E.Jaramillo.EDU 6120 Final Paper
This is my final paper that focuses on the two main goals of education (social and academic) along with the avenues of knowledge attainment (receiving, discovery, and constructed).
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This week we learned about Plutarch and the knowledgeable child along with Ellis and his take on education reform. To sum up Plutarch (Sheuerman, unknown) in a couple words: nature, reason, and habit. With these three words in mind, a person can teach and a child can learn. In nature, a child can observe and understand the meaning of the world. Give the chance to reason, as well as being encouraged and praised, will foster the child’s desire to learn. With habitual connectivity to others, the student will grow to love learning. As educators we can support students by being effective teachers. As Porter and Brophy poiint out in Ellis, there are many ways in which to do so. Below is an image that summarizes these points of interest.
Along with providing tips for effective teaching, Ellis discussed the topic of education reform. There are five hot topics within the umbrella of eduaction reform. They are:
1. Classroom discipline (the unspoken, unclear reform tactic to weed out the “bad ones”)
2. Teacher training (the gray area between taking all candidates and providing enough training for them)
3. Teacher salaries (the prominent topic that gets the most headlines)
4. Career ladders (if there is such a thing)
5. Merit pay (a catch 22, if you will)
References
Ellis, A. (unknown). Education reform.
Scheuerman, R. (June 2913). Session 4 (Rome). Retrieved from http://mountainlightschool.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/session-4-rome1.pdf
The field of technology is an ever-expanding field that provides educators with endless possibilities and out-of-the box strategies for teaching digital native students. There are numerous emerging technologies that are being examined for their potential impact and usage in teaching.
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The NMC Horizon Report (Johnson, Adams & Cummins, 2012) states that there are near-term horizon, mid-term horizon and far-term horizon emerging technologies that could/will be mainstreamed in the future. There are two near-term horizon technologies that could be seen in the classrooms within 12 months: 1. mobile devices and apps (including “bring your own device” programs); and 2. apps and tablet computing. These technologies will foster growth from graphing complex mathematical equations, storing and sharing notes, e-book annotations, to one-to-one learning. The tablet computing has already been implemented in many Special Education settings, including my building, in which iPads are used for a whole range of academic growth and active participation of students with disabilities. There are two mid-term horizon technologies, as well, that could be seen in the classroom between two and three years: 1. game-based learning; and 2. personal learning environments (collections of tools and resources to support ones’ learning). These technologies will foster growth from collaboration and engagement in learning to self-control and actively engaged. There are two far-term horizon technologies that could be seen in four to five years: 1. augmented reality (layering of information); and 2. natural user interfaces. These technologies will foster growth from delivery of supplemental information, manipulation of real world through augmented reality to social skills. As it is clearly stated (Johnson, Adams, & Cummins, 2012) “natural interfaces have proven especially beneficial for autistic, blind, deaf, and other special needs students”. The use of natural interfaces with students with disabilities seems promising and brings a clearer sense of hope for successes for our students.
The New Media Consortium also set out an outline of their future projects (project review, 2013) in which new emerging technologies are on the time-to-adoption horizon. The two that are within a year of adoption are: 1. cloud computing; and 2. mobile learning. The two that are within two and three years of adoption are: 1. learning analytics; and 2. open content. The two that are within four and five years of adoption are: 1. 3D printing; and 2. virtual and remote laboratories.
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Will there be a balance or regulations as to how and what the students are using their mobile devices for? I know that students love gaming as well as using apps like SnapChat. However, the NMC Horizon Report does offer an extensive list of apps that could be used. And I did find a slideshow about must-have apps for successful high school students, which could be useful when implementing the near-term horizon technologies. There are a couple of really good ones to note, like Studious (organizer/planner), the chemical touch (chemistry) and graphing calculator (mathematics). I also found a website specifically for students with special needs, that could be useful if an educator is trying to find that balance and regulation when it comes to apps. The main pitfall with all the resources and app lists is how to sift through all these apps and find ones that pertain to the individual students in the classroom and how they learn, what the teacher is teaching, and how the app can apply to real life.
