I began this course learning the
importance of developing a classroom environment of self-directed learners. At
first I though “there is no possible way that I will have time for these types
of lessons on a regular basis. However, as I developed my GAME plans based on
the recommendations of Cennamo, Ertmer, and Ross (2008), I was able to set
clear Goals, create an achievable Action plan, Monitor my progress and that of
my students, and Evaluate the outcome and make the necessary adjustment before
Extending my plans and lessons. According to Prensky (2008), “Kids today are
connected to the entire world around the clock, in real time, through their
media and myriad personal devices, both electronic (such as TV) and digital
(such as the internet and cell phones)” (Prensky, 2008, p. 1). However, the
second they enter the school students are required to power down, hence putting
them in the dark.
The
GAME plan not only helped me to achieve my goal of incorporated social
networking tools in my classroom, it also helped me in successfully developing
lessons that engage students with technology, are self directed, and
incorporate authentic learning experiences. As I continued the course I was
determined to “turn on the lights” for my students. I gained insights to many useful tools and
resources that I was able top use in my classroom for collaboration,
communication, and social networking both publicly and privately. Amongst those
tools were Skype, Epals, blogging, wiki, edmodo, and moodle. All of which, I
have tried over these past seven weeks. I created three types of lessons
incorporating problem based learning, social networking/online collaboration,
and digital storytelling. All of which
were a great success. I have gained the knowledge
and confidence that I needed to achieve my goal of integrating Skype, Epals,
and blogging into my lessons. I have only used it with a partner class in town
and reveled in the success and motivation of the students. In the future I will
use these tools to connect globally.
I
also reinforced my knowledge of the various benefits of digital storytelling
lessons. Dr. Abrams (2011) also listed many resources available for sample
projects and rubrics. Digital storytelling is a great way to incorporate students’
visual, audio, verbal, and content literacies (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2011a). I have always loved assigning these types of projects and have enhanced
my knowledge with a wide variety of methods for incorporating these into my
curriculum. The students gain such a vast knowledge base of a variety of topics
while using tools that they love. They can also share their videos by posting
them to TeacherTube or YourTube. Since I teach middle school students I have
kept their videos private. I am working towards having them create more videos
in VoiceThread for a public audience.
As
I continue to integrate these wonderful new ideas and lessons into my
curriculum, as Dr. Abrams (2011b) suggested, I will create a DVD of all of the
students lessons throughout the year and give it to them at the end of the
year. This will provide the students with a lifelong memory of their leaning and
experiences in the Italian one class. It also provides me with a portfolio
piece of my students work so that I can reflect and make adjustments as
necessary (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b)
As I reflect on the activities that
my students and I have taken part in over the past few weeks, I can honestly
say that although time consuming and slightly cumbersome to plan and prepare
these self directed lessons using various technologies and social networking
tools, they are well worth it. As educators our goal is to build lifelong
learning experiences for our students that prepare them for their future. These
activities accomplish that while engaging and motivating students through their
own interests. As the old adage goes “the proof is in the pudding!” Based on my observations of my students,
Their personal reflections throughout the activities and tasks, and the
assessment results, it is obvious that I have successfully created memorable
learning experiences for my students. They were highly motivated and took pride
in their work, especially when communicating with peers from the other school.
I look forward to the many ways and opportunities that will develop for me to
continue applying these tools in my lessons. Always focusing on my main goal “
to provide my students with meaningful and memorable learning experiences that
last a lifetime.”
Daniela
Petruzzella
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009).
Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based
approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,
Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Executive Producer). (2011a). Spotlight on technology: Digital storytelling,
part 1. [Webcast]. Integrating technology across the content areas.
Baltimore, MD: Author
Laureate
Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011b). Spotlight on technology: Digital storytelling,
part 2. [Webcast]. Integrating technology across the content areas.
Baltimore, MD: Author
Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights.
Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–4 5. Retrieved from the Academic Search
Complete database.
