Technology and Health Education

Relection on class 6715I-3

2010-06-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

As I reflect upon this course and the knowledge I have gained I cannot help but say wow! The new and emerging technologies that are currently before us and the ones just past the horizon are truly going to take us into a new era in education. Technology is an ongoing process and the new technologies described by Dr. David Thornburg as disruptive are causing everyone to learn new and more efficient ways of getting our jobs done. These new and emerging technologies are going to assist education because they will not only supplies endless amounts of undated information and sources but do it in a more efficient way (Laureate Inc., 2009). This course has been an opportunity to see how technologies are changing in not only a more functional way but at a lower cost (Laureate Inc., 2009).

My using a classroom blog has provided for me an example to share not only with my colleagues but my supervisors as well, concerning the opportunities that are there through the use of social networking. My blog from www.classpress.com gives my students a forum from which they can grow together with these new and emerging technoloies and allows others at my school to see the functionality of such a program. The ability to monitor this program with limited filtering has proven to my supervisors that programs such as this will be valuable learning experiences for not only my students but for adults as well.

The problems we face in the twenty first century are going to be a challenge, but no different from other centuries before us, the difference is in the the technology and where it will take us. These challenges in this century will be solved by the putting together of tremendous resources, the resources will be combined by technology. In the school business we are now charged with not only teaching the content that makes a student well rounded but now also delivering the strategies that would assist students in learning these valuable cooperative skills needed to succeed in the twenty first century.

My plans for the future are to take my classroom blog further and try and incorporate more of my local school classes and before year's end publish the blog to the internet with designs toward communicating with classes in other areas and maybe even outside the U.S. If we are able to accomplish these goals I feel we will truly see how powerful these tools will be and how fuctional they will be in preparing students for future challenges they will face in their adult lives.

John Poitevint

References:

Laureate Education, Inc., (Executive Producer). (2009). New and Emerging Technologies. Baltimore: Author.

Thornburg, D. D. (2008b). Emerging technologies and McLuhan's Laws of Media. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

Christensen, C., & Horn, M. (2008). How do we transform our schools? Education Next, 8(3), 12-19.

Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., & Smythe, T. (2009). The 2009 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Course Management Systems

2010-05-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

Th ability of a teacher to help students is what teaching is all about.

Classpress

View more presentations from johnpoitevint.

Relection on class 6714I-3

2010-04-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Learning with Technology.

DI and UDL are techniques I believe all good teachers use from time to time. They use these because they care about their students learning and they want to see their students succeed. Dr. Stephanie Throne (Laureate Education,Inc. 2009), says it starts with a mindset. I agree, as a teacher I have gained from my coaching career because in coaching planning is essential for success, the classroom is no different.
As teachers, we will have many challenges to face in teaching a group of students. We know through multiple research that all students do not learn the same way. The one size fits all mentality is not a successful way to teach and it does not meet all the needs of our students. The need to find a plan, a format such as UDL and DI is essential to planning, designing, and instructing if those diverse needs are to be meet while working toward the same academic goals (Laureate Education, Inc. 2008).

Technology to me is then the key that opens the door to meet these multiple needs we now all see in our classrooms. Digital technologies are flexible, in a printed book the content, information, and displays are all fused together permanent and while that may open the door to learning for many, it may not for all. In digital technology content is stored but can be displayed in a multitude of ways and places, monitors, hand-held devices, screens, printed, and etc. You can change the format, the colors, the font, letters, almost anything in the display, all with the idea of letting students figure out ways to learn. So, technology can change how students view content, product, how it will most affect them and in essence change the learning environment for each student (Laureate Education, Inc. 2009).
The real challenge for teachers, at least in my way of seeing it is how. How to get all of this done in a time frame that does not confuse both teacher and student? Obviously planning ahead is the only way to make it work successfully. As a coach, I realize that if my players are not prepared for the situations that come up in the game they will not be successful, as a teacher I feel the same way about my students. Planning is the only way I can have them ready, the use of technology as both a planning tool and a tool to get the task done will help insure success. Standards for teachers will not go away. Students are expected to meet certain federal, state and local standards and as teachers our job is to see that it happens.
As teachers these mandates come first and teachers are obligated to use their skills, intellect, and ability to adapt is such a way as to create success for all students they teach. Through the use of such technologies as, going online, blogging, wikis, web 2.0 tools, and social networking where allowed, can open up a whole new way of understanding for all students as they prepare for twenty first century challenges they will all face. Everything we as teachers used to do was so limited, paper, pencil, textbook, chalkboard,and etc. Now there are endless ways to get information that is more current,more direct, and more effective. Technology offers a broad range of options but as Dr. Grace Smith indicates, it boils down to two things,"...it depends on the resources we have and the time we have to use them and the way we use that time". (Laureate Education, Inc, 2009). Understanding that today as teachers, our job is quickly evolving into a teacher/manager. Manager of materials (resources), and opportunities (time) and we are not the only knowledgeable person in the classroom and we are going to have to be more and more flexible if the job of outfitting our students with the knowledge they will need is to get done.

