GAME Plan in review

Over the past seven weeks I have worked to develop and implement my GAME Plan that will help me to effectively and appropriately integrate technology into my afterschool programs. I chose to focus on the following NETS-T indicators:

2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

3c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital media and formats.

5b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).

I strived to strengthen my skill set in regards to my chosen NETS-T indicators through creating and sharing informational screencasts, use social media to connect better with families and tutors, and to become comfortable with podcasting in order to share our stories.

I have been very successful with my implementation of screencasts. I have not only created and shared how-to videos for training but I have also created them as a means of sharing new technology tools. Last week while I was visiting one of my programs I intended on using a video to enhance the learning activity. During the activity I learned that we could not access YouTube during the school day. This lead to me learning how to download videos off of the Internet so that they could be saved in another format allowing them to be used during the school day. I created a screencast for tutors on how to download videos from the Internet quickly. I have a few screencast ideas in the works for ChatterPixKids, using Garageband for podcasting and digital storytelling, and integrating audio and videos in power points. Screencasting has been one of the most successful and easy to use ways of integrating technology that I have learned recently. I would love to show student how to use screencasting so that they can create their own digital stories as a form of instructional videos.

The integration of social media has taken much longer than I had anticipated. Yesterday I was finally able to connect with my company’s Communications Director. We went over the procedures and protocols for using social media in the afterschool programs. Based on feedback from the afterschool programs we have decided to focus on Facebook as our means of communication on social media. I think that once we get ourselves established on Facebook and gain a good following we will add in Twitter. The online collaboration aspect of my goal has been very successful. Although there are only two of the six groups implementing blogging into the program the students, tutors, principals, and parents are very excited and impressed with the process. I plan on sharing this success on our Facebook page.

Using podcasting as a way of sharing our stories is still in the works. I have tested out Garageband a couple of times but I have yet to produce a finished product that I would like to share. I am currently on my way to a small afterschool program filled with upper elementary students. I plan on using my time to interview students. I will combine those interviews and pictures to create a digital story this evening. If successful I will send the finished product to the tutor and students and possible the local radio station. I have had success with building a relationship with another site’s local radio station so I am hopeful that sharing this podcast will receive positive feedback here as well.

Throughout the past couple of weeks I have learned the powerful role that online collaboration, problem-based learning activities, and digital storytelling can play in the afterschool programs. I am very excited to continue to monitor and contribute the two programs that are blogging. I am also very optimistic in the prospect of integrating digital storytelling. Our afterschool programs offer a chance for tutors and students to test out new ways of demonstrating understanding in a less structured environment. By creating a digital story podcast and sharing it will help to inspire other programs to try it out for themselves.

Final Thoughts… I have enjoyed learning how to set Goals, plan Actions, Monitor, and Evaluate my lessons and learning. More importantly I am enjoying learning ways that I can modify and adjust these tools to fit into the afterschool programs. There are so many ways to integrate technology into our programs it is a pleasure to present them to the tutors and see which ones make it into the programs to enhance the students learning experiences.

Resources

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

GAME Plan Progress

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Over the past couple of weeks I have taken steps to increase my confidence and proficiency in technology integration in afterschool programs. Reviewing my GAME Plan that I created two weeks ago I see that I have made progress towards addressing the NETS-T indicators that I selected.

2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

3c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital media and formats.

5b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). 

