Sunday, December 15, 2013

Week 9 Reflection blog #etlead


Week 9  Reflection:

1. What new resources, curated resources, or ideas did you share this week?
This week I shared the following websites.
In my research I found this useful article that gives suggested question starters that encourages a deeper level of thinking.  These sentence starters include:
What is a new example of…?
How would you use…to…?
What would happen if…?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of…? How does…tie in with what we learned before?
Explain why… Explain how…
How does… What is the… Why is… How are…different?
Compare…and…with regard to…
What do you think causes…?
What conclusions can you draw about…?
Do you agree or disagree with this statement:…? Support your answer.
How are…and…similar?
How are… and…best…and why?

This article gives you tips on what types of questions should be asked in the classroom, including:

§  Ask open-ended questions – Learn to ask questions that require more than a memorized response. Questions that require some personal reflection or drawing a conclusion challenge learners to think and make decisions.
§  Ask one question at a time – Avoid confusing learners by asking several questions without allowing time to answer them.
§  Address everyone with your question – Questions should be open for anyone to answer.
§  Provide feedback to responses – Acknowledge answers in some way that lets learners know you have heard and accept their answers.
§  Follow some questions with questions – Ask questions that help learners clarify the initial question or help them think more clearly about their answers.
§  Wait for answers – Failing to wait often sends a message that you don’t really want learners to answer. Learners often need a few moments to formulate thoughts or ideas before answering. Allow time for learners to think and respond.
§  Challenge learners to answer their own questions – If learners ask probing questions or questions that suggest they are thinking about something, turn the question back to them with comments such as, “What do you think” or “Why do you think this would be the case?”
§  Affirm all people – Affirm each person for questions asked or answered.
§  Accept all answers – Although some answers may be incorrect, no answer is unimportant. If someone gives an incorrect answer, accept and affirm the comment and continue asking for other answers.
§  Admit it when you don’t have the answer – One of the most important statements a teacher can make is, “I don’t really know the answer to that question, but I’ll call you this week with the answer.”

2. What did you intend these new resources to do in terms of impacting others’ learning?
My hope was that the person can use these resources as a means of creating and using meaningful question asking within their classrooms.

3. What was the actual impact?
Since I am posting this late, I do not actually know the actual impact.  I would assume, that if someone else were to provide this resource, I would try to keep note of it.  Everyone can get better at asking questions within their classroom; therefore I believe these resources can be useful for everyone. 

4. What would you do differently next week?
Well, since I am posting this late, there is actually no more blog posts.  So, for my intentions for next semester I hope to get all my blog posts in on time, and I really intent to attempt to embrace Twitter chats more and perhaps do some research in how to better handle this program.


Week 9 Blog Post #ETLEAD

#ETLEAD

 

Essential Question: What are the challenges in shifting content from “what” to “where” and “how”?


            With each new school year, the pressure of student achievement on high stakes testing increases.  Students and teachers are constantly reminded of how important it is to perform well on tests, and that students are expected demonstrate their understanding and knowledge by circling the correct bubble on a multiple choice questions test.  These pressures cause teachers to meet the demands of teaching students what they will see and encounter on tests, and also how they will encounter it.  Teachers are expected to teach students certain skills by the spring when testing time comes around, but students not only need to know content skills, but they are expected to know how to take the tests.  Since the tests and testing formats are not something students encounter in everyday life, testing skills must also be taught and practiced.  And efficient way to do this is to use this method to test students throughout the year to assess their knowledge.  While this method of practice is practical, it is not most beneficial to students.  Students are much better at demonstrating their understanding in way that are practical and relevant to their every day lives.

            The story in Chapter 8 was a perfect demonstrating of contextualizing assessment to meet student familiarity.  When asked to point on a map, few students were able to identify Iraq, but when given a computer, almost all students were able to find and identify Iraq on a map.  This example demonstrates how certain situations, and how questions are asked and assessed can greatly vary student achievement and success.

