Social Learning Theory and VoiceThread

The VoiceThread lesson I created was about Employee vs Entrepreneur. VoiceThread help “students engage with and develop the Super 4Cs skills of the 21^st century, namely critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication (Kivunja, 2015, para. 1). I created a VoiceThread for seventh-grade students who are frequently absents. The learning outcomes for the lesson are: (1) At least 80% of all students will define the terms: entrepreneurship, employee, and entrepreneur August 1 and August 30 of this year. (2) At least 80% of all students will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of becoming an entrepreneur with no more than two errors. (3) At least 80% of all students will differentiate between entrepreneur and employee with no more than two errors. The lesson goal is reinforced, and aim to teach content to absent students. Students will process the content using graphic organizer and KWL chart. I love how VoiceThread gives the opportunity to elicit and solicit feedback. Using VoiceThread in my classroom will help improve my lesson, encourage diverse network, and promote positive change in the school. VoiceThread encourage “collaboration among learners and with practitioners in the society” (Orey, 2001, para. 17).  Since many of my colleagues had no experience in using VoiceThread, I decided to share this awesome technology tool in the next staff meeting. One helpful suggestion made by one of my colleagues was to teach my students VoiceThread so they share their insight about the lesson. My colleague’s comments were as follows:

Colleague A - Great tool. I would love to use VoiceThread in my classroom. The variety of activities you used to differentiate instruction using VoiceThread is amazing. Specifically, I like how you post the video for your learners to post their thoughts. I would use Voice Thread to communicate outside the classroom with my students.

Colleague B - VoiceThread is so user-friendly, and ideal for my linguistic learners. I would definition use VoiceThread to communicate with learners across the global on topics pertaining to my subject. I could also display pictures for students to practice vocabulary by identifying object.

The URL is https://voicethread.com/share/9408287/.

References

Kivunja, C. (2015). The efficacy of social media technologies in academia: A pedagogical bliss or digital fad? International Journal of Higher Education, 4 (4), pp. 33-44. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1074174

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism 

Appendix

Twitter sources 

In this week’s discussion the scholarly source I located said “increase rapport building with students, leading to more just and equitable interactions” (Kattari, 2015, p. 375).

            In this week’s discussion the popular source I located said “Learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context through observation” (Hatcher, 2015, para. 3).

In this week’s discussion the retweet popular sources I located said “there are many ways in which human beings learn. One of the most effective ways is by watching, observing, and modeling others, and this is known as social learning theory” (Gilston, 2017).

Constructivist Learning Theory, Teaching, and Learning

             “Constructivism was founded by Piaget, while constructionism was founded by Papert - one of his students” (Mackwood, 2016, para. 3). According to Piaget, students achieve different educational tasks at different ages and stages (Orey, 2001). Papert, Piaget student, “believes that students will be more deeply involved in their learning if they are constructing something that others will see, critique, and perhaps use” (Mackwood, 2016, para. 4). Babies and toddlers while playing blocks learn problem solving skills, such as, pondering on what to build, where to move whether to go higher, or add one block to the left or right, and develop their creativity and other skills. To valid this point, Linda Taylor early childhood educators stated, “blocks play requires fine and gross motor skills. Blocks enhance children’s problem-solving abilities, mathematics skills, and language and literacy abilities. And constructing “creations” builds self-esteem and feelings of success” (Koralek, 2015, para. 10). Similarly, using HoC gives students the opportunity to develop their imagination, fine motor skills in their hands by moving the angry bird character to the left, right, top or bottom, as well as, engage in collaboration to solicit feedback. “A constructivist teacher believes that in order to learn, students need as many hands-on experiences with objects, skills, and people as possible” (Gonzalez, 2015, para. 2). HoC will also encourage them in experimenting and testing their ideas with other classmates.

