Week 5 Progress

Seeing how this week was the last week before Spring Break, not much got done with my students as far as progress. It was all I could do to hold on to our normal routine. Most of the instruction toward my GAME plan this week were guided. We tried to go to the computer lab to work on spreadsheets for the ACTION plan; however, none of the mice would work. After much frustration, we returned and I did a guided lesson on the SMARTboard.

What I learned from this is that it is imperative to be flexible! When you are dealing with technology, especially at our school lately, the best laid plans usually lead you elsewhere. The students were very engaged during the guided lesson so that helped, but I know they were itching to get their fingers on actual keyboards.

What I still need to learn is the best way to deal with the obstacles I face. I don't even know where to start. The internet is up, then it rains and it's down. The mice work, then they don't. I'm blocked from critical sites from our filter. I'm trying to make a lesson out of being flexible and demonstrating how to find my way around them. Talk about Problem based learning...dealing with our latest technology issues has been problem enough!

I will have to adjust my plan if things remain the same when we return from Spring Break. If I have to use just my one classroom computer, I will need to work out a time schedule for the students to have equal amounts of time with their groups. We'll get there, I know, but it is frustrating at this point!

Monitoring my GAME Plan Progress

This week I have been searching for resources and information I need. I've searched various search engines for virtual field trips. What has amazed me is how unaware my student are of heroes from long ago. They are so wrapped up in their own little worlds that it will be so beneficial to open up their eyes to heroes around them using technology. I've found tons of resources on United Streaming. Some of these are videos and some are photos. The virtual field trips I've been searching for this week would help to dive deeper into the person's life. For example, the students can learn about Thomas Jefferson and then take a virtual field trip to Montecello. I found a virtual field trip of an old slave market that I could show while learning about Harriett Tubman or even Abraham Lincoln. A few classes ago, the instructor gave us a virtual field trip to the theater in which Lincoln was shot. I also discovered I could use Google Earth to "fly" us directly to certain places.

The only way I've decided to modify is by spending more time on the prior knowledge part of it. Before students choose their own hero, I will spend more time introducing them to various types of heroes.

So far I'm amazed at the resources out there. What I've learned so far is that it will take a long time to sift through it all and pick out the truly valuable resources. I also need to find a balance and that will take time as well. I realize that some will be trial and error, but having a plan ahead of time will be greatly beneficial. I must admit, though, that as the school year is winding down and all the state tests are coming upon us, I don't feel I have been able to truly sift through all the resources completely. At this point, I'm thinking, next year will be my year. This year, I'll do what I can and next year I will be able to truly finesse it.

Carrying out the GAME Plan

In order to go forward with my GAME plan I will need to locate different resources. Already we have United Streaming within our classroom which will assist me with finding videos, pictures, etc. when needed for certain subjects. For instance, with our hero unit I was able to use this to find videos or snippets of videos of various heroes. Also, there are experts out there just waiting to be found. We've had speakers come in for various reasons. For the hero unit we have an Olympian come in and talk to the students. Being able to locate these experts is a task I will continue to work on. Finally, since I am fortunate enough to be going through this Program with 3 of my colleagues, it is so nice to be able to go to them for advice when needed.

Additional information I will need will involve how I can use certain tools. For instance, our district blocks certain sites that I would like to use in the future. I need to find out how I can go about unblocking them. I have heard there is a way, but I have not looked into it entirely. Other information is coming to me daily through this class alone. Knowing what is out there is so beneficial.

So far, I've taken steps to look at my curriculum and lessons I already teach to analyze just how I can integrate these new tools. It will be an ongoing process. I want to choose two or three to be the guinea pigs, so to speak. Once I am comfortable enought with the process I think it will be much easier to quickly integrate the rest of the curriculum.

Developing a GAME Plan

Developing my GAME Plan will force me to fully integrate technology is the best manner possible into my classroom. What I like about this assignment is that we are given time to develop it step by step. I took the time to really familiarize myself with the ISTE NETS-T standards. Looking through them I was able to reflect upon my teaching and realize that while there are some that I feel comfortable with, a few are very overwhelming for me and need a GAME Plan in order to for me to conquer them.

This year I have focused on Standard 4: Promoting and Modeling Digital Citizenship and Responsibility. I felt that this was the base that all other standards need to be built upon. Before we can make our classroom truly digital, the students needed to learn how to be digitally responsible and safe while using internet tools. We’ve discussed internet safety and ethical use of digital tools. My students know not to use their names, to avoid plagiarism, and the proper etiquette for online activities.

