Final Course Reflection (See Week 5 Below)

Kristy Land, Technology Leader

Final Reflection

As a result of this course, I have polished and improved my skills of assimilating technology within the classroom to address the needs of diverse learners.  I consider myself to be fairly tech savvy, but successfully executing technology in the classroom takes on a bigger role than simply understanding the technology piece.  Through the class and exploring new concepts as well as learning about UDL, I have a better understanding of how to enhance student learning opportunities through the use of technology.  Technology plays a vital role in addressing the diverse needs of our students and understanding how to successfully incorporate a successful program can significantly impact the outcome.

In our scenario, we provided our teacher with a name, so I will refer to her as “Ms. Smith.”  Since Ms. Smith has limited computer skills and a minimal understanding of how to teach with technology, my group incorporated several Web 2.0 tools such as a Google Site, Google Docs, and YouTube videos.  We incorporated items that were easily accessible and easy to use.  Ms. Smith will have an array of professional development opportunities through the district, region, and online training modules such as Google Educator.  The tools we integrated are extensively used by educators, so Ms. Smith may also consult with fellow teachers that use these technologies on a more consistent basis.   

We assisted Ms. Smith in creating a website and embedding examples of projects and tutorials that coincide with her current lesson plans.  We set up the basic framework to get her started with the Google Site and other Web 2.0 tools and encouraged her to come up with creative ways to use some of the tools.  Using Google Docs, she created a “3rd Grade Bullying Survey” and an electronic “K-W-H-L Chart” and embedded the documents on her new classroom site.

In our model lesson plan, students were grouped by academic abilities and provided with an article to read and given several options to create a technology project demonstrating their knowledge of the new information.  Students shared their projects on the classroom site for the other students to review and reflect on.  Lastly, students composed a final reflection by writing or podcasting to discuss the information they learned and their experiences from the project.   We provided a variety of options and opportunities to address the diverse learning needs of our students along with those with special needs.

I extensively participated in the group project which provided me with many learning opportunities.  I created and maintained our Google Site and Google Doc.  I also created Ms. Smith’s classroom site as a part of my UDL to exhibit the final products of the lesson plan.  My group decided to integrate the lesson plan and examples into the final solution scenario and provided me with additional resources to integrate within the site to complete it.  I created a variety of Web 2.0 tools which included a survey and electronic K-W-H-L chart using Google Docs, Vokis, and a YouTube video that was created using a webcam and free audio-to-text application.   I spent a significant amount of time linking web pages back and forth, so that resources were available in a variety of places for the end user.  I learned how to embed websites and various applets using Google Gadgets and even sharpened up on my HTML skills.  I also collaborated with team members through weekly e-mails, SYKPE calls, and our group planning page.

Creating the electronic book through e-Book Builder helped me substantially put all the pieces together especially when I was creating the UDL lesson plan, the teacher website, and even in addressing the scenario in the group project.  It provided a concrete example of what UDL truly looks like and took a basic concept like creating an electronic book and demonstrated the various ways one could deliver the information to address a variety of learners and needs.

Week 5 Reflection for EDLD 5364

In this week’s readings, Pitler discusses the importance of reinforcing effort and explains that not all students realize the importance of effort and that students can learn to operate from a belief that effort pays (Pitler, 2009, p. 155).  Furthermore Pitler makes recommendations for classroom practice to reinforce the importance of effort by explicitly teaching students about the importance of effort and having students track their effort and achievement (Pitler, 2009, p. 156).  Not all students understand the importance of effort and some relate their successes and failures on external factors (Pitler, 2009, p. 156).  The text further explains that effort can be tracked simply by utilizing a spreadsheet and creating a rubric that provides students a clear picture of what effort looks like.  Pitler also speaks to the importance of data collection tools and how they can also be incorporated to encourage effort among students.  Soloman speaks to the importance of authentic assessment which involves engaging and worthy problems/questions, in which students must creatively use their knowledge (Soloman, 2007, p. 168).  A much clearer definition is provided by Stiggins, who states, “Performance assessments call upon the examinee to demonstrate specific skills and competencies, that is, to apply the skills and knowledge they have mastered” (Soloman, 2007, p. 168).  Many Web 2.0 tools allow students to quickly create multimedia projects to demonstrate their knowledge and mastery of materials.  The texts discusses in greater detail electronic portfolios and elgg which is “based around choice, flexibility, and openness” (Soloman, 2007, P. 175).  Elgg focuses more on the learning rather than the end or final product.  It promotes reflective thinking and promotes social connections (Soloman, 2007, p. 175).  This week’s video’s provided a glimpse upon the future of teaching with technology.  Several speakers discussed their perspective on digital media, ethics, and parental involvement. 