            "Constructivist" theories of Jean Piaget, asserting that knowledge is not simply transmitted from teacher to student, but actively constructed in the mind of the learner (Orey, 2001, para, 13). This student-centered approach give learners the opportunity to create, and guide their own learning experiences. “Learners are assigned tasks in which they must implement particular instructional goals. They investigate, create, and solve problems. Some of the elements in a learning environment guided by constructionism are: inquiry/learning discussion, presentation of work, or learners engaging in “genuine,” authentic real-world tasks” (Orey, 2001, para. 16). When students are working on HoC they can take time to discuss, assess their progress, and make meaningful connections. Vygotsky “believed strongly that community plays a central role in the process of "making meaning." Unlike Piaget's notion that children's development must necessarily precede their learning” (Orey, 2001, para. 1). Students learn best when they initiate, and create tasks that are meaningful, as well as, useful to themselves and their communities. Furthermore, integrating constructionism with technology activities enables learners to expand their thoughts. “Constructivism provides students with rich experiences and encourages them to reach their own conclusions” (Gonzalez, 2015, para. 2). If I was teaching a unit of study on Qualities of an Entrepreneur, students can create a PowerPoint presentation to construct their own ideas of the characteristics an entrepreneur should display. My learners can always make online graphic organizers to compare ideas. Additionally, students can use Google classroom at home to discuss ways to solve a problem before coming to class, or discuss why the code work or did not work. Lastly, students can express their thoughts verbally using podcast, or journal apps to reflect back on their ideas.

            Based on the constructivist and constructionist learning theories, learners “can engage in discovery and problem solving tasks through teamwork” (p. 207). For example, in flexible groupings students can draw out ideas about a theme using software on their tablets to construct their own meaning or work on a HoC assignment where they would need to deepen their understanding by exploring websites to construct new meaning for themselves. Students can assign team leaders and “help each other and act as co-constructors of knowledge” (p. 207). Furthermore, students can communicate with each other to discuss ideas, “such scaffolding will inevitably result in self-assessing, and restructuring of existing ideas, and hence towards deeper levels of understanding” (Lay & Kamisah, 2017, p. 207).  Constructivism aims to develop the way learners think through problem-based learning, and meaningful questions. This will enable my learners to arrive at an answer, and justify their response. Before the start of the coding activities, students can practice different activities. Thus, enabling them to “actually design it, try it, see if it works, and come up with different prototypes. And after that, we will all evaluate together, and discuss what our successes were and some of our failures and how we made it better” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2016c).  Students can also transfer their knowledge to new and different situation, collaboratively students can role-play the angry bird characters, or engage in real life activities.Students can also be given a problem solving question, (how can we move the angry bird character around the hill?).  In groups, students would need to figure out how many times the characters would need to move to the top, left, or right. Next, students would need to write out the code to achieve this goal, and debut any errors they encountered. Students can also read supplementary materials to help them solve their problems.

Constructivism relies on the presumptions that students already have certain knowledge and skills. When learners play an online stimulation game that assumes previous knowledge and promotes higher order thinking, enables them to construct virtual connections to the content taught or their own experiences. For instance, the interactive website How the Body works, provides learners with supplementary materials (articles and videos about the different body parts), and display activities for students. Learners also have opportunity to select their preferred language choice. The ISTE standards for teachers addressed by using the strategies and tools mentioned in this paper are:

(1)   ISTE Standard 1 – teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments (2) Standard 5 – address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources (Watson, 2014)

The interactive website and HoC will give students an opportunity to work in groups to learn from each other differences, and share knowledge. On the other hand, the ISTE standards for students addressed by using these strategies and tools are: 

(1)   computational thinkers – students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions (2) creative communicator – students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals (3) Innovative designer – students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions (Watson, 2014).

Children begin using technology at a very young age, and how they use it evolves as they grow. Students use technology to play games, later they use it to write codes, solve problems, construct meaning, research, share their ideas and knowledge, and communicate with other across the globe. 

