CEP 811 Reflections

During the course of CEP 810 and 811, I have gained so much understanding regarding both effective teaching strategies, as well as the integration of technology in a classroom.

Technology and Effective Strategies
Prior to my coursework, I really had no idea or any solid expectations about how implementation would look on a practical level. I expected to learn more about technology in general, but beyond that I just wasn’t sure. What I found, however, was that technology can be used to support instructional strategies on a very practical level and can become seamlessly integrated into the curriculum in many instances. Briefly, these are some of the areas where I envision using technology to support and enhance these strategies:

Cooperative Learning: supported by use of WebQuests, Blogs, Wikis, Word (for peer editing), PowerPoint and podcasts

Feedback: supported by Blogs, StAIR projects and Word

Scaffolding: StAIR, WebQuests, Inspiration/Kidspiration, PowerPoint presentations

Setting Objectives: Rubistar, SMART Boards, PowerPoint

Web-Based Technology
I really enjoyed creating my WebQuest because of its usefulness and flexibility of use. Students are able to research information on the internet in a safe and meaningful way. They are also able to synthesize the information by use of other forms of technology. It also uses strategies such as scaffolding and cooperative learning. So this idea of a web-based technology that combines all of these different elements together and can be shared and utilized in a variety of ways, is definitely a valuable addition to my tool box.

I also understand that there are other web-based technologies out there, such as the simulation used for the 24-hour lesson in CEP 810 that are very useful and can be easily accessed and used by anyone.

Personal Goals
I definitely met and exceeded my personal goals regarding the use of technology and its integration. I am now using blogs for my personal use because I see how beneficial that they are for reflecting and sharing ideas and thoughts with others. I created a wiki for my church as well, because I quickly saw the potential for its collaborative value, and I believe that it would help us stay connected outside of the weekly meeting. Just as I have many ideas as to how I am going to integrate technology in the classroom, I also have a more in-depth understanding for its use in my own life.

New Goals
1. To continue exploring the current technology that I’ve learned about and discovering more about how it works and how it can be used in a learning environment, as well as for personal use.
2. To practice using technology in meaningful and practical ways.
3. To seek to learn about other types of technology and how it can also be integrated.

Basically, I plan to do three things to accomplish these goals. One is simply to continue learning about them and their uses. I’m strongly leaning toward pursuing my MA in Educational Technology after taking these classes because of the discoveries that I’ve made regarding its use in the classroom and the future of technology integration. Next, I will continually challenge myself to think about new ways to use what I’ve already learned. Finally, I plan to practice using this technology and reflect on its use along the way.

Online Teaching/Learning

In a way, I was quite surprised in reading the Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience Guideline Companion Document and finding out that the requirement for an online learning experience will go into effect in the next school year. On the other hand, this guideline is a logical step given the number of opportunities for online learning that already exist in higher educational settings.

As I read through the document, I was impressed by the number of different resources that were included that qualified as online experiences. Some of the experiences that I feel could be effectively utilized in an elementary classroom are as follows:

WebQuests:
Having created a WebQuest and reflecting on its value, I can see that they have the potential to be an incredibly powerful tool for online learning. What's particularly valuable to me is the fact that the basics of a WebQuest are foundational to effective learning in any classroom, and so the technological aspect in a WebQuest can be shaped to fit with many other resources. For instance, the same WebQuest design was being used 15 or so years ago, but Web 2.0 had not yet been discovered. But now the Web 2.0 technology has the potential to be incorporated in a WebQuest to add even more substance. Because of the usefulness and flexibility of a WebQuest, along with the effectiveness of its design, I definitely intend on implementing the use of a WebQuest in my classroom.

Blogs:
Because I greatly value the importance of the learning process and its reflective nature, a blog is very appealing to me as an educator. I intend on using blogs for a variety of activities.

RSS Readers:
I think that RSS Readers have the potential to be a useful tool for students for organization of blogs, as well as podcasts and other pages that they might frequently explore (such as NASA's website).

