PLN Presentation

After presenting our PLN Presentation in front of the class, I realized that I learned about the collaborative group work that will be needed when I'm a part of a community of teachers.  Jaclyn was very easy to work with while gathering our information and designing our presentation.  I learned the importance of communication between members of a community because it wouldn't have worked as smoothly if we weren't willing to listen to each other and be open to each other's ideas.  I think this communication and ability to work well together helped us feel more relaxed and prepared when we gave the presentation. I had no doubt that our cooperation and harmony would continue when we were presenting so I wasn't worried about the flow or execution when we were in front of the class. I also realized that the presentation wouldn't have been as beneficial or executed as well without a partner.  Thus, I realized how essential it is to have a group to work and collaborate with because it promotes reflective thinking, provides a variety of innovative ideas, and produces a better result in general.  There is so much truth in that the statement that "two is better than one".

It was extremely easy to get our point across to each other since there was only two of us, but it made me wonder how collaboration is different with more than two people, for instance, in a community of teachers.  I definitely think that a key component to having effective communication and harmony in group collaboration is to recognize personal strengths and intentionally use them for the betterment of the whole group.  For instance, if a person is a natural leader than they should attempt to take leadership positions in the collaboration of the group.  On the other hand, if a person is more passive in terms of expressing opinions but is very good at organization, then they could devote themselves to aspects such as planning.  Everyone has something that they can bring to the group, the important part is defining specific strengths and deploying them in a fashion that serves, encourages, and benefits the entirety of the group.

How To Video

After I watched a video about how to do a waterfall braid, I realize that it is very different to watch something being done and actually trying to do it yourself.  The resources for doing a waterfall braid were very easy to come up with but the actual execution of doing it was still extremely difficult.  With learning to braid, it doesn't necessarily take a lot of time to figure out what you are supposed to be doing but it takes a lot of practice and time to do it well.  The basic concept is easy to understand but the mastery of the braid is what takes a lot of repetition and practice.  Really the only type of feedback that could be given when trying to teach this is to encourage others to keep on practicing.  This relates to future teaching career because sometimes there will be lessons or concepts that will just take the students time to master.  This will require a lot of patience and understanding on the teacher's part to recognize that they understand the basic idea but the execution of the idea will take more time to develop.  I think it is so important to recognize this truth because we need to meet students where they are at, making sure that we don't continually reiterate concepts that they understand in a way that makes them feel like they are children, but also understanding when we need to slow down and give them more time to master a concept.  Therefore, from this exercise, I think that I learned that there is a major difference between understanding and mastery.  We need to make sure that we don't expect mastery of a skill just because our students seem to understand it.  It takes time to execute concepts and ideas properly.  

One on One Game Plan

After reading the article "one-to-one computing programs only as effective as their teachers", I could not agree more with the statement that these programs are "only as effective as the teachers who apply them".  I think that technology is a great tool for education, but if we, as teachers, simply welcome and invite technology rather than thoroughly integrate it, I foresee an issue with one to one computer use.  Like the article states, it's so imperative to adapt and adjust our teaching style when technology is added.  We need to recognize the differences that it brings to a classroom and our job as teachers is to embrace the innovation of technology yet be certain that we are still the ones educating the students, not the technology.  I agree that one of the best ways to execute this is to be prepared and knowledgable about the technology that is used in class.   If teachers are given time to experiment with the technology and prepare how it will fit into their curriculum, I believe that we will be more apt to integrate and utilize the programs better.  The article also mentions the importance of planning for logistical issues of technology, which I think is very important.  We need to always be aware that programs and technology have glitches and problems, so with this in mind, we are able to brainstorm backup plans for lessons.  This, again, goes back to the importance of teachers being prepared and flexible.  It's vital that we step back and look at the whole process and examine different ways to get concepts across, even in the times in which our plans don't go as we imagined they would.  When using technology and computer programs like this, I think the most important thing is the student's feedback.  We should always strive to gauge how the lesson plans and technology are helping our students.  I think it's so important to discuss whether the technology being used in class is actually benefiting the students.  We might think that something is really useful or neat, but if our students aren't getting anything from it, we may need to rethink our plans.  Overall, with technology like this, COMMUNICATION with the students is key for successful integration.

Assessment of Learning

After taking TEAC classes in college, I have come to realize that the notion of "the assessment experience" is one of the most important issues in education today.  Throughout my educational career, especially in high school, success in school was solely based upon my letter-grade performance.  There was never an emphasis on what I was actually learning, but rather on how I could get an 'A' on a test.  When I didn't get the grade that I desired, there was no assessment to show me why I didn't perform the way that I had hoped.  It was just an understood principle that I just needed to study harder next time, even if the truth may have been that I was just having trouble learning this certain subject.  Therefore, in my education experience, there has always been an assessment for success (test grades, projects, etc.) yet not an assessment of learning. We have grown up in an assessment value system for success that sets some up for failure.  I absolutely loved the scenario for helping students turn failure into success.

"Gail discovers that four of her eight incorrect answers were caused by careless mistakes that she knows how to fix. But four were math problems she really doesn't understand how to solve....Because Gail's teacher has mapped out precisely what each item on the test measures, the teacher and students can work in partnership to group the students according to the math concepts they haven't yet mastered. The teacher then provides differentiated instruction to the groups focused on their conceptual misunderstandings. Together the class also plans strategies that everyone can use to avoid simple mistakes. When that work is complete, the teacher gives students a second form of the same math test. When Gail gets the test back with a grade of 100 percent, she jumps from her seat with arms held high. Her winning streak begins."