References

Gonzalez, J. (2015). Know your terms: Constructivism. Retrieved from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/constructivism/

Koralek, D. (2015). Ten things children learn from block play. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/yc/10_things_children_learn_block_play

Laureate Education (Producer). (2016c). Constructivism in practice [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Lay, A., & Kamisah, O. (2017). Developing 21st Century Skills through a Constructivist-Constructionist Learning Environment. K-12 STEM Education, (3) 2, pp. 205-216. doi:10.14456/k12stemed.2017.6

Mackwood, E. (2016). Constructivism and constructionism: What is the difference and how are they similar? Retrieved from http://engagingnz.blogspot.com/2016/07/constructivism-and-constructionism-what.html

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Vygotsky%27s_constructivism

Watson, R. P. (2014). ISTE standards for students. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ry4ltpnwu5-s/iste-standards-for-students/

Watson, R. P. (2014). ISTE standards for teachers. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ry4ltpnwu5-s/iste-standards-for-teachers/

 Appendix

Twitter sources 

In this week’s discussion the scholarly source I located said “MyKimDG has been developed to establish constructivist-constructionist learning environments” (Lay & Kamisah, 2017).

In this week’s discussion the popular source I located said “Constructivism is the idea that people construct an internal understanding of reality, and that 'reality' is produced by interactions between people and within environments” (Mackwood, 2016).


In this week’s discussion the retweet popular sources I located said “what constructivism is and is not in the classroom” (Gonzalez, 2015).

Virtual Field Trip

Join me to the 

Hershey Chocolate World Factory Tour full ride - It's the Milk Chocolate! 

As learners walk into the room, Snickers, M & M’s, Hershey’s, Twix, KitKat, Bounty, Oh Henry, Butterfinger and Crunch, will catch their attention. I will ask students, did they ever wonder how chocolate were made? After listening to their responses, I will further ask the students who would like to visit a Chocolate factory? Let us take a virtual tour to the Hershey Chocolate Factory.

The main idea for the virtual field trip is for students to visit an International manufacturing company, and develop a clear understand on how products are made from raw materials. 

Below is a graphic organizer designed by seventh grade students.

“Field trips are constrained by availability of time and funds and by risks from weather, health and safety. As a result, we are exploring the option of deploying Virtual Field trips (VFTs), to replicate the experience of field trips without stepping outside of the classroom” (p. 9). As students explore the topic Manufacturing they are introduced to new vocabulary words, while using a graphic organizers. Through “integrating text and visual imagery, the graphic organizers actively engage a wide variety of learners, including students with special needs and English language learners” (McKnight, 2012, para. 5). Additionally, Dr. Katherine McKnight (2012) states:

We know from learning theory that the human mind naturally organizes and stores information. Our minds create structures to store newly acquired information and connect it to previous knowledge.  The graphic organizers are visualizations of these mental storage systems, and serve to support students in remembering and connecting information.  When students are able to remember and assimilate information, they can delve into more critical thinking (para. 6).

“Pedagogically, we need to provide an environment that achieves higher learning through student activities within and beyond the classroom. For the students of the 21st century, it is our responsibility to prepare them for the technology-rich careers and lifestyles that awaiting outside” of school (Kundu, 2016, p. 9). Using the graphic organizer and virtual field trip students are actively engaged, and able to internalize the concept about Manufacturing.

References

Kundu, S. (2016). Designing an effective Virtual Field trip for e-Learning: 2016 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE), Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE), 2016 IEEE International Conference, p. 9. doi:10.1109/TALE.2016.7851762

McKnight, K. (2012). Use graphic organizers for effective learning. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/teaching-graphic-organizers.

