Leading By Example:

I was in search of an article that could give me that spark of energy that this final week deserved.  Once I listened to James Paul Gee on Grading with Games, I found it!  He was extremely motivating and made me feel so inspired about technology in my classroom.  One of his most memorable quotes was:

“We have to de-professionalize teachers.  We’ve allowed a bunch of text books, and tests, politicians and schools of education to supervise them and do curriculum for them in ways that take away their professional responsibilities to build their own curriculum and think strategically about how learning works in their classroom.” 

Citation: Edutopia.org (nd). Big thinkers: James Paul Gee on grading with games. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-james-gee-video

I absolutely agree with this reasoning and theory because it proves that we (teachers) must evolve.  We must realize that our students are bored and need to feel the exact same empowerment in the classroom as we do, teaching it.  I personally feel that a course should heighten student abilities and allow them to see things from a student’s perspective.  I would like to think that setting this example and providing my students with what I am comfortable with learning as a student at Lamar, will help me be a new “professionalized” educator.   

“COLLABORATE…THEN CELBRATE”

“Cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance their learning. When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others”.

Citation: Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 139-154.

 I work as a Career & Technology teacher at a low income, at risk, second chance Charter School for students who have either got kicked out of their zoned high school, promoted from 8^th grade to High School only if they transfer, are currently pregnant, have had a child or children already, or is required by court to attend school or get locked up for habitual truancy issues. Needless to say, I love my position. I think that my position poses as a guidance counselor, a peer coach, a parole officer, a listening friend, a principal, a mentor, and a cop because our students come from all walks of like looking for something; searching for “that thing” that will make it all make sense to them. I refer to it as an epiphany but students like to call it “a light bulb”. Having the ability to sit with their peers and discuss real-world, project- based knowledge and actually be heard is rewarding to all students. They are able to express themselves and discuss their perceptions and views of everything while relating it back to their selves, which is when it makes the most sense. I believe this is when learning takes place. This is when it doesn’t matter to me where I work, or what nay-sayers think of my place of employment. This is when it doesn’t matter what type of student they were at their old school or how long they had to sit in jail. This is when I am able to look past all their flaws and indiscretions and embrace the joys I feel as a High School Teacher—preparing to make a difference in someone else’s life. We can’t afford to focus on only the issues that our students are faced with. We must work to push through those issues by showing them that working in a collaborative group setting is necessary and is fundamental for everyone involved. Just as we are doing right now, in this class; having the ability to converse with other educators about how we could all make a huge impact on student success rate.           

UDL Lesson Plan: Division and Remainders Into Fractions

  UDL LESSON  

Lesson Overview

Title:	Number, Operation, and Quantitative Reasoning:  Division and Remainders into Fractions
Author:	Kesha Leonard
Subject:	Math
Grade Level(s):	6th Grade
Duration:	1 Week
Subject Area:	Math
Unit Description:	Students are to use multiplication and division of whole numbers to solve problems including situations involving equivalent ratios and rates. Students will use whole numbers to divide resulting in a remainder.
Lesson Description for Day:	Students will use prior knowledge of division in order to divide whole numbers resulting with a remainder. This assignment will last the duration of the week ensure student success.
State Standards:	6.1 The student represents and uses rational numbers in a variety of equivalent forms. The student is expected to: C. use multiplication and division of whole numbers to solve problems including situations involving equivalent ratios and rates.

Goals

Unit Goals:	All students will use cross multiplication to divide whole numbers resulting in a remainder. Students will be able to determine that the remainder is the numerator and the number being divided is the denominator
Lesson Goals:	All students should know how to cross multiply (from prior lesson) in order to divide whole numbers resulting in a remainder.

Methods

Anticipatory Set:	Provide students will familiar concepts and definitions such as numerator and denominator.  Understand what each student’s previous knowledge is to help guide the lesson. Have students assess their own amount of knowledge about the subject through practice.
Introduce and Model New Knowledge:	Show examples of multiplying whole numbers; Show how to cross multiply and solve the problem; discuss ways to solve the problems; discuss rules for solving the problems; discuss how to display the remainder.
Provide Independent Practice:	Allow students time to solve their problems and become familiar with the product through practice. Teacher checks for understanding. Students may play online games to practice and perfect their knowledge.

