Reflection on Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom

            Teaching can be described as a constantly fluid career, especially in today's society with all of the recent and ongoing advancements in technology.  These continuous advancements are also changing the way information is shared and utilized in the sense that we are evolving from a society that was once dependent upon the slow and methodical sharing of information through paper to one that demands instant access to information through the digital world that technology has created.  As teachers, it is up to us to adapt our methods of teaching in such a way that reflects the ever changing world around us.  One such adaptation is to instruct our students in what is being described the new literacy skills which include questioning, searching, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).  The most striking revelation in regards to teaching these skills is the new reliance that our students will be required to possess when it comes to evaluating information.  With the ever increasing influx of digital media, the number of 'publishers' is also increasing as well.  This means that anyone who has access to the Internet has the capabilities of becoming a 'publisher' of information.  The impact of this on the quality of our information is astounding.  When evaluating the information that they are reading online, our students must be able to evaluate the content they are viewing in order to determine the validity of it.  Not being able to evaluate information could end up handicapping our students if they do not possess the necessary skills to determine which information can be trusted as valid and which cannot.

            As I progress forward, the knowledge and experience gained from this class have created an understanding within me for the need to incorporate self-direction and a need for my students to become active participants within their own education.  Currently, at my school, the emphasis is on testing which means that, essentially, our fundamental concern is how our students perform on the state's tests in the spring.  As a result of this focus, our primary concern is for our students to memorize the needed information and to be able to apply, or 'regurgitate' it on these tests.  So, the vast majority of our teaching time is spent on 'feeding' the needed information to our students in such a way that will ensure they will remember it.  At this time, no emphasis is being placed on the new literacy skills or for the need for our students to become self-sufficient in regards to teaching themselves in their pursuit to become life-long learners.  Due to the fact that our current approach of 'spoon-feeding' our students information is doing nothing to prepare our students for the future that awaits them, my style of teaching will be undergoing a constant change in order to ensure that my students are fluent with the world of technology and the new literacies that have been created.

            The primary professional development goal that I now have for my classroom is for my students to take responsibility for their own learning.  However, in order to accomplish this goal, several changes will have to occur within my classroom.  One such change will have to be the incorporation of more technology within my lessons in such a manner that will allow for my students to be performing their own research into the content areas we are covering instead of me simply providing them with the required information.  In order for my students to become responsible learners, they will also have to be taught to think critically in regards to websites.  It will be imperative for them to be able to examine issues from multiple perspectives in order to be able to think critically about it to determine whether or not the information is believable and ultimately, its validity (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).  Realizing that this goal is not something that I will instantly be able to include in each of my lessons, my goal will be to include one lesson per unit that will allow my students to perform their own research online, followed by their own evaluation of that information for its validity.  By incorporating lessons such as this, my students will begin to develop their new literacy skills along with a sense of responsibility for their own education.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer).  (2010a) Program Number 2:  New literacies. (DVD). Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer).   (2010b) Program Number 7:  Critical Evaluation. (DVD). Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Reflection on Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

            Teachers are charged with one of the most important jobs that exist in society, educating our children.  I have my own personal approach when it comes to teaching and learning theories, and that is, when I am bored, then my students have to be bored as well.  So, when it comes to creating lessons, this is the theory that I keep in mind, leaving me with the challenge that will engage, not only my students, but me as well.  Upon completing this course, my own personal approach has not changed, but what has changed, are the new possibilities in regards to incorporating technology into those lessons.  One thing I discovered during this course is that without realizing it, much of my instruction is centered around Paivio's dual coding hypothesis which states that whenever possible, images should be utilized within instruction in lieu of text.  (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010a).  I have learned that in order for my students to truly understand something, then they either have to work with it using their hands, when possible, or to see images of it so that they can develop some sort of episodic memories to help them remember the content.

