Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories

The instructional strategies described in the learning resources for this week, correlate with the principles of constructionism learning theory.  Using technology in the constructionist classroom allows students to be engaged and involved in their own learning.  Pitler et al explain the teacher should use technology to maximize instructional time and meet learning objectives (2007).  Constructionism encourages learning through exploration, creating artifacts, and sharing (Laureate Education Inc., 2008).  

Constructionism is used by teachers for student centered learning, where students are engaged and actively participate in their own learning. Orey explains constructionism by stating “it’s constructing anything using whatever tools you choose to use but it is all focused on the students being active and engaged in the constructing of artifacts. That is what constructionism is all about.” (Laureate 2008).

A project that I had my 5th and 4th grade reading/language arts class complete, was to make a “glog” to demonstrate their understanding of the books they were reading in literature circles. They worked in pairs to create their glog on edu.glogster.com. They were given a rubric, and certain criteria in order to demonstrate their understanding of setting, plot, problem/solution, and a response to literature. They were so engaged in the project, that they could not wait to work on their glogs and would login at home, at the library, and relatives homes just so they could continue to create these magnificent posters of their work, adding images, music, and graphics along with the text.

This weekend I will be grading the glogs, and next week my classes will have a presentation for our principal and reading specialist to show off their knowledge, and their wonderful creativity, and work.

The constructionism learning theory states people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others (Laureate Education, 2008). The glogs my students created for this project was completed by them building an external artifact, they will share with the class and with members of the faculty in our school.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Application 2

This week in EDUC  6711l-3, the learning resources, and discussion on our discussion board with colleagues and Professor Larson explored the behaviorism theory and it’s relation to instructional strategies in the classroom.  Also, how behaviorism is used in technological instruction in the classroom is being discussed.   Orey explains how the theory is based around Skinner’s operant conditioning theory, which combines reinforcement and punishment (Laureate, 2010). Orey further states, “reinforcing positive behaviors is the key” (Laurente, 2010).

One way the behaviorism theory is used in my classroom through homework via technology.  “As an extension of the classroom, homework provides opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of the content and to gain proficiency with their skills” (Pitler, Hubbel, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 187).  Furthermore students are given homework as an extension to practice what is taught in the classroom, “skills are not acquired without frequent practice” (Smith, 1999).   If students are given effective homework, it can be used to review and practice what is taught during the lessons taught in daily instruction.  I use technology to engage my students in completing their homework assignments.  As often as they can, I allow my students to express what they have learned by creating glogs to show their understanding of a concept.  Also, I am incorporating a blog to respond to our literature circles in the classroom, starting with our current author study.  The use of technology for homework, has also encouraged a few of my students to visit the local library more often, just to use the computer.  I allow my students who don’t have a computer at home, to use their recess or part of lunch time to use the computers in the computer lab for homework purposes.

An example of using software in my classroom which contributes to the behaviorism theory is using “clickers” for review and assessment. Using clickers allows me to create review and testing sessions for items that have been taught and that will be assessed.  I can create the questions and students can choose the correct answer.  The clickers give immediate feedback to the student and teacher as to who gets the correct answer, and who may need to be pulled for individual or small group re-teaching on a concept.  The students receive immediate feedback because the software tells them the correct answer, and this is positive reinforcement.  Students who get incorrect answers, usually seem to try to be more focused and are encouraged to try to get the correct answer the next time.

As with anything else, technology can be very valuable as a teaching tool with the behaviorism theory as long as it is used effectively to enhance student learning.

References

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program Number One: Behaviorist Learning Theory [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author

Smith, K. (1999). The behaviourist orientation to learning. In The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-behavourist.htm

Reflection

Reflection:  Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society

When I began the Masters of Integrating Technology in the Classroom

Graduate program in January, I knew I would gain irreplaceable knowledge to take back to my classroom and improve the awareness at my school for the importance of the use of technology to educate our students.  I just recently received my Masters degree in Mathematics Education and was eager to begin this graduate program, because this is an area that I am weak in and know that I need to educate myself on in order to provide my students with the best opportunities for their future. I have my strengths however using technology in the classroom is not one of them.  I am familiar with technology and do not have a fear of it, but need to explore how to use it in my daily lesson planning and how to incorporate it within my students work to ensure they are meeting the content standards necessary for success in their education, and in their future in our society and workplace.  This course has helped me develop my own technology skills, deepen my knowledge of the teaching and learning process, and gave me a new perspective on having a teacher-centered to a learner-centered classroom.  Throughout this course, I obtained valuable information through all of the resources; the textbooks, journal articles, video programs, discussion boards, and my professor.  I learned new strategies to strengthen my classroom use of technology.  Through the knowledge I gained in this course, I can effectively incorporate technology in my lesson plans, using technology to engage my students’ and teach them the concepts, as well as, allow them to gain experience using the 21^st century technology skills they need.  I will provide my students with confidence and experience in the area of technology.