            In my third grade classroom, making learning contextual can be even more difficult than usual.  Teaching in a rural village offers challenges than a teacher from other places might encounter.  The texts and books we read in class often do not relate to the students at all.  The stories and example offered in the math text book to help explain concepts to the students are often more confusing and unfamiliar than the math concepts themselves.  To make learning and knowledge more relevant for the students I have begun to try to create my own way to teach them math concepts, using items or situations that are familiar to the students.  I also assess the students, in addition to a traditional paper/pencil test by using project-based learning.  In the projects, the students work in small groups to create situational examples that are relevant to their lives.  They are given the opportunity to apply math concepts using content that is relevant and familiar to their lives.

 

 

Final Blog Reflection #ETLEAD


Amber Hanson
#ETLEAD

Final Reflection

Overall I really enjoyed this class.  Of course there were definitely hiccups along the way.  I especially enjoyed the first book we read: Teach Like a Pirate.  This is probably one of the best-required readings I’ve ever had to read in any of my educational classes.  I enjoyed it as it helped remind me about how important it is to engage students in learning.  It also gave soooooo many great ideas that I can use within my own classroom to hook my students and to really make my lessons meaningful.  Although I’m too busy right now, I really want to make a poster or two of some of the useful things in that book. 
            In addition to this text, I will say that I liked blogging as well.  While I missed a few, and wasn’t always on time.  I still enjoyed it nonetheless.  The biggest thing that got me on blogging was the due dates.  I found it extremely difficult to get blogs in by Friday night, as during the week I am generally too busy with meetings, sports, and tutoring to be working on homework.  I think it would have been better if the original post was due by Saturday night, and the reflection post due by Monday night.  This would give people such as myself time to research and create a quality blog posting and actually have it turned in on time.
            One aspect of this class in which I would like to address is the use of Twitter.  While I know some people absolutely LOVE it, I’ve always found it so difficult.  Anytime I attempted to partake in the Twitter sessions I felt lost in the conversations. And once I was in one, I had a hard time following it.  I really really really think Twitter is a poor program to use for class discussions.  But that is just my opinion. 
            Aside form the required blogs and readings I wanted to quickly mention my mentoring project.  I really enjoyed mentoring my coworker on using the interactive whiteboard in her classroom.  My mentee is now using the board daily and I feel that if I hadn’t been asked to mentor someone in technology, She may have never known how awesome it is to use the whiteboards. 
            Overall this class has been a positive experience for me.  I enjoyed reading about everyone else’s mentor projects, and got a lot of useful information out of them.  For instance, in Tracie’s project she shared a few ipad apps that were of use within her mentee’s classroom, including italk and a few others.  Although I only have 1 iPad within my classroom, I feel that as a result of her project, as well as Andrea’s (who also did a project using an iPad) I have a general idea on how I can implement the use of mine within my classroom. 
            Thank you everyone for the great semester, thank you Lee for all your support and help as well.  You all have been wonderful and I wish you luck as you progress through next semester in your coursework, as well as in your classroom!


Friday, December 6, 2013

Mentor Project Presentation #Etlead

Hey everyone!

Please check out my Mentor Project Presentation and leave feedback if you don't mind.  I will make sure to check out yours in return!

I've also included my Mentor Project Paper for you to take a peek at when you have a chance as well!
My Mentor Project

Thank you,

Amber

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Week 12 Reflection #Etlead


Amber Hanson
#ETLEAD
Week 12 Reflection

1. What new resources, curated resources, or ideas did you share this week?

This week has been quite successful in terms of sharing resources with people this week. This week I took a look at several other peoples mentor projects, and commented on 3 of them.

Heather’s blog was one of them.  For her mentor project she is teaching her mentee on how to use a mimio board.  Although I have had zero interaction with a Mimio board before, I know it’s just another brand of an interactive white board.  As a result I know I did some researching and was able to find a site in which I hope she will be able to share with her mentee.  This site is a wikipage.  This wiki provides several lessons that can be used for Elementary or Secondary teachers.  It also provides tutorials, gallery files, Christmas activities, downloads and more.  This wiki page can be found at: http://interactiveboardresources.wikispaces.com/Mimio+Lessons .  Although I do not know of the impact it will make, I am confident that if shared with her mentee, it will prove to be useful in some way.

