Context of Learning
Photo courtesy of: Amy Palmer
Putting my technology dream in place requires the reflection of my learning environment. My classroom is like a second home where I spend most of my days and many nights as well. I work as a first grade teacher in the affluent district of Birmingham, Michigan. Many students enter my classroom familiar with the latest gadgets, and with privileges that most other children their age do not obtain. Comfortable living conditions, club memberships, and fists full of technology. Parents are usually involved and eagerly creep their way into the learning environment as volunteers. I have also seen a variety of nannies and tutors that support students away from school. Putting these advantages aside, I can honestly say that the children, parents, and teachers in my school building work together on behalf of student progress.
I teach all traditional subjects with an emphasis on the integration of technology. My school district is heavily supporting 21st Century Learning and has thrust the latest technology into most every classroom. Interactive Whiteboards were distributed last year to every classroom teacher, and iPads were delivered to all teachers in my building. The Birmingham Education Foundation as well as the PTA funds additional technology through grants distributed across the district, and I have received three technology grants in my three years of teaching in Birmingham. The grants have awarded my students with two iPads, two laptops, and one iPod used specifically for interventions. My students also have access to three desktop computers in the classroom and a computer lab with unlimited admission. The only constraints that directly affect my teaching are those that ensure digital safety. The desktop computers are constantly reimaged and the iPad applications are not accessible by teachers. However, limitations can be negotiated as needed.
I teach all traditional subjects with an emphasis on the integration of technology. My school district is heavily supporting 21st Century Learning and has thrust the latest technology into most every classroom. Interactive Whiteboards were distributed last year to every classroom teacher, and iPads were delivered to all teachers in my building. The Birmingham Education Foundation as well as the PTA funds additional technology through grants distributed across the district, and I have received three technology grants in my three years of teaching in Birmingham. The grants have awarded my students with two iPads, two laptops, and one iPod used specifically for interventions. My students also have access to three desktop computers in the classroom and a computer lab with unlimited admission. The only constraints that directly affect my teaching are those that ensure digital safety. The desktop computers are constantly reimaged and the iPad applications are not accessible by teachers. However, limitations can be negotiated as needed.
Learning Content
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My ultimate goal is to create confident and successful authors in first grade by creating a flow between the current content and latest technology. For writing, my district has issued the Units of Study for Primary Writing by Lucy Calkins and Colleagues. Teachers are also receiving guidance from the Common Core Standards that conveniently include the use of digital tools for production and publication.
Initially, it is important for students to make the connections between the authentic texts that are traditionally read in class, to the structure of a common story. In doing so, students will transfer this same structure to their own personal narratives. All pieces of writing will have the usual beginning, middle, and end with the inclusion of conflict and resolution. Such conflict gives both a purpose for writing as well as a reason to engage in a written piece.
There have been many hurdles that I continually try to leap over in my eight years of experience. The biggest hurdle is the egocentrism of typical first graders. This is a term from the preoperational stage of cognitive development by Jean Piaget. Students who are egocentric do not have the ability to see from another’s perspective and they often assume that others see, hear, and feel exactly what they do at any given time. This frame of mind causes writers to leave out important details that support conflict in personal narratives. Many thoughts of a first grader are not outwardly expressed since there is the assumption of understanding with limited information.
Initially, it is important for students to make the connections between the authentic texts that are traditionally read in class, to the structure of a common story. In doing so, students will transfer this same structure to their own personal narratives. All pieces of writing will have the usual beginning, middle, and end with the inclusion of conflict and resolution. Such conflict gives both a purpose for writing as well as a reason to engage in a written piece.
There have been many hurdles that I continually try to leap over in my eight years of experience. The biggest hurdle is the egocentrism of typical first graders. This is a term from the preoperational stage of cognitive development by Jean Piaget. Students who are egocentric do not have the ability to see from another’s perspective and they often assume that others see, hear, and feel exactly what they do at any given time. This frame of mind causes writers to leave out important details that support conflict in personal narratives. Many thoughts of a first grader are not outwardly expressed since there is the assumption of understanding with limited information.
Technology
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Pin pointing technology to effectively assist my project in the classroom is not an easy task. There are so many innovative resources available to support writing and yet so many district restrictions. I first thought of using iPads and writing applications to model story structure, but my school district has full control over the purchasing of mass apps.
Web 2.0 tools fit into the technology I currently have in the classroom, and offers a variety of opportunities to create, organize and publish stories online. However, I plan on using a combination of concrete tools including the two existing iPads I have in my classroom along with desktop and laptop computers. All of which connect to the Internet through the district provided Wi-Fi services. The actual links to story building activities will be on my classroom website for students to access in class or at home.
Web 2.0 tools fit into the technology I currently have in the classroom, and offers a variety of opportunities to create, organize and publish stories online. However, I plan on using a combination of concrete tools including the two existing iPads I have in my classroom along with desktop and laptop computers. All of which connect to the Internet through the district provided Wi-Fi services. The actual links to story building activities will be on my classroom website for students to access in class or at home.
