Diary of a Mad Social Studies Teacher

In my “Personal Theory of Learning” that I wrote at the beginning of this course, I was noncommittal and avoided definitively selecting a learning theory. I did this because I was always taught that differentiated learning was the best approach. Teaching styles and processes should be routinely changed so various learning styles of the students are met. While I still believe there is value in taking multiple approaches to teaching, this course has led me to believe that constructionism and social learning should occupy the greatest percentage of classroom time because they are extremely effective and permit students to develop important skills in addition to learning the material. The application of knowledge in any format, particularly through technology, is far more beneficial to a student than training them to memorize facts or dates because they learn to understand why the information is useful. Further, through the process of constructionism, students able to develop and hone useful skill sets that will enable them to utilize valuable technologies in both their collegiate and professional careers. Combining constructionism with social learning will only benefit students further because they will be able to learn from one another as well as from the guided instruction offered by the teacher.
In addition to learning theories, this course also increased my awareness of valuable learning resources, most notably VoiceThread and TeacherTube. VoiceThread allows for teachers and students to make quick-and-easy posts that contain sound clips and pictures. The resource also permits users to make direct comments through text, audio or video. VoiceThread has countless capabilities and can be extremely valuable. Another awesome teaching tool is TeacherTube, which is similar to YouTube without all of the garbage. There are instructional strategy videos for teachers and content filled videos for students. While I am just getting my feet wet with these resources I can already see that they will be useful teaching and learning tools. There are many ways for them to be applied to lessons. By having a greater repetiore of functional technological resources, I can allow students to engage in many different types of activities so each seems fresh and exciting.
My number one long-term goal as a teacher is to diversify the types of technological resources that my students use. Internet research and PowerPoints have been the standard, but I wish include resources such VoiceThread, TeacherTube, virtual field trips, blogs, Prezi, wiki pages and digital concept maps. This will offer students wider-ranging technological skills sets and will keep class exciting and interesting. The best way to accomplish this goal is to dive in feet first and design lessons that permit students to use these tools. In addition, I also plan to introduce my colleagues to these resources so students can gain experience with these tools at an earlier age and in other subjects. Another long-term goal is make my PowerPoint presentations more interactive. My students are involved in discussion and debate, but that does not always involve every student in the room. One way I can do this is through incorporating interactive remote controls that allow students to answer questions and share opinions. The reason this is a long-term goal is because currently my school only has a shared set of clickers and I need to convince my district to increase the supply.

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In the film Social Learning Theories, Dr. Orey introduces social learning as cross-blend of constructionism and social interaction. To be more precise,
Dr. Orey suggests that social learning is most effective when students are collaboratively engaged in the construction or building of something with partners of varied ability or skill sets (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). The social learning theory takes constructionism a step further and incorporates student-to-student and student-to-teacher collaboration.

The textbook, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, explores teaching strategies that meet the criteria for the social learning theory. One example that the text discusses is the creation of a movie. In the outline for this assignment, students are broken up into groups where they work collaboratively to complete the film. Each student is issued a different responsibility, but the students must still work in cohesion to successfully complete the assignment. (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007)

The example provided in the text is one that I have previously used in my class. This lesson is phenomenal for a few reasons; 1. It permits students to work in collaboration, 2. It allows students to use technology to create a finished product and 3. It allows students to apply information rather than merely regurgitating on to a piece of paper. The reasons that I believe this to be a great lesson are also reasons why it fits the social learning theory criteria. There is so much value in students being in situations that permit them to both learning from one another and apply knowledge in a meaningful way. Making connections in learning how to apply and utilize information allow students to better retain the material and also helps them to develop skills that will enable them to succeed in their futures. The only problem I have with the video lesson plan is the amount of time it consumes. With so much material to cover in a short amount of time, it is extremely difficult to frequently use this lesson. This assignment involves the organization of the film, the inclusion of information, the recording, editing, production of finished product and then class time spent watching the multiple films. While it is extremely valuable, the video project must be used in moderation because it will eat up a great deal of class time and prevent the class from moving forward.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

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

In the film, Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories, Dr. Orey explores the differences and usefulness of the constructionist and constructivist learning theories. While the theories are similar if definition, Dr. Orey advises that the constructionist approach is the theory which is applicable for teachers. Under the constructionist theory, it believed that students learn most productively when they are engaged in the construction or building of something (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011).

The video also exposed teaching strategies that correlate with this approach. Dr. Orey’s first example was the use PowerPoint. This software permits students to apply the information they have learned or are learning to the construction of a presentation. The construction of a PowerPoint provides students with the opportunity to organize the information and make connections between the materials as they are developing their presentation. Another instructional strategy shown in the video was the creation a of book report. However, this was not your average, run-of-the-mill book report. The teacher asked the students to use their resourcefulness to locate pictures on Google images (pictures that did not directly relate to the book) and embed them with their report. Both instructional examples allow students to engage in learning by creating and building a project.

