For this project, I was excited to find emaze. It’s a fun way to display information and it was very simple to use. I love the 3D component! I think this would be the perfect set of slides to show my school. What I’ve learned is technology isn’t as scary as I thought and it’s also essential in the classroom. For teachers who aren’t “into” tech, I hope this emaze would convince them to at least try! I will say, having to use a different tech tool on each assignment was essential, because it made me feel so much more comfortable with trying them in the fall! Now I won’t have to clunk around trying to figure out how to use them. I have a huge list of websites I can use!
You can find my connected educator reflection on the PAGE on my blog. I wanted to keep it all together 🙂
I opted for about 17 different websites/resources for students to choose from, broken into different categories. I have used a couple in this class, but as far as teaching goes, I have only used Google Forms, Google Sites, Blooket, Screencastify, and Edpuzzle (but I’ve never made my own). I attempted to use tools that were engaging for students and a little more advanced than Google Slides. These websites will force them to be a little more creative and embed different features in, instead of just a couple words to share information. For example, Nearpod and PearDeck will be way more interactive than typical slides. If students opt for videos, they will need to create somewhat of a script and decide how to display their examples. The sites involve a little more strategy in how to organize. Then, I attempted to come up with easy assessments the students could give their classmates. Although I could personally create something a little more advanced, I think this will be good for them because they can attempt the process of how to evaluate if a classmate has learned. They also will need to include answers. This way I can see what they think is relevant. It will also show me how in depth they understand the material. If students come up with deep thinking questions, then it could mean they understand the topic well. However, I also want to take note some students are naturally better question askers and better abstract thinkers. As long as the questions are relevant to the topic, then they will be counted.
This choice board will be placed pretty early on in the school year, during our math review unit. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to see where students are at and assess their comfortability with technology. This choice board is at a moment of need because it’s pre out math units. It’s review – but in a more creative way that put students in the driver seat (similar to the Place Value assignment I already made). I think this adds more details and choice though, because students have options on how to present, and they need to include an assessment piece for their classmates. This is authentic because it’s coming from their classmates, and because students can connect to each other. This adds value because it isn’t teacher led. It also adds value because students get to interact, create, and curate the lesson themselves.
The goals and what to include are at the top of the doc. I think this board will help students engage way more with the material then completing 6 recall worksheets about it. Although I will take into account both columns 1 and 2, the students will only need to present 1 of the columns. I will assess how the students complete the assessments their classmates made (for the ones who present column 2). This will help me tell if these projects were effective and if they have learned the necessary materials. I can’t decide if I want to do partner work or not. My initial thought is yes because this seems like a bigger project. However, I also fear that only 1 student might do the work. This is why I’ll want them to take each others assessments, so I can see if every student grasped the material, or just some of the partners. This will also help me decide if a method like this works for our other review topics. Since this will be about week 2 of the school year, if it’s successful, I can make more for fractions and other review topics we need to learn. I am excited this class has helped me spruce up my review unit. It went from basic recall and reminders to a complex, student based unit!
Collaborating: These topics for each collection have come from PD we have had as a school and need continuous refreshers on. Communicating: I attempted a new tech resource for this one! I added a collection called “Make it Personal” with a link to a space where teachers can add their own feedback, ideas, and comments. Creating: My GIF’s add some play, and I’ve attempted to balance informative articles with videos, doodles, and other pieces that can be helpful! Connecting: I tried to pick topics that can connect the whole school – items people struggle with specifically at our location. I also added some funny middle school stories and videos because it’s something everyone in our building can relate to! Curating: This project IS the curation!
Roundtable right now is a collective question mark. Although my teaching partner and I seem to have TOO much we want to do during this time, a lot of teachers have used this hour as a wasted study hall or free hour because they were given no curriculum. I have link and videos with very practical ideas that they could do once or twice a week if they chose. The discipline might be geared more towards newer teachers, as they figure out their classroom management styles. The tech and engagement can be used for all! The tech might help teachers move farther down on the SAMR model and when we have a more engaging class, everyone wins!