My first goal was to create instructional screencasts for the tutors and students to access when utilizing the online programs and our website. Although I have not received much feedback as to how many tutors have actually used the videos the few responses that I have received has been positive. In fact I had another tutor, who missed training due to weather, come into the office last week so we could go over a few things in person. As we were talking I found out that by watching the How to Enroll a Student video she had already begun enrolling her class. It was very validating for me and empowering for her. NETS-T: 2a, 3c

Another goal that I established has been to use social media to better connect with families. Last week I wrote about the fantastic webinar that I attended. This week I have been watching the tutorials developed by the same presenter. In these videos, especially The Language of Videos I have gained a greater insight into the basics of Twitter (Mazza, 2015). I have created a brief survey to send out to families and I plan on including how to utilize twitter during professional development site visits in the areas where families are interested in receiving program updates via Twitter. NETS-T: 3c, 5b

My last goal was to include podcasts that the students and tutors in the afterschool programs can use to share program activities with families and communities. I originally had chosen gcasts but after a bit of research I am going to explore GarageBand on the iPads. I have an iPad in the office that I can explore with and the students have a mobile iPad cart. Since GarageBand should already be installed this would be a more accessible and usable tool. I have located a couple of YouTube videos that will help me to explore and locate the different GarageBand features. NETS-T: 2a, 3c, 5b

So far I am finding many resources and sources of information that are helping me to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in integrating various forms of technology that support my goals. My goals have not needed to be modified significantly as of yet, besides changing the podcast tool. Once I receive the feedback from families and tutors I may have to adjust how I will reach my goals. Creating and implementing my GAME Plan has helped to encourage me to find answers to questions that I have been pondering for a while. Although I have a personal Twitter account and I read my Twitter feed daily I have never posted a tweet. I am excited to set up two Twitter accounts, one for each program, and post my first tweet! So far, no new questions, but who knows what next week will have in store. 

Resources

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

Mazza, J. (2015) Lead learner. Part 2/5 The Language of twitter. Retrieved from http://www.leadlearner.com/learntwitter/twitterlanguage/

Carrying Out My GAME Plan

Kids need to be more than proficient and integrating technology is a great way to provide was way for all students to blossom (Laureate Education, 2009). Last week I blogged about developing and strengthening my strategies for integrating technology into my afterschool programs through the use of a GAME plan. The three national Educational Standards for Teachers, NETS-T indicators that I chose to focus on are:

2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

3c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital media and formats.

5b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others (2008). 

                  This week I have participated in a webinar called Engaging Families Using High and Low Tech Strategies with guest speaker Joe Mazza (Manhattan Strategy Group, 2015). This fantastic webinar was geared directly to afterschool programs and ways to develop and strengthen two-way communication between families and schools. Mazza recommended sending out quick parent surveys that asked families how they prefer to access program information. He explained that emails and newsletters are not the most effective ways of sharing exciting program news, reminders, and events. I have to agree. I send out dozens of emails a week to the tutors facilitating the afterschool programs and unless they respond I have no idea if they really read and benefited from the information. The same can be said for the family and staff newsletters. By sending out tweets families will have easy access to the day’s events from which to build conversations with their child (Manhattan Strategy Group, 2015). NETS-T 3c & 5b

                  Using a social media tool such as Twitter may provide an exciting and easily accessable way to communicate with parents and tutors. Another way that I would like to explore increasing communication between tutors in the larger program involves Voxer; a mobile messaging system for teams. “Voxer combines the power of live voice with text and photo sharing” (Voxer.com, 2015). In this large program the groups are spread out throughout the school and occasionally take field trips. Using a mobile messaging tool would help the lead teacher keep track of the groups and more quickly address issues. Our local techie has reported that Voxer takes up little data and will work on any smart phone. She has also agreed to test out Voxer with me so that I have a better understanding of this communication tool (Voxer.com, 2015). NETS-T 3c & 5b

                  During my most recent tutor training sessions this past week I shared my desire to utilize blogs in place of traditional paper journals. I am delighted to report that I have three sites that are interested in blogging with their students. All three of the sites have access to technology and I have created a class that will support up to 50 users for free with kidblog. I have been suggesting this tool for a few months and I am so thrilled that I have tutors on board. Our plan is to use one class for all three sites so that students can communicate with friends, teachers, and peers throughout the district. NETS-T 2a, 3c, & 5b.

