What a Master’s Degree Did for a Teacher Like Me
by Nicole Campbell
Over the course of the last four years of my Master’s Degree, I have encountered many new and interesting ideas and expanded my pedagogy in the areas of technology education and special education ten-fold. My main focus, throughout each of my classes was researching how technology impacts the general education classroom and supports inclusion for special education students. In this essay, I will focus on: how research and leadership can make a difference in my school, debate the importance of class size in an intellectual world, and the importance of technology in a general education and inclusive classroom.
How Research and Leadership Can Make a Difference In My School:
In my course “Leadership and Technology”, I learned many valuable strategies in helping plan, implement, and manage a plan to improve education in a elementary school. I also became aware of how important literacy is in our classrooms including the very growing need for more books and varying texts we need for our students. Throughout this course I was able to learn how to write proposals for new ideas in my own school. one of the most valuable things I learned in this course was about improving access to books for struggling readers and how technology can support this issue.
Research shows that “improving access of struggling readers to books they can actually read is critical to improving their reading growth.” (Allington, 2006) Richard Allington found during his study of classroom texts, that most classrooms have few information texts and even fewer at appropriate levels. He continues by stating, “By providing a multilevel supply of informational texts tied to state content area standards, we can solve two problems: improving students’ access to informational texts and improving the likelihood that struggling readers have books they can actually read {and comprehend} in the content area instruction.” (Allington, 2009) Allington recommends to achieve this, each classroom should try to have 1,000 titles or more in their classroom of varying levels and genres/topics. (Allington, 2009) As schools have little money these days, our school has struggled to find ways to accomplish this goal. I believe investing in Raz-kids would be one solution in providing multi-leveled texts in varying genres or core academic subject areas and supporting reading instruction to all students.
Raz-kids is an online site and app that has a variety of books both informational and fictional at different elementary reading levels. “The Raz-kids animated leveled books and interactive quizzes give educators choices. Students listen to books read aloud, read with vocabulary and pronunciation support, and read without support. They read freely in the backroom. Or, teachers easily limit students to appropriate reading levels and specific books and tracks student reading progress. Students can practice reading to improve reading comprehension and reading fluency anywhere with Internet access.” (learninga-z.com) This program could help support the problem of providing a variety of appropriate leveled books to students in core academic areas and supporting reading instruction to each student at their independent level. Teachers are also able to create reports of student data either by student or whole class.
In almost every literacy meeting, the number one complaint by teachers in my building is “We do not have enough books. We do not have enough subject area books at different levels and we do not have the money to buy enough for every classroom and for every student.” Although Raz-kids is not the perfect solution, it is the start to providing a solution to the problem of providing multilevel books in multiple genres and subject areas. Teachers and students will only need basic computer skills to begin to use of this program and training can be provided for the more detailed, advanced skills. I believe that teachers will be encouraged to use Raz-kids as they see student interest begins to peak, they are able to easily use the data reports to do progress monitoring of all students, and they are able to use the multi-leveled text of core academic instruction and review.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is the implementation and action plan I wrote for my “Leadership and Technology” course asking my school board to pilot a Raz-Kids program in our K-5 buildings.
The implementation and action plan will follow a four step process:
1) Train –All teachers, staff, and students will be trained in how to use the program. Teachers and support staff will receive professional development about all of the different options within the program and how to use it with students. Students will then be trained either by homeroom teacher or technology teacher in how to use raz-kids online books and quizzes, appropriate use, how to contact teacher, etc.
2) Try- Teachers and students will begin to use Raz-kids as part of their Daily 5- Reading program. They will record successes as well as problems they find while using the program. Teachers will begin to make reports using student data and students will continue to use the program as previously stated.
3) Review- Teachers will then partake in the Implementation Survey. Teachers will also be encouraged to meet as grade level teams to discuss common grade level problems/solutions, lessons, uses, management solutions, etc. All departments will review how they are doing in responding to needs, funding, and implementing the program.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We now have Raz-Kids in every K-5th grade classroom in our elementary buildings. It is going well and students are making growth in all areas of reading. Data is showing on a monthly basis how students are using Raz-kids on a weekly basis and growing in many areas such as comprehension and fluency. Because of this course and writing this proposal, I have been able to be part of the organization and support team for the implementation of Raz-Kids into our building and take a more leadership role in the area of technology and literacy in our district.