When we think about inclusivity, it’s important to note all aspects of it. Inclusivity starts with feeling respected by your teacher. That’s why I chose to focus on management and discipline strategies. If teachers don’t feel confident in that, it’s hard to continue with learning. It’s also important to note that our school is very pro-active when it comes to the population we serve. Every student is issued a Chromebook. The district offers to set up free wifi that we pay for. We also as a collective rarely give out homework, as we know that hinders students from access. This is why I feel my topics of the collection fit well with being inclusive. Students need to feel involved in learning and I’ve added simple and small, practical ways teachers can do that! They can add tech and add small techniques to make class more engaging. They can also beef up their class to not waste time. That will give equitable access across the school. I want to make sure each student has to opportunity to learn some SEL strategies to help them be successful.
I tried to get a varied of resources. Some are lists with activities, some are sample video of how to implement, some are justifying why these concepts are important, and some are learning new information. I did exclude some resources that I looked at. I didn’t end up going with a Ted Talk about engagement. It was very class specific and it was a little dated. I also chose to exclude resources that either looked unorganized and not easy to read, or sites that had many ads that popped up. People will click next if they can’t consume the information quickly. I went with items that I felt could impact teachers and they could pick and choose what they wanted to learn more about. For example, if you already believe in SEL, you may not need to read the article explaining why it’s important.
One thing I’ve noticed is we struggle as a staff in learning. Many teachers are very firm with what they do. If it feels like a chore, it won’t be done. For example, a teacher created a doc for teachers to share ideas the last month of school to help us all make it! Only 1 or 2 teachers added, on a staff of about 80. I might send this out to newer teachers or teachers who I know take an interest in continuing their craft. Or I could email it to admin to link in a newsletter if they would find that helpful!
In this activity, I used Wakelet for the first time. I can’t foresee how I might use it in teaching, other than to list possible resources. However it would be an awesome and easy resource for STUDENTS to use! I think it could really enhance a lesson and make it fun for them, seeing as how easy it is to use GIFs and add links.
The second tech resource I used was stormboard. I can’t foresee myself using that in the future. It has a REALLY cool concept but you have to pay to practically do anything. I liked seeing the potential and what it could be if used to its full potential. I thought it was neat how each color of sticky note could represent a different type of comment. If it was free, I could see this being really fun!
I chose to use Genially for this presentation. Honestly it’s because you had suggested it previously for another project. However, it really did fit well for this project. I have never used it so I didn’t know what I was walking into. I really like the interactive slides I have at the end of my example and that it can be ‘gamified’. They even have presentations that ARE game options. They have unique features that I liked. For a lesson, this would be really easy to use. I honestly find it as the second easiest presentation tool out there, after Google Slides. I can see myself using this again for a change of pace and for more fun backgrounds.
I think I’ve finally made my way out of the lower half of the matrix! I would put this under modification for SAMR. A poster would be the most basic version of “teach your classmates”. The reason this is modification is because they can add visuals, videos, questions, and interactive components that could not exist if it weren’t for the technology use. I’m picking infusion for the matrix. This involves student choice through and through. They are picking the technology, choosing how they want to design, what information to include, and what strategies to best teach their classmates.
6a: Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.
6d: Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.
These two standards stuck out to me for this project. The first standard is hit because they are tracking what to include in their lesson and if their classmates understand it or not.
6d is touched upon due to the creative nature of using technology they pick to then explain concepts to others.
I’m very excited to use this lesson in my classroom. Place value and rounding is something that should be mastered by this point, but with this group, they really struggle. I taught it this year at the very beginning as a review, while my teacher partner used rounding in Science the week after we finished. They still had not mastered the concept. I think this is the missing piece for me as a teacher. Letting them take ownership over their learning and their classmates learning is necessary. Students can’t teach if they haven’t mastered a concept. Having them engage with the material like this is an essential part of helping them master content. Even though I don’t think I fully have down the Launch cycle, this is practical baby step I can take to move in that direction. I love that things like Genius Hour and the Launch Cycle can be inquiry, question dependent, but I’ll need more practice before I figure out how to do that in my curriculum with the right questions to ask. I like the idea of taking our own data before working on algebra, but I will have to mull over how to do that well. Maybe for Round Table my co-teacher and I can do a project like “Genius Hour” to test it out and see how it works before adding it into curriculum.
