I have discovered many useful technology tools this semester and have just recently had the chance to really explore them. As Academic Specialist, I have had very little time to explore with my students. So, I had to do a lot of the exploring on my own with learning games. However, I was able to really dive in and use Google Classroom with my 4th grade ELA class.
Google Classroom allowed me to streamline many assignments without using paper. I loved how it allowed for immediate feedback and kept track of who had completed the assignments. Alice Keeler Classroom Split was an extension that helped many of my students. This extension allowed students to view the assignment instructions while working. Google Classroom also allowed me to share links to videos quickly, making a lot of the learning visual for my diverse range of learning abilities. Through Google Classroom I was also able to assign Google Forms as an assessment to quickly check for understanding. My goal for the future.. As I plan to head back to the classroom, I have created a "To do list" for all the Game Based Learning Apps I can't wait to use on a more regular basis. Prodigy, Code.org, and Quizlet were just a few of programs my students and I were able to explore with this semester. I don't want my students to just "play" with technology, I want them to LEARN from it. Is the "game" going to address content and keep the students engaged? Are students going to stay motivated and challenged as they "play"? As for now, as students finish all their testing and assessments, my hope is that my students will continue to explore all the new apps on their own.
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Should You Flip Your Classroom? By Ramsey Musallam summed it up it perfectly, "The flipped classroom is a simple concept that needs no title. Good teaching, regardless of discipline, should always limit passive transfer of knowledge in class, and promote learning environments built on the tenants of inquiry, collaboration and critical thinking." I think education spends too much time looking for the "right way" to teach in today's classroom. I think we need to keep our eye on the target, our students, and remember that good teaching comes in many forms. I feel we need to integrate many teaching strategies into our daily lesson to keep our student's focused.
I am always looking for new and innovative ideas for my classroom, this doesn't mean I am giving up direct instruction. Flipgrid and Adobe Sparks are two new APPs I have tried in the classroom. However, only having two hours of teacher/student time a day and ELA curriculum to teach, I have had very little time to fully use this programs. I would love to fully implement these two APPs into my PBL planning day on May 21st for my new 3/4 classroom next school year. As I plan for next year, I am thinking about using videos integrated with Performance Tasks to prepare for CAASPP testing. If I can integrate videos into Benchmark or Bridges lessons, I feel students can truly benefit from this new innovative way of teaching and learning. Barriers I see.... TIME! With a combo class and two curriculums for every subject, I feel I am going to need to be as CREATIVE and INNOVATIVE as ever! In the past I have used Google Forms on a few occasions. Last semester, I used a few forms to help collect data for my research paper. This semester, I find myself using Google Forms on a regular basis. Setting up and using google Classroom was my first step. Once I had the system down and my students started using it daily, Google Classroom/Forms became part of our daily classroom learning. I recently sent out a Google Form for students to sign up for a 1:1 conference using "Choice Eliminator." I heard comments like, "My dad uses this at work," or "My sister signed up for an interview using this!" I had never seen such excitement signing up for 1:1 conference with me!
As I look to the near future and my Capstone, I find myself constantly adding these Google Forms to my list of resources. My driving question: Does the implementation of technology tool increase literacy (reading) skills in the classroom? I feel Google Classroom and Google Forms will help with my research to answer this question! My goal for the near future is to use Google Classroom/Forms in a multiple of different formats and to create Forms of their own. I joined the #EdChat on Arts in the classroom. One of the common themes: teacher's are mostly responsible for art instruction in their classrooms or it is funded by the school's parent club. This creates a huge equity issue among schools in the same district. I find that most of the art at my school is integrated into PBLs. We are fortunate to have an art room completely funded by our PTA. Not all schools are as lucky. I think it is important that as educators, we remember how important it is to integrate the arts into our curriculum.
I found that everyone that participated in the #EdChat stayed on topic and was very thoughtful in their responses. This chat reminded me how important it is to teach to all types of learners in our classrooms. Social media is used in many ways at my school for staff development, collaboration, and communication. As part of our math coaching agreement, we are required to upload videos of classrooms in the midst of math instruction. Watching theses videos helps us grow as educators. The use of social media also allows us to have more access to educator discussions and sharing of ideas. However, it is important to remember that we are professionals and need to act as so. It is important to share our thoughts in a responsible and respectful way. We have to remember that eyes are always watching in the social media world.
