Final post ED 619

• • The main takeaway from the 21st Century Skills article is that teachers need to get students the necessary skills of critical thinking, innovation and creativity through the use of technology.  While the ideas are sound in theory, they are difficult to incorporate into the classroom.  The state of Michigan gives us the benchmarks and tests us on material that is more memorization and regurgitation of facts than using critical thinking skills as well as higher-level thinking skills.
  • The project has been helpful because it makes me realize how much technology I already incorporate into the classroom.  Much of the technology includes PowerPoint, ActiveInspire materials (like SmartBoard), Jeopardy games, Flyswatter and guided notes.  I found that I need to get more material that helps the kids use technology for higher-level thinking skills.  I find that will be challenging because I teach Spanish at the high school level.  That is similar to teaching elementary school unless I choose to have a cultural assignment in English.  
  • I will continue to use technology in a similar manner.  Most of my kids say that my style of teaching works well for them.  I am certainly not 100% content in what I do and always want to grow.  I will continue to looks for new ways to incorporate technology.  I understand it is not just the wave of the future, but the wave of now.  Kids are exposed to technology and using it hourly so I need to capitalize using it.
  • For now my plan is to continue talking with colleagues within my school building and district to figure out how they are using technology in their classrooms.  I am hesitant to get on too many blogs and message boards because I feel that people want to talk about the latest fad that will fade away in six months.  If I am going to use something, I want to make sure it will be around, and will be supported, for a few years in the future.
  • The main question I always have as a Spanish teacher is, “How can I maximize (insert innovative idea here) in my classroom when it is like teaching elementary school as opposed to high school?”  The one-size fits all approach that we get with a lot of trainings and teachings doesn’t work for world language classes.  I feel that I need to talk to other language teachers in order to find out what is working best in their classrooms.

Reflective Blog Assignment 2

Reflective Blogging Assignment #2

• How can a teacher find balance during this transition from more traditional knowledge-based content standards and more process-oriented skills?

There is no doubt if you are in a classroom you understand this dilemma.  Colleges are telling us that kids aren't ready for higher-level thinking skills and the state is given them a test, which "reflects our teaching ability," that measures simple facts and no higher-level thinking skills.  The approach at my school is to give kids a mixture of both.  Obviously we want them to do well on the state tests but we need them to be able to solve bigger, more intricate problems.  

The best way to get students to acquire both skills is to have the material presented to them (direct instruction, readings, videos, etc), followed by small group/large group discussions about the given topic.  That will help the students see the material from all different points of view.  Their brains will have to be actively participating in the discussions while thinking about what the read/were taught.  I certainly think a mixture of the two is what would work best.

• What are key factors that help improve the success of inquiry-based lessons?

One important factor is to make questions open-ended.  Students cannot respond with a simple yes or no but have to give detailed answers with generate more questions by students or other teachers. 

 Another important factor is making the material relevant to students.  The wording of a writing prompt or question posed to the class is an easy way to do this.  Teachers need to aim that material at items that are relevant for students and their world.

The final factor would be to let students choose parts of their assignments. Allowing students to choose empowers them and put the responsibility on them...as opposed to the teacher.  It allows for the students to give the teacher quality feedback to improve in the future.

• What role can technology play in assisting those factors?  Give specific examples.

Technology can certainly play a role in inquiry based learning.  In a Spanish classroom, the class could have a conversation about greetings and social cues in the United States.  Then students could be assigned to figure out how people greet and say good-bye to one another in various Spanish speaking countries.  The students would then act out the greetings using Spanish and the appropriate social cues.

In another scenario, students could be watch a news report in Spanish, compare it to U.S. news and then make a short video about an accident/natural disaster in the two styles of news.  It would also great comparison which is one of the "5 Cs" of learning a second language.

Finally students could talk about their school day and schedule.  They could go online to research a school in a Spanish speaking country.  It is possible they could find pen pals to write to and ask for first hand accounts.  Then, they could make a PowerPoint showing the similarities and differences between the two types of school.

• What were some of the factors that played a role in ensuring positive results when technology was integrated in the classroom?

In order to ensure that integrating technology is positive for students it is important to make sure that students have choice as well as research to support the use of technology.  The students in the Besnoy and Clarke article stated how much they enjoyed using the technology.  They really liked the ability to change the font size in order to naturally group the text.  By doing so, they didn't feel overwhelmed by the number of words on the screen.  The study also showed that the students who used the PDAs felt they were better readers at the end of the study.  The study, however, did not show much of a difference in reading scores between the two groups and left the reader wondering if PDAs actually improved reading ability or just reading enjoyment.  More research needs to be done in order fully understand the utility of PDAs in a classroom.

• What are ways that you can, in your own setting (or for those not currently in a classroom, in your future setting), ensure that these factors are present or absent? (Be specific to your situation; do not make general statements.)

In my Spanish room we have a lot of technology available.  It is important for me to present as much as I can to the students and allow them some choice of what technology they use.  Using the Activeboard, the students play a game where words and pictures are grouped together.  In the bottom corner of the screen there is a timer that counts up.  The students start the timer and separate the words and pictures and then match them up.  I know the students like this game so I use it on a regular basis.  On the other hand, we play a similar game with just verb conjugations that must be placed by the appropriate subject pronoun.  I know they don't like this game as much and I know it doesn't do as much to help them learn the verbs.  Therefore, we don't play it nearly as much.  It is more of a 3-5 minute time filler if one class gets through things more quickly than another class.  I do not have any research to back my games other than what the students tell me. 

• How would you go about evaluating the success of a unit, lesson, etc., that involved the integration of new technology?

I think to evaluate the use of technology, you would have to have two groups of students.  One that used the technology and one that did not.  At the end of the unit, you would give them the same test to see how well each group did.  You would have to repeat the same study over time to make it valid.  It would be quite complicated to do in a school building where most teachers have at least 2 preps and some have 3 preps out of 4 classes (in trimesters).  That said, a simpler way to do it would be to ask the students to take a survey that includes that addresses the different forms of technology used and their effectiveness on a scale of 1-10. You would take that information and include more items the students felt were useful and less they felt were not.  Obviously there would be some items the students may not like but would still be useful.  They may mark those are not useful since they did not enjoy them as much.  I would have to figure out which category the items fall under.

• Finally, what could you do to disseminate successes and failures to your colleagues, administrators, and school board members?

I could show the various groups the uses of technology and the surveys I've taken.  In my department, we talk and share stories on a daily basis.  We beg, borrow and steal each others ideas in order to give our students the best and most enjoyable educational experience possible.  I also communicate ideas with the administration because I am one of the more tech savvy people in the building.  It would be best to communicate the use of technology to the board members in technology form.  That way they can see the ideas at work and communicate with the public who elected them.  Showing them examples would be better than just talking about them because they are not in the building on a regular basis.

Welcome to me!

Hello folks and welcome to my blog!  My name is Josh Walters and I am taking my fourth class in the Ed Tech program but my first class that actually has to do with technology.

I am in my seventh year or teaching...that makes me feel old.  I've taught all levels of Spanish from seventh graders to seniors.  In my professional career I've taught at Northview (Grand Rapids area), Reeths-Puffer (Muskegon area) and Grand Haven.  Two summers ago I got my dream job at Grand Haven which is where I went to high school.  I am looking forward to a long career of making a difference in my hometown.