Week 7

Over the last forty days, I have captured a picture a day.  After looking back at the pictures, I have come to realize that the most important roles in my life are being a wife and a mom.  I am a teacher and I love being a teacher but the moment I had my daughter everything changed.  My priorities changed drastically.  However, I do think becoming a mom made me a much better teacher.  I can now relate to my students parents and the love they have for their children.  I can understand why they want to fight for their children and make sure they are getting the best education possible.

Below is a video that represents my life as I took one picture a day to reflect who I am:

I enjoyed this task of taking a picture a day because it allowed us to get to know one another a little better and see what is important to one another.  This is a great exercise for our students as well.  It would make it a lot easier to get to know them by seeing their picture a day.

 

 

Week 6

This week we were able to re-design a classroom.  This could not have come at a better time since I am about to be setting up my own classroom for the year.  To begin, I chose to use the website 3D Roomstyler.  This website was so user friendly and made it easy to design a classroom.  I modeled my ‘before’ classroom after my very first classroom.  I was teaching in a very poor, rural area.  The school district offered zero funds to the teachers so it was all on us to provide school supplies and a warm learning environment.  I was also hired right before school started so even if I would have been given the funds to work with, I didn’t have a lot of time.  So it is very traditional with desks in rows all facing the front, with a meeting area and a few pops of color on tile floors.

The following year I was hired in the district I am still currently working in.  These two school districts couldn’t be more different.  My district is future focused, next generation and offers a lot of support to their teachers.  So therefore, my classroom depicts that.  I want my classroom to be a calm space where students feel free to take risks.  To me, the color gray is calm and relaxing which is why I painted my walls gray and have gray furniture.  I also chose to have pops of blue, which I feel is also calm.

I chose to rearrange my desks to create a more collaborate space.  I want my students to be the focal point of the classroom to ensure communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking.  I still like to have a carpet as a whole class collaborative space.  This is where I do read alouds, mini lessons and have morning meetings.  I also like to have other seating options at the carpet (which is why I have a bench and a bean bag) so not all of the students have to sit on the floor.  I realize some students prefer to have an actual desk to work at so I allow students to choose their seat each day but they have to choose a different seat each day.  This allows everyone to try out different seats.  I have created seating charts before based on the dynamic of the class and I also take into account their learning styles and where they learn best.  That is very important to learn when using flexible seating in a classroom of young children.

I have my bookshelves all together and organized by both levels and genres.  I like to have my books together so it is easy to search and find any book my students are looking for.

I also have my teacher desk towards the front of the classroom, pointed towards my students.  I am not often at my desk but I like to have a space to put my lesson planner and anything I need for the day there.  Also, if I do need to be there, I like to always be facing my students.

Creating a warm and welcome learning environment is so crucial because it is where you and your students spend most of your time.  It feels so good to walk into a room that you created specifically for you and your students.  My room is ever changing just as I am along with my students so for now, I feel I have created the perfect place but there is always room to grow!

Week 5

This week was fun! We were able to look back at our innovative technology lesson plan and correct it based on feedback from peers.  I was able to use my snap circuits kit to test out this plan on my own.  After reading feedback from my peers, I was able to revamp and add valuable instruction into my lesson plan.

First, I added things to ensure I was accommodating all of my students.  I put in my lesson plan that I will be assigning the groups based on ability, how well they work with one another and other factors.  I will do this in case of my students need any sort of accommodations, I can place them with someone that will help them along through the assignment.  This is necessary because it allows me to group students in the best way to best benefit their learning.  If I have a student who is unable to perform specific tasks, I can partner them with someone that has great leadership skills and will help guide them along.  One suggestion I chose not to use was to make my groups larger.  The suggestion was to make them groups of four instead of groups of 2-3.  I chose to keep smaller groups because the snap circuit kits are very small so there isn’t a lot of room for students to work around.  Therefore, if I had larger groups, some students wouldn’t be able to participate as much and that would defeat the purpose of this assignment.

Second, I added that I will be walking around the classroom to observe and interject to help if necessary.  This will be helpful because I can listen to how they communicate and I will be able to help guide conversations.  I will also be able to observe how they collaborate and see who steps up as the leader and how they do that.  This will help when grading them at the end because I am able to take multiple factors into consideration when analyzing their performance.

Another change I made was making sure I was able to model a circuit and explain my expectations clearly to my students.  This would help answer questions and concerns before they get started.  Guided instruction is so important because it allows students an opportunity to see exactly what they are expected to do.

