A Reflection on Teaching New Literacy Skills

Throughout this course, I have been amazed at how much I have learned that will benefit my students for many years to come. Gone are the days of depending solely on textbooks and lectures to teach my students. When I first began this program, I made a commitment to learn as much as I possibly could to assist my students in the area of technology. I believe that it is crucial for them to learn the skills they will need to be successful in their careers as early as possible. The new literacy skills give them the opportunity to create projects using tools of technology that they will be able to carry with them. They will learn how to create a website from scratch, how to blog, and create podcasts and video threads.
As a professional development goal, I would like to teach a course to my fellow peers in my school district on the new literacy skills and the importance of utilizing the technology that the district offers. I will plan this course with my administrators and then prepare to teach my peers all of the useful information that I have learned over the duration of this program.

Reflection

In week one, I identified the learning theory that I most identify with as being behaviorism. While I still lean toward many behavioristic patterns such as drill and practice and behavior plans, I now realize that social contructivism is the learning theory that most represents my classroom. I have begun to implement project based learning, cooperative learning, blogging, and much more! I believe that it is crucial to prepare my students for a lifetime of working cooperatively with others. Collaboration is a skill that must be taught and will serve the students well as they enter their careers.
Two strategies that I plan to implement with my students are voice threading and virtual field trips. Voice threading will allow me to share knowledge with my students in a new and inventive way. I hope that they will be able to create their own voice threads as an alternative to PowerPoint presentations. Virtual field trips will allow me to take my students to places they would never be able to experience otherwise. The possibilities are endless! Webquests are another tool that I am excited to implement in my classroom.
One long term goal that I plan to implement is to ensure that my district teaches inservices on softwares, webquests, virtual field trips, etc. I will outline a plan with my administrators to make sure that they are aware of how the students would benefit from the knowledge of the teachers.
Another long term goal that I have is to write a grant to receive more technology for my school. We are lacking things such as Smart Boards, mobile labs, and much more. I believe that our students are suffering because of our lack of technology. I must do my part to make sure that each of our students has a chance to succeed through technology.
Overall, I take from this course so much knowledge about technologies that I never knew existed. I know that my students will be excited to learn all the new technologies that I have to teach them.

My Voice Thread Link

http://voicethread.com/#u429308.b573167.i3061781

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is a skill that is taught as soon as you teach a young child to share their toys or work with their siblings to clean their bedroom. It is imperative that people know how to work together in order to get anything accomplished these days. There are very few careers that call for individual work and people should know that in order to get ahead in their careers, they must learn to work cooperatively. In my classroom, I implement problem based learning on a regular basis. I believe that by having students work together to solve a real life problem, they are building skills that will last a lifetime. They divide tasks and put their heads together to come up with possible solutions.
One aspect of technology that I plan to implement this school year is blogging. I hope that my students will learn to share their thoughts and also to accept responses from their classmates. It is a wonderful alternative to journal writing with paper and pen. It will also give them an insight into how useful technology is to them.

Social Constructivism

Social Constructivism plays a vital role in the classroom of today. Working cooperatively is a crucial skill to be taught. When students learn to work together in groups, they are being set up for a lifetime of social skills that they will need to survive. In this week's learning resources, I enjoyed reading about the Problem Based Learning strategy. By giving students a problem to solve together, they are able to each use their strengths to bring to the table endless possibilities. Students who can work with others who are not neccessarily like them are better able to succeed. It is important for the teacher to always choose the cooperative groups to make sure that students are working with a variety of people. By doing so they are not only learning acceptance of others but also that it is important to be able work with others to achieve a common goal. Peer collaboration is something that they will not be able to avoid once they are in post secondary schools and also in the midst of their careers. The sooner this skill is taught, they better off our students will be.

Behaviorism in the Classroom

Behaviorism is a powerful instructional theory that has been used for ages and still has a place in today's classroom. Personally, I have found Behaviorism useful in my classroom when disciplining my students. I use behavior contracts and reward them for their positive behaviors. I have also used the technique of cueing in the past with some of my more troubled students by "providing either verbal or non verbal clues as to the appropriateness of a behavior" (Orey, 2001). Also, I am a firm believer that "behaviors can be unlearned and replaced with new behaviors" (Orey, 2001). High school students are not exempt from this rule. Many of my peers believe that by the time they are teenagers, their behaviors cannot be changed. I disagree with them because I have witnessed it on many occasions. The majority of our students have never had a positive role model to follow. I try to be that for my students. I act in a manner that they should follow.
Instructionally, I use drill and practice when teaching new skills such as grammar and vocabulary terms. Technology offers many resources for behaviorist instruction. There are many software programs that offer tutorials for any subject that allows students to practice what is being taught in the classroom. These tutorials offer students a way to be instructed that is far more interesting to them than me lecturing them in the classroom.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

