Week 8 - Reflection EDUC-6711I-3 Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

In Week 1 I wrote about my eclectic "Personal Theory of Learning" and I pretty much still feel the same way. I believe that behaviorism still has a place in education as does cognitive learning theory. And for the first time I have learned about constructivism/constructivism learning theories. I believe that there are many learning styles, like the ones identified by Howard Gardner, and I try to touch upon as many as I can while planning to reach as many students as I possibly can. What I am more cognizant now, however, is that certain styles lend themselves better to certain outcomes and that there is an abundance of technology that will help students learn. As a result of this class, I am now better aware how the brain works and we as educators should help our students make connections. I also now firmly believe that I need to have my students make some sort of external artifact to help them make these connections.

As far as immediate adjustments I will make to my instructional practices regarding technology integration, I plan on using VoiceThread and make use of concept mapping, like that found in Webspiration. VoiceThread will help my Spanish students practice their speaking in the target language. Concept mapping will help them organize their thoughts and ideas when they compare and contrast our culture with that of a Spanish-speaking country.

There are two long-term goal changes I would like to make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration. First,I would like to incorporate video conferencing with my Spanish students to provide authentic conversational practice. The first thing I will do is discuss my idea with my principal to get his approval. Then I will contact a colleague of mine who is director for International Studies in our district. I will obtain the information I need for contacting a sister school in one of the Spanish-speaking countries my students will be studying about this year - Mexico, Spain and Ecuador. I will e-mail the participants directly and set up a schedule and brainstorm ideas for the video conferences. Before we actually go ahead with it I will send a letter home to parents explaining what we are doing and get their permission if necessary. It is my intention to continue this sister school relationship with blogs and maybe even iPals.

The second long-term goal is to make better use of cues, questions, and advance organizers. Because I used Webspiration in this course, I would like to continue to explore that resource with my students. I will begin with an essential question and a concept map that they have to put together either in groups or as a class, leaving some things to be filled in by them or have them add to what's already there. This can help them organize their thoughts and information so they can then create their artifacts - brochures, PowerPoint presentations, movies, commercials, art projects etc.

This course has been extremely beneficial. Not only have I learned a lot about how the brain works and solidified my knowledge on learning theories, I am walking away with a plethera of resources and ideas to start using more technology with my students. I am really excited to see the great things my students will produce this year!