Comprehensive Reflection

What follows is my comprehensive reflection on what I have learned during my Technologies in the Classroom summer session course at NAU.

1. How my understandings of the standards changed based on my experiences:

• Designing Lessons
• Teaching Lessons
• Assessing Student (Peer) Artifacts

As I began to design my first micro lesson, my desire was to use a piece of technology that I use quite often and this useful on many levels.  While teaching the lesson I came to see that the technology I chose, Google Earth, while useful, may have drawbacks for young users. 

 

The technology itself lends itself to discovery and the more you use it, the easier it becomes to find things.  In the classroom, however, this particular technology would cause the need for introduction that would take quite a bit of time.  I discovered this while trying to teach my lesson to my classmates.  Granted, children may actually be more adept to learning how to use Google Earth with less time, but the fact that Google Earth is not a product specifically intended for use by children brings up safety issues that teachers must be aware of so he or she can design a lesson with the protection of their students in mind.

 

I found when designing my lesson plans I was not fully aware at all times of what the output from the students would be.  In the future, I will make a more conscious effort to determine what student artifacts will be.  I feel this may actually make the lesson design phase easier as it provides an endpoint or goal outside of the standards of the lesson.

2. What I learned about preparation and teaching from my peers

• Lessons
• Feedback

Peer feedback on my lessons was positive, but I think my peers were perhaps basing their opinions on the potential of the content of my presentations rather than on my actual ability to teach it.  I felt prepared and I knew exactly what I wanted my classmates to learn, but when I saw their lessons in action, I realized I could have been more prepared and should have taken into account how supporting tools like handouts could have enhanced the lesson and made it not only easier to learn, but easier to teach as well.

3. How my experiences might impact my future teaching experiences.

The experience I gained from this class will help me in the future to understand when to use technology and when to hold back.  I must remember that a lesson that incorporates technology does not mean the entire lesson must be done using technology.  Any technology that is used in the classroom must be integrated into a larger lesson and should not overshadow the lesson being taught.

Preparation is extremely important to the success of any lesson and through the process of creating lessons for this class, I have realized I have work to do in this area.  I must remember each lesson is for the purpose of an outcome; they are not used simply to have fun.  Students of every ability must be thought of which may require thinking through the lesson plan two or three times in order to properly address the needs of all students.

• Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
• Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
• Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
• Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

The four standards listed above were part of the focus during the course.  As I reflect on these standards and compare what I thought about them at the beginning of the semester as compared to what I think now, I still find I believe standard 1 is the most important and effective goal any teacher can have.  Learning should be an experience that creates a sense of wonder about the world.  Children should leave the classroom looking for things to ask questions about.  I hope that this feeling within me will never change and that I may impart to my students the love of learning that I have come to know.

 

As I mentioned in my answer to question number 3, technology must be incorporated into lessons in the modern-day classroom in order to utilize every option available to us to teach and learn.  In designing plans that have a technology component, I now see that it is not always possibly to think of a lesson plan without knowing which technology you have available.  Finding the technologies first and then building a lesson around them will make the process smoother.

 

I have always been a proponent of teachers modeling behavior no matter what the circumstance.  As we move into the digital age, teachers must understand that their use of technology in the classroom may be a child's first exposure to it.  How we interact with that technology may influence how children come to feel about working with it.  Technology that does not do that which we ask of it when we ask it can be extremely frustrating, yes.  But we have to remember that our students see and hear everything and their opinions of working with technology must be positive if we are to expect them to embrace tool which will help them compete for jobs later in life.

 

Lastly, digital citizenship and responsibility does not end at the end of our fingertips.  We must instill in our students the idea that there are responsibilities that come with using technology.  We cannot give them tools that allow them the ability to impact their life or the lives of other negatively without first teaching about the severity of that impact.  From cyber-bullying to posting "selfies" or pictures of others online without permission, children must be made to understand that when they engage people online, whether it be other students, educators, or their very own family members, they must understand they have entered a community much like the one in the classroom.  If the actions they display online would not be acceptable in the classroom, then behavior modifications must be made to reduce negative impact and increase positive.

 

 

Micro Lesson #2 - Assessment Examples

At the completion of this lesson students will have created a short story of at least 4 paragraps and a storyboard that includes the photographic images they have created. 

