Final Blog Entry EDTECH 541

Part 1: Course Reflection

Over the course of this semester, the most prominent thing I've learned is that I love bringing technology into my classroom. I always knew this could be an enjoyable process, but I've never been motivated enough to invest the time into making my current curriculum technologically-enhanced. Within the requirements of this course, I have taken my content speciality and infused it with engaging, technology-rich assignments into my EDTECH 541 website. Each and every project created links back to the AECT standards listed on the syllabus for this class. The projects are designed specifically to recall on your specific content pedagogy, in my case 3rd Grade English Language Arts, and incorporate the knowledge of technology to blend the two into creative lessons for use by the students.

I would like to say that I've grown professionally, but I don't think this is the case. My district is about uniformity within the classroom, so much so that I wouldn't be able to implement any of these projects without my partner teacher being able to do them as well. Unfortunately, with only one lab and simultaneous classes, there is not enough technology to go around. I have been able to display some of the true content and lessons for my students, but they have not been able to apply those lessons in their own technology based projects. With the conclusion of summative grades coming within the next week, I hope to use the remaining two weeks of school as a way to let me students explore my site and choose the project they would like to complete.

In an ideal world and classroom, I would take the time each day to plan technology-rich lessons to engage my students. I believe I have learned enough to transform a stagnant curriculum into a vibrant work of technological art. Keeping in mind the learning theories about how students learn, a majority of my projects touch on the theory of connectivism. Since 3rd Graders spend so much of their time trying to talk to their peers and seeking approval from their friends, creating projects that require communication with peers around the world gives them that sense of community and connection. 

Part 2: Self-Assessment

Using the Blog Grading Rubric, I would guess that I've earned 125 out of 140 points, which is an 89. Although I spent a lot of time writing my blog and making the connections needed to the projects of each Module, I don't think I included enough information from valuable sources or the textbook. Often, I used the blog as a way to express my ideas about the topics at hand, instead of using it as a way to express someone else's findings. Each blog entry was completed before it was due and I've never failed to comment on the works of two of my peers. 

Assistive Technology

For the past 6 years, I have had the newest version of the iPhone, but have never taken the time to look at the accessibility features. My iPhone 6 is running on the most recent software update, iOS9.3.1. After taking the time to explore the accessibility features, I found that there are over 29 ways to change your iPhone's setting to accommodate a variety of disabilities. Within those 29 or so options, some of the options go further with a number of sub-options. With all of these different features that can be modified, where do you start?

Using Apple's website to dig a little deeper into how they categorize their features, I've learned that they clump their features into four categories: vision, hearing, physical and motor skills, and learning and literacy.

Vision

Under this category heading are features like zooming, color inverting, and gray-scaling. These types of features change the way the text and images appear on the page so it is possible and easier for a person with visual disabilities to manipulate. For people who have difficulties with the shapes and design of this technology, there are features like button shapes and motion reduction. This allows some of the more advanced and moving features appear in such a way that is more pleasing to the eye.

Hearing 

For people who have disabilities that involve hearing loss, the iPhone has a variety of features that can accommodate any need. Just as if someone would connect their speakers through the use of Bluetooth, those with hearing aids can wirelessly sync their hearing devices to their phone. With this technology, people with hearing devices will be able to hear any noise that the phone may make, including text to speech software. The iPhone also has a feature that includes subtitles and captions to match any verbal sound as well as audio descriptions. To notify the user of incoming messages or alerts, there is a feature that allows the LED camera light to be used as a warning device. 

Physical and Motor

For people with disabilities such as Muscular Dystrophy, the iPhone has features that can make using their products accessible and convenient. For those who love to text, the predictive text feature gives suggestions of possible words that can be used based on what the topic of the message is and the first letter of the word that you're typing. This allows the user to type the minimal amount of letters and still have an in-depth conversation. Another feature is key short cuts that will automatically include phrases or sentences based on one or two letters typed. Touch accommodations allows users to program different directives for the iPhone to follow based on how long the user touches the screen. Tapping three times on the screen could order the iPhone to open the messages app. It can also be programed to ignore repeated touching and only acknowledge longer touch times.

Learning and Literacy

For the students who have difficulties staying on task, there is a feature called Guided Access that allows the instructor or guardian to temporarily disable to home button and keyboard. Without the option of straying from the task, a person with struggles to maintain attention to tasks can become successful in more immediate time periods. There is also a feature called Safari Reader that removes all the distracting ads and images from the text. Without all the distraction, students will be able to focus on the text itself, increasing their chances for success. 

