What I have learned...
Over the course of this Summer, we have completed several projects in an effort to meet the ISTE Standards for Educators. Although some of these standards are focused on student engagement, which was not possible over the Summer, I fully believe that I now have the knowledge and tools that will allow me to meet these standards in my classroom. First and foremost, the first standard states that educators will improve by working with others, which was accomplished nearly every week with the group projects. Each week our group worked together to create and revise our projects in order to meet this standard. Moving forward, I have no doubt that I will be able to take what I have learned and collaborate with my colleagues at the school I teach at to design and facilitate quality and technologically advanced education to our students. The Tools Google Docs/Slides: Throughout the semester, our group utilized Google Docs and Slides for several projects. We used Docs to create our grant proposal, lesson plan, and instructional materials. We used Slides to also create instructional materials. I personally love Google Suite applications because everything you create saves to your Google Drive. Google Drive can be accessed from anywhere on any computer or device, which makes it so easy to work from anywhere. The district I work in uses Google accounts, so I already have experience working with it and will continue to work with these applications going forward. Google Forms: Our group utilized Google Forms for the survey project. Forms allows you to create many different types of questions and view the results all at once. These are both features that I really like, and I already use Forms in my class very often. I am able to use it for many different types of things, from gathering student information, giving tests and quizzes, and even allowing student to cast votes for non-curriculum activities such as Homecoming. Google Sites: The last Google application we used was Sites. This was by far my favorite Google application that we used this semester. Sites allows you to create a personalized website where you can upload everything students may need to be successful in your classroom. I have mentioned before that I have tried to create a Google Site before for my classroom but found that I did not have the time to play with it effectively enough. However, now that I have used it in this class, I feel that I am much better prepared to use it going forward. Podcast: To record my podcast project, I used the website Vocaroo. Personally, I do not foresee myself using podcasts in my classroom. The current generation of students do not seem to be interested in learning in this manner. Although I personally love listening to podcasts on my drives to and from work, the age groups I teach are more interested in the videos that are provided from apps like TikTok and Snapchat. Screen Capture/iMovie: I used Loom to record my screen capture video and then used iMovie to edit it. Loom is a free Chrome extension service that allows you to record yourself or record your screen. I find Loom extremely easy to use because it has fast processing speeds and allows you to pause and restart your video at anytime without having to start over. It also allows you to share the videos you produce by sending a link or downloading the video file. iMovie is also a very beneficial software that is free when you own an Apple product. I use it regularly, but I actually found myself exploring it even further when using it for this class. I suppose that is because I was being graded and wanted to ensure I produced quality work. I already utilized these softwares and will most certainly continue to do so in my class moving forward. Edpuzzle: Edpuzzle is one of my favorite teaching tools from this year. There were times that it was easier for me to assign a video to my students learning virtually than to just simply make them read something. However, this project was the first time I produced and uploaded my own video to Edpuzzle. I found it very user friendly, and I really like how easy it is to create questions. I did, however, dislike that a class cannot be edited much once it has been created. That is a feature that I wish was present. Otherwise, I most certainly see myself continuing to use it this year, and I also intend to do more uploading and creating of my own with it this year. Quizizz: Quizizz was by far the best thing I learned to use this semester. In the past, I have always used Gimkit, which requires a paid subscription. Using a free tool like Quizizz that is so easy to create on was a real game changer for me. I see myself using it for reviews, quizzes, and to provide things like bell ringers and exit slips. I love that it allows me to collect and review student work while also grading it for me. I cannot wait to use it in a few weeks! Rubistar: Rubistar is a rubric creating website that allows you to download the rubric as an excel file when complete. Although it has many advantages, I do not intend to use this site in my own class. My main issue with it is that it does not allow you to set different point amounts for different criteria prior to downloading it. Once I download the rubric to excel, I do not want to have to continue to edit it to my liking. Although there is an obvious benefit of having preset criteria descriptions, I simply found that I was editing it more than I would have liked. Also, we use Google Classroom in my district, which has a way for your to build in rubrics on assignments. I have grown accustomed to this feature and intend on continuing to use it. Padlet: Padlet is a tool that allows you to post links in a Pinterest board set up for students to use. It also allows students to post resources and contribute to the board as well. I personally really liked that tool and anticipate using it in my Zoology and Human A&P classes this year. These two classes are designed to be more research based, so I hope to create a project where students must upload their resources to the class Padlet to answer specific questions. Thinglink: Thinglink is similar to Padlet, but it does not allow for collaboration. Therefore, I would have to use it as a pre-made lesson tool, unless I assigned students to make their own Thinglinks. Regardless, I still hope I can somehow incorporate this tool in my class. I think it may be possible to use it for some type of online scavenger hunt, such as with lab safety rules during the first week of school. Weebly: The overarching tool for this entire course has been to create a blogfolio using Weebly.com. During Week 1, I found this task very overwhelming and questioned whether or not I would be able to produce a quality blog. However, 9 weeks later I feel like I have executed this task very well! Although I do not think I will be using Weebly in the future, as I prefer the interface of Google Sites, I did find that I was able to learn how to use it effectively during this course. Strengths and Weaknesses I have actually learned a lot about myself throughout this course. I learned that I seem to be able to work well with a group and a I am able to take on a leadership role when necessary. I am much better at learning new technologies than I originally thought I would be, and have strength with these technologies once I understand them. Perhaps my biggest weakness that I have established is having a lack of confidence in myself. I began the semester with a lot of doubt, but here I am at the end feeling as if I have accomplished exactly what I felt like I could not! Future Learning Goals As I have mentioned on each individual technology above, I do intend on utilizing many of these technologies in my classroom moving forward. My reasonings behind using or not using each tool is also mentioned with each individual took write up. As for the future of my technological advancements, I am excited to dive deeper into my chosen tools, as well as begin exploring new ones. I hope to sit down with fellow teachers and learn new technologies from them, as well as acquire new resources through professional development opportunities. The new school year seems to have many exciting opportunities coming into view, and I cannot wait to take them all head on.
