Wrapping Up the Semester and Reflecting

Boy have a had a busy semester. My calendar was crammed:

But it was a pretty good one. After tying up a couple of loose ends and completing last minute details, it is time for a break.

But now for a little reflecting...

I came into CEP 811 with some concrete goals for areas in which I wanted to grow. I wanted to learn more about mobile technologies such as cell phones. I wanted to become more creative when it came to repurposing various technologies. I wanted to create more web material for myself. And finally I wanted to get better at being a cloud computer, and facilitating cloud computing.

I accomplished some of my goals, but not all. With the help of various friends and coursework in CEP 811 and TE 831, I was able to explore mobile technologies. I created a lesson in which cell phones were the main source of response for students. One friend helped me do research using a free service, and the other bought into the idea and paid for an expanded package. What was discovered was that the $50.00 yearly fee is well worth the enhanced functionality. But I found that overall using cell phones is an engaging and earth friendly way to illicit student responses. In that sense, I was also able to accomplish my goal of being more creative in regards to repurposing technology, although it is certainly a skill I wish to enhance quite a bit moving forward. A huge area of growth for me was in terms of website creation and web site design. I have for some time been a creator of websites, but most of the material I used was borrowed, and the designs were simplistic. Through course work in CEP 811 I learned more about website design and how to create inviting web sites. I then reconfigured some existing sites, tested our other web hosting platforms, and even created a weebly for my own personal hobby of building. In regards to cloud computing, I did not make a tremendous amount of gains there, other than having worked with using off site servers to host web materials. I did however see some gains with sing web 2.0 tools and working with collaborative sites such as wikipedia. It was interesting to put myself into that realm, and my contributions felt meaningful and made me excited to be part of the process.

As I mentioned earlier, I do not feel I made great strides in cloud computing. Part of that may be because in the first half of the semester I worked a lot with cloud computer and had already made significant gains on the year. Another reason is because CEP 811 is not as involved in regards to group working, meaning that one can exist more within their own personal domain as opposed to sharing all their work and materials with others in live time. Rather, I simply made available finished products. I do not see this all together as a failure though, as it is not really an element of the course.

In the future I do wish to continue to grow as a cloud computer, and particularity as an educator on cloud computing. Clearly the biggest obstacle for me at this time is the fact that I am not presently in a classroom. That gives me valuable time to learn more about cloud computing. I also want to continue to grow and develop as a creator of web material. I have found hosting a blog and creating sites about my own interest to be an interesting study. I do not share this blog with others, but I would strongly consider making a classroom blog in the future. I also am keen on my weebly and think I may share that with friends and family. The experience actually makes me quite interested in working with students in a tech setting as well as a social studies classroom.

There are many excellent resources out there, be they through MACUL, MERLOT, or other site. Putting these resources into perspective, as well as UDL and philosophies on assistive technologies makes it near impossible for an educator to deny the benefits of integrating technology into both their creation of material and implementations of teaching. I plan to use shared resources in the future to inform my teaching on a regular basis. I think this is a practice which can keep teachers grounded and give new perspectives. As far as integrating technology into instruction itself, I want to keep taking advantage of the resources that are provided in the classroom, utilize the technologies students have such as cell phones, and adapt other technologies to also allow their use in the classroom.

The frame works for which I have evaluated my learning, and for which I will continue to evaluate my technology use and teaching is TPACK framework and UDL. It is important to consider the major components of my teaching (pedagogy, content and technology) while also keeping in mind the functionality and accessibility of my teaching through UDL.


I am proud of my progress over the course of the semester, feel I have made progress, and look forward to refining what skills I have, and conquering and adopting those which I have yet to tackle.

