Reflection on Class So Far...

I love this class! Anytime I can work hands-on, I am always more enthused and learn better. I have found so many things useful so far. The Photoshop assignment was excellent, and though I have worked with the program before, I never thought to use it in the way that we did in class. I also like how everything we do applies in our own classrooms and I am able to test it out. My students enjoyed the photos of themselves in front of the symbols of government. It made the subsequent lessons more interesting for them. I also liked learning about the Universal Design for Learning. It makes sense to teach that way and I have been more cognitive of UDL when planning lessons. I was also familiar with Photostory 3, but again never thought of using it with my students in that way. I have not yet shown them my Digital Story, which is nearly done, but I am excited to do so and will report back here on their response to it.

My biggest challenge thus far is the design of my web page. It seems overwhelming to me and admittedly, I have not put as much time into it as I should have. I believe I am afraid of it; the idea of designing it myself without the aid of googlesites or some other simple program. I just need to sit down one day and face the beast! I have been meaning to get to my local library to check out the suggested book on our schedule for web design, but have just been too busy to do so. I will make a point to get there this weekend and work on my site.

My biggest hope for the remainder of the year is that I can produce a clean-looking, informative web site! I also hope to use all the technology I use in class with my students.

I don’t really have any suggestions for Dr. Langran, but would like to compliment her on creating a class environment where people feel comfortable to ask questions, and where things are clearly explained.

Comments on Cathy Nelson's Blog

I first have to say that I was shocked to find that Cathy Nelson herself posted a comment on my blog! So cool! I am really enjoying her blog. It is interesting to get the view of someone who is a LMS and who is also well versed on all the latest technological developments. In Cathy Nelson’s February 20^th blog, she had a very interesting post (two actually…and I debated on which to comment on as both are very interesting and caused me to really think long and hard about a few things.) I decided to go with: Impossible Challenge or Roadmap for Success? The post talked about her mentor Doug Johnson challenged readers to give reasons why your school’s tech should be turned over to librarians. She said “many see it as an impossible challenge. Others see the acknowledgment as an affirmation.”  The post excited me because I feel this program is preparing me to be an LMS who has the technology skills needed to help teachers and students. As a Leo, I have always been a quiet leader among friends and co-workers. I am also someone who always considers the feelings of others. I think I could be a perfect fit for any library some day, though serving in my own library (the LMS is due to retire in a few years) would be most beneficial, as I have already gained the respect of most of my colleagues. I could see co-teaching opportunities and the potential for technology to be the missing link in achievement scores. It will infuse life into the curriculum, making old lessons more exciting, more interactive. This post really inspired me to do all that! I can also see the other side: those LMS who have been in the position for years and who may not be comfortable with technology. They may possibly see learning all they need to know as a hurdle, especially if they are nearing the end of their career. So much has changed in the library and in the world in such a short time, a tech savy person can barely keep up with it, never mind someone who views technology with caution and trepidation. I am so glad I found this site!

Here is a link to my home page:

http://www.students.fairfield.edu/mdorish/

WebQuest

I was searching for a WebQuest on Kenya for my first graders. I was excited to find the first one (http://questgarden.com/40/37/8/061104111049/) but soon learned that most of the links are no longer working. Then I found this one, which incorporates several countries including Kenya (http://warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/whatsitlike/index.htm) My plan is to meld the two and create a project in which my students work together in groups of 4 or 5 to research and record one of the following things about Kenya: education, homes, clothing and food. I will present each group with a set of questions to start. Each group will then be responsible for finding out what they can about their topic and then presenting the information to their classmates.

Inquiry-Based Learning and historical Thinking

There was so much information to take in regarding inquiry-based learning. I thought back to my own education and it seems that anything that was hand-on discovery like biology and dissecting worms or frogs sticks out in my mind more. Actually seeing the parts of the frog instead of simply looking at a book with a diagram made the learning more meaningful. However, I don’t remember my teacher asking inquiry-based questions. I really don’t think I learned this way as a student. This is probably why I don’t remember a lot of content as an adult.

