Tier 1 Artifacts (roll over paragraphs for links)
My Tier 1 Artifact is a Prezi created in PDE3144 after interviewing a few colleagues. I also added three Journals I wrote during the process of this first class on Blended/Online Learning. The assignment was to interview 3-4 staff members to discover what models of Blended Learning are being used on our campus and other campuses. The questions I asked the three educators I interviewed were: Are you familiar with Blended Learning? Are the models being implemented at our school? Would you like to use a Blended Learning model?What would your classroom look like? Would students be more engaged? What would prohibit you from having a Blended Learning classroom? My volunteers' responses were very telling.
Reflection: When reviewing my artifacts, I discovered that I needed to revisit some of these pieces. I sent my Letter to My Supervisor to my current principal and asked her to reply. Her response was positive and supportive. After going back to the colleagues I interviewed and sharing with them my experiences, I found that they were all more interested in using some of the online resources I have been using. Although it was a struggle for some of them, they are happy with the outcomes they had with increased student engagement as well as building their own confidence with integrating technology into their classes. My opinion and experience with online and blended education have changed dramatically since I took this first class. I now see the complexity of planning and designing units of study for my students and the importance of finding ways to differentiate learning for my lower and higher students. There are more and more resources available for teachers. I am currently reviewing and evaluating Soft Caulk lessons created by colleagues for ELA6 students. I am looking forward to using these lessons for students as soon as they come available. Blended Learning education is very relevant and essential for today's student. The world we live in is one of instant answers and therefore students do not have the patience to do things the way we did them. This was very evident when I stopped using dictionaries in my room and allowed students to use their own personal devices to revise and edit their writing. The student benefits are increased engagement, control over the pace in which they work, and relevance to their lives.
Tier 2 Artifacts
My Tier 2 Artifact is a Canvas module I created in PDE 3155 Designing for the Online/Blended Environment. Unfortunately, I was not able to use this module with my class this year because of the continued inability to connect our students to Canvas. I did use elements of this module, such as the Google Slides and Quizlet for vocabulary and the clip from Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, but putting this module to use will have to wait until next year, which is actually beneficial since I would like to revise it for better flow for the students. I am pleased with the way students will be able to work at their own pace and I will be able to monitor their progress both through Google Docs and Canvas. Because of this student-driven instruction, I will be able to work with the students who struggle with truly understanding the nuances of the writing in this text and misunderstandings in context because of the vocabulary. There is enough creativity built into this unit, that 6th graders will be excited to move forward and not have to wait for others to catch up. This unit is one I created for classroom use last year and I found that brighter students became bored and frustrated when they could not move on in the process. I am excited to see this unit be used as Canvas goes live for students next school year.
Reflection: Because of my work in transforming this unit into an online module, I was able to incorporate some of the online elements not directly involved with Canvas into my classroom. The students loved the Google Slides for Vocabulary. They were engaged and excited to present their slides to the class. They evaluated each other's slides and learned a lot about the design of presentations. Even with all the hard work of creating a unit like this, it is worth it when you see the desired results.
Item of Choice
My Item of Choice is a Google Slide Presentation from Tier 2 class PDE 3107 Adding Online Elements to the Traditional Classroom. The presentation is a reflection on a Lesson Plan I wrote where I integrated a PowerPoint to flip a lesson with my students. The students were very excited to have control over how they would review the information. Some of them reviewed the PowerPoint multiple times to ensure a true understanding of the content. After the review, they were assessed through a Google Form and were able to see the responses immediately since I had the spreadsheet projecting. Because of this, the students immediately understood the mistakes made and why the correct answer was the best choice. They were in control of their learning and that made a difference.
Reflection: The voice of this presentation is so excited and passionate about the possibilities. When I reviewed this, I felt the same way. Introducing 11 and 12-year-old students to scholastic uses for computers is broadening their perspective.
Had to Add This
Recently, I decided to try a debate with my 6th graders. To introduce informational/expository text, I found an article that I thought might interest them. That was an understatement. They were so engaged in looking for information about Ebola beyond the article that they brought an energy to their learning that I have not seen so far this year. The students wanted to do research, they wanted to learn more, they wanted to share their opinions and facts. Now this is why I am an educator.
The class had been closely reading and article from CBS News titled, "Maine Nurse in Ebola Flap Says She'll Respect Town's Wishes" and were preparing for the culminating activity of a Socratic Seminar debate. The question was, " Should health care workers returning from overseas after helping those affected by the Ebola crisis have a mandatory 21-day quarantine?" Students were researching both sides of the issue since the sides would be chosen randomly for each student. Students worked with partners to talk through the issue so that they would be prepared to argue either side.
