Week 3 : CEDO 525 Enhancing Learning Materials through Technology

This week as part of our assignment we were given the task of comparing and contrasting three web based advanced organizer applications. I chose to look at bubbl.us, Webspiration and Mindmeister. All three applications are online tools that are capable of creating concept maps.

I found bubbl.us extremely easy to use: I was able to jump right in and start an organizer with very little effort or time invested in learning how to use the tool. I can see bubbl.us being leveraged in a classroom situation where a teacher might want to start mapping a concept out "on the fly." Bubbl.us did not have much to help someone looking for ideas to get started--you essentially begin with a blank slate containing one button that says "click here to start."  It's pretty basic in terms of the graphics from what I could tell, but it certainly gets the job done in a quick and easy fashion.

Webspiration is an online application that has a lot to offer. There are a wide variety of tools, templates, and graphics available in the free version; which was surprising to me. I found this application to be a little less user-friendly than bubbl.us in the sense that I would definitely have to invest some time to learn how to create my own graphic organizers. I really like the fact that Webspiration has an extensive library of templates and see that as a true value-add when it comes to using this application.

Mindmeister.com was the third application I checked out and while it essentially offers what the other two applications offer, the look and feel is completely different. It has more of a "tree" look and contains buttons that can expand or collapse a list, much like a directory in Windows Explorer. The webs created in Mindmeister can become quite intricate, yet by using the expand/collapse buttons the presenter can direct an audience's focus to a particular detail. Of all three online applications, this seemed to be the most cutting-edge and interactive. I look forward to investigating Mindmeister further.

Reflections:
Cues, Questions and Advanced Organizers:

I believe the use of an advanced organizer can help guide an instructor through the process of effective questioning and prompting through the use of cues. Using something as simple as a KWL chart can effectively set the course for learning a new concept in most any subject area: The teacher will be able to identify through the use of this advanced organizer what the students know, which will help guide the process of providing cues that trigger students’ memories; as well as learn what the students want to learn in order to pose questions that keep them interested and engaged in the lesson.

Nonlinguistic Representation:
Nonlinguistic representations are mental images and physical sensations that can attach meaning to new ideas or concepts. I think the evolution of technology has helped to facilitate more nonlinguistic representation of new content into the classroom. Today it is relatively easy, provided the tools and accessibility, to conduct a google search on any given topic and come up with an image or sound to help reinforce learning. Teachers can attach clip art to vocabulary lists, or pull up a Discovery Ed video to demonstrate what life is like in another part of the world. Bringing nonlinguistic representation into lessons provides a rich experience from which students will be able to attach some meaning of their own.

Summarizing and Note taking:

In my experience, summarizing and note taking is something that hasn’t been explicitly taught, yet expected to happen with success as students move on to middle and high school level. Summarizing reminds me of the dreaded story problems in math: you need to delete some information to really get to the heart of the question. Summarizing also requires you to analyze a selection and determine what stays, what goes and how to put it in your own words. Note taking is also the ability to filter out what is important and what is secondary in the material / information presented. Both require time invested in learning the strategy in order to become successful. I believe that through teacher modeling, frameworks and examples, and opportunities for practice with feedback can lay the foundation for effective summarizing and note taking skills.

Week 2: CEDO 525 Enhancing Learning Materials through Technology

This week we read Susan M. Brookhart's article, Feedback that fits. I thought this was an excellent resource that provided specific examples to help begin the process of providing formative feedback to students. I agree that feedback provided in a constructive, yet positive way, can motivate students to strive for improvement. As I reflect on this article, I go back to my experience as a supervisor in a Title I program where my teachers have such limited amount of time with their students. Providing feedback is a fantastic way to motivate these kids to love learning, yet the teachers don't seem to have enough time to provide the formative feedback--or it isn't a natural thing to do for many, so the "good job" and "way to go" are often what I hear when going out to site visits. I plan to share Brookhart's article with my staff to get people thinking about the way they provide feedback to their students.

Reflections: Setting Objectives, Providing Feedback, Providing Recognition

I learned that helping students set objectives for themselves in the learning process helps to give them more ownership. While I have always viewed it as the teacher's role and hadn't really thought of students in the role of setting objectives, I have always believed in collecting data from the students to help drive instruction; which is, essentially, a way of having the students involved in this process. I learned that it is as simple as using a survey or a KWHL chart to facilitate students setting objectives for lessons.

The types of technology I can use to provide feedback include student responders, email, voice messages, eyejot videos, and more.  What I have learned is the importance of the feedback being as immediate as possible in order to make a connection with the student(s). The feedback will be most effective when it is specific to the task being evaluated and suggestions for growth are included.

I can think of a time we used an award ceremony to provide recognition for our Title I students. Students were recognized for exceptional progress, stellar attendance and positive attitudes. This event was extremely successful and had a lasting impact on our students’ attitudes toward learning in the Title I room. Recognition does not always have to be presented in such a grand scale, but in order to motivate the group as a whole, this mid-year event helped students and teachers to hit the home stretch of the school year feeling a sense of renewal.

Week 1: CEDO 525 Enhancing Learning Materials through Technology

This week we kicked things off by discussing and reflecting on what constitutes effective learning and effective teaching. As part of this exercise, I reviewed two articles: Principles of Teaching and Learning and A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of teaching and learning.

I first took a look at Principles of Teaching and Learning from the Carnegie Mellon Enhancing Education website. The principles discussed for both Teaching and Learning were familiar and supported much of what we do in the program I supervise for Title I students. The company I work for has developed a program that is goal oriented, with the objective that students will gain mastery of skills they missed along the way.

I found the Teaching Principles truly aligned with the approach taken in our Title I skill development program. It is critical to the success of our program, and the success of our students, to take the time on the front end to gather information and put together a targeted plan with a reasonable number of goals to be met within a term of instruction. I liked principle #4 where it states "Coverage is the enemy." So many classroom teachers who come to work in our program have a difficult time adapting to the focus of our program--we only see our students 120 minutes per week, so in order to see progress it's important to prepare lessons that focus only on the goals. Attempting to cover too many different topics or concepts can lead to confusion and/or students not able to reach goals within the set time period. I also liked the final principle that spoke to self assessment as an educator and using the data to help make decisions regarding effectiveness of curriculum and whether or not it is time for change.

The Learning Principles were also very helpful. While I think the teachers I supervise are in tune with their students and have a good sense of what motivates them, I believe there is a need to slow things down and take the time to have meaningful conversations with the students about what they are learning. I also think time constraints in our program, and the nature of the students we are working with, often translate in teachers making many decisions for their students rather than coaching the students in making appropriate decisions. This is a skill I have seen missing in our classrooms and one I've been encouraging my teachers to integrate into their teaching styles. Easier for some than others.

The second article, A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of teaching and learning , was more of a case study done by Hersh C. Waxman, Meng-Fen Lin and Georgette M. Michko out of the University of Houston. I found this to be a challenging read due to the technical nature of the information presented. I also found that most of it focused on documentation of sources and what constituted a valid vs invalid case study. The overall conclusion that technology had a positive impact on student outcomes back in 2003 reflects what I believe to be true in 2011. The integration of interactive whiteboard technology in our Title I program has greatly improved student engagement, motivation to attend and participate in class. I strongly believe when students are engaged in learning it can only have a positive effect on student outcomes.