Learning Management Systems Presentation

Here is the link to my simple presentation On Learning Management Systems on Voicethread. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

http://voicethread.com/?#e1539880

Learning Management Systems

I investigated free web-based Learning Management Systems to determine if the current mathematics curriculum I teach can be adapted to either Moodle or RCampus. By doing so I think differentiated in instruction will be more effective and what I accomplish can be used as a model so that other teachers could possibly model their use of web-based learning after.
Let me begin by stating that I think Moodle is one of the only practical forms of technology that would fit with the mathematics curriculum I currently use. Moodle makes it possible to develop a course of study or individual lessons that follow the text I must follow. One other Learning Management System (LMS) that appears to much easier to or with is RCampus. I created accounts with both programs; with Moodle I have been unable to login to the account and technical support is not helpful, with RCampus it as a bit easier to create the account and the navigation through the program is also easier. I am hoping to use either one and create an online course for my classes. I have also enlisted the help of Harrison’s technology instructor to create the courses. The programs will make it possible to differentiate instruction within the parameters of the curriculum I must follow.
I have students at various levels of ability; some are high achievers and are board with an instructional pace that suits the average student an LMS program would benefit those students by allowing them to proceed at a faster pace. Whereas the students that are having a difficult time with instruction suited for the average students would also benefit by having the opportunity to proceed at a pace they are comfortable with and a curriculum that is adapted to them.

Reflection on Differentiation Station and Application of UDL and DI in the Classroom

Differentiation Station social networking with teachers I believe is a wonderful idea. I think it would be more beneficial if, as is the case with middle school and high school teachers, networks were created in content areas. Elementary teachers share the same core programs to some extent, and so by grouping them together they have much more in common than would a group of middle school teachers or high school teachers who teach in different content areas.
This course gave me the incentive I needed to reflect on the strategies and methods I have felt comfortable with for the last eleven years of teaching. One of the steps that needs to be taken to begin effectively implement of the principles of UDL a DI is to design a curriculum that recognizes the differences between students and make the necessary accommodations. At the same time the curriculum must also be closely aligned with the Illinois State Standards. It is also important that both administration and parents share, support, and is committed to the implementation of the principles of UDL and DI.
At this point I have applied some of the strategies, methods and principle of UDL and DI in the classroom in the following ways. I did not can, nor will I ever be able to adopt a curriculum the follows those principles, that is a task that administration hold on to very tightly. The first step I took was to have the students participate in online learning styles, and multiple intelligence assessment surveys. They then supplied me with the results on three by five cards along with answering concerning their personal interests. I had these same students in sixth grade, and felt very comfortable about understanding their academic strengths and weaknesses, so there was at this time no need for pre-assessment. I then chose group leaders and they selected groups of students that would work with. I have at my disposal the use of Netbooks, so each group has at least to or more Netbooks to work with to answer the question by accessing the web or Powerpoint presentation I have designed for their use. They also have access to the answers to the question on the assignments. When the flexible grouping first started all the students were starting from the same place in the Pre-Algebra text. I will let the students know what lesson they will be working on and supply them with several questions I want them to answer concerning the material to be learned; I usually require several examples of related problems to demonstrate their knowledge. They then work together on the assignment until completed. Two groups in each class are moving ahead of the rest of the groups the equivalent of about five days. I am able to circulate and conduct mush more meaning full conversations with the students now that they are in small groups, it also gives me the opportunity to work more closely with students who are struggling. I feel confident in that my attempt to integrate the principle of UDL and DI are the best I could due given the curriculum I have to follow. The students seem to be more engaged in the learning process and the last to test shoed an improvement in the student’s performance.

Final Relection

The game plan that I developed has provided me with the motivation I need to effectively develop and execute a lesson plans that bring authentic problem-based learning to the students.

