EDLD+5364+Teaching+with+Technology

**Week One Reflection Assignment **
 * EDLD 5364 Teaching With Technology **

First, I must say it is great to be back in a “technology” course again! This week’s videos, readings, and discussion board posts have renewed my energy for assisting teachers with true technology integration. The three learning theories, constructivism, connectivism, and cyborg theory and their relation to technology provided some interesting reading.

The constructivist theory is one I am very comfortable with and was the focus of a technology integration grant I participated in several years ago. As it is pointed out in one of our readings, “teachers worry that this type of classroom environment may be misinterpreted by others who see a constructivist teacher as not in control or not working hard,” (Sprague & Dede, 1999). Actually, the opposite is true. Teachers who successfully implement the constructivist model offer a student-centered learning environment where collaboration, motivation, differentiation and communication are the norm. To facilitate this type of learning environment requires planning and hard work.

George Siemen’s theory of connectivism outlines how one is able to create connections with sources of information making learning a continual process. Simply put, learners know where to find knowledge that is needed. The part technology plays in this theory is that “many of the processes previously handled by learning theories can now be off-loaded to or supported by technology,” (Solomon & Schrum, 2007, p.41).

The third theory introduced in our readings and described in a video is the cyborg learning theory. This theory proves to be the most difficult to comprehend. This theory seems to merge man and machine into one being as evidenced by this statement, “Cyborgs do not view technology as other or separate from human but rather see technological advance on par with human evolution; both, one and the same,” (McPheeters, 2009).

McPheeters, D. (2009, March). Social Networking Technologies in Education, //Tech and Learning.// Retrieved August 8, 2009 from []

Sprague, D. & Dede, C. (1999). If I teach this way, am I doing my job: Constructivism in the classroom. //Leading// // and Learning, 27( // 1). Retrieved January 28, 2011 from the International Society for Technology in Education at []

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.// Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

**EDLD 5364 Teaching With Technology ** **Week Two Reflection Assignment **

This week’s readings and videos on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework have established a foundation for me in curriculum development. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials and assessments that work for everyone—not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs (Center for Applied Special Technology, n.d.). UDL addresses the unique way each of us learns by stimulating three primary brain networks: recognition, strategic, and affective. Each of the three principles of UDL relates to a brain network and step in the learning process: 1) multiple means of representation – recognition network – the “what” of learning 2) multiple means of action and expression – strategic network – the “how” of learning and 3) multiple means of engagement – affective network – the “why” of learning.

The classrooms throughout my campus are comprised of a diverse group of students; culturally, educationally, and economically. This student diversity overwhelmingly supports the need for providing learner-centered environments that meet the needs of each individual. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) identified Nine Categories of Instructional Strategies linked to Seven Categories of Technology. Combining these strategies with UDL, teachers will be able to plan learning opportunities that support the individual learning needs of their students. The knowledge I have gained from this week’s reading and video materials has better equipped me in my role as the educational technology leader on my campus.

Center for Applied Special Technology. (n.d.). //About UDL.// Retrieved from []

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

**EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology ** **Week Three Reflection Assignment **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Wow! This has been a week filled with opportunities to learn new things. Creating my eBook was an enjoyable experience. I became so involved in it that I did not know I had spent a few hours tweaking it. I shared this tool with the G/T teacher at our intermediate campus and I believe it is a strategy that is an answer to Pitler’s (2007) lesson planning questions: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Which strategies will provide evidence of student learning? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate learning? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply learning? (p. 217)

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">CAST’s (Center for Applied Special Technology) Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lesson builder template provided another engaging learning experience. The structure it provided for building a detailed lesson plan allowed me to create lessons with elements which addressed all three brain networks: recognition, strategic and affective (Rose & Meyer, 2002). I can see the benefits my campus would experience if we adopted the UDL template as the standard for lesson plan development. The template causes one to really think about their lesson structure, the activities each lesson implements and how it impacts student learning.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). //Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Curriculum Development.


