After looking over the Technology Integration Matrix, I feel that I am probably in the Infusion stage with most of my lessons. I think a few might fall in the transformation or the adaptation stage though.
In our school building, we are lucky to have lots of technology at our fingertips. We also have a TIS person on staff to help us with our technology needs. In my second grade classroom, I use some form of technology each part of the day. We start off by using the Promethean Board to take attendance. We move to morning work. The studnets are interacting with the board to complete attendance record and morning work. After that, we usually do math which is completely digital. The students listen (watch a video) demonstarting the material they will learn in the lesson. After this, we do our math lesson online.
After math, we usually do stations. During stations, one group is the computer group, one group has iPads, one group works with me (sometimes on fluency via a laptop), and one group works on the Promethean Board. We do various activities with these devices. The students play several apps on the iPad from WordBall (free app) to ScribblePress (used for writing and publishing stories). We also work on phonics and math on the iPads as well. At the computer station the students do a varite of things. One choice is, the studnets use a program www.readingeggs.com to practice the five components of reading. Another option is using www.tumblebooks.com to listen to books and interactively play games on these books. Another option is to use www.tagxedo.com to write their spelling words or vocabulary words (or other important words) and make them into a word cloud (I have found that some students do better seeing a word in different forms). On the Promethean Board, I have interactive software games from Lakeshore Learning that I put up for the students to do. We also will use www.spellingcity.com, and other Promethean made flipcharts to complete interactive lessons and activties. While in my group, I might use powerpoint to test and assess fluency by creating powerpoints that have a varitey of words or phrases, and the students have to read them before the slide advances.
At other times during the week, we are doing research projects, using powerpoint to make powerpoint presentations to present to the class, and we are going to learn how to make a brochure. (These few things, I am mostly doing with my higher ability students while some students are pulled out).
We also use handheld responders to complete Accelerated Math and to answer questions asked by the teacher. The students respond and receive feedback based on responses. We can also use these responders to link to www.studyisland.com and work together (whole group) on instruction but each student answers question.
Our TIS person is constantly having workshops and teaching us about new programs such as Class Dojo, using Twitter in the classroom, and other Web 2.0 tools. The fact of the matter is, there is so much technology available that it is hard to use everything we see and like. I have to find a good balance in my classroom to help all students.
When the technology doesn't work in my classroom, it is almost like the kids and I have no idea what to do. We have been used to this technology for so long that we are lost without it.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
How can eLearning remove barriers found in a traditional classroom?
This week in our course, I learned several pros and some cons to why eLearning can remove barriers (or create barriers) found in a traditional classroom. As a second grade teacher, I am still a bit confused as to how this can work in my classroom. It might take some more time for me to wrap my head around this concept. However, I think in any classroom there could be benefits to eLearning.
While exploring what blended and online learning is this week, I can see that many schools across the US and other areas are using onling learning as part of everyday learning in the classrooms. I feel that this is a trend that is only going to rise. While the students in my second grade classroom use onling programs to help with the learning (www.studyisland.com, and www.readingeggs.com), I am not for sure that these would qualify and online courses. While the students are learning, these sites are not really teacher lead. I do have access of assigning material for the students to learn and I can provide feedback. However, I am not the creator of the material that the students are learning.
Several Pros to using eLearning:
1. As a student using eLearning in my classroom for the first time, I can see them being exctited, even willing to try this new method of learning.
2. This type of learning can provide Differentiated Instruction to students. Meaning that they students can work at their own level on the skills needed to successfully learn the material.
3. This type of learning can provide multiple ways of learning the material from watching short videos, to reading and researching material. While some kids learn best by reading, others learn best by watching or doing.
4. This type of learning provides studnets to work at their own pace. If a student needs to review material, they have the opportunity to go back and watch the videos again, or reread the material.
5. Teachers can spend more time helping students. For example, a classroom teacher can meet with smaller groups of children at one time if need be. Based on student need. Some students might not need as much help as other students.
I can see these as pros in my classroom, however I really see eLearning starting at the highschool level and trickling down. At my school, I believe our highschool already uses several forms of eLearning. To my knoweldge, some of our highschool students take college courses via eLearning. These studnets recieve college credit upon the completion of these corses. I think just like online coures. I think the professor visits and assists them once or twice a week as well. Because I teach second grade, I am not for sure of the exact process of these college courses, but this is to my knoweldge.
Our fourth grade teacher is very excited about going one-to-one next year. I have heard him toss around the idea of "flipping the classroom" as well. He wants to have the students learn their material at home and then come to school and work on the work. He would have to provide lessons for the students to watch or read at home. I think he might use an apple app called itunesU to put videos on. I am not familiar with this app, but I think he might use it.
