Personal Educational Theory

In the beginning of this class we were asked to describe our personal learning theory.  I stated that visual and kinesthetic activities for the kids will help them to retain information better than any other method.  I also stated that trying to find ways to make connections for everyone requires that multiple methods of instruction are necessary to reach the diverse learners that are in my class.  This class has really just affirmed my idea on how kids learn and what I need to do.  I do feel like this class has deepened my conviction to my learning theory.  This class did enhance my diversity of educational technology as I found more resources to use in my class. 

I think there are three things that I will change immediately based on information I obtained from this class.  I already used a virtual program to help kids learn about position, velocity and acceleration called the moving man.  I am also planning on using a website called line rider to continue my students ability to learn about the basics of motion.  In general I also plan on trying to change my power point presentations to visual images or videos rather than a bunch of text.  One of the nice things about this program is that it is requiring me to go out and seek new methods for presenting material that I have wantd to do for a long time. 

One long term changes I want is to make sure that the number of activities I use continue to increase as I continue to teach.  Finding ways to do this with or without technology is a big goal for me in the next few years.  Another goal that I have is as I hopefully transition into the physical education department I plan to find ways to digitize that department.  Using technology to create physical education plans, as well as other technology devices will make physical education very differerent than it is today.

voicethread link

I tried to make this website work, but can't seem to find a way to write on the video or dub over my voice from before.  The experiment itself is good, but not much editing on this right now.

http://voicethread.com/?#u2460420

social learning theory

The social learning strategy states that in order for kids to learn, the material must be just beyond the reach of our students.  It then states in order for the kids to comprehend, at some point they need exposure to the more knowledgeable other. 

The problem with most websites is that the information is there, and unless it is constructed by peers the level of information can be way over their head or too simplistic for them to learn.  I have found that many of my students have no shame using words that are far beyond their comprehension just because they read it on a website and they think that it pertains to their topic.  This makes the idea of social learning theory somewhat challenging when applying it to online opportunities.  It is really up to the teacher to find a way to make the website material relevant to the students, and still keep it challenging. 

The other issue that isn’t discussed here is the conservatism of schools pertaining to teachers interacting with students online.  I know that we don’t have a formal no Facebook friends with students policy, but it is severely frowned upon since there have been a few people in other districts and states who have used it for inappropriate contact.  When I was first told about this I was friends with may of my track and field kids so that I could monitor their posts and make sure they were living up to my standards as athletes off the field as well.  I have been told that this idea is frowned upon and I should no longer use this method for monitoring behavior.  This makes the social aspect of the internet somewhat limiting, since it is supposed to be a peer only process.