This week we began our lesson on archeology. Students were asked to make a brochure style pictorgram as if it were going to be viewed by later generations in a museum. In their "cave drawings" the students were given examples of what to include such as their religion, the kinds of food they ate, hobbies/clubs, etc. What surprised me was when I was looking around the room I noticed a few students were using app icons. I took a closer lol and I found they were the Snapchat, Facebook, and Netflix apps. When I asked the student why she chose these images for the brochure she answered, "Because they are my life!" I wasn't exactly sure what to say but I felt some concern. As a generation, technology plays an enormous role in the lives of teenagers. I'm reserving judgement whether it's good or bad but my feeling is that technology should be a part of your life but not the main part. I wonder what future archeologists will have to report on our use of technology in the 21st century?
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Sunday, October 15, 2017
1:1 Technology
Last week in my Education class we worked on a hypothetical scenario where we would be
introducing 1 to 1 technology to students and families. The assignment was two fold. In the first part my team was asked to write up a letter about the technology initiative to send out to families addressing things such as parental concerns, cost, etc. Part two of the task was to research student usuage contracts implemented by other schools in the area and use them a a reference to create our own. I've linked the products here:
Fair Use Contract
Letter to Parents
The rationale behind inserting technology into the classroom is that students should be the best equipped to handle the real world as possible by the time of graduation. We believe that in order to be well prepared upon graduation, then digital citizenship is crucial to that end. Our goal is for students to learn to be responsible with technology and to use it in ways that prove beneficial to learning. That is why we were very conscientious about choosing our wording in both documents. We wanted our language to be encouraging with the challenge to integrate technology and encouraging that students respect the opportunity as well.
I am excited about the opportunity to use technology in the classroom. Technology has so much to offer students whether it's assistance with learning differences, global communication, or expanded research methods. Technology has the potential to open doors to students who may otherwise never have the chance to broaden their horizons. When used correctly, technology such as iPads, chrome books, or even smart boards can add a whole new dimension to the learning environment. However, one of my fears is that technology may become somewhat of a distraction instead of its intended purpose. One way to curb the temptation of students misuse is to have in place a policy for good use. My only other concern is technical difficulties. In other words, how can I prepare myself for technical difficulties so that when an issue arises during class my lesson will still succeed without throwing students off task? In this way, a helpful piece of professional development might be work on airing technology with Plan B's for when Plan A doesn't load.
Lastly, I think it's important to recognize the importance of finding a balance between using technology and more traditional classroom methods. There's something authentic about being able to physically hold and experience a book or receive a paper back with handwritten comments from your teacher. I look forward to finding this balance.
*******************************************************
Performance Criterion:
2.1: candidates use an understanding of individual differences to design inclusive learning experience.
3.1: candidates design learning environments that support individual learners marked by active engagement.
8.1: candidates use a variety of instructional strategies to make the discipline accessible for diverse learners.
(As mentioned above, technology has the potential to address several learning differences such as dyslexia for example. More broadly, technology has the potential to address Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners through a variety of apps and software. Moreover, students can be actively engaged in learning rather than simply sitting back to view a lecture and take notes.)
3.2: candidates design learning environments that support collaborative learning marked by positive social interaction.
(Technology initiatives such as introducing 1:1 iPads, provides the opportunity for collaborative learning. Students can use apps such as Google Docs to work together on projects. iPads and chrome books can be synced with apps such as Nearpod so that everyone in a classroom is guaranteed to be working on the same thing at the same time. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, "let's put our heads together" when facing new challenges in learning.)
4.1: candidates accurately communicate central concept of the discipline.
10.1: candidates are prepared to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure student learning.
(In writing a letter home to parents and designing a fair use contract, we have demonstrated accurate communication of the discipline. As future educators our job is to help not only students but also parents smoothly transition with digital citizenship. Part of that task is helping to address concerns or fears that people may have around technology.)
Fair Use Contract
Letter to Parents
The rationale behind inserting technology into the classroom is that students should be the best equipped to handle the real world as possible by the time of graduation. We believe that in order to be well prepared upon graduation, then digital citizenship is crucial to that end. Our goal is for students to learn to be responsible with technology and to use it in ways that prove beneficial to learning. That is why we were very conscientious about choosing our wording in both documents. We wanted our language to be encouraging with the challenge to integrate technology and encouraging that students respect the opportunity as well.
I am excited about the opportunity to use technology in the classroom. Technology has so much to offer students whether it's assistance with learning differences, global communication, or expanded research methods. Technology has the potential to open doors to students who may otherwise never have the chance to broaden their horizons. When used correctly, technology such as iPads, chrome books, or even smart boards can add a whole new dimension to the learning environment. However, one of my fears is that technology may become somewhat of a distraction instead of its intended purpose. One way to curb the temptation of students misuse is to have in place a policy for good use. My only other concern is technical difficulties. In other words, how can I prepare myself for technical difficulties so that when an issue arises during class my lesson will still succeed without throwing students off task? In this way, a helpful piece of professional development might be work on airing technology with Plan B's for when Plan A doesn't load.
Lastly, I think it's important to recognize the importance of finding a balance between using technology and more traditional classroom methods. There's something authentic about being able to physically hold and experience a book or receive a paper back with handwritten comments from your teacher. I look forward to finding this balance.
*******************************************************
Performance Criterion:
2.1: candidates use an understanding of individual differences to design inclusive learning experience.
3.1: candidates design learning environments that support individual learners marked by active engagement.
8.1: candidates use a variety of instructional strategies to make the discipline accessible for diverse learners.
(As mentioned above, technology has the potential to address several learning differences such as dyslexia for example. More broadly, technology has the potential to address Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners through a variety of apps and software. Moreover, students can be actively engaged in learning rather than simply sitting back to view a lecture and take notes.)