Assessment

Formative/Ongoing Assessment:	Provide one on one time with students to ensure they understand the lesson and to provide feedback if needed.
Summative/End Of Lesson Assessment:	Grade students work using the provided rubric. Students will be given an opportunity to correct their work and turn it in for a higher grade. The will also be given one-on-one assistance for what they need to work on.

Materials

Online Resource: Math 247 Website (http://mathcasts.org/) 
 Classroom Resource:  Rubric

ALL THINGS DIGITAL....

Collectively, I feel that week three provided a greater insight to more of the “technology” than the actual classroom”. It’s apparent in the videos and majority of the reading that students are much more engaged when using their tactile kinesthetic abilities. The old way of lecture and writing simply doesn’t get it done anymore. Technology in the classroom embraced the students who were lost, uninterested, bored, and even grabbed the attention of the teachers that were perhaps not enthusiastic about introducing the lesson. Speaking as a C.A.T.E. (Career & Technology) teacher, I can relate to most of the concerns from the technology-driven students who were excited to be a part of a major project that provided them high self-esteem and personal satisfaction. As an educator we encourage that type of satisfaction but must also ensure that the SPED (blind & hearing impaired) and ESL students are equipped with the tools that would also give them the same satisfaction as the regular education students. Because I have never taught a blind or hearing impaired student in an actual classroom, this was a challenge. By the end of Week 5, I’m hoping that my research and application will equip me with the additional knowledge I need for 100% student success in a technology driven atmosphere. ~

To Be or Not to be A Technology Teacher

To Be or Not To Be a Technology Teacher

Retracing my Steps

While reviewing week 2, Technology Strategies, I came to an evolutionary understanding about my career path. Technology has evolved so much since I decided to embrace education and I feel as though I am right in the middle of it.  For the most part, I dabbled in technology when I was in the Air Force. When my enlistment was up, and I decided to go to school and pursue a business management degree.   I always managed to keep technology in the forefront by working in companies like Sprint PCS.  I eventually found myself in adult education—enrolling students and mentoring them to stay in school.  That was how I knew that education was a requirement and how I felt that I could make a difference in the lives of others if I could simply make them see the “rewards” before” the war”.  With great optimism, I became a High School Career & Technology teacher, and not much has changed with my views of education.  I remember saying, “I can do this”.  What a great opportunity for me:  I can show students how to start their lives using social skills, people schools, and technical skills in school that would mold them for college.  Yes, high school students come with baggage, true enough.  They also seem less flexible because they are minors and most of them need approval from an adult. High school students want to grow and be respected for making their own decisions.  They are at the age where they feel that they are in control, when we know that they are not.  I admit that my goals to be a Middle School Principal all triggered from being a High School Career & Technology Teacher.  It’s apparent that the Career portion has taken a back seat to the Technology portion of my original focus and content.  Technology has evolved so much so that it’s left teachers like me wondering if students can spell correctly, but it seems that society has them believing as long as they can log into a computer, that’s ok. 

Walking the Walk

Based on this course that I’m taking, EDLD 5364, Teaching with Technology, I’m finding that my footsteps in technology were ordered for many reasons.  This epiphany that I’m having was contributed from recent research and readings from articles like Technology-Enriched classrooms:  Effects on Students of Low Socioeconomic Status.