Obstacles and Solutions for Integrating Technology in 3rd Grade ELA

When reflecting on my classroom experience so far this year, my first year in a 3rd Grade ELA classroom, I have noticed more obstacles than anything with technology integration. For the past 3 years, I have had the pleasure of teaching at the Middle School level in a technology-driven environment. When trying to implement technology into that curriculum, there were so many options in the app store and with sites on the internet that it was easy to get the students engaged and create lessons that were easy to scaffold. These lessons and projects were intriguing to students on every level of learning. There are so many educational resources on that high of a level. 

Also, students of this age are tech-savvy and privacy issues aren't necessarily a major issue. Students and parents sign the waiver promising to use the technology appropriately in school. With this, it is easy to get students on sites that allow project sharing and communication with the outside world.

Where I struggle with implementation on the 3rd Grade level is with the minimal number of resources available. Scholastic has a list of apps that teachers can use for free, but even looking through some today, they were already removed or just not what I needed to enhance my lessons. To do some of my projects for this class, I would have to search for hours trying to make some connections between sites and apps that would somehow become one cohesive lesson. That's not how technology integration should be. 

Solutions to this matter would be to think of the final assessments on a larger scale. Focusing on what the students should know will lead the designer back to how that can be accomplished with some creative searching. To create a project, I start with a general outline of the steps needed to get the all-encompassing idea of what the students should know. From there, I try to plug in the apps and sites that can be used as a possible resource. It may take shuffling and replacing, but teachers are adaptive creatures, we can make it work.

Privacy concerns also hinder the possible usage of some sites and apps within the classroom. If the site or app requires the students to sign up and put any information about themselves, including a valid name, it is not allowed in my district. If the site allows students to be labeled with a code name, that site is allowed. As a teacher, I am not even allowed to include location information when I sign up for a teacher account that can eventually lead to my students. This hinders a lot of possible options. 

For the privacy issues, I just have to be careful about which sites and apps I pick and choose. If I ask my district to purchase a license for me, I am free to use the student information, but those free sites are the ones to be careful about. I just have to sign up and design my class well before having my students even tinker with the sites. Having that planning and preparation will save a lot of time and hassle in the long run. 

Relative Advantage of Using Technology to Enhance Content Area Learning

There is a major difference between integrating technology into the classroom and actually using technology to enhance what is being taught and learned in the classroom. By integrating technology into the classroom, a teacher can hit the part of the COMPASS rubric that measures student engagement in learning. Using technology to enhance student learning can lead to higher evaluations because the technology is hitting different aspects of the rubric at the same time. In my view of technology, integrating technology may look like a teacher sticking in pieces of technology where they happen to fit into the curriculum. Enhancing the curriculum by using technology may start with the technology and building the lessons around that piece of technology and the standards being addressed. 

If an activity about writing a biography centers are the completion of a Storybird, students will use all sources of technology to create their final project. An example of that can be seen in my Language Arts Learning Activity. I designed my activity to start with a model Storybird that explains the main components of building their own biographical Storybird about their influential person. The students have to use technology to gather their information from credible sources and incorporate images into their work. They can be assessed on their ability to use information gathered from a text (online encyclopedia), integration of images into their biography, proper features of a biography, and their final product.

The relative advantage of using technologies like the example above is that students learn 21st Century technological implementation skills needed for their future education and in the workforce. Sara Bernard, from Edutopia states, "If every class could use some type of blog or Web page, students could post their questions and the teacher would be able to respond for the whole class to see. This means the teacher wouldn't have to answer the same question multiple times, and students would understand homework better." Now this quote seems like an advantage purely for the students, but the students will gain understanding of blogging, asking deeper questions, and using the thoughts of other students to gain a better understanding of their own thinking. Having the students create a blog alone is an advantage when considering the trends of blogging and vlogging on the internet. 

Right now, for my Graduate degree, I am writing a blog. This is a blog. I never learned how to blog when I was in Elementary School, but am now being required to write this blog. How could introducing this type of technology in Elementary School not be an advantage? Students using how to positively use social networking and other forms of online resources will lead them to success.


References:

Bernard, S. (2009, May 27). How to Teach with Technology: Language Arts. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-language-arts-lessons