            Naturally, the one major change that I would like my instruction to undergo, is the incorporation of more technology.  The greatest challenge facing this change, however, is the lack of technology within my building.  Even though I may want to incorporate more technology, the technology that is needed is not always available, thus limiting just how much I am able to incorporate within my lessons.  This course has introduced me to various different technology tools that are available.  Since students learn best when they are building on something that can share with others, specifically an external artifact, I plan on incorporating VoiceThread into one of my upcoming lessons (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).  For this project, I plan on having my students use VoiceThread to share information regarding the thirteen colonies with their classmates.  A second technological tool that I plan on implementing within one of my upcoming lessons is a concept map.  By focusing on the mental activity that goes on while a student is learning, specifically, the way that information enters the mind, gets stored, and then finally used again, teachers will be able to better understand the learning process (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2008).  A concept map breaks information down into a very basic form, thus making it easier for students to understand the desired content.  My plans, are to have my students create a concept map to break down the three branches of government.  I figure the utilization of this type of technology will provide my students with a simple visual breakdown that will help them remember the information.

            The most obvious long-term goal that I would have for my classroom is to incorporate more technology into my lessons.  To meet this goal, I hope to incorporate at least one lesson every other week that incorporates technology.  I already do include some technological tools within my lessons, so the challenge will be to utilize even more of them for the students to work with.  A second goal would be to start to incorporate some student-centered projects within my lessons.  This goal will be harder for me to attain for different reasons.  At the fifth grade level, we have a large amount of content that we are expected to cover before our achievement tests in May.  Luckily, we are in the process of adopting new standards that will require students to master certain content areas at specific grade levels instead of constantly reviewing the same thing over and over and adding new threads of knowledge to it each year.  This new requirement will alleviate the amount of content and allow teachers to slow down and bring in more projects when covering their required content areas.  I think this new approach will give me time to both incorporate more student-centered lessons along with the usage of more technology within those lessons.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program thirteen. Technology: Instructional tool vs. learning tool [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program seven. Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

The Problem with Today's Classrooms

The Problem with Today's Classrooms is that some of us still don't have the technology that we need in order to create a collaborative student centered environment that will prepare our students with the skills necessary for the 21st century.  Click on the opening few words of this entry to see my VoiceThread file that addresses this issue.

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

            When students work collaboratively in an environment that fosters cooperative learning in order to build an artifact, they are engaging in the social learning process (Laureate Education, 2010a).  The advancement and creation of new technologies should be making it easier for teachers to implement this theory within their classroom.  The challenge, however, for some of us, is not having enough of the needed technology to implement the social learning theory to its full potential in regards to 21st Century Skills.  When the needed technology is present, this theory allows the teachers to transform their classroom environment to a student centered learning environment in which the students take on the responsibility for their learning in such a manner that allows them to constantly interact with other students either in groups or by using programs online that allow for a social interaction amongst peers.  While this collaborative, student-led style of learning is taking place, the teacher is left to facilitate the learning of the students ensuring that they stay on track within their learning plan.

            One instructional strategy that I have recently discovered that correlates with the principles of social learning is a website called Schoology.  Schoology is essentially FaceBook for education.  It is a website that allows for social interaction amongst students and teachers coupled with learning management for teachers that allow them to share academic content with their students.   Through my Schoology class pages, my fifth grade students have been able to share content with each other, pose questions for items that they might not understand, and have those questions answered by other students.  This website has allowed me to create a controlled social platform for my students to participate that can be used to first introduce them to social networking, and then to educate these students as to how to properly interact with each other in this type of environment.

            VoiceThread is another instructional strategy that allows for collaboration between students in a cooperative learning environment.  This website allows students to create an online photo album where you are able to upload different images in order to tell a story.  Once a file is created on VoiceThread, students, or the public domain, will be able to leave their own comments about the document that was created.  This website will give students complete freedom in regards to telling their story, thus allowing teachers an even greater insight into the minds of their students and just what each student is thinking during this creative process (Laureate Education, 2010b).  This student will also increase the enthusiasm within your students since they will be creating an artifact completely on their own and based on how they want it to look.

            The constant innovation and creation of new technologies within today's society is causing a fundamental shift to environments that value collaboration and cooperative learning while utilizing the new technological tools that we now have.  It is up to teachers to incorporate these student-led cooperative learning environments within their lessons.  Doing so will generate a greater enthusiasm and interest from students, but will also help students master the needed 21st Century Skills that will have them prepared for the workforce that awaits them.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Program eight. Social learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Program ten. Spotlight on technology: VoiceThread [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

www.schoology.com

http://voicethread.com/

Constructivism in Practice

Constructivism in Practice

Constructionism can be described as a theory that states students learn best when they are building on something that can share with others, specifically an external artifact (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  When building their own artifact, students tend to be more engaged in the learning process.  This theory also allows students to take responsibility and have some control in their own learning.  By having students become active participants within their own learning, they are more likely to have a higher interest level creating a larger base of knowledge within each student.