So, slight issue. I made this digital notebook under my district 87 account for future use with students. What I forgot, is due to our tight security, is that no one other than a district 87 emails can access it. Therefore, I downloaded it into a PDF so you can view it! But, the original design belongs in Kami and will be accessed there by students. If you have issues with this, I can email it to you. I’m unsure if this link will work.
I chose Kami interactive notebooks for multiple reasons. The first is, I know our district has access to it and we all have accounts. The second is, I’ve always been afraid to use it so I figured this was a good time to practice. The third is, this unit fits well with something digital. I taught this book for the first time last year and I felt it was missing something. I think the digital access will enhance the learning experience, especially when they finish the novel at the end of the ‘packet’. I found Kami VERY simple to use – I was surprised! I think I was aware of the PDF annotation feature. I did not realize I could create new content of my own. This is comparable to an “online” google doc notebook. Although that’s also easy to use, I think this is comparable and I am excited to try out this unit next year. All 7th grade does this book, so I can share it out with the rest of the team to use, as well! In this unit, we start by watching an Edpuzzle about why Jason Reynolds chose to write this book. That video does have CC. Next we read this book. Because the pacing of reading is different for each student, the packet ends up being individually paced as well, which is why I feel the digital notebook fits this so well. Then, after this, we have a choice board of extension projects, and 1 lesson about the figurative language Jason Reynolds uses in this book. Once the semester starts, I might transfer those over in the digital notebook. We will see!
Kami is known for making PDFs more accessible. On their website, here are some of thing statements about accessibility: (bolding done by me)
Text Recognition identifies text on scanned docs and images
All text can be dictated at a customizable speed using Read Aloud
Personalized annotation options including Text, Drawing, Audio, and Video
Open Dyslexic and Lexend fonts
Navigate using only keyboard controls(no mouse needed)
Voice Typing and Voice Comments for Dysgraphic students
Increase readability with Dark mode
Present content in a range of ways including video, images, and text
Students can interact using the tools that suit their specific needs
Closed captions are available on all video and some audio tools
Every student uses the same software so SPED students don’t feel different
Text Recognition and Read Aloud give students agency
Access to work is easy and manageable for all students
Around POUR guidelines, here are specific choices I made. Watch this video that you linked helped me think about order and spacing. This helped me think about the order in which I did things. I purposely put the page numbers at the top so that if it’s being read, students know they are on a new page, symbolizing switching ideas or topics. I also chose to narrate “question 1” so that students know that is a question that needs to be answered. They also know when that question stops because the next one is labelled question 2. I had a student a couple years back with a vision impairment. Although she could see some, I need to make stronger accommodations. I have included those today. I chose a white background with black text because that’s the easiest to read. I made my font ADA compliant. I made sure to pick font big enough to see on a personal device. The poem is linked to a video in case anyone prefers to listen to someone reading it with passion and zeal, instead of a computer robot. I think operability is covered by Kami itself. They have designed a website with operability in mind. I hope I’ve reached the “Understandable” guideline. I made sure to follow an order with the pages. I tried to fit each topic on one page, with 1 set of directions and task on each page. I imagine for “Robust”, that’s something Kami will keep adapting, as to keep up. I think I still have some to learn about the ease of it. I have the basics but until I have a student and learn their specific needs and what is helpful for them, I don’t think I can say I’ve “mastered” learning how to work with accessibility.
On the matrix, I think I’ve once again hit the “augmentation” piece. It’s definitely more helpful for students to have space to use a speech-to-text feature, as well as having a reading aloud feature, and space for links. However, I did not redesign the lesson to have significant design changes. I might have to meet with my ELA group to think about how we can adapt this mini unit to go beyond. I think the digital notebook provides “adoption” on the Matrix. This feel very conventional. However, I also needed to keep in mind that the tech is inclusive. Therefore, there might be less choice involved to make sure everyone has a chance to access the same material. Although the lesson involves independence, choice, and critical thinking, the technology itself doesn’t do that. Therefore, I will keep it at ‘adoption’.
Here is the link to my project/handout for students!
