Discussion 3-A-1

 How have your past experiences with online/blended learning impacted your goals for your future students?

While pursing my first Master’s Degree at Philadelphia University it was a blend of face-to-face learning and online learning.  At first, I was not a real fan of the online format because I missed the interaction between peers and the professor and having the ability to have a deep conversation about a topic.  As the course proceeded I began to enjoy the format because it gave my the freedom to complete the work when I had the time and I had more time to reflect on the other students response with a more in-depth answer.

My past experiences have been a mixture of positive and negative feelings.  The main factor that separated it from positive and negative is the professor.  The professor was the one element that made the class pleasure able or miserable.  Having both of these experiences has made me understand what it takes to be an effective instructor.  I plan on taking what I have learned from the good professors and applying that to my courses.  

How do you hope to engage your students effectively in online learning?

Know the classroom mechanics of an online course

-       Many students have questions relating to the navigation of the web course (Canvas, Blackboard, etc) that can be simply answered by the instructor, not the tech department.

Get to know your students
-       Putting a face to the name on the screen and learning some background information about the student.  
-    Personally responding to each students posts and looking at the students patterns to determine if they disabilities of hardships. 

Be accessible and respond to student inquiries in a timely manner.

-          Go beyond the university requirements of posting a brief, weekly announcement.

-          Provide substantive feedback and positive critique

-         Strong instructor presence.

Inject some fun into the classroom

-         Cooperative/collaborative (active) learning

What has been (or do you anticipate being) the most challenging aspect of online/blended teaching for you? What solutions have you considered to this challenge?

The most challenging aspect for me so far has been finding a job!  I understand that I have not officially graduated, however every position I have seen advertised has a requirement of “having experience teaching in online class.”  I am not sure how to gain experience in an online class…it is not like I can substitute teach! 

Another concern I have is finding the time to check, read; respond to everyone’s posts.  At first it seems like it is going to be a little over whelming, however I am sure once I get in a routine it will be a lot easier. 

8 - C - 1

A classroom in the future around 2020 – will we still have them?  Will it be more online classes and less brick and mortar or more of a flipped classroom? I believe as I look ahead, many of the tendency we're seeing today will continue to develop learning beyond the classroom walls by connecting with educators, students and making real-world experiences. This development continues to be motivated by teachers and their students, and is driven by technology - especially with the Internet and the cloud. Since many schools seem to be adopting the Common Core and it has increased the focus on deeper learning and developing creativity. I feel that there is going to be more personalized and collaborative learning in education. With the combination of the different technology devices such as, smart phones, tablets, laptops, the Internet and the cloud teachers and students will have unique access to tools for innovative expression, and will find it even easier to share, to create and to experiment with new ideas.

Teachers and students are continuing to build online global communities by using the variety of technologies and digital media that is available.  Teachers and students keep taking advantage of the Internet with Skype, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the cloud.  With the online environment growing and expanding to all parts of the world teachers, students, colleagues and many other creative individuals have the opportunity to collaborate.  With apps like Twitter or Skype, are affordable for many schools and offer the opportunity to display, share, discuss, promote, and receive constructive feedback on your work.  Having a teacher who is showing the students on how to create their digital network/community it is going to encourage the students to expand their community beyond the classroom walls.  With the Internet and all of its gadgets makes accessing this valuable information, creative ideas, or learning material easy to access.  All these different types of technologies influences how the students learn, network themselves and share their life experiences with others from around the world. More personalized online learning resources will be available to the students, to use in their classroom (where ever that might be), at home and on one of their many devices.  Students will become more of the creators of the content being taught and the many technologies with help facilitate the communication/collaboration beyond the classroom walls. 

Students will start to express their creativeness, skills and knowledge in ways that start to take advantage of the technological tools available to them.  I believe that there will be a bigger push for student portfolios as a way of assessing the students.  Students will start to create digital portfolios that showcase their skills and understanding of core curriculum as they apply to college and for future jobs.  Students can share these digital portfolios with others as a form of collaboration as well as get feedback from teachers, as well as students from around the globe.  Since it is becoming more accessible to access work from a variety of devices (iPads, iPhones, laptops, etc) it will make it uch easier for students to exhibit their skills and will be used as a stepping stone from high school, to college to their future profession. 

I also believe that by the year 2020 there will be more of a push for futuristic teaching methods, such as: game-based learning, mobile learning, 3D printing, and some sort of virtual laboratories.  Using these new types of teaching methods will inspire the students to become more creative, innovative and more of a leader in their own learning.  This type of learning will help students develop the skills needed to be active members in a global society.  The innovative technologies and mobile (remote) learning techniques will permit the educators to better connect the students inside and outside the classroom, with or without walls. 

I believe that all the advances in technology are great for education and will benefit everyone that is involved.  Nevertheless, teaching, not just mediocre I mean excellent teaching is the consistent and is at the heart of student success.  For education to continue to move in the right direction it is imperative teachers continue to discover new technologies and implement them in the classroom.  Teachers need to collaborate with other teachers and discover what is successful in the classroom.  Teachers will be able to share the best practices and support optimistic education outcomes that will drive the students into 2020 and way beyond. 

