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4th Grade Bloggers! Julie Meyer-Houston Home Learn More Inspiration About the Author |
About the Author
"Everyone Does Better When Everyone Does Better" is my worldview motto, and it has been shared with my students since 2003 when I first became a public school substitute teacher and has continued to be shared with every colleague, parent, and cohort of 4th-graders since 2005 when Canyon Oaks Elementary School opened. That motto encompasses the moral imperative for all interactions (personal and professional) to be based on helping each other maximize their potential, like another important aphorism, "A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats."
The modalities of Inquiry-based Learning vis-a-vis Project-based Learning and Explicit Direction Instruction are utilized in our classroom so students can meet their goals of becoming self-directed, self-motivated learners, and peer-tutors equipped with the 21st century skills of collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication, character, citizenship (locally and globally), and agency for college and career readiness. I encourage our students to see every moment as an opportunity to learn, so they, too, can be lifelong learners!
My success with students centers around teaching them to LEARN to LOVE to LEARN and building these essential mindsets for growth:
1) Persevere; see mistakes as opportunities for discovery
2) Learn to know what to do; anticipate unknowns and recognize patterns
3) Concentrate; develop focus
4) Know when to take a break (e.g. move/rest for re-energizing)
5) Practice deliberately
6) Reflect on what works and needs revision
7) Celebrate successes
8) Appreciate everyone and everything around us!
Serving ALL students through the spectrum of varying needs is my joy. In addition to being a general education multi-subject educator, I am the site lead for supporting our ALPS-identified students (advanced learners); and, I am the intervention teacher for 4th-grade students who need targeted intensive reading support through the System 44 and Read 180 curricula. Also, because I was born into a home where multiple Pilipino dialects were spoken, I was a former English language learner (ELL), which is a motivating factor for my passion to meet the needs of my ELL students. Hence, these are the reasons for my TPACK-based project design to meet the needs of ELL (and ALL) students.
In addition to being an enthusiastic 4th-grade teacher, my responsibilities include serving on our site Leadership Team as the Grade Level Lead; Super Saturday Academy Site Administrator & Lead; Safety Patrol Coordinator; GATE/ALPS Lead and Project Zone Manager; and, PLC member of the Superintendent Staff Advisory Committee and on the Fullan System-wide Transformational Leadership team. I have a Tier 1 Administrative Services Credential, and I was named Teacher of the Year by the Napa Valley Education Foundation in 2012. During the time that I have been in this Innovative Learning Program, our site received an award for Best Napa Valley Unified School District Super Saturday Academy Team and Attendance at the elementary school level from Ed Link and AARC (Academic Attendance Recovery Coordinated Program).
The modalities of Inquiry-based Learning vis-a-vis Project-based Learning and Explicit Direction Instruction are utilized in our classroom so students can meet their goals of becoming self-directed, self-motivated learners, and peer-tutors equipped with the 21st century skills of collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication, character, citizenship (locally and globally), and agency for college and career readiness. I encourage our students to see every moment as an opportunity to learn, so they, too, can be lifelong learners!
My success with students centers around teaching them to LEARN to LOVE to LEARN and building these essential mindsets for growth:
1) Persevere; see mistakes as opportunities for discovery
2) Learn to know what to do; anticipate unknowns and recognize patterns
3) Concentrate; develop focus
4) Know when to take a break (e.g. move/rest for re-energizing)
5) Practice deliberately
6) Reflect on what works and needs revision
7) Celebrate successes
8) Appreciate everyone and everything around us!
Serving ALL students through the spectrum of varying needs is my joy. In addition to being a general education multi-subject educator, I am the site lead for supporting our ALPS-identified students (advanced learners); and, I am the intervention teacher for 4th-grade students who need targeted intensive reading support through the System 44 and Read 180 curricula. Also, because I was born into a home where multiple Pilipino dialects were spoken, I was a former English language learner (ELL), which is a motivating factor for my passion to meet the needs of my ELL students. Hence, these are the reasons for my TPACK-based project design to meet the needs of ELL (and ALL) students.
In addition to being an enthusiastic 4th-grade teacher, my responsibilities include serving on our site Leadership Team as the Grade Level Lead; Super Saturday Academy Site Administrator & Lead; Safety Patrol Coordinator; GATE/ALPS Lead and Project Zone Manager; and, PLC member of the Superintendent Staff Advisory Committee and on the Fullan System-wide Transformational Leadership team. I have a Tier 1 Administrative Services Credential, and I was named Teacher of the Year by the Napa Valley Education Foundation in 2012. During the time that I have been in this Innovative Learning Program, our site received an award for Best Napa Valley Unified School District Super Saturday Academy Team and Attendance at the elementary school level from Ed Link and AARC (Academic Attendance Recovery Coordinated Program).
