Reflection Time

     Reflecting upon ones work and journey can be very rewarding, as you learn new things about yourself and you are able to figure out what works or doesn't work in your life or classroom.  Seven weeks ago I had to figure out what my personal theory of learning was, which was very interesting to do, as I have never thought about having a personal theory on learning.  I obviously had ideas on how students learned best or what was the best way that I learned.  There are different kinds of theories out there on how students learn.  A learning theory has the ability to examine what goes on in the students mind when they are learning content (Laureate Education Inc., 2011a).  
     My own personal theory on how students learn was based on the social learning theory and behaviorism.  I still believe in those two learning theories, though I have now incorporated more into my ideas on how students learn best.  I now feel that is important to have the cognitive  learning theory in the classroom as well.  The cognitive learning theory is based on how mostly on how information is processed when a student is learning (Laureate Education Inc., 2011b).  It is important to know how student process the information that is being presented to them, as it will help me be able to find ways to ensure that they are understanding the material that is being presented to them.  
     I also believe that it is important to have constructionism in the classroom.  Constructionism is where the students learn best when they are able to build some kind of artifact that they are able to share with those around them (Laureate Education Inc., 2011c).  Through this theory the students are more engaged with their learning as they are building something and using their creativity to build with.  
     With more technology surrounding us, I know that I would like to use it more in the classroom, as it has the chance to be very beneficial to the students.  By using technology in the classroom, I will be helping the students achieve the 21st century skills that are needed for them to be able to succeed in all aspects of their life.  One adjustment that I would like to make is to have the students use technology more.  I will need to adjust lessons so I will be able to include technology in the classroom.  By using technology more in the classroom, I will be helping the students to be more focused for a longer period of time, they will be excited to learn and the technology can help students learn at their own pace (Huneycutt, 2013).  
     Two technological tools that I would like to use with the students are virtual field trips and voicethread.  Virtual field trips give the students an opportunity to compare information with other sources, opportunities to witness history, and opportunities to engage the students in critical thinking (Laureate Education Inc., 2011d).  Virtual field trips have the opportunity to help enhance the students learning by taking them to places that they couldn't go to otherwise.  It will make it more interesting to learn about history, as the students will actually be there in their field trip.  It will also help the students become more engaged in their learning as they will be excited to see the places that are featured in the field trip, than learn about them in a text book.  
     Voice thread is another tool that can help enhance a students learning. Voice thread has the ability to be able to promote a greater digital literacy and more enthusiasm for multimedia creation among the students (EDU Cause, 2009).   When the students are enthused about something, they pay more attention to what they are learning and what they are doing, therefore they will be able to retain the information being presented to them.  The students themselves can make voice threads and then present them to the class.  Voice threads can give the students a chance to record a story to share with the class or with others around the globe.  I feel that voice thread will be engaging to the students as they will be actively making something that can be shared with the class.  I can even use voice thread to make a presentation for the class to see, like I did on water a couple of weeks ago for this class.  
     It is very important for educators to make goals for the classroom.  The first goal that I would like to have in the classroom, is to have updated computers for every student to use in the classroom.  The computers that are in most of the rooms are from the early 2000's and have a lot of problems like freezing all the time or breaking.  I think it would benefit the students to have more up to date computers in the classroom, so they will be able to have more ways to integrate technology into their presentation and their own learning.  One way that I could achieve this is to help write a grant that would help purchase the computers.  Another way is that I could talk to the PTO about having a fund raiser to help purchase the newer computers.  
     Another goal that I would like to achieve is to have in my instructional practice is to have a classroom blog for the students.  I feel this would be extremely beneficial to the students and to the parents. I could list the assignments, what is going on in the class, recordings from class so students can access it if they are sick or need more help understanding the material.  I also think that the blog would be a great place for the students to come together to talk about assignments or ask questions about the assignments.  The blog would also be great for the parents, as they would always know what we are doing in the classroom, what assignments are due and talk to other parents.  The blog would be easy to create and implement, though it would be hard to convince the district on the benefits of having a blog.  The district has banned blogs from the classrooms, just like other social media.  I would need to put together a presentation and present it to the school board, along with the superintendent.  The presentation would explain why blogs are good in the classroom, along with how they can get parents and children more involved in their education. 
     In conclusion, I really enjoyed this class and have felt that I have learned a lot.  I learned about some new technology that I was not aware of.  Which can be surprising at times, as I like to think I know a lot about technology as I use it everyday in my own personal way.  I enjoyed learning about the different learning theories and how each one can help the students become more engaged with their learning.  

References:

EDU Cause.  (2009).  Seven Things You Should Know About Voicethread.  Retrieved from:
 http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7050.pdf

Huneycutt, T.  (2013).  Technology in the Classroom: The Benefits of Blended Learning.  Retrieved from: http://nms.org/Blog/TabId/58/PostId/188/technology-in-the-classroom-the-benefits-of-blended-learning.aspx

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Program three: Instructional theory vs. 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 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). (2011c). 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

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011d). 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