This part of the UbD process is always a challenge, but certainly THE most helpful. Creating an assignment by working backwards is very time consuming, but the most productive way to make sure your assignment guides students towards the end goal.
The assessment piece really does guide the rest of the lesson/unit so it makes complete sense to focus on the performance assessment before anything else. Looking back on my performance assessment I would also add documenting work as a part of the assessment process. I want students to document their process by showing a beginning, middle, and end stage. However, this can be time consuming for both the students and I, but I think it would result in a more well-rounded and meaningful project.
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I found this week’s twitter chat very helpful, perhaps because I hosted it. Below you can find the transcript of the chat:
Ashley’s blog was great to read because of her unique location in Alaska. She wrote that “A lot of my students (Alaska Natives) don't understand that there are other villages out there. So this was an eye opening experience for them.” This is the great part of a statewide online course in education because we all get to share similar, yet different experiences depending on our location in the state.
As far as technology, many of us are familiar and comfortable with Google services such as G-suite or classroom. Casey mentioned her success with Google. She also discussed global technology, which is something I am surprised most schools have not adopted yet with all of the technology, but I do agree that it seems like a great way to bring the world to your classroom. The amount of teachers who are comfortable and use Google just reaffirms my prediction that Google will outlast many other competitors and products. How can you use these tools and techniques to promote collaboration and build community culture in your classroom?Intertwining technology into the classroom has been my mission to accomplish this year. How do I balance the use of technology to enhance learning rather than distract or derail.
So far, my most successful tool has been Seesaw, a digital portfolio. It is student friendly to support active reflection and documentation of work. This tool also allows peer collaboration, which has helped build our classroom community. A new technology that I explored was Flipgrid at https://info.flipgrid.com/ For elementary, this may be hard to do effectively. However, for secondary I see this being a really intuitive way to collaborate and change the pace of research and reporting. It seems like a great way to begin a discussion or to have students post on it. Though it is not new, a collaborative platform that I think will outlast many others is Google docs (and Google Classroom). Google has begun to pioneer the way for teacher-student online collaboration. The ease of use, accessibility, free program, and multi-use allows a more streamline teaching and learning experience. As quoted from Edudemic, “Students could upload an assignment to specific software, online apps, or free software such as Google Drive for simpler review and grading by teachers. Cloud hosting of homework assignments and additional resources has already become popular in many schools.” This particular tool would be best in a middle school or high school setting. Perhaps, soon they will come out with an edition that is more primary and upper elementary friendly. Jones, G. 2017. Classroom Technology: what’s new for 2017. Retrieved from http://www.edtechupdate.com/2017/technology/?open-article-id=6058038&article-title=classroom-technology--what-s-new-for-2017-&blog-domain=edudemic.com&blog-title=edudemic Week 4 Reflection
Last week I implemented a new technology with my students- puppet apps. We have also been getting familiar with Seesaw and documenting learning. This week’s post was a great connection to my life as I have been actively exploring new tech tools in my classroom. However, I was a little bummed that our reading was outdated and didn’t give me anything useful to try.
I always appreciate a technology class that is in present times considering technology is exponentially growing I think it is important to keep the text books as current as possible. I did enjoy reading other people’s blogs because they had more relevant tools that I would consider using. I read about Book Creator from Ashley:
I also have a new inspiration to try out more coding programs because of how many are out there. And this blog helped reignite that desire to try them in my 2nd grade classroom.
I am always curious about different ages and their success (or lack of) with this newer technology and programs. That is one thing I love about this program is that I am able to hear from a wide variety of educators around Alaska, and even outside of Alaska.
Week 4: |
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As I progress through my Master's this question becomes a little less intimidating and more clear. I look around and see many teachers using technology as a time killer rather than an enhancer.
I don't think I will ever be proficient in this area and will always have to check if I am being strategic in my use of technology, With every article I read I become more thoughtful with my use of technology in the classroom.
The key takeaways from this week were things I read in articles about how to keep yourself in check. For example:
I want to hang these in my room so I am always reminded of the purpose of technology. It is to enhance and create better experiences. Our job as educators today is to sift through the technology that really serves no purpose. Likewise, a great technology tool isn't "great" unless it is use appropriately by teachers and students.
I don't think I will ever be proficient in this area and will always have to check if I am being strategic in my use of technology, With every article I read I become more thoughtful with my use of technology in the classroom.
The key takeaways from this week were things I read in articles about how to keep yourself in check. For example:
- Knowledge construction; not reproduction.
- Conversation; not reception.
- Articulation; not repetition.
- Collaboration; not competition.
- Reflection; not prescription.
I want to hang these in my room so I am always reminded of the purpose of technology. It is to enhance and create better experiences. Our job as educators today is to sift through the technology that really serves no purpose. Likewise, a great technology tool isn't "great" unless it is use appropriately by teachers and students.