                  Last week I set a goal for myself to create a few how-to videos for the tutors who may need additional training or have missed a training session. I am happy to report that creating, posting, and sharing my Jing screencasts was a success!!! I shared my creations with coworkers and they were pretty impressed with this new addition to the training tools. It has provided a great venue for differentiating learning activities so that tutors are provided with another way of accesses important information (Laureate Education, 2009). I think I will create another screencast showing how to create a screencast so that tutors have a tool for creating screencasts of their own. I think it would be amazing if I could get students on board to create videos for their tutors on how to integrate technology into the afterschool program so that they can teach their teachers and have an opportunity to showcase their own talents in the afterschool programs (Laureate Education, 2009).

Still to do:

·       Learn more about gcast through instructional videos and blog posts.

·       Become more fluent with kidblog and create instructional videos for tutors.

·       Become more confident and find out exactly what a # does in a twitter through                       instructional videos on  http://www.leadlearner.com/learntwitter/twitterbasics/

Got a minute and want to know more? Check out these sites.

Engaging Families Using High & Low Tech Strategies webinar: http://youtu.be/b34zC7uUmxU

Joe Mazza’s blog: Lead Learner http://www.leadlearner.com/

Voxer: Mobile messaging for teams http://www.voxer.com/

Any Meeting: free web conferencing https://www.anymeeting.com

Resources

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

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas: Meeting students' needs with technology, part 2. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Manhattan Strategy Group. (2015, January 21). Webinar: Engaging Families Using High & Low Tech Strategies. Retrieved from  http://youtu.be/b34zC7uUmxU

Voxer.com (2015). Retrieved from www.voxer.com

Upping my GAME plan

In this new course we are learning to develop a GAME Plan that will guide self-directed learning activities (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

Goal Action Monitor Examine

As we begin to explore how to effectively use a GAME Plan we are working this week to design a plan for strengthening my confidence in at least two NETS-T indicators. 

Goals:

I have chosen 3 NETS-T indicators that I would like to improve upon (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). I choose the following because they address different aspects of the afterschool program’s grant goals. I also feel that these indicators can be addressed simultaneously through a few different actions. 

2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

3c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital media and formats.

5b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others. 

Action:

In order to meet my goal of strengthening my knowledge and ability to effectively implement my goal NETS-T indicators I have chosen the following actions. 

This weekend I will be facilitating a small training session for a new group of tutors. In our programs we use online learning activities, an online incentive store, and we take attendance and create reports all online. Although we go over and practice how to use these tools and tutors are provided with paper-based instructions there are typically questions or challenges during the first couple of weeks. I have decided to create screencasts that will demonstrate how the process of logging in and using various programs. It is my hope that these tutorials will provide additional useful help that tutors can use on their own and with their students. NETS-T: 2a, 3c

Next week I am participating in a free webinar that focuses on the many ways to use social media to connect with families. This webinar is designed to utilize the latest tools to better communicate with families and afterschool programs. Currently my communication is newsletter and second hand story based. I am excited to learn about the effectiveness of social media with families and staff member in afterschool programs. NETS-T: 3c, 5b

I have recently learned about phone based podcasts called gcasts (Laureate Education, 2009). I would love to learn more about this program to give tutors on the field another option for quickly capturing the learning that is taking place in the afterschool programs. If tutors and students are able to produce interesting and fast podcasts then we will be able to use those to share what is going on with parents and the community via the local radio station.  NETS-T: 2a, 3c, 5b

Monitor

The monitoring step in the GAME Plan process will take place both throughout the next couple of months. As I am building my awareness and skills I will self-assess to ensure that I the actions I am taking are helping me to reach my goals. By asking questions such as “Am I finding the information I need? and “Do I need to modify my action plan?” it will help me to ensure that I am on the right track (Cennamo et al., 2009, p 4). 