They will have seen an example of a completed storyboard that will be used to explain to them the parts of a storyboard and how a storyboard is used to convey the message of a story.  They will also be shown the Ticket Out assessment questions so they will understand what they should be learning throughout the process.

Micro Lesson #2 - Assessment of Learning

The students should have fun developing storyboards but they must understand the underlying lessons being taught.  To assess the success of this learning, I have created a ticket out questionnaire for the students to fill out after the unit is complete.  The first question will gauge the student's understanding of how art (in this case the storyboard) can express meaning or purpose.  The second question asks the students to identify the three crucial parts of a story.  Their answers should be "beginning, middle, and end."  This knowledge is essential in writing a story and they must come to understand that this lesson is about just that.  The last question asks the students to identify the 3 main components of a story board (frame, scene number, text).  This is part of the art lesson and speaks to the standard of communicating an idea. 

This lesson requires 5 30-minutes sessions to complete.  While presenting it to my class, I had trouble altering the lesson to take just 10-15 minutes to complete.  I was able to use examples I had created to show my classmates what my students would produce, but I feel this is a lesson that simply cannot be done in such a short amount of time. 

My classmates said I had done a good job, so I believe they understood what direction I was going with it and the lesson plan itself made sense and is easy to interpret.  At the same time, my classmates did not have the time to complete the lesson and therefore could not really judge my ability to teach it.

Micro Lesson #2 - Instructional Decisions/Teaching

While deciding on what I would like to plan my lesson, I searched the Internet for 4th grade lesson plans in the area of geography to get some ideas.  Geography is a subject that I love and hope to be able to instill in my students a sense of wonder of the world that I gained from study of geography.  As we worked on the lesson plans in class, a fellow cohort of mine mentioned that this would be my second lesson plan based on geography.  As I could choose any subject to base my lesson on, I decided to switch directions and choose another passion that does not get much time in the classroom, art. 

I quickly decided that I could incorporate technology by using photography as an art medium and then decided that having students make a storyboard using photography would not only touch on the visual arts standard, but would also have a writing component that would allow cross-curriculum  with an added writing standard.  From there it was fairly easy to build my lesson plan.

The process of designing a lesson plan for me really comes down to two things: what do I want to teach about? and how can I make it fun for my students?  I find as I plan that if I am not enjoying writing a lesson plan, there is no way a student is going to enjoy the lesson itself.  As I wrote this plan, I made a conscious effort to hide the lesson within the fun of it.  Building a storyboard would involve writing a short story, planning on the shots to be used for the storyboard, taking the pictures, and building the storyboard.  That's what the students would see the lesson as.  But to educators the students are having a writing unit, an art unit, and a technology unit all in one.  And with time constraints in the classroom, I have learned this may be the only way to introduce topics not in the Common Core.        

Once I decided what subject I wanted to build my lesson on, I searched the Arizona State Standards for those which could be used in such a lesson.  I found standards for visual arts, writing, and technology and set about integrating steps and processes that would satisfy those standards.  The technology standard would be easy.  Students would use any technology that could take a picture, computers, and printers.  They also had the option of using photo editing software if they so chose.

The writing objective required a minimum of 2 written paragraphs.  I decided to use the 6+1 writing traits rubric for an assessment, so the writing objectives for the students would follow those requirements.  The visual arts standard required students to create images that express an idea.  This can be a very abstract concept for children so I wanted to use a storyboard so they would understand what that meant and would come to understand that art is not defined as simply a picture hanging on a wall.  Further, they would see how art can be used to communicate ideas.

Modifications for individual needs really comes down to assessment of work.  Students will have to be assessed based on their ability.  All other modifications come in the art process which, in my mind, should not be judged on any scale.  The students will be allowed to work together, therefore, students with special needs can get help from their group mates with ideas for pictures to take.  They will be required to write a story, not matter how simple and make their own storyboard.  One modification for special needs students is they will not have to use the storyboard template but may print one picture per page and use the rest of the page to write their text.  This method will allow the omission of resizing pictures and more room for larger writing. 

The other modification, which can be used for advanced students is the use of photo editing software to alter the pictures they take in whatever manner they choose.  Advanced students who are super motivated may also decide to shoot a video of the storyboard they have created to be presented to the class at the end of the unit.  Again, it is essentially an art project and students should be allowed to determine what their art will look like. 

