2010+Spring+Semester+Learning+Statements


 * __ Learning Statement #1 __**


 * -from Journal article entitled: “Practically painless peer editing” **


 * “I am learning that incorporating peer editing into my teaching, can help some students become better writers” **

-how to conduct student-guided peer editing. -how to create a positive atmosphere -whole-class practice sessions -exercises with paragraphs -how to hone peer-editing skills -advantages of teacher-guided peer editing.
 * 1. What I have been learning about: **

** - ** it is important to me because I have noticed a gradual decline in students` abilities to write grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs. The article has given me some very good ideas concerning how to make students understand the value of constructive criticism of their written work by their peers, which not only helps the student whose work is being edited, but also the student who is doing the editing
 * 2. Why is this learning important to me: **

** - ** I’ve learned more about the process of introducing and using peer editing in my classroom by trying out some of the recommendations contained in the article such as having students give feedback to their peers about their writing by stating what they liked and disliked about what they read (in a positive tone).
 * 3. How did I learn it: **

-the main implication relates to how I am currently approaching the process of using peer editing with my students in the classroom, which is different from me doing all the editing of students` written work. I`m finding that students are open to constructive criticism from their peers, but some students still prefer to have the teacher edit their work. (show survey answers)
 * 4. What are the implications of this learning for my teaching practice: **

-I plan on using peer editing more in my Language Arts program as a result of the success I`ve seen after adopting using peer editing as a strategy in my students` learning. I would like to continue to use wikis as the forum for my Language Arts writing program, though more explanation I feel would be needed regarding how to use a wiki for editing.
 * 5. How might I use or build on this learning in my future planning: **

** 6 ** . **Which program capacities does this learning relate to:** -the second capacity this learning relates to is accessing, evaluating, using and participating in new media interactions.
 * - ** the program capacities this learning will relate to are the following… I will be using, evaluating and integrating existing and emerging technologies into my teaching practice. -this will be occurring in an ongoing basis as I move through my field studies. Drawing upon what I’ve learned, deciding how useful it is, and continuously searching for new and exciting kinds of technology that I can introduce into my teaching practice and share with my students.


 * __Learning statement #2__ **


 * “I am learning that a student-centered wikispace site, can be used effectively for the purposes of peer editing in some students though not all” **

-how to set up a class wiki designed to be used by the students, that is user friendly and a technological tool that can be accessed by my students from home, which allows them the freedom to work at their own pace. (show wikipage)
 * 1. What I have been learning about: **

** - ** it is important to me because many of my students are not working as productively as they could be in the classroom, and affording them the opportunity to work from home where there are less peer-related distractions will hopefully be beneficial.
 * 2. Why is this learning important to me: **

** - ** I have been using a wiki as the framework for my LTT portfolio, and have become very aware about how wikis could be used as an educational tool for both me and my students.
 * 3. How did I learn it: **

-the main implication relates to a change that has occurred in my mindset about how useful wikis could be across all subjects. For example, having students use wikis as personal portfolios to document their progress over the school year in all subject areas.
 * 4. What are the implications of this learning for my teaching practice: **

-in the future, I would like to use wikis in different subject areas I will be teaching, in particular Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. -I will be able to check on student’s progress and have an instant visual reference that I can use for assessment purposes.
 * 5. How might I use or build on this learning in my future planning: **

** - ** the program capacities this learning will relate to are the following… I will be using, evaluating and integrating existing and emerging technologies into my teaching practice. –as I continue with my field studies, I will be taking note of what works most effectively in my classroom, and consider any adjustments that could be made to improve my teaching skills and the learning skills of my students. -the second capacity this learning relates to is accessing, evaluating, using and participating in new media interactions. Using wikis will allow me to give instant feedback to my students about their writing.
 * 6. Which program capacities does this learning relate to: **


 * __ Learning Statement #3 __**


 * Note- the ISTE Standards are integrated into this learning statement **


 * “I am learning that there exists in some students a kind of ‘Digital Intelligence’ that allows them to understand and use technology better than others” **

-during my field study on using wikipages with students for peer editing purposes, it became clear to me that some students seemed to have an easier time navigating around the wikipage -it appears to me as though certain students have strengths over others in area of using technology, particularly as an educational tool (show instructions page on wiki) -‘Digital Intelligence’ may be quantifiable somehow
 * 1. What I have been learning about: **

-this learning is important to me because it suggests that Prensky’s theory about ‘Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants’ may not be so black and white -using a technology like wikipages for peer editing may work for some students who possess ‘Digital Intelligence’ but it may have a negative impact on those students who struggle with technology -‘Digital Intelligence’ as I have come to understand it, is present in students who are strong academically overall -the students who struggled with using the wikipage for editing tended to be lower academically and possess global learning difficulties
 * 2. Why is this learning important to me: **

