Reflecting On My Assumption

When I first got a set of ipods for my classroom, I thought students would love using them. Well, at first they were interested in the ipods and thought they were "cool". We used the ipods to record stories and record oral reading, as a way to develop fluency and oral language. Students listened to themselves and self assessed their performance based on a criteria list. My assumption was that if students used the ipods they would be engaged in practicing their oral language and use their self assessments to identify areas for growth and actually work towards improving their performance. I found that the novelty of using ipods quickly wore off. Students used their assessment to identify areas for further growth but it didn't seem to make any difference to their effort. I think the underlying assumption I had was that students cared enough to work at improving their oral reading and oral language. Perhaps they are just to young to take that level of responsibility for their learning.

Being Literate in the 21st Century

Being literate in the 21st century is evolving in this changing world. It is no longer just reading print nor is it solely about technology. Educators are beginning to rethink the ways students are taught to be literate in order to prepare them for the workforce. To be literate in the 21st century to be able to use the tools and modes that communicate information. A 21st century learner should be able to find information from a variety of sources and know which sources are reliable. He must also be able to critically reflect on what the information means or what the intention of the message or the author is. In this day of anyone being able to post information on the internet, it is more important than ever that the 21st century learner be strong critical thinkers. As well the 21st century learner must have information literacy, technology literacy, and multimedia literacy. Besides critical thinking, other attributes of a 21st century learner include being able to solve problems, collaborate with others, cooperate, communicate effectively, be creative and innovative.
Interactive media includes digital technology or any form of media that allows the student to interact with other users or a computer. Students need to be able to use social networks, blog comments, read and contribute to forums, and participate in online games. The 21st century learner is text messaging, using smart phones, creating web pages, graphics, animations, sound and videos. The 21st century learner is connected globally. His learning experience is more meaningful, and most likely more enjoyable.
New media interactions I’ve integrated into my practice are limited to the resources available to me. My grade three students have made an iMovie, keynote slideshow with their own graphics and sound, and have made ipod recordings. They have made blog comments on the class website and explored interactive educational games and sites. They have watched youtube and teachertube videos to support their learning. They have done their own search to research information related to our units and gathered information. Lastly, they have used the computer to assess their reading comprehension. I feel that my students have come a long way in their journey to become a 21st century learner.

Research Article

I've been doing a lot of reading on differentiated literacy instruction for my field study. I am looking at differential learning through the use of literacy centers that accommodate the learning styles and interests of boys and girls. One article is titled Accommodating differences: variations in differentiated literacy instruction in Grade 2/3 classrooms by Ruthanne Tobin and Alison McInnes. The article addresses how to support student's literacy needs with differentiated instruction (DI) and the varied approaches to DI. Teachers provided more scaffolding for struggling literacy learners by offering a variety of tiered work products, tutoring, and additional supports. Two teachers were discussed, each one approaching DI in a different way. One teacher gives her students book bundles. She teaches a skill to all the students and the students have the same activity but a varying degrees of difficulty. The second teacher used literacy centers. The articles have changed my practice in that it made me reflect on the organization of my class and whether is promotes literacy for boys and girls. As well, I wondered how my teaching practice was accommodating the literacy needs of my students and in particular the struggling learners. I began to think of literacy centers that would engage grade three students.
The article links to 2 capacities. They are:
• engage in a critical cycle of action-reflection to understand and develop your practice
• draw on educational theories, research and philosophies to inform your use of technologies to support teaching and learning

Who Owns Information on the web?

Information on the web has become a free for all. People are posting information and people are taking information. Whether the information is accurate is something the user needs to determine and also be critical of. Information on the web often has pdf files to download which implies the author would like you to access it. Personally I feel comfortable using ideas from the internet but when I do several questions come to mind such as: What is the author's intent? Is the information valid? How much should I use before it becomes plagiarizing or cheating? Now, I know I will use information keeping in mind the author's purpose for posting the content and not take a part of it and use it out of context for my own personal gain. But there will be people who use the web information out of context, for commercial use, or for reasons other than the author's original intent. Now that I know more about Creative Commons, as a teacher I will make students aware what is out there that can be used and what is protected.

Should We Use Popular Culture In Our Classroom?