My plans after this course is to try and be a better manager and planner of time and resources for my kids. To try and find better ways to utilize technology to meet the individual needs of all my students. I have started a class blog. It does not publish to the web as of yet. My students have their own personal web page and it is really growing. We are using a similar format for discussions that we do in this class. I monitor the site at www.classpress.com. Parents are peeking in using their students password and are seeing the advantages this type of technology can bring. Two years ago if someone had suggested I would do something like this I would have though they were crazy...today I see the potential. This course has given me better insight into how to meet the individual needs of all my kids, I know it will not be easy, it will be a challenge, but the rewards are what I have my sights set on.

John Poitevint
Health Education

References:

Tomlinson, C. (2009). Learning profiles and achievement. School Administrator. 66(2), 28–33. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008) Universal design for learning. Laureate Education, Inc.

Smith, G., & Throne, S. (2007). Differentiating instruction with technology in K-5 classrooms. Belmont, CA: International Society for Technology in Education.  Retrieved from Education Research Complete

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Smith G. & Throne, S

Smith, G., & Thorne, S., (2009, November Engaging All Learners Through Technology. “Putting It All Together”. (Laureate, CD-ROM, 2009 release).). Reaching and

2010-03-28T18:59:00.001-07:00

http://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AaTU1iQAUCSXZGZ2bTVxNWNfMGhudm1rdHdu&hl=en

2010-03-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

http://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AaTU1iQAUCSXZGZ2bTVxNWNfMGhudm1rdHdu&hl=en

New Class, New Blog

2010-03-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Starting a new class, Reaching and Engaging All Learners through Technology (EDUC 6714I-3) creates new opportunity to understand better ways to reach students of the twenty first century. In order to engage those students needs and how to reach those students, teachers need information. Surveys can supply that information. I created a Student Interest Survey, on surveymonkey.com that can supply that need information, http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RHCV5FY . This information can set the tone for the semester by giving me as their instructor and better idea of what interest they have and how I can better meet their needs and stay true to my curriculum.

In addition, the use of a survey that gages the Multiple Intelligences will benefit my instruction by allowing me to see where I can fit into their abilities, new strategies. Using the site Multiple Intelligences that is based upon Dr. Howard Gardner's work, http://ttc.coeuga.edu/surveys/MultInt.html I can get a real sense of what make my kids tick. This will allow me to better understand where my kids are and how I can get them to success.

Learning styles and Profiles are another challenge that faces teachers today. In this age of diversity in America kids all learn differently. Having your finger on the pulse of how a student learns in the first step according to Dr. Caroll Ann Tomlinson (Tomlinson, 2009). Surveys can help in this area as well. Using a survey found at, http://learning-styles-online.com/ proved to be a good tool to study my students and the ways they learn and grow indivdually.

As a classroom teacher, and having filled the role of an assistant principal ,I have seen the difference it makes when students know that teachers care enough to look for answers to help their kids. The use of tools to help us know is the first step to helping them(students) learn. Bray, M., Brown, A. & Green, T., (2004), tell us that students all have different skills and abilities and it is our job to find ways to reach those students and bring about learning. Tools such as surveys, questionaires, and opinion poles can assist us at least in knowing where students are and why they are there.

John
HS Health

References

Tomlinson, C. (2009). Learning Profiles and Achievement. School Administrator. 66(2), 28-33. Retrieved from Educational Complete database.