Authentic instruction from my point of view, which has been greatly influenced by what I have learned over the past eight weeks, engages the students in learning content and brings real life situations and problems into the classroom and makes it possible to meet the needs of diverse earners through the use of technology, Assessing content area learning through problem-based learning lesson provides the teacher with a much more accurate measure of what the student has learned. Learning content by it self is not a true measure of understand but when that knowledge can be applied successfully by solving an authentic problem the student benefits significantly

The first action I intend to take once school starts this year is to reserve the Netbook cart for at least two to three days a week to work with the students on technology ethics, researching on the web and networking sites available o the students through the schools network.

Achieving My Goal

I will be very honest; I have not accomplished much towards my goal this past week. Some rather significant changes are taking place and my thoughts have been preoccupied with other issues. I will be returning to school on Monday of next with great excitement, and I am planning on bring new and more interesting ways for the students to become more engaged in learning.

During the past week while working on my online collaborative lesson I realized there are valuable resources students can access with a little thinking on their part. So the only progress I have made towards my goal is that of developing the lessons over the last couple of weeks and becoming more aware of the tools that are available to both myself and my students.

Evaluating My GAME Plan

Well I have to say my GAME plan hit a snag this week. I really have not do much in the way of working on a PBL except for the lesson developed for my Wiki.

My Game Plan progress

At this point I am reviewing each of the lessons that will be presented over the course of the up coming school year. I am also the state standards that are aligned with each lesson, and the students could possibly be tested on. As I review each lesson I have to determine which ones are conducive to an authentic learning experience.

I don’t feel there is any need to modify my game plan, I feel confident that I will be able to succeed and achieve my goal of bring creativity and innovation into the classroom, and help the students develop critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making skills.

Carrying Out My Game Plan

What resources will I need to carry out my Game Plan?
I need to locate additional recourses such as interactive web sites that are aligned with the content, and curriculum I teach. I also need to develop the lesson plans at least four weeks in advance so the technology, Netbooks, is available for the students.

What steps have I taken so far?
I have begun to go through each lesson and identify the State Standards that apply and developed an on going list of, “Look What Were Learning,” which are the goals the students are working towards. I am breaking down each lesson into it’s most basic parts and then making an attempt to locate resources for the student to utilize that cover the content.

My Game Plan

My goal is to develop confidence in the following two areas of the NETS-T standard: Standard 1, Creativity an Innovation; Standard 4, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Making Decisions. I develop confidence by researching, and applying that knowledge. The more I apply the new skills the better I become and therefore become more confident. I do not consider myself to be a creative and innovative thinker, although I have a considerable real life experience in the application of math. If my students are to become critical thinkers, creative and innovative problem solvers I must show them the way through the development of lesson plans that involve authentic learning experiences. I intend to develop a closer working relationship with the schools technology specialist and look for suggestions as to how to more effectively utilize technology in the classroom.

There are three ways in which I can monitor my progress to wards the goals I have set for myself. The first is the development and review of the lesson plans I develop that involve authentic learning experiences, the second is through self-reflection and finally the development of a portfolio that contains the lesson plans I have developed, reflections on those lesson plans.

Through the review of the lesson plans and reflections I will be able to evaluate my progress towards becoming more confident in the use of technology in the classroom and the development of my own skills as a self-directed learner.

Final Reflection on Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

Reflecting on my personal learning theory I have come to understand why certain strategies work better than others. Referring back to what Dr. Wolf (2008) stated, that we as teachers know what strategies work but we don’t know why, I think I have a better understanding of why they do work. I also feel that technology plays a very important part in the education of our students and during this course I integrated more technology into my theory of learning, in my classroom and applied some of the strategies discussed.

Since begin this course I have integrated technology in my classroom first by utilizing Powerpoint presentations as an instructional tool. The school I teach at recently purchased twenty Netbooks for teachers to use, I will be using them as a learning and instructional tool with my students twice a week for the remainder of the school year. I have also been spending a considerable amount of time searching out math web-sites and have integrated there use in to my instructional strategies. I have also introduced my students to concept mapping as a means of summarizing topics and concepts to reinforce what they have learned and as a way to assess their understanding.