Debating Classroom Size in an Intellectual World:
In “Learning and Teaching across the Curriculum”, we were asked to research issues in education and take a stand on one that has a direct impact in our daily classroom. In this course, I learned about how class size reduction or increases have a direct impact on student learning and achievement. I was able to critique my ability to write on a topic of importance and present it to a group of professional colleagues.
The debate over the benefits of class size reduction has been going on for over 50 years. Numerous studies have been done to research the effects of class size on student learning and engagement. In a study by Blachford, Bassett, and Brown, they stated, “An observational study involving nearly 700 students in 49 schools in the UK finds that in both the early and later grades, smaller classes leads to students receiving more individual attention from their teachers and having more positive interactions with them. Classroom engagement decreases in larger classes, and this is particularly marked for struggling students at the secondary level. Students are engaged in active interactions with their teachers two to three times more often in a class of 15 compared to class of 30, and for low achievers at secondary level there is more than twice as much off task behavior in classes of 30 compared to 15. A five student increase in class size is associated with the odds of off task behavior increasing by 40% for this group.” (Learning and Instruction, 21) The effects of this difference were found to be significant in a article by JD Finn. He writes, “For all students combined, 4 years of a small class in K–3 were associated with a significant increase in the likelihood of graduating from high school; the odds of graduating after having attended small classes for 4 years were increased by about 80.0%.” (Finn, 2005) Even though there is research showing that smaller class sizes equal improved student learning and participation, there is also research showing little to no change. “The Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project compared academic achievement in small classes of 13 to 17 low-income students with that of students in classes that had 22 to 25 students. The experiment found modest but lasting gains for impoverished African-American students in the much smaller classes in kindergarten and first grade”, however, nothing more. (USAToday, 2010) ‘Dan Goldhaber of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington-Bothell says that "the effects of class-size reduction are pretty marginal," except in the early grades for disadvantaged students’ and that research shows that the marginal effect is not worth the drastic amount of money it costs to fund this program. (USAtoday, 2010) (Goldhaber, 2009) Even with research showing either a small or large increase in student improvement, in recent years many schools have turned from a student learning focus to cost vs effectiveness. When Florida amended their constitution to mandate to reduce class size, it was estimated to cost the state an additional $353 million in 2002, adding to the $16 billion that the state had already to meet requirements. (USAToday, 2010) Even with new federal grants and funding programs, schools are struggling to make ends meet. Many schools are finding the easiest way to cut spending is larger class sizes and fewer teachers. Goldhaber believes it may be more important for students at this time to focus less on class size and more on how effective the teachers are schools are able to keep. (Goldhaber, 2010)
My opinion is class size can make a difference. Research shows that smaller class sizes provide more time for review, classroom management, and one-one attention. Miliesi research showed that “…if class size increases from 20 to 40, the largest reallocations of time would be a 3% decrease in time devoted to review and a 2.5% percent increase in time devoted to disciplining students.”(Miliesi, 291) However, in Bloom’s study, he states that time for review and one on one support makes a difference of 18%. In education an 18% gain is worth it. A 2.5% increase in discipline is 2 minutes less of instruction per hour and 3 percent can add up to 20 minutes less time for review than in smaller classrooms. As a teacher 2-3 minutes can make all the difference. I have seen the effects of one to one tutoring or small group instruction. Elementary research continues to suggest that the best instruction is individualized, differentiated instruction for each child in your classroom. This is much easier and effective in a classroom of 20 than 30. Time that should be spent correcting and reviewing is spent disciplining and managing. The Institute of Research Sciences stated “There are only 4 educational reforms that have been proven to narrow the achievement gap and one of them is class size reduction.” (CNN, 2011) Also, in a recent survey done by Stanford University, teachers around the country were asked “what was one way that would improve their effectiveness”; the number one answer was class size reduction. ( CNN, 2012) Micheal Kirst from Stanford University says” school districts are facing "a very dangerous period. We are increasing class size to extremely high levels. "I don't worry about going from 20 to 25 students that much, or 15 to 20," he says. "But when you go from 20 to 35 in a year or two, I don't think we don't know the effects of that." (USAToday, 2010) We do not know the effects of what the new policies will have on the education of our students. We do know that class size reduction increases time for one- to –one instruction, decreases disciplinary distractions, and closes the achievement gap for low socio-economic and special education/at-risk students. Isn’t that enough research to prove that it is worth the investment? I would like to see a study that shows how much does the drop-out rate increase or educational interventions due to higher numbers cost the state every year compared to the cost of class size reduction.