Reflections on My TPACK Journey
At the beginning of this program, when I first heard the TPACK acronym, saw the diagram at the left, and read about it as a homework assignment, then discussed in class the notion about TPACK, I really could not wrap my head around it. Perhaps, I was too distracted by all the other ideas and content that we were also learning, so I could not glean the importance of TPACK. Our EDUC 791 instructor understood our mass confusion and lovingly addressed our angst as the "wicked TPACK." I was thankful she understood our pain at that time. In general, most of us in class were struggling with it.
So, because this class was taught in the flipped-learning format (direct instruction moves from the group space to the indivdual space), I started to do more investigating into the concept of TPACK with the hope of getting an iota of understanding. I went to the TPACK.org website; I watched some videos on YouTube; and, I read more articles about it.
My process of understanding included the need to make sense of how it connected to me directly as an educator. What made it different from what I was already doing? I was using technology in my classroom. So, I found these infographics and images to try to help me understand:
So, because this class was taught in the flipped-learning format (direct instruction moves from the group space to the indivdual space), I started to do more investigating into the concept of TPACK with the hope of getting an iota of understanding. I went to the TPACK.org website; I watched some videos on YouTube; and, I read more articles about it.
My process of understanding included the need to make sense of how it connected to me directly as an educator. What made it different from what I was already doing? I was using technology in my classroom. So, I found these infographics and images to try to help me understand:
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First, I started by looking at the ADDIE instructional design model below and said to myself, "Okay, this looks like what I do, so how does it connect with TPACK? Because I was still unclear, I used the next image to the right that was familiar to me because I used it when I was learning to become a teacher in the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program. These first and second graphics images were part of the steps in my process of trying to make sense of this new idea--for me--of TPACK.
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Next, I reflected on the graphic image shown below, which I used as a mentor support provider for other new teachers, to help me understand TPACK.
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Then, I found the graphic image shown below that made more sense to me because it appeared to connect the concept of the continuous teaching cycle, which was familiar to me, with the concept of TPACK, which was unfamiliar to me. With those two concepts melded together in visual form, this specific graphic image helped me organize my understanding of TPACK.
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With the help of the above three graphic images, I was able to understand that TPACK was indeed important for 21st-Century teaching and learning because it caused me to analyze whether or not the use of technology in my classroom was being strategically used to take advantage of the technologies that would connect them/us/me to information and people outside of our classroom--locally and globally--to maximize student learning. With these models, especially the last one, I recognized I was using technology at the lowest level of the SAMR model shown below.
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Prior to my being a graduate student in this Touro University-California Innovative Learning Masters Program, I was having students use technology at the "Substitution" level of "Enhancement" in the SAMR model. For example, instead of paper and pencil writing, students were instructed to use technology to create Google Docs for writing assignments. I also taught students how to use other edtech apps/websites for additional Math practice such as learning basic Math facts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Additionallly, I was using technology to differentiate instruction by allowing them to preview, learn, practice, and review at their own paces. As important as these assignments and tasks were, this use of educational technology was still only at the SAMR "Augmentation" level of "Enhancement."
During this program, with the TPACK diagram in mind and at hand, I learned how to create a lesson that was TPACK-based and at the higher "Transformational" level of the SAMR model. |
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What helped me get to the point of being able to craft a TPACK-based lesson plan was the use of a TPACK-based Lesson Plan Template I discovered online, which you can click on, at www.cmslearns.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/TPACK-Lesson-Plan-Template-1.pdf. This graphic organizer helped me list to see definitively what and how technology was going to be used by the student and used by the teacher. It felt great knowing I was helping my students integrate technology in a meaningful and fulfilling manner in which they felt empowered.
As the point that this reflection has been written, I can confidently state that I want to continue using that TPACK-based lesson plan as much as I can; and, that I will share it with my colleagues so they can also learn how to move their students into a modernized learning environment, a true 21st-century classroom where innovative teaching and learning can happen.
However, I must note, TPACK lesson design requires that it is used in context because there are factors such as the six shown in the graphic image above that influence TPACK lesson planning and implementation. Those factors include
(1) Teacher Training - Does the teacher know how to plan and implement TPACK in terms of technology, pedagogy, and/or content?
(2) Experiences - This could pertain to positive, negative, neutral experiences with technology, pedagogy, and/or content.
(3) Students - What is their SITE (Sociocultural, Informational, Technological, and Educational background/proficiencies)?
(4) Resources - This one is pretty obvious: Are there enough devices and access to the Internet and/or relevant apps that students can use?
(5) Objectives/Aims - What are they in terms of technology, pedagogy, and/or content?
(6) Attitude - How do the teacher, students, administration, and/or parents feel about the use of technology, pedagogical strategy, and/or content?
