments to check out my podcast! My high school seniors talk about how they use different types of media, but usually do not use it for educational purposes!
http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/2246/episodes/9687/media_files/26064/download/3/file_140kb_mon.mp3

21st Century Skills? What the frig is that??

I was not sure what to expect when I first access the 21^st Century Skills website. There are many different parts which make up the theory and I was first combining some elements that were grouped in different areas. Anyway, everything was easy to understand after looking through all of the information and I was able to put together the parts which make up the whole. I’m shocked that more of these concepts aren’t being used or implemented in our schools. I’ve heard the term 21^st century skills before, but never really understood what they were and, honestly, was never motivated enough to look it up. I used to think of K-12 education and businesses as separate, but major companies have come together with educators to determine the skills workers will need and how schools can help prepare students for jobs during the 21^st century.

I was honestly surprised that there was less focus on technology and more on critical thinking and teamwork. When I think of the future, I think of more and more technology being integrated into the workplace. While that is an important aspect of the 21^st century skills, it is just a piece. There is also a need for life and career skills, goal-setting, independent and group skills, creativity, problem solving, and so on and so on. The skills students will need seem to go on forever and it is our job to use our curriculum as a platform to teach these skills.

The only thing I have found to disagree with is that the curriculum “teaches 21st century skills discretely in the context of core subjects and 21st century interdisciplinary themes.” For many higher level students who come to school with critical thinking skills and higher order thinking skills, 21^st century skills will be effortless for them. They are the students who would get jobs easily in the future anyway. My students with special needs often need information taught in a very explicit manner. They do not read between the lines and make connections unless I show them or use several examples. My students will need to be guided through these interdisciplinary themes, which I think can be successful, but they will need to be taught how and when to use these skills.

Although most of my students are planning to participate mostly in hands-on, technical, and blue collar jobs, they still need 21^st century skills. As jobs become more competitive and the world is shrinking, they will need to apply what they learn about learning and innovation skills, information, media, and technology skills, and life and career skills to be successful. Because of their different learning styles and educational needs, I will need to be creative when teaching them to use these skills. I will also have to encourage them to use these skills in and out of my classroom. They need to use these skills independently, applying them to different situations and circumstances, which can be difficult for students. My state is not on the list of states currently pushing 21^st century skills in school. When it does participate in this, students will begin learning these skills sooner and sooner, leading to more success in the future.

References

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

The partnership for 21^st century skills. (2004). Retrieved September 30, 2009, from The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills Web site: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

Blog to the Rescue! Improving CAPT Scores

Our statewide assessment results are in and our former sophomores performed well in many areas. Their Reading for Information scores, however, did not meet the goals set for them. Therefore, our school (and every department) is now on a mission to weave these non-fiction materials throughout our curriculum! We need to find a way to teach reading and writing skills related to this area, so we will be having meetings and breakout sessions to brainstorm strategies on how to improve performance in this area.

Blogs would be a perfect way to provide input and feedback on student responses in many ways. Example responses can be posted for students to read and discuss. They can use a rubric to score the answer and also determine positive and negative aspects of the response. Students can then give ideas on how to improve the answer.

Students can also be given a question based on information they have read and post their answer. Teachers from all disciplines and peers can give their reactions and write comments about the work, helping students revise and improve their response. By completing these on a regular basis, progress can be monitored and next year, I can blog about improving math scores!

High School Fun

The angels are back again and summer is a distant memory. This will be a different year, though, because I'm learning to incorporate more technology into my teaching. My students won't be able to help but be motivated by my lessons!