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904 Final Reflection
CITEC 904 has been completed and I am definitely feeling so much more confident about my abilities, access to resources, and how to use them in my classroom. I am proud to say that I've even felt confident enough to talk with other teachers and my Admin about what I've learned during this course. I'm finding myself sharing more and more resources that I've obtained from my CUE classes; and, my colleagues are very eager to see what I'm up to in my classroom! The sessions that really inspired me were those presented by JR Ginex-Orinion: "Mobile Learning in the Classroom" and Jodi Green: "Assessing Learning and Educational Apps". Although some of the information in the sessions covered and overlapped previous courses, I had a new perspective and understanding at this time that offered inspiration and insight into some the resources that I hadn't been putting to much use in my classroom. I especially appreciated Jodi's illustration of the SAMR model. This model made so much more sense to me, comparing it to the ocean, rather than other models I've seen about Starbuck's coffee. This really helped me to see that there are still so many things that I'm doing that need and can go deeper (pun intended). My students deserve to be taken to the depths of learning that even I may not have imagined for them.
Something that was very new for me was creating an Elevator Pitch. I didn't really understand what I was doing, or what it might be intended for at first so I think my "pitch" was a little less formal and more personal than it needed to be. However, this was a great exercise to prepare for my actual Pitch in CITEC 905 for my project. I loved listening to others' pitches! Another insight was using some sort of rating scale to evaluate apps for "qualification" purposes. JR introduced us to his "Stop Light" rating that applied 4 questions to an app to determine whether it was a viable teaching/learning tool. I thought it was important that he reminded us, as educators, to always remember to try and choose the best apps for the application we need for our objectives with our students. His qulifications: 1) Does it CAPTURE student thinking; 2) does it SORT student data; does it ASSESS student learning; and, does it DISCUSS or provide easy feedback?
One of the sessions, "Implementation & Volume Pricing", left me dazed and confused. The workshop topic, led by Traci Bondi, was obviously a passion of hers. She was intensely excited to share her knowledge and experience with the group; however, the delivery and format was quite overwhelming to me; there is still a bruise on my head from banging it against the wall trying to catch up just enough in order to even access the information so that I could participate in the group project she proposed for us. I think that knowledge and the capacity to receive that knowledge has its boundaries. It's not that I'm not capable of learning what she was dishing out, but rather what do I do with it, where do I put it in my schema? So, for now, I am content just playing in my apps and extensions resources playground, learning to share my toys with my friends at school and even bigger playgrounds like Twitter and Google+. I'm sure that when I'm ready, when I need to know, I will have a place for this information and I'll know what to do with it.
ELECTIVE PROGRESS REPORT
For now, my Elective progress is at a standstill. I've realized that the pace and intensity of these modules, along with other life obligations, I am left with little time to adequately apply myself to an Elective course. I plan to hit it hard however soon after conclusion of this course.
PROJECT STATUS & GOING FORWARD
My project has changed shape 3 or 4 times. It seems with each new module, another brilliant idea inspires me and direction is shifted. At this point, the curation of hyperdocs and other borrowed or created resources will be my focus. I plan to share this site with my school and district (initially), hoping to generate interest and partner sharing so that a full and dynamic resource library may be developed over time.
902 Final Reflection
It’s hard to believe that it’s only been three weeks since this all began! I feel like it’s really been a great and wondrous journey to exciting destinations both far and near. With tantalizing tours and extravagant excursions, I feel like I’ve experienced so much in such a brief amount of time. I’m just relieved that I took “pictures” along way! And, although it wasn’t all spa-treatments and breakfast in bed, I can say with most certainty that I am glad that I decided to take this journey.
Reflecting back, I have to admit that I was feeling a bit out of my element at times, being pushed in uncomfortable and unfamiliar ways. We are hardest (I believe) on ourselves and, even though I knew it was going to to be worth it, it has been a bit tough, juggling work and family and “life”, as I began to explore these new skills. I haven’t had Wi-Fi in over a month so that has provided an additional layer of stress. However, with each new challenge, I remember that this is a journey and that the fact is, the majority of my learning will be gained as I continue spend time exploring these new environments.
TRULY TRANSFORMATIONAL:
- Some of my new favorite places to visit are those that I resisted most. One such place is Google+; this is my new playground….what’s Pinterest??! I love how easy it is to search for topics and find more than just So, I have to say that I had no idea how amazing educators are as humans! I mean I know I’ve got a great team that I work with, but educators, and more to the point: C.U.E. are my jam! Who knew that there were so many innovative and engaging resources out there?? Not I! As a 3rd year teacher, I guess you could say that I’m still in the “honeymoon” stages of teaching, but how WONDERFUL this profession is! I am grateful to those pioneers of technology, leading the pack with great insight and enthusiasm for making meaningful learning experiences for our children. Some of the G+ Communities I've joined are: Mystery Hangout, Google for Education, Connected Classrooms, and Google Expeditions.
- Another nugget I discovered was the use and creation of HyperDocs. I always wondered how "they" made links to other resources within a document. I certainly did not expect it to be so SIMPLE to do! Nor had I expected to be completely and totally smitten with the idea of creating these for my classroom. It was during this particular session that I nearly had a complete meltdown. I was not able to process the information fast enough and I fell behind while others in my group seemed to follow right along with the presenter. After a night of rest, however, my excitement grew as I started to ponder the potential that this new-found knowledge could offer. It was in this moment that I decided this would be the direction of my Final (and ongoing) Project.
