Ways to Improve: Challenge Based Learning

Another way to incorporate technology into the classroom is to use challenge-based learning.  Challenged based learning involves students looking closely at information or concepts and figuring out obstacles they can tackle from that information.  For example, a student studying a unit on natural resources may study the information and realize there is a strong need for community involvement in stopping local deforestation.  After finding this problem, the student then goes on to research solutions and connect with local people.  When conducting this research and these interviews, the student uses various technologies to document the process. 

Challenge Based Learning provides benefits on two fronts: gains in skills relating to technology (i.e. creating podcasts, using LMS, etc.) and increased motivation and satisfaction from working with a project that the students can relate to.  “Students have the satisfaction that comes from figuring out both the issue to be tackled and the solution they develop.” (7 Things You Should Know About Challenge Based Learning).  Investment in the outcome of the project is also high for students.  “In Apple’s 2008 study of CBL, findings showed student engagement among participating ninth and tenth graders was rated at 97% or higher and that student involvement peaked where they perceived the solutions they worked on to be of real value.” (7 Things You Should Know About Challenge Based Learning).  Challenge Based Learning can make a big difference for our students and is another great way to include online learning in the classroom.

Up Next: Microlectures and Screencasting

Resources:

7 Things You Should Know About Challenge-Based Learning. (n.d.). EDUCAUSE Homepage. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-challenge-based-learning

Ways to Improve: Schoology and Edmodo

Online interaction and discussion has proven to be a great help on the journey for academic success.  These discussions and interactions usually happen in what’s known as a learning management system or LMS.  Learning management systems “allow teachers to post course materials, link to resources, host lessons and discussions, allow students to submit assignments, allow collaboration and communication between and with students, and depending on the platform, do a whole lot more that matches the necessity of blending technology with education today.” (Rodick, 2012).  Meaning, a learning management system is essentially a blueprint of your classroom that you can put online for students and parents.

The top two learning management systems are Schoology and Edmodo.  Both offer platforms for not only discussion, but full lessons and assessments as well.  Online discussion allows for many students to participate in ways that they may not have done in the traditional classroom.  For example, a student that is shy and dislikes speaking in front of others may not be motivated to participate as much in a traditional discussion setting, take away the in class aspect of the discussion and put it online, and that student may just feel more comfortable contributing.  According to Chen and Looi:

“One of the widely cited advantages of online discussion is its increased flexibility due to removing time and space restrictions of the typical classroom setting (Curtis & Lawson, 2001; Harasim, Hiltz, Teles & Turoff, 1995; Henri, 1992). The asynchronous capabilities of online discussion allow learners to have more time to think "deeply" before giving their opinions (Moore, 2002). The interactive nature of online discussion helps promote discussion among learners, creating a forum for the creation of knowledge (Gay, Sturgill, Martin & Huttenlocher, 1999). Through online discussion, education and learning can be transformed from a one way instructional approach to a highly interactive approach to learning (Henri, 1992; Vrasidas & McIssac, 1999; Warschauer, 1997). Online discussion can facilitate collaborative learning, when learners are actively engaged in sharing information and perspectives through interaction with other learners (Harasim, 1989).”

With all of these great advantages to online discussion, it only makes sense to incorporate it into our curriculum.  Here is a tutorial on how to use the learning management system Schoology:

Here is a link to an Edmodo group I created that takes students through the creative writing process.  Join the group using the code: zj4bn5

Mrs. Archer's Writing Workshop

You will notice that there are folders of content, small group work, assignment calendars, and a link out to a site to publish their final product as a digital story.

Up next: Challenge Based Learning

Resources:

 Chen, W., & Looi, C. (n.d.). AJET 23(3) Chen and Looi (2007) Incorporating online discussion in face to face classroom learning: A new blended learning approach. AJET 23(3) Chen and Looi (2007) Incorporating online discussion in face to face classroom learning: A new blended learning approach. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet23/chen.html

Rodick, W. (n.d.). Technoloducation. Technoloducation. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://williamrodick.tumblr.com/post/24466996448/learning-management-systems-learning-management

Benefits of Online Learning: Oh, the Possibilities…

In my opinion, the best benefit of online learning is just the sheer amount of possibilities that it brings to the classroom.  In the traditional classroom, most teachers use a textbook or a series of note pages to teach the lessons and then conduct assessments.  There may be trips to the library thrown in for research and further reading, or to borrow a video on the current subject matter.  That’s great and all, but the online world can offer so much more.

For example, let’s pretend our students are in the middle of a unit on our solar system.  In the traditional classroom, students would look at pictures of the planets and read a blurb about each one.  They may complete a worksheet comparing the planets to one another, right?  Well how about instead of that process, the students log on to the Internet and view footage of the Mars Curiosity rover launch and landing on the surface of the planet?  Or they can work through an online interactive about the nine planets and see how they orbit the sun?

These are just a few of the ways that online content can extend activities and supplement or enhance the traditional curriculum.  In the next series, I will be going over specific ways to integrate technology into the classroom and how they can benefit our students.