Bray, M., Brown, A., & Green, T. (2004). Technology and the Diverse Leaner. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

John's Final blog post for 6713D-1

2010-02-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

As this course comes to a close I would like to thank all my classmaes for all your support, suggestions, and keen insights, you have helped me learn. For Dr. Wolsey, our instructor in this virtual classroom, thanks for your patience and understanding, while I have not always agreed with your scoring, I recognize you have a job to do as my teacher. This course as been far and away my most challenging course at Walden University, and having said all of that, I feel I have grown in my understanding of blogging and wikis. I am hopeful the workload for my last two classes does not match this.

My GAME plan was two fold. First I wanted to grow and become more proficient in my ability to use digital technologies, and secondly, I want to be a better facilitator to my students in this new age of digital technologies. Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2009) point out that in order to be that good facilitator teachers need knowledge and skills of technology. The GAME plan is the vehicle that has helped me understand and apply those skills and knowledge by, setting goals, taking actions to reach those goals, constantly monitoring and improving, and evaluation.
Using standards from the International Society for Technology in Education (2008) (ISTE) web site and the National Education Standards for Teachers (NET-T), I chose standard 3.b to start my GAME plan. The goal of creating a personal classroom blog through http://www.classpress.com/ with the idea of creating a community of learners in my classroom with the goal of branching out into our school, community, and world. The idea of a personal class blog not published to the web that could be controlled and help my students understand the potential of social networking educationally that Vicki Davis calles "educational networking" (Laureate 2009), was my motivation. Final approval finally came on January 25th and we began this quest to learn more by pooling all our resources as a class together. With the normal start up issues and changes we have progress for the past five weeks. We now go to the computer lab every Wednesday and students can access the in class desk top to make their weekly discussions boards and comments, or can contribute from home. Success was immediate, my students loved the idea, it was a natural fit, with all the social networking they do through texting, facebook, and twitter, they set the tone. I hade to pull the reins in at times to keep them on the topic or subject. I am constantly following the GAME plan and monitoring, evaluating, and facilitating. The newness is wearing off so I am having to come up with inventive ways, and probling questions to keep them engaged. Overall the experience has been very good. We are setting weekly goals for the blog to get out parents more involved and that too is slowly taking place.

The immediate adjustments this course has provided for me is seen in my allowing students to have more control when we use digital technologies. We are currently starting a PBL in class and I give guidelines to facilitate choices of topics and technologies but the students are choosing the technology. I am seeing the creativity and determination to produce excellent projects. Trying to prevent the competition that Dr. Abrams spoke of is difficult (Laureate Education, 2009). My plan is to continue to use the resources learned in 6713 and become better in my understanding and application of these valuable digital tools to the point that my students have a proficiency that allows them to communicate and apply this effectively. Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer tell me my job is to "...teach thinking" (p. 23).

Thanks for all the support and good luck with your future endeavors at Walden.

John
HS Health

References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standard-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). elmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009) Davis, V. Program: 10 Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Educational Video]. Los Angeles: Solution.

Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Abrams, A. Program: 12 Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Eduational Video]. Los Angeles: Solution.

The Game Plan learning process

2010-02-17T18:03:00.000-08:00

The GAME plan is a new concept to me. Over the past several weeks as I have evaluated this plan in terms of my goals to become more proficient as a digital learner, my primary objective is to ultimately help my students met the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-S). My first goal has been from the beginning standard 3.b "Collaborate with students,peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support success and innovation". I feel this as been a very rewarding experience. The starting of a personal class blog through www.classpress.com has been a big success. Using social networking is helping my students understand how to use digital tools to become digital citizens. As we continue to explore this avenue of communication my students have begun to search, identify, and probe for new and better ways to interact within our classroom and outside in educational networking.

Through this blog I have received very good advice and feedback. It has helped me think and realize, that is my job, to teach thinking, Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer (2009). Also, that turning over come control to my students is a sign of strength not weakness (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). Problem based learning, social networking, and digital storytelling ar as new today to me as powerpoints were three years ago and with practice these too will become ways for my students to improve skills that Dr. Arnie Abrams says will cross every content curriculum (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). The use of these tools I feel will help my students reach the proficiency that the NETS-S standards require.

John
HS Health

References:

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Abrams, A., Program:12. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas [Educational Video]. Los Angeles: Solution.

