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Personal Learning
Theory:
According
to my personal theory that I created during week one, it basically stated that:
·
For
students to reach deeper leveled thinking, I implement Bloom’s Taxonomy for
curriculum planning, instruction and assessment. I believe that the domains are a beneficial
guide. Bloom’s allows educators to think
about low to high ranged questions, which require students to have more comprehensive and complex thought (Hunt, Carper,
Lasley, & Raisch, 2010).
· Being
a Computer Instructor, it is easier for me to design a model from the
cognitivist point of view. Lever-Duffy
and McDonald (2008) discusses cognitivists focus learning as a mental operation
and manipulation that is stored and then finally used. Due to the mental processes, such as knowing,
memory, thinking and problem-solving, the learner is viewed like a human
computer (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2011). That being said, students will develop a greater
understanding of what they are about to learn and start to build connections to
their prior knowledge through the use of cues and questions. This course has helped me strengthen what I do with
my students already, and has provided me with a few more facts that I was not aware
of. In the text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, educators
can teach their students how to retrieve, use and organize information about a
topic through use of questions, cues, and advanced organizers (Pitler,
Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2012). Furthermore, the
course videos were beneficial. Doctor Orey discussed the Paivo’s
Dual Coding hypothesis, which is about the use of visual aids in which it supports the
idea that information is stored as images and text (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2011). Students are more apt to retrieve
information based on an images that support connections. Technology, such as
PowerPoint, is a resource that can appeal to several learning styles and serve
as a visual aid. Doctor Orey discusses
that the images should be informational in a PowerPoint, so it is a powerful
tool for students to process the information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).
· The Constructivism Theory intrigues me, and I feel that I can follow the lines of
this theory of learning. Kearsley (2011)
discusses that the learners construct new ideas based on past or current
knowledge, which is an active process. This theory focuses on preparing the learners in uncertain situations to problem
solve and involves strategies that involve action and then reflection. I feel that due to the nature of my students
work, students learn best through hands-on activities. Students also learned through creating
projects either by themselves or through cooperative learning groups.
After
completing this course, I do not think that I would alter my theory much, and
by no means are my thoughts on learning theories written in stone. I feel that my theories have only
strengthened what I do with my students already. In addition, I have a better understanding with the other learning theories as well, and found ways to incorporate those theories into my classroom so I can reach all the vast learning styles I have in my room.
Immediate Adjustments:
One
immediate adjustment that I would make when it comes to the technology used in
my classroom would be my use of PowerPoint.
To be honest, in the past I would try to cram a lot of information on
one slide and read the information to the students. Through this course, Doctor Orey suggested to
replace the text with pictures and then talk to the students about the picture
and convey the information to them instead of just reading it to them (Laureate
Education, Inc., 2011). I have been
working on all my PowerPoints, and making the necessary changes so I engage my students and help students enhance their learning.
Technology Tools:
Two
technology tools that I would like to implement with my students would be:
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· I am very excited to
start using VoiceThreads right away. I
have begun by creating my own and having students listen. But now, it is time to have students create their own. I have a couple ideas already
brewing on how to get students to begin creating their own. I am thinking it
would be neat to have students create a project, take a picture of it, upload
it, and create a VoiceThread, which will provide students the opportunity to make comments on each other’s work. I will get students to peer edit, share,
work, and give their opinion on various topics.
This is a great way for students to provide feedback.
· I will begin using
online concept mapping with my students.
In week 3, we had the opportunity to create a concept map that we would use in our classroom. Here is the concept map I created: http://www.spiderscribe.net/app/?136145eb37ef9d09639058e331a0c0ea. Students watch a virtual field trip about how chocolate is made and then complete the concept map that have focus questions that they need to understand. Concept maps are an example of a cognitive tool because were made as a
tool to represent children’s knowledge and the connections between ideas (Novak &
Cañas, 2008). I have also begun
researching ways to evaluate concept maps. Concept maps will help me
determine how well my students understand a topic because they will have
trouble making a concept map if “they poorly understand the relationship
between the concepts, or the meanings of the concepts” (Novak &
Cañas, 2008). I will continue to brainstorms ways to incorporate online concept maps into the classroom.
Long-term Goal Changes:
Two long term goal changes that I would like to make to
my instructional practice regarding technology integration would be:
· Keeping on top of
the great new Web 2.0 resources. This
course has introduced me to technology tools that I was not aware of, like
voice thread, live binder and online concept mapping.
In order to stay informed, I will read more blogs on how to integrate
new technology into the classroom. One blog I would love to share with you all is Freetech4teachers by Richard Byrne I have
found this resource informational. It looks to be a great
resource with interesting, new tools.
This resource also provides links on how to use the new tool in the classroom.
·
I will also start making
my students more aware of the online world, and how to use tools to collaborate
and share ideas with others. With tools
like VoiceThread, social networking websites, concept mapping, and wikis it has
never been easier to get students' engaged. Students will make
more of an effort to produce better work. In addition, students will enhance their capabilities with
the use of these tools, and enhance their learning.
I have a clearer understanding of
theories due to this course, and several new tools to add to my toolbox.
References:
Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Novak, J. D., & Cañas, A. J. (2008). The theory underlying concept maps and how to construct and use them, Technical Report IHMC CmapTools 2006-01 Rev 01-2008. Retrieved December 11, 2013, from The Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Web Site:http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.pdf
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., Malenoski, K. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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