Micro Lesson #1 - Plans Instruction

As I taught my lesson plan to the students in my cohort this evening, I felt that the use of technology may have seemed like the objective, but I think as I tried to build a lesson for 4th graders that integrated technology it was not enough to simply show them videos on YouTube or have them play interactive games. 

The goal was the synthesis of information on one topic (endangered species) from multiple sources.  I feel this objective cannot be stressed enough at any age because the ability to do so will become more and more important as students move their way through school.

The outcome of this lesson is that each student will be able to present their work and speak about information gathered from two technical sources about one topic.  This objective is in line with Arizona state standards for K-5, Strand 3, Research and Information Literacy. 

Micro Lesson #1 - Designing Instruction

Please visit  https://w.taskstream.com/Lesson/View/16C20B7985F7406F3AB808F1E5DD1BE2 to view the lesson plan for this topic.

This lesson should be used toward the end of the school year after students have had experience using Microsoft Word and Google Earth for other projects.  The lesson is to be divided into three parts: creation of a chart in Microsoft Word, research on Google Earth, and synthesis of information and creation of the project artifact.  

Students will be encouraged to work together during all three stages in order to complete this topic.  Students who need extra help will be teamed with students who are more proficient with the tools and will receive extra help from their teacher.  Since the goal of the project is to produce an artifact that may be presented to the class, struggling students may use a Word template provided by the teacher, or, if needed, may make a chart using crafts.  This will allow those students to expend more energy on the research and synthesis of information rather than making the technology their learning focus.  For the more advanced learners, the project allows the students to utilize many different sources to gather information and they are also open to further web searches.

Integration of technology in the classroom allows for another level of learning to be integrated into the teaching process.  By children using technology during instruction, they learn to use tools that will help them in other areas as they move through school.  

For the purposes of this lesson, the digital information and technology used is legal and ethical without question.  For the use of Google Earth, however, teacher must be reminded that guidance should be used to target specific information as there are images on Google Earth that may not be suitable for young eyes.   

This lesson does not require any interactions online so digital etiquette and responsible social interactions are not necessary.   

While all students will have access to the tools needed to complete the task, some may not have the ability to use them to greatest effect, and it must be remembered that the artifact the student creates is not the point of the lesson. The standard states students will integrate information from two sources into one report either written or spoken.  If a child can draw pictures of the information they have learned and then explain it to you verbally, that satisfies the terms of the standard.  

The use of Google Earth will allow students to choose subjects from anywhere on the planet.  Through this lesson, students will learn a little bit about other parts of the world and be made aware of the ability to learn about things that are not in their own backyard.

Micro Lesson #1 - Planning Assessment

The objective of this lesson is for students to be able to gather information about one topic, in this case endangered species, and be able to write or speak about the topic effectively.  This will require that students synthesize information from multiple sources and produce one artifact that highlights the information they have taken in.  Their artifact must be presented in a manner that is organized in such a way that those looking at it will understand the concept without instruction.

For my lesson, students are required to find information about two different endangered species and compare and contrast the two.  This information is not written as a checklist, therefore connections between two subjects may have to be inferred.  While information for one subject may specifically state it takes a long time to reproduce, information for the other may state it takes 20 years to reach maturity.  It is up to the students to deduce that these two statements essentially boil down to the same thing.

This lesson is somewhat adaptable, however as I moved through developing it I found it difficult to come up with ways to complete the task that would utilize technology for every student.  Some students may simply be incapable of generating the artifact through 100% technological means.  For some, using crafts to create a chart rather than Microsoft Word, may be required.  To the other extreme, the layers are endless as to how many other pieces of information can be added to challenge more advanced learners.  

Micro Lesson #1 - Assessing Prior Knowledge

Prior experience with the technologies used in this lesson are paramount for successful completion of the project.  As this assignment would be given toward the end of the school year, I would ensure students understood basic use of the tools to be used by assessing through rubrics past artifacts for effective use of the tools.  This assignment would bring together many pieces that had been used for different projects throughout the year to complete one assignment utilizing many tools.  

By looking at past work, I could easily see who has knowledge of the tools to be used to complete the task.  As this project is technology heavy, students will need to have basic knowledge of the tools of Microsoft Word to be able to create their artifact.  Students who do not have the skills necessary (if we cannot bring them up to speed) may be able to create an artifact using craft supplies.