I personally am a firm believer in the constructionist learning theory. Constructionism abides by the old saying “give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.” I do not merely want to teach students social studies content; I want to teach them how to do something as well. Lecturing to students about the Progressive Era is all well and good, but watching them apply the information they learned into a PowerPoint, Prezi Presentation, Video, Concept Map, or Website is much more rewarding because these students are learning skills that they will use for the rest of their life. Further, not only are they developing skills, they are engaging in the information and achieving a much higher level of learning than remembering facts. Through project-based learning students are analyzing and formulating conclusions about the material which helps them in gaining an advanced comprehension of the material.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

This week’s resources demonstrated to me the importance of resource-heavy, connection-based teaching. In one of the films this week, Dr. Michael Orey shared the history of cognitive learning theories. Within this film, Dr. Orey discussed Piavio’s Dual-Coding of Information which stresses the importance of students engaging in the material through multiple types of interactions (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a). As a basic example of this, when a teacher is delivering a PowerPoint presentation about the Great Depression, having only text on the slides will inhibit the students ability to retain the information. The addition of pictures and video clips can greatly enhance a student’s ability to learn and retain information. However, merely adding a piece of decorative clip art is not sufficient. The media that is embedded within PowerPoint presentations must directly connect with the targeted learning. Further, teachers should comment on the photos and make them a point of discussion because the students will be able to make valuable connections between the material and the media which will ultimately help them to retain the information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a).

I found the information presented by Dr. Orey to extremely be useful because while I always include photos in my presentations, I do not typically make them a conversation piece. The photos in the past have been relevant, but typically do not trigger a conversation within my class. I now see how being more selective with the media I include in my PowerPoints could enhance the learning retention of my students. I always strive to have class discussions, but now I will aim to have discussions that make multiple connections within the material to improve student retention.

I was also amazed by the virtual tour that was shown in the second video on the resource page (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b). I take pleasure in understanding how to apply such a resource within my class, but I would take greater pleasure in learning how to design and create such a tool to meet my specific teaching aims. There is a fine line between being resourceful and being a creator of resources and it is my hope to someday be able to function on both sides of that line.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Program five: Cognitive learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Program six: Spotlight on technology: Virtual field trips [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Behaviorism, at its core, is the operant conditioning of students through positive and negative reinforcement (Laureate, 2011). A major component of behaviorism is making certain beneficial tasks a routine for students. For example, I often begin class by posting a question on the board that requires students to write a response in their journals. Students are aware of this routine and instead of coming into the classroom unaware of their task, students open their journal and begin recording a response. I have conditioned the students to recognize that a question on the board at the beginning of class means they are being asked to answer the question in their journals. While this example depicts the behaviorist learning theory, it is merely a miniscule example of behaviorism truly entails.

Behaviorism has much greater potential such as conditioning students to put forth greater effort, maximize the effectiveness of their homework assignments and recognize the value of technology. Effort can be conditioned by reinforcing its importance to students and requiring them to track their effort and achievement progress. Students can both monitor their effort and enhance technological skills if they design an Excel spreadsheet that allows them to accomplish this task (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). A student who monitors their effort will be capable of seeing the positive outcomes that are associated with increased effort. Further, students will recognize the value of a program such as Excel and will be able to apply their knowledge to future tasks that require them to track progress. For instance, if a student ever decides to go on a diet, they will recall their past experience and recognize the potential for success that resides in monitoring data using Excel spreadsheet. With enough reinforcement, using Excel spreadsheet to accomplish goals that require monitoring data such as calorie intake will become second nature as they are conditioned to make this association. Similarly, students can be conditioned to recognize the importance of homework if it is blatantly demonstrated to them how effort given during homework can directly affect their progress as a student (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Generally speaking, students perceive homework assignments as a burden. They typically see homework not as a beneficial tool that helps them to improve their knowledge of the school subject, but rather as an obstacle that stands in the way of them patrolling facebook, playing Call of Duty or participating in whatever hobby they enjoy. It is rare for a student to understand how and why homework is an effective learning tool. Merely explaining to students the psychological effect that homework has in reinforcing knowledge is not going to truly allow them to recognize its benefits. However, using a method such as aforementioned Excel tracking sheet to monitor academic improvement through increased effort on homework will enable students to clearly see the benefits that homework offers. In addition to the benefit of increased knowledge retention of subject matter, homework can permit students to hone technological skills if applied correctly (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Instead of assigning students the old fashioned bookwork or worksheet, teachers can use homework as a training ground for practicing technological skills that range from locating and analyzing documents on the internet to creating and uploading movies to YouTube. Students can be conditioned to understand the value of these resources and through enough practice they will be able to make associations with other tasks that can be completed using these resources.

