Lesson Plan
Student and teacher read through vocabulary. Student then repeated each item and was encouraged to ask questions. Teacher directed student to set on Quizlet.com using a laptop and student’s iPhone. Once Quizlet was accessed, teacher provided a brief tour so that student was aware of the various practice options. Student was then given time to practice with site. Finally, teacher had student take the “Test” option and reviewed results with student. *Compared to the original lesson, this included a shorter vocabulary list due to time constraints and no creation of a plan for further study.
Implementation
The lesson went smoothly. Having only one student—my husband—to work with was vastly different from teaching a full class. He enjoyed working with food vocabulary, as he is a Chef. He behaved the same as my younger students when given a website to review with; he immediately went to the game options and preferred those to the flashcards. I also found him working with iPhone in hand, using an online translator to “help” with words he couldn’t remember. Students do that, too.
Question Set One
The learning goal was to understand Spanish food vocabulary. The underlying assumptions were that vocabulary knowledge can be acquired through basic audio/text association and that games are a reasonable way to practice and demonstrate linguistic knowledge.
The technology used afforded the opportunity to listen to a native speaker and individualized practice. A major constraint was that the technology was only available with Internet access. As we were without Internet for a week, my student could not practice for as long as I would have liked.
Learning took place through direct instruction and independent practice. The website is constructivist in that the user rehearsed Spanish vocabulary to increase memory retention. Also, the site tapped existing schema (the student’s knowledge of similar words in English) to create new knowledge. Behaviorism was seen when correctly answered questions yielded positive reinforcement (green check marks and positive points) and incorrect answers resulted in negative reinforcement (red check marks).
While this lesson could supplement my curriculum, I tailored it to the needs of my “summer student”. This was new territory for this learner, who knows some French, but little Spanish. I chose food words, as they fit his occupation.
In this case, I only had to account for one learner. I considered his preferences (games on iPhone, his job), as well as his beginner level. Knowing that Quizlet provides basic practice, I chose it as his learning tool.
In using Quizlet, teachers need to know the URL and which sections they want students to do. Teachers should also know the process for each activity. Learners will need to be directed to the site and provided with expectations. Only a basic knowledge of computers (click, type) is needed.
My student was assessed via the “Test” feature. To hold him accountable, I had him take the test at various intervals and share his results. At the beginning, he failed the test. However, at the end, he scored 85%, or B. He was elated by his improvement.
Question Set Two
Technology played a major role in my lesson. While I introduced the content, I relied on Quizlet for practice and assessment. An advantage of the technology is its appeal. The student enjoys playing games. Another advantage is the technology keeps track of the student’s progress and gives appropriate feedback.
A disadvantage of this tech is increased chance for distractions and “alternate routes”. For example, I encouraged use of the “flash cards”, but my student preferred learning via the “Scramble” game and quickly shifted to that instead.
Technology was used how I expected. Once I showed my student the site, he did not have any questions, as Quizlet is very easy to use. He maneuvered through the various options easily and settled on the matching game for the majority of his time, enjoying the online practice.
Since the student primarily made sense of the content through a match game, he learned to identify the vocabulary, not how to generate it. Because of this, he did well on matching and multiple-choice portions of the assessment, but less well when he had to type the word on his own. Overall it was a positive experience—my husband gained some Spanish skills and I enjoyed helping with his progress.
Showing posts with label Reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reflection. Show all posts
12.09.2009
CEP 811: My Reflections
When I started this semester my objectives included: developing my ability to reach out to technophobic educators, better understanding how to implement technology innovations in my content area to optimize student learning, and becoming more tech savvy overall. I can honestly say that my work in this course has helped me to grow in all three of those areas, and I’m looking forward to continued growth as I journey through the rest of the MAET program.
In regards to encouraging technophobic colleagues, although I am not able to share my tech enthusiasm immediately, I have gained some tools and insights that will better prepare me to build those bridges in the future. Learning about the characteristics of adult learners will surely assist me when providing workshops or individual mentoring to my colleagues. Also, in many of the articles we read, there was information about teachers and technology and how best to support new technology users. I also feel that the wide range of software/Web 2.0 uses I have been familiarized with has given me a better assortment of tools to recommend and share with other educators. I am looking forward to my return to the classroom, when I can share this wealth of knowledge and hopefully encourage more teachers to become fully “connected” to the digital age.
Through the various projects, reflections, and articles, I have definitely increased my awareness of how best to implement technology in my own classroom and how to optimize student learning in general. Reading about, seeing samples, and creating my own tech projects or tools have been valuable ways for me to better understand how technology can, and should, be used for learning. This mix of exposure allowed me to see how things can be done well, read about how they were done, and then generate my own samples for use in my content area.
Becoming more tech savvy overall is inevitable when doing this coursework. The only way I would not have gained “savvy” was if I already knew everything, which of course I did not. Prior to this class, I had never really used PowerPoint (!) and wasn’t exactly sure what “Web 2.0” meant. I can now say that not only is PowerPoint far more interesting than I realized, but that Web 2.0 is one of my closest friends (and has been all along without me knowing it!). In addition to learning different programs, I have become more knowledgeable about technology policies and best practices, and have many more ideas in my “teacher tool belt” for how to incorporate technology into my content area, and that of others.
Integrating the Internet helped me to think about how much it can contribute, as well as how problematic it can become if something does not work correctly. This was not a new revelation for me, as I’ve integrated the Internet into lessons fairly often and have seen the issues that arise when the school Internet crashes or when a website doesn’t function properly. I have been encouraged to think more about how certain technologies might hinder learning more than help it or require extensive appropriate use policies, yet I still feel that most of the time the benefits are worth the hassle of planning and outweigh the drawbacks.