Citations

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 155-164.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 168-176.

EDLD 5364 Week 4 Reflection

This week’s readings, videos, and objectives focused on designing student-centered learning experiences with technology.  The homework assignment especially empowered group members to take a lead in implementing technology plans to enhance learning activities while addressing the needs of diverse learners.  Furthermore, the videos and readings provided additional resources to assist teachers with teaching technology and design student-centered learning experiences with technology.  Based on the readings in Using Technology With Classroom Instruction That Works, Pitler discusses the importance of implementing learning activities strategies that support cooperative groups.  Pitler mentions a variety of ways to teach technology while allowing students to work cooperatively and collaboratively.  Blogs, wikis, online courses, instant messaging, voice, video, and multimedia projects provide an array of opportunities for student to share and produce assignments.  In the reading from the research document, McRel Technology Initiative: Intervention Program Final Report discusses the essential components of technology professional development.  Additionally Soloman mentions the importance of administration leading by example and establishing funds for various technologies

Citations

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 139-154.

 

Pitler, H. (2005). McRel technology initiative: The development of a technology intervention program final report (Contract Number ED-01-CO-0006). Aurora, CO: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED486685) Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED486685&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED486685

 

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 99 – 116.

Week 3 Reflection

This week's reading all came together to help develop a better understanding of integrating technology to address individual learners. Pitler discusses various ways to provide feedback and states it should be corrective in nature, timely, be specific to a criterion, and that students can effectively provide some of their own feedback (Pitler, 2009, p.41).  Various technologies are mentioned for providing feedback such as Microsoft's readability statistics, classroom response systems, and grading software.  Feedback can also be utilized through communication software such as blogs, wikis, e-mail, instant messaging, and video conferencing.  Pitler also discusses the four planning questions for instruction where lesson design should begin:

1. What will students learn?
2. Which strategies will provide evidence of student learning?
3. Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate learning?
4. Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply learning? (Pitler, 2009, p. 217).  

In Chapter 3, of Web 2.0: New tools, New schools,  Soloman discusses how web 2.0 have changed learning and provides various examples of web tools and open source software and how it is utilized within the classroom.  I taught high school business information management for one year at the middle school level and utilized many of the tools mentioned throughout the chapter with my students.  A rich variety of technology and free applications are readily accessible for our students to integrate within their learning.  These examples and ideas tie in nicely with the reading regarding UDL.  The UDL concept is clearly demonstrated through the lesson plan generator and book generator.  It provides a concrete example of what UDL looks like and how to apply it within the classroom.  

Citations

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 41-58, 217-225.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 77-98

Week 3 Lesson Plan Reflection

This week's assignment has been by far the most challenging.  I have provided in-class support predominantly in math for middle school, so I found it very difficult to create a lesson plan for a grade and subject I've never taught.  Not to mention, I don't typically write lesson plans.  I struggled through the assignment, but enjoyed the sense of accomplishment once I completed my final product.  This week things really started to click regarding UDL.  It is a matter of thinking ahead and planning for students with different abilities and learning styles.  Being a special education teacher, I already integrate many of the UDL practices within my general education classes.  Through the readings and assignment, I feel like I have a deeper, more meaningful understanding of how to incorporate these practices into the classroom in order to ensure that every student has an opportunity to be successful.  I got a bit distracted and ahead of myself by creating a website that provides all the resources and websites that correlate with my lesson plan.  It was time consuming, but provided the framework for me to design my lesson plan.  I hope that I can use several of the technology project examples for the lesson plan for the final portfolio due in week 5. 