One instructional strategy that can be utilized with the constructivist approach is generating and testing hypotheses.  This strategy allows students to perform complex tasks while applying learned content knowledge and vocabulary, all the while they are creating a better understanding of a specific content area (Pitler, Hubbell, & Malenoski, 2007).  The generating and testing hypotheses can be broken down into several different tasks with one of these tasks being invention.  For years, I have had my students take part in an 'Invention Convention'.  For this project, students were required to create their own invention that solved a problem or helped make the earth a better place.  Students had to first generate an idea as to what their invention was going to be and exactly what problem it was going to solve.  Once students decided on their invention, they then had to construct a hypothesis that could be tested with their invention.  After planning on how they were going to build their invention and sketching out the 'blueprints' for it, students then went about creating their invention in order to test their hypothesis.  Students had to then analyze the results of their testing and then decide whether or not they wanted to alter their invention based on their test results.  This project allowed students to not only create an artifact, their invention, but also gave students the freedom to generate and test their own hypothesis as to what problem their invention was designed to solve.

Project based learning is a strategy that allows students to work collaboratively at length on a project that results in the creation of an artifact (Orey, 2010).  Utilizing the project based learning strategy will allow students to choose their own activities, conduct their own research, and then perform their own analysis of the information in order to create a meaningful project (Orey, 2010).  I will be implementing this approach once testing has been completed this spring, when I have my students create their own wiki page that outlines the three branches of government, their jobs, and how the system of checks and balances.  For this project, students will be working in small groups and be responsible for their own learning on this topic.  I will provide each groups with a set of guidelines as to what their page must consist of, however, they will be responsible for researching and analyzing the information that they find on their own.  This project will create an environment that is student-centered while having an end result of each group creating their own artifact that illustrates how our government works.

The constructionist theory is a theory that teachers need to incorporate into their classrooms.  This theory places an emphasis on creating a meaningful artifact through a learning environment that places the students in charge.  By utilizing this theory, teachers will be allowing their students to take an active role in their own learning process while placing the responsibility of learning on the students while the teacher facilitates this type of learning environment.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program seven. Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Orey, M., 2010.  Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.  Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Behaviorism

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cognitivism in Practice

Cognitive learning is an information processing model that allows students to use multiple senses during presentations or activities to help enhance their learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  The goal of cognitive learning theories is to help a student commit information to their long-term memory through the process of rehearsal, or practice.  There are many different strategies that can be incorporated to assist with this skill, including cues, questions, and graphic organizers, summarizing and note taking, concept mapping, and virtual field trips.

Cues, questions, and graphic organizers help students focus in on improving their ability to retrieve, use, and organize any information that is needed for a topic (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Cues, which I use extensively within my classroom in order to get my students attention when we are covering a particular area that they need to know and understand, are hints or specific reminders about what students need to learn (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Questions, which I also utilize quite frequently to review concepts learned on the previous day, also have a tendency to trigger certain aspects of students' memories.  Graphic organizers help students by allowing them to organize their thoughts or ideas related to a specific subject so that they will be able to better break the material down or to help them understand the material better prior to covering the topic (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

Summarizing and note taking are two skills that allow students to take large quantities of information and then break it down into smaller more manageable chunks while not omitting any of the important pieces (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).  Note taking is a skill that I rarely use with my fifth grade students.  I have learned that my students have a tendency to learn more not by writing things down, but by seeing pictures and videos of the content instead.  My students tend to score better when they have an actual mental image to relate to when trying to recall needed information.  Summarizing is a skill that we work on in fifth grade.  Not in the sense of note-taking, but more so in a sense of reading a passage and then being able to summarize the information that is in the passage or other required reading.

