Final Reflection
Throughout this class, we have explored a variety of learning theories as well as instructional strategies that we can implement into our classroom. It is important that I as a teacher know and understand theories and strategies so I can determine what may work and may not work for my students. According to the needs of my students, I need to adapt my lessons and implement the strategies that I feel will help them be the most successful.
At the beginning of this class, in my personal learning theory I stated that I felt students learned by doing. For the majority of students, they are kinesthetic learners that need to be active in the lesson in order to fully grasp the concept. I also believe that all students are different, and have their own preferred way of learning so as their teacher I need to get to know them in order to implement their style of learning into my lessons. As I reflect upon this learning theory at the end of this class, I still believe that students learn by doing. After this class, I believe this even more now than I did before. When students are actively engaged in the lesson, they are able to retain that information for further recall and are able to build on that knowledge when presented new information. With learning theories, it is important to know the theories that affect me in the classroom. By understanding the difference in the learning theories, I am able to connect my lessons and activities to learning theories that may allow me to understand how my students will process the information that I present. With the use of educational technology, I now understand the importance of making sure that students are actively engaged in the use of it, not just the teacher. When students use the technology, they are able to guide their own learning and use the technology as a tool to help them understand the new information.
An immediate change I will make in the integration of technology in my classroom, is to allow students to interact with the SMART Board more. I allow them to use it on a regular basis; however I want to find ways for them to interact with it on an everyday basis. I also want to create lessons in which students have to present information using a technology tool such as wiki or concept map to help their classmates learn the concept as well. One tool I want to use with my students is the concept map. I want my students to use the map to show their understanding of a concept. When students create a concept map they will be able to show their knowledge with text, as well as images and other resources. I like how the concept map allows students of focus on one topic, and branches off with more information regarding that topic. The second tool I would like to implement with my students is the voice thread. The voice thread would allow to students to create a presentation on a topic, and then add their comments to the presentation through the use of voice thread. By doing this students would have to conduct research on the topic and then be able to clearly explain their learning to the listeners. The voice threads would cause students to understand the material before they present it. Again with the voice threads, they can provide images that relate to the topic to help their viewers connect the information to an image. Through this course, I have learned about both of these tools. I did not know what a voice thread was or a concept map. Not only do I know what they are, but I know the steps needed in order to create one. By knowing what to do myself, I am able to show my students how to use these tools effectively.
The first long term goal I have for myself regarding my instructional practices is have students create presentations using technology on a regular basis. Since I teach third grade, I have always thought it would be difficult for students to create Power point presentations and use the SMARTBoard to present them to the class. However, after this class I feel that my students can complete this task, and they will be successful as well. In order to accomplish this long term goal, I need to teach my students how to use the programs they need to use for the presentations. After they are successful at making the presentations, I need to teach them the proper way to present information to others. Many of my students do not have the communication skills they need in order to do so, so that would be something I would have to teach them. Therefore my goal is to have students using presentation software to create engaging lessons to help them teach others a new concept.
My second long term goal is to create a class wiki or blog for students and parents to use. I want to have a place where students and parents can go to communicate with each other and myself. I also would use the wiki or blog to present new information to students before I actually teach it to them. I could use it to determine students’ prior knowledge regarding a topic to help guide my instruction in the classroom. This communication tool would allow students to discuss information outside of the classroom, and also allow parents to be an active participant in the conversation. In order to do this, I would need to make sure parents and students know and understand how to use these tools, and create a plan of use for the blog or wiki. I really want to accomplish this goal because I feel it will open up many doors between school and home.
In conclusion, this class has shown me the importance of using technology in a way that helps students be more successful. Technology is a great tool we can use in the classroom to create fun and engaging lessons that students will enjoy. Students need to be involved in their learning so they can retain the information we present. Educational technology is a great tool as long as it is used effectively. Students are able to use technology outside of the classroom, so what are you doing in your classroom to provide them ample opportunities to use technology in the classroom to allow them guide their own learning.
I have enjoyed this class, and will continue to use the information I learned within my own classroom. Happy blogging until next time!
-Sam R.
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