I must admit my own teaching is not really inquiry-based as a whole. There have been times when I have used constructivist-type questions in a math lesson. I also try to use inquiry when I can in Science. For example, we were studying matter earlier this year and we talked about the changing states of matter. I gave each student some heavy cream and a marble in a container. I told them we would be changing matter and asked them how they thought that might happen. A few students offered responses. I then asked what state the matter inside the container was (the cream) and they responded that it was a liquid. I challenged them to turn it into a solid without opening the container. Most of them started to shake it, but some shakes were slow and others fast, some in a circle. Suddenly, one of my boys said, “I think mine is a solid now!” We opened it up, and sure enough, his shaking had turned it into solid butter. The students each finished the experiment and we enjoyed the butter on bread. Then I asked them what they noticed about the experiment and asked how they would explain it to their parents that night. They talked about the butter for weeks! I think it was a good way to teach changing states on matter in a way they would remember.

Reading the web sites have caused me to pause and really reflect on how I can use more inquiry in my teaching. I think it will require some planning and purposeful changes. As the site said, using this type of teaching does require some training because it is a new set of skills that teachers need to learn in order to make their classes more inquiry based. I definitely agree that our ever-changing world is much different now than it was 30-40 years ago. We have to help students become the problem solvers that this type of learning fosters. We need our students to wonder and think for themselves. I do think it will take administrators and superintendents to fully buy into inquiry-based learning. As I was reading, I kept returning to standardized tests and how they have been such a focus (as someone who never did well on these, I never thought so much emphasis should be placed on them) for many years. I can see using inquiry-based learning in math and science throughout the rest of this school year. I would like to make it a goal to find ways to use it in reading next year.

As far as Historical Thinking is concerned, I loved the Valley of the Shadows project. What a way for history to come alive. I do think texts play some role in learning history, but I think it becomes more meaningful with the addition of technology. Reasoning can better take place when history is studied in an interactive way like through the Valley of the Shadows Project. Developing those thinking skills that can be applied for any history content can be fostered through inquiry-based learning.

Universal Design for Learning

Wow, there was so much information to take in and process for this assignment. The possibilities for UDL are so exciting and it makes such logical sense. As I was reading the assignment, I kept thinking about the movement for inclusion and how it can sometimes be challenging as a classroom teacher to accommodate those learners with special needs. The digital media that can be incorporated with the UDL method would make so many students feel more "included" in their classroom in a way that was not obvious to others. If all students had the opportunity to choose the method by which they could learn, not only would they feel more ownership over their learning, but they would also feel more comfortable.

A few other thoughts came to mind as I was reading this. When I student taught fourth grade, I worked with a student with special needs who was reading two grade levels below her class. We used "book clubs" as part of the reading curriculum and she desperately wanted to read Bridge to Terabithia, which was too challenging for her. I opted to record the book on tape for her myself so that she could be part of the discussion, since she was usually in a one-on-one setting for reading instruction. This allowed her to take part in the comprehension aspect of the story and work with her peers. I continued to work simultaneously with her on decoding. Her inclusion with her classmates on the harder book helped to give her more motivation and she really began to enjoy reading, instead of being frustrated by it. I didn't realize at the time that I was helping her learn in the UDL way! I just wanted to try to meet her needs in any way I could.

The second thought that came to mind was that digital media truly has amazing possibilities. This week's episode of Grey's Anatomy was a perfect example. Dr. Bailey decided to use Twitter to allow 3,000 residents across the country to follow her surgeries. When the Chief found out, he was angry and thought the residents in the O.R. were merely "texting" so he shut it down. Dr. Bailey continued to tweet and when a crisis ensued, the Chief soon learned that the skills of his residents in house could be enhanced by the thousands out there in the world. One of those tweets suggested a method that ultimately helped to save the patient. The Chief became a believer! All of this would not be possible without digital media....amazing!

