Mrs. Poll's Classroom Information
How you will become digital citizens...
Dear 8th Grade Students,
The world in which we live in has some many different forums and opportunities to communicate with other people all over the globe, many which are impossible without technology. It is critical for you to learn to use this technology effectively and appropriately, which has become increasingly thorough and complex. Being a digital citizen has expanded past just being safe and respectful online, and now involves much more (Ribble, 2011). You need to be aware that you leave behind a digital footprint, which can be a good thing if you show the world your creative, communicative, and collaborative skills (Richardson, 2008). It is important that you learn how to navigate the digital world!
Here are the ways in which I plan to facilitate your growth in digital citizens:
First, you need to know that using technology is guided by a set of standards called the ISTE Standards for technology in education. These standards cover important skills for you to have within your future education and professional lives. Here is each standard and what is to come within the year within my class to explore that type of learning.
ISTE Standard 1: Empowered Learners
Students use technology to better their learning experiences. Students set goals and work toward achieving them with technology. Students use technology to seek feedback on their work. And finally, students apply what they learned to explore new technologies (ISTE Standards, 2016).
ISTE Standards, 2016, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
How WE will do this:
As you will soon be a high school students, it is time for you to learn how to learn independently and to go after what you need as a learner. For example, if you are having a hard time understanding how to calculate the slope in algebra class or which types of energies are which in science class, you need to be able to seek out resources for yourself.
You can seek out extra help with science and math concepts (and other subjects, too!) using tools such as Khan Academy and cK-12. You look up countless explanations of concepts on YouTube. Also you will need to prepare your own study materials and spend time studying for assessments. Resources such as Quizlet can be really helpful in this! I am sure that there are many more resources, and new technologies coming out each day, that means we need to be great at trying new things, as well!
Of course, I am here to help you with whatever you need, but learning to become an independent learner and problem-solver is very important, too! I also use Google Tools such as Google Docs guide you in being reflective in what you are doing as learners every quarter of the school year. It is important that we LEARN how we LEARN, and strive to improve no matter what!
Resources that will help you study, and places to go when you need concepts reinforced!
ISTE Standard 2: Digital Citizen
Students need to be aware of their digital footprint. Students need to learn how to be safe, legal, and ethical online and learn how to give credit to others for their work. Finally, students need to be taught how to maintain digital privacy online (ISTE Standards, 2016).
ISTE Standards, 2016, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
How WE will do this:
There is much more that goes into being a digital citizen nowadays. We must explore concepts such as digital commerce, communication, digital literacy, conduct and interactions with others, laws and responsibilities, even health and wellness (Ribble, 2011). All of these factors go into being a digital citizen!
In several projects during the year, you will learn how to conduct research online, cite the sources that you use within your research, and communicate that information with others using technology. One project that we participate in is Genius Hour. Within this project you will get to research any topic that relates to STEM and learn how to properly cite sources and attribute images along with learning STEM content and communication skills necessary to deliver that content to peers.
That is just one of the ways that we will explore how to be a digital citizen in our work in science and math.
Here is a video that explains WHY we cite sources!
ISTE Standard 3: Knowledge Constructor
Students need to be able to use technology to research topics, evaluate the sources for credibility, create meaningful artifacts, and draw conclusions from that research and exploration. Students need to use technology to explore real-world problems and think critically about possible solutions (ISTE Standards, 2016).
ISTE Standards, 2016, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
How WE will do this:
Throughout the year, we will be exploring and researching various topics relevant to our standards and topics in science and math. Through researching, you will also be generating products with technology that show your understanding. For example, Google Slides presentations or Prezi presentations to teach others in the class during our study of Newton's 3 Laws.
For many of our science explorations, you will need to engage in the science practice of communicating your findings, which can be done with online research posters done with Google Drawings or other technologies.
With technology, SO MUCH information is at our fingertips. It is my job to guide you in learning how to find reputable sources of information and create experiences for you to interact and gain understanding of the information, as well as gain communication skills as you share that information with your classmates!
Here are some tools that can help you communicate your findings with others!
You could also use technologies such as mind mapping tools like Popplet to show relationships between concepts, and organize content, and create meaning with content through the use of drawing, embedding videos, and images. Organizing and grouping information is a way to engage in higher order thinking that helps you develop critical thinking skills!
So important for your future lives!