The two standards I am not yet fully comfortable with are Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. I feel I am gaining experience in facilitating student learning and creativity and am much better able to teach using new digital tools. The students are inspired; however, I feel I need to learn the best methods in which to carry this further. Where my discomfort with this comes is always within the management of the lessons. I am still searching for best practice methods in how to best have the students all part of the digital creation. An example is building a VoiceThread. They love this, but I still am working on how to best engage all students without some of them being left behind. I’m sure a lot of it will come the more I do it. One thing I know for sure is the more I do these lessons, the more I learn “what not to do” the next time. The other standard of Designing Learning Experiences is overwhelming in the sense that I am learning how to creatively use what I have, or more precise, what I do NOT have. The technology is my classroom is sparse. I have a SMARTboard which I use daily and often. As far as computers for my classroom I have 4 computers for 33 students and access to the computer lab for 25 minutes each week. It makes it difficult to develop a technology enriched learning environment. I grapple with how to give all students time to not only learn the digital tools, but also to have time to use them.

Part of my goal for strengthening my confidence is simply to continue to dive in. I know that I learn best by doing and my comfort level grows the more I am engrossed in the “doing”. I’ve already learned from my mistakes and know not to bite off more than I can chew. I will choose one lesson or one digital tool and teach it well instead of trying to do too much all at the same time. We will grow upon each tool rather than try to grow them all at once. As for how to meet my goal of a technology rich classroom, I’m still at a bit of a loss and would love any feedback. I am growing it with my own money, in that I have purchased FLIP cameras, digital cameras, etc. with my own money, and I’ve brought in my own laptop, but I don’t know how to truly set up a digital classroom with so few options.

I realize that monitoring my progress will need to be ongoing and reflective. I will set specific goals and time frames for each technological tool. For instance, the students will have created a VoiceThread by November, PowerPoint presentations in December, etc. It will help to schedule as well as monitor.

As I continue to learn and grow in my own experience with technology I will be able to better evaluate and extend not only my own learning, but that of my students as well. The important thing in this day and age is to not remain stagnant. Technology changes so fast that we have to be willing to change along with it. Making a promise to grow along with the technology around me will be the best way to continue to extend my learning.

EDUC-6712I-4 Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom

The most striking revelation I had about teaching new literacy skills as a result of this class is the one sentence that keeps coming back to haunt me. "We are preparing our students for jobs that don't exist, using technologies that haven't been invented, to solve problems we haven't begun to think about." That is such an overwhelming revelation. I always knew, in the back of my mind, that it was true; however, to see it spelled out so completely is a bit intimidating.

That revelation, along with the knowledge and experience gained in this course, will drive how I teach technology and other subjects. Knowing that there is no way to specifically prepare students for what awaits them tells me that it is even more necessary to make them “generally” prepared. Students need to be comfortable with technology to such an extent that they are able to generalize their skills onto the new skills to come. Teaching them the basics (and ethics) of researching on the internet and how to synthesize the information they find will always be a worthwhile skill. This course has also shown me how necessary it is to integrate the new literacy skills across the curriculum. These skills are not simply meant for “Computer Time.” They need to be used in all subject areas.

While it is easier said than done to say that I will integrate new literacy skills into all subjects, I know it is necessary to make that a reality. Let’s face it, we are in hard times and nobody will argue that the schools across our nation seem to be a few steps behind the rest of the country when it comes to technology. My state, California, is in the midst of a budget disaster that is very quickly turning technology in the schools into an afterthought. While it would be so easy to hide behind this reality, this class has taught me that if I do that I am failing my students. I need to be creative in discovering ways I can move these students along into the 21st Century literacy skills with what I have available to me now. I would love to say that I will be taking all kinds of Professional Development seminars, etc. to help me along with the goal of “making do with what I have,” but really, it is unrealistic. Any “professional development” will come from this Masters program and research I do on my own. I think we are in uncharted territory. To move the students along I will need to have help. This help may come from parent volunteers, student volunteers, or simply from behavior management plans that enable me to give students technology time with just a few computers. I am fortunate in that there are four of us going along this Masters journey together. We are all at the same school and can support each other and push each other to continue along this route with our students. I think it would be so beneficial to have a Master Plan along grade levels. For instance, 1st grade can introduce key concepts such as Search Engines. By third grade, we can work on evaluating the websites and introduce synthesizing the information. Fourth grade can continue where we left off. The ultimate goal would be to send our elementary students on to Middle School (grades 6-8) with the new literacy skills necessary to carry them through high school and beyond. Elementary schools should give them enough time and create enough comfort level within our students that when the new technology and skills come at them they won’t blink an eye, but instead, dive right in with the enthusiasm that we have helped to create in them.

References:


Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Jukes, I. (2007). 21st century fluency skills: Attributes of a 21st century learner. Retrieved from: http://www.committedsardine.com/handouts/twca.pdf.