Assignment: Blog: Behaviorist Learning Theory, Instructional Strategies, and Technology Tools

Visualize your students in an exciting group activity with many stimulations to keep them alert and active, and one student is talking out of context. You can privately mention to him that his talking is interrupting the activity rather than publicly embarrassing him or her by saying you are really annoying me today, stop disrupting my group activities. This is a prime example of classic conditioning. Classic conditioning is “human behavior resulted from specific stimuli that elicited certain responses” (para. 5). As teachers, we should impose consequences to curb undesirable behavior. “Consequences occur immediately after a behavior” (Orey, 2001, para. 10). In the scenario above the teacher could have used hand signals, private notes, or verbally warn the groups to remain focused, in order, to create a conditioned stimulus. The conditioned response could have been immediate silent or fear.

“Behaviorism is primarily concerned with observable and measurable aspects of human behavior. In defining behavior, behaviorist learning theories emphasize changes in behavior that result from stimulus-response associations made by the learner” (Orey, 2001, para. 1). Behaviorism is used by educators who reward or punish student behaviors. Most educators who teach young students rewards them with words of praise. All learners respond better when rewarded for doing well no matter their age or level. On the other hand, we should also discipline students when they are doing wrong, in a way that is far more beneficial to the psyche of the student. To reiterate the purpose of this blog is to show the relationship among behaviorism, the instructional strategies, and the technology tools.

            “Behavioral education has designed classroom procedures to increase academic engaged time, set expectations for learning and performance, systematically praise and ignore behavior, and organize and manage classrooms. Popular procedures include our good behavior game, token economies, and daily report cards” (Johnson, 2015, pp. 135-136). “Behavioral education has also developed discipline procedures, including reprimanding, time out form positive reinforcement, response cost, and positive practice” (Mayer, Sulzer-Azaroff, & Wallace, 2012). Throughout my teaching career, I have used technology tools such as Edmodo to promote stronger work ethic and good behavior. Schools “might dedicate a section of its website to showing these examples: reinforcing effort and reassuring students that they too can succeed if they keep trying” (p. 61). “Posting exceptional student work on the Internet opens up possibilities for recognition from friends, peers, professionals, and relatives across the globe” (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012, p. 67). This sharing of data to others promote positive behavior in students as well. Students are encouraged to work harder, have others supporting, and celebrating their hard work.

“Most people like to be recognized for their efforts, whether the recognition comes in the form of praise or something more concrete” (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012, p. 64). Nevertheless, “research indicates that when teachers use a mastery-oriented approach to provide recognition and praise, praise can be used to promote student engagement and decrease behavioral problems (Moore-Partin, Robertson, Maggin, Oliver, & Wehby, 2010; Simonson, Fairbanks, Briesch, Myers, & Sugai, 2008). Also, I encourage independent study, and recitations of my content to prevent undesirable behavior. As educators, we must use instructional strategies, and technology tools that support behaviorism.

Moreover, studies shows how educators “could incorporate individual learner shaping interventions for errors, performance mastery criteria, practice to fluency by building performance frequencies with acceleration, continuous ongoing monitoring of performance while learning, and instant data displays showing growth acceleration and accuracy…” (Johnson, 2015, p. 146).  Using Edmodo I could allow students to pace their learning, solicit feedback, and assign visual badges to them for perfect attendance, excellent scores on assignment, effort, good behavior, completing all homework task, and many more. Orey (2001) indicated “positive reinforcement is presentation of a stimulus that increases the probability of a response” (p. 10). When I allow students to keep track of their achievement, the students can visibly see the stimulus (badges & efforts) and the response (positive emotions or feedback). Hence, students are motivated, and we will see a noticeable increase in their class performance or good behavior.

            Furthermore, Pitler, Hubbel and Kuhn described many other technology tools such as spreadsheet, word processing, and interactive games or website to promote desirable academic behaviors from learners. “Technology helps students and teachers to better track the effects of effort and provide more immediate feedback to students” (p. 58). Research indicated “that students can change their beliefs and make a connection between effort and achievement. One easy way to help students make the connection between effort and achievement is by using a spreadsheet” (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012, p. 58). Using technology to appeal, encourage a desire behavior, and evoke a positive response described by B. F. Skinner.