Two more uncertainties are staff development and implementation into the classrooms. Staff development is offered in all districts. But how many technology classes are offered and are teachers willing to take these classes? It is critical that they are properly trained, but if there are no classes or no incentive to go, these emerging technologies will fall by the wayside. Along with this is the implementation in the classroom, specifically teachers’ desire to implement and resources in order to do so.
References
Johnson, L., Adams, S., & Cummins, M. (2012). NMC horizon report: 2012 K-12 edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
NMC horizon project review 2013 K-12 edition, (2013). Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Prakash, Neha (27 August 2012). 10 Must-have apps for successful high school students. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/08/27/apps-for-high-school-students/.
Showing videos in the classroom can enhancing the learning and will grab students’ attention, as long as the video is appropriate for the lesson and age group. Teachers can effectively create and/or utilize videos in the classroom on an everyday or weekly basis. The internet is filled with plenty of information that can capture students’ attention thus they become more active participants in their learning. Just be cautious when using videos so as to not have them replace you as the main source of information (like in the cartoon above). Use it as a supplement and a tool not a crutch.
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Video production in the classroom can be effective if: 1. The design is clearly connected to the content and editing is simple enough to use; 2. Usage of the process is an instructional strategy; 3. it is a tool for teaching and engaging through critical thinking; 4. instruction has a purpose and target audience in which the instruction is guided through an authentic problem; and 5. guided by a design process (Hathaway & Norton, 2012). By focusing on these principles, the instructional strategy of video production will be beneficial both technologically and academically for the students. They are learning how to collaborate and use the editing tools in order to create a piece of work. At the same time, they are learning reflective and critical thinking skills that allow for a deeper understanding of the content of the lesson or unit.
When deciding what videos to show in the classroom teachers should remember the 7 R’s of video usage (School Media, Inc., 2011):
1. Respect the students’ desire in technology and use videos more often.
2. Review the videos beforehand and make sure they are appropriate.
3. Reflect during the video and discuss with the students.
4. Reach out to all the different resources available for teachers, not just the free ones.
5. Retest the equipment before the lesson.
6. Reuse some videos in other subject areas.
7. Replay videos and engage students, get their minds involved with repetition.
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When integrating video production into a unit, how does the teacher balance time between in class work on the project and teaching the content of the unit? I am guessing that a majority of the editing, and probably the filming, will have to be done during school hours with school equipment. Does the teacher allow for more editing time and only use video production for some units and not others?
Resources
Hathaway, D. & Norton, P. (2012). Video production: Bridging teacher education and classroom practice. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 20(2), 127-149.
School Media, Inc. (2011). 7 Biggest mistakes teachers make using videos in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.schoolvideos.com/expert/7_mistakes/
Using TeachSpark allowed me to receive feedback and suggestions on how to strengthen my “high growth” area of sensory integration. For these three lessons, I focused on our unit of friendly letters in writing. Prior to the feedback, I was teaching a Friendly Letter Song in the anticipatory set to begin the lesson. The students like the song and are learning the lyrics and remembering the parts of a letter.
In lesson one, we focused on the body of the letter and learning the friendly letter song. Through the feedback from my peers, I was able to add more movement into my lesson (as noted in the lyrics). The students love the song more with the movements and I see them pointing to their body parts when trying to remember parts of the letter while independently writing. The students liked learning something new and fun.
In lesson two, we focused on details of a message. I continued to find creative ways to sing and dance the song. We would sing it different ways: slow, fast, only touch body parts and state the part of the letter. We also discussed ideas about what to write. As a class, we wrote a letter. The students were eager to share their ideas. They were even more engaged in the letter than in previous lessons.
In lesson three, I focused on the signature part of the letter. I want to spend a writing session practicing signing names. I received some good advice about different ways to integrate styles of writing for a signature. The students love using playdough and shaving cream. I now have other tools such as sand, using gel pens, air/carpet writing, and even finger paint. The students will love these different modes of signing their name because they like to do art projects and are always asking to color or use shaving cream.
