What I Learned in Week 4 - EDLD 5364

This week I have found more than one topic that interested me.  The first thing that stuck with me dealt with technology in the classroom.  Solomon and Schrum (2007) states, “even though massive amounts of money have been spent on training educators, we have not seen a real difference in the ways technology has been integrated into the classroom” (p. 100). This statement reminded me of my action research project on integrating technology into the curriculum.  My district tends to have a spray and pray practice when it comes to technology based professional development.  We have been given the technology products with very little training on incorporating them into the curriculum.  Teachers who have a real passion for technology integration can attend classes in the summer or after school, but they are not required.  The end result is that there is a small handful of teachers who are actively incorporating technology into the curriculum and the majority of teachers are keeping the equipment in their closets and continuing to have teacher directed paper and pencil classroom environments.  I believe that focusing on small incorporation goals will ignite a desire to learn more about technology and increase the number of teachers who use technology in their classroom as a tool.

Collaboration was another topic this week that was stressed in the videos and readings.  There was a plethora of suggested ways to teach using collaborative methods discussed by Pitler, Hubbel, and Kuhn (2007).  Some techniques included Keypals, ePals, WebQuests, web 2.0 tools, simulation games, and videoconferencing.  Project Based Learning was another topic of discussion this week.  During a PBL “students are the center of the learning environment” according to the video, Project Learning: an Overview (2009).  Students feel empowered when they are given a voice in their education and empowerment brings excitement back into the classroom. 

Edutopia.org (nd). Project Learning: An Overview. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-overview.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., & Kuhn, M., (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 139-154.

Solomon, G. & Schrum, L (2007). Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 99-116.