8 - A - 1

Web Application: SketchUp (Google SketchUp) 

Learning Style: Tactile, Visual 

Subject Recommendation of App: Math, Humanities, Social Studies, Technology

Google SketchUp is a tool I use a lot in my math class because it can integrate multiple math concepts as well as a variety of core subjects. I introduce SketchUp in the beginning of the school to the students just a fun way to incorporate math with technology.  The students start off by building a few items of their choice (houses, buildings, pools, etc).  Over the course of the school year we build upon what the students have started and integrate SketchUp into our math lessons during the following units of study: Measurement, Volume, Geometry, Area, and etc.  During this year long project I also include having the students build things they are learning in other classes.  For example,  in social studies students create a living museum building with a variety of artifacts from that era.  Some students try to create what a street with houses would look like during certain time periods.  Using SketchUp in the classroom has many different possibilities for students to incorporate their learning of the variety of subjects.  Students who are not good artists (me included) have an opportunity to create something that looks very professional.  I would recommend this application to any teacher who wants the students to use their imagination and be creative, while learning about their core subjects.  

7 - B - 1

A. Going paperless would change my role as a teacher...I would not say drastically, however I would have to do things a little different.  Before every math unit I print off packets that has the students class work, place for the students to take notes, homework and example sheets of problems.  I would have to think of an alternative way for the students to get all the information without using paper.  On the other hand, my school-to-parent connection is all done electronically using something called the 'Parent Portal.'  Parents can login into this page and read the announcements/updates/change in schedule/etc from their child's classroom teacher.  

B. Paperless class would change learning in my class because we would have to problem-solve ways on how the students would retain the information, take notes on the topic, complete math computations and many others aspects. With a paperless class all signs would lead to a Flipped Classroom with a lot of Web 2.0 tools and a variety of technologies included (laptops, tablets, etc).

C. Measuring learning would not look much different, obviously, the assessments would be paperless.  Which is fine because in my classroom I have a set of clickers, hand held device, that students can take the assessment with and it gives the students immediate feedback.  Also, whole group conversations and class discussions would be included in the students grades.  

D. I believe that a paperless classroom would make it easier to build a learning network.  With so much emphasis being placed on online communities, online class, online collaboration and social media would make it a lot easier to build a learning network.    

7 – A – 1

Big Shifts

The big shift I focused on is:

Big Shift 1: Open Content

How has this shift affected your teaching practice so far?

I believe that open content (Google, Bing, Search Engines) has affected my teaching the most.  Many times during the course of the school day or school week when students do not know the answer I over hear them say, ‘I'll just Google it when I get home.”  Which is not always bad, however it is an answer that is only skin-deep.  I call it the NOW answer.  Students want to know the answer right NOW! Students usually just click on the very fist link and whatever it says they students believe.  Students do not dig beneath the skin-deep answer or click on other links to double check the facts. 

How do you expect it might affect you in the future?

It has already started to affect my teaching and it will continue to affect teachers.  I usually give the students a ‘fun’ challenge problem on Monday and they have until Friday to answer the challenge problem.  The students would take the problem homework on it during the week; ask their parents for help if needed or maybe an older sibling.  Times have changed, students now will just go home Monday night Google the answer and be done with it already looking to move forward. 

Have your views changed since you started this course?

No, I have always been an advocate of including technology into the classroom.  I enjoy learning new technologies that I can include in the class.  I am finding harder because of the Common Core to integrate technology into lessons because my school is not letting us be to creative during teaching.  The admin wants us all to be on the same page, teaching the same way…so that is a sign that I need to find a full-time technology-teaching job.

How can you use technology to facilitate this shift in your own classroom?

I use technology on a daily basis in class SmartBoards, computers, laptops, and much more.  I try to create projects that have the students search deeper on the Internet or have more elaborate steps that include technology.  It is a change that we as teachers have to face everyday. 

6-A-3

Connectivism Group A

When we were first assigned this project I really had never heard of connectivism.  After doing some research I was on the fence with the connectivism – not really for it or against.  I believe that both sides of connectivism have positives and negatives.  One quote from Group A jumped out at me: “What if a connection isn’t available at that exact moment when a student needs it?”

As a teacher I try to make much of the math that I teach connect to something in the students life.  For example, geometry I connected to building a house or decimals I connected to designing a room in your house.  Those connections I tried to make for the students, so they knew where they might use this type of math in real life. 

On the other hand, when I teach other types of math I do not make the connections for the students.  So, what if the connection isn’t available at the exact moment when a student needs it? Then in that case students have to find a connection on their own or maybe someone can help them make a connection.  Having students make connections is a great way for the students to learn on their own and have their brain develop. 

6 - C - 2

I have had the chance to connect with a few educators & Military personal around the globe using Skype.  The one class I taught had the opportunity to Skype a class from Brazil and learn about their society, culture, and how a student spends and ‘average’ day in Brazil.  Another class had the chance to Skype into and interact with students at a architectural dig.  My class was asking, posting questions using Skype the students at the dug were answering the questions, blogging and had a back channel during the entire process.  Another chance my class had was to Skype an active Military personal (which was a parent in the class – to his surprise) that was stationed over in Afghanistan.  He would answer ‘some’ questions, however was limited in his answers because of security. 

I plan on continuing to use Skype in the classroom because those experiences are what the students remember and have a lasting affect of them.  I found most of the contacts in Skype using: https://education.skype.com/ This is a site were teachers can create account, look for teachers are have common interests and set up a Skype session.  Thanks to this site my previous students have had memorable experiences.