Bullying 101 Lesson Plan

Title: Bullying 101 - Day 2 & Day 3
Author: Kristy Land
Subject: Reading/Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 3
Duration: 3 days

Unit Description

Students will explore different themes centered around bullying, work collaboratively in groups to create a team reflection project, reflect individually on peer group projects, and lastly reflect on what they have learned through the lesson and project.

• What is Bullying?
• Who’s A Bully?
• Who’s A Target?
• How to Handle It
• Innocent Bystanders
• Are You A Bully?
• Online Bullying

This unit on bullying should take about 5 class periods. The UDL approach used in this unit provides the following:

• various ways of customizing the display of information
• alternatives for auditory information
• alternatives for visual information
• ideas illustrated through visuals
• background knowledge
• check list and multiple ways to access information
• incorporated multimedia, social media, and interactive media
• graphic organizer to collect and organize data
• templates to guide self-reflection
• varied strategies and techniques to reach all students
• motivational options to ensure that all students can be engaged
• flexible classroom management techniques that increase opportunities for all students
• choices for group team reflection
• learners develop lesson goals through electronic K-W-H-L
• fostered collaboration and communication through group reflection project
• feedback on group reflection project and individual reflections.

Lesson Description for Day

Students will be divided into groups and assigned an article.  Groups will begin to brainstorm ideas for communicating their main idea along with three supporting details and explore different project options.  Students will create a technology reflection project, review and reflect on peer projects, and lastly individually reflect on the lesson and projects.

State Standards

CHAPTER 110. TEXAS KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND READING

Within COMPREHENSION OF INFORMATIONAL TEXT/EXPOSITORY TEXT the student is expected to:

3.13 A Identify the details or facts that support the main idea 

3.13 B Draw conclusions from the facts presented in text and support those assertions with textual evidence

3.13 C Identify explicit cause and effect relationships among ideas in texts 

3.13 D Use text features (e.g., bold print, captions, key words, italics) to locate information and make and verify predictions about contents of text

Within MEDIA LITERACY the student is expected to:

3.16 Use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning

3.16 B Explain how various design techniques used in media influence the message (e.g., shape, color, sound)

Within LISTENING AND SPEAKING/SPEAKING the student is expected to:

(30) Speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to speak coherently about the topic under discussion, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, and the conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.

Within LISTENING AND SPEAKING/TEAMWORK the student is expected to:

(31) Work productively with others in teams. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to participate in teacher- and student-led discussions by posing and answering questions with appropriate detail and by providing suggestions that build upon the ideas of others.

National Educational Technology Standards for Students

2. Social, ethical, and human issues

• Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.

• Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.

• Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

3. Technology productivity tools

• Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.

• Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.

4. Technology communications tools

• Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.

• Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

5. Technology research tools

• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.

GOALS

Unit Goals:

1.     Students will describe explore themes regarding bullying and address their specific topic within a group.

2.     Students will successfully complete a cooperative reflection project that refines their basic understanding of bullying.

3.     Students will reflect on peer group projects and then reflect individually to demonstrate mastery of content knowledge. 

4.     Students will demonstrate appropriate netiquette.

Lesson Goals:

1. Students will gain a basic understanding of bullying
2. Students will effectively communicate their understanding through their group reflection project, peer group reflections, and individual reflections. 
3. Students will develop a basic understanding of the impact of bullying, what they can do to prevent bullying, and how to address bullying at school.