 I was able to find a couple articles those supported both technology integration and communication within the classroom.  I found an article that supports that a “greater emphasis should be placed on how to work together to use talking and drawing as tools for thinking about design” (Gustafson).  So, this supports having students interact and engage with one another through communication and collaboration which is a large portion of this lesson.

I am so excited for my students to complete this lesson of making a circuit together that creates light and sound.  This lesson allows my students the opportunity to explore their creativity, communication and collaboration skills.

References:

Gustafson, B., MacDonald, D., & Gentilini, S. (1970, January 01). JTE – Fall 2007 v19n1 – Using Talking and Drawing to Design: Elementary Children Collaborating With University Industrial Design Students. Retrieved from https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v19n1/gustafson.html

Janssen, N., & Lazonder, A. (2015). Implementing Innovative Technologies Through Lesson Plans: What Kind of Support Do Teachers Prefer? Journal of Science Education and Technology,24(6), 910-920. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/stable/43867754

Week 4

This week we looked at UDL (Universal Design for Learning) and Intersectionality.  Universal Design for Learning is creating lessons that tailor to all students and their individual needs.  This involves learning more about your students such as what motivates them and their learning and using that information to plan your lessons.

Intersectionality is the overlap of discrimination.  Discrimination against gender, race, religion, age, socioeconomic status and so much more.  This affects education when students don’t feel represented in their classroom.  This means you must think about the needs of all students and if you are making accommodations for their learning.

Universal Design for Learning and Intersectionality go hand in hand because with both you must keep in mind that no student is the same so your lessons need to cater to all students and their individual needs.

I am in the process of editing my innovative technology lesson plan, that involves snap circuits, to follow the plan of both Universal Design for Learning and Intersectionality.  I am going to revise my lesson through the lens of all students and their varying abilities.  I want to ensure I am using multiple modes of representation, catering to their background knowledge to ensure a connection and give my students multiple opportunities to communicate both in small group and large group situations.

 

Week 3

Over the past three weeks I have been using the innovative technology Snap Circuits.  I chose snap circuits because I had seen it at my school and I thought it would be a great tool to introduce during my maker space time.  I did not see that this type of innovative technology would directly correlate to my second grade NGSS but it did match up great with first grade.  Here you can see a first grade lesson plan I created using snap circuits.  Although it is a first grade lesson, I thought it would be helpful to build upon their knowledge of light and sound from first grade using this lesson during my second grade maker space time.

I have the set of snap circuits junior so it has circuits with specific instructions.  This makes it easier for the students to complete a circuit.  I had my seven year old cousin build circuits with me and it was so fun to work together and be able to complete a circuit and watch it work.  As long as you follow the instructions step by step it seems pretty easy.  I also noticed that once you create a base, it is easy to go off on your own and make a circuit yourself.

I feel snap circuits is a great innovative technology for second graders because there is direction but once you get the hang of it, you’re able to create a circuit on your own.  So it offers a guide but also allows for some independence which I feel is important in second grade.

Week 2

This week we learned about the copyright laws: what they are and why it is important to follow them.  I learned a lot this week because copyright is not something I have given much thought to.  However, after much research I have come to realize how important copyright really is.  When someone puts their heart and soul into creating something original, they don’t want just anyone coming and taking their work and claiming it as their own.  Copyright helps to avoid situations such as that.  Fair use allows you to use copyrighted material legally as long as you follow specific guidelines.  For more information on that, check out the video below:

I am still a little confused about what I can and cannot use when it comes to teaching.  I know that you can use copyrighted material for educational purposes but I wonder if there are exceptions to that?

Overall, this week was very interesting and informative.  I am now much more conscious of what I can and cannot use when I am online.  I hope this video helps anyone else who is confused about fair use laws!

 

References:

Woodall, T. (2018, April 04). The Right Stuff: Teaching Kids About Copyright. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/the-right-stuff-teaching-kids-about-copyright

 

CEP 811: Week 1 Learning

In my school, creativity is valued the most in our classrooms.  My school district has developed the SAS Compass which highlights creativity, communication, critical thinking and collaboration.  Everything we do in our classrooms, we have to connect to the compass in some way.  The last thing we focus on is speed because I don’t believe setting strict time limits benefit my students.  When I first started teaching in my district, I did put strict time limits on my students, telling them they needed to finish their assignments within a given time; no exceptions.  However, that seemed to create more anxiety than anything and shortly after I realized they are more relaxed and focused without time constraints.  This led me analyze my first of many “failures” as a teacher. 

As a teacher, I am constantly “failing” whether it is through students not grasping the content, parents complaining about an issue or handling a situation incorrectly.  But in a weird way I love these failures because it allows me the opportunity to self reflect and think about what I will do differently in the future.  Now, four years in I am more confident than ever as I know that I am still learning new things every day.