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Chapter 9: There is a fine line between students’ right to express themselves (freedom of speech) and the requirement that educators must protect all students from inappropriate commentary and invasion of privacy. How will you handle balancing your student’s right to express and the requirement that they behave as good digital citizens when using technology in school? Give examples. Students oftentimes, if not all of the time, completely misjudge what is appropriate or not when it comes to what is appropriate or not online. In my first year teaching, I encountered many instances where students used their devices inappropriately during school. The may have been by searching inappropriate content, bullying other students or teachers online, or expressing themselves in such a way that made them a spectacle. Although there is a right to freedom of speech, there is not a right to hurt others. In the new digital age, we must teach students what is and is not appropriate because the time we live in requires knowledge of 21st century skills. My district does not allow the use of cell phones in class unless it is for instructional purposes. However, I personally found it very difficult to be strict in my classroom about this because we were not 1:1 the first semester, but we were required to work in Google Classroom. When we finally got to be 1:1 and students received their devices, it was difficult to reestablish new boundaries for cell phones. This year, I intend to be strict from day 1 about cell phones. I will not tolerate the use of cell phones in class. Although it seems harsh, I believe that it will help teach students digital awareness and keep them focused on the reason they are at school: to learn. I think the most Important thing that I intend to do this year is actually teach students what is and is not appropriate online. I think that as adults, we often forget that kids have to learn how to behave in an appropriate manner. We think that they should inherently know, but they actually have to be taught, just like with anything else. Therefore, I want to give a presentation that shows examples of appropriate and inappropriate internet use and behavior, and have students write a short narrative about their own thoughts in regards to Freedom of Speech. If we teach students what is expected, they will usually follow it. Chapter 10: Consider your level of educational technology literacy as you complete this course. How competent do you believe you are in order to teach in a technology-rich environment? What other opportunities would you search for to become even more proficient in the use of technology in the classroom? Prior to taking this course, I was anxious about my technology literacy. I struggled my first year in the classroom incorporating technology because I simply did not know what was available. I also just did not have the time to dedicate to exploring them as a first year teacher with 3 preps. However, after taking this class, I do feel more confident in my ability to teach with technology. I fully believe I can utilize many of the resources I learned in this class, particularly programs like Padlet, Quizizz, and Thinglink. I am very interested in looking at how I can utilize Google Sites as well. Although I have all these new technologies in my toolbelt, I know there are many other potential resources out there to use. In particular, I need to find more resources that will help me with teaching my specific curriculum. It is surprising how little there is out there to teach Chemistry, Human A&P, and Zoology. I intend on doing more research and diving deeper into finding more resources to help me teach my courses. This week, each group was required to create a class website that compiled all of the materials and assignments that we have created so far into one place. Our group chose to use Google Sites, which I was very excited about. My district uses Google Suites, and I tried to make a class website last year but found it difficult to find the time to learn how and execute the task.