Having information about your students' prior knowledge allows you to build your lesson plan more effectively.  By taking into consideration what your students already know, you can avoid teaching information that is already known, and can include information that you may not have thought needed to be taught.

Meeting Diverse Needs of Learners Through Learner-Centered Strategies and Equitable Access

As the general education classroom becomes more recognized as the correct place for all learners, teachers face the task of reaching every student by using methods and strategies that address individual needs and achievement level within a single classroom. 

To include a sight impaired child in the general education is not enough if that child's needs are not met with altered lessons and making use of technologies to enlarge and/or enhance written text.

Diverse achievement level within a class is another major obstacle that teachers must overcome in order to reach all students equally.  Making use of technologies in the classroom can allow students to work at individual levels allowing teachers to assign different work to different students at the same time. 

In an all-inclusive classroom, the teacher must constantly be aware of the needs of all their students in order to reach everyone and provide all with an equitable education.

Global Awareness and Digital Age Communication

Throughout history, new inventions have continued to make the world a much small place.  Written word allowed for the spread of information; the ship, locomotive, automobile, and airplane each cut travel time significantly allowing greater and greater distances to be traversed in less and less time.

With the invention of the Internet comes information at our fingertips.  Virtually any subject you wish to study can be found online with just a little bit of computer savvy.  With this ability comes the opportunity to learn about lands we may not have ever heard of before.  We can look at the stories of the people who inhabit these lands and make a human connection with their plight.  We can begin to see the interconnection between countries be it economic, humanitarian, or environmental.  We come to understand that what happens in one region may affect many more.

Possibly the best use that has come from the invention of the internet is the opportunity to become a globally aware citizens who use the information found to make an impact on the world and strive to make the world a better place for all to share.

Through digital age communication we can speed information we have found to friends and family all over the world to spread the need for support for a certain region.  We may choose to e-mail our Congressional representatives in hopes they will pick up the fight and work to make positive change.  People living in the middle of turmoil have used their cell phones to spread news from ground zero via Twitter and Facebook making traditional news outlets seem a thing of the past.

Yes, digital age communication means that an uncle you haven't seen since you were 10 may now be able to tell you why the opinions you post on Facebook are exactly what is tearing the country apart, but that is a small price to pay when you consider the freedom of information that is available to so many who would otherwise never be heard.

Digital etiquette and responsible social interactions

Often when we read online messages or e-mails from other parties, we inject our own emotions giving the message a meaning that did not originate with the author.

Digital etiquette dictates the use of all caps writing when we want to indicate we are angry as a means of "yelling."  We have come to assume this is the case and read all caps as yelling.  Social interactions online are most often communicated through text so we do not have the benefit of reading body language or facial expressions, and we do not hear inflection in the words written.  Reading inflection into the writing of others can start fights or perpetuate them. 

In the age of cyber-bullying, a comment meant to be a joke may turn someone into a target.  It is incredibly important that children understand the power of words and the effect bullying can have even in cyberspace. 

Parents should be accessing their children's social media outlets to ensure their children are neither bullying nor being bullied by others.  

Safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology

   
Welcome to my blog about technology in the classroom.  Here I will post assignments from my Northern Arizona University class during the summer of 2013.

The first blog assignment is, as listed above, safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology.

Any use of technology in the classroom must be considered with the safety of the students who will be using it.  If the internet is available to them, they must understand the implications of sharing information and images.

As we move into the age of "temporary" social media such as Snapchat, students must be made aware of the fact that anything they post online or sent via their cell phone is traceable, even if the creators of such software claim it isn't.

As teachers, we must understand there is an ethical boundary that must be maintained.  Pictures of students in classrooms should never be taken, and certainly never shared online, without prior permission from parents.  Likewise, a child's work is not the property of the teacher or even the school.  If the child wishes to post something they created online, they should be the one to post it with the consent and help of their parent.  A teacher, no matter how proud, should never make the unilateral decision of posting intellectual property online.

The laws surrounding internet privacy are also changing and access to previously "private" images and/or conversations could become a thing of the past.

As we move toward a more comprehensive digital age, children need to be educated to protect themselves from online predators as well as safeguarding their own intellectual property.