            “Recent developments in flipped classroom approaches are ripe for behavior analysis technology, as are socially engaged approaches” (Johnson, 2015, p. 135).  Research shows how Khan Academy “incorporates many behavioral procedures in conjunction with the lecture videos, including pretests, goal setting, progress mapping, time management, badges to earn along the way, and social network formats” (Johnson, 2015, p. 138). I can use flipped classroom to monitor, and redefine home-based tasks. “The basic idea is that students can listen to the “lecture” part of the class as podcasts or vodcasts at home or on the bus and engage in applying what they learn under the teacher’s guidance during class time” (Potler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012, p. 172). Since, HoC is only for one hour students can challenge themselves at home to complete problem-solving tasks. For this reason, I can integrate flipped classroom and Edmodo into a HoC classroom.

In particular, I can set up Edmodo groups “where teams can enter their ideas in real-time” (Boyd, 2013, para. 6). This can provide desired response of learners who make it their effort to complete task during class, and outside school hours. In addition, behavioral contracts can be made on Edmodo. “When a student is not completing homework assignments. The teacher and the student design a contract providing that the student will stay for extra help, ask parents for help, and complete assigned work on time” (Orey, 2001, para. 9). The students are challenged to complete homework practice, and receive immediate feedback.

            When using technology ensuring all students stay on task with activities or trying to silence them after an exciting interactive game is an exhausting task. From my personal experience, by setting consistent rules at the start of the online activity, rebuking pupils in a calm tone of voice, and focusing on the behavior rather than the child will help in maintaining control. Furthermore, the ISTE standards for teacher met by using Edmodo and flipped classroom approach are:

(1)Facilitate and inspire students learning and creativity. I can use student’s knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. (2) Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments. Using flipped classroom approach and Edmodo I can design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the Standards (Watson, 2014).

Additionally, the two ISTE standards met by student, and how they are met are:

(1)Empower Learner. Using flipped classroom approach and Edmodo students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences. (2) Digital Citizen. While using Edmodo or implementing flipped classroom “students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical (Watson, 2014).

Therefore, flipped classroom, Edmodo, and HoC is very beneficial for teachers and my learners. Now we understand the correlation between behaviorism, instructional strategies, and technology tool.

 References

Boyd, D. (2013). Don’t be fooled when assessing creative work. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inside-the-box/201306/dont-be-fooled-when-assessing-creative-work.

Johnson, K. (2015). Behavioral education in the 21st century. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, (1-2), pp. 135-150. doi:10.1080/01608061.2015.1036152

Mayer, G., Sulzer-Azaroff, B., & Wallace, M. (2012). Behavior analysis for lasting change. Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY: Sloan

Moore-Partin, T. C., Robertson, R. E., Maggin, D. M., Oliver, R. M., & Wehby, J. H. (2010). Using teacher praise and opportunities to respond to appropriate student behavior. Pre- venting School Failure, 54(3), pp. 172–178.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Behaviorism

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Simonson, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based

practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(3), pp. 351–380.

Watson, R. P. (2014). ISTE standards for students. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ry4ltpnwu5-s/iste-standards-for-students/

Watson, R. P. (2014). ISTE standards for teachers. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ry4ltpnwu5-s/iste-standards-for-teachers/

Welcome EDUC 6771J-2

Hello bloggers!