Reviewing my GAME plan

2010-02-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Taking the time to review my GAME plan I feel progress is being made. After investigating the International Society for Technology in Education's (2008) and standard 3.b "collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation". I have learned through my personal class blog that these goals can be obtained. Real authentic learning is taking place. One area I have taken from this exercise is that students can have a stake in helping classmates learn content.
Additional goals I have are to have some impact on my fellow teachers as a mentor in standard 5.d by engaging in professional growth and leadership in my school and professional community. One of my departmental colleagues has joined in with me in the blog and his classes and mine are really buying in to this form of 'educational networking'.
At this point I have not gotten much response from parents. Students are to give their parent's the password so the parents can follow the blog and their childrens involvement. To date only one-third of the classes parents are participating. I have told class members if parents have to ask me for passwords it not be good. My goal is to get more parents involved in the coming week. I plan to try and expand the blog to another school in our system also this week and by the end of the semester beyond our county.

John
HS Health

Refences:

Cenamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use; A Standard-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

GAME plan ups & downs

2010-02-03T19:14:00.000-08:00

Now in week two of having a private classroom blog there have been some ups and downs. Meeting the goal of developing a classroom learning environment is certainly working well. I have finding more and more students getting involved and helping each other better understand the content discussed and introduced in class. Some of the negatives have been students want to just chat at times rather than discuss, monitor, and evaluate the materials. I truly believe that over time all my students will come around as Rose and Meyer (2002) said, "students who understand the goals of their schoolwork are more likely to stay focused, monitor themselves successfully, and derive satisfaction from their practice." (p.88). I am trying to continue to provide the motivation but I continue to have students who want to run away with conversation that is non-productive. There is still much to learn for me on directing my students. I realize I may have to pull back the reins some. Do any of you have suggestions? Like so much finding the middle ground is probably the way to go. I am adjusting to the concept of giving some control away as Dr. Ertmer says and at time it may be "messy" (Laureate Education Inc., 2009), but I plan to stay the course and I believe this GAME plan will produce fruit in my classess.

John
HS
Health

Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age. Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculm Development.

Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). Spotlight on technology: Problem based learning Parts 1 & 2 [Motion Picture]. Intergrating technology across the content areas. Los Angeles: Solution Tree.

GAME plan approval

2010-01-27T17:22:00.000-08:00

This past Monday I was contacted by my schools local LST and informed that I could proceed with my private classroom blog through www.classpress.com. Needless to say I am excited but also nervous. My goal to develop a community of learners is about to take shape. After comparing many similar avenues through edublog and wiki spaces I chose classpress because of such features as drop box, unlimited classes and students, can buddy up with another Health teacher in my school, it is kid safe, filtered content, no ads, does not publish to the web unless I want to, I see all responses, have access to all usernames and passwords, and many other features. In short I can have complete control over the blog and motivate them to use it in a productive way. Students can design their own page with their favorite colors, sports heroes, movie stars, and even their own avatars. My goal this week is to educate them in the lab to the blog and it's possiblities and next week to begin by asking a discussion question based upon our content and each student must post an answer on their page that three students must respond to, much the same as we do weekly in this class. The intent is to develop this community where students are depending on their classmates to help them solve and clerify open ended questions. As far as new questions that have come up, the idea of monitoring has been solved in my mind through the site and my interview with two middle school teacher I found in our system that use this site. If any of you are doing a similar blog or wiki what issues have you had? What advice could you offer?

John
HS Health

Game Plan class blog.

2010-01-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry for my being late in my blog. This has been a very difficult time. My mother has been very ill for the past ten days and I have been greatly concerned for her health. She is some better.

My game plan centers on the idea of creating a class blog. I feel it would be an outstanding tool for interaction outside of my classroom between myself and my students as well as between students. My wife, a sixth grade teacher, is doing this with her class and having great success. The idea is a private classroom environmental blog. I googled educational blogs and came up with www.classpress.com. It cost $30.00 per year and is unlimited in terms of the number of students/classes you can utilize. Currently, our four Health teachers and 11 classes are about to start. We are waiting for final school approval (only a formality). I can't wait to share with you the results.

Stay tuned in.

John

My GAME Plan EDUC 6713D-1

2010-01-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

My general goals are to become more proficient in the use of technology. As Dr. Ertmer indicates that integrating technology effectively requires first knowledge and technology skills. My personal technology skills have grown a great deal educationally in the past six years. For most of my teaching career I used little if any computer technology tools, but in the past few years I have increased by leaps and bounds in my opinion but still feel very inadequate. Additinally, I want to a better resource and facilitator for my students as the use of technology continues in my class with the goal for them to become self-directed in their learning.