Pedagogy with a Purpose
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There are many different teaching styles and strategies that expert educators have used in classrooms all over the world such as direct instruction, models of inquiry, and cooperative learning. My district has just revisited the Workshop Model of teaching, and my experience with this pedagogy has been a positive one. The Workshop Model incorporates best practices and fits seamlessly into everyday teaching across the curriculum, especially in the area of writing. The structure of a Writer’s Workshop is very routine and predictable from day to day. Students first receive a mini-lesson that is outlined by five parts: a connection to a previous lesson, explicit teaching, the modeling of expectations, a brief discussion, and a link to student work. The remainder of Workshop is devoted to student writing. During this time students practice skills from the mini-lesson, confer with the teacher or peers, and use resources that enhance writing. The end of Writer’s Workshop opens up time to share the day’s progress (LeSchack, Arlyne. “Teaching Effectively Using the Workshop Model”).
The structure of Writer’s Workshop suits both the learning styles of first graders as well as the content of personal narratives. Mini-lessons will touch on key elements of story structure in alignment with the Common Core’s writing and technology standards. Connections will be made between the stories read and the stories written. The selection of mentor texts will come from student favorites as well as Units of Study, by Lucy Calkins and Colleagues and Reading with Meaning, by Debbie Miller. The transfer of story structure from mentor texts to student writing will be achieved through modeling and demonstrations. This technique relates directly to Albert Bandura’s social learning theory that can be summarized as saying that children learn from one another; observation, imitation and modeling. A majority of Writer’s Workshop will be allocated to student writing, or better yet, the imitation of expectations. First graders will have the chance to play with words, experiment with conventions and manipulate the elements of a story with a hands-on approach. Students will have the opportunity to use different technologies with open access to Web 2.0 tools that model appropriate story structure such as: an interactive whiteboard, desktop computers, laptop computers, iPads, authentic texts, and much more. All of the above will be continually updated to maintain student attention and demonstrate the true expansion of the common story structure in everyday life. Finally, the closure of Writer’s Workshop will bring all authors together at the end of every lesson to share the good, the better, and the technology. Daily learning will be made public and students will have the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences.
The structure of Writer’s Workshop suits both the learning styles of first graders as well as the content of personal narratives. Mini-lessons will touch on key elements of story structure in alignment with the Common Core’s writing and technology standards. Connections will be made between the stories read and the stories written. The selection of mentor texts will come from student favorites as well as Units of Study, by Lucy Calkins and Colleagues and Reading with Meaning, by Debbie Miller. The transfer of story structure from mentor texts to student writing will be achieved through modeling and demonstrations. This technique relates directly to Albert Bandura’s social learning theory that can be summarized as saying that children learn from one another; observation, imitation and modeling. A majority of Writer’s Workshop will be allocated to student writing, or better yet, the imitation of expectations. First graders will have the chance to play with words, experiment with conventions and manipulate the elements of a story with a hands-on approach. Students will have the opportunity to use different technologies with open access to Web 2.0 tools that model appropriate story structure such as: an interactive whiteboard, desktop computers, laptop computers, iPads, authentic texts, and much more. All of the above will be continually updated to maintain student attention and demonstrate the true expansion of the common story structure in everyday life. Finally, the closure of Writer’s Workshop will bring all authors together at the end of every lesson to share the good, the better, and the technology. Daily learning will be made public and students will have the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences.
The Total PACKage
Photo linked to site.
21st Century teaching and learning is not just the use of technology across the curriculum, but an innovative approach to integrating core subjects, life skills, and technology into rich learning experiences. An organic way of doing so in Writer’s Workshop is to draw on the natural impulses of students identified by, Dewey, John. 1943. These natural impulses include expression, inquiry, construction and communication described below in the context of story structure...
Why did you write the story?
Expression is the heart of storytelling. Young children have a lot to say that can be transferred to paper through letters, words, and illustrations. Some narratives are meant to entertain, some teach a lesson, some are happy, and some are sad. There is a purpose to writing and an element of sharing emotions related to conflict, both good and bad. Web 2.0 technologies provide an outlet for authors young and old to express themselves. Students express themselves while reading their own stories online…
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What will happen in the story?
Inquiry is not often thought of in the area of writing, but it is continually used within the structure of a story. A student audience naturally begins making predictions once they become engaged in a story’s central conflict. There are questions surrounding the Who, What, Where, When and Why of main events. Web 2.0 technology provides a rich base of stories where questioning is stimulated by interactive texts. Students can listen to stories, make predictions, and are prompted with questions…
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What is the story about?
Construction is key. All stories have similar pieces and a similar order, while the details make stories new and exciting to read. This framework is a routine that will be put in place like any other in the classroom with the support of technology. Web 2.0 tools will simply provide the order of pieces, but the boys and girls will be responsible for building personal narratives with a variety of characters, settings, events, conflicts, and resolutions using their own creativity. Stories can be constructed with all of the building blocks…
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Who is meant to read the story?
Communication is a basic skill that connects a written piece of work to an appropriate audience. A first grader’s reach is not usually broad, extending to teachers, friends and parents, but technology offers the opportunity to widen that reach outside classroom walls. Web 2.0 publishing technology will extend communication by making it possible for boys and girls to share their writing with a large community of authors. Publishing sites allow knowledge to be made public…
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