We also have to remember how important it is to teach our students about social media and the importance of "thinking" before posting. As a teacher, it is our responsibility to not only teach our students about using "common sense" in this digital age, we also need to remind them we can't just "delete" what we post. Each one of my students signs a technology agreement, and is constantly reminded that social media is designed for 13+ crowd. If I saw a fourth or fifth graders on social media, it is my responsibility to report and notify parents. If an inappropriate post crossed my path... I would definitely start with a 1:1 conversation. Depending on the inappropriateness, administrators and parents would also have to be informed. Creating a "Technology Contract" might even have to be created. It is important that we remind elementary age students how important it is to stay away from social media and only use technology in a safe manner. I got tired of small white boards. Pens drying out and fights over erasers and pen color. After some research I found Paper by FiftyThree. I had nothing to lose by trying it, it was free! On the home page I found three options: Sketches, Paper Tools, and Project. It was easy to navigate with a multitude of options. However, it would stop and ask me to upgrade often. I found that sketching and taking notes was very timely and neat. It took me five minutes to learn the tools and navigate the app. The only frustrating part to the app was the undo button. It was to easy erase.
I decided to give it a go with my students and THEY LOVED IT! My students found it very simple and easy to navigate. The note taking was easy for students. After teaching a reading lesson, I had students quickly write and sketch the main idea. This made it easy for me to check for understanding. I saw a variety of tools used, allowing students choice in displaying their ideas. During our class discussion, I asked my students if they thought the app was useful and if they wanted to try it again. The answer was unanimously, YES! My next step is to use for students to create a group book with pictures and text that ties to our unit about keeping the Earth green. Everyday on my campus students are opening Chromebooks or turning on iPads, and logging in. For years technology was mainly used to complete programs, such as, iRead, Systems 44, Read 180, and FastMath. Now students log in everyday to their individual Google accounts and complete a multitude of tasks. However, are they all meaningful? Will these tasks help students meet standards? We need to have students use technology for more than just completing programs if we want them to be literate in this digital world.
I think it's important to integrate technology in to all parts of the curriculum. Students need to have exposure to variety of technology tools if we want them prepared for high school, college, and beyond. Although Google is important to learn and navigate throughout the learning years, it is even more critical that we move beyond Google. Students need technology tools that allow for deeper learning, not just completing task. In my classroom, digital literacy starts with digital citizenship. After students realize how important it is to stay safe in the web world, we move forward. I also want my students to be able to share and discuss student work safely. My hopes is that Google Classroom will help this. Everyday students at our school are assigned a task that requires access to a computer. Students do sign a technology agreement at the beginning of the year, but is that teaching digital citizenship? I feel we need to spend more time in the classroom addressing the importance of safely using the internet. When I first started teaching, my students and I visited the computer lab once a week. Then, gradually over the next two decades I saw technology become part of the everyday classroom. And now I am at a site that has 1:1 devices, that are used EVERY SINGLE DAY! Not only do I feel students need to be closely monitored, I feel as though the lessons like those found on "Common Sense Media", as well as other lessons, should be implemented regularly. Students in my classroom use Google and Google Classroom to submit and share classroom assignments. To make it more personal, I would start with a technology "checkpoint" to see how often students use technology outside of the classroom. As educators, it is our responsibility, to teach "common sense" when using technology. The following lessons can be used in the classroom to help guide students in the cyber world: 1. Talking Safely Online-students learn the importance of only communicating with friends and never revealing private information without asking a parent or trusted adult for permission. 2. Super Digital Citizen- students learn how to be responsible and respectful offline/online and how to be good digital citizens. Students will create digital superheroes who show how to solve digital dilemmas in a responsible way. 3. What's Cyberbullying-students learn and discuss the positive and negatives of communicating online. They will learn the definition of cyberbullying and compare and contrast it to in-person bullying. Students will then read a story and discuss how the target might feel. It is important for me to continue to stress the importance of digital citizenship throughout the school year, and to prepare my 4th graders now for the world that can be reached at their fingertips. Not only is it important for students to learn how to surf the web safely, they also need to realize how their digital footprint follows them. As the year progresses, I will integrate more of these "Common Sense" lessons and reinforce everyday the importance of a being a respectful, safe, and responsible, digital citizen! heather_feinberg_common_sense_lesson_plan.pdf
After reading "Teaching in a Competency-Based Education Environment," I found myself reflecting on my teaching practices. As an academic specialist, I find myself constantly helping teachers meet the needs of all their students. As an intervention teacher, I am constantly looking at the individual needs of our struggling students. I do find myself creating different lessons for individual students. Throughout a normal day, I see 40 students come and go through my doors, all with different learning goals, all with different needs. However, I have an hour everyday to plan for these students. Classroom teachers do not have this luxury. If we want personalized learning for each of our students, we need to give teachers the time to plan this. Technology is a tool that can help with personalized learning. For example, our new language arts curriculum allows teachers to deliver direct instruction, and then assign leveled readers and leveled readers theatre. The curriculum also allows us to look at data and then use the teachers resources to meet individual needs in small group instruction. I have also started to dive a little deeper into the extended lessons and have found many options for student choices, many of them technology based. Students have really focused their choices towards technology... Why? Students can have student led discussions and instant teacher feedback.
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