LTT+Summer+2009

__** MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE! **

 __   **__LEARNING STATEMENTS__ 

1.) WHAT I AM LEARNING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY? ** One thing that always excites me about this course is the many collaborative technology tools that I learn about. I believe in a constructivist model of teaching, and over the past two weeks I have learned about some new programs that I believe will help me do this. __GOOGLE EARTH__ One of the programs I learned about was Google Earth. I have to admit Google Earth is not entirely new to me. I had previously downloaded it to my home desktop computer but never really got past the point of looking up really cool places I have been to or know about, and then doing nothing about it! I learned about Google Earth during a group presentation we did to the class. A couple of times over the past two weeks we were put into groups and had to discover a new technology and then present our findings to the class. What I discovered during our "Tech Time" with the help of my classmates and the [|Google Earth User Guide] was all the amazing features that Google Earth has to offer. Google Earth can highlight an amazing amount of detail as you scroll over the earth's surface, including shipwrecks, expeditions, endangered species, ancient cities and tourist attractions, National Geographic links, and underwater features, just to name a few. Learning this kind of technology has great value in my teaching practice. I am always looking for ways to keep my students engaged in the subject material, and a program like this could have huge implications on my teaching practice. I can see myself designing lessons using Google Earth during my geography unit for Social Studies, which focuses on human and environmental geography. There are many features on Google Earth which point out information such as the State of the Ocean, Marine Protected Areas, Polluted and Populated Areas, and Greenpeace and UNICEF activity Another lesson I can see myself using Google Earth for is studying the electoral districts of British Columbia, which can be projected onto our province for student's to easily identify. Google Earth could also be used in Science classes as there is a "Google Moon" and "Google Sun" feature. There are so many lessons that could incorporate Google Earth. Some examples can be seen at the [|Google Earth Lessons] website.

**__DIGITAL STORYTELLING__**

Another great concept I am learning about is digital storytelling. Digital storytelling involves using digital tools to tell real-life or animated stories. I learned about digital storytelling during another one of our "Tech Time" sessions with my classmates. We first had to find out what digital storytelling actually was, and then figure out how to present this to the class. We decided that the best way to do this would be to make a digital story! My group and I had never made a digital story before but I knew about the program Photostory, so we decided to use this. It turned out to be very easy and enjoyable. Learning about digital storytelling is very important to me because of the implications it has in my teaching. One of the ideas we have been discussing from many of our readings is about the importance of the constructivist method and collaboration. As I continue through the LTT program I am becoming more aware of the potential that online collaboration using digital tools has on learning. I can see enormous potential in giving students the opportunity to learn through creating digital stories. When they do this they are learning through experience (constructivist) and not only by reading from a book. Reasons for implementing digital storytelling in my classroom include that it fosters collaboration and problem solving, addresses different learning styles, incorporates multiple intelligences, and connects students to their learning and their classmates. It also enhances critical thinking and media literacy, which are essential for students in the online environment. Some lessons I could plan in Social Studies/History that involve using digital storytelling include comparing/contrast current events to historical events, re-enacting events in history and for studying and debating issues.

Other programs I have learned about over the last two weeks inlcude MovieMaker, Webspiration, iMovie, and Powerpoint.

 This is the digital story we made. media type="file" key="PhotoStory2.wmv"

**__CONNECTION TO PROGRAM CAPACITIES__**

I believe that learning about technology connects to three of the LTT program capacities. By learning about many different new technologies I am using and integrating existing and emerging technologies into my practice. As I use programs such as Google Earth and Photostory, I will always evaluate how and if they have changed my practice for better or worse, and adjust accordingly. I don't want to be that person who uses technology just because they can. In order to fully inegrate technology into my practice, I must change in some ways the way I teach, not simply add technology to the way I teach currently.

