Week 5 Questioning Toolkit

I use a combination of question types during my teaching. Reflecting on my classes, I tend to use more telling and hypothetical questions with the younger students. Where as I use planning and organizing questions with the older students.
I feel planning and organizing questions lead students to think more critically and at higher levels. For example, in my religion class we are currently studying the Jesuit missionaries that worked in Japan. We have studies Francis Xavier and Fr. Miki and I expect the seventh graders to know the basic facts about this time period and these people. But the really interesting part of this unit is way it ties into to so many other subject areas. We have discussed the relationship between Japan and the rest of the world during that time. It is helpful for students to be able to answer questions such as, “What year was Fr. Miki murdered?” But I prefer our class discussions that involve questions about the reason Japanese leaders feared the power of the missionaries during that time. “How would we react if our government suddenly made laws forbidding us to practice Catholicism? Would we hide our faith or would be continue to practice?” These are the questions that force students to evaluate their beliefs and think more critically.
When integrating technology into my classroom I think planning questions are very helpful. In my computer classes, I use webquests. I begin the class by asking planning questions. Even if I have assigned one or two sites to be used during class time, it’s important for students to structure their search and look at what areas of the site will be most helpful. I encourage students answer questions about what tasks need to be completed first and how much time will be needed to complete this project. Sometimes I allow students to decide the amount of class periods they think it the project will require. Other times I allow students to work together to decide the best strategy of maneuvering the site. I want to give my students practice forming and answering planning questions so that they find a place to begin, no matter what task is before them.

Week 4 Post (Part II)

In addition to the the learning experiences I've had in the first weeks of this course, I have used tools that can help me in my professional development and in becoming a world changer. My favorite example of this is using Excel. I have played around with Excel and made charts with my students before, but for some reason I never learned how to use formulas. That part just seemed complicated to me. But after I completed the "Action Research" assignment, I realized how simple using Excel formulas can be. I showed my fifth and sixth grade students how to find sum, average, mode, and standard deviation today. We used it to average their quiz and test grades. They thought this was a great time saving device and had a lot of fun changing the scores and watching their sums and and averages change with each grade change. I intend to use this as a way of showing patterns in student progress.

The last four weeks have been really useful and fun for me. Even though I teach computer classes and have been forced into a more technological role this year, I still have a lot to learn. Two weeks ago I used Wordle with my fifth and sixth grade students and it turned into such a fun afternoon. They were excited about the tool and motivated to write their biographies. I immediately took pictures of their work, uploaded them, and posted one on my blog. It was such a fun and capable feeling to use new tools and share them with my students. I started thinking about the many ways I could use blogs in my classroom and how I could incorporate podcasts and my own web page. Tomorrow I'm using introducing podcasts to my junior high students. I already know they will be eager to participate and that makes the lesson more fun for me too. The learning experience I have had is that, in the world of technology, there will always be something new and different to use. And these are great tools to reach every learner.

Week 3

Podcasts could be a great way to distribute lessons.  I could use the software, Audacity, for free recording.  If I wanted to incorporate music I would need additional software.  I would want to generate student interest by advertising on the school web page and I would try to keep the podcast under 10 minutes for younger users.  I think students would be very receptive to podcasts as a way of learning more about a topic or assignment.  They would like the technology element and would be very interested in creating their own podcasts.

I would need to consider the affective outcomes as well.  Some students would feel very empowered by the flexibility of having podcasts available to them as resource for school.  But for some students use of podcasts may produce anxiety.  There is a wide range of economic backgrounds at my school.  While some students have iPods, MP3 Players, and home computers, others are without these tools.  In order for this to be a positive addition to the curriculum, I would need to allow for computer lab time for all students.  

Week 2 Learning Journal

“Pedagogical beliefs go deeper than technological capability or accessibility; beliefs define how teachers teach both with and without technology”
Ertmer, Addison, Lane, Ross, & Woods, 2001

When students use technology in my classroom I have several cognitive objectives. I want my students to be comfortable with a variety of digital tools. I try to reinforce basic skills with the younger students such as inserting USB flash drives, using the keyboard, logging in using passwords, and finding folders on the desktop. I strive to give older students an appreciation and understanding of Microsoft Office tools, digital cameras, and video cameras. I want a student to be handed an assignment and say to himself, “I could do this better, faster, and more creatively by using Power Point or Publisher”. Overall I would like students to have a grasp of the technology I can make available to them and a comfort with the idea of using brand new digital tools.
Along with cognitive objectives I have for my students, I’m concerned with the affective outcomes when students use technology. I want my students to feel a sense of community with their classmates and teachers. Technology cannot replace the connections they develop in a classroom setting and the benefits that can be gained with working collaboratively on a project. I think the key to technology is the integration of it into the teaching experience. Students still need verbal encouragement, hand written comments, and the experience of physical experimentation and play. Our students need to be skilled in the use of digital tools but it’s also important that they develop good social skills and be able to interact with their peers. Technology does give some otherwise socially challenged students an area to excel. And these students may have a more positive outlook on school because they find success in this area. In both cases it is important for the teacher to be defining how technology best works in the classroom.

Week 1 Online Learning Journal

I frequently integrate technology into the curriculum because I’m the computer teacher. And since this is my first year in this role, I’m learning about technology along side my students. I use laptops and desktops in the computer lab and focus on students becoming comfortable with Microsoft Office Suite as well as digital cameras and video cameras. But I also integrate technology into my seventh grade religion lessons.
Just last week I was finishing up our unit on the Theology of the Body. This unit addressed abstinence and the teachings of Pope John Paul II. I attended a conference to help me teach about this topic and I had some great speakers come to our class to supplement the text. But I felt that I hadn’t provided enough opportunities for the students to collaborate and apply what we had discussed in class. I decided to assign the project of choosing four examples of movies, books, or TV shows. Two were to be examples of selfish love and two were to be examples of giving love. Students were then to rewrite the plots of the two selfish examples so that they were now more giving but still entertaining to an audience. I required Power Point presentations for this project and divided the class into groups of three. I also reserved computer lab time so that I could monitor their work and observe group participation and evidence of problem solving.
My motivation for using technology in this assignment and in others is the response I see from my students. Immediately they are more receptive to an assignment that involves computers, the Internet, or digital cameras. In this particular project, students worked together and found pictures from different movies and books to add to their slides. I also like to see students, who struggle with certain computer skills, work side by side with other classmates and begin to feel more comfortable. I want my students to feel optimistic and positive about new tools in technology. Technology will always be changing and I feel this positive outlook will allow these children to successfully adapt.