Reflective Blog Assignment #3

Reflective Blog #3

Where to begin?

I think this class gave me some great information and opened my eyes to several, invaluable resources.  I am fascinated with technology and plan to use it to the fullest potential in my classes, in conjunction with other strategies.  I hope to be able to continue with the iPads in my classroom, and hopefully will be able to with the grant I will be writing for my final project.  The grant process seems very intimidating to me, but hopefully when I'm finished with this one, it will give me the motivation to put in for more in the future.  

Along with the iPad usage, I would like to continue with using the flipped classroom components with my students.  I realize due to the demographics of students I teach, I will never really get to implement a complete flipped classroom experience with them, but this only motivates me to find other ways to do it.  I would also like to keep using the gamification piece in my class.  This, however, has been a lot trickier to do than I anticipated.  I think if I were teaching one content area this would be a lot easier.  While I still continue to update my makeshift leaderboard, I need to work on being consistent with other gamification pieces, which is very hard to do when I'm struggling to balance the students' IEP goals and objectives along with catching up on content area material.  I will continue to blog on my own time, reflecting what I'm doing in my classroom, as well as with my students in class.  

I  was surprised by Hattie's article, specifically where he talks about learning styles.  We, as teachers, have always been told to be sensitive to all types and modify teaching to that.  If I understood correctly, Hattie thinks that it's better to get to know our students better, but at the same time expose them to different types of teaching/learning, even if it's not their "style".  I get it. If we want our students to be able to think critically and apply learned skills in other situations, we have to give them the opportunities to do that.  I'm not perfect; I've tended to "baby" my students from time to time.  Again, not trying to throw our district under the bus, but our schools want results.  How they get there isn't of any concern.  It's a very, "out of sight, out of mind" theme here.   I know I've stated in the past that students are capable of way more than we give them credit for.  Us teachers just need to be consistent and follow through with what we say we'll do rather than what's easier.  

Unfortunately, my district is very much behind in keeping up with the latest technological trends.  I create my own "PD" by following my Edmodo forums and Twitter threads religiously.  As I've stated before, these two tools alone have given me more beneficial "PD" than all the ones I've had thus far combined.  I've been to a few tech conferences here in Grand Rapids and will continue to attend these, since I've enjoyed them very much.  I would like to attend my first MACUL conference in March and was suggested by my supervisors to possibly present at it (don't know if that's possible, but I took it as a compliment).  

The biggest obstacle for me right now is trying to implement new ideas and sharing them with others who have no interest in it whatsoever.  I work with teachers who hate their jobs.  It's like hitting a brick wall every time, and I alone cannot make the change we need in our school.  People have to want it and *gasp* even do some work outside of the school day to make these changes. I know for a fact I will not be able to stay with my district because of this.  This is unfortunate because our students are the ones that need this the most, but without any support, I often feel as if I'm beating a dead horse, and at the expense of my time with my family.  In the meantime, I will continue to do what I do with my students and keep suggesting ideas to my co-workers.  Whether they take my advice or not is another thing, but at least I know I'm doing my part.  

Reflective Blog Assignment #2

1. How can a teacher find balance during this transition from more traditional knowledge-based content standards and more process-oriented skills?
2. What are key factors that help improve the success of inquiry-based lessons?
3. What role can technology play in assisting those factors?  Give specific examples

I believe it's a sticky situation to balance knowledge-based content standards and process-oriented skills.  I feel as if we want to lean more towards other strategies, such as inquiry-based learning, but our districts tell us to stick to routine and do it the old-fashioned way.  As teachers, our motto is "Adapt and Overcome".  We are trained to be flexible.  However, we are able to use our creativity to meet both our district's needs as well as the needs of our students.  Project-based learning is a method I would like to incorporate more in the near future.  I feel it satisfies both knowledge-based and process-oriented skills by giving students a framework and purpose for their projects, but giving them the freedom and opportunity to research and create them.  According to Wikipedia, inquiry based learning is best when there are several opportunities and ways to research and collect their information.  Additionally, it is something that needs to be carefully planned out and will require a lot of time invested in doing so.  Another way to improve the success of inquiry-based learning is to remember that is a student-centered method.  The teacher is there to be a facilitator and we have to tame the urge to take charge.  Technology can help in a number of ways.  First, by giving students the opportunity to use technology often will help build skills to use this technology effectively in their studies.  For example, if I wanted to have my students create a project to show their comprehension of a novel, a suggestion may be to create a movie trailer for their book.  By exposing them to programs, apps (such as iMovie), and other tools earlier, they will have a stable foundation of knowledge on using them to create their projects.  Technology is so versatile, it can be used with traditional, direct instruction or inquiry-based learning.  

Reflective Blogging Assignment #1

There are both positive and negative technology influences, as shown by the articles read in the past few weeks.  To ensure positive results, some factors included using it appropriately for the right-aged student.  For example, technology may be better used for lesson delivery for younger children, while high-schoolers (being more tech-savvy) could benefit more from interaction with it.  Another factor is motivation.  Students are using Web 2.0 tools all the time, even if they don't know it.  How many of your students have a Facebook account?  Or a Twitter account?  I would say the majority do.  Educators should be in tune with the digital age their students are in.  Students, being exposed to Web 2.0 tools as it is, will feel a familiarity when using these tools in the classroom, so there will be more buy-in.  Last, modeling proper use of the technology is another important factor.  We, in essence, are training our students to use the technology we want them to learn.  To do this, we need to be trained ourselves.  Exploring all the components of a program or piece of technology will allow students to use it at its fullest potential.  This is most important when resources are sparse in a district or building.