Throughout this mini-unit, my “high growth” area of sensory integration increased in usage. The students were more engaged with the movements and tactile tools utilized. I have learned more ways to integrate the senses and what senses the students love to use while learning.
Technology is an integral part of teaching, especially in my district. We have so many opportunities to utilize technology in the classroom. On a daily basis we use the SMARTBoard, an iPad and a document camera. Recently the district added newer apps onto the iPad, one of which is a story builder app. This app has helped students with sentence building. I have included two YouTube videos (click on the images) of the stories we have created recently.
The app gives you a question, has a sentence starter and you are to complete the sentence. We do this as a group activity and practice our answers before recording them. When we first started, some of the students would just say the end of the sentence. We listen to the old stories to help us create better new ones. The app allows for playback in which the students hear themselves speaking. It was great to see how they all interacted with each other through. I was able to connect the iPad to the projector so that all the students can see the image and questions. Once each separate question and answer were recorded, then we got to hear the finished product. The students were proud of their work, loved the activity, and were wanting to do more. They love the iPad and the games and activities on it are benefiting the wide range of academic levels in our classroom. There are so many apps on the iPad, such as sight word flashcards, matching numbers/colors/letters, social skills, rocket math, and even some recreational games like Angry birds. The students and I have an agreement, first we do some work (either individually, in small groups, or whole group), then they can choose a game. Not only are the students learning how to use technology, they are also building social skills with each other, learning how to take turns, applauding when someone does good, and even offering to help. In the future, I will continue to use technology because it offers students a chance to be active participants in a field in which they love. All students thrive with technology, thus it should be integrated as much as possible, as long as it is not overpowering the effectiveness of the teacher’s lessons.
Students learn in different ways, yet all of them have the same right to access the material being taught. For our unit on Black History Month in Social Studies, I created a Black History Month outline and a Black History Month PPT that compiled videos, music, and images of important topics. Just like our other units in social students, the students were intrigued and wanted to learn more. Throughout the unit, I would ask them for suggestions on what they wanted to learn and added it to the following lessons. We sang songs, wrote short phrases, and even “I have a dream” poems. The independent work was differentiated based on learners abilities. We discussed a lot of vocabulary words such as slavery, segregation, hero, justice, equality, and many more. Some of these words were familiar because we used them in our previous units as well. Having the vocabulary intertwined in the PowerPoint slides and written on the board (for the whole unit) allowed students to see those words throughout the day and in different contexts. I would integrate the vocabulary into daily language, especially words that could be used to praise the students and show them how they are being mindful citizens in our classroom. Students were able to use the vocabulary words correctly and in context and were fascinated by all they different types of heroes we discussed. For the future, I think I will do social studies units of heroes of Latinos, Africans, Asians, and any other cultures that are represented in my classroom. The students light up every time they recognize an important figure (like Dr. King) and some students wanted to share about heroes in their countries. I would also create a word bank or picture bank somewhere to describe model behavior/role models so that students always have positive influences to visually reference throughout the year.
The classroom is a community of its own. It is the duty of the members of the classroom to work together and be respectful. At the beginning of the year, a behavior management plan was implemented. Partway through the year, a new one took its place because the teachers in the room felt a need for change. There was instruction given to the students about the new plan. I created a Behavior chart PPT as sheltered instruction about the expectations of the classroom. By doing so, we were creating a safe environment for learning. We practiced the behaviors that are related to each color so that students would become familiar with the expectations and the skills to identify behaviors. The evidence provided are a picture of the chart, the descriptions of each color, and the PowerPoint. This evidence is used on a daily basis. When the chart was initially implemented, the PowerPoint was shown daily and a discussion about the colors happened. As the year has gone by, we have visited the PowerPoint on occasion. In the future, I will revisit the expectations, set through the PowerPoint more often. The students know the expectations and strive to get their stick up higher, they are also bummed when they are sent to do a Think Sheet. It is a natural consequence for both good behavior and poor behavior. When implementing it in my classroom, I will choose different colors (maybe reverse the scheme) because of the color wheel of emotion and how red is more associated with frustration and anger, while blue and purple are calmer colors.