METHODS

Anticipatory Set:

To introduce the lesson, the teacher will read to the class, The Juice Box Bully, Empowering Kids to Stand Up For Others by D. Misdonday. (Recognition Networks)

Students individually will complete a pre-reading assignment or watch the video of the pre-reading and then complete the anonymous survey.  (Recognition Networks)

Students will then be divided into groups and complete a K-W-H-L chart that will later be submitted electronically and used as an informal assessment. 

KWHL Chart
(What I Know, What I Want to Learn, How I Learned It, What I Learned)
Fill in the first two columns of a KWHL chart within your group in order to summarize what everyone currently knows about bullying. At the end of the lesson today, what the class learned and how they learned it will be submitted electronically and later discussed.

Introduce and Model New Knowledge:

1.   Establish Routines and Responsibilities – Explain that students will work in small groups to learn more in-depth information about bullying.  Each group will read a different article and then demonstrate their knowledge through a collaborative reflection project.  Their project should clearly demonstrate a big idea supported by at least three supporting details. 

Organize the class into heterogeneous, small groups of no more than five students.  Five groups will have five students and two groups shall contain five students.  The student who is blind, will be placed in a group of five and the student with hearing impairment will be placed in the other group of five.  Each group should contain at least one student identified as gifted and talented. 

·        Group 1: What is Bullying?

·        Group 2: Who’s A Bully?

·        Group 3: Who’s A Target?

·        Group 4: How to Handle It?

·        Group 5: Innocent Bystanders

·        Group 6: Are you A Bully?

·        Group 7: Online Bullying

Each group should designate jobs for each individual.  All individual will solicit input, work on sections of the draft, and help with the final reflection connection project.  Each individual should be assigned a role such as:

·        Fact checker: validates information in the final project

·        Scribe: documents group ideas and provides a final summary for the project

·        Designer: coordinates final design or technological components

·        Editor: checks final reflection project for punctuation, capitalization, and spelling errors

Additional roles may include

• Timeliner: ensures that each member has completed appropriate tasks

2.  Preview Resources:  Provide students a preview of the

Webpage resources - assignment page, survey, reflection, examples of projects, check-off list, etc. (Recognition Networks)

3.  Discuss Project Options: Each group may chose among the following (Affective Networks)

Option 1: Create a VOKI
Option 2: Create a Glogster
Option 3: Create a Video

Provide Guided Practice:

Project Planning (Strategic Networks)
Have small groups get together and begin planning their projects. Once they're in their small groups, share the attached Project Planning Organizer in order to facilitate students' planning and work flow. Help students break their projects into smaller parts.

• outline
• facts, concepts, & information collected  (big idea followed by at least three supporting details)
• drafts completed (both text and art):
• incorporate technology aspect
• revising/proofreading:
• polished product

Rotate among the groups in order to determine whether they are developing a solid plan for their projects. Ask questions as needed in order to facilitate their planning.

Provide Independent Practice:

Students will provide reflection on peer group projects. (Strategic Networks)

WRAP UP:

Concluding the project and peer review of projects, students will write an individual reflection on what they've learned from their peer group project review and through the process of their group project.  
(Strategic Networks)

ASSESSMENT:


Formative/Ongoing Assessment:

• As students work on their projects, maintain ongoing observations of their learning behaviors, questions they ask, and their expressions of new knowledge. Take notes and make decisions about which students need additional support based on these ongoing observations.
• Review K-W-H-L charts
• Review Peer Group Project Comments
• Review Individual Reflections

Summative/End Of Lesson Assessment:

• Evaluating the Projects:
  Use the attached rubric to evaluate students' reports. Attach a copy of the rubric to each report, with each sub score highlighted, so students have a detailed analysis of their projects.

MATERIALS:

Websites:

Ms. Smith's Classroom Website
https://sites.google.com/site/smithsclassroom2012/home

VOKI
www.voki.com

YouTube
www.youtube.com

Google Sites
https://sites.google.com/

Googe Docs
https://sites.google.com/

Glogster
www.glogster.com

PBS - It's My Life
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/bullies/


Books:

The Juice Box Bully, Empowering Kids to Stand Up For Others by D. Misdonday