Evaluating Research Methods

This week we brought together the learning of the different types of research methods. Four different scenarios were given where we had to determine the best method of research.

Scenario 1: Ten students are available for in-depth interviews. Participants will be selected based on their involvement with the peer mediation program. They will be observed over three weeks. Analysis will attempt to determine issues concerning peer mediation.

For this study, I would conduct a qualitative study. The scenario includes a small sample and face to face interviews. Qualitative research data is "in the form of words rather than numbers, and in general, the researcher must search and explore with a variety of methods until a deep understanding is achieved." (McMillan & Shumacher, 2006, pp. 26) This situation is looking for "issues", not numbers. In addition, qualitative research involves interaction among subjects and the researcher takes an active role. In this situation, the researcher will be conducting in-depth interviews which requires an active involvement. While other types of research could be applied, I feel lqualitative is the best fit.

Scenario 2: Two classrooms of students are selected. There are 30 students in each class; each group will have similar demographics-age, sex, race, socio-economic background, etc. Classes will be randomly divided into two groups of 15 students. Of these two groups, one randomly selected group will get training on peer mediation and the other group will not. Thus in each classroom there will be one group that is trained in peer mediation and one that is not. Analysis will occur on which groups have the fewest office referrals.

This scenario includes specific information and numbers. I believe quantitative research will be the best method for this situation. Within quantitative research, Experimental Design seems the most appropriate. In this type of study the "researcher manipulates what the subjects will experience." (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, p. 23) In this case the researcher will manipulate which group receives training and which group will not. In addition, this is a quantitative study because the population is very specific including similar demographics. This is what is referred to as "delimiting variables" (p. 103). This more specific research, population and data collection, this scenario best fits the quantitative method.

Scenario 3: A school counselor is interested in knowing how student attitudes affect the value of peer mediation to decrease the number of office referrals that are being filed for inappropriate interactions.

This scenario is looking for a systematic change in office referrals. The best method for this type of change is Action Research. Action research "is the process of using research principals to provide information that educational professionals use to improve aspects of day-to-day practice." (McMillan & Schumacher, 2008, p. 174). It is looking for a way to reduce the daily office referrals. According to Dr. Canipe, immediate application to a problem is best solved by this type of research. (Laureate Inc., 2008). Because this scenario is not looking for a long, drawn out study, but rather relatively quick information, I believe Action Research is the best solution.

Scenario 4: Peer mediation has become widely used in many schools. The feelings of those involved in the process are little known-either from those doing the mediation or those receiving it. The ZASK-R Acceptance Preference Survey will be given as pre-and post-tests to 40 students participating in mediation. Follow up interviews will be conducted on a bi-monthly basis.

This scenario includes both quantitative and qualitative aspects; therefore, I believe the Mixed Method research is best. Within the mixed method research, Explanatory Design meets the criteria needed. It begins with a quantitative analysis of the ZASK-R Survey and concludes with interviews. It is looking to assess feelings, a qualitative aspect. The purpose of Explanatory Design Mixed Method research is where "quantitative data are collected first and, depending upon the results, qualitative data are gathered second to elucidate, elaborate on, or explain the quantitative findings." The pre-and post-tests will use quantitative data; however the subsequent interview to determine feelings will be qualitative, definitely using both types of methods.

References:

McMillan, J.H., & Schumacher, S. (2006). Research in education: Evidence-Based Inquiry.
(Laureate custom edition). Boston: Pearson.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Additional Research Methods
[Motion Picture]. Introduction to educational research. Baltimore: Author.

Research Questions Week 3

This week I have had to develop research questions that will guide my problem statement. The input from discussions have been very helpful. In many ways the research I will be doing is quantitative as there will be concrete numbers for reading comprehension. Where it becomes a bit blurred is in the assumption that the determining factor for the increase in numbers is, in fact, the reading comprehension programs I am researching. As such, it becomes a bit more of a mixed-methodology approach. I would love any input that would help me narrow those assumptions down.

My Problem Statement:
I plan to determine if there is a significant increase in the reading comprehension of elementary school students who use internet or software reading comprehension programs.

Who: Elementary School Students

What: Internet reading comprehension programs

Why: Increase in reading comprehension performance

Questions:
Do programs such as Accelerated Reader and Reading Counts increase students' comprehension?

Do internet reading comprehension programs increase student interest in reading; thus, impacting their learning?

Are all of these programs promoting individual use or do some of them include collaboration?

Is there a point where the students will plateau or will their comprehension steadily climb throughout the program?

Methodology: Quantitative, then Qualitative...Mixed Methodology