Peer StAIR Reviews

Kelly Mahoney
LESSON PLAN: Math Menu
 
I think your lesson is a very fun, yet challenging, way for students to interact with math in an everyday scenario. Creating a real life situation will no doubt make the learning more meaningful. I wondered how you might structure this for a student who struggles with mathematics though? I think the idea of modeling to your students is a very good one. I am unclear on whether or not you tested out the actual math of it though? This may but more of a mute point, as your students should have already obtained all the skills prior. One way I might suggest looking at this would be to take out the take a tip to start with though. (e.g. if you have 70 dollars, that means your bill can be 55.03 prior to 6% sales tax and 20% tip.) I think that strategy might help kids who are a little slower with math, as it takes the “twist” out, or so to speak. I want to reiterate, that I think this is a great lesson; I also know this lesson to be a challenging one.
WEB SOURCE: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/comments.htm?material=594769

StAIR: Genre Investigation
I think this is a well done StAIR. There were some functionality issues that I would assume relate to me viewing it on Open Office. Issues included text running out of view, videos unable to play, and the page arrows not responding always. As I said, I think those are issues relating to using different platforms than one another. As far as the content of the presentation, I think you do a very good job of presenting the material. The strongest aspect might be the use of examples. Even though I am an adult and know these genres already, it made the study of genres seem almost vivid to have such classic examples. I can only assume the videos added a deeper and more intricate form of teaching. I am not a huge fan of animations in general, and felt at times spinning and moving words distracted from the purpose. The quiz questions were great, and I liked that they each had a written response. I used sounds and felt retrospectively that they may be misleading to one who misinterprets, and leaves out those who cannot hear. Overall this was a very good presentation with multiple intelligences targeted, and concrete goals and objectives.
WEB SOURCE: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=605250

Edwina Lawson
LESSON PLAN: Parts of a Plant
I think this lesson holds great merit. I am not sure if your students will find great meaning in the connection between parts of a plant and what they eat at the superstore though. Regardless, I think this is an excellent lesson within a lesson, as it is amazing how many basic fruits and vegetables American children (and adults) cannot name. Another strong source of interest for students might be to relate the structure of plants and vegetables to each other and other species. I think you use multiple ways of teaching effectively through direct instruction, questioning, student work on graphs and computers, and then writing and reflecting as a class. In this regard you weave together multiple intelligences and strategies into a very well rounded lesson.
WEB SOURCE: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/comments.htm?material=596502

StAIR: How Do Body Systems Work Together
This was a difficult StAIR for me to review, as I was unable to interact with the video or exlore any of the diagrams. I am not sure of the reason for that, or if something was missing from the presentation. The information on the slides was very thorough, but without the ancillary materials the presentation is obviously limited to a smaller group of learners whose skills lie in reading and recalling. The video aspect would surely add a dimension and help those who are visual and auditory learners. Additionally, I think the interactive diagrams would be great for exploring the human body and its various systems. The quiz section worked well for me, and I liked the combination of visuals and texts. I think one thing (that I have not done either) that might be helpful would be not only a statement of error, but also an explanation of why their answer is not correct. For example, one questions correct answer is all of the above, perahaps if the response acknowledge their answer as partially correct it would help students to find the ultimate answer more quickly. Overall I enjoyed your presentation and wish I could have viewed it in its entire form. It is well designed and pleasant to read and view.
WEB SOURCE: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/comments.htm?material=604927

Exploring MACUL

I recently posted on MACUL space about my interest in evaluating images in the classroom. I think projectors and smartboards enhance that experience greatly.

I found this post by my fellow classmate about her desire to use VoiceThread, a technology I have some limited experience with. I highly encourage her and anyone else who is interested to give it a shot.

Online Teaching

First off, I want to encourage all my teaching colleagues, particularly in Michigan, to give some time to this document: Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience Guideline Companion Document.

Online teaching is something that I do not think there is enough of currently. Recently Michigan and other states have mandating that students must experience some form of online learning in their high school careers. I had been under the assumption that that meant they had to complete one class online, but as it should turn out I too am ill-informed. Michigan mandates that students should complete one class online, even if it is a hybrid, and then have online learning incorporated into all their common core classes, which is to say nearly every class. Obviously, there are some difficulties involved, most revolving around the lack of technology in some schools and homes, as well as the inability by some teachers to use online technology. While we cannot always change what is available in the home, we can work on other likely issues. That said, Michigan and other states would be wise to mandate the use of e-learning in every single class taught in all levels of schooling.