Another Mentor project in which I read about was Hailie’s.  Her project is to mentor someone in the technolog program-Glogster.  I really enjoyed reading about her project, as Glogster was actually a tool that both her and I used for one of our own projects in the past.  In her next steps she mentioned that her mentee would like to start using glogster as a tool for students to be doing their own projects.  So, in an effort to help I researched possible lessons in which teachers can teach, which would require students to use this tool. The website I shared was; http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=Glogster&type_ids[]=357917.

Lastly, I read about Andrea’s project.  She was working with her school Librarian.  Her project was to help her librarian find appropriate educational apps for their schools iPads.  I shared with her a few websites that listed apps that can be used within the classroom.  One site was: http://www.appolicious.com/education/articles/13035-top-35-must-have-educational-iphone-and-ipad-apps-used-by-real-teachers-in-the-classroom  Another website I shared was a link to a Scholastic article.  This article provided a list of Apps that were separated by grade level.  This article is located: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/more-homework-help/9-great-apps-math-grade-grade-guide


2. What did you intend these new resources, curated resources, or ideas to do in terms of impacting others' learning? 

My intentions for sharing these resources, was to provide my class members additional resources to share with their mentees.  These sites don’t necessarily help them with their project, but instead are aimed at helping the people that they are helping.

3. What was the actual impact (that you could discern)?

As of right now I know it has not made an impact, but if shared with their mentees, I believe all resources could be helpful as they provide additional avenues for success using their new technology tools.

4. What would you do differently next week?

I hope to post my replies to people’s blogs sooner.  I hope next week I can perhaps post replies to blogs by Saturday night, and my reflection on Sunday.  Doing this will give people time to reflect upon what I’ve written and shared.  It will also provide me insights on whether the resources I shared have had any impact.

5. What resources did others share that made a difference to your learning?

There weren’t any resources shared this week, but Barbra gave me an idea on some next steps I could take for this project.  She suggested perhaps having students teach concepts to each other using technology.  She said they could create problems and check solutions to get the students involved.  This sounds like a fun idea, and is something I would like to talk to my mentee about!

Overall I feel like this week has been successful. As a result I feel hopeful and excited to finish up my mentor project paper.  I look forward to seeing the results of everyone else’s soon too.  Until then, hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Week 12 Mentoring Project Data Analysis #Etlead

Amber Hanson
#Etlead
Week 12

What are you finding as you analyze the data related to your Mentor Project?

My mentoring project this past quarter has been to mentor a fellow co-worker in the incorporation of technology-based tools within her math class. Prior to this experience this teacher’s only inclusion of technology for math-was using the document camera.  One tool in which we put the majority of our focus on, was the already existent presentation and manipulative tools provided online for her math curriculum Envision. We chose to include this type of technology as we both understood that “technologies can give visual representations to higher-order concepts [and] use graphics and simulations to link mathematical concepts to real-world applications”(Ranasinghe & Leisher, 2009, p1958). We believe that the by incorporation the presentations and manipulatives located on the Pearson Envision website we will better able to help students reach these higher order thinking skills, as well as increase overall engagement and students learning.

We began this project on September 30th.  At this time I aided in signing my mentee up for a teacher account online.  From there I gave her a brief tour of the site, and helped her add students to her online “class”. During this meeting we focused on where to find the presentations and how they lessons should be used.  I also briefly introduced her to the manipulative tools (Tools4Math). 

After this initial meeting it was obvious she was a bit overwhelmed.  As a result we made a goal for her to just look around the site on her own time and to just play with the program.  In our next meeting her anxiety was greatly lessoned and therefore we began the implementation. 

Throughout the following weeks we collected data in a variety of ways.  The mentee was asked to keep a journal in which she would indicate how comfortable she felt with the technology, what new things she’s tried recently, what worked well, what didn’t, how engaged she felt the students were, and how she thinks the presentations impacted students learning. 

