Reflecting on Week 3: Confirming that I am a complete nerd!

REFLECTING ON: NEW TECHNOLOGIES, PLAGIARISM, OBJECTIVE WRITING, AND CONCEPT MAPPING

This week we read and discussed The Perfect E-Storm by Dr. Curtis J. Bonk.  This article detailed the various technologies that have or will change the process of learning and teaching.  After “hearing” what everyone had to say, I really believe that it is exciting time to be a teacher because all of these new technologies are becoming more and more accessible to the everyday instructor.  These technological developments are allowing increased collaboration, increased participation, increased personalization of the learning experience, which I believe will lead to better learning outcomes.  Although there are some definite challenges faced by teachers, including the “paper mills” and “cut and paste” plagiarism; the benefits of using online resources and collaborative activities outweigh the inconvenience.  Teaching students to work with each other, and holding them accountable for their efforts, is going to help prepare them for the future, whether it be in business, technology, education, or the myriad of other fields available today .

The other task that we had to complete this week was developing objectives that we could use in our online courses.  This is something that I am familiar with because I have written curriculum numerous times for my district.  However, in our curriculum, we usually do not go into specifics of assessment in the objectives because it limits the freedom of teachers to develop their own instructional strategies based on their strengths, and the learning styles of their students.  Instead, we give a list of “suggested activities” for each essential question that is listed.  Trying to put it all together was a bit of a challenge for me, but I think that I’m getting the hang of it.

On another note, I am completely in love with the graphic organizer program we used in class!  One of the biggest problems I have had as a psychology teacher is that there are precious little non-copyrighted resources for use that are appropriate for the high school classroom.  Many of the resources are geared to the college classroom, and do not work in a class with 35 students and only 45 minute periods.  In the past, I have cut and pasted to make graphic organizers that were “OK” but have never found a program that allows me to create my own, that was not “babyish”, or actually worked for a psychology class.  As I worked with the Inspiration program, I could not contain my glee (much to the amusement of my boyfriend who walked away laughing at me), because I could actually create something that looked professional and not break the bank buying the program.  I have a strong feeling that I will purchase the program long before the 30 day trail period is over!

A Concept Map for The Historical Approaches to Personality (AKA: Fun with Freud)

Reflecting On Week 2

REFLECTING ON WEEK 2: USING A BLOG TO ASSESS STUDENT LEARNING

Blogging.  Once the domain of the self-involved, or the conspiracy theorist, or the celebrity follower, it has become a tool for reflecting on life, events, as well as learning.  As someone who teaches in the field of Social Studies, I have always seen how making a personal connection to content material makes the learning process more meaningful.   Reading a textbook full of snippets of information gives you a general knowledge of the events or concepts in history, but reading and reflecting on the diaries, letters, and papers of someone who was actually there creates a more meaningful learning experience.  Some of the best learning experiences I have had involved the instructor making us “reflect” on the opinions, personal lives, and/or accounts of historical events or controversial topics.  As a result of these positive educational experiences, I have developed as a personal educational philosophy that reflecting on what is being learned is critical to student understanding of material and concepts.  Previous to this module, I relied on students completing “personal reflection” papers that are graded by me, perhaps discussed in class, and then placed in the student’s writing portfolio.  After completing the readings for this chapter, I have come to the conclusion that using a blog format for these reflections may in fact be a better way to allow students to personalize their learning because they can receive feedback from others regarding their opinions and interpretations, in addition to my comments and thoughts.  These blogs have students evaluate and reflect on their own learning experience, and not just the content, but the process.  Self-reflection, in my opinion, leads to greater student comprehension and achievement because it makes them not only practice metacognitive strategies, but also allows the instructor insight into the thought process, learning styles, and understandings of the student.  In addition, students who may not be ready to “open up” in class may feel more comfortable writing their ideas and commenting on others via blog and comments.  In all, I believe that blogging can be an effect teaching tool and provide an instructor with formative assessment data, so that the instructional program and methodology can be modified to increase student comprehension and achievement.

