Blog Post #6

     Inquiry learning in my teaching environment has been lacking.  I did not realize this until this course.  Unfortunately we are not a 1:1 school district.  Our students do not have devices that they can take home with them.  We either have to reserve a computer lab or Chromebook cart.  These are not always easy to get.  Students are allowed to bring their own technology, but the problem with that is not everyone has their own devices.  This is where group work comes in.  I find that I have to pair or group students together when there is a shortage of devices.  Everyday I have a new essential question for my students to answer in their journals.  When school starts back in August I want to start something new and have the students help come up with these essential questions.  This way they are being the inquiry learners they need to be.

    I like what Diana Laufenberg said about being comfortable allowing kids to fail.  I have many gifted students who are scared to death of failure.  They have always had parents and teachers keeping them from failing.  My district uses an SLO test to determine growth throughout the semester.  This test is all multiple choice and is easily passible if you just memorize the answers.  Like Diana said in her video we as a society are infatuated with one right answer.  This test is an example of that.  My own formative and summative assessments include short answer questions, essay questions, and other hands on activities.  Using these types of assessments gives students the opportunity to demonstrate what they know rather than there just being one right answer.  Schools and teachers will always be needed to facilitate information and be there to assist.  Students have to go out get experience.  They will learn from their mistakes.  This will lead to more inquiry from students because they want to make those mistakes right.  I feel like making the mistakes gives people that "drive" to inquire more and work harder.

Getting over the fear of technology is difficult.  The Languages article describes this fear as "technophobia".  I have tried to incorporate some use of technology into my lessons over the years.  I chose this master's degree over a "content" masters because I wanted to learn something new.  I felt that this degree would benefit my students and myself more than another health education degree.  Sometimes I feel like an idiot when it comes to technology in front of my students and I do have to get them to help me.  They have grown up with technology and do not fear it like older educators do.  With the abundance of technology and information today we are able to deepen learning and promote inquiry like never before.  Gone are the days of driving to the library and spending hours researching one topic.  I want my students to use the technology I provide them to really dig deep into the questions they have.  I do think that a lesson, whether it is "mini" or a "big" one, begins with an engaging question.  One that gets the students wheels turning and they are eager to explore the answers.

Blog Post #5

          The two courses I am taking right now have been challenging, but have assisted me in achieving my learning goal of becoming digitally fluent.  I have had to create a blog, a PLN, an RSS feed, a Web Repository, and learn how to use Twitter.  These are tools I was not use to using and it took many hours to figure them all out.  I am still not completely sure I have it down.  This week I am reading about setting up mini lessons and a book trailer (for another class).  These activities are geared towards the students I teach and are going to help me make them more digital learners.  Another goal of mine from Module 1 was to be a more proficient internet researcher.  The resources I have read/watched and the activities in my classes, have pushed me at becoming better at it.  At this point in the class I do not think that I need to modify my goals.  

           In Carol Dweck's Mindset interview she talks about fixed vs growth mindset.  At the beginning of last school year at our first pre-planning meeting our Assistant Principal talked about this subject.  It was the first I had heard of it.  We played a little game to determine whether we are fixed or growth mindset ourselves.  If we were a fixed mindset our AP wanted us to try and change that outlook.  If we are fixed then how can we expect our students to be growth minded?  To achieve my own learning goal of helping students grow into digitally fluent students then I have to teach with a growth mindset.  My lessons need to be creative enough that the students can apply it and grow from it.  Ms. Dweck stated that a growth mindset individual looks at their own brains as sponges that continually absorbs information.  I want to encourage my students that the growth mindset does not stop after high school or college.  It is necessary to be successful in a career as well.  Like she said in her video you have to know to admit mistakes and learn from them.  Every person in this world makes mistakes frequently.  I want my students to come up with solutions to problems when they make a mistake.  Our society changes at such a rapid pace that you have to be open to these changes and grow with them or you will be left behind.  Most people know someone in the older generation that is "set in their ways" and do not want to learn new things.  This fixed mindset keeps them from connecting not only with the world but their family and friends.  

        I really feel as though I have a growth mindset when it comes to anything and especially towards information fluency skills.  The last thing I want to do is take the easy route and get into a fixed mindset and be left behind.  The world with keep growing around us and we have to make sure we keep up with it.  It is not always easy.  So far in the two courses I am taking, I have struggled to figure some things out and not being around classmates makes it that much harder.  In undergraduate work, you rely on peers to help you understand, get the work done, and hold each other accountable.  

Letting Go

"Great Teaching Means Letting Go" was a very interesting read.  This was my first year teaching in high school and I noticed that students tend to not think for themselves.  They always seem to need those prompts and reminders for everything that they do.  I have found that some school districts want teachers to constantly be teaching (lecturing) during class time.  Who wants to be lectured all the time?  I agree that of course teachers are suppose to be instructing some but there does have to be some time where the students have to "figure things out" on their own.  Every morning I have a bell ringer for the students to complete right away.  There have been times where there are no specific directions or prompts and they have to figure out what to do on their own.  The majority of them cannot do it.  They are constantly asking questions.  I respond to them by saying "figure it out, it is self explanatory".  I feel like some of the things I give are obvious in their directions, but it is not to them.  It is almost like they need someone to hold their hands.  Rubrics are very helpful when grading and to give a road map for students to follow.  I do however think that rubrics can be a hindrance if used too much.  When you have an overuse of rubrics students rely on them and do not use any creativity or thinking on their own.  The do not think outside of the box and lack problem solving skills.  Parents are also guilty of creating this dilemma.  Teachers and parents need to learn to back off some and let the kids figure it out even if it means failing sometimes.