The final question to ask is what can we do to help the student learning experience in a larger class size and make it more personal. One way I believe we can do this is by the implementation of technology in the classroom. With technology, we can produce effective ways to help our students receive a more direct, individualized education. Classroom teachers can use reading program software that allows students to choose and read books at their level and at their own pace then answer a variety of comprehension questions. Teachers can then assess the students learning online at a different time that is more convenient for them. Another way to help improve student instruction through technology is online projects or portfolios. While students are working on their project, they are engaged and focused so the teacher is then given time to work with individuals or small groups that may need more in depth instruction. Then, as students finish their work, they are able to share with others and enter a critical thinking skill discussion and reflect on their own and others work. Finally, they share their work with the teacher who is then able to critic, direct, and instruct the student any time, any place. With review games and online resources, teachers are able to easily and quickly differentiate their instruction to meet each student’s needs with very little cost. The use of technology can be used to help support students no matter what the class size or budget is.
(I have not included the implementation plans and other resources published during this course. You can find those on my portfolio site in my showcase of essays and other documents.)
The Importance of Technology in My General Education/Inclusive Classroom and beyond:
In “Technology and Literacy for Students with Mild Disabilities” and “Policies, Perspectives, and Procedures in Special Education’” I was able to have discussions with other teachers and expand my understanding of the importance of technology and literacy in my classroom, especially for those who have mild disabilities. I was able to begin to look at my own classroom with a new perspective.
I believe technology has the unique opportunity to support classroom texts and resources as well as provide ways for students to process, integrate, collaborate, and present information using their individual learning strengths. Webster’s dictionary defines technology as “a capability given by the practical application of knowledge” and defines literacy as “the quality of being able to read and write.” For me, technology in education is a tool that supports the ability to learn a specific skill or to comprehend and use that skill in the real world; while literacy is the basic ability to read something, comprehend what you have read, and be able to write about it later. Technology provides education a resource to find ways to help students at all levels become literate not just in the school atmosphere but in the real world too.
In my classroom, I try to use technology to support my students to meet a number of literacy-related goals. The two areas I use technology the most in literacy are writing and reading comprehension. This year my goal was to establish a classroom that used technology to allow students to experiment, collaborate, reflect, and evaluate on their reading and writing skills, both independently and student-led small groups. My goal for my students was for them to work independently and with others to accomplish a number of tasks that worked on strategies in both comprehension and writing. One way I tried to reach this goal this year was to implement a process for my students to edit, reflect, discuss, and review their writing with others in the class and myself. By using GoogleDocs (however, you could use any online doc sharing site), my students created portfolios and published a variety of works then shared them with group members and classmates. Students began to comment, critic, and collaborate on each other’s writing. I was able to monitor their discussion and provide instruction through the different comment features. Another way I tried to reach this goal was by using a variety of blogs, online forms, and chat rooms in which students were able to post what they were reading, practice their comprehension strategies, challenge each other to think deeper, work on developing critical thinking skills, and participate in relevant assessments.