My Tier 1 Artifact is a Prezi created in PDE3144 after interviewing a few colleagues. I also added three Journals I wrote during the process of this first class on Blended/Online Learning. The assignment was to interview 3-4 staff members to discover what models of Blended Learning are being used on our campus and other campuses. The questions I asked the three educators I interviewed were: Are you familiar with Blended Learning? Are the models being implemented at our school? Would you like to use a Blended Learning model?What would your classroom look like? Would students be more engaged? What would prohibit you from having a Blended Learning classroom? My volunteers' responses were very telling.
Reflection: When reviewing my artifacts, I discovered that I needed to revisit some of these pieces. I sent my Letter to My Supervisor to my current principal and asked her to reply. Her response was positive and supportive. After going back to the colleagues I interviewed and sharing with them my experiences, I found that they were all more interested in using some of the online resources I have been using. Although it was a struggle for some of them, they are happy with the outcomes they had with increased student engagement as well as building their own confidence with integrating technology into their classes. My opinion and experience with online and blended education have changed dramatically since I took this first class. I now see the complexity of planning and designing units of study for my students and the importance of finding ways to differentiate learning for my lower and higher students. There are more and more resources available for teachers. I am currently reviewing and evaluating Soft Caulk lessons created by colleagues for ELA6 students. I am looking forward to using these lessons for students as soon as they come available. Blended Learning education is very relevant and essential for today's student. The world we live in is one of instant answers and therefore students do not have the patience to do things the way we did them. This was very evident when I stopped using dictionaries in my room and allowed students to use their own personal devices to revise and edit their writing. The student benefits are increased engagement, control over the pace in which they work, and relevance to their lives.
Tier 2 Artifacts
My Tier 2 Artifact is a Canvas module I created in PDE 3155 Designing for the Online/Blended Environment. Unfortunately, I was not able to use this module with my class this year because of the continued inability to connect our students to Canvas. I did use elements of this module, such as the Google Slides and Quizlet for vocabulary and the clip from Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, but putting this module to use will have to wait until next year, which is actually beneficial since I would like to revise it for better flow for the students. I am pleased with the way students will be able to work at their own pace and I will be able to monitor their progress both through Google Docs and Canvas. Because of this student-driven instruction, I will be able to work with the students who struggle with truly understanding the nuances of the writing in this text and misunderstandings in context because of the vocabulary. There is enough creativity built into this unit, that 6th graders will be excited to move forward and not have to wait for others to catch up. This unit is one I created for classroom use last year and I found that brighter students became bored and frustrated when they could not move on in the process. I am excited to see this unit be used as Canvas goes live for students next school year.
Reflection: Because of my work in transforming this unit into an online module, I was able to incorporate some of the online elements not directly involved with Canvas into my classroom. The students loved the Google Slides for Vocabulary. They were engaged and excited to present their slides to the class. They evaluated each other's slides and learned a lot about the design of presentations. Even with all the hard work of creating a unit like this, it is worth it when you see the desired results.
Item of Choice
My Item of Choice is a Google Slide Presentation from Tier 2 class PDE 3107 Adding Online Elements to the Traditional Classroom. The presentation is a reflection on a Lesson Plan I wrote where I integrated a PowerPoint to flip a lesson with my students. The students were very excited to have control over how they would review the information. Some of them reviewed the PowerPoint multiple times to ensure a true understanding of the content. After the review, they were assessed through a Google Form and were able to see the responses immediately since I had the spreadsheet projecting. Because of this, the students immediately understood the mistakes made and why the correct answer was the best choice. They were in control of their learning and that made a difference.
Reflection: The voice of this presentation is so excited and passionate about the possibilities. When I reviewed this, I felt the same way. Introducing 11 and 12-year-old students to scholastic uses for computers is broadening their perspective.
Had to Add This
Recently, I decided to try a debate with my 6th graders. To introduce informational/expository text, I found an article that I thought might interest them. That was an understatement. They were so engaged in looking for information about Ebola beyond the article that they brought an energy to their learning that I have not seen so far this year. The students wanted to do research, they wanted to learn more, they wanted to share their opinions and facts. Now this is why I am an educator.
The class had been closely reading and article from CBS News titled, "Maine Nurse in Ebola Flap Says She'll Respect Town's Wishes" and were preparing for the culminating activity of a Socratic Seminar debate. The question was, " Should health care workers returning from overseas after helping those affected by the Ebola crisis have a mandatory 21-day quarantine?" Students were researching both sides of the issue since the sides would be chosen randomly for each student. Students worked with partners to talk through the issue so that they would be prepared to argue either side.