- Finally, Google Classroom, although a familiar face, has taken on new meaning for me. I realize that I have not been using this app to its full potential. There are many uses for this platform in the classroom: Exit Tickets, Feedback, Surveys, Assignments, Hyperdocs, Forms, Polls, to name a few. And, possibly the greatest discovery yet, is that Classroom "grades" can be uploaded to Aeries!
GOOGLE+ IEC COMMUNITY: My participation in the this community has been intermittent. I have not adapted yet really to the notion of being on the computer so much more than I'm accustomed to. I did share above that I am very interested in the G+ platform; it's easy to wander off and lose track of time. The IEC community was helpful in that it allowed me to "virtually" meet and get to know my fellow cohort members. I believe most of us are teaching in a Middle to High School environment so I feel that helps us in making connections, even though we may not teach the same subject.
PROJECT STATUS: Sadly, my project status is "status quo". I do plan, however, to spend time over winter break building some momentum.
ELECTIVE STATUS: I registered for Kahoot! in the Classroom the first week of December and, although I have yet to complete an assignment, I have watched videos, and read through the Module and it related resources. I am taking lots of notes to refer back to.
LOOKING AHEAD: I love knowing that I have so many tools and amenities at my fingertips to bring new life to my curriculum. I want to step outside the confines of bound, stale text and open doors and windows that my students may leap through with with curiosity and wonder. Google apps, add-ons, and YouTube will provide endless possibilities with which I may create and design instruction. The trick will be just trying to stay focused as I forge on through the plethora of resources. I am continually amazed at the surplus of information available and accessible today. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and just walk a familiar path. However, once you decide to travel the road-less-taken, it is truly rewarding to look back, having grown, knowing where you have been. Even more exciting is the road still ahead. My journey is just beginning and I am excited to see what lies before me.
900 Reflective Blog
Choosing to begin this certification program was a "no-brainer", meaning I have much-needed "updating" to do on this ol' brain. As a newer teacher, I am predisposed with levels of joy and excitement in my newfound profession; and, learning newer and better ways to cultivate this joy and excitement about learning in my students is a mission of mine. However, excited as I may be, I am very trepidatious about this endeavor because it usually takes me quite a bit longer than my younger colleagues to learn, understand, and apply new knowledge when it comes to technology and its endless offerings. But, none-the-less, here I am ready to embark on this challenge as a means to grow and development my craft.
As of this writing, I have already turned in (nearly) every assignment PAST DUE! Great way to start "teacher"! But, I am undeterred as I get to say, for the first of many , that "I completed this" and check it off the list. I believe that the most difficult thing about learning a new platform is being able to "efficiently" navigate through all the tabs and sub-tabs within each layer of each module - I am referring to Moodle. I can appreciate the organization this platform has to offer, as a way to structure and present materials to students; however, as a student, I have become extraordinarily frustrated as I found myself, time-and-time-again, inadvertently logging out of the site and needing to reopen and navigate my way back to where I was, just to do the same idiotic mistake again. I am sure that it is entirely "user error" but, on the other hand, I think there ought to be other (multiple) paths to redirect a user in the event that this happens. And, if there already are, I am certainly on a "Groundhog Day" journey to locating them!
Assignments have been both cumbersome and enlightening. There is (obviously) much learning going on here for me as I gain information on my quest to complete each "bullet" throughout the Syllabus. I am proud of what I have already created, applying my new skills to develop an attractive IEC Portfolio with inserted and embedded features that I've not utilized previously. Other areas that I have enjoyed exploring is the IEC Learning Community on Google+. There was also a bit of a learning curve for me as I didn't realize initially that I needed to be "in" the Community in order to integrate my posts with others in the same. However, once there, I've enjoyed reading posts from fellow cohort members; and, learning that I wasn't the only one who wasn't entirely up-to-speed on things. Phew! It really is reassuring that there are others who are going through this with me and I can query/browse posts about obstacles they've overcome.
When this program is concluded, my quest for technology-integration will have just begun. This certification, and its acquired skills, will be the framework for developing innovative ways to teach and assess, while at the same time, launching a learning community built by students for students that will help propel them through the 21st Century as life-long-learners. This certification will transform my teaching through the development of a "Flipped Classroom" model for use by students (and parents), empowering them with tools as they develop as a learner. The tools and knowledge I attain will greatly improve my organizational skills, allowing for a more streamlined and modern approach to teaching. Collaborating with members of the IEC Learning Community, CUE, and Twitter, will allow me to share and listen to the ideas of other like-minded educators, providing me with a mixed-bag of resources to utilize as needed.
My Innovative Education Project (Idea) has been posted here.
My Proposed Elective Plan has been posted here.
900 Proposed Elective Plan
As for Elective planning, I've decided to go in a direction that will both enhance areas that I'm already a bit familiar with, as well as provide the framework and road-map for the direction I wish to take my classroom. My goal is to finish all 4 of these courses by the end of Summer, 2018:
- TEC-978: Twitter for Educators (Target Start Date: Dec. 1, 2017)
- TEC-982: The Flipped Classroom (Target Start Date: Feb. 1, 2018)
- TEC-993: CCSS Tech for Success (Target Start Date: Apr. 1, 2018)
- EDU-932: Kahoot! in the Classroom (Target Start Date: May 1, 2018)
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