A Self Evaluation on Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices

I would love to think that after ten years of teaching, I would be able to say that I am doing everything that I possibly can to be an effective teacher for my students. However, the reality of it is, there will always be room for improvement. After taking this course, I must admit that there a lot of areas that I need to take a look at and work to improve if I want to give all of my students the educational opportunities that they deserve.
While reflecting on Dr. Garcia's CREDE standards and assessing myself using the checklist provided, I discovered that I am weak in some areas and strong in others. In standard one, Joint Productive Activity, I am sometimes reluctive to have the students work in cooperative groups although I know that it is good for them to do so. When I do have them work in groups, I never let them choose who they want to work with. I make sure that the groups are diverse in an effort to ensure that they learn from working with peers who come from different cultures. While ELL students are not an issue in my classroom, it is still necessary to promote acceptance of other people and cultures. I also make sure that the students work together to accomplish tasks even if they are simple ones like putting the classroom in order or rearranging desks.
Standard two, Language Development is an area that I feel I am competent in. I always allow the last ten minutes of the class period for "catch up time" in which the students and I catch up on what's going on at home and in their lives. Everyone gets a chance to share if they want too. I also make an effort to respect the mannerisms of each culture. If a student is not comfortable with eye contact, I respect that. I also provide multiple opportunities for students to practice vocabulary, write in journals, and speak often in order for them to become comfortable with the English language.
Standard three, Contextualization is an area in which I could use some improvement. I think it would be a great idea to encourage parents to come into the classroom to help with various tasks but have always thought that they would not be interested so have never asked. Also, I would love to get the community involved by developing community based learning activities. These things take a lot of planning, time, and effort but my students would benefit from the opportunities.
Standard four, Challenging Activities is an area in which I am both competent and need improvement. I give my students clear and directive feedback and make sure that my students see the whole picture when I am instructing them on a topic. However, sometimes I do not challenge them enough. I need to give them more challenging standards to follow and expect more of them. This will help them when they leave high school and enter either the work force or a post secondary educational setting.
Standard five, Instructional Conversation is probably the area that I feel the most competent in. I understand the importance of holding meaningful conversations with my students. It helps to create a positive learning environment and makes the student feel comfortable. I utilize the act of guided conversation in every lesson that I plan. I encourage my students to state their opinions and to speak freely as long as it is not disruptive. Student understanding can be assessed by listening and I take advantage of this on a daily basis.
Dr. Garcia's standards create a guideline that all educators should follow. One should never grow complacent and comfortable in their teaching career. There will always be room for improvement and growth. I for one, took the self evaluation to heart and will make changes in order to become a better teacher and person.

Reflecting on My Culture continued...

Being an African American woman who is an educator, I feel an awesome sense of responsibility. I am one of the few African American teachers in a school that is predominately impoverished African Americans. I must constantly be aware of the way I present myself to my students. I try my hardest to lead by example and to teach them that they way they are raised does not have to define them. I want them to know that they can accomplish anything they set their minds too. They can be who they want to be and do what they want to do once they leave high school I have been told by former students that I inspired them to do positive things in their lives. That to me makes being an educator worth every single struggle that I've encountered.

Further Reflection on My Culture

I teach in a Title I school high school. The majority of my students are African American. I find myself frustrated a lot of the time because of the attitudes that these students have towards education. Because my parents stressed to me the importance of education on a daily basis, it amazes me how unmotivated my students are. It is sad to say that the majority of my students fit the stereotype of the "ghetto black person". I find myself constantly trying to get through to them the importance of getting their high school diplomas. They seem to all think they will be famous rappers, professional basketball players, etc. Whatever is the easiest way to get rich is the route they will take even if it involves illegal activity. It saddens me that these students represent my race. They do not however, represent my culture. It is possible to have many cultures within a race. Unfortunately, many people stereotype all people of a race into one broad category and the educated members of a race are the ones who suffer because of it.

A Reflection On My Culture

I remember vividly the day I realized I was black. I was nine years old. From the time I was born until I was nine, my family lived in an area that was predominantly white. For some reason I never realized that I was different. I was never treated differently by anyone and the thought never crossed my mind. At the age of nine, my parents divorced and I moved with my mother to an area that was predominantly black. I remember the moment like it was yesterday. I came home from my first day at my new school and I said, "Mom, there are so many black people at my school." She looked at me with amazement and said, "honey, you are black too." I remember feeling like I finally "got it" even though I had no idea what "it" was. At this point I became interested about learning everything there was to know about my culture and my heritage.

Growing up, we moved a lot. I was constantly changing schools and was able to become a "chameleon" wherever I was. I had both white and black friends. I enjoyed spending time with people of all races. I never dealt with racism during my youth. My parents taught my brother and I to respect all people and that differences were okay. While we were never wealthy, we were certainly middle class. We were taught that some people had to deal with hardships but that you can always rise above them with a good education. Getting the most from our education was mandatory in my house. I appreciate all my parents did to instill in me the importance of accepting diversity.