As I mentioned I have applied the behaviorist learning theory to a certain extent within my classroom. While I believe that student behavior can be conditioned, I feel that teachers, especially at the high school level, are extremely limited in their ability to condition students. I firmly believe that all people develop as products of their environment and whether they are aware of it or not, the people directly involved their lives are the most influential factor of their behavior. There are many contrasting environments where we spend time during our developmental years; however, I would argue that the most influential is the home environment which is essentially dictated by the parents. For example, I believe that a child who grows in a home with concerned, loving and financially stable will be more prone to achieve academic success than a child who grows up with neglectful, impoverished parents. Similarly, there is research that demonstrates trends such as parents who are college graduates are more likely to have children that are college graduates and parents who are alcoholics are more like to have children that become alcoholics. Typically, there are many direct correlations between how we behave and how the people who raised us behave. It is plausible to modify a student’s behavior through methods of positive and negative reinforcement, but I believe the overwhelming force of their upbringing dictates how they behave. I can constantly reinforce to students the benefits of homework, but that does mean all students will eventually buy into the theory that maximizing their effort on school work will position them for success later in life. I believe the behaviorist learning theory has constraints that prevent it from being as effective as the resources suggest it can be. However, despite my skepticism, I will attempt these methods in my classroom and hope that I am proven incorrect.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program four: Behaviorist learning theory [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

After completing my fourth course at Walden University, I continue to be extremely satisfied with my decision to attend Walden to earn my Master’s Degree. The coursework has allowed me to improve rapidly as an educator, specifically in the areas of technology integration and teaching philosophy. While all courses have benefitted me in one way or another, the most recent course, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, has allowed me to improve almost instantly and by great measures. For a long time now, resources have existed that I thought I was capable of applying to education, but I was either too skeptical or time-stricken to learn how to use them. Through this course, I discovered not only that I was capable of performing tasks such as creating podcasts, designing a blog website, or creating a wiki page, but I learned that these tools are extremely functional and wonderful educational resources. Beyond learning how to utilize modern forms of technology, this course introduced me to the evolving role of teacher and has helped me to understand the 21st century skill sets that will be necessary for students to develop in order to achieve success in our rapidly growing world.

I have always known that I was capable of designing wiki pages, blog websites, and podcasts, but I did not know why they were useful or how they were useful for students. Through my coursework, I grew to understand the benefits of students actively engaging in newer forms of digital technology, both as users and creators. Through these experiences, students will gain exposure in comprehending these unique resource styles and this exposure will only improve their ability to become self-sufficient learners as they develop into adulthood. This practice of putting students in position to learn, rather than telling them what they need to know, speaks to the evolving role of the teacher. The adaption that teachers must be making is one from relaying information to enabling students to be self-sufficient learners. The material required to learn virtually anything now lies at students’ fingertips, whether they are sitting at a laptop, surfing the web on an iPad or making use of their smartphone’s 3G capabilities, the internet offers an immense amount of resources in all plausible areas. The development of skill sets have grown in importance as opposed to the memorization of facts, theorems, etc. Students need to be able to do things such as utilize their resources to be an effective problem solver, work in collaboration with peers and think critically allowing them to analyze and assess resources. When I was a student in school, it was becoming outrageous to expect students to complete math assignments without a calculator because everyone in this nation has access to calculator so the school of thought became “teach students how to effectively use the calculator rather than pretend it doesn’t exist.” The same school of thought is becoming relevant for the internet. Why should teachers spend their time relaying information to students when there is this great resource that is available to virtually everyone? Teaching students how to effectively use the internet, whether it is locating information, analyzing the usefulness of a source or teaching them how to create and share their own work, will only help make them become more self-sufficient in the long run. Under the new role of the teacher, we are still teaching students but we are merely taking different paths to get there and we are preparing students to succeed in the future.