In reviewing my mentee’s journal, it was evident that with the more practice she got using the program, the more comfortable she seemed to be with using it.  Although initially she mentioned she might not use the online test generator, as of two weeks ago she has finally given it a chance.  And you know what?  She LOVES it!  She also found that by letting students take these tests online, which just having a sheet of scratch paper students groaned less about tests days, and actually expressed a strong interest in taking tests this way from now on.  This definitely comes as a nice surprise, as we all know state testing will soon be done this way as well!  My mentee also expressed that she felt students were engaged much more, as she felt the short video clips, animations, and manipulative tools added a much-needed dimension to her otherwise technology-absent math instruction.  One negative, in which she encountered a few times throughout this quarter, was the speed of our Internet.  I was able to help fix this by gaining access to the interactive DVD’s there were included with the program.  Although this did include more of what the site has to offer, it doesn’t include everything.  But having these DVD’s were a pretty solid back up plan for when things went south.

The mentee also indicated that the tools were easy to use on the program and as a result, she felt that she was using them more.  She relied lesson on having students do worksheet and textbook work, and more on letting them actually interact with the program.  With that she also began using other tools within her classroom to keep students engaged.  Although not technology based, she did start using whiteboards as a means for students to respond to problems on the board.  In particular, during the guided practice section the teacher would display each problem; have students attempt to work it out on their white boards, and then review the problem as a whole on the Smart Board.  Doing this helped keep students engaged with the lesson, as well as lesson the amount of worksheet and textbook needed.

I also kept a journal.  This journal was used primarily to write down observations when I visited her classroom, as well as the level of student’s engagement that was observed. The log in which I recorded this was one where I would observe each student for 5 seconds at a time, and quickly mark either a plus or a negative indicating whether the student appeared to be engaged or not.  I would do this for each student, several times in the span of 10mins.  I conducted this type of observation at least 2 times a week.  The other visits were primarily to record how my mentee was using the program and what tools she was using.  Throughout my observations I took note that as my mentee grew more confident in the program, the more animated and excited she got during each lesson.  As a result I believe student engagement was deeply effected. 

In addition to our journal entries, we felt that we would also benefit from having the students directly involved.  Weekly we had students fill out a survey that asked the same 5 questions.  These questions included:

       1.       Do you like being that math is being taught through the Smart Board?

       2.       What, if anything do you like about lessons being taught this way?

       3.       What might make learning math more fun or meaningful to you?

From the get-go we received unanimous positive feedback from the students. Out of the entire 26 students (13 from each math class taught), we had only received 4 “no’s” to question number one!  When asking students what they enjoyed about having lessons being taught using these presentations students responded with things such as:
§  “I like that it doesn’t feel like the teacher is always talking”
§  “I like that we can go up and move things on the board”
§  “The problem at the beginning helps me understand what we’re learning”
§  “It’s better than having to do worksheets all the time”


Responses to question number 3 “What might make learning math more fun or meaningful to you?” although mostly answer with something such as “nothing”, or “it is fun”, often ended up being one of the most useful in indicating what direction the teacher decided to go to next.  One response given was simply “I wish we could try the problems out ourselves when we’re learning them”.  When the mentee initially introduced the presentations, she was conducting the guided practice whole group.  As a result we were noticing that not all students were engaged, and at times only a few individuals actually participated in giving the answers.  Although we both saw this, we weren’t sure how students felt about it.  Therefore when we read this response, it was a settled, we needed to make a change, and we knew that more worksheets or textbook work would not be the route we would take.  In the weeks that followed this change we noticed that engagement levels rose again and it was obvious that students really enjoying the lesson and learning more. 

Overall I believe that my mentee’s math class was positively impacted by the integration of technology.  Her student’s engagement has definitely increased, which in turn has impacted their learning in a positive way. She learned that although she was comfortable with the way she was teaching before (as this was the way she was taught), she ultimately knew her students were bored with it.  It was time for a change. She understands now that “it’s important for kids to be engaged, and it’s important for us to change with the times” (Smith, 2008). When asked if she would ever go back to teaching math the way she did before her answer was simple “no way”.