As always, we chose a divide and conquer approach, and my job was to create the assignments tab. I started by adding our Student Technology Survey, however when I added the form itself to the page, it left a lot of dead space between assignments that could not be removed. I decided to add it differently by linking it to a button. The button was much simpler, and took up significantly less space on the page. The rest of the assignments were easily added by embedding a code within the page. Students and viewers can simply click the linked codes and see the preview before clicking with it set up this way. I chose assignments from each of my group members to ensure that each of our work was represented in the course site. Overall, this week was very fun and enlightening, and I am really excited to try to maybe use this feature of Google in my classroom this year. Project 11 Link This week, the group project was to create a group Padlet based on our lesson plan and topic from project 2. Eli began our Padlet and then shared it to us all to add. We also each created our own Thinglinks that could be used and provided to students for supplemental resources. I found creating both of these materials exciting. I had always been interested in utilizing Padlet but had never had enough time to dig deep into its uses during the school year. After using both of these tools, I realized that I could use both of these in my science classes this year. In particular, I see myself using them in Zoology or Human A&P and having students collaborate to find resources and information to solve a problem or present a project. As a group, I think we really executed this week's task well. We worked quickly and efficiently and everyone really did a great job! For project 10, I chose to create a Quizizz to allow myself to become familiar with something now, as I use Kahoot in my classroom already. I actually found that I prefer Quizizz! The interface is very user friendly and I like how many options there are for questions. As for the rubric, I had no idea that there was an online tool like RubiStar for creating rubrics. I think the only thing I dislike about it is that each category is worth the same amount of points. When I use rubrics in my classroom, each category is weighted different. For example, presentation may be worth 20 points total while creativity is worth 10 points total. Overall this week was very simple and enjoyable. I really liked all of the tools I was introduced to and will most definitely be using them this year. Project 9 Padlet Group 2 Project 9 Links (view in Google Doc) Project 10 Quizzizz ![]()
Chapter 8: Have you had any distance education or blended course experiences? Try to remember what were the benefits and the disadvantages of that experience. If you have not had either type of course, try to imagine what it would be like and what characteristics of it you would like and which ones you would not. Why?
My first year of teaching fell during the year of COVID, and my school chose to implement a hybrid learning schedule. Students had the choice to come to school or to do distance learning. If they chose distance learning, it was asynchronous, and they did not have to log on to any video chat service everyday. I personally felt as if this had both advantages and disadvantages. On the upper hand, students were able to complete work within their own time limits, so long as they met their due dates. However, it eliminated the chance to develop teacher-student relationships, which I feel is an important aspect of education. Further disadvantages that I experienced was a lack of online resources. I found that because I teach upper level science courses, the availability of free online resources was very limited compared to the state tested classes. Softwares like Study Island and Khan Academy did not contain material suitable for my standards. My students learning from home also tended to become dejected and I had a hard time relating to them through text in an email. I think perhaps the biggest challenge of all was that our school is located in a rural area. Therefore, many students who chose distance learning had no internet access, and I had to send their work home each week in packets. This defeated the purpose of using Google Classroom and completing work online. However, distance learning did come with its advantages. The students who took it seriously were able to complete their work and have a part time job. Although this in some cases was not a good situation, I did have a few students who worked really hard and were able to provide for their family at the same time. It was also of great benefit to students who have their own children at home. They were able to take care of their responsibilities without having to leave their children with a caretaker. This year, our district will only be allowing students to do distance learning if they have reliable computer access and a valid medical reason. I think this will help a lot with eliminating failures! My Learning Experiences This week we took a break from group projects and completed 3 projects individually. The first of these was a screen capture of a lecture or procedure. Following our lesson plan from project 2, I recorded myself setting up MLA format on a Google Doc. This was a simple task for me because I did this very thing all year long when I would record lectures for my virtual students. Project 7 was to edit the video that was recorded in project 6 and add transitions, titles, and credits. I decided to split the video into 5 parts: page setup, font, spacing, document body, and header. This project was something I had not done before. Because I had 3 preps this year, I did not have time to edit my screen captures, and I would just upload them. To edit this screen capture, I used iMovie on my personal laptop. I found this task to be very easy because of how well the iMovie interface is setup. Perhaps this year I will have time to edit my lecture videos. Project 8 required the project 7 video to be uploaded to Edpuzzle and made into an interactive learning tool. I personally love Edpuzzle, and used it many times in my classroom this year. However, I always used already made videos. This was my first experience making my own interactive video. Again, I found Edpuzzle so easy to use! I can definitely see myself using this more to upload my lecture videos this year. A common issue I ran into last year was that students would not watch the lecture videos. This year, I could use Edpuzzle and make watching the videos apart of their grade. It would also provide me with documentation if issues with engagement were ever to arise. If you would like to video my Edpuzzle, you can click the link below! The class access code is adalije. Project 6: https://youtu.be/RvTZfyX-cUc Project 7: https://youtu.be/4L-eldVZRxE Project 8: https://edpuzzle.com/assignments/60df3cddba50cd416667ecd4/watch |
Sarah HolderA quirky science teacher with English teacher handwriting. ArchivesBlog Reels
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