Reflection

Reflection

     I know that technology today has changed our lives tremendously over the past decade. Learning to teach using new technology is increasing, but I did not know how many new and exciting technology tools were available until now.  Exploring new standards with technology and how to use it properly in the classroom if going to help me as an educator make the best decisions possible in teaching each student.  The new technologies I have learned can be used to provide multiple ways to engage my students in learning. Being able to provide differentiated instructional tools for students who need extra resources will help maintain a steady growth for future learning.  My belief is that every child should have an opportunity to grow and learn in the best learning environment we as educators can provide.  As the teacher, it is my responsibility to get to know each one of my students strengths and weaknesses to provide them with the tools they need to grow. Helping students to overcome learning obstacles to grow is my philosophy for my classroom.  I plan on continuing to grow and learn new and exciting techniques to better help individual students needs today and in the future.

Online Games for the Classroom

Online Games For The Classroom

Providing interesting and fun ways for students to learn in the classroom are beneficial to todays learning.   In my classroom, I want to provide as much academic technology as I can to help my students grow.  Web-based games can provide fun rewards for students while still engaging them in learning.  Students can play games and still learn in a standard aligned content area.  I have found 3 web-based games to use in my classroom.  They are Spelling City, Free Rice, and Flocabulary.

Spelling City

www.spellingcity.com



Spelling City gives students the freedom to work independently on games to help them with using correct words for complete sentences, spelling, writing and language arts.

Educational Value:

• Correlates with education standards.  
• This program provides academic vocabulary for grades (6-8). 
• Provides different games for different skill levels
• Provides schools and district level reports.

Flocabulary

www.flocabulary.com

Flocabulary takes a multi sensory approach of using music, rhythm, and rhyme to provide academic content and increase student engagement.  

Educational Value:

• customize to fit curriculum
• provides standard-aligned content for grades k-12
• Unlimited access from any device
• Hip Hop songs, videos and lessons for all subjects

Free Rice

www.freerice.com

Free Rice is a non-profit website that is owned by and supports the United Nations World Food Program. It provide education while helping to end world hunger.  Each answer a student gets right, the program donates 10 grains of rice through the world food program to help end hunger.

Educational Value:

• Improves students english vocabulary and grammar
• Helps students to better formulate ideas and read faster
• Enhances Comprehension
• Improves test scores
• Teachers can create a group for each class to keep up with student progress

All of these programs provide fun and exciting games and simulation to give students rewards while still engaging them in learning.  

Technology's role in differentiated instruction

Technology's role in differentiated instruction is very important for today's classrooms.  In my learning environment I plan on implementing as many tools as possible to help student learning.  Among many tools available, I have done some research on a new program being used in the classrooms today called Straight Ace, that is proven to be very successful.  Straight Ace provides a variety of differentiated instruction for students on level 3 and up.  It provides the teacher with easy ways to monitor students.  Some of the great features for me to use as an educator are:

• The ability to use in class with my students or have them use independently
• Easy ways to manage students assignments
• Multiple question types for students for better understanding
• The ability to see student progress at a glance
• The ability to see results of assignments by topic
• The ability to track individual performance
• Communicate with students classwide or one on one
• Share information of progress with co-teachers or other subject teachers
• Program can be accessed from any device at school or at home
• The ability to email parents of progress and keep them involved

The Straight Ace program provides the students with fun interactive features, including instant feedback and game-like rewards.  They can also earn coins to trade in for cool items in the theme shop. There is research behind this product that proves students are achieving marked pre-to-posttest improvement in Common Core testing.  I am truly excited to try this product out for my students!

Reflection Blogging 3

The role of integrating technology in teaching and learning for today's 21st century learner is more important now than ever before.  The level of technology continues to grow each year.  In order for our students to be able to keep up with the new technologies, we as educators need to try to keep up as well and integrate it in our daily lessons.  As a teacher of the 21st century learner, I will need to be able to design, evaluate, create, and revise my lessons including technology tools that will be the most useful for my students.  The best way to be able to better teach my students I will need to get to know my students learning needs, come up with learning and performance objectives, and then provide assessments to measure their comprehension of the material.  Some of the technology tools I feel will provide me with success as an English/Literature teacher are Reading Plus, Prezi, and Google Classroom.  Reading Plus helps the students to increase vocabulary, comprehension, endurance, memory, silent reading fluency, and provides the ability to systematically master higher levels of text.  Prezi can be used by students to prepare presentations on learned reading material to show knowledge of context.  Google Classroom provides many ways for the student to collaborate learning with other students and the teacher.  All of these tools provide access for the teacher to give immediate feedback and suggestions to their students.

Reflection

My philosophy of education is to help my students grow as learners and provide them with instructional tools to allow them to blossom and grow into their full potential.  The learning theory of Jerome Bruner, a constructivist, will help me provide the type of learning environment I want for my students.  In his theory it states, "learning is an active process in which learners build new ideas or concepts based on their current/past knowledge".  I believe this to be true.  If students are not taught efficiently from the beginning of their schooling, it is going to be hard to build on.  Every student needs a good base "root"  in order to grow.  This theory provides many standards that can be used in the classroom.  Student and teacher knowledge of technology can help to enhance core content in areas struggle.  There is also opportunity for collaboration. The understanding of new knowledge comes better with a good basic knowledge of what was brought to them before.  A rose doesn't start out as a rose, it begins with a seed.  

My Teaching Philosophy

                                                         My Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher in the classroom, it is important to create an educational philosophy.  It can provide students with a basis for how you the teacher view their learning environment and classroom management.  It also provides the teacher with direction on how they want to provide instruction and maintaining a structured learning environment where their students will be able to embrace new learning.  My personal goals as a teacher are to provide my students with as many resources as I can to provide them with skills that will contribute to future learning and success.  Technology will be a major part of this learning.  There are new and exciting programs that I as a teacher can use to help students be more prepared for the future. Technology also makes it easier on both the teachers and the students in providing instant access to assignments and feedback.  I chose My Teaching Metaphor to be like a rose.  A rose begins as a bulb placed in the ground.  You can provide it with what it needs to grow.  As it grows, thorns (obstacles) arise along the stem, but eventually with love and care a rose blossoms.  I as a teacher want to provide love and care to my students and let them know that even though things are hard to learn sometimes if they keep trying they will blossom into something wonderful.