As far as my own setting, I know my middle schoolers are very much interested in technology.  Most have cell phones and game systems, as well as Facebook accounts, as mentioned above.  To make sure that the above mentioned factors are present, I think it's a good idea to be very good at a small number of technology uses.  For example, there are a lot of ways to implement technology.  Just read #edtech Twitter posts or read up on the Edmodo forums.  There are thousands of different ideas.  However, being properly trained (be it by someone else or self-training, in my case a lot of the time) in a handful of methods is better than knowing a little about a lot of different methods.  It will be less vague for students and the focus will be more concentrated on those few areas.  My students will know how to use Edmodo fairly because we use it all the time in my classroom. Blogs is another area they will become very familiar with.  This segways into another factor:  consistency.  The more they use Web 2.0 tools, the more proficient they will become with it.  My goal is for them to carry this knowledge over into their lives after 8th grade, both in school and out of it.  For example, they will be introduced to Dropbox.  This will undoubtedly help them when they begin their research papers in a few months, but they can also use this in high school and college.  Dropbox is an invaluable tool for me.  Perhaps knowing that I use this as well in my own daily life will show them how useful these tools actually are.

To evaluate the success of a lesson that involves the integration of new technology, I would first look at how well my students understood how to use it.  If there is confusion on how to use it, the results of the lesson will probably have poor results.  I would personally do this by offering a survey at the end of a lesson, asking students to rate their experiences with that technology.  Observations as they use it could also serve me well and give me an idea as to how comfortable the students felt using it.  In addition to evaluating the success of a lesson, I would look at the different ways my students used that tool, or the amount of interaction with it.  For instance, if I wanted my students to explain the causes and effects of the French and Indian War using their iPads, I would first offer suggestions of the different ways they could do it.  They could create a graphic organizer with pictures, make a mini-movie, create a comic strip, or create a Prezi.  In evaluating the lesson, I would also make sure they were able to use the technology as a tool to convey their understanding of the topic.  Given that there are so many aspects of the iPad to being creative, I would want them to take full advantage of that.

To disseminate successes and failures with my colleagues/administrators, I currently have a professional blog, discussing these very things.  I did this knowing there were going to be a number of ups and downs using the iPads with my special ed students for the first time.  I had never done it before, and they had never used them in a classroom before.  By keeping a diary of all the lessons, apps, and techniques I use in my class, I'm able to report what worked and what didn't.  This is a great way for me to self-evaluate and note what changes to make for next time, or what to do again.  Since then, I've had a number of people who read my blog tell me they've experienced similar triumphs and woes. My goal is to motivate others to try to use technology more in the classroom, even with other things, like laptops and computer programs.  If they see that I had success with a tool I used in my room, maybe they would be more inclined to use it themselves.  Also, for those who read my blog and have their own expertise, I hope to learn some tips and tricks from them.  It's a learning process for everyone.  

Should've Waited 5 More Mikes...

That's minutes, in military terms.  Seeing as I'm delving into the world of blogging, I should've waited 5 more minutes so I could officially birth my very first blog at midnight, August 1, 2012.  But I didn't...which is the story of my life.  I physically am unable to wait. For anything.  Patience is not my forte, and it is illustrated by the fact that I couldn't wait for a perfect, even-numbered time to start this blog.

Regardless, here I am.  I can't say I know too much about what I'm doing or what I've gotten myself into.  However, I'm somewhat excited to get the ball rolling on this so I can share my daily adventures for anyone who decides they're bored enough to read this.  Disclaimer:  my life is not perfect or all that interesting.  If you're looking for something profound, this ain't it.  If you want a blog that moves your soul...keep looking.  So what exactly can you expect from this blog? A retelling of my life: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A little about myself.  I am 33 (almost 34) years old and grew up in Grand Rapids. I went to IHM and Catholic Central, then Aquinas for a little.  Then I decided to take a break from college, went to live with my sister in Detroit, worked as a teller for about a year, then decided, "I think I'm going to join the Marines."

So I did.

Fast forward 5 active duty years later.  I came back to Michigan, finished my Associate's at GRCC and graduated from GVSU in 2009.  I was hired then and currently work for Grand Rapids Public Schools as an 8th grade special education teacher and absolutely love it.  Last year I decided to start a business and went ahead and got that ball rolling, too.  What do I do on the side? I get rid of lice.  No, you're not drunk, you read that correctly.  I have technicians who go to people's homes and get rid of head lice for them.  I'm sure we'll talk more about that later.  Then I decided I should start my Master's and here I am.  I love technology. I am in the process of using gamification and components of the flipped classroom with my students.  It's my first year doing it and I'm scared out of my mind, but more excited than anything.  Oh, and did I mention I have 4 kids?

Yeah. It's gonna be a busy year. 

So that's me.  I hope I can provide you with some form of entertainment.  Either that, or I can provide you with enough reading to put you to sleep if you struggle with insomnia.  Either way, I'll tell you as I tell my children: "Hold on to your butts." (Thank you, Jurassic Park, for that line.) Get your beverages ready (alcoholic or non), your fuzzy socks on, and prop your pillow.  The Rivas Show is about to begin...