Image: Screenshot by Samantha Dunton (2016) Retrieved from Popplet.com
ISTE Standard 4: Innovated Designer
Students engage in a design process that incorporates aspects of technology to facilitate the design process, to analyze the criteria and constraints, and to design solutions to open-ended problems (ISTE Standards, 2016).
ISTE Standards, 2016, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
How WE will do this:
In STEM careers and well-beyond, problem-solving and generating solutions to problems is a critical. Within my class, we learn many concepts by engaging in engineering design challenges. In fact, we begin this in the first week of school!
In class, we follow a system for tackling design challenges. We will learn how to analyze the criteria and the constraints of the design challenge. Students can keep track of the iterations that they try and what worked and what did not work within each design. By gathering all of this data within a Google Doc, as a class we can quickly analyze the results of our design challenge.
As a class, this will be a great way to share information and collaborate to generate the best design, no matter the challenge.
Collaboration is key! And technology can make collaboration easier!
This is just one example of how we will use technology to help us tackle engineering design challenges.
ISTE Standard 5: Computational Thinker
Students use technology to help with data collection and making sense of that data. Students will also use technology to engage in mathematical thinking and to assist solve real-world math problems (ISTE Standards, 2016).
ISTE Standards, 2016, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
How WE will do this:
In my classes, we collect and analyze data A LOT! We will also frequently use math in science and think about science during math, because guess what...! They are pretty much impossible to separate!
We will be able to solve problems in the real-world using several different technologies. Although we learn to do this by hand, you can represent equations (both linear and nonlinear) electronically by graphing them on Desmos. This can help us make meaning from the essence of the problem so that we can generate solutions.
We will also focusing a lot on data literacy this year. That means being able to construct and also being able to interpret data and representations of that data. Understanding and generating graphs is kind of like speaking another language! The website TuvaLabs will help us a great deal of progress with data literacy.
Image 1 (Left) TuvaLabs Screenshot taken by Samantha Dunton, retrieved from https://tuvalabs.com/k12/
Image 2 (Right) Desmos Screenshot taken by Samantha Dunton, retrieved from https://www.desmos.com/calculator
ISTE Standard 6: Creative Communicator
Students use technology to express complex concepts and ideas in a creative way. Students become authors and have their work published to authentic audiences (ISTE Standards, 2016).
How will WE do this:
Throughout the year, you will have many opportunities to research and explore science and math concepts, and best of all share your findings with your classmates. For example, you will be designing a Rube Goldberg machine to demonstrate and explain types of energy as well as the Law of Conservation of Energy. Through this project, you will use technology to film and create a product that represents your physical Rube Goldberg and demonstrates your knowledge of the content.
Image: Screenshot of a Student Video taken by Samantha Dunton
Throughout the year you will have many opportunities to show your knowledge, but by being creative and utilizing technology. You will also have several opportunities to present your findings to an authentic audience.
Student Reflections on the Energy Unit within a Word Cloud- Screenshot by Samantha Dunton.
ISTE Standard 7: Global Collaborator
Students use technology to connect with learners all over the globe and to present their ideas far beyond the classroom. Students will collaborate with one another using appropriate technology to explore global issues and work to educate the community and design solutions (ISTE Standards, 2016).
ISTE Standards, 2016, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
How will WE do this:
This year we will be taking part in the exploration of a large-scale real-world problem, or several if time permits! It could be conservation of energy, chemical impacts pollution, or benefits of recycling depending on student interests and timing. Within this time, you will be using many means of technology to explore these authentic environmental issues and you will be tasked with beginning to generate some solutions for these problems. Your research needs to be communicated past the walls of this classroom by reaching into the community and even to the rest of the globe!
You will be not only problem-solving when it comes to the issue, but also how to spread and share their knowledge using technology!
Globe by MK Luo is licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
I hope that you are excited to learn a lot this year--not only math and science, but also how to be a digital citizen as well!
-Ms. Dunton
References
International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). ISTE national educational technology standards. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
Ribble, M. (2011). The nine elements of digital citizenship. In Digital citizenship in schools (Chapter 2). Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/docs/excerpts/DIGCI2-excerpt.pdf
Richardson, W. (2008). Footprints in a digital age. Educational Leadership, 66 (3), 16-19. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov08/vol66/num03/Footprints-in-the-Digital-Age.aspx