As a user of technology, I can also help develop learning communities to support my teaching practice. I can introduce the technologies I learn about to my colleagues (especially in my capacity as department head of Social Studies) and encourage them to use technology in their classroom. As more and more of my colleagues begin using this technology, a community of practice will develop where all users of technology become competent and willing to help each other with current and emerging technologies.

With the amount of new media available, I will be an active participant in new media interactions in education. I think the process of new media technologies changing education is inevitable, and as a user of technology my classroom will be at the forefront. With new media technology I can provide opportunities for interactive communication and collaboration and put the students in charge of much of their learning. As Vanessa Domine says the future classroom focuses not so much on accessing information but making connections with that information to transform understanding(p. 74). My role as an educator will evolve into more of a facilitator of knowledge rather than a distributor of knowledge.


 * 2.) WHAT AM I LEARNING ABOUT THE TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS? **

I am learning just how much technology can impact the learning needs of my students and my teaching practice, and that in order to meet my teaching goals in the "digital age", my teaching practice will evolve as a result of the new media technology available.

During the summer institute I have learned the importance of using technology as a collaborative tool in order to meet the learning needs of my students, and as a way of meeting my curriculum goals. This learning is important to me because I believe that it will in some ways change my practice in the classroom. Recently I have started using more and more technology in my classroom, however I'm not sure I was necessarily getting the maximum potential out of my students. The reason for this is that I was using technology as a tool in the classroom to "jazz" up my lessons and keep the students engaged. What I have learned is that in order to get the most out of technology and my students, I must fully incorporate it into my classroom. Without losing sight of the curriculum goals, I need to incorporate technology in a more collaborative way. As I now better understand, collaboration is a key element of the learning process, and with learning now not being confined to time or space, the possibilities for collaboration in my classroom are many. I learned much of this from some of the readings we did for this course. Domine talks about how we use "plug-ins" in our classroom but don't necessarily enhance the way our students learn. In class we also reflected on how technology changes the pedagogical shift. By using technology students can now take a more active role in their learning by collaborating with each other. I will be giving my students a more active role in their learning during my field study by incorporating a class SharePoint site into my teaching.

The implications of this learning are that my teaching practice will evolve as I now better understand the learning process. In my classroom, I will still think of the curriculum goals first, but will also look at ways to incorporate collaborative learning through technology. I hold a "celebrant perspective" of technology in the classroom, therefore in future lessons, I will also be including more of a focus on media literacy in my classroom. Technology allows us to access information at exponential rates, therefore I've learned that I need to spend more time helping students filter this information, focusing on where the information comes from and its context. I don't believe in prohibiting students to access media, as it is this media and its biases that make students think, process, evaluate, and finally come up with their own informed decisions. By incorporating media literacy into my classroom, I will be helping students better understand the infinite amount of information they encounter.

**__CONNECTION TO PROGRAM CAPACITIES__**

I believe that by understanding and learning more about the "teaching and learning process" I am engaging in a critical cycle of action-reflection. As I incorporate more technology into my classroom, I will constantly reflect on how this technology is impacting my teaching and my student's learning. By engaging in on-going reflection, I can adjust my practice and how I use technology to ensure that I am reaching an optimal level of teaching and learning in my classroom.

As I learn more about the "teaching and learning process" and begin my field study, I am drawing on educational research to help guide my practice and support my use of technology. I have reshaped many of my thoughts on teaching from the readings in __Rethinking Technology in Schools__, such as methods of collaboration in learning, constructivism, and the importance of media literacy in today's classroom. I also appreciated the Duckworth article and the concept of "engaging students in phenomena." I realized that this is the way I teach many concepts but had never really thought about it because I was so busy in the classroom. I have selected a number of sources for my field study that I feel relate directly to my inquiry question. I will use this research to guide my field study and help connect relevant educational research to my inquiry questions.

__**OTHER WORK FROM SUMMER INSTITUTE**__



 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 80%; text-align: left; display: block;">

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left; display: block; font-size: 80%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 144%; text-align: left; display: block;">