Chapter 21 Reflection

There was a lot of good information in this chapter, a lot to take in. One thing that really struck me was how many steps need to occur leading up to the process of systemic change. It really makes you realize how difficult that change is. To make a change occur that is really going to impact the educational process it takes a lot of effort and is not something that is going to happen overnight. It also involves a team of people collaborating and working together to make this change possible. In order to better our educational process and keep improving the way that we help the kids, our future, learn we need to be constantly looking for ways to improve. Not only are there a lot of steps that lead up to the systemic change process, but there's also a long list of events that are continuously happening throughout that process and afterwards as well, to be continually evaluating the changes that are being made.
The Step Up to Excellence methodology seems like a good way to go about figuring out what needs to change and then how to implement it. I really like how there are so many different teams and roles. Assuming it is run properly, I can see where this would be very effective. It's a great idea to delegate so that the responsibility does not lie solely on a small group of people to change an entire district. When working together the team can break things down into smaller roles and really be able to concentrate on a smaller area. If it's done right and people are using good teamwork I think that it is a good method and one that more schools should try. It's not good to stay stagnant and remain the same. Once again, it's important to be continually looking for ways to improve so that the students can receive the best education possible.

My Family Tree Google Map

View Larger Map

I am doing a unit on family right now in my classroom, so my idea for a lesson plan is to use a map to locate where the students family lives in the United States, or in the world. First, I would have them create a family tree and then locate their relatives on the map. To take it one step further they could measure in miles how far away the relatives live from their homes. They could figure out who lives closest and farthest away. Above is an example of where my family lives.

Business & Industry and a Reflection

Working in a school setting, which differs so much from the corporate world, I find it difficult to compare this chapter to my current professional setting. However, I do like the idea of the team approach, especially the global team approach. I think it could be helpful to be able to compare notes with teachers in other parts of the state, country and even the world. While standards are obviously different in different parts of the world, the basic goal is the same: educating the students and preparing them to make it in 'the real world.' This is already happening to a certain extent with websites that teachers can make their lesson plans available, but I think it could be beneficial to make it part of professional development where an online conference is scheduled once a quarter for teachers of similar fields to discuss teaching strategies and ideas. Principals could set this up with other schools and by doing so this could make schools more unified and strengthen each other.
Another thing that I think could be beneficial to implement in the school system is more technology-based training delivery. There are so many strategies for instruction, classroom management, integrating technology and many others that most of the time are presented by going to a conference or a workshop, which can be very helpful. However, it could be more cost efficient and time efficient to do some of these trainings by using a technology-based training delivery. By still having online communication available as an option questions could still be asked and teachers could still collaborate. I think this could be a good option for many in the teaching profession.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I feel like I've learned a lot thus far this semester. I am quite familiar with technology, having had to implement it quite a lot in my undergraduate courses, not to mention that has been a part of growing up in today's world. However, there have been some things that I had not yet experimented with that I enjoyed learning about. I have not necessarily found any of them extremely challenging, but we have been provided with good instructions that have been easy to follow. Not to mention, all the other members of the class have been very supportive in helping out with any questions. I've never felt at a loss for what to do. I hope to be able to incorporate some of these things in my classroom. As of right now I can most likely see myself using the blogs and the bookmarking page, but will definitely keep the other tools in my mind as a resource just in case they could ever be implemented. I think this is a good class for beginning a masters program. I find the work load manageable and is a good introduction for what is to come in the program. I like that we are constantly looking at how we can apply this in the professional world. It has been a good class so far.

Podcasts and HPI

This chapter fits what teachers do almost to a "T." It talks a lot about how to enhance the performance of humans and what motivates them to do better. Correlating this to a classroom is a very logical process. As I've mentioned before I work in an ASD classroom and much of what we try to teach them are functional skills in order to normalize them into society as much as possible. Thus we are trying to enhance their performance, not necessarily to produce a product in a company, but to help produce functioning members of society. While most of my students are unlikely to ever be independent, getting to know them I know they have made an impact on me and the other people they come into contact with in our school. They have a lot to offer and motivating them to do better is a big part of my job. We use a rewards system in our class, rewarding them for completing a task well or completing it without any tantrums. After four 'squares' on their 'square charts' they receive a reward, which for most of them is time on the computer. This is a good method for our students because it is very visual and gives them frequent gratification for their good behavior. It tends to make things run more smoothly, at least most of the time. The better their behavior, the more we are able to teach them and the more likely thier performance will improve in life.
I can see podcasts being useful in the classroom. When studying certain topics, especially right now with the election process going on, there are many good podcast on the Internet for students to listen to. It is a great way to give students a news update to keep them up to date in regards to current events. Sometimes the students need to hear the information from a different source and it's always good to keep some variety in the classroom. As far as using podcasts in my classroom, I don't see them being very practical. My kids are very visual and unless I had prepared pictures or icons to go along with the podcast I don't think it would be very beneficial for them, but like I said I can see them having educational benefits for other situations.

