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Goals for Future Technology Integration: My first goal to technology integration is to enhance student engagement by using interactive tools that make learning more engaging and enjoyable. Technology should support varying instruction, allowing students to learn at their own pace using methods and tools that align with their unique needs. Promoting digital literacy is my second goal because it equips students with the skills they need to navigate and evaluate digital resources responsibly. Thirdly, technology should facilitate assessment and feedback, providing students with timely and personalized insights into their progress. By fostering collaboration through digital platforms and ensuring accessibility for all learners, technology has the power to cultivate a more inclusive and flexible learning environment. Ultimately, integrating technology should prepare students for the evolving demands of the digital age while deepening their education quality. The examples of my work below amplify these goals.
Above is my Showcase 1 Engagement Project. Here is the link to the recorded version of my presentation.
My project details the ways in which students and educators can engage with the lesson plan by EDSITEment! "A Day for the Constitution".
This project meets the ISTE Student Standard 1.7.b Multiple Viewpoints because students are able to work with their peers to examine issues and controversies regarding the Constitution and the Amendments. The lesson offers a variety of opportunities to examine multiple viewpoints on a range of issues and questions related to the Constitution in the past and in the present.
This lesson is engaging because the website only displays pertinent information in a clean, organized format. Many of the activities involve face-to-face classroom discussions. The activities within the lesson are designed to motivate students to begin the learning process of gathering knowledge via classroom discussion prompts and thought-provoking videos. The goal is for students to go from being passive learners to active social learners. The lesson accomplishes this naturally; the Constitution influences the lives of U.S. citizens every day, encouraging students to learn about the topic and exchange their thoughts and opinions.
Before completing this assignment, I perceived engaging tools for the classroom as flashy technology that needed to be eye-catching and constantly changing to keep up with the short attention span of young students. This project inspired me to think differently about engaging technology. It does not have to be visually appealing, although that can be effective; rather, the engaging content's message should have some aspect of relevancy and evident importance to students.
Above is the link to my OER Show and Tell assignment lesson. "A Raisin in the Sun" is the main focus of this lesson, specifically the play version of the book. Students come together after each act to analyze the act and connect certain themes and ideas to popular themes and ideas of American culture, like the American Dream.
This lesson meets the ISTE Student Standard 1.1 a Learning Goals. The learning goals of the lesson can be summarized as students acting out and analyzing the historical and cultural significance of the play, examining the historical era during which "A Raisin in the Sun" was written and its social impact, analyzing how the American Dream came to be, comparing the play to other texts produced during the same era, and analyzing the characterization, plot, setting, figurative language, theme, and symbolism of the play. Students can measure whether or not they have met the learning goals by asking themselves and their peers "Why does 'A Raisin in the Sun' remain relevant today?" and "To what extent have the arts been informed by the social and political realities of the time and vice versa?" In order to reach the learning goals and answer such questions, students will utilize the technology offered by the lesson and pair it with each act of the play. This includes educational YouTube videos and ebooks about African Americans' real experiences with redlining and other discriminatory practices. Finally, students can reflect on the learning process to improve learning outcomes by choosing a closing activity to complete with peers. Reflection activities include a written reflection, designing a prequel or sequel to the play in a comic or graphic novel format, creating a soundtrack for the play, and more.
This site is engaging mainly because it uses acts of a play to teach students the historical realities of American racial inequality and the American Dream. Reading the play version can be more engaging for students, particularly because plays allow students to visualize a concept more easily than a book might. Due to this, discussions after each act should be richer and more productive. In addition, the topics discussed prioritize diversity and inclusion and validate cultural and racial differences. In addition to these relevancies, the site is easy to navigate and has a modern appearance.
My perception of what a good quality lesson is has changed after completing this assignment. It is easy for some educators to overlook things like race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status when teaching concepts and ideas such as the American Dream. This lesson has been a mental reinforcement of how imperative identity aspects such as race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status are when choosing to teach a lesson like "A Raisin in the Sun: 'Whose American Dream'?". By taking into account these factors, the quality of a taught lesson can dramatically increase and students will benefit.
iSpring Solutions. (n.d.). Blended learning: A primer. Retrieved from https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/blended-learning-a-primer
iSpring Solutions. (n.d.). Blended learning: A primer. Retrieved from https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/blended-learning-a-primer
The Affordances of Blended Learning - Online Blended Module Planning Worksheet - Backward Design
The link to the complete, detailed assignment is above. This assignment takes a lesson obtained from EDSITEment! and transforms it into a blended lesson. The lesson plan I chose is called “Frontiers on the Big Screen”. This lesson plan encourages students to think about how movies are used as part of America’s historical record, the kinds of people pictured when imagining the frontier, and how American ideas and understandings of the frontier have changed over time. During and after the lesson, students should be able to identify the ways the American West has impacted popular, mainstream culture both in real life and online. Students should be able to proficiently analyze how the Wild West is remembered today. Finally, students will recognize the existence and interactions of various groups represented in the American Wild West, particularly in movies.
One ISTE Student Standard that is met is 1.3.b Evaluate Information. Students will evaluate the accuracy, validity, bias, origin, and relevance of digital content. One way this can be accomplished is to have students read a letter written by H.H. Hewes, a prospector who moved to the Black Hills in the Dakota Territory in the 1870's. In the letter, he writes to his sister about what life is like out West. Students can also view the movie “The Searchers” by John Wayne. Students can answer questions about the letter and the movie such as: What does Hewes say about life on the frontier and how is this different from the life “The Searchers” depicts? How does the movie and letter depiction of life out West change your current thoughts about the American West? An ISTE Educator Standard that is met is 2.5.b Design Authentic Learning Activities. An activity that maximizes relevancy and learning can include social media, for example. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become popular mediums for Indigenous people to share their unique cultures and life experiences. A teacher could choose an influential digital creator or a video by a creator for the class to view together in order to gain a better understanding of Indigenous people and their lives today; students can answer questions such as: What are the main differences between the depiction of Native American actors in “The Searchers” and the creators in contemporary social media videos? How were Indigenous people depicting their own identities at the time of the wild West and why did these depictions not become a part of mainstream American culture? This activity is aimed at helping students understand and reflect on the varying representations of Indigenous people and how accurate certain depictions truly are.
These examples are engaging because they connect historical and contemporary perspectives in a way that encourages critical thinking and deeper understanding. By analyzing H.H. Hewes' letter and comparing it against the "The Searchers," students engage with historical references and media, evaluating biases, origins, and the cultural context of each source. This inspires a deeper appreciation for life on the American frontier. Furthermore, incorporating social media allows students to connect with present-day Indigenous voices, making the learning experience relevant and authentic. These activities prompt students to actively analyze and evaluate information while reflecting on how historical narratives are shaped and perpetuated.
This assignment taught me that lessons should be blended because it allows students to learn in different ways at different paces in the classroom or in their own homes.
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