At this point, my goals remain essentially the same. I want to continue to find ways to help technophobes overcome their fears of technology in the classroom, but I would like to get started on actually embarking on that mission! My previous district has a new “technology committee” to help them decide which tools to incorporate into the new high school. Although I do not believe I can serve on this committee, I am going to see if I might be able to present them with some ideas or help them come up with some useful examples to share when they’re in front of the school board seeking support for their initiatives.
I will continue to seek further knowledge of technology integration in education and how best to implement it in my own classroom and those of others. This is a goal I feel I can never simply “attain”, but in which I can always achieve further growth. What I mean is that there will always be new ways to integrate technology and new studies regarding how to successfully implement a tool based on content, demographics, etc. While I may find what I believe are ideals in this area, I know that I will forever be able to build on this knowledge and modify implementation for increasing levels of student success. The same goes for becoming more technologically savvy. I will never know every possible program, technology, hardware, software, etc. As soon as I learn one, there are multiple others that pop up on the educational radar. Therefore, I must always continue to learn more about technology and its integration. Whether I’m learning a program in greater depth and with new applications, or finding out about a brand new technology, my “savvy” will always have room to grow.
One new goal I would like to achieve is a better understanding of how districts manage the transition into widespread technology-use. For example, when a district is first introducing interactive whiteboards, what does that look like at the district, school, and classroom level? I have seen these kinds of initiatives at the classroom level, and wonder how it can be done with the greatest success rather than having them used as chalkboards that require a stylus. I believe I will reach this goal either through my future MAET classes or by my own independent investigation, or both.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this class and am grateful for the foundation of knowledge it has helped me build. I know I will be more successful in my coursework due to this class, and most importantly... a better TEACHER when I get back in the classroom.
In regards to encouraging technophobic colleagues, although I am not able to share my tech enthusiasm immediately, I have gained some tools and insights that will better prepare me to build those bridges in the future. Learning about the characteristics of adult learners will surely assist me when providing workshops or individual mentoring to my colleagues. Also, in many of the articles we read, there was information about teachers and technology and how best to support new technology users. I also feel that the wide range of software/Web 2.0 uses I have been familiarized with has given me a better assortment of tools to recommend and share with other educators. I am looking forward to my return to the classroom, when I can share this wealth of knowledge and hopefully encourage more teachers to become fully “connected” to the digital age.
Through the various projects, reflections, and articles, I have definitely increased my awareness of how best to implement technology in my own classroom and how to optimize student learning in general. Reading about, seeing samples, and creating my own tech projects or tools have been valuable ways for me to better understand how technology can, and should, be used for learning. This mix of exposure allowed me to see how things can be done well, read about how they were done, and then generate my own samples for use in my content area.
Becoming more tech savvy overall is inevitable when doing this coursework. The only way I would not have gained “savvy” was if I already knew everything, which of course I did not. Prior to this class, I had never really used PowerPoint (!) and wasn’t exactly sure what “Web 2.0” meant. I can now say that not only is PowerPoint far more interesting than I realized, but that Web 2.0 is one of my closest friends (and has been all along without me knowing it!). In addition to learning different programs, I have become more knowledgeable about technology policies and best practices, and have many more ideas in my “teacher tool belt” for how to incorporate technology into my content area, and that of others.
Integrating the Internet helped me to think about how much it can contribute, as well as how problematic it can become if something does not work correctly. This was not a new revelation for me, as I’ve integrated the Internet into lessons fairly often and have seen the issues that arise when the school Internet crashes or when a website doesn’t function properly. I have been encouraged to think more about how certain technologies might hinder learning more than help it or require extensive appropriate use policies, yet I still feel that most of the time the benefits are worth the hassle of planning and outweigh the drawbacks.
At this point, my goals remain essentially the same. I want to continue to find ways to help technophobes overcome their fears of technology in the classroom, but I would like to get started on actually embarking on that mission! My previous district has a new “technology committee” to help them decide which tools to incorporate into the new high school. Although I do not believe I can serve on this committee, I am going to see if I might be able to present them with some ideas or help them come up with some useful examples to share when they’re in front of the school board seeking support for their initiatives.
I will continue to seek further knowledge of technology integration in education and how best to implement it in my own classroom and those of others. This is a goal I feel I can never simply “attain”, but in which I can always achieve further growth. What I mean is that there will always be new ways to integrate technology and new studies regarding how to successfully implement a tool based on content, demographics, etc. While I may find what I believe are ideals in this area, I know that I will forever be able to build on this knowledge and modify implementation for increasing levels of student success. The same goes for becoming more technologically savvy. I will never know every possible program, technology, hardware, software, etc. As soon as I learn one, there are multiple others that pop up on the educational radar. Therefore, I must always continue to learn more about technology and its integration. Whether I’m learning a program in greater depth and with new applications, or finding out about a brand new technology, my “savvy” will always have room to grow.
One new goal I would like to achieve is a better understanding of how districts manage the transition into widespread technology-use. For example, when a district is first introducing interactive whiteboards, what does that look like at the district, school, and classroom level? I have seen these kinds of initiatives at the classroom level, and wonder how it can be done with the greatest success rather than having them used as chalkboards that require a stylus. I believe I will reach this goal either through my future MAET classes or by my own independent investigation, or both.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this class and am grateful for the foundation of knowledge it has helped me build. I know I will be more successful in my coursework due to this class, and most importantly... a better TEACHER when I get back in the classroom.
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