** - ** I learned that ‘Digital Intelligence’ may actually be present to a far greater degree in some children while observing students utilizing the wikipage for peer editing, and later in assessing their work (show student editing samples from wiki) -students who showed difficulty understanding how to use the wikipage for peer editing tended to also have difficulty comprehending simple instructions such as how to copy and paste within the wikipage, while others didn’t
 * 3. How did I learn it: **

-after assessing and analyzing that data from my field study I would spend more time teaching the principles of how to correctly use technology such as wikis, rather than assume every student arrives with the prerequisite knowledge of how to use technology -when assigning students to work in groups on a project, I would most likely attempt to place one or two students in each group who exhibit strength in the area of ‘Digital Intelligence’ so they could teach the other students who struggle with technology
 * 4. What are the implications of this learning for my teaching practice: **

-I will make a concerted effort to incorporate technology more into my future lesson planning by tapping into the ‘Digital Intelligence’ that exists in certain students as a way of providing educational enrichment -have students work cooperatively, using technology, in subject areas like Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies in an effort to enhance their learning and draw upon the strengths of those who are more adept at using technology as an educational tool
 * 5. How might I use or build on this learning in my future planning: **

** 6 ** . **Which ISTE Standard(s) does this learning relate to:** -the ISTE Standard that relates best to my learning statement is to ‘Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity’ -as a teacher I can promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness, particularly in those students who possess higher degrees of ‘Digital Intelligence’ -I can engage students in exploring and solving authentic problems in Math and Science using digital tools and resources -I can also model collaborative knowledge construction in my classroom by engaging in learning with my students, and perhaps increase my own level of ‘Digital Intelligence” so that I can pass what I’ve learned on to future students


 * __ Learning Statement #4 __**


 * “I am learning that there is a disconnect between how students in my class rated themselves in terms of being comfortable using technology (such as a wikipage) and their actual performance or desire to use technology properly in the way it was intended” **


 * “I am learning that there exists in some students a kind of ‘Digital Intelligence’ that allows them to understand and use technology better than others” **

** - ** I have learned after looking at data collected on my wikipage in which students were asked to write three chapter summaries and edit three other students’ work, many students did not make concerted efforts to follow basic criteria and instructions regarding how to do so  -very few students completed the peer-editing assignment as required (show student samples) -I found that the lack of understanding and effort on the part of many students to complete the wikipage peer-editing assignment was greater than if I had the students write out their assignments on paper and asked them to peer-edit (show overhead samples written editing)
 * 1. What I have been learning about: **

-this learning is important to me because it tells me I was wrong in assuming that students would find using technology to be easier and more comfortable than the data results showed -I was surprised to learn how difficult navigating around a wikipage actually was for several of my students or how uninterested many students appeared to be at completing the peer-editing assignment as outlined by an instructional page provided to them on the wiki
 * 2. Why is this learning important to me: **

-I learned the extent to which having students use technology such as a wiki as an educational tool was a futile endeavour after analyzing their peer-editing work posted on their individual wikipages (show student samples from wiki) -I also had my students respond to pre and post assignments surveys about using technology as an educational tool (show surveys from class site) -many students claimed they were average to above average at using technology, however, I believe they were referring to being more to comfortable at using technology outside of the educational setting, for things like social networking, playing computer games etc… -in their skills at using technology for educational purposes, I did not find to be very strong (i.e) many students struggle with the simplest tasks such as copying and pasting or how to properly save a word document
 * 3. How did I learn it: **

** - ** the implications of this learning and the data I’ve collected for my teaching practice are that previously I was excited about the prospect of integrating technology more into my teaching and utilizing technology as an educational tool -however, my assumption that almost all students have the proper requisite skills when using technology is not so apparent now -in fact, I may have to change my approach to teaching about technology rather that teaching with technology
 * 4. What are the implications of this learning for my teaching practice: **

-in the future I expect that when deciding to integrate technology into my planning I will have to consider allowing for more hands-on time in the computer lab where my students can experiment with different kinds of technology (i.e) using wikipages as a receptacle for novel studies in Language Arts for instance -I will have to plan on doing more front-end loading of technology information and even build in some play time in the computer lab so that students can learn at a pace they feel comfortable with -I will not plan a unit requiring students to work on the assignment from their home computers, after having analyzed the data from my peer-editing field study -I intended for students to post their work on my educational wikipage from home which as it turns out was not something I would do again but rather I would book computer lab time so I could observe their progress
 * 5. How might I use or build on this learning in my future planning: **

** 6 ** . **Which program capacities does this learning relate to:** a) engaging more in a critical cycle of action-reflection to understand and develop my teaching practice (show journal entries) b) using, evaluate, and integrate existing and emerging technologies into my teaching practice c) drawing on my own research data gathered during my field study to inform my use of technologies to support my teaching and learning
 * - ** the program capacities this learning relates to are