Discussion forums:
Discussion forums are often used in an online learning environment. I definitely think that they can be used appropriately in an elementary setting to respond to others' ideas or to share resources. They can learn the importance of forums and how to use them so that they will be used to them by the time they engage in other online learning settings down the road.

The difficulty in using some of this technology will primarily depend upon the grade level of the students, as well as the resources available in a school district. Obviously, having 2nd graders create and maintain an RSS Reader might be unrealistic and unnecessary. Because I don't have my classroom yet, I'm not sure what would be most appropriate for my specific use at this time.

Google Applications: Google Wiki

Google Wiki is a simple and easy wiki in which to create, edit, and add information. The simplicity of page development, the ease of collaborative efforts by users, and the numerous uses make creating a Google wiki an attractive addition to a classroom.

What I love about Google wikis, aside from the concept of a wiki itself, is the ease of use. Creating and editing pages is simple. If students understand the basics of a word processor, they should have very few problems in editing pages. Also, there is a feature that allows users to embed Google docs into the page. When the docs are edited in the Google docs applications, they are automatically updated in Google wiki. Also, it is simple to add video, images, links, and numerous other gadgets that have been created.

There are areas where I thought that specific improvements could be made to aid in the ease of classroom use. First, when creating a site to begin with, I had to choose from a list of templates that were provided. The template itself was a replication of another wiki, and instead of just being a simple outline, it was quite extensive. I needed to go through and delete just about every table, unneeded page, image, etc before I really began my own creation. It was a hassle, and I wish that there were simpler template designs (and maybe there are, but I just didn't find them). I also didn't think that there were enough attractive template designs to choose from. Also, as a teacher, I would like to have the ability to see who has subscribed to the site and which pages they have subscribed to, but I wasn't able to find that as an option.

The following knowledge & skills would be needed for students to effectively use a Google wiki:
Knowledge about the use of Google docs would be helpful depending on the assignment or project
* An understanding of the basics of using a word processor, as page creation closely resembles creating word documents
* Knowledge concerning netiquette
* Ability to insert links and images
* An understanding of how to navigate in the site itself and to be able to avoid deleting others’ pages or information.
* A clear knowledge of what is and isn’t appropriate to edit, and how they know when they can and can’t do so
* They would need to learn the basics of how to create, edit, and save a page, and also how to add it to the navigation column and where to put it

Google wiki can easily be shared with others, however, the ability to share is only available to the owners of the wiki. The owner would just need to access the site management area and click on "sharing." They can then send an invitation to anyone to either own, collaborate, or view the wiki. In addition, however, in order for one to become a member of the wiki, they need to have a Google account created (or easily create one at the time).

Google wikis could be used to aid in the instruction of any subject matter where students have the opportunity to collaborate with one another. For instance, Google wikis could be used in an upper elementary school classroom in Language Arts. Students could conduct a book club by reading a book and then responding to questions and others’ ideas in the wiki. Students could also use it to piece together an online newspaper for their school or classroom.

By its nature, a wiki is collaborative, so it would be very easy to incorporate collaborative efforts. Students could be encouraged to work together to create any project that would normally be a group effort, and even some assignments that would normally be done individually. Here’s a list of some ideas that I’ve come up with so far: Individual students researching together for a specific subject (like a science fair project), students adding Google presentations that they have worked on in smaller groups on different wiki pages to have the entire class’ presentations in one area, students could create study guides for tests and use what others have included to help fill in gaps where they need better understanding, students could create a class encyclopedia together, etc.

A class wiki would need to be monitored daily to ensure that the application was being utilized appropriately. As a teacher, I would probably make the wiki less accessible by the public, in order to ensure the privacy of my students. Further, students would need to be generally monitored to have help and questions answered as they are creating their wiki. This is especially the case the first couple of times they are working with them, or with the younger grades in particular.

As an educator, I am very excited about the prospect of incorporating Google wiki into my classroom. I think that there is so much potential for collaborative learning to take place, and even for the students' creative ideas to be explored through this application. The benefits and uses are only limited by the imaginations of its users.