If you are unable to view the video above, click the link here: Why ALEKs Video
We all know that each student has a unique set of skills and weaknesses that educators need to be mindful of when developing efficient and effective lessons. This can be extremely difficult when a teacher has over 150 students throughout the day and each one has a different background and experiences with the content. On top of that, the differences between student competencies and experiences can vary widely within mathematics. Therefore, how does an educator have the ability to and the time to create unique learning paths for each individual student? With ALEKs, educators now have the ability to do this in seconds. Using a state-of-the-art AI program, ALEKs creates a one-of-a-kind experience for each individual student. The program also provides a plethora of data that can be easily analyzed to help educators make informed decisions about their instruction.
This professional development course will guide you through the features and functions of ALEKs from both the student and teacher side. The goal of this course is to not show you THE way to use ALEKs but provide the resources and information necessary for you to utilize ALEKs how you see best in your own classroom. ALEKs is just a tool that provides a multitude of technology affordances for students and teachers alike. It is up to you to determine what can and will be useful in your own classrooms. Remember, the technology does not equate to learning, you are the reason for the learning.
Overview of what ALEKs is and how it works
Discuss what ALEKs topic goals are and how to assign them
Discuss how to analyze the data gathered from ALEKs topic goals and other ALEKs assignments to inform instruction
Understand the different types of assignments you can create on ALEKs and how to edit each assignment to your liking
Understand how to collaborate with others on ALEKs and share your assignments and work with colleagues
Understand what each type of report describes on ALEKs and utilize each report to inform instruction
Discuss the best practices of ALEKs and concerns that may arise from ALEKs
Discuss and collaborate about ways to utilize the ALEKs program within curriculum
My goal is by the end of this course you will feel more confident with your ability to understand and utilize the different features of ALEKs. There is NO BEST way to utilize ALEKs and we can all learn a lot from one another by working and learning together with the program. By the end of this course, your goal should be to have one aspect of ALEKs that you fully understand and plan to implement in the classroom. That way we can ALL work together to find the BEST way to utilize ALEKs for OUR STUDENTS.
We all have different experiences with professional development. Some of us good, some of us bad. To get us started, you will reflect on your experiences with professional development. You will create a meme using the program Meme Generator. The program is free to use. Each of you will create 1 meme representing your experience with professional development. I have provided an example on the right to describe my own experiences with professional development. Once you are done you will post your professional development meme using the link to the blank Google Slides. Afterwards we will come together as a group and share our experiences.
Links you will need to complete the activity:
Meme Generator: Meme Generator Site
Google Slides: Professional Development Experiences Slides