GoNoodle

I recently began reading and contributing to GoNoodle.com's blog page and came across an article titled 200+ GoNoodle Lesson Hooks.  For those that are not familiar with GoNoodle, this is an interactive site that delivers "brain breaks" for students.  The site features lots of free to use content and some paid content, and gives teachers and students a tool to wake up, help with focus, or relax; whatever their current need. 

The article discusses how the engaging brain breaks can be used not only to keep students engaged, but also to introduce lessons.  I have noticed while using GoNoodle such activities as "Body Spell" and other academically-based videos.  The author of the post breaks down these videos into categories so that one can see which video would work best for what lesson, whether it be an introduction to the water cycle, or a review for a spelling test.  On the website, it is hard to know what specific video would work well with the current lesson, and I like how this post eliminates guesswork.  I will definitely use this post as a tool for choosing my brain breaks!

http://blog.gonoodle.com/2017/10/200-gonoodle-lesson-hooks/

Cognitive Learning Theory

Chapter four of our readings discusses the cognitive school of thought, which consists of two important ideas that help us "understand how people learn and remember: information processing and meaningful learning" (p. 86).  Cognitivists try to understand how learning happens and how information goes from short term memory to long term memory.   So how does the cognitivist theory relate to technology integration?  

  I enjoyed reading about how to get learners to pay attention and focus on content.  In my classroom, while we complete quite a bit of group work, I do have a direct teach piece where students are asked to listen and follow along.  I am constantly finding ways to engage my students throughout the day to avoid them "checking out".  

According to Coombs & Bhattacharya (2017), "A smart learning environment is dynamic, active and adaptive to the learners needs whilst relative to the process of achieving the desired learning outcomes associated with an overt curriculum task" (p. 308).  I try to provide my students with a learning environment that is ever changing, never boring, but also highly structured. I utilize a powerpoint during my lesson and alternate between it and projecting my information using a document camera.  I believe this combination of technology helps keep my information from becoming static and risking "check-out" from my students.  I also make sure to have students discuss critical thinking questions to break up the lesson as well. 

One way that I break up the school day is through Brain Breaks using the website GoNoodle.  Averaging about 2-3 minutes in length, I have the students stand up, participate with the short video, and then sit back down to continue working.  I believe this helps them regain their focus so that they can continue to learn.   

I also make sure to schedule activities that require much mental effort in the morning.  When students first come to me they have math and language arts. After lunch comes intervention then social studies and science.  This schedule tends to work out well since my students' favorite subject is science.  I am sure to integrate technology such as my Mimio to give my students a different, novel approach to learning.  

The text also mentions "To forestall forgetting new information, we must manipulate it or, as cognitive scientists say, engage in active 'rehearsals' with it" and "reviewing information fixes it more firmly" (p. 89).  I have students complete time math fluency sheets daily to improve their math facts.  I also have students participate in Reflex Math, a drill and practice program for learning mathfacts and improving fluency.  According to Coombs & Bhattacharya (2017), "digital tools that assist such higher-order internalized critical thinking and learning can also be described as a learning and knowledge technology, or, learning technologies that assist in the production of new knowledge" (p. 306).  The program is solving and has students engaging in problem solving as they navigate through different games.  By exposing students to this information daily, information is more likely to enter their short term memory and hopefully go into long term memory.  

References

Coombs, S. & Bhattacharya, M. (2017). Smart Learning requires Smart Thinking: The 

Evolution of Sustainable Learning Environments. In J. Dron & S. Mishra (Eds.), Proceedings of E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (pp. 303-313). Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved November 8, 2017 from https://www-learntechlib-org.ruby.uhv.edu/p/181201/.

Venti and Refill

The chapter “Venti” in the Socially Networked Classroom covers the use of social media in the classrooms, as well as touching upon hybrid classrooms being used in a progressive-thinking high school.  I have heard of the “flipped classroom” concept, where students learn and view a lecture from home and come to school to participate in a “workshop” style setting where the teacher is there for support but is not lecturing. 

What really resonated with me in this chapter was the creative process teachers were taking when it came to project based learning.  A teacher named Liz believed “strongly in the use of role playing” and had students using “blogs and wikis” which allowed for a “multimodal platform for that kind of roleplaying” (p. 101). Being in a public fifth grade classroom, it is hard to keep students’ attention and keep them engaged in learning.  At this moment I am doing a lot more direct teach than I would like (I have a particularly unfocused and low performing group), but I would eventually like to switch to project-based learning where students are taking charge and I am simply a guide for their learning.  I am thinking about slowly introducing this kind of learning in the form of “stations” into my science and social studies lessons, where I will have some of my students at their seat working while the rest are on Kindles and computers completing a virtual activity.  This chapter really got me thinking about how I need to begin rethinking my classroom instruction. 

The chapter “Refill” is the concluding chapter in the Socially Networked Classroom. I have really enjoyed this book with its practicality and readability.  The chapter concludes with a thought about Web 2.0 and its implications in the classroom.  It speaks of how there is a concern that technology integration can be “too much fun” and take away from the educational aspect of learning (p. 118).  However, technology integration can simply be recording students’ poetry instead of having them write it, having learning and technology mesh together in a natural way.

One big takeaway from the chapter was the issue of time – is there enough time in our day to implement and integrate new media into our classroom schedule?  The chapter speaks of questions educators ask about technology integration, such as the time it takes to teach tutorials and make sure the students know how to use the tools.  It suggests, instead, that teachers spend less time teaching students the tools and give the students chances to give each other tutorials. The chapter closes with a pondering about whether some teachers are ready to adapt new literacies into their curriculum, or if they prefer to fall back on the “filing cabinets” taking up space in their room.  Comfort is not always a good thing, and the text teaches how important it is to take risks, to step out of our comfort zones, and to make learning an exploration for both students and teachers alike.