Both of these approaches took a number of hours of set up and on going classroom management. Teachers must remember implementing technology for learning and instruction, especially for those with learning disabilities, takes time. However, once students understand the expectations and management of the new resource, technology can provide a number of possibilities for students to learn, present, practice, and self-assess both reading and writing strategies at their individual level. To achieve literacy goals in your classrooms, students should be part of the discussion in how they learn and how they use technology for their literacy learning. When students feel pride in their accomplishments as well as an active participant in their education, the classroom can become a shared space. I believe technology should be viewed as more than games and typing but rather a way to change how we differentiate instruction and assessment. It should not be just a supplemental tool instead it should be a resource used to support each student and his/her individual strengths and needs in all areas of literacy development. Technology will be a vital part of their world outside of school and it is important for students (especially those with disabilities) to feel comfortable using a variety of technologies and software. All students need to have an understanding that technology is not just Facebook and Angry Birds but a source for them to gain and apply knowledge in a practical, meaningful way.
Growing up in the digital age has made me a supporter of integrating technology in every part of daily life both at school, work, and home. Since middle school, technology has supported most of my educational inquiries. From Google and Wikipedia to Facebook and Twitter to DVDS and iPods, there are many forms of technology that enables learning every day. In high school, technology was used to research different topics, ideas, and authors. This expanded into college as Google and other search engines became more efficient and the world wide web continued to grow. Instead of going to the library, all my research materials were right at my fingers tips, right in my dorm room. Another aspect of technology I would argue has enabled my inquiry of both my education and my life is social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Blackboard. Through these sites, I have been able to discuss, share, and collaborate ideas with classmates and fellow teachers throughout the country and even the world. I feel this approach has led me to be a more diverse thinker and have a larger “tool box” of ideas. Through social networking, I have been able to ask questions and discuss highs and lows of teaching with others with different skills and strength without the restriction of distance. Another advantage to learning with technology is the endless possibilities of programs for creative projects/presentations and resources on the large databases found throughout the internet. Throughout my childhood and education, I have always been more engaged and interested when technology was involved. Personally, I seem to understand it when the information is coming in many forms as possible at once (visually, audibly, kinesthetically). As I studied to become a teacher, I got excited when an assignment came in the form of a project that would use technology as the main source of the presentation. Now as a teacher, I enjoy creatively thinking of new ways of presenting information or developing projects or assignments for my students that use technology. My favorite time of the year has become the week of the MACUL conference. I absolutely love learning what is new in the world of technology in education. It was at MACUL I learned how Twitter is a great tool for educational collaboration. Through Twitter I have connected with teachers all over the country. I have been able to ask questions and brainstorm ideas on a number of different problems and curriculum/other areas of teaching.
As a teacher, I am continuously using different internet database/websites to expand my knowledge of both the curriculum I am teaching and how I teach it. My computer, iPad, ELMO, projector, DVD player, and tablet all enable me to both learn as well as teach my students using Bloom’s taxonomy traits with ease. My students are able to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create all while using technology throughout the curriculum. Through new technology innovations I have learned Chinese, researched numerous historians, created projects to help others learn, witnessed the moon landing, took part in discussions with the president of the United States, and collaborated on a school project with teachers all over the country/world.
In the video, Digital Nation, journalists reported on the belief or theory that technology is actually damaging the current or upcoming generation. I would like to argue that it is quite the opposite. I feel that technology is helping this generation become more connected with others, learn a larger variety of subject areas at once, be more diverse and aware of other cultures and beliefs, and be more prepared for the future than people born 30 years ago. Throughout the video they spoke of how students were failing by long time standards, but my question is what if we need to be assessing by a new/different standard. Students will not be needing to know many of the academic standards of the past to be successful in the new technological future. They need to know how to find information and how to recognize a reliable source. Students will need to know how to perform a variety of tasks while using technology. Studies have shown that using technology actively in the classroom has increased test scores dramatically. Students today no longer learn by only one multiple intelligence instead they are “multiply” intelligent. They need to see, hear, and touch what they are learning. I have found when using computers or other kinds of technology in my teaching that my students are more engaged and involved in both discussion and daily work. Maybe according to brain scans and historical data, it seems that the current generations is becoming “dumber” but one could also argue they are evolving. In fact they are adapting to the needs of the new society, changing how and when they use certain areas of their brain and when to use or not use certain technologies.