The document I linked at the beginning of this post is a resource guide that is provided by the state of Michigan. The document begins with a description of what online learning is, the (frail) requirements outlines by the state, the purpose of online learning, and then moves into the meat of the document. The meat of the document consist of various categories for types of learning, for example a web-quest. For each category it lists the positive qualities it meets, resources for understanding and implementing the type of learning, and then precise METS criteria it meets. The resources are amazing, and provide concrete examples and help for the crowd of educators whom I mentioned would struggle with technology implementation due to lack of knowledge.

On the site I noticed that one of my favorite online teaching options was listed - Wikis! It even provided that resource I use: Wikispaces. I think that nearly all things that are taught in a classroom can be taught using wikispaces. In my reading for my CEP 811 class this week I read the opinion of Sandra Plair about how overtime all class materials could be more or less places on an online site for students to use as a review or enrichment opportunity. I agree with her sentiment, but also believe from first hand experience that Wiki's can be used for new learning opportunities. I have used it as a hybrid in class before. During lessons, instead of having students discuss things out loud, I have had them respond to a question through a post on our class discussion board. At the end of a preset time period, I had them read and respond to a certain number of classmates posts (usually 3+). This helps to allow those with smaller voices to be heard, and also forces those who usually sit on the outside of a conversation to enter it, yet in a less stressful way.

The types of lessons one is able to give on a Wiki are nearly limitless due to the flexibility widgets provide. One can ask people to read, write, discuss, view movies, create (movie, art, etc.), and much more. Because many students today are digital natives, having grown up with web 2.0 tools, I think this is a very accessible form of technology. This is not because they necessarily already know how to use it, but because they can learn quickly due to similar experiences.

Some of the resources discussed in the article pose more difficulty to students. I believe that using research sites, RSS, and collaboration sites are more difficult. Research based sites and RSS pose issues not because they are difficult to navigate, but because it takes a lot of practice and skills for students to begin to be able to determine what is and is not valuable and credible data. Collaboration in the online environment is also difficult, because it is often not done in real time, and there can be confusion over meaning and non-reporting of group members. Overall I think these obstacles can be overcome. Those who attempt to delay online learning because of cited downfalls often forget that all types of activities have their drawl backs; sometimes we have to accept those and work around them. Online learning is here to stay...and grow.

Sharing on MACUL

Adventures in Wiki's

I was recently reading about Wiki's in my CEP 811 course. Wiki's are a topic I already know much about. I have personally created several of my own in the past. You can check them out by looking at my screenshots below:

https://williamstonmsgeography.wikispaces.com/

https://misterschmidt.wikispaces.com/

https://bradfordacademy.wikispaces.com/

http://shrinkingaralsea.wikispaces.com/

Part of my assignment for this week called on me to do some editing to a Wikipedia site, specifically of my current school. The obvious problem with such an assignment is of course that I do not currently have a school. So I decided to add a couple things to two different sites: my former high school and my current university.

I added my friend to the Notable Alumni, as he is a well to do poker player who is often featured on ESPN, NBC, and other channels that broadcast poker tournaments.

I also felt compelled to add more details to the the MSU Wikipedia page, specifically where it discusses the College of Education. It did not note where the College was housed, so I added that fact, as well as went further and learned how to upload and input photographs, at which time I uploaded this picture that I took in the summer of 2010.

Wiki pages are a lot of work, but can be both fun and informative. I currently share one of my sites with a friend who teaches 7th grade social studies currently. She often visits my site to borrow ideas, and sometimes I even visit my site to tailor things I used then to fit needs she has now. In the past I have also used the discuss tabs very effectively to have large group discussions. Wiki's are exciting places.