3.2: candidates design learning environments that support collaborative learning marked by positive social interaction.
(Technology initiatives such as introducing 1:1 iPads, provides the opportunity for collaborative learning. Students can use apps such as Google Docs to work together on projects. iPads and chrome books can be synced with apps such as Nearpod so that everyone in a classroom is guaranteed to be working on the same thing at the same time. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, "let's put our heads together" when facing new challenges in learning.)
4.1: candidates accurately communicate central concept of the discipline.
10.1: candidates are prepared to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure student learning.
(In writing a letter home to parents and designing a fair use contract, we have demonstrated accurate communication of the discipline. As future educators our job is to help not only students but also parents smoothly transition with digital citizenship. Part of that task is helping to address concerns or fears that people may have around technology.)
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Monday, October 9, 2017
Day 4
Interdisciplinary units - Big History Project & Evolution/science
Early civilizations - teacher taking down my ideas for consideration
Crunch time during lessons on shortened days
Early civilizations - teacher taking down my ideas for consideration
Crunch time during lessons on shortened days
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Day 3 - Technology in the Classroom
One resource that I've seen my host teacher use is a program called Flocabulary. It's an online tool that does require a subscription, but it provides mini lesson videos, vocabulary resources, quizzes and more. Today the students continued work on their geography unit. At the beginning of each class the students watch a fun video on the 50 states and their capitals. Using these resources in the classroom are great ways of incorporating digital technology and engaging many kinds of learners.
One thing that I took away from today's observation is a new style of assessment. Her philosophy is that students have a better chance of learning and succeeding if they can see their progress over time. Not only do preassessments and follow ups help her to gage student learning, but they also give the students extra practice before they are asked to take a graded version of the same quiz. Basically, the teacher handed out a quiz on the states' capitals and asked students to fill in as many as they could after having watched the video. They complete the same quiz three times but the first two times are not marked in the grade book. Then the students get to correct their own work and see where they have progressed or still need improvement. It's not a retake in the traditional sense, but rather a practice tool for the real test later I really like the concept of giving the same quiz multiple times instead of only once because it gives students a good chance to practice and get better. It also provides a basis for proficiency based grading because it shows visible student development over time.
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As a side note, today we recognized the celebration of Dashain, a Nepalese holiday which many students at Hunt practice. I've linked a brief description of what it's all about here. One student came in today with the courage to wear a cultural marker on her forehead representing the blessing of her elders called a "Tika." Unfortunately, it didn't stay on the whole day because she said it came off during gym. I only hope is that she did not take it off out of feeling pressured to do so. Nonetheless, I am constantly reminded and in awe of how diverse the student population is here at Hunt. I look forward to learning even more about the students and their cultural backgrounds.
One thing that I took away from today's observation is a new style of assessment. Her philosophy is that students have a better chance of learning and succeeding if they can see their progress over time. Not only do preassessments and follow ups help her to gage student learning, but they also give the students extra practice before they are asked to take a graded version of the same quiz. Basically, the teacher handed out a quiz on the states' capitals and asked students to fill in as many as they could after having watched the video. They complete the same quiz three times but the first two times are not marked in the grade book. Then the students get to correct their own work and see where they have progressed or still need improvement. It's not a retake in the traditional sense, but rather a practice tool for the real test later I really like the concept of giving the same quiz multiple times instead of only once because it gives students a good chance to practice and get better. It also provides a basis for proficiency based grading because it shows visible student development over time.
----
As a side note, today we recognized the celebration of Dashain, a Nepalese holiday which many students at Hunt practice. I've linked a brief description of what it's all about here. One student came in today with the courage to wear a cultural marker on her forehead representing the blessing of her elders called a "Tika." Unfortunately, it didn't stay on the whole day because she said it came off during gym. I only hope is that she did not take it off out of feeling pressured to do so. Nonetheless, I am constantly reminded and in awe of how diverse the student population is here at Hunt. I look forward to learning even more about the students and their cultural backgrounds.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Day 2 at Hunt Middle Scool
It's Day 2 at Hunt Middle School and today my host teacher worked with students on current events. In the past I have had concerns about how to appropriately handle current event topics that involve politics. My main concern is how to approach difficult discussions when students bring up controversial subjects. For example, it's not beyond the realm of possibilities that in today's highly charged political climate, students (and parents) might have a strong reaction to certain current event conversations. In the class prior, two students chose to do their current event presentation on the NFL protests while another set of students chose to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Likewise, a third set of students chose to cover the Las Vegas shooting. Each of these news pieces had the potential to cause an issue in the classroom the same way sparks fly on social media, on television, or around the family dinner table. The NFL debate in particular has brought about some intense polarization on social media in the past few months and students are by no means ignorant of the heated debate surrounding the issue. One way to address the political climate is to bring it out into the open and talk about it in schools. Vermont state offered teachers some helpful suggestions on how to address the concerns that students bring in when they cross the threshold. The one rule that I noticed my host teacher put into practice is that students are asked to address both sides of a given issue and present all the relevant facts. With the NFL protests, these tech savvy students were able to create a detailed presentation that used real news sources and cited several opposing views from athletes, service members, people of color, etc. Following the presentation, the class was invited to have an open discussion in order to reflect on what had been said. I was surprised at how respectful and insightful the dialogue was, with students saying things like, "I'd never thought of it that way before." The students really considered ALL the opinions being offered up before making judgments. Meanwhile, the teacher stepped back and let students have a meaningful discourse without entering her own thoughts into the mix. I couldn't help but think to myself that I wish some of the adults I know could have done the same as these middle schoolers.
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