All of these factors must be taken into account when deciding about lesson planning. The intention of the overlapping circles in the diagram is to point out that the goal is the center area (the "sweet spot") of planning where teaching and learning is based on all three knowledges (Technological Knowledge, Pedagogical Knowledge, And Content Knowledge). However, at every moment in time, educators are actually involved in a complex "dance," deciding what is best for students, given the content and context to teach. There might be times when you do want to be using only pedagogy and content, and sometimes only technology and pedagogy. Just keep dancing!
As the point that this reflection has been written, I can confidently state that I want to continue using that TPACK-based lesson plan as much as I can; and, that I will share it with my colleagues so they can also learn how to move their students into a modernized learning environment, a true 21st-century classroom where innovative teaching and learning can happen.
However, I must note, TPACK lesson design requires that it is used in context because there are factors such as the six shown in the graphic image above that influence TPACK lesson planning and implementation. Those factors include
(1) Teacher Training - Does the teacher know how to plan and implement TPACK in terms of technology, pedagogy, and/or content?
(2) Experiences - This could pertain to positive, negative, neutral experiences with technology, pedagogy, and/or content.
(3) Students - What is their SITE (Sociocultural, Informational, Technological, and Educational background/proficiencies)?
(4) Resources - This one is pretty obvious: Are there enough devices and access to the Internet and/or relevant apps that students can use?
(5) Objectives/Aims - What are they in terms of technology, pedagogy, and/or content?
(6) Attitude - How do the teacher, students, administration, and/or parents feel about the use of technology, pedagogical strategy, and/or content?
All of these factors must be taken into account when deciding about lesson planning. The intention of the overlapping circles in the diagram is to point out that the goal is the center area (the "sweet spot") of planning where teaching and learning is based on all three knowledges (Technological Knowledge, Pedagogical Knowledge, And Content Knowledge). However, at every moment in time, educators are actually involved in a complex "dance," deciding what is best for students, given the content and context to teach. There might be times when you do want to be using only pedagogy and content, and sometimes only technology and pedagogy. Just keep dancing!
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In closing this reflection of my TPACK journey, I included the word cloud to the left to show in a whimsical way the various parts of TPACK and SAMR and how they are connected when applying the use of technology in planning, implementing, analyzing, assessing, and designing instruction.
To me, the hidden meaning of the graphic image's whimsical presentation is that anyone who uses the TPACK and SAMR models for instructional planning should do so with joy in their heart; and, the learning experience should be fun for students in order that they will be motivated and engaged to learn! |
Lasting Learning from the Innovative Learning program
For me, lasting learnings are values and insights I have internalized and will take with me to the grave. This Masters program transformed me, especially in deepening my understanding of edtech tools and apps. Because of this phenomenally life-changing Innovative Learning Program, I have grown immensely as an educator -- not only professionally on behalf of my students and colleagues -- but also, and more importantly, personally in my internal and external responses. Here are a few highlights of those lasting learnings.
1. To maximize communication with others, begin with understanding their SITE (Sociocultural, Informational, Technical, and Educational background). More than likely, it will be different from yours. It is important to consider first the learners'/other’s background, interests, goals, challenges, opportunities, and accessibilities in context when designing instruction. While we are all different in many ways, the most crucial aspect of learning must be that the information is relevant to each of us within the context or situation of learning. Note: this approach can also be applied in conversation with family members and/or friends when talking about how/what to cook, how to explain which tech app/tool would be best to complete a homework assignment, how to rearrange the furniture, how to clean out the garage/what to keep or dispose, etc.
2. To "learn-by-doing" is a wonderful way to challenge oneself beyond one's comfort zone. It is wonderful mindset that is growth-oriented and that builds capacity in perseverance and confidence. Teachers and students need to do this together to learn from each other's strengths, which validates each person's contributions of ideas and efforts. Adopt this concept, always. Think back to the time when someone was being taught how to tie one's shoelaces. It was better to do it, than to hear someone just tell how it needed to be done. This Innovative Learning Masters Program was all about "learn-by-doing" -- It was a 21st-century learning experience about how to use technology to support and sustain student learning; we all had to learn how to use/try different ed tech apps and tools!
3. Technology is a tool; use it in context of need. Tools and apps can malfunction. Sometimes, having a face-to-face, “live audio,” or recorded video communication is better than emails or text to experience the nuance of emotions, facial expressions, and body language that can make the difference in mal-interpretation or misinterpretation of a meaning. In other words, the message one received may not have been the one intended because of the technology tool being used--especially when there is an interruption in service. For example, I sent a quick response text message to Jane with only a thumbs-up symbol to convey that I understood her message to me. However, she received a question mark instead of the thumbs-up, which she thought meant that I did not understand her. So, additional text messages were written as a follow-up to be certain we really understood what the other wanted to convey. The shortcut usage of tech in our case turned out to be an obstruction to our clear understanding.