Once I feel that I have I have a strong base I will move onto developing plans for implementing the technology integration skills into lessons. During my next site visit I will model lessons and activities that integrate technology for both tutors and students including gcasts, virtual field trips with corresponding diagnostic and summative assessment and possibly my current favorite technology tool; VoiceThread

Evaluate:

When determining if I have meet my self-directed learning goals I will look at how successful I was at improving student learning and whether or not the tutors have utilized the tools that I have shown. I overall goal is to improve the quality experience that the students and tutors are having in the afterschool program. If I am able to demonstrate easy and enjoyable technology integration into the program then I believe all of the participants will benefit. Although technology infusion is not written into the grant it can be thoughtfully interwoven into the literacy, cultural, family and community connections so that students are being prepared for their 21^st Century lives (Prensky, 2008) 

Resources

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

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

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas: Enriching content area learning experiences with technology, part 1. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.

The Power to Change Lives

Teachers have the power to change lives forever (Nieto, 2003). I love this thought. It evokes such a strong sense of responsibility and exhilaration. The idea that we as educators play such an important role in each student’s life is amazing and daunting all at once. Being mindful that I have the power to positively impact the young lives I encounter helps to drive me to learn all I can so that I make the most informed and best choices in my classroom practices.

As another class draws to an end I am given time to reflect on what I have learned about myself as a teacher and what positive changes I can make to enrich the lives around me. At the beginning of this class I reflected on my personal learning theory and how that has shaped my teaching over the last decade. Seven weeks ago I was and still am a strong believer in the social learning theories. I have however gained a new appreciation for the roles that behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructionism/comstructivism play in the classroom.

Throughout this course I have learned that although the various learning paradigms differ in their approach to how people learn they all support the idea that the learner needs to be active in the learning process. In addition, all of the learning theories that we discussed support technology integration into the classroom (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b).

One important addition that I will be including in my personal theory of learning is the importance of learner-centered lessons. I am working on changing my mindset that student driven activities do not take away my control of the learning environment but rather learner-directed activities give students the power over their learning. By shifting the focus I am sharing the responsibility of learning and the role of teaching with students. By embracing the ideas of the global classroom and the fact that students have brilliant ideas that they are eager to share will enhance learning and we will all benefit (Friedman, 2005).

I have been introduced to a mind-boggling amount of educational technologies throughout this course. So many of which I can envision incorporating into activities. I have come to the realization that incorporating technology for the sake of incorporation diminishes the integrity of the lesson. In order for technology to be used effectively there must be clear intent so that the appropriate technology is integrates properly (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2005).

There are so many technology tools that I am excited to integrate or introduce into the afterschool program this year. The learning tool that I am most excited about is a blog. The tutors who directly facilitate our programs are located throughout rural Alaska and this can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation. I am hopeful that by having the tutors test-drive a communal blog as way of sharing idea, triumphs and concerns the entire afterschool learning community will benefit. By making the blog accessible to not only the tutors but the program coordinators, site administrators, and other members of the program who may not be intimately aware of what goes on during tutoring sessions, it will keep remote members more up to speed and aware of the unique situation. I am looking forward to using our blog as a way to keep the lines of communication open and fluid. By sharing ideas in an open form instead of our traditional newsletter I am optimistic that the tutoring experience will be enriched and learning will be greater. If the blog idea proves to be fruitful I would like to have the students in grades two through five join in on the experience. I envision their personal blogs taking over for our more traditional journals. I believe that the students taking part in a secure blog adventure facilitated by the local tutor and remotely by myself, students will gain a richer writing experience because they will be not only using appealing 21^st century tools but they will be writing to a greater audience than just a teacher (Richardson, 2010).

Another technology based learning tool that I would like to introduce to students would be multimedia VoiceThread or videoconferencing activities. VoiceThread is so easy to use and it gives students options on how to leave comments it will appeal to a wide range of interests and abilities. Incorporating a VoiceThread activity with a concept map on a student chosen topic will allow students the opportunity to engage in both social and academic activities (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012). Tools such as VoiceThread and Skype will allow me to interact and better meet the needs of the students taking part in our program. In previous school years I have been very removed from the daily learning that is taking place, relying on online reports or tutor email to keep me informed. By coordinating with tutors to incorporate more learner-centered technology activities it will allow me to play a more active and supportive role in the afterschool sessions. It is my hope that I can ease the burden of the tutors and keep motivation high so that everyone enjoys attending our program.  