Podcast Website

I am very interested in children's literature and so I found this podcast to be very fascinating. I enjoy staying up to date on what's new in children's literature.
http://childrensbookradio.com/episodeguide.html

Week 6 Reflection

Based on what I know about technological innovations and what I've read about the history of instructional films, television and the computer I think that the Internet and the World Wide Web will definitely have a major influence and the way that instruction is presented to learners. In the past the instructional films and television did not have a great impact on the methods of instruction, but the Internet and World Wide Web have many more possibilities and have already increased the use of technology for instruction in the classroom. I think the greatest reason for this is the opportunity for interaction. "[Instructional designers having a constructivist perspective] and others who are particularly concerned with presenting authentic (i.e. "real world") problems in learning environments, in which learners have a great deal of control of the activities they engage in and the tools and resources they use, find the new digital technology more accomodating than its predecessors."(p. 23) While they have not been used a great deal as of yet, some of the tools we have learned about thus far in our course are all tools that could impact the future of education. Also, in my classroom our reading program is online and is very beneficial to our students because of the fact that it is so interactive. Not only that, but most of the classrooms in my school, at least in the upper grades, are in the computer lab for research or Kidspiration, which is a program to help with graphic organizers, or other programs on the computer at least once per week. In addition, one teacher has made it her goal to integrate technology into her classroom more this year and she found Teacher Tube online, the educator's version of YouTube (which is blocked at our school) that she has already used several times to enhance her instruction. In conclusion, I think that the Internet and the WWW has already started to make a difference in the K-12 education system and as technology continues to evolve and teachers receive more training they will continue to make an even greater impact.

Google Map of Gull Lake Ministries

This is a map of the camp that I worked at for two summers along the shores of beautiful Gull Lake.


View Larger Map

You Tube Video

This is a music video that one of my friends did for a cover contest. You should check it out. It's very good.

Image Post

My sister and I with her dog last Christmas.

Week 5 Reflection

I think that online photo journals are a great tool. I know that I follow them to stay updated on new things that are happening in the lives of my friends and family who I do not see often, as well as use it as a way to keep them updated on my life. However, I think they are better left for personal use. I am a little leery of using them in the educational setting because of all the problems that have come about in recent years that have gotten students in trouble because of pictures that have been found on websites and also because they are made so public. I can see these being abused very easily and could potentially get the students or the teacher in a lot of trouble. If I were to use them in a classroom setting. I would restrict the students to putting up only pictures of objects and scenery and would not allow pictures of people. That way most problems could be avoided. I could see them being used as a science journal, especially if nature was the topic being studied. The class could post pictures of different scientific processes that they are observing in nature. I could also see it as a fun way to tell a personal narrative, but again that would probably involve posting pictures of people. If there is a way so that only the class could see it, this could be a fun way to write a short story about a vacation or something else that has happened in their life. Thus far, this is probably the tool I would be least likely to use in my classroom.

I found many similarities to the instructional design method of preparing lessons as compared to the methods that I have previously used. In my undergraduate classes these steps were drilled into us. All the key components are there, with a few different terms used, including writing a goal and objective for the lesson, preparing materials needed for the lesson, stating what method the students will be assessed with and how the information will be delivered. The biggest thing that is included in the ID method that is not in a typical lesson plan is the fact that it their instructional delivery is usually done as a team effort, something not common in most classrooms. Also, when using instructional design nearly all of their methods of evaluation are hands on. This is not always possible in a typical classroom because some assessments call for a pencil and paper, multiple choice, short answer, essay test. As a teacher I would prefer all assessments to be hands on, but that does not always make the most sense, depending on what is being assessed.
A few things that they do not mention is looking at state standards when writing an objective and also the potential need for adaptations and modifications if there is a student requiring these things. I know that these aren't done for every lesson nor does every teacher have students needing modifications, but they are things to consider. Overall, I found the ID process of developing lesson plans to be very thorough and a solid method.