Tour of the Solar System

Benefits of Online Learning: Parent Involvement

One of the best things about online learning for students is the increased accessibility for their parents.  How often have you had parents send in notes asking how to do a certain type of math problem?  Some of the curriculum today is quite different than what we learned in school.  For example, in Virginia Beach, we teach lattice multiplication.  I often have to send home extra worksheets explaining to parents how to draw a lattice and where to place the numbers, just so they can assist with homework.  Even doing that, I still have parents that don’t understand because it’s such a different way of multiplying than they are used to.  Fast-forward a couple of days and I have half the class not using lattice multiplication because their parents taught them a different way.

Enter online learning.  Perhaps parents, like their children, are visual learners and need to see a solution worked out for them.  If I taped a microlecture on lattice multiplication or created a screencast, then made it available on a classroom website, the parents can then go on and view the videos as many times as they would like until they were comfortable helping their student.  It’s not just math that online learning works for increasing parent involvement either.  Parents can benefit from viewing online class work in any subject to stay informed of what is going on in the classroom.  Studies have shown that parent involvement has a major affect on student success both in the traditional and the online classroom (iseek.org).  If parents can have such an impact on our students’ success, wouldn’t it be best to give them as many tools as possible to do so?  And to make those tools easily accessible from home in the online format?

Up Next: Oh, the Possibilities…

Resources:

Supporting Online Learners' Success. (n.d.). ISEEK. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://www.iseek.org/education/supportstudents.html

Benefits of Online Learning: Flexibility and Customization

There are a great many benefits of using a form of online learning in the elementary classroom.  I have mentioned before that I believe most of our technology learning time is not being used effectively.  Most teachers use the one hour that they have in the computer lab to have students complete a worksheet using a website.  True blended and online learning involves much more and our students can reap the benefits.  In an article for The Heritage Foundation, author Dan Lips states, “In 2009, the U.S. Department of Education published a meta-analysis of evidence-based studies of K-12 and postsecondary online learning programs.  The study reported that ‘students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.’”

One of the main benefits of online learning is flexibility.  For students, online learning can allow for self-pacing and repetition.  For example, if a student is struggling with a particularly hard math problem in a traditional setting, they can ask the teacher for help.  However, what if that student needs more help?  Sure in the traditional classroom teachers use things like small group teaching and re-teaching to help students overcome misconceptions.  But what if the student needs even more attention but the teacher has moved on to the next lesson?  In online learning, a student that struggles with the material can work at their own pace until their understanding kicks in.  If a teacher uploads a video of him or herself working through that tough math problem, the student can watch it as many times as needed.

Along those same lines, online learning can be extremely customized for different types of learners.  That student that struggled with the math problem may be a visual learner and the video of his teacher working out the solution may have really helped.  If there is a student that learns best when performing the math problems themselves, the teacher can add supplemental resources to the lessons such as interactive websites where students can practice the material.  The possibilities for customization are endless. 

Up next, more benefits of online learning…

References:

Lips, D. (2010, January 12). How Online Learning Is Revolutionizing K-12 Education and Benefiting Students. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved September 25, 2014, from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/01/how-online-learning-is-revolutionizing-k12-education-and-benefiting-students

What It's All About

One hour, twice a week, every other week.  That is the total amount of time our fifth grade students spend in the computer lab over the course of the year.  If they are lucky enough to have a savvy scheduler of a teacher, they may get to use one of the school’s laptop carts on occasion for special projects. That’s it.  That’s the extent to which our students are being exposed to online learning at its most basic level.  In Virginia Beach City Public Schools, there exists the “Compass to 2015” initiative for students to become successful 21^st Century learners that are able to participate and meaningfully contribute to our society.  “Our Strategic Goal: Recognizing that the long range goal of VBCPS is the successful preparation and graduation of every student, the near term goal is that by 2015, 95 percent or more of VBCPS students will graduate having mastered the skills that they need to succeed as 21st century learners, workers and citizens.”  (VBCPS)  Are our students being provided with the best possible chance of becoming that exemplary 21^st century learner with the current state of online learning in our school?

To be blunt, in my opinion, there is no way our students are being prepared for the technology filled future with how little time they currently spend using technology.  Online classrooms and blended learning are here to stay, so to speak, and it is time our school got on the train, or we risk our students falling further behind.  Our students need to be exposed to the online classroom that involves more than just an hour lesson where they go to a few websites and fill out a note page.  Part of our job as elementary teachers is to provide a solid foundation for students to utilize in their middle, high school, and secondary education as is reflected in our “Compass to 2015” strategic plan.  This job now requires elementary teachers to prepare students to be capable of participating in online learning.  My suggestions for improved interaction with technology include whole units of the curriculum conducted in online or blended format, more time in the computer lab or with the laptop cart, and an at home initiative that supports online learning.  This blog serves to highlight the express need of meaningful online learning in our school, suggestions for improvement, and ways to implement those suggestions.

Virginia Beach City Public Schools :: Compass to 2015. (n.d.). Virginia Beach City Public Schools :: Compass to 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2014, from http://www.vbschools.com/compass/index.asp