In Conclusion
In the last four years I have come to know that a master teacher must continue to push one’s boundaries of understanding, to step out of their comfort zone, and to reach out to others for a global professional community focused on the passion of teaching our students. I have learned that my passion is to speak and discuss with others how technology can support and expand our students’ understanding and learning of the world and help all students (including those with special needs) to be successful in the 21st century. I plan to continue to research and implement new educational strategies and ideas into my classroom well after my Masters degree is completed and to help other in my district to do the same.
How Research and Leadership Can Make a Difference In My School:
In my course “Leadership and Technology”, I learned many valuable strategies in helping plan, implement, and manage a plan to improve education in a elementary school. I also became aware of how important literacy is in our classrooms including the very growing need for more books and varying texts we need for our students. Throughout this course I was able to learn how to write proposals for new ideas in my own school. one of the most valuable things I learned in this course was about improving access to books for struggling readers and how technology can support this issue.
Research shows that “improving access of struggling readers to books they can actually read is critical to improving their reading growth.” (Allington, 2006) Richard Allington found during his study of classroom texts, that most classrooms have few information texts and even fewer at appropriate levels. He continues by stating, “By providing a multilevel supply of informational texts tied to state content area standards, we can solve two problems: improving students’ access to informational texts and improving the likelihood that struggling readers have books they can actually read {and comprehend} in the content area instruction.” (Allington, 2009) Allington recommends to achieve this, each classroom should try to have 1,000 titles or more in their classroom of varying levels and genres/topics. (Allington, 2009) As schools have little money these days, our school has struggled to find ways to accomplish this goal. I believe investing in Raz-kids would be one solution in providing multi-leveled texts in varying genres or core academic subject areas and supporting reading instruction to all students.
Raz-kids is an online site and app that has a variety of books both informational and fictional at different elementary reading levels. “The Raz-kids animated leveled books and interactive quizzes give educators choices. Students listen to books read aloud, read with vocabulary and pronunciation support, and read without support. They read freely in the backroom. Or, teachers easily limit students to appropriate reading levels and specific books and tracks student reading progress. Students can practice reading to improve reading comprehension and reading fluency anywhere with Internet access.” (learninga-z.com) This program could help support the problem of providing a variety of appropriate leveled books to students in core academic areas and supporting reading instruction to each student at their independent level. Teachers are also able to create reports of student data either by student or whole class.
In almost every literacy meeting, the number one complaint by teachers in my building is “We do not have enough books. We do not have enough subject area books at different levels and we do not have the money to buy enough for every classroom and for every student.” Although Raz-kids is not the perfect solution, it is the start to providing a solution to the problem of providing multilevel books in multiple genres and subject areas. Teachers and students will only need basic computer skills to begin to use of this program and training can be provided for the more detailed, advanced skills. I believe that teachers will be encouraged to use Raz-kids as they see student interest begins to peak, they are able to easily use the data reports to do progress monitoring of all students, and they are able to use the multi-leveled text of core academic instruction and review.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is the implementation and action plan I wrote for my “Leadership and Technology” course asking my school board to pilot a Raz-Kids program in our K-5 buildings.
The implementation and action plan will follow a four step process:
1) Train –All teachers, staff, and students will be trained in how to use the program. Teachers and support staff will receive professional development about all of the different options within the program and how to use it with students. Students will then be trained either by homeroom teacher or technology teacher in how to use raz-kids online books and quizzes, appropriate use, how to contact teacher, etc.
2) Try- Teachers and students will begin to use Raz-kids as part of their Daily 5- Reading program. They will record successes as well as problems they find while using the program. Teachers will begin to make reports using student data and students will continue to use the program as previously stated.
3) Review- Teachers will then partake in the Implementation Survey. Teachers will also be encouraged to meet as grade level teams to discuss common grade level problems/solutions, lessons, uses, management solutions, etc. All departments will review how they are doing in responding to needs, funding, and implementing the program.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We now have Raz-Kids in every K-5th grade classroom in our elementary buildings. It is going well and students are making growth in all areas of reading. Data is showing on a monthly basis how students are using Raz-kids on a weekly basis and growing in many areas such as comprehension and fluency. Because of this course and writing this proposal, I have been able to be part of the organization and support team for the implementation of Raz-Kids into our building and take a more leadership role in the area of technology and literacy in our district.