Working with a variety of learners and disabilities provides endless opportunities to change the format of teaching on a daily basis. Using the different multimedia tools in the classroom benefits the students through flexible access to the content and allows active engagement to digital natives.
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Technology does enhance the learning experience of all students, including Special Education students. It offers flexible learning environment to students who have diverse learning styles. One way to reach the digital native learners is podcasting. It allows students, whom are always connected to their iPods and MP3 players, the opportunity to broaden their educational learning in a nonthreatening and accessible way (EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, 2005). Podcasts provide students with up-to-date information directly from their teacher. There are numerous ways to use podcasts in the classroom including: weekly discussions, review sessions, summaries, and even student generated podcasts (Guertin, 2010; Lane, 2006). The table below demonstrate how the students view podcasts (Lane, 2006).
Furthermore, in “Using Contemporary Technology Tools to Improve the Effectiveness of Teacher Educators in Special Education” (O’Brien, Aguinaga, Hines, & Hartshorne, 2011), podcasting is listed as one of the effective technological tools that can be utilized when working with students with disabilities. Using podcasts as a tool in the classroom increases the “opportunity to respect diverse talents and pathways to learning” and students can come back to the podcast, as necessary (O’Brien et al., 2011, p. 37).
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With the evidence that technology does benefit Special Education students’ learning, how many teachers will be willing to integrate technology into their classroom? I know I will be one of those teachers that will do so.
My other question is, what are some available resources for teachers so that they can get more technology into their classroom? Are districts willing to pay for resources that have proven to be beneficial to learning, such as iPads, iPods, SMARTBoards, other handheld devices, laptops, etc.? Or are teachers having to look elsewhere for these resources, if they are wanting them in their classroom?
References
EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (2005, June 15). 7 Things you should know about podcasting. retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7003.pdf
Guertin, L. A. (2010). Creating and using podcasts across the discipline. Currents in Teaching and Learning, 2(2), 4-12.
Lane, C. (2006). Podcasting and the UW: An evaluation of current use. The Office of Learning Technologies, University of Washington.
O’Brien, C., Aguinaga, N. J., Hines, R. & Hartshorne R. (2011). Using contemporary technology tools to improve the effectiveness of teacher educators in special education. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 30(3), 33- 40.
All students have the potential to participate in greater society. Special Education students are just as capable as general education students. This is something that all students in the classroom should know and be treated equally because of this. There is a diverse society in the real world, just like the society that is in our classroom. It is our duty as educators to prepare students for their responsibilities as citizens. I present three pieces of evidence in how our classroom has been fostering the minds of responsible citizens. The first two are images of the classroom expectations and the third is an image of a school wide project that all grades are participating in. The first are “I will” and “we will” statements that are posted daily for students to see. We review them and discuss what it means, examples and non examples are given on how to be respectful, a 5 star listener, etc. The second image gives the students examples of what it means to be a 5 star listener. The third image is of our school garden, specifically the first grade area. Last week, as a class, we planted seeds and have created a job rotation for students to water the plants.
These artifacts demonstrate the expectation of the classroom, models expected behavior, and allows students the opportunities to be responsible. In creating these systems within the classroom and reviewing the expectations consistently, students are shown how to behave in a classroom (and in greater society) and self-regulate their actions. Students are learning what is expected of them and what their role is in society (being a model student), and teachers are learning how to guide students through this process in a way that is beneficial to their lives. Students are learning how to follow the rules of the classroom and are held to standards, just like they will in the greater society. The students have grown from being careless about others and their personal space, to recognizing how their actions are impacting those around them. To increase effectiveness, future steps would include creating class jobs and rotating students so that all are responsible within the classroom, at the beginning of the year have students create their own set of expectations for the classroom. In doing so, students will feel more responsible for their actions and will also enjoy doing non-academic work in the classroom.
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