Resources

Ranasinghe, A., Leisher, D. (2009). The benefit of integrating technology into the classroom. International Mathematical Forum. 4, 2009, no. 40, 1955 – 1961. Retrieved from http://www.m-hikari.com/imf-password2009/37-40-2009/ranasingheIMF37-40-2009.pdf

Smith, L. 2008. Winning equation: How technology can help save math education. edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-math-education.

       http://illuminations.nctm.org/



Monday, November 18, 2013

Philosophy of Adaptation-#ETLEAD


“Creatively adapting to change on our path to life-long learning”





           
Identifying reoccurring themes that occurred throughout my research, as well as important terms I felt embodied the concept of “21st Century Learning” helped build the foundation for my motto. This compilation of terms were combined to create an image using the online program Tagxedo. From there I pinpointed the terms I felt were the most important and proceeded to develop my motto.

I chose this motto because I believe one of the key skills a person needs in order to successfully adjust to the 21st Century Learning is the ability to adapt to change. The concept of change is an idea that I encountered several times throughout my research.  Adapting to change is also one of the key components identified in the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Framework (2009). Simply adapting to change isn’t enough, however, we must do it in a way that is creative, innovative and in a way that prepares students to be learners for life.   

Several resources influenced the direction I took with my motto.  One resource I found that I would like to share is a PowerPoint by Kim Cofino. I believe this presentation does an exemplary job at defining precisely what a 21st Century Learner looks like. 




The 21st Century Learner from Kim Cofino



Addition resources that contributed include:



Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess


P21 Framework Definitions by Partnership for 21st Century Skills

21st-CenturyLearner by Mark Stevens


A New Culture of Learning by Thomas, D., & Seely Brown, J.


How do I adapt to change in my environment?


“Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent” –Nolan Ryan


Being able to adapt to change within your environment is an essential skill to master according to the P21 Framework (2009).   Over the past few years as a result of the shift in our education school systems, I’ve had several different situations in which I’ve needed to respond/adapt to change.  One big change deals with the increased need to include digital tools or program within the classroom.  Due to this sudden change I’ve had to learn several tools and programs all at once. While overwhelming at first, I’ve learned several strategies that I can use to cope with this demand.  One strategy is to allow myself time to just play with the technology.  Experience it for myself.  In addition to my own experiences, I know that I can also find useful information about certain programs on the web. One website that I found, in which I frequent a lot this year is called Atomic Learning. Atomic Learning is an online training resource that offers thousands of tutorials on current technology tools and programs that could be used within the classroom.  I’ve used this site over a dozen times to help figure out how to use programs such as Prezi and notebook, as well as how to perform specific tasks using my Smart Board. Although I am not fond of the time it takes to learn all these programs, I do it because I know it will benefit my students in the long run.  I know that by learning these tools I will be better able to “engage students with real world data, tools and experts they will encounter in college, on the job, and in life . . .” (P21, 2009). Simply learning about different technology tools/programs is not enough however, I must also figure out how to creatively use those tools to help facilitate my students learning.  Due to my limited experience, I rely heavily on research I conduct online.  In addition to research, which is primarily one sided (me looking for the data), I am now beginning to engage with my PLN more.  I am using technology tools such as blogging and twitter and expanding my Professional Network to include people whom of which I’ve never met before.  While this in itself doesn’t sound too impressive to most, it’s a big step for me.

In addition to the strategies I noted above, some other useful strategies I use to adapt to change include:


-Taking a step back and re-evaluating the situation
Being able to pause and reflect upon the positives or negatives of something is an act of critical thinking.  Although I might not agree with the change at first, taking a step back and looking at it through an objective point of view will allow for me to see the positives and help me understand why the change is happening. 

-Be open to new ideas
Change is inevitable.  In order for things to get better in most situations, is for something to change.  Throughout my 4 years of teaching I have seen so many changes happen that I’ve lost count.  Being open to changes means that I am admitting I don’t know everything about every subject.  By accepting of change I will not only make my life easier and less stressful, I am bettering my teaching skills and my students learning as well.

-Embrace your mistakes
We all make mistakes!  Once we accept that, it becomes possible to learn and make educated decisions on what we would do differently next time. By understanding that I’ve made a mistake in the way that I’m teaching, I begin the process of changing/modifying it.  By admitting and embracing mistakes I am being understanding that not all lessons work, not all students *get it the way I’ve originally taught it, or that they all get it in just one try.  If something fails, perhaps it’s time to take a step back and approach it from a different situation.  Change is not bad! Sometimes it’s the BEST thing I could do for my students!