My ultimate goal as a teacher is to effectively prepare students to succeed in the future, both academically and career-wise. The term ‘success’ is extremely broad, but my definition requires students to be resourceful, capable of problem solving and overcoming challenges and able to use technological resources to accomplish necessary tasks. This goal I have set for myself as a teacher is largely a product of what I learned throughout this course. To accomplish this goal, there are adaptations that must be made to my learning environment, which will require me overcoming immense obstacles in the process. One change that I would like to see is the loosening of the incredibly strict restrictions that my school district places on internet. I am baffled by the fact that my school chooses to pretend that things like e-mail, YouTube and countless internet resources do not exist because there is the possibility of a student looking at inappropriate content. Using e-mail is no different than using a jump drive in terms of students bringing content from home and placing it on computer at school. However, e-mail offers communication with teachers, potential colleges, places of work that set up internships and countless other advantageous outlets. YouTube has a privacy built-in that eliminates the possibility of pornographic content ever being seen. Yes, there is mature content on YouTube, but that does not outweigh the benefits of the extremely valuable content that exists on the website, nor does it outweigh the value of students understanding how to upload content and create their own YouTube account. I feel it is our job as educators to teach students to properly use the internet and resources. If students choose to misuse their privilege that it can be handled as it is anytime that students overstep their boundaries. There is no value in pretending these resources do not exist and it is my goal to make the powers that be realize their unjust action in limiting valuable internet resources. Another change that I would like to see made is the addition of laptop carts to our school. The two computer labs house approximately 60 computers total and they are on the verge of being defined as vintage. I would prefer that laptops carts contain Apple computers so students can learn the differences between Mac and PC. Having the ability to operate both systems will greatly benefit students as they move on in their collegiate career. Students that go on to major in areas such as graphic design and video editing will need to be Mac-savvy in order to complete the coursework for those classes. Further, the mere addition of more computers with portable capabilities will only benefit the students as there will be more and better resources for them to utilize. However, generating enough money to make such an investment seems almost laughable at this point in time with budget cuts and decreased spending emerging as trends in education. Despite the improbability of adding such valuable resources, I will make make my case for why laptops carts are a necessary addition to the school.

Throughout this course I have evolved in many ways as a teacher. I have evolved from thinking the best way to teach was using technology to show students what they need to know, but know I realize it is far important to teach students to effectively use the resources available to them and help them become self-sufficient learners. This course has also provided me with the knowledge of how to use valuable technological resources that will only help me to make my students more tech-savvy. I continue to grow as an educator through my coursework here at Walden and I am excited to continue in my education.

Technology Survey

For a while now I have been aware of the gap that presently exists between the New York State curriculum and the necessary skills and knowledge for students to be successful in the 21st century. While I was capable of seeing the gap, I was not capable of closing it. For those who have followed my discussion posts throughout this course, you will remember that I have presented sporadic recommendations to resolve the issues with the current curriculum, but I could not bring it full circle; The Partnerships For 21st Century Skills (P21), however, has developed an in-depth, plausible method for bridging the curriculum gap. Once I opened this website and began to understand the intentions of the P21 organization, my face grew gleeful with a grin from ear-to-ear. I was ecstatic to find that there was an organization already preaching the problems with the current curriculum format and who, unlike me, already have a comprehensive plan in place to resolve the issue. The goal of P21 is not replace the current curriculum, but rather install new, modernized methods for students to learn and utilize the knowledge presented in the “3 Rs” (reading, writing and arithmetic).  While the basis of the content will remain in place, the teaching methods and methods of student assessment are what will change most drastically under the proposal by P21. The organization aims to adapt curriculum in manner that includes the “4 Cs” (Critical Thinking, Communication, Creativity, Collaboration) while simultaneously preparing students to utilize the latest technologies in preparation for both career and life in general.

Personally, I am a huge advocate of the P21 proposal. The plan offers students the ability to remain on the cutting edge of technology which is absolutely vital as technological advances are being made at an immense rate never seen before.  A problem that I envision arising, aside from the tortoise-paced rate for making changes in the United States, is the inability or lack of desire for present teachers to scrap their current teaching routine to adopt methods that allow for students to obtain these 21st century skills. From my observations, there are many teachers already set in their ways, which do not understand the new technologies and therefore do not recognize the importance for students to be learning them. Further, the funding needed to integrate new technologies into schools and funding needed to train teachers to use these technologies will be another giant obstacle as budget cuts seem to be the trend in education these days. Although, Obama’s plan to dissolve the tenure system for teachers could make this plausible I suppose as schools could drop less-capable, overpaid teachers and bring in new candidates capable for half the cost already trained to handle the new technologies.

The mission of P21 is a necessary one, but I fear the obstacles presented by politics and economics could strain their ability to make these necessary changes in the educational system.

11th Grade – Social Studies – US History

I plan to use my blog as a learning tool for my students. I will post articles with complimentary discussion questions and ask students to comment on the articles as well as the comments of their fellow classmates. In addition, this format will work for asking students to discuss films we watch in class and any other debatable materials that I provide for them. As opposed to in-class discussions, where students are asked to form immediate conclusions, the use of the blog will allow them to organize their ideas and deliver a conclusion that is well thought-out rather than reactionary.