EDCI 5825 Authentic Collaborative Projects

Technology is an every day part of life for students today.  Knowing this, I think it only makes sense to incorporate technology into the classroom as much as possible.  Students will respond better to a project requiring the use of technology than a "typical" project that requires them to do research and write a paper or make a poster.  This also make the teacher's job more interesting because they will not be grading the same, uninspired project 20 times.  The internet has so many resources, it would be a shame not to tap into them.


One project that I believe students would enjoy is making a facebook profile for a Spanish author.  Since most high school students spend a large portion of their day on facebook, this would interest them.  They would be able to show their skills.  However, since they are so versed in this technology, I would expect a lot from them.  I would expect them to make a complete profile for the author, including pictures, interests, a bio, quotes, and influential people in their lives.  I would expect a well researched and well executed project with plenty of sources.  The sources would need to be linked to some kind of social bookmarking site, such as diigo.  This would keep all of the sources organized and handy for the students and the teacher.


Another project idea would be to have the students create a PowerPoint presentation and add a Jing screencast to narrate the presentation.  VoiceThread is another option to create a similar project (Schrum, 2009).  This would allow the students to practice speaking, which I believe world language students do not get the opportunity to do much of in high school.  The focus is usually on reading and writing.


I could also create a wiki page or blog in which students could post news articles about Spanish culture or news that they find interesting and want to share with other students.  I would have each student post at least one article and respond to at least one other student's article a week.  This makes the students do research and think critically.


Although all of these projects could be accomplished individually, I believe the students would learn more from working collaboratively.  They would be able to find more information on their topics and they would not feel overwhelmed by the amount of work.  I also think it is important to work in groups when technology is involved because some students are better with technology than others.  As McLeod (2007) explains, psychologists such as Vygotsky saw great benefits in collaborative work.  This fulfills the NETS-T standard that students "collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation" (ISTE, 2008).




References

McLeod, S.A. (2007). Vygotsky's Theory of Social Development. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org

Schrum, L. & Levin, B. (2009). Leading 21st century schools: Harnessing technology for engagement and achievement. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press. (79)

International Society for Technology in Education.  (2008).  NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Week 3 T2P

If a student has the opportunity to work collaboratively with a group of other students of different skill levels, then each student will increase their knowledge of the subject being studied because they will be required to think critically in order to defend their position and bring all members of the group to a shared understanding of the issue.

Teachers must give their students a certain amount of freedom to learn on their own.  They must understand that students need to take responsibility for their own learning.  Teachers should supply the students with the tools they need to take on this task and then slowly decrease their presence in the learning process in order to allow room for the students to begin to think critically.  The teacher should become more of a guide to keep the students on track, while still giving them the freedom to do their own thinking.

Learning Theories Week 3 Post 1

Q1: Define the key concepts associated with Jean Piaget's theory of learning.


A: I believe this is Level 1 because it is straight forward and there is no thinking that needs to go into it.  It is rote memorization.


B: The key concepts associated with Piaget's theory of learning include Process of Cognitive Development; Adaptation and Organization, and his 4 stages of development, which are Sensorimotor, Pre-Operational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational. 


Q2: List the cognitive stages of development in Jean Piaget's model.  Provide either examples or illustrations for each stage.


A: I believe this is Level 2 because the stages are pretty straight forward, but then you must interpret them and show that you understand what they mean by giving an example.  This is not applying the ideas to a greater concept, however.


B: Piaget's first stage of development is Sensorimotor. This is when children learn using their 5 senses. They will learn, for example, by touching objects and feeling their shapes and textures. His second stage is Pre-Operational. In this stage, children start to reason, so they tend to ask a lot of questions. They want to know how the world works, but do not quite have the ability to grasp the complex concepts. His next stage is Concrete Operational. During this stage, the learner can begin to use logic appropriately. They can sort objects based on specific characteristics, such as shape or size. The last stage is Formal Operational, in which learners can think more reasonably and work through their problems without so much help from others.


Q3: How would knowledge of Vygotsky's theories potentially change the way you teach in future classroom?


A: I believe this is Level 6 because you must evaluate his theories and judge what you think is useful in his theory.  It is putting it into practice, rather than simply showing you know what he said.


B: In my future classroom I will include many group activities because Vygotsky believed children learn best through social interaction.  I will be sure to have students of  mixed ability levels in each group, so that there is a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO).  I will also begin by teaching the students and giving them plenty of support and guidance.  As time goes on, I will be less of a presence and expect more of the students.  I will expect them to develop their own questions and hypothesis and work through these issues on their own.  Most teachers believe they have to be in control the entire time, but according to Vygotsky, that is not the best way to promote student learning.  They must take their education into their own hands.

Learning Theories Week 2 T2P

Today's class showed me multiple different teaching styles, which all created different outcomes in students' learning.  Each teacher needs to take the time to find what works for them, while still benefiting the students by allowing them to learn and understand the material.  One lesson that I got out of all of the different videos and readings was that if a teacher creates an environment of mutual respect and trust where the students feel safe, then the students will learn because they will feel more comfortable sharing their opinions and critiquing the material they are working with.  This is significant because students learn a lot from both the new ideas their peers bring to the table and the critiques they have for the ideas of others.  Many teachers believe that they deserve the respect of the students, but they do not realize the importance of respecting the students as well.  The students need to feel as though what they are saying matters and what they have to say can be as important as what the teacher has to say.  Sometimes in the classroom it is important to go against the norm and to create your own rules.  The environment in which the students are doing the learning plays a huge role in how and what they actually learn.  Structure is important, to a certain degree, but there has to be a sense of freedom as well.  Students should not feel as though every second is planned out and that there is no place for questions or concerns.  In order to engage the students, the teacher must connect with them on some level.  This is not to say the teacher should try to be friends with the students, but they should show that they are human and have a sense of humor, for example.