As Dr. Orey (2008) stated there are to ways technology tools can be used; as an instructional tool and a learning tool. I would like to be able to use a Smartboard, Elmo, web based concept mapping, and Voice Threads. The Smartboard can be used as both an instructional tool and learning tool. The Elmo is used primarily as a teaching tool but it is also possible for the students to use it by sharing their knowledge with their fellow students. Web based concept mapping is another tool I have used as a strategy by having my students construct concept maps as way to summarize new concepts and topics they have just been introduced to. Developing project that allow the students to use various concepts the use of a Smartboard are endless, it can be used as both an instructional tool and learning tool.

Long-term goal changes I would like to make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration and outline a strategy for achieving them. One long term goal I have is to shift my instructional practice from a behaviorist and cognitive learning approach to more of a constructionist approach to learning. The second long-term goal is to improve my skills a utilizing the nine clusters of strategies as described by Dr. Pickering (2008). My strategy for accomplishing these goals is to complete the Masters of Science in Integrating Technology in the Classroom program, utilize the skills I have acquired and continues with my own personal research in learning theories and technology teaching strategies.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2007) Programs 10,11,. Instructional Strategies, Part One. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

Voice Threads for the Classroom

What a great way for students to collaborate on Pre-Algebra concepts and topics. I found creating Voice Thread to be fairly simple and the possible applications to be unlimited. Studnets can creat them to communicate ideas, and too express their understanding of new concepts. Some of the possible applications involving math education and tool to be used would be Powerpoint presentations. The work can be complete with paper and pencil, scaned and the place in a Voice Thread explaining how they solved the problem. Projects can be completed and then presented as a Vooce Thread. I also feel Voice Threads can be used in conjunction with almost all of the current Learning Theories we have discussed; Behaviorists Learning Theory, Cognitive Learning Theory, Constructionist Learning Theory, and Connectivism as a learning theory.
http://voicethread.com/#e896538

Constructioism Learning Theory and pre-algbra

There is no doubt in my mind that there are strong advantages to applying Constructioism Learning Theory. I am stuck on the value of that theory in the math classroom, I am referring to the development or the discovery of time honored concepts. I feel I need more solid proof that students can construct and understand math concepts. An example would be developing an understanding of polynomials, and quadratic equations. Although they would be able to take those concepts and identify practical applications, they still need instruction in the development of the concept. Is it possible to integrate technology sufficiently enough through constructionist so the students acquire the necessary understanding?

Cognitive Learning Theory

I found Cognitive Learning Theory to be very straight forward as described by Dr. Orey (2007). Especially the information processing model; sensory input, information entering into short term memory, rehearsal and in doing so information is sent to long-term memory. The objective, I feel is to be able to developed strategies in one lesson that are directed towards and incorporates all three types of long term memory. Which are; declarative, facts and information; procedural, how to do things; and episodic, events in a students life (Orey 2007).

Behavioist Learning as it Relates to the Classroom

Theoretically and practically speaking behaviorist learning does have a place in today’s classroom. If one considers Dr. Wolf’s (2008) discussion on how the brain works, how connections are strengthened, memories are created, and recall is made possible. Behaviorists learning theory emphasizes changes in behavior that result from stimulus-response association made by the learner (Standridge, 2010). Typically students need about twenty-four practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80% competency (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007). If we consider a middle school math class, then yes behaviorist’s theory can be applied into practice. There are some skills that need to become procedural and others that must be declarative in nature. Example of procedural would be proficiency in the four basic math operations; adding, subtracting, multiplication and division. As a math teacher I expect my students to be able respond to problems involving the use of those skills quickly.

After having spent some time reviewing the Behaviorism-based Learning Resources: Classroom.JC-Schools.net and WebMATH supplied in our recourse section I feel that type of technology has a place in education. I reviewed programs involved in math operations practice and basic algebra problems. If the student entered in a wrong answer the program would give the correct one and then the student could proceed. This approach follows the description given by Dr. Orey’s presentation on behaviorists theory (2008), a small bit of information is presented, a question is asked; the math problem, a decision is made as to the right answer, and the student is rewarded if the answer is correct.