-Talk about it-collaborate
As much as I would like to say I know all the answers, I know that I don’t.  During change it’s important to be able to converse about it if needed. By doing so I will be able to understand the reasons behind the change more, and get the support I need to follow through with the change.  We learn so much from our colleagues and others in our PLN, it’s important that we collaborate as much as necessary.

Resources that help with adapting to change:

-Knowing the 21st Century Frame work-this site is perfect for understand the expectations we as teacher’s are held to in order to get our students prepared for life.

-Atomic Learning  -An online tutorial site to help learn about programs/tools used in the classroom. 

-Classroom 2.0 -This is an online professional learning network that is focused on technology.  There are thousands of blog/forum posts from teachers all over the world talking about how they use certain programs in the classroom.  What tools work best?  What programs are perfect for certain grade levels?  It also provides hundreds of lesson plans that help integrate several of these programs. 

-The Educator’s PLN - An online professional learning network site.  By joining this site you are able to get insight from teachers around the world are struggling with, rejoicing in and the like.  This site is full of educators just like us, going through the same things we’re going through.



How do I support my students in adapting to change?

Since change is an inevitable within the classroom, it’s important for my students to be able to deal with it as well.  Some of these ways are similar to what I do to adapt to change.  One way in which I help my students adapt to change, such as a new technology tool or program, is to build time within my lessons for them to experience it first hand.  I do this by giving them about 10 minutes to play around with it.  I make sure to put a timer in the front of the room so students (and myself!) know how much time they actually have.  Doing this also assures that I’m not shorting them on time-or giving too much.  When I allow this type of play to happen I am embracing and building upon their natural curiosities.  Doing this before a project deems not only helpful for me, but also for them, as they are able to figure out a lot of things (meaning less instructions for me to give) and they often figure out more things than I and therefore are actually able to teach ME about something I hadn’t know.   

In addition to this I am providing students with a safe environment to experiment and test the tool before we use it. I found in the past that when I hadn’t allowed for this type of *play* to happen, more student were confused and tended to be off task.  They were also less inclined to take risks and figure out how the program actually worked.  Once I started building in time for exploration of the program before I taught it, I began noticing a larger percentage of students were able to get started right away on an assignment. I also noticed I didn’t need to spend as much time on directions, nor did I have to repeat them as often.  Students were on task and engaged with the assignment.  I also discovered that students were more willing to take risks and get creative with their projects. Students were beginning to have fun with not only the exploration of the tool, but the process in which they would go through in order to complete the assignment.  They were engaged and as a result begun to produce a better quality of work.

 
One area that I believe I could work on with my students is creativity.  Often I find myself so stuck on the standards, that I miss out on all the opportunities and projects that would allow students to be creative while still learning.  I find that those types of projects panic me.  I am often so worried that these types of projects will take too long.  But after what I’ve learned about this type of learning (project-based) I’ve learned that by allowing my students to be able to partake in these projects students will be able to learn at a higher level, and often get more meaning out of the project.  I would very much like to begin using this type of mindset within the classroom. It’s time to be less afraid and take risks.  I can support this change in the way I teach, by allowing tutoring time on the project after school as well as allowing for extra time for the first few projects.  By explaining to my students why I am changing the way I teach, will also prove to be beneficial.  By showing my support I know that students as well as myself will be able to adapt easier and be more open to what is in store for us!



References

21st Century Schools
        
Blair, N. (2012, January/February). Technology integration for the new 21st century learner. Principal. Retrieved from http://www.naesp.org/sites/default/files/Blair_JF12.pdf

Burgess, D. (2012). Teach like a pirate. San Deigo, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.

How do you define 21st-century learning?. (2010, October 11). Education Week. 04(01), 32. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01panel.h04.html

P21 Framework Definitions. (2009). Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf

Stevens, M. (2011, Summer). 21st-century learner. NEA Today Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/46989.htm
        
Thomas, D., & Seely Brown, J. (2011). A new culture of learning cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change.

Websites

http://www.wikihow.com/Add-a-PowerPoint-to-Blogger





 
The Educator’s PLN http://edupln.ning.com/