Some of the cons I can see in my second grade classroom are similar to the myths I read about during exploration this week in the reading iNACOL International Association for K-12 Online Learning. Maybe these are just questions instead of cons. I am sure if I actually tried eLearning in my classroom, some of these cons would be elimanited.
Some Cons to using eLearning:
1. Students lose face to face interaction time with other peers. While they can connect via text and online blogs, students don't get that face to face interaction.
2. Students really have to be self motivated. Becuase they don't really have anyone telling them to get busy, get busy, they have to have self motivation. I think for second graders, it might be hard for them to learn how to manage their time.
3. Teachers really have to know the material and plan for online learning (not that we don't plan now), but there really isn't any room for "off the fly" teaching.
4. Is there any fun to be had in online learning? Is there any room for the learning that takes place in a normal classroom based on student discussion and interaction? How will students do group projects?
I think for students in grades K-12, if going to eLearning is the now and future of learning, students still need the opportunity to meet regulary with a classroom teacher and other peers. While many college studnets can be driven to complete course work completely online, elementary and highschool studnets might not be as driven.
While I think eLearning can be a great opportunity, I would like to see an actual classroom that uses blended learning (especially in the elementary) and then try it out in my own classroom. This will give me a better feel for how well it will work.
This week in our course, I learned several pros and some cons to why eLearning can remove barriers (or create barriers) found in a traditional classroom. As a second grade teacher, I am still a bit confused as to how this can work in my classroom. It might take some more time for me to wrap my head around this concept. However, I think in any classroom there could be benefits to eLearning.
While exploring what blended and online learning is this week, I can see that many schools across the US and other areas are using onling learning as part of everyday learning in the classrooms. I feel that this is a trend that is only going to rise. While the students in my second grade classroom use onling programs to help with the learning (www.studyisland.com, and www.readingeggs.com), I am not for sure that these would qualify and online courses. While the students are learning, these sites are not really teacher lead. I do have access of assigning material for the students to learn and I can provide feedback. However, I am not the creator of the material that the students are learning.
Several Pros to using eLearning:
1. As a student using eLearning in my classroom for the first time, I can see them being exctited, even willing to try this new method of learning.
2. This type of learning can provide Differentiated Instruction to students. Meaning that they students can work at their own level on the skills needed to successfully learn the material.
3. This type of learning can provide multiple ways of learning the material from watching short videos, to reading and researching material. While some kids learn best by reading, others learn best by watching or doing.
4. This type of learning provides studnets to work at their own pace. If a student needs to review material, they have the opportunity to go back and watch the videos again, or reread the material.
5. Teachers can spend more time helping students. For example, a classroom teacher can meet with smaller groups of children at one time if need be. Based on student need. Some students might not need as much help as other students.
I can see these as pros in my classroom, however I really see eLearning starting at the highschool level and trickling down. At my school, I believe our highschool already uses several forms of eLearning. To my knoweldge, some of our highschool students take college courses via eLearning. These studnets recieve college credit upon the completion of these corses. I think just like online coures. I think the professor visits and assists them once or twice a week as well. Because I teach second grade, I am not for sure of the exact process of these college courses, but this is to my knoweldge.
Our fourth grade teacher is very excited about going one-to-one next year. I have heard him toss around the idea of "flipping the classroom" as well. He wants to have the students learn their material at home and then come to school and work on the work. He would have to provide lessons for the students to watch or read at home. I think he might use an apple app called itunesU to put videos on. I am not familiar with this app, but I think he might use it.
Some of the cons I can see in my second grade classroom are similar to the myths I read about during exploration this week in the reading iNACOL International Association for K-12 Online Learning. Maybe these are just questions instead of cons. I am sure if I actually tried eLearning in my classroom, some of these cons would be elimanited.
Some Cons to using eLearning:
1. Students lose face to face interaction time with other peers. While they can connect via text and online blogs, students don't get that face to face interaction.
2. Students really have to be self motivated. Becuase they don't really have anyone telling them to get busy, get busy, they have to have self motivation. I think for second graders, it might be hard for them to learn how to manage their time.
3. Teachers really have to know the material and plan for online learning (not that we don't plan now), but there really isn't any room for "off the fly" teaching.
4. Is there any fun to be had in online learning? Is there any room for the learning that takes place in a normal classroom based on student discussion and interaction? How will students do group projects?
I think for students in grades K-12, if going to eLearning is the now and future of learning, students still need the opportunity to meet regulary with a classroom teacher and other peers. While many college studnets can be driven to complete course work completely online, elementary and highschool studnets might not be as driven.
While I think eLearning can be a great opportunity, I would like to see an actual classroom that uses blended learning (especially in the elementary) and then try it out in my own classroom. This will give me a better feel for how well it will work.
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