I think using popular culture in the classroom can be an interesting way of capturing students' attention and engaging them in the lesson. However, like any media, whether on the internet, radio, or TV, it needs to be critically assessed by the teacher. What is the purpose of the site and it's usefulness to the lesson? Can the message be misinterpreted? Who is the intended audience of the message? Since the meaning presented in the media can be taken differently by different viewers, the teacher has a difficult job in not only justifying the use of the media to support her curriculum and lesson but ensuring that it is appropriate for her students. As well, students need to be educated to critically view media so as not to be misdirected or misinformed. It comes down to what is media literacy and how are schools going to address it? I think the Ministry of Education needs to look at developing curriculum as part of the technology outcomes, on media literacy. What do we want students to know that is appropriate for their age group? Where can teachers access resources to teach media literacy? Filtering and critically reflecting depends largely on the viewer's developmental stage. For example, preschoolers typically have media controlled by their parents while teenagers are given more freedom and are more able to grasp critically thinking skills and ideas with more understanding. It is not solely the responsibility of the teacher to develop media literacy but also of parents and the producers of the media. It is impossible to take every example and teach the embedded purpose of created media in each one. The main goal is the teach the skills for students to be able to apply them the situations on their own.

What literacies are you addressing in your field study?

My field study is looking at bridging the gap between how girls and boys engage and value reading. I am taking into account the different learning styles in my classroom and what activities are more "boy friendly". After having done some research, I am developing literacy centers. Centers will allow for students to choose activities that encourage differentiated learning. It will also provide me with the time I need to pull small groups aside for guided reading. I am looking at the layout of my classroom that will allow for movement between the centers as well as areas for group work, buddy work, and independent work. A variety of reading materials ( magazines, fiction, non fiction books) have been organized into bins. I have planned for the use of game boards, computer, ipods, lego, plastercine, and drawing paper to be used to develop writing and word study skills. I hope to evaluate the centers them in a few weeks and make any adjustments.

Reflection

Today is the last day of our summer course. It's been a good learning experience. I have learned so much about what is available to me on the web to support my teaching, collaborated through PLN's, read interesting articles, and blogged! All of what we have done has led each one of us toward a inquiry. I enjoyed hearing my colleagues tell about their field study proposals. As always I am inspired, amazed, and proud of the hard work and passion teachers put into improving their practice and the compassion they feel for their students.
For my fall study I have decided to concentrate on developing a "boy friendly" classroom by incorporating activities that lend to the
potential differences in learning styles and thereby providing more equitable learning opportunities for both boys and girls. I am going to look at the research for how boys learn best and incorporate ideas into learning centers and into my reading activities.
My hope is to keep all my students engaged and motivated but more importantly to develop a love for learning and a feeling that they all can achieve.

Assessment

Today we read 4 links on assessment. Each one had valuable points about what we assess, why we should assess, when we should assess, and how. In my class, I spend some time doing formative assessment each day. Scanning the room asking students to explain their work, having students reflect in a learning log, or developing activities or questions that requires them to think of what they have learned and apply the knowledge to new ideas. I do feel I should be doing more. I also do summative assessment but only when I need it to guide whether the students are grasping the concepts and who needs additional support. Three ideas from my readings that I found interesting are: 1. some teachers are working too hard on the wrong things. 2. People who participate in a global community will show more advancement than those that stay on the sidelines. 3. Assessment is not an interruption of learning if and when it can positively and directly influence the current or future learning and work of students. The article on Technocontructivism talked about the difference between cause and effect learning and discovery learning. It challenged my assumption that both can be assessed in the classroom, however the article explains that cause and effect learning is assessable because it uses the process of trial and error, but discovery learning can not be assessed because it does stem from trial and error.

Today we read 4 links on assessment. Each one had valuable points about what we assess, why we should assess, when we should assess, and how. In my class, I spend a lot of time doing formative assessment each day. Scanning the room asking students to explain their work, having students reflect in a learning log, or developing activities or questions that requires them to think of what they have learned and apply the knowledge to new ideas. I do sometimes do summative assessment but only when I need it to guide whether the students are grasping the concepts and who needs additional support. Some ideas from my readings that I found interesting are: 1. some teachers are working too hard on the wrong things. 2. People who participate in a global community will show more advancement than those that stay on the sidelines. 3. Assessment is not an interruption of learning if and when it can positively and directly influence the current or future learning and work of students. The article on Technocontructivism talked about the difference between cause and effect learning and discovery learning. It challenged my assumption that both can be assessed in the classroom, however the article explains that cause and effect learning is assessable because it uses the process of trial and error, but discovery learning can not be assessed because it does stem from trial and error.