        This course helped me broaden my own knowledge of the use of technology in my classroom.  Thornburg, 2004 explains how technology has changed the way things are done in our work environment, and the teachers’ role in the process of educating students.  Thornburg also explains that the focus for teachers should be to use technology to do “different things” rather than just doing “things differently” (2004).  Dede reinforces this idea by stating that technology should be used as an agent of “innovation as opposed to “automation.”   When we think about educational technology, changes in “content, pedagogy and effects” should come to mind (Laureate, 2010)(a).  This helped me understand that using the Interwrite board in my classroom to review vocabulary, and review skills is a way to use technology to do things differently, however, using a wiki page or blog to have my students write down their thoughts and ideas on a book club discussion, research a topic, or review and edit their classmates work, is a way to create doing different things in the classroom to teach content and help my students master the concepts being taught.  In addition this allows them to get experience using the technology they will encounter in society and in their future in the workplace and gives them the ability needed to help them master these skills. 

               As far as the classroom no longer being teacher-centered, and now being learning-centered I gained a better understanding for this in week seven of the course..  Teachers are expected to be facilitators in the classroom, and allow their students to learn and teach other the concepts, with guidance only. Dede explains teachers no longer need to lecture, and are facilitators in their classrooms (Laureate, 2010)(b). Thornburg reinforces this statement when he states “Our capacity is to facilitate learning, rather than direct it” (Laureate, 2010)(b).

In conclusion, this has been a valuable course for me as an educator.  The information I have gained is priceless, and will prove to help enhance my professional career as an educator.  The textbook and journal articles provided information to help me in all areas of my profession.  Also the video programs provided valuable information as well. My classmates gave the most insightful and creative ideas to expand on what was taught in the resources, through intense communication on the discussion boards.  My professor provided me with feedback on my applications to help me broaden my thinking and responded to my discussion posts so that I could engage effectively in the conversation that was going on.   To sum up this course, it broadened my knowledge and ability in the area of using technology in my teaching profession.  I will continue to grow as an educator, and by using the methods and strategies taught in this course I have already become stronger as a teacher, and by taking what I learned from this course, I will become a leader in my school.

Two goals for my future of integrating technology in my classroom:

1.     One goal that I plan to implement at the beginning of the new school year in the fall, is to create a classroom website for my parents, my students, and mkyself to communicate about homework, classwork, upcoming events, and classroom procedures.

2.     The second goal that I plan to achieve within the next school year, is to provide feedback from my student created wiki’s and blogs, and take that information back to my team members and colleagues to bring more educators on board in the school, so that hopefully within the next two years every teacher will be using wikis and blogs in their own classroom to teach 21^st century skills to all of our students.  I have already begun by discussing this with my principal.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 1: Emergence of educational technology [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). The changing role of the classroom teacher part 1. (DVD). Baltimore, MD.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). The changing role of the classroom teacher part 2. [DVD]. Baltimore, MD,

Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options. (Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved from http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/expectations.pdf

                  

Partnership for 21st Century Skills.....my thoughts....

For my graduate program, this week’s assignment was to explore and review the website http://www.p21.org, which is the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.  The mission for P21 is to provide tools and resources to help the education system in the Unites States to keep up with other industrialized countries around the world, by incorporating the four C’s (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation) with the three R’s  (which is no longer identified as Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic – identified by P21 as english, reading or language arts; mathematics; science; foreign languages; civics; government; economics; arts; history; and geography).  P21 advocates for local, state and federal policies that support this approach for every school (2011).