It's Only the Beginning

While my course is coming to an end, my blogging will continue. I have learned so much throughout this course. I have learned about aspects of technology that I had never even heard of. The terms wiki, blogs, and podcasts are now a permanent fixture in my vocabulary. I have begun to develop lesson plans that will help my students to thrive in the 21st century because of the technology that I am implementing. My learning disabled students now realize that that they can accomplish anything that that they set their minds too. It is never easy to implement new forms of technology in the classroom, however with the proper tutorial, all students can become masters of technology. Technology encourages students to take ownership of their education. Rather than having teacher centered classrooms, the students are more in charge of what they learn. The teacher is a facilitator that encourages creativity in the classroom. I hope to learn more about creating podcasts in my classroom. I have already discussed with administration the possibility of holding more teacher inservices to learn new forms of technology so that we can keep up with the pace of our students.
One goal that I hope to achieve within the next two years is to apply for a grant to receive new technology devices for my classroom. I hope to receive webcams and laptop computers for my students to use. I also plan to meet with the technology coordinator for my district to discuss ways to educate the staff so that we are all on the same page as far as meeting the needs of our students. It is crucial that our students do not leave us behind in terms of learning new technologies.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

I found the Partnership for the 21st Century to be very interesting. I know how important it is to infuse the 21st century skills into education and this program focuses on just that. I love the fact that all stakeholders are involved with creating the vision for the 21st century education. This is something that we have to get all stakeholders to buy into and it helps that the business community, education leaders and policymakers are all involved with this process.

This is site that was created to encourage and advocate for the implementation of these 21st century skills. This is something that all schools should use and see the importance of. The fact that only 9 states have bought into this shows just how hard we have to fight to incorporate this change. This shows that teachers and educators have the tendency to stay in their comfort zones and how they unfortunately have that immediate resistance to change. This is definitely unfortunate, but true. It has been this way with education for years and years. We have to show data and prove to them that this change will work and that the students will benefit from it.

I like that the fact that the program has "developed a unified collective vision for the 21st century learning that can be used to strengthen American Education." This is something that I feel strongly about. I believe that lawmakers and policy makers have so many outcomes that they want educators to reach, but they give limited ideas and strategies on how to reach those goals. This is something that could be put into place so that all educators would be on the same page when it comes to addressing these 21st century skills.

One thing that I disagree with or that is lacking is how to provide the schools with the technology resources. Yes, they give publications and online tools, but what about the schools that don't have computers and other technology resources that they desperately need. How can we address the technological inequalities within the schools systems? How can we make sure that all students have the resources that they need to attain the 21st century skills?

The implications for myself and my learning community is that we have so much work to do. I recognized that my students have so much that they have to do in order to survive in the 21 century. I know that I am dedicated to preparing them for this 21st century. I will continue to reach this goal by absorbing as much knowledge as I can and exposing my students to all that I learn.

Ideas Anyone?

I would love to hear how you innovative educators have used the blogs. Can anyone share their ideas or creative ways that you have incorporated blogging into your lessons? What has been your feedback from your students?

Jog and Blog

I am a special education teacher and I teach students with learning disabilities. I currently teach Senior English and I also have two resource periods called Study Skills. I see this blog as a way to bridge the gap with the students and another way for me to assess my students. I would use a blog to check students understanding of the materials that were covered during the day. I would kind of" jog" their brains about the information that was covered in the daily lessons, and then they can "blog" their comments and responses. I think that the students would get into blogging. The first thought that came to mind is that the students would kind of think of this as checking a MYSPACE page. The students are so consumed with MYSPACE and texting these days. I know that they would get a kick out of the ability to do their homework from their phones! I would also post all of the things that will help their success with the course work, such as syllabus, lesson plans, etc. I would also use this blog as a way for students to communicate with me and each other about old and new concepts that they may need further instruction and modifications. I am so excited about this blog and I can't wait to see how far it will go.

My FIRST BLOG HAS BEEN BORN!!

MY FIRST BLOG HAS ARRIVED!!!

I will begin by simply introducing myself. I am O'Letha and I am a special education teacher located in the south suburbs of Chicago. I have been teaching for about eight years and I absolutely love what I do. I teach students with learning disablilties and I want to expose them to all the things that will make them more productive citizens. This is just a new way for me to grow professionally and to share all that I learn with my students. My mission in life is to show them that their disability does not stop them from reaching their goals and dreams.

I am creating this blog for an assignment for a technology course that I am currently enrolled in. I must admit that I am fairly new to this and I have never blogged before, and yet I am attempting to create my very own. I am so excited about this experience and I can't wait to see how far this blogging will go!! I will end this blog by asking a question, Do you feel that texting has begun to interfere with the way that students write and talk? I can't wait to hear your input.