As for long-term changes that I would like to make to my instructional practices regarding technology integration I would like to begin a collection of technology tools and ideas. So often I come across or am introduced to fascinating ideas that I would like to use one day but then I forget to write it down or bookmark the website. My goal is to take my study time during the next two weeks that I will not be in class to begin my collection based off of my last courses. I would like to create a web-based collection perhaps on a Google Doc and also physical laminated color-coded cards. This will give me options for sharing ideas at my fingertips so that out tutors and colleagues will benefit from the resource that I am gathering. Once I have the initial format established it would be a matter of updating the collection as I learn about new educational technologies.

Another long-term goal is a to continue to build my confidence and increase my comfort level with utilizing technology in the class. For most of my teaching career I have shied away from incorporating anything but the very basic technology with my students. I have a fear of unforeseen troubles and chaos that traditional teacher directed lessons tend to avoid. Recently when a friend asked me about my studies and if I felt like I was becoming a “techie” I laughed and said no, but I am becoming braver. I am beginning to feel less afraid of the unknown and more willing to trouble shoot computer-based problems. It is such a feeling of accomplishment when I am able to figure out a small problem with the use of a seach engine or YouTube video. I can see this new confidence helping me in introducing the use of a blog, VoiceThread, and Skype to the tutors I work with. Some of my colleagues will be hesitant to integrate these tools into the afterschool sessions for the same reason I would be. It replaces their concrete control with the unknown. It is my goal to introduce the ideas slowly and with great care so that teachers who may be tepid see the great potential stepping into 21^st century learning has to offer. I do not see that I will meet the goal of being completely comfortable with technology anytime soon but I do believe that if I plan and practice what will be integrated and anticipate potential problems I will decrease my anxiety and increase my confidence.

Overall throughout this course I have strengthened my resolve to put technology into the hands of the students I work with because when students are using appropriate, engaging and meaningful tools those students will drive their own learning. And isn’t that that purpose of teaching? To use the power to change lives forever in a way that encourages students actively participate in their learning.

I would love to hear how your instructional strategies have been shaped by technology. Thank you for reading. 

References

Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times.Retrieved

from http://www.nytimes.com

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Program one: Understanding the brain [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Program three: Instructional theory

vs. learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and

technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=la

reate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=

&bhcp=1

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

Nieto, S. (2003). What keeps teachers going? New York: Teachers College Press.

  Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that

works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Cooperating to Learn: How Social Learning Theories influence the Classroom

The social learning theory focuses on the idea that people learn best through their interactions, conversations, observations and imitations of others (Learning-Theories.com, 2014). Through these interactions students learn social, academic and behavior skills necessary to thrive in society. Cooperative learning enables students and teachers to gain the benefits of social learning. By incorporating cooperative learning strategies into the classroom, students are able to build and navigate networks of knowledge that would not be possible when learning in isolation (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).  

Cooperative learning allows students to learn in an environment where they are able to explore their ideas through talking and actively listening to their peers while working together to solve a problem or create a project. When students work together to learn, there is an increase of academic engagement and self-esteem as well as a decrease in feelings of loneliness and being left out (Pilter, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012). When incorporating cooperative learning groups it is important to keep in mind three key facts:

1.     groups need to be small, ideally 3-5 students

2.     cooperative learning works best when it is consistent and systematic

3.      include both positive group and individual accountability, ideally represented in a rubric before the project begins (Pilter et al, 2012)

Cooperative learning groups and technology can be interwoven to create exciting and engaging learning social learning opportunities. Students can work together to cerate an interactive VoiceThread or short movie to demonstrate understanding on a research topic or to recreate scenes from history or a novel. Creating a website such as a wiki, google sites on sites.google.com, or a Fusion Page on schoolfusion.com is a great way for students to work collaboratively to show learning. As our learning environments become globalized integrating quality web-enabled multiplayer simulation game is a exciting way to allow many people across the world to work together to complete a task or combine knowledge to solve a problem (Pilter et al, 2012).