1. To maximize communication with others, begin with understanding their SITE (Sociocultural, Informational, Technical, and Educational background). More than likely, it will be different from yours. It is important to consider first the learners'/other’s background, interests, goals, challenges, opportunities, and accessibilities in context when designing instruction. While we are all different in many ways, the most crucial aspect of learning must be that the information is relevant to each of us within the context or situation of learning. Note: this approach can also be applied in conversation with family members and/or friends when talking about how/what to cook, how to explain which tech app/tool would be best to complete a homework assignment, how to rearrange the furniture, how to clean out the garage/what to keep or dispose, etc.
2. To "learn-by-doing" is a wonderful way to challenge oneself beyond one's comfort zone. It is wonderful mindset that is growth-oriented and that builds capacity in perseverance and confidence. Teachers and students need to do this together to learn from each other's strengths, which validates each person's contributions of ideas and efforts. Adopt this concept, always. Think back to the time when someone was being taught how to tie one's shoelaces. It was better to do it, than to hear someone just tell how it needed to be done. This Innovative Learning Masters Program was all about "learn-by-doing" -- It was a 21st-century learning experience about how to use technology to support and sustain student learning; we all had to learn how to use/try different ed tech apps and tools!
3. Technology is a tool; use it in context of need. Tools and apps can malfunction. Sometimes, having a face-to-face, “live audio,” or recorded video communication is better than emails or text to experience the nuance of emotions, facial expressions, and body language that can make the difference in mal-interpretation or misinterpretation of a meaning. In other words, the message one received may not have been the one intended because of the technology tool being used--especially when there is an interruption in service. For example, I sent a quick response text message to Jane with only a thumbs-up symbol to convey that I understood her message to me. However, she received a question mark instead of the thumbs-up, which she thought meant that I did not understand her. So, additional text messages were written as a follow-up to be certain we really understood what the other wanted to convey. The shortcut usage of tech in our case turned out to be an obstruction to our clear understanding.
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4. Flipped-learning! I’m going to do it with dance instruction and will use it for other subjects, too. This entire Masters program was based on the flipped-learning approach; and, it worked well!
5. Inquiry-based learning, which is the umbrella for Problem-based Learning (PrBL) and Project-based Learning (PBL), is THE way to facilitate optimal student agency for their learning. To make certain it is motivated and engaged student-centered learning, have students pursue their own driving questions. 6. Use Visuals! Screencasts and screenshots are my new best friends, that is, my go-to edtech tools. Use them for audio/visual communication, so students, parents, and colleagues can hear and see what you are referencing while you explain the “thing” or “way.” Because most people are visual learners, it is important to use technology to create the visual aids to help everyone make sense of concepts. Further, by providing examples of what a learning expectation could or might look like and/or sound like, then those examples can give young learners a starting point to activate their own creativity. Using the shoelace moment again, think back to the time when someone was being taught how to tie one's shoelaces. It was better to do it, than to hear someone just tell how it needed to be done. And better than just hearing how it is done, is to see how it is done. Then, when it has been demonstrated and done, then one can get creative about tying one's shoelaces in other fancy ways. |
7. I know how to create pages on a website now. I now have my own blog website that will house my reflections and responses for as long as storage of that website exists (Wow, possible perpetude--how great!). Through that weebly.com website and this LearningInnovationLab.com website, anyone with access to the Internet will be able to access my thoughts and words.
8. All organizations should explicity include the use of technology in context for effective growth in their mission, vision, and values statements.
9. If someone wants to experience the concept of love operationalized into an educational system (check out these Mission, Vision and Value Statements), then he/sher should attend Touro University-California for an exciting educational experience and tell everyone about it, so they, too, can be transformed!
10. Dr. Pamela Redmond, the sage and shero!!! What a visionary! What a leader! What an educator! What a heart! Get to know her!
8. All organizations should explicity include the use of technology in context for effective growth in their mission, vision, and values statements.
9. If someone wants to experience the concept of love operationalized into an educational system (check out these Mission, Vision and Value Statements), then he/sher should attend Touro University-California for an exciting educational experience and tell everyone about it, so they, too, can be transformed!
10. Dr. Pamela Redmond, the sage and shero!!! What a visionary! What a leader! What an educator! What a heart! Get to know her!
At what level are you?
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Click on the icons below to learn more about my transformative and innovative education technology journey
Click here to connect to my Masters Website at http://www.learninginnovationlab.com/meyer-houston-home.html
Click here to link to my blog at http://letsinnovatetogether.weebly.com/
We can also connect through the social media links below! |