Debating Classroom Size in an Intellectual World:
In “Learning and Teaching across the Curriculum”, we were asked to research issues in education and take a stand on one that has a direct impact in our daily classroom. In this course, I learned about how class size reduction or increases have a direct impact on student learning and achievement. I was able to critique my ability to write on a topic of importance and present it to a group of professional colleagues.
The debate over the benefits of class size reduction has been going on for over 50 years. Numerous studies have been done to research the effects of class size on student learning and engagement. In a study by Blachford, Bassett, and Brown, they stated, “An observational study involving nearly 700 students in 49 schools in the UK finds that in both the early and later grades, smaller classes leads to students receiving more individual attention from their teachers and having more positive interactions with them. Classroom engagement decreases in larger classes, and this is particularly marked for struggling students at the secondary level. Students are engaged in active interactions with their teachers two to three times more often in a class of 15 compared to class of 30, and for low achievers at secondary level there is more than twice as much off task behavior in classes of 30 compared to 15. A five student increase in class size is associated with the odds of off task behavior increasing by 40% for this group.” (Learning and Instruction, 21) The effects of this difference were found to be significant in a article by JD Finn. He writes, “For all students combined, 4 years of a small class in K–3 were associated with a significant increase in the likelihood of graduating from high school; the odds of graduating after having attended small classes for 4 years were increased by about 80.0%.” (Finn, 2005) Even though there is research showing that smaller class sizes equal improved student learning and participation, there is also research showing little to no change. “The Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project compared academic achievement in small classes of 13 to 17 low-income students with that of students in classes that had 22 to 25 students. The experiment found modest but lasting gains for impoverished African-American students in the much smaller classes in kindergarten and first grade”, however, nothing more. (USAToday, 2010) ‘Dan Goldhaber of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington-Bothell says that "the effects of class-size reduction are pretty marginal," except in the early grades for disadvantaged students’ and that research shows that the marginal effect is not worth the drastic amount of money it costs to fund this program. (USAtoday, 2010) (Goldhaber, 2009) Even with research showing either a small or large increase in student improvement, in recent years many schools have turned from a student learning focus to cost vs effectiveness. When Florida amended their constitution to mandate to reduce class size, it was estimated to cost the state an additional $353 million in 2002, adding to the $16 billion that the state had already to meet requirements. (USAToday, 2010) Even with new federal grants and funding programs, schools are struggling to make ends meet. Many schools are finding the easiest way to cut spending is larger class sizes and fewer teachers. Goldhaber believes it may be more important for students at this time to focus less on class size and more on how effective the teachers are schools are able to keep. (Goldhaber, 2010)
My opinion is class size can make a difference. Research shows that smaller class sizes provide more time for review, classroom management, and one-one attention. Miliesi research showed that “…if class size increases from 20 to 40, the largest reallocations of time would be a 3% decrease in time devoted to review and a 2.5% percent increase in time devoted to disciplining students.”(Miliesi, 291) However, in Bloom’s study, he states that time for review and one on one support makes a difference of 18%. In education an 18% gain is worth it. A 2.5% increase in discipline is 2 minutes less of instruction per hour and 3 percent can add up to 20 minutes less time for review than in smaller classrooms. As a teacher 2-3 minutes can make all the difference. I have seen the effects of one to one tutoring or small group instruction. Elementary research continues to suggest that the best instruction is individualized, differentiated instruction for each child in your classroom. This is much easier and effective in a classroom of 20 than 30. Time that should be spent correcting and reviewing is spent disciplining and managing. The Institute of Research Sciences stated “There are only 4 educational reforms that have been proven to narrow the achievement gap and one of them is class size reduction.” (CNN, 2011) Also, in a recent survey done by Stanford University, teachers around the country were asked “what was one way that would improve their effectiveness”; the number one answer was class size reduction. ( CNN, 2012) Micheal Kirst from Stanford University says” school districts are facing "a very dangerous period. We are increasing class size to extremely high levels. "I don't worry about going from 20 to 25 students that much, or 15 to 20," he says. "But when you go from 20 to 35 in a year or two, I don't think we don't know the effects of that." (USAToday, 2010) We do not know the effects of what the new policies will have on the education of our students. We do know that class size reduction increases time for one- to –one instruction, decreases disciplinary distractions, and closes the achievement gap for low socio-economic and special education/at-risk students. Isn’t that enough research to prove that it is worth the investment? I would like to see a study that shows how much does the drop-out rate increase or educational interventions due to higher numbers cost the state every year compared to the cost of class size reduction.
