Week 8 Reflection for EDUC 6715

Although this course has ended, what I learned from it will have a great impact on my profession and on my students as well. In this course, I have learned about emerging technologies and their influence on my teaching career. I also developed a better understanding of how students learn; and the instructional strategies that meet their needs. The most exciting technology tools I learned about from this course are the multi-user virtual environment (MUVEs), learning modules, and digital games.

During week 6 and 7, we had to develop a lesson plan and implement any of the technology tools from which I mentioned. Digital games were my choice for this lesson. I realized that digital games could have a great impact on students’ tests grades, because today’s students cannot focus on studying for the test in the traditional way. When students study and practice what they learned using digital games, they become more motivated which will help them remember the information and ideas they learn to stay longer in their memory.

In fact, this masters program, from the first course up until the last, has enriched my knowledge, and helped me build my confidence in using technology in my classroom without hesitation. Although this program ended, I will continue the search for new technology tools that support the 21st century learning and that may improve our children’s education and prepare them for their futures.

Application for week 4

Hi everyone,

This is the link to my presentation https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B0gztx2jZU4HNTZmZTViNWQtMDExNC00ZDZiLTk0MGUtYjA5YWU0MDFiMTQx&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

Please don't hesitate to leave your comments.

Course EDUC14: Reflection

This course was both enjoyable and beneficial to me. I was lucky to be a member of the social network “Engaging Students with Technology. My colleagues shared great technological resources and strategies that can enhance my students’ learning through the principles of Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction. Upon completing this course, I feel more comfortable with differentiated instruction. My students will be more comfortable with their academic skills since they will be obtaining their education according their academic needs.
Learning about how they obtain their learning is very important. Therefore, learning about brain networks was something really enjoyable and beneficial for any educator to help all learners acquire their knowledge efficiently. Learning about brain networks makes differentiating instruction easier for any teacher or educator because it helps me understand how students learn as individuals. Moreover, learning about creating surveys to gather information about students learning is noteworthy.
Next year, if I hold a full time teaching position, I will create a survey on Survey Monkey for my students to complete so I can learn about their learning preferences, and be able to implement the principles of Universal Design for Learning and Differentiation Instruction. To enforce communication skills, I will use blog and Voice Thread more in the classroom. In addition, there are many assistive technology tools we learned about in this course, which would be useful to support students with disabilities or special learning needs.

Reflection on the GAME Plan

In this course, I learned one of the most important aspects of teaching, which is the GAME plan. The GAME plan helps me think and take steps to direct my learning process especially when I need to learn about technology and integrate it into my lessons. It allows a teacher to develop appropriate skills that are important, and prepares him/her for lifelong learning. (Cennamo, Ertmer & Ross, 2009).

Although, I am a substitute teacher, I always use the lesson plan template that is provided by the school if I am holding a long-term substitute position. After I used the GAME plan in this course, I realized the big difference. The GAME plan makes me feel more organized and helps me know what to do without any frustration. The GAME plan would definitely be my only choice to use when I hold a full-time teaching position.

In this course, I also learned about many new technology tools such as Digital storytelling that I could integrate into my lessons to motivate my students. I am more thrilled to hold a position now more than ever so that I can use what I have learned so far from this program at Walden University.

Reference
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

GAME plan (week 7)

GAME plan is a plan to support self-directed learning. Teachers can also use the GAME plan with their students to promote their self-directed learning. As a teacher, I can help my students develop their GAME plan by helping them first consider what they know about the task and what they need to know in order to determine what strategy they need to follow to achieve their goals. Then they can set their goal for the plan as explained by (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009) In order for my students to achieve their goal, my lesson plan should help them meet their learning goal. I should consider what information and resources they will need to reach their goal, and what strategy I should use to help them achieve the goals they set. For monitoring their plan, I should consider if they understand the information they were provided with, if they can master it, and whether I need to modify my lesson. They will also monitor their plan by considering whether the information they have is helpful for the plan. For the evaluation, I can see from the assessment if my students mastered the skills needed, then I will consider whether to modify my lesson or not. When my students evaluate themselves they will consider whether they need to modify their goals or the strategy they used, and what they can do differently next time.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Revising my GAME plan (week 6)

What I have learned so far in this course will help me feel more confident when I hold a full time position. Integrating technology into my lessons will be much easier than ever. As for my goals, I am still working on them and hopefully I will be able to accomplish them when I hold the long-term position in April. Currently I am not setting any new goals until I accomplish what I have already set for myself. However, I will keep trying to grow professionally as possible as I could. I will also like to “demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations” (NETS-T)

Evaluating My GAME Plan Progress

GAME plan is meant to provide self-directed learning to support lifelong learning process (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009, p. 3). One of the most important tasks teachers do is reflecting back on the strategies they used to meet their goals. This reflection helps teachers modify their strategies for future lessons. Although, I looked up some ideas and activities which might relate to the students’ lives, implementing them into the classroom will be delayed until April 2010 when I will be holding a long-term substituting job for a teacher who will be on maternity leave. So far, I feel more confident about implementing problem-based lessons and integrating technology into my lessons. However, my only concern is whether my plans will be beneficial for the ELL students’ learning process. As for now, there aren’t any adjustments in my plan until I see the students and gather information about their learning styles and academic statuses.

Reference

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.