 * Week 3 eBook Reflection **

**<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Link to eBook: [] **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Once I got started with the creation of my eBook, I could not stop! Before I began the actual creation of the book I created a bank of images I would be able to select from to help illustrate my eBook. I chose to create a book which would also serve as a learning activity within the lessons I developed for our group project. Therefore the title of my eBook is //Rock On! The Rock Cycle.// I viewed a couple of model books and reviewed some of the information in the ‘Tips and Resources’ section of the book builder site before I created my first page. When I completed the last page, I did not realize that hours had passed since I began. Creating the book was engaging and the final product will provide a lesson activity which supports diverse recognition networks (Rose & Meyer, 2002). I used Google’s translator to translate the English text into Spanish. Having the translated text allowed me to use one of the coaches to read the text in Spanish. I provided three coaches for audio on each page of the book. One coach provided the translated text, one was a male voice, and the other was a recording of me. In addition to the audio, each page of the book provides an image to support the text. Our group chose to create a unit of lessons for our group project with each lesson building on knowledge from previous lessons and thereby supporting the constructivist approach to learning by providing students an opportunity to build on what they already know (Solomon & Schrum, 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). //Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning.// Alexandria, VA: Association for <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Supervision and Curriculum Development.

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.// Eugene, OR: International <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Society for Technology in Education.


 * Week Three UDL Lesson Building Reflection **

**<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Link to UDL Lesson on Group Project Site: ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Using the UDL Lesson Plan Builder this week was an engaging learning experience. The structure it provided for building a detailed lesson plan allowed me to create lessons with elements which addressed all three brain networks: recognition, strategic and affective (Rose & Meyer, 2002). As I developed the lesson(s) using this format, it was easy to integrate technology components to support student learning. Pitler (2007) introduced the four planning questions for instruction and emphasized that it is essential that teachers design a quality lesson plan first and then select the most appropriate technologies to support that lesson. Lesson plans developed through this tool would be a great asset for mentors to provide new teachers. Our team chose to develop a unit of lessons to solve the scenario-based group project. By using the same lesson plan tool we were able to communicate more effectively during our online collaborative sessions. I would highly recommend teachers use the UDL Lesson Plan Builder to create student-centered learning opportunities. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). //Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">NETS/ISTE Standards: II.A., II.B., III.A., III.D., III.E., V.B., VI.B., & VIII.A.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">ELCC Standards: 2.2, 2.3, 6.1, 6.2, & 6.3

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">TExES Standards: Competencies 2 & 6

**<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">Week Four Reflection Assignment **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">As week 4 comes to a close and I reflect back on what I have learned, I must note that I didn’t just acquire new information but have been able to apply what I have learned about cooperative learning through our group project. Even though we are physically separated by many many miles, we are able to communicate, collaborate and complete tasks as if we were working together in the same room.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Developmentally healthy learning environments are essential for student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2007) and cooperative learning promotes building strong relationships which is characteristic of healthy learning environments. Working in groups helps build trust and teamwork. Pairing technology and cooperative learning facilitates group collaboration, provides structure for group tasks and allows group members to communicate even when they are not working face to face (Solomon & Schrum, 2007).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Experiencing the benefits of cooperative learning first-hand has strengthened my skills as a technology leader. Through this experience, I am better prepared to promote and implement cooperative learning on my campus for students and teachers.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Edutopia.org. (Producer). (2007, December 10). //The collaborative classroom: An interview with Linda Darling-Hammond.// [Video Webcast]. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.// Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18pt;">EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology ** ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">Week Five Reflection Assignment ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Prior to this week’s readings, I had never thought about the relationship between technology and student effort. We talk about students’ lack of effort and don’t concentrate on reinforcing effort. I realize now the importance of the instructional strategy of // reinforcing effort // and how it enhances students’ understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). We must teach them the importance of effort. Technology allows teachers and students to chart and track the results of effort. This strategy provides immediate feedback and gives the students tangible evidence of the relationship between effort and achievement. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Solomon and Schrum (2007) pointed out the conflict between the ‘new school’ model and high-stakes testing that I feel on a regular basis. Many of my “old school” teachers are having a difficult time moving into the 21st century. Implementing new assessment strategies via Web 2.0 tools that are ongoing formative assessments will help them identify areas of weakness during the learning process instead of at the end after all “teaching” has taken place. Schools must implement innovative learning methods where the teachers become mentors and students become empowered (“Vision for 21st Century Learning,” n.d.). <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works.// Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools.// Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Youtube.com (n.d.). // Vision for 21st Century Learning. //[Video Webcast]//. //Retrieved from []