In Chris Lehmann's video he points out that summative assessments are used too much.  With formative assessments students get to demonstrate knowledge a little at a time as they go.  Formative assessments can be used very creatively and frequently.  I believe it is a better way of demonstrating knowledge and learning.  Too much focus is put on teaching to pass the test, such as the Georgia Milestones or an SLO.  Then it becomes nothing but memorization which the student will likely forget when they walk out the door.  Formative assessments allow the student to use inquiry learning strategies that Chris's video focuses on.  There is a definitive connection between allowing the students to form their own questions and come up with the solutions and great teaching.  Simply lecturing students and providing them with the answers does not equal complete understanding of the subject.  Applying, demonstrating, and practicing knowledge in the classroom allows for the students to develop the skills needed to be successful.  Instructional Technology gives teachers an abundance of tools and resources to promote this type of learning.

Reflective Searching

I considered myself to be a pretty good internet researcher.  Even though I did not grow up in the Google generation, I feel as though every age group is a part of it.  I cannot think of a generation that does not use search engines to find what they need.  In a social setting if someone says something and no one knows the answer to it, then my first response is "just Google it!" and then they do.  My typical search pattern is to use key words or to type the whole question into the search box.  I already knew not to capitalize anything, but being in the habit of spelling things correctly I sometimes do.  Many times using an entire question in a search engine just pulls up results that are coming from random opinions and may not actually be legit.  As far as how my searching skills compare with today's teenager?  Well, I can tell you that I do not just randomly print things off because the relevance of the material I find are too overwhelming.  I was shocked to read in "Information Behavior of the Researcher" that teens do that and then barely glance at what they printed off.  Like today's teens though I do have a preference for a certain search engine.  Google is my go to place for information.  I rely on this search engine to find everything I need.  I think teens and adult can just be lazy at times and do not want to put in the work to find information from reliable sources such as libraries and scholarly databases.  The resources that I read and watched  this week taught me to reevaluate my search patterns.  The order of words can make a huge difference in the results.  If you type something in one way and then switch it around you may get entirely different results.  One of the most interesting things I learned this week was searching with a picture that you upload to Google.  I had no idea you could do this.  Of course it was one of the first things I had to try!  I took a picture of a painting in my house that I bought on a cruise years ago and uploaded it to get the artists name.  I am so glad that I am learning how to be a more proficient researcher.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14913263/?claim=dkbzw2yp9fy">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Articles/Video Review

The blog post "The Journey from Digital Literacy to Digital Fluency" directly relates to one of my goals in my previous post.  The author speaks of the difference between the two.  While learning how to be more digitally fluent she continues to use her teaching strategies while adding in technology practices.  Using a Personal Learning Network will connect educators together and learn from one another.  When learning new things from other professionals you can go back a reflect on your own methods.  If something does not seem to be working that well a digitally fluent personal can work to make it better.  "Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning" was the most interesting read to me out of the four post that I watched or read.  The author described 8 ways to develop a philosophy or mindset of teaching.  To be flexible sounds a lot like differentiation.  Allowing students to learn and practice using their unique styles would be a hard task to incorporate, but I agree that they will grasp the concept better when given that freedom.  They will be proactive learners, asking questions, and able to develop their own set of essential questions.  Simply learning facts or repetitive information does not mean they will remember it in the long run.  Information needs to be applied in an intriguing and engaging way.   The article describes how students participated better by being able to use social media.  As long as it gets them involved and active then social media is a very useful tool.  Even though we live in a technology society I do think that textbooks should not fall by the wayside.  Textbooks and technology can be used interchangeably in a classroom.  "Praiseworthy failure" is a new term to me, but I agree that failure is important in the learning process.  No one comes out on top from the beginning.  You have to embrace the trial and error concept in the learning process to be successful.  As information is thrown at us constantly it can be difficult to manage.  "My daily info-wrangling routine" explains well the steps to take to adequately do this.  If you have ever researched anything on the internet it can be a daunting task.  You can use different outlets to gather your information - RSS feeds, twitter, facebook, podcasts, printed material (magazines, books, newpapers).  This author mentions reflecting on the information gathered just like the author talked about with digital fluency.  Reflection is important as an educator.  This allows us to change, adjust, and tweek our teaching strategies and lessons.  Sharing what we know and what we would like to know connects so many people and ideas together.  Many hands make light work and we live in a day and age where working together with people all over the world is fairly easy.  "Infowhelm and Information Fluency" video hits the nail on the head when it comes to today's world.  We are constantly being bombarded with information that our minds cannot possible store it all.  So where do we put it then?  We cannot be experts in any one subject because of the information overload.  This video and the blog post "The Journey from Digital Literacy to Digital Fluency" both make this very clear.  Things are constantly being added and changed so that we cannot keep up.  This video also points out finding reliable sources to gather our information and allowing students to learn in a manner that does not just require memorization and repeating it, but to come up with those thought provoking sentences such as essential questions and then applying them.  I feel like all four resources that I have read and watched mostly say the same things.  Some elaborate more than others.  The video summarizes in a eye pleasing way what the other three post are trying to say.  

Learning Goals

After studying the difference between digital literacy and fluency, my first learning goal is to become fluent.  I thought that I knew a decent amount about technology, but I am realizing that I am definitely not fluent in it.  If I want my students to be productive digital learners then just having the basic skills is not enough.  I need to know the when, how, and why we are using them.  
My second learning goal is to gain the knowledge and skills to do effective internet research.  There is so much information out there that many times you do not know what is true and what is false.  Whenever I have a question about something the first place I go is google.  I thought I was proficient in internet searches.  After looking at module 2 for my FRIT 7234 class it seems that I have much to learn.