Week 4: Video and Reading Reflection & Technology Activities

           

           This week’s readings and videos focused a great deal on the need for collaboration inside the classroom.  Collaboration plays a key role in reaching students at varying instructional levels, and keeping students engaged and focused on the lessons.  The interview with Linda Darling-Hammond was quite interesting.  It mentioned that students must have the opportunity to engage with each other.  It’s also important that social and emotional skills are taught inside the classrooms as well.  At our school, we teach “R Time” lessons on a weekly basis.  This allows the teachers to integrated social and emotional skills in their daily lesson plans.  Designing schools so that they are healthy places to learn, and strong relationships can form is imperative.  Creating smaller, more personal environments is important when designing a learning environment.  21^st Century Learning is often project based, and centered around collaboration.  This type of learning will prepare our students for the types of real world problems that they will face in the future.  When a group of students come together to solve a real world problem in a collaborative manner, they have to do a lot of socially intelligent work.  They must know what to do when challenges arise, and this helps those students learn how to work with different personalities.

            One way to implement collaboration is to lead project-based learning in the classroom.  Project-based learning is collaborative way for a team of students to creatively problem solve.  Project based learning creates energetic, hands on, and challenging learning environment for the students that is fun.  The students are engaged and focused, and look forward to this type of learning.  At my school, our teachers utilize a program called, “Mind Missions”.  This program is integrated into the science and social studies curriculum.  They students form mind mission groups at the beginning of the school year, and engage in team building exercises.  They spend the first few lessons on building a team motto, and collaborate on what it should look like and sound like while working in their mind mission group.  During a typical Mind Mission lesson, the team is presented with a challenge, or mission.  They also have a set time limit, a set materials list that they have to work with in order to accomplish their mission.  This type of learning is powerful, and can engage even the most unfocused child. 

            The Pitler text spoke a great deal about the importance of using collaboration and group tasks.  “Providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2001).  Many times as teachers, it’s hard to pass the reins over to the students, and trust that they know what to do.  However, if you let go of that control, your students will surprise you with what they can create while working in a collaborative group.  Larry Rosenstock said it best, “You’re taking the methodology of technology (group preformed and team taught), and integrating that methodology to the content of academics (literacy and numeracy), the things that kids “need to know”.  Using this type of formula when planning instruction will give your students the freedom to engage, create, and take the lesson to a whole new level.  A level where the student’s are in control of their own learning, and the teacher is the facilitator guiding them down the road. 

References

Edutopia.org (nd). High Tech High Taking the Lead: An Interview with Larry Rosenstock. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age-technology-larry-rosenstock-video

Edutopia.org (nd). Project Learning: An Overview. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-overview

Edutopia.org (December 10, 2007). The Collaborative Classroom: An Interview with Linda Darling-Hammond. Filmed at the CASEL forum in New York City. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/linda-darling-hammond-sel-video

Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2001). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver Colorado: Mcrel.

Technology Activities

This week we added technology activities to our group website that went along with our group action plan and UDL lessons.  We only had to create 5-8 activities, but we decided to complete 9.  Below is a link to our Team Google Site where you can view all the technology activities.  

Team Google Site: Technology Activities

Listed below is a more detailed look at part 2 of assignment 4.  

Hannah Maness

Assignment Week 4 - Part 2

1.Provide evidence each team member contributed to the solution and learning activities. 
(5 pts.)

See Group Collaboration Google Doc.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ACNEuTznvn_ewFQJMC6GVGedRIUWlMN-VrhTn5vz2XE/edit?usp=sharing

2.Team Google site/doc  link sent to the instructional associate, shared with team members, and professor(s).
( 5 pts.)

Google Site:

https://sites.google.com/a/bisdmail.net/nikki-looper/edld-5364--teaching-with-technology/week-4

Google Doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ACNEuTznvn_ewFQJMC6GVGedRIUWlMN-VrhTn5vz2XE/edit?usp=sharing

Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3MgUP6y0zg1Rk5KdVczV3J0OGM&usp=sharing

3. Learning Activities mirror the team action plan and include evidence of the following components.
(5 pts.)

See Previous UDL to see that my activities on Google site.

-Helen Keller Web Quest Technology Activity

-Helen Keller Digital Presentation Activity

-Helen Keller eBook Activity

Components:
-Design of the integration/
intervention program:

What grade level and content
area(s) will you address to meet the unique needs of 30 students?
(5 pts.)

3^rd Grade Social Studies

TEKS:

The student is expected to:

SS3.11 (3.11) Citizenship. The student understands characteristics of good citizenship as exemplified by historical and contemporary figures. The student is expected to:

(B) identify historical figures such as Helen Keller.

-Implementation of the integration/
intervention program:
Examples of learning activities/units to address each unique set of needs in the scenario.

Evidence of a way to address the professional development needs of the teacher in the scenario.

Evidence of the use of 21^st Century technology trends.
(10 pts.)

Web Quest Technology, Digital Presentations, eBook, Group Collaboration, Internet, Online Tutorials, and Trainings, and Google Drive

Evidence of ways to meet individual differences of:

Gifted and talented, online users, disabled, blind, hearing impaired, and multiple achievement levels.
(10 pts.)

The evidence of meeting individual differences are listed on each activity sheet on group Google site:  https://sites.google.com/site/edld5364groupwebsite/learning-activities

-Helen Keller Web Quest Technology Activity

-Helen Keller Digital Presentation Activity

-Helen Keller eBook Activity

GT- extended learning by having them go the extra mile with each assignment.  There are extensions

Online- Make all pieces of assignment digital and have them present online through Skype or other video conferencing method.

Disabled- modify assignment according to IEP, options may be reduced assignment, extended time, etc.  Since every special education student has a different and specific IEP, these modifications will obviously be tailored to each individual child. 

Blind- Enlarge print or create audio recording of lesson.  Braille keyboards will also be provided as necessary. 

Hearing Impaired- allow student to use headphones for audio to increase volume, and limit outside noise.  We will also provide typed instructions as needed.

Multiple Achievement Levels- group accordingly.  Since these activities provide choices of how the students want to gather information, the students will be able to guide their own learning.  If there are extreme cases where a lower achieving student needs other accommodations like (extra time on tests or assignments, reteaching, repeating directions, preferential seating (close proximity to teacher), short 1-2 step directions with picture cues, or even small group learning, these types of accommodations can be arranged and documented through a Campus Monitoring and Intervention Team. 

-Assessment of the integration/
intervention program:
Evidence of assessment for each learning activity.

Evidence for some type of assessment which might include observations/reflections regarding how you might determine whether the teacher has an understanding of how to teach with technology to benefit student learning.
(10 pts.)

The evidence of teacher and student assessment is listed on the activity sheet on group Google site:  https://sites.google.com/site/edld5364groupwebsite/learning-activities

-Helen Keller Web Quest Technology Activity

-Helen Keller Digital Presentation Activity

-Helen Keller eBook Activity

Students are assessed using rubrics either attached to the activities themselves or the activity sheet.  Follow up with teacher to see if additional instruction or training needs to occur, modifications to assignments, etc.  In the real world, reflection needs to occur with every teacher after every lesson taught to think about what worked, and what needs some changing.  The technology expert will remain in close communication with all the teachers implementing the technology activities to assess how the lessons went.

Total =50 pts.)