The final question to ask is what can we do to help the student learning experience in a larger class size and make it more personal. One way I believe we can do this is by the implementation of technology in the classroom. With technology, we can produce effective ways to help our students receive a more direct, individualized education. Classroom teachers can use reading program software that allows students to choose and read books at their level and at their own pace then answer a variety of comprehension questions. Teachers can then assess the students learning online at a different time that is more convenient for them. Another way to help improve student instruction through technology is online projects or portfolios. While students are working on their project, they are engaged and focused so the teacher is then given time to work with individuals or small groups that may need more in depth instruction. Then, as students finish their work, they are able to share with others and enter a critical thinking skill discussion and reflect on their own and others work. Finally, they share their work with the teacher who is then able to critic, direct, and instruct the student any time, any place. With review games and online resources, teachers are able to easily and quickly differentiate their instruction to meet each student’s needs with very little cost. The use of technology can be used to help support students no matter what the class size or budget is.
(I have not included the implementation plans and other resources published during this course. You can find those on my portfolio site in my showcase of essays and other documents.)
The Importance of Technology in My General Education/Inclusive Classroom and beyond:
In “Technology and Literacy for Students with Mild Disabilities” and “Policies, Perspectives, and Procedures in Special Education’” I was able to have discussions with other teachers and expand my understanding of the importance of technology and literacy in my classroom, especially for those who have mild disabilities. I was able to begin to look at my own classroom with a new perspective.
I believe technology has the unique opportunity to support classroom texts and resources as well as provide ways for students to process, integrate, collaborate, and present information using their individual learning strengths. Webster’s dictionary defines technology as “a capability given by the practical application of knowledge” and defines literacy as “the quality of being able to read and write.” For me, technology in education is a tool that supports the ability to learn a specific skill or to comprehend and use that skill in the real world; while literacy is the basic ability to read something, comprehend what you have read, and be able to write about it later. Technology provides education a resource to find ways to help students at all levels become literate not just in the school atmosphere but in the real world too.
In my classroom, I try to use technology to support my students to meet a number of literacy-related goals. The two areas I use technology the most in literacy are writing and reading comprehension. This year my goal was to establish a classroom that used technology to allow students to experiment, collaborate, reflect, and evaluate on their reading and writing skills, both independently and student-led small groups. My goal for my students was for them to work independently and with others to accomplish a number of tasks that worked on strategies in both comprehension and writing. One way I tried to reach this goal this year was to implement a process for my students to edit, reflect, discuss, and review their writing with others in the class and myself. By using GoogleDocs (however, you could use any online doc sharing site), my students created portfolios and published a variety of works then shared them with group members and classmates. Students began to comment, critic, and collaborate on each other’s writing. I was able to monitor their discussion and provide instruction through the different comment features. Another way I tried to reach this goal was by using a variety of blogs, online forms, and chat rooms in which students were able to post what they were reading, practice their comprehension strategies, challenge each other to think deeper, work on developing critical thinking skills, and participate in relevant assessments.
Both of these approaches took a number of hours of set up and on going classroom management. Teachers must remember implementing technology for learning and instruction, especially for those with learning disabilities, takes time. However, once students understand the expectations and management of the new resource, technology can provide a number of possibilities for students to learn, present, practice, and self-assess both reading and writing strategies at their individual level. To achieve literacy goals in your classrooms, students should be part of the discussion in how they learn and how they use technology for their literacy learning. When students feel pride in their accomplishments as well as an active participant in their education, the classroom can become a shared space. I believe technology should be viewed as more than games and typing but rather a way to change how we differentiate instruction and assessment. It should not be just a supplemental tool instead it should be a resource used to support each student and his/her individual strengths and needs in all areas of literacy development. Technology will be a vital part of their world outside of school and it is important for students (especially those with disabilities) to feel comfortable using a variety of technologies and software. All students need to have an understanding that technology is not just Facebook and Angry Birds but a source for them to gain and apply knowledge in a practical, meaningful way.