I think that is way of approaching the assessment process if completely brilliant.  It shows students their knowledge of the subject and the mistakes that can be conquered in a practical application process.  Technology could be used with this method of assessment by having the evaluation of their graded test be done electronically.  An excel spreadsheet could be used to record the columns of "Right and Wrong" and the different concepts that the test is over.  The student could keep a record of all the evaluations of their test on Excel to track their improvement on test taking.

Another way that technology could be used to assess learning would be through the use of clickers.  I think that it might be beneficial to have a post-quiz (non-graded) at the end of each class about the key concepts and ideas that were hopefully learned for the day.  The student would be assigned a number of clicker so the teacher would be able to see their answers but the quiz would be anonymous to the rest of the class.  This way the teacher can track what concepts each individual student seem to understand right away and which ones they are still in the process of learning.

Should There Be an Easy Button for Technology?

After watching the Smart Ease of Use video, I was left with many different conflicting thoughts and notions.  Yes, I was bothered by the amount of times "easy" was used in the video and I definitely think there are better ways to use technology within classrooms.  However, I also understood the desire of the company to present technology in a friendly and non-threatening manner.  Many teachers may be afraid to incorporate technology into their courses because they worry that they will not be able to operate it well.  This was supported by the comment on the blog by Denber which said,"

Looking at current research, this video addresses most of the biggest concerns that teachers voice when asked about implementing new technologies. Teachers are afraid of the complexity (hence the word easy was used extensively), the relialibity (also addressed), and the amount of change needed to make things work in their classrooms (which could explain why the students are still in rows).

it    I think a lot of teachers may be intimidated by technology because they don't know how kids will react to the change and are also afraid that technology may become a distraction rather than a tool.  With this, I think it's true that if technology in a classroom is too complex, then it can be a hindrance because the students will not be able to work it or use it for its preferred purpose.  On the other hand, I don't think that our fear of change or lack of knowledge should hold us back from advancing our classrooms in a beneficial way with technology.  Incorporating technology in classrooms may be a slow drift, as teachers and students figure out what role technology will play in the class and learn to use technology properly.  All great things come to those who wait.  We must be patient with our students and teachers when it comes to the use of technology.  That doesn't mean that I think we should halt the advancement of technology, rather we should make sure to present technology in a non-intimidating and understandable fashion.  Technology doesn't necessarily have to be "easy" but we should be able to understand its operations and purpose.

Tech Learning: BEING SOCIAL

http://www.techlearning.com/features/0039/being-social-how-social-media-can-transform-your-school-classrooms/53437

This article on Tech & Learning made me very excited thinking about the role that technology can play in connecting my students with other students, classrooms, and cultures throughout the nation and even the world.  As a future Spanish teacher, culture and language are so important and the best way to learn these things is to experience them in action.  This article provided many new insights into ways to use technology that I hadn't really thought of before.  One of the ideas was to use a program called VoiceThread to allow the students to record their thoughts and responses as well as listen to their answers.  This would provide a great opportunity for students to practice speaking Spanish in a non-threatening way (sometimes it's scary to speak in front of the class, I know I find it to be!).  One of my favorite ideas is the use of EPals.  The program EPals allows teachers to select classrooms from 200 different countries from a specific language and age group and set up a global community between their classroom and yours.  And it's completely free! (Skype would be great here as well) I'm so excited about the atmosphere and culture that this would bring to a classroom, it could really open students' eyes to the culture and language that they are learning about in class.  Another idea that I loved was the creation of Wikia novelas, or pieces of fiction through role-playing simulation.  This would be a great way for students to collaborate their Spanish writing and speaking together to create a story.  The program also allows you to see who contributed what to the wiki, which would be helpful for grading.  The last idea that I fell in love with was the use of the program LiveMocha.  It is a worldwide community of language learners that lets students connect with people from across the world. "Students get feedback from native speakers as they practice reading and writing skills and give feedback to users who are learning English." What an awesome and unique cross-cultural opportunity for learning that would be!  This article really opened my eyes to all the benefits that technology can bring, usually I am against too much use of technology, but I'm starting to see that it can be such a great facilitator of community!

Tech Trends of the Future

In terms of my future classroom, I think that the "peer to peer" aspect of technology would be one of my main focuses.  I would love to use online resources to stay connected with my class outside of the classroom.  I find education websites, like edmodo.com, to be a great resource for keeping students connected as well as providing them with a space to share ideas, concerns, or thoughts about class.  I would love to encourage students to post articles, videos, or interesting information that they find that relate to what we are learning in class on a shared webpage.  Overall, I want to encourage the building of relationships within and beyond my classroom.  I also would like to use "peer to peer" technology by setting up Skype dates with a Spanish-speaking classroom.  This would allow my students to cross cultural boundaries in my class as well as force them to use Spanish as the only source of communication.  Plus, I think this would be such a rich and unique experience! Another aspect of technology that I can see myself utilizing in the future are the "web apps".  Apple already has a Google translate app and it is very useful when I can't remember a word in Spanish and need a quick way to look it up.  This would be beneficial to have in my classroom and I would encourage my students to get the app like this that could help them with Spanish.  There are so many great options for using apps to help advance learning and I'm excited to see what other type of language apps are created in the future.