Spotlight on Emerging Technology: Online learning in K-12 schools

Here is the link for my presentation on online learning in K-12 education. My hope is that teachers in my school would find this presentation helpful when considering using online learning in their classroom. However, if discussion about this comes about, I would hope it would be meaningful, helpful conversations.

http://web.me.com/j564huston/Site

Refection for EDUC 6714: Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology

I have learned through this 8 week course all about Universal Design for learning and how much we use it along with differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction is not strategies for the different levels of students within a classroom; this is however, how teachers have been taught. Throughout this course we have learned how to teach individual children while figuring out how they learn best. Teachers can sometimes figure out how children learn the best by observation of the classroom.

With children as young as 5, I can ask them to complete a student survey by having them point to pictures of things they enjoy and how they like for someone to teach them new things. I have set up my classroom with the idea of teaching with centers. This is a way that I am able to meet the individual needs of my students. There are certain centers that children who don’t speak English can go to. I also have daily guided reading groups and for those who are not reading, we work on word work/letter skills/word sounds. Through these reading groups I have individualized instruction. One of the centers during the literacy block is computers. There are many different programs that can be used for phonics introduction. There are programs that work at the student’s levels to move them along at their own pace. This can reiterate what is being taught during the week.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009) Reaching and Engaging All Learners Through Technology. Virtual Field Experience: Managing the Differentiated Classrooms.

My final GAME plan

By moving our GAME plan forward (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009), we came up with ideas that we can use with our students. I worked at creating two specific goals to use in my classroom with my 5th graders. My first goal was for the students to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. My 2nd goal was to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments through a blog that would be used for the class to start.

I feel that I the first goal is easier to attain than the 2nd one. One reason is because I feel like I am more creative and can think quickly on the spot. This will be very beneficial to the students who are coming from 4th grade to 5th grade. I would like for the children to publish the book after their year of blogging is over so that the other children can read it and know what to expect. I would have to learn all the ins and outs of blogging first before teaching it to the students; and this class has definitely prepared me for this. I do feel like I can definitely teach my students what they need to do in the "blogging society."

My 2nd goal is going to be a bit more challenging and I will have to spend some time while I am off this summer perfecting how to develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments to use with my students. With the students using their journey in journal writing, they would be incorporating their digital tool with blogging at least once a week; they will be using their experiences inside and outside the classroom when writing/blogging. To promote the digital tools, I would like for the students to have their parents reply to them on their blogs. Then I would like to have family from other states and/or countries to respond to the blog also.

Each summer I have always taken time to look back at what I've done and reflecting on what I have done, have learned and need to do are at the tops of my list. I want to make the most of utilizing what I have learned during this Walden class and pass that on to my students. I have learned that being flexible and showing the students that we are learning at the same time, speaks volumes.