Growing up in the digital age has made me a supporter of integrating technology in every part of daily life both at school, work, and home. Since middle school, technology has supported most of my educational inquiries. From Google and Wikipedia to Facebook and Twitter to DVDS and iPods, there are many forms of technology that enables learning every day. In high school, technology was used to research different topics, ideas, and authors. This expanded into college as Google and other search engines became more efficient and the world wide web continued to grow. Instead of going to the library, all my research materials were right at my fingers tips, right in my dorm room. Another aspect of technology I would argue has enabled my inquiry of both my education and my life is social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Blackboard. Through these sites, I have been able to discuss, share, and collaborate ideas with classmates and fellow teachers throughout the country and even the world. I feel this approach has led me to be a more diverse thinker and have a larger “tool box” of ideas. Through social networking, I have been able to ask questions and discuss highs and lows of teaching with others with different skills and strength without the restriction of distance. Another advantage to learning with technology is the endless possibilities of programs for creative projects/presentations and resources on the large databases found throughout the internet. Throughout my childhood and education, I have always been more engaged and interested when technology was involved. Personally, I seem to understand it when the information is coming in many forms as possible at once (visually, audibly, kinesthetically). As I studied to become a teacher, I got excited when an assignment came in the form of a project that would use technology as the main source of the presentation. Now as a teacher, I enjoy creatively thinking of new ways of presenting information or developing projects or assignments for my students that use technology. My favorite time of the year has become the week of the MACUL conference. I absolutely love learning what is new in the world of technology in education. It was at MACUL I learned how Twitter is a great tool for educational collaboration. Through Twitter I have connected with teachers all over the country. I have been able to ask questions and brainstorm ideas on a number of different problems and curriculum/other areas of teaching.
As a teacher, I am continuously using different internet database/websites to expand my knowledge of both the curriculum I am teaching and how I teach it. My computer, iPad, ELMO, projector, DVD player, and tablet all enable me to both learn as well as teach my students using Bloom’s taxonomy traits with ease. My students are able to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create all while using technology throughout the curriculum. Through new technology innovations I have learned Chinese, researched numerous historians, created projects to help others learn, witnessed the moon landing, took part in discussions with the president of the United States, and collaborated on a school project with teachers all over the country/world.
In the video, Digital Nation, journalists reported on the belief or theory that technology is actually damaging the current or upcoming generation. I would like to argue that it is quite the opposite. I feel that technology is helping this generation become more connected with others, learn a larger variety of subject areas at once, be more diverse and aware of other cultures and beliefs, and be more prepared for the future than people born 30 years ago. Throughout the video they spoke of how students were failing by long time standards, but my question is what if we need to be assessing by a new/different standard. Students will not be needing to know many of the academic standards of the past to be successful in the new technological future. They need to know how to find information and how to recognize a reliable source. Students will need to know how to perform a variety of tasks while using technology. Studies have shown that using technology actively in the classroom has increased test scores dramatically. Students today no longer learn by only one multiple intelligence instead they are “multiply” intelligent. They need to see, hear, and touch what they are learning. I have found when using computers or other kinds of technology in my teaching that my students are more engaged and involved in both discussion and daily work. Maybe according to brain scans and historical data, it seems that the current generations is becoming “dumber” but one could also argue they are evolving. In fact they are adapting to the needs of the new society, changing how and when they use certain areas of their brain and when to use or not use certain technologies.
In Conclusion
In the last four years I have come to know that a master teacher must continue to push one’s boundaries of understanding, to step out of their comfort zone, and to reach out to others for a global professional community focused on the passion of teaching our students. I have learned that my passion is to speak and discuss with others how technology can support and expand our students’ understanding and learning of the world and help all students (including those with special needs) to be successful in the 21st century. I plan to continue to research and implement new educational strategies and ideas into my classroom well after my Masters degree is completed and to help other in my district to do the same.