Concept mapping and virtual field trips are two other effective instructional strategies when it comes to allowing your students to visually remember or recall necessary information.  Concept mapping is just what it sounds like, a map.  This style of map, however, allows students the opportunity to see the break-down and relations between subgroups of information.  Virtual field trips, on the other, hand are basically a 'field trip' to a far away place or maybe even a trip into the past.  When using virtual field trips, students are able to see pictures or, in some cases, have a guide lead them around a historic site, go on safari in Africa, or even go back in time to experience an event that has already occurred.  Personally, I feel that virtual field trips are an outstanding way of allowing students to 'experience' different places for themselves.

Teachers have many different instructional strategies at their disposal to help enhance the learning environment of their students.  Just which instructional strategies a teacher plans to implement is up to them.  However, I have discovered, at least in my classroom, that the more visual the instructional strategy is, the more information my students will retain.  Knowing this, I try to include as many 'visuals' as possible into my lessons so my students have a specific image that they can recall when they are trying to remember specific facts about information that we have covered.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program five. Cognitive learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Behaviorism in Practice

            No matter if we are willing to admit it or not, all teachers utilize some sort of behaviorist learning theory within their classroom.  Most of the these behaviorist theories employed by teachers are done in an attempt to influence their students behavior in such a way that will create a welcoming and effective learning environment.  In order to establish this conducive learning environment, teachers will utilize a form of operant conditioning in which they reinforce the desirable behaviors of their students, while punishing the undesirable ones as well (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Besides reinforcing the actual behavior that students exhibit during class, teachers should also include instructional strategies that reinforces the desired behavior shown by their students.  Two of these instructional strategies that I value within my classroom are reinforcing effort and studying (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

            I teach fifth grade students, and one of the things I stress with them is the development of their work ethic.  Since the work load increases greatly from the fourth to fifth grade in my school district, I feel that developing a good work ethic is vital to for the success of my students as they get older.  Reinforcing their effort is an instructional strategy that I employ in order to place a positive emphasis on the need for developing a good work ethic.  Besides praise, and the occasional reward, I also reinforce the need for a good work ethic through the 'Quote of the Week' that we do.  Each Monday, we will spend a few minutes discussing a different quote.  These quotes usually deal with the importance of making the right choices in life, developing a good character, and stress the importance of working hard in order to achieve whatever goals that you set.  I feel that this kind of reinforcement is important at this age in order to help these students develop a good character.

            Another way I am able to utilize reinforce the effort of my students is through the use of our 'CPS', or 'clicker' system.   Our CPS system is basically a remote answering system that allows my students to 'click' in their answers to multiple choice questions.  By having this kind of technology within my classroom, I am able to perform assessments at any point during my instruction in order to get an idea as to whether or not my students are understanding the lesson.  Since this system allows me to see their answers instantly, I am able to reinforce their effort by providing students with immediate feedback based on their results.  The students also respond well to the instant reinforcement that they receive when the results  for each question are posted.  They cheer each other on when they score well, and show disappointment when they struggle on a concept as well.  While the cheering offers positive reinforcement to the desired behavior of getting the question correct, the disappointment is equally as effective.  When the students do not score well on a question, they are motivated to relearn that particular topic in order to improve their score the next time we do the assessment.

            The second instructional strategy that I emphasize in my classroom is studying, or the process of developing good study skills.  The two subject areas that I teach are science and social studies.  I tend not to give homework to my students since they normally have math and reading / language arts homework each night.  By not giving much homework to my students, tests become very important in determining the grade for each of my students.  For this reason, it becomes vital for my students to develop good study skills.  Since it can be difficult to check whether or not my students have actually studied and increased their mastery of the current content, I rely on short cycle assessments in order to evaluate my students progress and study skills.  While these types of assessments may not offer my students repetitive practice like homework does, they do allow me to measure the progress of my students while giving my students additional practice in topics we may have already covered.  My CPS system also allows me to receive instant results with these assessments as well which then allows me to provide my students with any deserved praise, or additional instruction for areas that they many have struggled on.

            The need for developing a good work ethic while learning good study skills are two important behaviors for fifth graders to develop.  Constant positive reinforcement is needed in order to develop these types of skills within ten and eleven year-olds.  While some fifth graders may struggle to understand the importance of developing these skills at this age, it is very fulfilling to watch those that do thrive.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program four. Behaviorist learning theory [Web Cast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD:    Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.