ISTE sub-standard 4c: Use collaborative tools to expand students’ authentic, real-world learning experiences by engaging virtually with experts, teams and students, locally and globally.
This connects to our lesson and the video because Cristina Riesen hit on John Dewey’s philosophy about students owning their own leaning and really making it their own. This project puts students in the drivers seat, as they work together to explore change agents in our community and country. While I have guidelines of what to put in there, if students suggest other ideas I am open and flexible. I have found with middle school being very specific helps students to not feel overwhelmed. However, as long as they are focused on people being change agents, I’m open to new ideas! This idea partly stemmed from the “Teach Thought” article, as they suggest attempt to reach out and partner with people in the community.
There are 3 questions from “before you begin” that helped shape the design of this project.
1) Are there community organizations or businesses that could enhance student understanding of the unit? (Although I can’t ensure all students will pick something local, the theme of this is to make real world connections for themselves)
2) Is there a way to elevate student voice through this collaboration? (As groups, they will need to share THEIR opinions and voice on what makes a good change agent – the topic of unit 6 in our curriculum)
3)Can you use this collaboration to solve a problem within your local community? (It focuses on problems that are being solved. Students get to interpret if these change agents are doing a good job to find a solution)
New tech tools:
1) Smore. Our admin uses this to communicate with us. I have never used it myself but it was so EASY to use and looks GREAT. One student job is for them to create a newsletter we send home to parents. We used Canva last year and to be honest, even though the graphic design is cool, the students ended up having poor misspellings because they wouldn’t zoom in, and it was harder to email out. I want them to use Smore next year to work. I think it will be so much easier (and harder to mess up).
2) The other tech tool that was an option for students was lino sticky notes and SpiderScribe. Overall, Lino sticky note was cute. Spider Scribe honestly just has terrible design and they don’t have certain titles capitalized and it really bugged me. I will not be using that. Although Lino is cute, and I might give it as an option in a student project (such as this), I don’t think I personally will. Students in my class struggle already struggle with Google Docs so an extra step of logging in somewhere might end up being an epic fail – but it’s worth trying to see if it “sticks”. Get it 😉 Â
Where does this collaborative lesson  land on the Technology Integration Matrix? What about SAMR?
Honestly, my Smore could have been a printed sheet. Therefore, I will label it as Augmentation. It’s an upgrade because students won’t lose it, it’s aesthetically pleasing, and can be labelled by steps very clearly. It also is the model for what they will create if they’ve never used Smore. That’s the main connecting feature. Because of this I’d label it as “adoption” for the matrix phase. It’s nothing out of the world, but it does help students access directions whenever they need.
As far as the actual project, I think I’m on the modification point. This allows students to interact more with the person they are researching and connect more clearly to what we’ve learned about in class. This goes beyond “just make a poster with facts” and creates a new media. I also think Lino gives them a creative way to collaborate, potentially anonymously. I would put this project under “adaption” on the matrix. It is still teacher led, but does offer student choice and access, as well an independent use for building knowledge and exploration. I would love to figure out how to move toward the infusion process, but I can’t fully wrap my head around how to do that well that still leads to quality work by students. However, I think I’ve mentioned this but I teach a unique group of learners who have traditionally “fallen behind” in school. Therefore, maybe with this group it’s okay and it feels safe to know how to be successful with guidelines and tools. We are a team working on building self-efficacy.
My name is Lydia Wilson Tobin and I’m an ISU ’15 grad! This is my first semester in grad school and back at the ilstu. I have been teaching 7th grade Language Arts and Bloomington Jr. High School for the past 5 years. Recently, I’ve added on teaching math on a 2 person team. I work with my best friend, Yesica Jones. Right after graduation I moved to Salamanca, Spain to work for a campus ministry. I loved my time in Spain but due to my commitment to the Golden Apple Program of Illinois, it was time to return and start my teaching career. Here are some pictures!
Seeing as I was in France around Christmas, I made a “tree topper” out of my Starbucks cup.
One of my highlights of living in Spain was seeing Ronaldo and Bale play at the Real Madrid stadium!
This was Yesica and I last year at the start of the school year!