I loved this website because it emphasizes the importance of using the 4 c’s in the classroom, completely with every subject.  I found the statement “the Partnership views all the components as fully interconnected in the process of 21st century teaching and learning” to be profound because as an educator it is important to understand that these components should be used in the classroom each day, in all subject areas, to prepare our students for the future.  Teachers can use the resources and tools provided on the website to educate themselves on not only the importance of why these skills are needed for our students success, but also strategies we can use in the classroom with our lessons in each of the core subject areas implementing the four c’s with those core subjects.  I found the Route 21 tab @ http://www.p21.org/route21/index.php, extremely beneficial because it is “an online interactive tool that demonstrates the fusion of the three Rs and four Cs and how this can be supported through standards, professional development, assessments and curriculum and instruction.” (2010).  It is a place that I can actually look and see examples of how to incorporate the 4 c’s into my own instruction.

I enjoyed the exploration of this website and have bookmarked it, so I can refer to it often.  It’s vision is consistent with the learning resources we viewed this week in class, where Thornburg explains 21^st century skills, and how it is our responsibility as teachers to teach our students “not to survive but thrive” with these new skills because of our changing society (Laureate, 2010). The fact that “students are spending an average of 27 hours a week online at home and an average of 15 minutes a week at school” (Miners & Pascopella, 2007) was definitely an eye-opener for me as an educator.  I have to make changes in my classroom, and be determined to lead by example to make changes in my school.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 11: Skills for the 21^st century  [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration, 43(10), 26–34

 Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A framework for 21st century learning. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/

Sidebar...

I'm sitting here on my day off, trying to enjoy Martin Luther King Jr Day, and am thinking, hoping, wishing, that there is no bad weather tonight.  Since winter began, every time there was a hint of snow, my students' and I would make a BIG deal about it.  Snow dancing, turning our pajamas on inside out, and wishing for snow.  EVERY time we get missed!  Well tonight it doesn't look like we will get missed, and we will get a sheet of ice, snow, wintry MIX.....which could be much more dangerous than any snow we have had predicted.  Guess what though?  Tomorrow is our overnight field trip to Camp Schmidt!!!!  If we have a school delay or any closing - NO FIELD TRIP!!!!!   Is there a reverse snow dance?  I told my kids to do one just in case, but oh.....it's looking dreary out there:-(

Ideas for My Classroom

I need to determine the best way I can get my students to use blogs in the classroom.  It is so exciting to think of this as an option to enhance their learning.  With so many different ideas swimming around in my ahead, I quickly am reminding myself of possible drawbacks.  The biggest drawback I can think of at this time is time constraints, right now my school is on an "MSA push."  Which is basically a push for our students to be prepared for the state assessments to be given in March.  We have not met AYP in three years straight, and are in jeopardy of being taken over by the state this year if we do not make it.  My schedule is so tight already, trying to find time to bring blogging into the daily routines, will be difficult - difficult but not impossible.

I teach reading/language arts to 4th and 5th graders.  My homeroom class is the 5th graders, and I have more time with them during the day and afternoon, so I think I will begin with those students.  We began literature circles last week, and for our second book we will begin an author study on Ronald Dahl.  Students will be responsible for different activities throughout the study, and posting to the blog about their books they are reading, and responding to each other's blog is how it will begin.  I am quite sure that gaining interest in blogging will not be a problem, because any activity with the computers - my students love.

Another idea I have, that I will begin to implement is having them blog about current events.  We do not have very much (if any) time to incorporate social studies in our daily work.  Most social studies is sent home for homework and "brushed" over throughout the week.  However, current events interest the students, and I think if I post a current event article or something of the sort, to a blog, have students respond their feelings on the event, and then read more information about it......blogging could be a useful tool to incorporate social studies and current events in their learning on a regular basis.

Please post any ideas or suggestions or possible problems you foresee with these initial ideas I have in the classroom.  Thanks!

Technology in the Classroom, expectation or consideration???

With all of the demands put on today's educators, through No Child Left Behind and standardized testing, is technology really something that can be expected of them on a regular basis, or should it be a consideration to enhance lesson plans when time permits?

Personally, I believe that technology has to be an expectation of all teachers.  I am not sure how our students will succeed in the world today, or in the future, if they are not accustomed to using different forms of technology on a daily basis.  Cellphones, laptops, video games, gps systems, blogs, wikis, chats, are as common as cars and television.  Technology should be integrated into our students daily learning.  It is our responsibility as teachers to educate our students on modern technology, as much our responsibility as teaching reading, math, science, social studies, and implementing differentiated instruction in the classroom to make sure all of our students succeed.

What are your thoughts?