EDLD+5364+Weekly+Reflections

=== Well, this class has certainly started off at a fast pace with textbooks to buy, groups to collaborate with, web conferences to participate in and a lot of reading. I am working with the same group I worked with in the last class. We have an awesome team leader, Jackie Johnson, who is staying on top of everything. ===

Week One
==I already had the Web 2.0 textbook by Solomon and Schrum, so I started there followed by the articles and videos on Constructivism, the Cyborg theory and Connectivism. Web 2.0 tools are accessible by anyone﻿. These tools are interactive and include sites such as wikis, blogs, and social networks. Constructivisim is based on the idea that when students learn, their own personal experiences and previously learned knowledge determine how they learn new knowledge. It affects how their minds make decisions about processing new information. Connectivism, according to Siemens, is the process of connecting different specialized information sources. A core skill is the ability to see connections between ideas, fields and concepts. Warwick, in his video about the Cyborg theory states that we will have "chips" in our bodies that will hold knowledge for us and when we need it we will just tap into the "chip." At the rate technology is advancing now it is entirely possible this could happen.==

Videoconference
==The web conference on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 was the third conference I participated in since starting this Masters program. This was the first time that I used a camera. My microphone was on for a little while when it should not have been. I had clicked to turn the voice off put apparently didn't click at the right time or something. So a few minutes later I had to try again to turn off the mic and I got it that time. It is neat to participate in the web conferences because other people think of questions you might not have thought of and after the question was asked you realize that you needed to know that also. We found out about the TK20 requirements, Internship requirements, and received some very good information about the collaborative assignment. One thing I didn't realize was that we had to do an individual lesson along with the team lesson. I hope to participate in future web conferences.== Raye Lynn Stacy Updated Feb 27, 2011

I accidentally deleted what I had wriiten here so I am pasting a copy of my reflection on the team wiki.
Reflection for Week 2

Our team has worked on the plan for creating lessons for the scenario. We have decided on a secondary level class and are working on a possible cross-curricular multimedia type lesson. I have created a CAST website account and downloaded the lesson builder so I can do the lessons for week 3. I have started thinking about the individual lesson and ebook that is part of our assignment for week 3.

= Week Three = This was one tough week. There were four parts to the assignment this week. One was the creation of a UDL lesson using the Lesson Builder template from the CAST website. I chose to do mine on Graphing Linear Equations, an Algebra I objective. Focusing on creating a lesson that included practice for the diversity of learners took some planning. I worked on that part of the assignment for a long time. Another part of the assignment was to create an ebook using the bookbuilder at the CAST website. The creation of the ebook was interesting. I tried to keep mine simple enough to read as I was targeting 3rd-5th grade students. I really liked having a place for students to write questions and answer questions and the ability to print or download what they wrote. These two portions of the assignment were to use the UDL guidelines and show how the three neural networks of the brain were addressed. The following chart from the CAST website(2011) shows teaching methods for supporting the three neural networks.


 * - Figure 6.1 -Network-Appropriate Teaching Methods ||
 * To support diverse recognition networks:
 * Provide multiple examples
 * Highlight critical features
 * Provide multiple media and formats
 * Support background context.

To support diverse strategic networks:
 * Provide flexible models of skilled performance
 * Provide opportunities to practice with supports
 * Provide ongoing, relevant feedback
 * Offer flexible opportunities for demonstrating skill.

To support diverse affective networks:
 * Offer choices of content and tools
 * Offer adjustable levels of challenge
 * Offer choices of rewards
 * Offer choices of learning context. ||

I am trying to incorporate the UDL lesson guidelines into the classes I am teaching now. I can use some of the technology that I included in my lesson, but the computer software is a problem because I don't have computers in my room. I will have to use some of the other technology that I included in my Algebra lesson.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology web site, Chapter 6. Retrieved on March 8, 2011, from []

** Week Four **
====**This week was hands-on using the UDL lesson plan our group has been working on. We came up with some ideas of activities for the students to do. We chose 7th grade Texas History as our target class. We narrowed our lesson down to the Battle of the Alamo, and volunteered to do examples of different activities. I chose the video newscast. I recruited actors and actresses, and got help for the script from the Texas History teacher at our school. We had a last minute addtion and Crockett was dressed in contemporary clothes, nevertheless they all did a really good job.**====

I also created a new wiki for the teachers to use to share ideas. It contains all of the examples of activities that our group created.
[|**https://sites.google.com/site/technologytoolbag/**]

The videos this week were interesting. I really liked what Larry Rosenstock, the prinicipal of High Tech High had to say about teaching all of the students like they might go to college, not segregating the ones who **might** not go to college. Also there is the fact that students are creating and collaborating not just sitting and absorbing. One of Rosenstocks(nd) statements "The walls need to be as permeable as possible." brings to mind the fact that our school is rural and it is difficult to find local businessmen/women to come to talk to the students. We have had a few students that have participated in internships but they had to drive some distance to do this.

Edutopia.org(nd). //High tech high taking the lead: An interview with larry rosenstock.// Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from [].

** Week Five **
Well the final week was another busy one. First we had a couple of chapters to read in the textbooks, and 6 videos to watch. Three of the videos were about using "games" for the students to learn subjects and for assessment. The games are set up so that the students must solve problems which is a form of ongoing assessment. Most of the students in school today have been participating in interactive games that have the same scenario, to get to the next level you must solve a problem, or to win you must build a civilization better than your opponent. All of these games use ongoing assessment event though the students are not aware that is what it is. Another one of the videos concerned ethics and how the students need to know and practice ethics when it comes to using Internet resources and communicating with others online. In the Solomon & Schrum(2007) text this week we read about assessment. The section began with a statement that still holds true four years after the text was published.

It is an odd circumstance that schools find themselves in these days. All schools are driven by requirements to maintain and improve standardized test scores. And yet these efforts create a rather interesting conundrum, because frequently the "new school" model and high-stakes testing seem in conflict with each other. At the same time, we have seen an equally vigorous effort toward authentic assessment. (pg. 168)

It is difficult to teach the students 21st century skills when we are assessing them with 20th century tests. Teachers have to adapt constantly so changing many of our assessment strategies should not be too difficult.