After investigating the International Society for Technology in Education's (2008) (ISTE) web site and the National Educational Technology Standareds for teachers (NET-T), I feel that I have much to learn, but one step at a time and I will reach my overall goals. I am certainly not very confident or proficient in the use of many of these technology skills and tools but must step out and not be afraid to fail and try again in order to gain the confidence and proficiency I will need to be effective as a teacher in the twenty first century. Through the plan outlined by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) called the GAME plan, I can reach my personal goals by; setting goals, taking the action to reach those goals, monitoring my progress in a systematic way, and learning to evalute those individual steps along to way of reaching my goals.

My first objective as a classroom teacher in this application is 3b, " collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation" (ISTE, 2008). My plan is to start a class blog from which the goal is to expand beyond the classroom to the school, the county, and beyond. Already having a web site within our school is a tremendous tool for sharing information about our course such as, syllabi, class requirements, assignments,calendars, and etc. but the interaction is missing. The class blog would be used to create that needed interaction where students could discuss the topics, add information, explore other avenues, as well as allow parents access to see th interaction and participate. With parents able to follow the class discussions, links to online resources, current events, and such , the parents would then be able to assist and participant in their child's education. The blog would include; a private classroom environment, personalized blogs, no advertisements, content filtering, drop box, create PDF journals, connect with buddies, and control of access rights. The web site for this source is www.classpress.com. It is a very inexpensive way to create a wonderful classroom learning mechanism. I am in the process of getting final approval at my school site and will begin as soon as that is given. With this goal I will be on my way to reaching my general goals as an educator in the twenty first century.

My second goal follows, 3c of the National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for teachers (2008), it reads," communicate relevant onformation and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats" (ISTE, 2008). This objective will meet my two general goals to become more proficient and a better facilitator of technology skills to my students. My plan will involve expanding my blog to reach other health classes, first within our school, next within our county, with the intent to go beyond those borders and become global. The ultimate goal is to bring my students into this process and extend their educational boundaries.

The ISTE indicators can be intimidating. With the GAME plan and taking one step at a time the process can become a life long process that will help both myself and my students better understand the wonderful process of technology and the products it will yield in our lives.

John
HS Health

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition).

Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology

Standards (NET-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers.

Retrieved from

http://www.iste.org/Content/Navigationmenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_

Final.pdf

Prensky,M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40-45.

Reflection: Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology

2009-08-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Having the exposure these past eight weeks to the course Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology, through Walden University. The many different learning theories, many different vehicles to aid learning through technology, and the tools and techniques I have personal used over the years, have all been a stepping stone to better teaching in the future for me. I am convinced armed with this knowledge I can be more effective in the twenty first century as a teacher. Being brought up in the behaviorist learning theory and being a self-confessed disciple of this method, I have learned that my basic philosophy is really more of a constructionist. I am convinced the more important theory is my student's being "immersed" in the materials (Laureate Education, 2008c).

Dr. Orey's indication that students who have firsthand knowledge and who build artifacts through those experiences have a great opportunity to not only retain but build knowledge (Laureate Education 2008). I certainly believe this theory and my practical experience as a coach and teacher tell me he is right on target. With this in mind, I consider myself primarily a builder in partnership with my students. The use of cooperative learning, PowerPoint presentations, and some web work have been used extensively in the past, but, I plan to add VoiceThread and virtual tours. These along with other technologies, I feel will not only enhance the learning from my students but create excitment as they learn.

My long term goals after having this course is to become better with new technologies. Number one, to be willing to try and not be afraid to let my students take the lead. I now realize that my willingness to let them have the reigns is not a sign of teacher weakness but rather a indication of a cooperative spirit. My second goal is to share what I have learned with my colleagues. Being a mentor teacher I have the opportunity to help young teachers and this information will be an easy adjustment for them as they have no preconcieved ideas. Finally, with the knowledge obtained through this course I hope to improve my teaching and my students learning.

John Poitevint

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008a). Social learning theories [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology . Baltimore : Orey.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008b). Connectivism as a learning theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology . Baltimore : Siemens.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Learning styles

2009-07-05T15:09:00.001-07:00

Understanding that people learn in different ways is certainly nothing new but how to incorporate information in ways that all types of learning styles can gain from is the secret.