Below is my concept map for how I interpret UDL:

Bringing History to Life through Photoshop

I have been teaching a unit on symbols of our government to my first graders for the past two years. It is a dry topic for them and I had been thinking about a way I could make it more interesting. When I found out about this assignment, I thought I had the perfect idea! What better way to get my students involved in the unit than to have them actually be placed into scenes with some of the symbols. First graders are egocentric by nature and anything that involves them personally is so much more interesting to them! So, my idea is to create a short video story via Photostory or Powerpoint using these photos, as well as some other important information about the symbols. So far, I have four symbols and 12 students featured. I'd like to get the other 5 students in somewhere, but did not have any full-body photos of them in my archives. So I am posting all four that I have done so far. Stay tuned to find out if this helped to make them more interested in the unit...

Assignment Due on 1/25/11

1.      The blog I chose to follow, after much searching and reading, is Cathy Jo Nelson's Professional Thoughts at http://blog.cathyjonelson.com. She touts her blog as offering "helpful hints, tips, and tricks to teachers and library media specialists who are modeling the integration of technology in an authentic and ethical manner in the name of increasing student engagement." This really appealed to me because I want to spend the remainder of this school year incorporating as much technology as I can in order to make learning more hands-on and interesting for my first grade students. Her blog also addresses the culture of school libraries and librarians and how they are viewed by other staff, parents, board of education members and the community at large. She calls school librarians the "voices for connected learning of a whole new kind." One post really struck a cord with me. It was about change, something I have always found to be a very difficult thing to both accept and implement. She said, "Change can mean struggle. If you are not struggling, you are not learning or adapting." This advice can apply to both me and my students! If I reflect on changes in technology in just the last decade, it is astounding! But yet, this change does not scare me as much as other change has in the past. I wonder why that is? Could it be because I am captivated by technology? Stay tuned...

2.      Teddy Bears Go Blogging - what a great article! It gave me an idea that I explain below in number 3. I love the idea of sharing cultures and making it an authentic and interactive experience. We study both China and Kenya in first grade. I thought this is something we could possibly do with students in those countries learning English. It could be a way for the Chinese students to practice English, while also sharing their culture with us. In addition, we could share our culture and compare and contrast the differences in our learning and home environments through photographs and writings. I like that the blog could be kept private and that it had real world audience and purpose. When my students write about their lives, I always get their best writing because they are excited to tell their stories. I also thought it was so exciting that parents and other family and friends could both follow the blog and comment. The audioblogger is a neat option for students who are not strong writers (and since writing is often a struggle for many first graders, this options would most certainly be utilized in my class!) I liked that students could work collaboratively or independently and then just get a teacher approval for post. Putting more control in their hands made for more authentic learning of which they had ownership.

3.      The standard I chose as a target focus for this semester is in the ISTE NETS Performance Indicators for Teachers. Under Number 3 (Model Digital-Age Work and Learning), I am choosing to focus on both B (collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital  tools and resources to support student success and innovation) and C (communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats). I think these standards go hand in hand. One of the ideas I have is a little like the Teddy Bears Go Blogging Idea. In the past, I have used a newsletter to communicate what we are learning in the classroom. The content is formulated and written by me. But I started to think that this open communication with parents might be better served in a blog, where students can work together to write the content of what we have learned each week, take photographs and even interview classmates. All the material will be posted on our blog each Friday and parents will be free to comment. I am really excited about this idea, but need to run it by my principal to make sure there are no privacy issues. I do know I can make the blog private and only invite certain people to view it and comment so that will be helpful in convincing both administration and parents that this can be a great tool to share information, while getting students and parents involved in an interactive format. I think I can address all learning styles, but haven't yet figured out how I will do that.

P.S. Speaking of technology, it is a good thing I saved a draft of this in Word because as I went to post, I got an error and it all disappeared! Sometimes technology can be frustrating!

This was our first assignment. We had to do a tableau, which is a visual interpretation of a reading we did. We read The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. We interpreted it to be about a father telling his son about a bad thing in the woods. The son used a "vorpal sword" to slay the Jabberwocky. I am the son slaying the Jabberwocky, while Maura is the head and Tara is the headless body.

First Class

Today, I went back to school for the second time. It's a little scary, but I think I am really going to like this program. I have always enjoyed technology and doing things hands on. We had to create this blog for class so we can post our response to readings.