I try to pass on this way of thinking to my students.  For our science unit we use PLTW (Project Lead the Way) which is a program that sets up a problem and has the students use the engineering design process to solve the problem.  This allows students the opportunity to fail but offers a guideline for reflection.  My students LOVE this unit and doesn’t even really see it as a failure if their designs don’t work.  It is through a great deal of discussion that they are able to grasp how not getting something right can often be more beneficial to our learning and growth than actually getting it right.

In the article, Lifelong Kindergarten, it talks about the difference between the kindergarten approach and other grades and how this approach should be intertwined amongst all grade levels.  “if digital technologies are properly designed and supported, they can extend the kindergarten approach, so that learners of all ages can continue to learn in the kindergarten style” (Resnick 51).  This connects to the critical thinking part of our compass.  It is important for our students to get time to explore whether it be through makerspace or digitally as the article mentioned.

A huge benefit of this way of thinking is that the high expectations we place on kids are not on the end result but instead on the hard work they put into the problem.  I feel when too much focus is placed on accuracy and getting the answer “right” the kids often get down on themselves and don’t care to reflect.  However, when the focus is placed on the critical thinking portion it shows kids that if they work hard, it doesn’t matter the outcome.  This allows them the confidence to fail and try again.

Below is a quick snapshot into my teaching journey that I created for CEP 811.  This shows where I started to where I am now and what I learned is most important along the way.

References:

Resnick, M. (2017). Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating creativity through projects, passion, peers, and play. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Week 7: Reflection

As my CEP 810 course comes to an end I can’t help but reflect on the things I’ve learned.  We have many technology resources in our schools but it’s how you use them and integrate it in the classroom that counts.  First, I was able to create a blog, which is something I have never done before. This allowed me to showcase my learning and share that with others.  This made me realize how important it is to have a personal learning network (PLN). Your PLN is how you learn and share new information; which could be through colleagues, social media, blogs or conferences.

One topic this course that peaked my interest was YouTube.  I have always used YouTube as extensions to topics and I’ve always love it because it has such valuable information.  However, during this course I learned how to use YouTube to in my classroom as a learning tool for my students.  I can teach them how to present information digitally using YouTube. I was able to use our Network Learning Project to present information I learned on YouTube myself.  I was able to use a personal circumstance where we are remodeling our kitchen so we are unable to cook on our stove or oven and take it as an opportunity to learn something new. So, I was able to use blogs and YouTube videos to learn how to cook on the grill.  Then, I was able to showcase my learning through my own video.

This will be my fourth year teaching and I feel I still have so much to learn.  I hope to utilize the valuable information I have learned from this course to enrich my learning and my teaching.  My goal is to continue to learn more about different ways to incorporate technology into my classroom.

Photo by Mikes Photos on Pexels.com

Week 6: Cooking with TPACK

For CEP 810 this week, we were asked to complete a TPACK quickfire challenge.  TPACK stands for technological, pedagogical and content knowledge and the idea of TPACK is to incorporate all of these ideas into one lesson in the classroom.  The importance of TPACK is to understand that as teachers, we all teach using these three tools, however, we don’t always blend them together to make our lesson the best it should be.  Technology integration can take a lesson from good to great if used in the correct way.

The quickfire challenge was both fun and challenging at the same time.  I instructed my husband to pick out a bowl, a plate and some sort of utensil for me to use.  I then had him pick a number from a bowl.  He chose number 4, which meant I had to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich using a spatula, a mixing bowl and an appetizer platter.  It worked better than I thought it would because I was able to scoop the peanut butter and jelly out with the handle part of the spatula and spread it with the other end.  It was not ideal but I made it work and made a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Check out my video below:

 

Week 5: NLP

Over the last few weeks, I have been using blogs and youtube videos to help me learn how to cook a delicious burger on the grill.  I found youtube videos were the most helpful because it allowed me to see what I needed to do and mimic that.  It was a fun journey but as my kitchen remodel comes to a close, I am looking forward to cooking in my brand new kitchen.

I found that cooking on the grill gets easier with practice; the more you do it, the easier it becomes.  I definitely had a couple burnt burgers at the beginning but after a couple different tries,  I was able to get the hang of it and create a delicious burger.  Overall, I really enjoyed learning something new this way.  It is so nice to be able to learn something new in the comfort of your own home by just searching online.  I think this is a great way to learn and I will definitely use this learning tactic in the future.

Check out my final NLP video below.