How do I use technology in a way that it enhances or changes learning rather than replaces paper and pencil learning? (An example using a word processing program for composition instead of handwriting the composition-how can it be an experience that students have never had before because of the digital tools you intend to use?)
Meaningful learning, play, and experiences are all essential components in our education world today. From the way we differentiate, deliver content, assess, and capture learning, this can be enhanced through technology. The book Meaningful Learning with Technology outlines the most important concepts of technology:
My personal experience with technology in the classroom is ever developing and continuously aiming towards better learning experiences. I use technology as a means of formative assessments. Programs like Kahoot and Prodigy are impressively engaging for the students and offer valuable data for the teacher. I also use online assessments for our math and ELA curriculum that can differentiate by providing audio recordings. Meaningful learning through technology can take place in these forms:
Chapter 2 of our book, Meaningful Learning through Technology, dives into researching and evaluating information.These days, it is very apparent that information found on the internet may be completely false. Students should be taught how to sight the difference and ways they can validate information. The book suggests tools, such as, Zotera Research tool in Firefox (Howland, 2012).
Teaching students the importance of questioning resources and technologies will improve their digital citizenship skills. We can also give our students the opportunity to use their devices for inquiry. My way of doing this is through a digital portfolio called Seesaw. Students are becoming accountable for their own learning by documenting their best work through an IPad app. They can take photos, record their voice over a photo, video, and share links directly to their own digital journal. I am thinking of using Seesaw as my integrated technology for the upcoming unit. I am already using it in my classroom, but I am still figuring out what works. This App has already shown an increase in motivation for my students in areas they struggle with-- success!
Reference:
Meaningful learning, play, and experiences are all essential components in our education world today. From the way we differentiate, deliver content, assess, and capture learning, this can be enhanced through technology. The book Meaningful Learning with Technology outlines the most important concepts of technology:
- Knowledge construction; not reproduction.
- Conversation; not reception.
- Articulation; not repetition.
- Collaboration; not competition.
- Reflection; not prescription.
My personal experience with technology in the classroom is ever developing and continuously aiming towards better learning experiences. I use technology as a means of formative assessments. Programs like Kahoot and Prodigy are impressively engaging for the students and offer valuable data for the teacher. I also use online assessments for our math and ELA curriculum that can differentiate by providing audio recordings. Meaningful learning through technology can take place in these forms:
- Represent learners ideas and beliefs
- For producing organized multimedia knowledge
- For accessing needed information
- Comparing perspectives, beliefs, and worldviews (Howland, 2012)
Chapter 2 of our book, Meaningful Learning through Technology, dives into researching and evaluating information.These days, it is very apparent that information found on the internet may be completely false. Students should be taught how to sight the difference and ways they can validate information. The book suggests tools, such as, Zotera Research tool in Firefox (Howland, 2012).
Teaching students the importance of questioning resources and technologies will improve their digital citizenship skills. We can also give our students the opportunity to use their devices for inquiry. My way of doing this is through a digital portfolio called Seesaw. Students are becoming accountable for their own learning by documenting their best work through an IPad app. They can take photos, record their voice over a photo, video, and share links directly to their own digital journal. I am thinking of using Seesaw as my integrated technology for the upcoming unit. I am already using it in my classroom, but I am still figuring out what works. This App has already shown an increase in motivation for my students in areas they struggle with-- success!
Reference:
- Howland, J., Jonassen, D., & Marra, R. (2012). Meaningful Learning with Technology. Pearson: Boston.
Bienvenido to my Edtech Blog! I have been doing classes through the EDET program for three semesters and hope to finish my Master's in Learning, Design, and Technology in a year...or so!
Currently, I am teaching 2nd grade in Sitka, AK where I was born and raised. I did my undergrad in Hawaii and Colorado. After graduating, I taught in Thailand for a year. I ventured back to the homeland and have been loving Alaska life ever since.
When I'm not teaching I love to travel and be outdoors. I have traveled to 11 countries and have been skydiving three times. I also am an animal lover, but all animals I have ever had didn't last long... so a classroom pet is a huge no-no.
Any idea which is the lie and which are the truths?
Currently, I am teaching 2nd grade in Sitka, AK where I was born and raised. I did my undergrad in Hawaii and Colorado. After graduating, I taught in Thailand for a year. I ventured back to the homeland and have been loving Alaska life ever since.
When I'm not teaching I love to travel and be outdoors. I have traveled to 11 countries and have been skydiving three times. I also am an animal lover, but all animals I have ever had didn't last long... so a classroom pet is a huge no-no.
Any idea which is the lie and which are the truths?
Author
2nd Grade teacher at Keet Gooshi Heen in Sitka, Alaska
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