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Overall Reflection
This course has been so busy and jammed pack. Each module inspired me with new content and things to think about. Looking back at my posts, I can't believe all I have learned in such a short time. Every module has provided valuable tools to improve my classroom and my teaching practice.
It was challenging to pick a signature assignment because each assignment was so unique and challenged me in a different way.
My classroom redesign project really helped me evaluate my classroom from a student's perspective, and I made some changes that have had a positive impact. My students love the additional white board space in the classroom. They are writing inspiring messages and working together to solve math problems on a daily basis.
I had a lot of fun with the gaming and gamification module. I continue to look for more ways to add gaming elements in my classroom. I want my room to be a place where students want to come. I feel more confident now in designing my own games to help my students achieve mastery in various content areas.
Studying flipped learning and practicing making instructional videos has helped me take the leap in transforming my math class. I have committed to using a flipped learning model for my current unit on fractions. My students are getting used to it, and I like the change in how my time is spent with my students during class time. We are only about 1 1/2 weeks into this model. I did a quick survey with my students and the results are very mixed. Many of them would still prefer a worksheet, but I think they are realizing that the activities we are doing in class are becoming more exciting now that we have more time. I like that it is teaching my students to be self-directed learners. I will poll them again in a couple of weeks - we'll see if their thoughts change. One comment a student made about the nightly videos is that she likes watching them at home because it is quite and she can really focus.
CUE Community
The Google+ Community continues to be a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. I was so impressed with fellow cohort members, Nikki & Stephanie's IRON CUE projects. There are so many great ideas.
Diane shared a great post by John Spencer about treating every lesson like an experiment. It really resonated with me. I feel fortunate that I work at a school site with an administrator who is very supportive of risk taking. I will be sharing this post with my colleagues at our next staff meeting. There was also a lot of great sharing in the Google+ Community about Web 2.0 tools. Lots of great ideas and experience. It is nice know that there are people I can turn to if I have questions about a new tool.
Project Status
I feel like I finally have a focus for my edu blog. Instead of focusing on creating a STEAM lab, which is not happening at my school in the way that I had hoped, I renamed my blog, Above the Line in Elementary: From 1:none to 1:1. I will be blogging about how I am transforming my traditional (or what some might call old-fashioned) lesson plans and projects into 21st century activities using the SAMR model. I hope that my ideas will help inspire other teachers to teach above the line and make use of the amazing tools that we now have available to us.
I am beginning to lead more PD sessions in my district. I will be leading two sessions at an upcoming edtech symposium and will be teaching Summer Learning Academy classes for my district. This blog will be a place for me to house my PD resources so that attendees can access information and resources after the events.
I am glad that I finally have a focus I feel good about. Now it is time to start writing!
Elective Status
I am still not done with my first elective, Differentiating Instruction with Technology. Since we have a week off from the cohort, I plan to make use of that time to complete this class. Web2.0 tools lend themselves very well to differentiation and I have gotten a lot of ideas from Innovative Pedagogies to complete my assignments for this elective. I am still feeling frustrated with this course in that the materials and assignments seem outdated.
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