There are many types of cooperative groups. Some require very little preparation or implementation time while others are more complex in nature. Listed below are a few ideas for incorporating cooperative learning into the classroom.

Think-pair-share: students are paired up to discuss an issue. Each student has time to share an idea, to listen and then to respond to the partner’s idea (Orey, 2001).

Jigsaw: each member of a small group is given a specific task or research topic. The team members then split up and work collectively with other peers assigned the same task as they become experts in their area. Once the research time is up the students gather into their original teams and teach their group members what they have learned (Orey, 2001).

Multi-aged groups: students work together in small age diverse groups (Orey, 2001).

Interactive-Role Playing: students take on the role of a specific character to work though a situation or problem. This helps students to see where multiple perspectives (Science Education Resource Center, 2011).

Check out http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/cooperative/example.html for additional ideas on cooperative learning grouping ideas.

Please check out my newest VoiceThread creation entitled Your Mission at

http://voicethread.com/share/5929214/   I would love to hear your comments on how I can improve this video to make it more appealing and relatable.

As always please feel free to share any idea you have on the topic. 

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program nine: Connectivism as a learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Learnng-Theories.com. (2014). Social learning theory (Bandura). Retrieved from http://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Science Education Resource Center-Carlton College. (July 27, 2011). Cooperative exercise examples. Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/cooperative/example.html

Constructing knowledge through constructivist and constructionist frames of mind.

This week we delve into the principles of constructivist/constructionist learning theories. When we look at how students build their own unique internal cognitive system of knowing then we are talking about Piaget’s constructivism. When the focus of constructivism is expanded to include student created artifacts then we are talking about Papert’s constructionism (Staker, 2002-2013). Both constructionism and constructivism are student-centered theories where the learners are actively engaged in their learning process (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

There are many project-based learning tools that support the constructionist learning theory and embed technology in meaningful and transferable ways. The idea behind project-based learning is the awareness that students learn best when their learning situations include realistic and relatable scenarios and the teacher becomes a learning guide (Orey, 2001).

Generating and testing hypothesis is a great venue for supporting PBL in the classroom. When students create hypothesizes they are engaging in complex mental process that call upon the student to draw on what they know about the subject and to challenge that understanding (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012). Creating theories allows students to actively construct their knowledge and understanding of a topic and allows them to become their own driving force of discovery. Using a concept mapping tool such as kidspiration can allow students to visualize their hypothesizes, alternatives and misconceptions. Microsoft Excel is another tool that can be used by students to create graphs that analyze different value meals from their favorite fast food restaurant or the changing migratory pattern of local birds (Pitler et al, 2012).

I came across this fun little article, 23 Ways to use the iPadin the 21st Century PBL Classroom. I particularly liked the suggestions to use Sketchbook Pro or Logo Maker to create a logo identifying a relevant social issue that students would want others to know about. I also liked the idea of using Twitter to summarize short socially important blogs or articles or using the imagery of Instagram to visually capture local issues (TeachThought, 2012). Podcasts or videos as story telling venues would also be a great artifact that supports project-based learning in the classroom.  

Please share any other inspiring PBL ideas. Thanks for reading.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Constructionism, learning by design and project based learning. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2^nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Staker, D. (2002-2013). Constructionism and constructivism. Changing Minds. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/explanations/research/philosophies/constructionism.htm

TeachThought. (October 11, 2012). 23 Ways to use the iPad in the 21^st century PBL classroom. Teachthought. Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/technology/23-ways-to-use-the-ipad-in-the-21st-century-pbl-classroom/