(Citation: Page, M. S. (2002). Technology-enriched classrooms: Effects on students of low socioeconomic status. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 34(4), 389–409. Retrieved from the International Society of Education at  http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Number_4_Summer_20021&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentFileID=830)

This article was an eye-opener for me because it discussed majority of the reasons why I feel like I’m walking the walk- career-wise.  It describes how students established academic accomplishments, built their self-esteem, and introduced at- risk students to a new learning environment through technology.    That is exactly the type of impression that has driven to complete my 5^th year at a high-risk, low-income school.  This school never had a technology teacher that provided students with technology enriched lessons that would provide guidelines or structure that would contribute toward their personal success.  The students didn’t realize that they could achieve development gains using self-guided online software to increase their keyboarding skills for Microsoft Office software, but they did it with 85% gains!  I have never been as convinced of anything as rewarding as teaching before because it felt good to watch them celebrate their accomplishments.  With this success came increased self-esteem.  Students in my Business course, who completed my Keyboard course, could successfully add their typing skills to their resumes with confidence.  Having a life-long skill was especially important to the seniors because they were interested in graduating and going directly into the work force, if not sooner.   

Order my Steps

The nontraditional student has the greatest advantage to advance due to growing technology because the influence that technology has on that student will vary from generation to generation.  The nontraditional student won’t be afraid or timid with what is happening as technology increases academic expectation.  This particular student will embrace and enjoy the opportunities in which they are equipped.  This particular student sets the example for teachers that are hungry for student success and achievement.  This student asks higher-level thinking questions, gives feedback and instruction-lead comments, and wants to understand why they don’t understand. My steps were ordered as an educator in technology based education because I feel that every student can be this student.  As an educator, we should all feel this way.  Regardless of the content we teach, technology should be giving us the necessary tools to concentrate on something, anything essential to help our student throughout their lives personally and professionally.      

Constructivism, Connectivism, and Cyborg Theories

Constructivism, Connectivism, and Cyborg Theories
 

Constructivism Theory: 

 

I read and believe that constructivism learning is an individual and personal event.  I also agree that I am a constructivism learner and teacher based on the information I have read regarding six principals of constructivism:  

1.)   Learners bring unique prior knowledge, experience, and beliefs to a learning situation

2.)   Learning is internally controlled and mediated

3.)   Knowledge is constructed in multiple ways through a variety of tools, resources, experiences, and contexts.

4.)    Learning is a process of accommodation assimilation, or rejection to construct new conceptual structures, meaningful representations, or new mental models.

5.)    Leaning is both an active and reflective process.

6.)    Social interaction introduces multiple perspectives through reflective, collaboration, negotiation, and shared meaning.

Citation: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, (1999). Learning as a personal event: A brief introduction to constructivism. Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/intro2c.html

 

Connectivism Theory:

 

It’s been said in a particular article that caught my eye that connectivism was the beginning of building boundaries on learning due to the mental processes that the mind has to make in order to adjust to new material.  I can relate to this research because knowledge does take place with new information and how the mind receives new information which brings about learning.  The learner includes representation as a medium to translate the values of knowledge that the individual learner understands and expresses as their own way.   Connectivism is best situated to concern itself with the quality of access to distributed knowledge, not with how learners learn.  (Citation: Cochrane, Glen. (2013) Why Connectivism is not a Learning Theory. http://apointofcontact.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/why-connectivism-is-not-a-learning-theory/)  

  

Cyborg Theory:

 

Based on the video observation, I was frightened. My generation has been Biblically programmed to fear “signs” like those demonstrated in the video so I honestly don’t have anything positive to comment regarding this theory at this time.    

 

Author’s Reflection

  

In retrospect, when I think about how people learn and are being asked what factors are pushing schools to change and incorporate more technology use within instruction while taking in consideration the summaries in which I reviewed, I feel that the world is truly evolving.  I’m realizing now more than ever that I do appreciate technology and what it has done for us over time; however, I’m simple.  The technology growth in the classroom has taken educators by storm and in order to keep growing we must receive proper individual training and use that training to equip this generation of students and those following, FIRST with respectable, traditional-based, ethically-driven, core-valued knowledge and common sense BEFORE our students allow misguided cyber-fads to mislead, and destroy their minds along with the generations to come.  Destruction would be easy to do considering the attention span of our students today.  Teachers must educate them about moderation and self accountability so that they are fully aware of what technology such as those mentioned in the Cyborg Theory could reveal in the future.