Week 1 T2P follow-up


1. If a student knows how a learning activity fits into the overall course curriculum, then they will be more engaged in the class because they will see the relevance and have an understanding of the direction in which the activity/lesson is going. They will also be able to see how all the smaller parts work together to create the whole picture and how it all plays out.

Learning Theories Week 1 T2P

Working with students of other dominant learning styles was extremely beneficial because I had the opportunity to see how they learn in comparison to how I learn.  Since all of my students will learn in different ways, it is important for me to experience different learning styles early in my education so that I can easily implement these styles into my own teaching.  I never realized how many little things can influence a person's learning, but the first part of the day helped me to realize that a teacher can never really know where a student is coming from.  A teacher has to be extremely aware of everything each student says or does because anything could have a much deeper meaning.

Teacher Resources

youtube video: ser and estar
This video allows students to see the lesson as well as listen to it.  This is beneficial because it covers a wider spectrum of how people learn.  Most, if not all, high school students today are familiar with youtube, so using technology they use for entertainment means they will be more likely to enjoy the lesson.  "Good teachers" should not be afraid to teach lessons that are more on the students' level because this increases their interest in the subject.  It is also funny.  I would not really know how to make this lesson funny on my own, but this video does a good job of that.  I believe students will enjoy it more than a serious lesson I would teach them and if they enjoy it, they will take more away from it.  This video also gives examples.  Instead of simply saying how the verbs are used and what the differences are, it puts them into context.  At the end of the video, there is a review of what the rest of the video talked about, so it reenforces the ideas.

Game
This game has different levels, so if some students are learning faster than others, they can chose a more difficult level to play.  This allows everyone to be challenged and those students who are not as advanced do not have to worry about others knowing their skill level.  Students enjoy getting out of the classroom, going to the computer lab, and working on their own sometimes because it is a nice break from the monotony of a normal class.  Even just a change in scenery can impact their interest and consequently, their performance.  In this game, students have to type out the answers, which helps some students learn.  They need to see the words spelled out and they remember them better if they have to spell them out.  At the end of the game there is a list of the words in English and Spanish and they are color coded as to which you answered correctly and which you answered incorrectly.  This gives the students a chance to see how they did and also to see which ones they need more practice on.  Again, I think it is important for teachers to incorporate technology into their lessons because today's high school students have grown up with this technology and they respond well to it.

El mundo article on matadores
This article could be used to create a debate or discussion.  First, the students would have to read the article, followed by contributing to the class discussion and listening to what the other students had to say about the topic.  In most World Language classes, students do a lot of writing, but they do not have the opportunity to use their other skills, especially speaking.  This lesson allows them to experience more of the forms of communication.  It is also a look at a cultural issue that is impacting Spain right now.  It could be one of many related articles I give them.  This will help students who are not so interested in the Spanish language get involved in class.  It could be a history and cultural lesson, as well as a way to practice/improve their speaking, reading, and listening skills.  It is important for teachers to realize that not all of their students want to be in their class.  They all have different interests and take most of their classes only because they are requirements.  If a teacher can show their students how that lesson/subject applies to other classes or the real world, the students will be more interested.  Students learn a lot from their peers.  It is always good to give them the chance to share their ideas and opinions.

Instructional Models of Internet Use

All 4 of the models are related, some more than others.  As Donald Leu (2002) explains, all require a question to be researched and activities to go along with the research, that is then shared with a greater community.  The Workshop and Project models, for example, are set up by the teacher.  The teacher is the one who decides what the students will research and finds the sites for them to use.  However, in the Workshop model, students share their findings with their classmates, whereas with the Project model students can collaborate and share their findings with students across the country or the world.  A WebQuest is similar to an Internet Project, except that the teacher creates an entire curriculum and puts it on the internet for other teachers to participate in.  This requires more planning by the teacher, because it is a bigger project and it requires a timeline.  An Internet Inquiry is  similar to a Workshop, except the students do all the work.  In a Workshop, the teacher gives the students a problem and sets up bookmarks they should use to solve the problem.  In an Inquiry, the students are the ones who decide what question/problem they want to research.  They then gather the information and create a presentation to share this information with their classmates.

I could use the Internet Project with my class.  I could create a project that would allow my students to communicate with students in a Spanish speaking country.  This would allow them to see how native speakers use the language.  They would be able to learn new vocabulary words and colloquialisms.

Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to meet with or talk to my cooperating teacher yet about the technology used in my school because I just received my placement.  I will hopefully have more information on this in the coming weeks, once I meet with my teacher and become familiar with the school.

References
Leu, D. J. (2002). Instructional Models Using the Internet.  Retrieved from http://ctell.uconn.edu/canter/canter_video.cfm?movie=234_introduction.mov.