Reflective Essay

A teacher that simply stands in front of a classroom, and delivers information from a textbook is no longer happening because of technology. Technology makes textbooks come to life. Technology tools such as podcasts, wikis, Diigo, blogs, and apps enhance learning for students. Furthermore, I learned that using technology on 21^st learners can build up self-esteem, create lifelong skills, and monitor part of what is in the mind of my learners and their responses. Getting kids to write, especially the weaker writers, can be a challenge in itself, but by allowing kids to use technology tool, such as, blogs can enhance my lesson, make reading my content fun and engage my pupils. I also learned that “the use of technology can contribute to the creation of a more constructionist learning environment” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2015m). When I facilitate discussions via technology, I am probing to find misconceptions from my pupils, and demonstrating higher order teaching skills. In this course, all the medias, resources, and activities such as creating blogs, wikis, Diigo, and Twitter has helped enhanced my writing, and equip me with skills to assist my 21^st century learners (see Appendix A). This course has also shaped my definition of the role of a teacher. 

Incorporating technology into my teaching practice can be very beneficial for me and my learners. I “can create a 21st century context for learning by taking students out into the world, by bringing the world into the classroom, and by creating opportunities for students to collaboratively interact with each other.  Helping students make vital practical, social, and emotional connections to content and skill is of the utmost importance.  Why?  Because students in this era have grown up with access to the Internet and are capable of interacting and collaborating in ways that were unfathomable” (Tucker, 2014, p. 168).  Dr. David Thornburg, director at Thornburg Center stated, “Marconi, an Italian inventor, saw technology as medium to let you talk to individuals or one-to-one communication (Laureate Education, 2015k). For example, “Web 2.0 is an interactive program/software that permit people to personalize their internet experiences, have had a great impact on how people communicate in the public domain” (Vance, 2015, p.1).  Web 2.0 tool (such as wikis) can be used to communicate with colleagues, administrations, stakeholders, businesses, parents and students. Wiki is also a collaborative online space where pupils can use their knowledge to add to group discussions, and connect students with other learners across the world. In addition, wikis made learning fun and engaging, helped improve my learner’s performances, and empowered my students to be active participant.  

Furthermore, the best part about using wiki is that students used it at any time, as a result, the content is easily accessible. It also allows my students to demonstrate their high-level thinking skills and understanding. I discovered when my “students engage in exploring real-world issues, solve problems using digital tools and resources” helps improve their learning (Riley, 2016).  For this reason, and the fact that it promotes self-direct learning, I will continue to implement wiki in more lessons. In addition, wiki will help me recognize misconceptions from each pupils, as well as, incorporate their cultural differences in interests and abilities within my lessons. The reverse side wiki will teach my learners how to accept their peer’s cultural differences, encourage face-to-face and online collaboration with each other. “Classroom collaboration is an area that benefits directly from today’s Internet experience in that students can develop their potential for learning by becoming more actively involved” (Ruffini, 2011). However, the greatest hindrance in my school setting is the limited Internet access, but my plan is to allow students to use wiki at home until my school router issues are fix.

Moreover, using additional technology tools, such as, podcast in this course has helped support my lesson and empowered my students to further develop their 21^st century skills. “Podcasting is the creation and distribution of amateur radio” (Richardson, 2010, p. 112). In most workplace, technology has proven to be ideal way to communicate between employees and customers globally. “The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is one of the skills that businesses look for in employee” (Datar, 2014). Therefore, I must continue to use wikis and podcasts to “embrace the 21st century learning paradigm shift to ensure that students are adequately prepared for the global workforce.” (Tucker, 2014, p. 171). If my students are to leave school armed with the knowledge, and skill necessary to participate as citizens, and thinkers.

The 21^st century learners demand more and expect more, so the idea of using technology in education is a necessity. The ISTE standard for teacher met by using technology is: (1) “Facilitate and inspire students learning and creativity. Teachers can use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. (2) Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments. Teachers can design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes identified in the Standards” (Watson, 2014). Additionally, the ISTE met by student through technology (1) “Empower Learner. Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences” (Watson, 2014). Again, we see that incorporating technology into teaching practice can be very beneficial for teachers and students.