Reflecting on Week One

REFLECTING ON WEEK ONE:  USING INTERVIEWS AND WIKIS FOR ASSESSMENT

Assessment is a critical part of the educational process, and needs to be not only an “end of the chapter” activity, but should be conducted continuously as a method of improving instruction.  When I first began teaching, I followed the old “test at the end of each topic/chapter mentality” and if the students did well, move on; if they didn’t, remediate and test again.  As time has gone on, and the educational paradigm has shifted to a more student centered approach,  I have re-evaluated the concept of assessment, and now can clearly see how it directly relates to improving student performance, indicates  “problems” with understanding content, provides students with feedback on their understanding, and makes teachers and students more reflective about the learning process.  In my opinion, instead of relying completely on summative assessment as a means of measuring understanding, it is better to use formative assessment tools to “check in” on student learning so that changes to instruction can be made during the learning process.

One of the tools that can become a forum for formative assessment is the Wiki.  The Wiki allows students to work collaboratively towards completing assignments, to give one another feedback and suggestions on how to understand and improve comprehension of content material.  In addition, the instructor can monitor the Wiki for understanding of content and concepts so that she/he can modify instruction to enhance student comprehension.  As someone who is fairly new with the use of a Wiki, I am using it in my Advanced Placement Psychology class to allow students to review content and collaborate on a common document regarding important figures in psychology.  At the end of the Wiki session, they will have an edited document that will provide a study guide for the AP Psychology exam in May.  I “check in” once a week and add comments, redirect focus, and edit the document myself.  I have found that it is a great tool to monitor student understanding of material, and look forward to expanding the uses for it in the future as I gain more comfort with the uses for a Wiki.

Getting to Know Me….Via Email Interview with Stephanie…

Hello All!

As part of my Assessment in E-Learning class, we had to participate in partner interviews conducted via email.  I had the pleasure of working with Stephanie only to find out how much we have in common!  We both are busy with work and school, have crazy dogs in our lives, and are advocates of the positive aspects of adoption.  Here are the questions I answered for her during my interview:

I see from your profile that you are a social studies/psychology teacher.  How long have you been teaching?  Are you working towards your online learning certificate?

Well, to start with I live in Brick, NJ which is located right by the Jersey shore.  I live with my boyfriend of almost 7 years and we have a 5 1/2 year old Chocolate lab named Bayley.  We have no kids, but are in the process of preparing to file (as well as finances) to adopt a baby or toddler.  I have been teaching for 14 years, and before that I worked in nursery and/or elementary school aftercare programs.  My first year teaching was in a Catholic school where I taught 5th and 6th grade; then I moved up to teaching high school psychology and history.  (I prefer teaching high school because I can reason with my students…well most of the time   My BA is in psychology from Montclair State University where I also minored in Social Studies Education.   I have 2 Masters degrees, one in Social Sciences from Montclair and the other in Educational Leadership from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  All together, I am certified in Psychology, Social Studies, Special Education, as a Supervisor, and a Principal, and am planning on completing the online teaching certificate program at UW-Stout.  As you can tell, I enjoy going to school, which sparked my interest in online teaching.  Eventually I plan on retiring to Maine or Vermont, where I can teach from the comfort of my home via online instruction.

What interests you in teaching at the adult level and especially online?

One of the reasons I would like to teach adults is that I would love to work in an environment where the students actually want to learn, and are not forced there by law.  As a second generation computer nerd, as well as the girlfriend of a computer geek (his term, not mine), I have found that online instruction opens up learning to many people, regardless of location.  I think that it is amazing that we can talk to people across the world, and receive instant replies.  On some level, I think it is this diversity that makes me so excited!

What is your favorite Web 2.0 Tool?

I would have to say that I really like Moodle for use in my classroom.  Right now I have Moodle pages for my Principles of Psychology Classes as well as my AP Psych class.  This way, students can work collaboratively on assignments without worrying about coordinating schedules and such.  They especially like the Wiki I set up on Moodle for my AP class that deals with famous/important people in the field of psychology.  When it is done, they can print a copy and have a handy, dandy study guide for the AP exam.  The Principles of Psych kids like the online quizzing feature, because it makes everything easier for them and they can retake a quiz if they do poorly.

 

Hello world!

Hello Everyone!  This is my first sojourn into blogging, so bear with me as I learn the ropes!