Thoughts on UDL and a Personal Reflection

Thoughts on UDL

Universal Design for Learning seems like an odd name for an educational philosophy that is really trying to suggest that their is no universal way to teach, and that we really should tailor our instruction to meet the individual needs of students. That said, I believe in the premise. Whether or not I think curriculum is disabling really depends on the atmosphere in which one finds themselves. Based on the reading of several others posts, I am going to assume that many in the class are elementary educators, and I think that in some ways this conversation is difficult in that sense. Curriculum is important in many regards. I realize that reality suggest that a minority of Americans go to college, but I also know our school system is built for collegiate success. There is also an increasing emphasis on standardized testing in our country. These two factors combine to create an environment where we are truly pitting our students against one another in a quest to out "know" one another. I do not believe that culminates in meaningful learning, but I do recognize it as a present reality.

That said, I think it is the strict adherence to curriculum that does teachers and students a disservice, not the existence of curriculum in the first place. I was talking to a friend of mine just the other day about a lesson she wanted to do before Thanksgiving break. It involved a story she thought was fantastic, had a creative collaborative lesson planned to go with it, and thought her students would love. However, she felt it did not align with any particular standard, and so she wanted to scrap it. Studies show students don't do better on standardized test and in life because they were taught all the correct facts, but rather because they were educated on how to think. That is the part of UDL I can really get on board with, and why in this situation I told my friend to forget the standards and focus on the learning. As teachers, we are tasked with taking our instructions and resources and turning it into something worth learning; this is our challenge.

We should always analyze the materials we are working with. If we can say it is valuable, then we should use it. There is no type of instruction or resource that is perfect for students. If we find that something will be challenging for one, we can create an alternative, or scaffold it to support any weaknesses. I love that UDL recognizes that an accommodation for one can actually increase learning for another, which is why I always offer any reasonable additional support to any students when they request it. If we can get our students to understand their strengths and weaknesses, then we can help them to advocate for themselves. I truly believe that many students who are successful are students who understand how to advocate for themselves. But I also believe that there are limitations. We can only offer so many alternatives and accommodations. And some lessons, while challenging can be great growth opportunities. Imagine a struggling reader who would benefit from a audio book. I agree whole hearted that they should receive that tape, but I'll be damned if they aren't going to read along, and receive additional reading support. One way we overcome challenging tasks is by undertaking them. I think we can all agree that the most important thing we do is not the teaching of curriculum, but rather the teaching of students.

Personal Reflection

After reading about and reflecting on UDL I decided to review a recent lesson I created. Luckily for me, and organization called Cast has created a set of guidelines by which to analyze correct application of UDL theory. Check out my evaluation using this link to my Google Spreadsheet.

Updating my Lesson to fit UDL
After analyzing my lesson, I felt there were some ways I could alter my lesson to more adequately follow UDL principals. Here is a link to my updated lesson with changes highlighted in yellow.

I didn't make drastic changes to the lesson, but rather subtle ones to add additional support for those who might have needed it. Overall, I felt I adhered to the three UDL principals (representation, expression, engagement) fairly well, but nothing is ever perfect. The learning for my lesson was orginally represented in many different ways: students read text online, students responded to questions in a workbook, students viewed a video as a class, students discussed their findings in an online forum but on their own, and finally students created their own visual representations using an online widget. I felt like most of those things were good, but I had not considered students who had difficulty reading, having online discussions, or would struggle to perfect their answered strictly though vocal review. To remedy this I allowed students to complete their reading by listening to a audio version, work with a partner to complete their online discussion if needed, and to review their answers using a provided class copy. Now, the learning is represented through auditory, visual, and written form. Students express themselves in writing, vocally, and through art. And hopefully with the factors of student interests and connection will be highly engaged in meaningful learning.

There will still be some barriers for students with more severe needs, but thankfully such a lesson will free me to roam more and assist students on a more individualized basis. Additionally, some students could have aids, which also changes the lesson. Finally, in certain situations the actual requirement for response could be altered. Overall, I feel this lesson shows strong consideration for UDL.