Some long-term goals I will set to transform my classroom environment in order to help students gain skills to be ready for tomorrow’s society and workplace are:  (1) By 31^st of  December, I will commit to acquire up-to-date knowledge on lesson designs, strategies, instructional practices, and assessment tools. I will accomplish this goal by participating in local and international workshops annually. Students need to become fluent with the linguistic systems to effectively communicate, and learn technological skills to become proficient at their job. (2) Therefore, at least 80% of all students will complete pre-test and post-test using technology two times between March 1 and March 30 of next year for an increase in students score. To ensure students meet the standards at their grade level I will use Zipgrade to assist with this process. (3) By 31st of December, I will collaborate and obtain the commitment of two community members to come into the classroom session annually to engage my learners and teach skills needed to function in a society. Moreover, I can assure all goals are achieved through building “meaningful relationships to improve my student’s learning” (Riley, 2016). In addition, through effective planning, and engaging in workshop to improve my professional practices.

References

Datar, K. (2014). How technology has changed the workplace and education. Retrieved from http://electronicsmaker.com/how-technology-has-changed-the-workplace-and-education

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015k). The emergence of educational technology [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015m). Transforming the classroom with technology: Part 1 [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Riley, R.W.  (2016). RWRCOEL professional dispositions. Walden University. Retrieved February 22, 2017, from https://class.waldenu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/USW1/201720_04/1_Standard_Documents/1_Current_Documents/MSED/MSED_RWRCOEL_Professional_Dispositions.pdf

Riley, R.W.   (2016). RWRCOEL technology proficiencies. Walden University. Retrieved February 22, 2017, from file:///C:/Users/Desktop/MSED_RWRCOEL_Technology_Proficiencies.pdf

Ruffini, M. G. (2011). Classroom collaboration using social bookmarking service Diigo.  Retrieved from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2011/9/classroom-collaboration-using-social-bookmarking-service-diigo

Tucker, S. Y. (2014). Transforming pedagogies: Integrating 21st century skills and Web 2.0 technology. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), p. 166–173. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Vance, N. (2015). Web 2.0 in the schools. Research Starters Education, p. 1–6. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Utilizing Blogs in the Classroom

 Blog is a good tool in the classroom because students are able to share information with their classmates or parents, get positive feedback’s, and complete assignments. “Blogs, as they are known, are easily created, easily updateable web sites that allow an author (or authors) to publish instantly to the Internet from any Internet connection. They can also be interactive, allowing teachers and students to begin conversations or add to the information published there”. (Richardson, 2010, p.10). “Research has identified many benefit of blogging as an instructional practice” (Featro & DiGregorio, 2016, p. 2). For example, “blogs promote student reflection and metacognition, providing students the opportunity to “reflect on their perceptions of the learning materials and on their own learning process” (Seitizinger, 2006, p. 6). Specifically, I can create a blog containing activities for my 8^th grade students to complete at home, discuss class lessons pertaining to Entrepreneurship, post weekly reflection, and invite parental involvement.

            The two ISTE standards for teacher met by using blog are: (1) “Facilitate and inspire students learning and creativity. After creating the blog, teachers can use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. (2) Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments. After creating the blog, teachers can design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes identified in the Standards” (Watson, 2014). Additionally, the two ISTE standards met by student through blogging and how they are met are: (1) "Empower Learner. Through blogging students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences. (2) Creative Communicator. Through blogging ‘students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals” (Watson, 2014). Therefore, incorporating blogging into my teaching practice can be very beneficial for teachers and my learners.

References

Featro, S. M., & DiGregorio, D. (2016). Blogging as an instructional tool in the ESL classroom. Tesl-Ej, 20(1), p. 1-9.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Tools for Classrooms (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Seitizinger, J. (2006). Be constructive: Blogs, podcasts, and wikis as constructivist learning tools. The eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions e-Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jmresources/research.htm

Watson, R. P. (2014). ISTE standards for students. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ry4ltpnwu5-s/iste-standards-for-students/

Watson, R. P. (2014). ISTE standards for teachers. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ry4ltpnwu5-s/iste-standards-for-teachers/