I decided to spend some time skimming over many different capstone websites first. Then I decided to dive deeper into Cerda and Perkins. Cerda's audience focused on students and teachers. Looking through their capstone website was very helpful. Overall, I feel like he addressed his audience and talked about his research findings. I was originally drawn to this project because it focused on technology which is a part of my research. The second website I decided to look through was Perkins because I love the idea of a growth mindset in the classroom. I feel like the target audience is originally teachers but obviously it's about the students. The focus is how to get kids motivated with a growth mindset in math. I loved the arrangement of the website, all the different pictures and graphics were clear.
The audience of my capstone originally is my students but eventually I am working to help teachers as well. I am still trying to figure out everything but I know that teachers would benefit from the tools I have found useful in helping students develop 21st century skills. I am excited to see where my capstone is going to go and how I can help take my research from student driven to eventually being an audience of teachers
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Blog about how you incorporate gaming, gamification, game thinking into your class. How? What are your objectives?
Games can help teachers create a good learning environment, where students want to keep learning. Gamification turns the entire learning process into a game itself which takes game mechanics and gameplay and applies them to content. This can help motivate students with badges, points, leaderboard, levels,etc. When students are motivated they want to keep going or keep learning more. The user is almost tricked into learning while they are playing. Teachers have to figure out how to challenge students just enough so they don’t give up but they want to keep going. Digital games and other types of digital simulations are good tools for learning. They can provide different experiences of critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving for our students. Teachers can also get higher levels of engagement and motivation for learning by using games in the classroom. Blog and respond to others. Share any thinking, new design steps, progress, challenges, and/or successes you have experienced during this course. How have you evolved as an innovative thinker?
Throughout this class I have learned many things that have helped me become a better teacher and innovative thinker. I have learned about many different tech tools that I can use in the classroom. These tools I have learned will help my students develop 21st century skills. This is the topic of my research, which is about having students learn how to navigate new types of technology they haven’t seen before by using 21st century skills like problem solving and critical thinking. By having students explore new tools like these, I am helping prepare them for the future. And by me, as a teacher, exploring new tools to use in the classroom, I feel as though I am also being innovative. I now try to include new online games or tools into my classroom. Finally, I want to end by saying how blessed I am to have gone through this program and how thankful I am for this class. Distance learning has really showed me all the things I have learned. Yes I was able to use zoom and screencast because this class made me. But I also learned how to explore new tools to use and to take risks and try new things. This exploration and innovative thinking led me to use pear deck for the first time during distance learning. I would have never taken a risk like that if it wasn’t for this class or this program. I know that all these skills I have learned prepare me for this moment and will help me for the rest of my teaching career. Blog this week about what’s on your mind and what you’ve learned from this program that’s helped you transition to remote learning. What insights do you want to share with others, your administration, etc.
Many things have changed in the past month or so. I would not have ever guessed that I would be where I am right now. Thankfully this program has been preparing me for this moment all along and I did not even realize it. Our distance learning plan has us using google classroom, zoom and possibly screencasts. Before this program I only ever used google classroom. After going through this program I have been using screencast and zoom all the time. Because of this, I am prepared for the technical aspect of this new distance learning. I can create a screencast for anything that I need to explain to my classes now through screencastomatic and not have to take a million years. I can use zoom easily and know how to set my own zoom room up, which I will have to do with my students. When it comes to the content, I do not have an option of teaching what I want though so I am limited on being able to make innovative lessons. As an 8th grade science teacher I am forced to teach exactly what was given to me. However, I will be trying to use screencasts as a way to “flip” the classroom and give them a lot of the content before so we can spend the 20 minutes of zoom time discussing it. The next months are going to be a wild ride and I am ready for whatever comes my way.
Assignment: After looking at websites through the lens of “what were the end-user needs” how has your thinking changed about designing your own site? What influence have the SITE model analysis, Baggio’s Visual thinking, Clark and the design thinking process had on your work. Share significant design steps, progress, challenges, and/or success in creating your research plan for round 2.
I have thought a lot about designing my own site and what that might look like. Looking at this week's websites had me thinking about my own and what NOT to do. I know some of those websites were old, but a few were super confusing and I do not want to make that mistake. I have to remember that sometimes I need to look at my own ideas through the lens of the end-user since they might not have all the knowledge I have about the topic. Then I can revise my work based upon what I think the user might need to know in order to work through the content. From the Four Pillars, it talks about asthetics and making things so they don't overload the learner (end-user). I think this will be important to think about as I move to designing my site. I will need to be constantly looking through my work at each step and revise based upon the needs of those who will be using my site. Also from Baggio, it reminds me to keep visuals simple and that most people are visual learners. I think graphics, pictures and other images can be very useful to help people grasp the overall idea of a topic. The design process is all about the PROCESS and not always the end product looking beautiful (though that is important). I know that moving through this process is important and that any changes to my work can help make my end product even better. It truly is about engaging in the process which will ultimately help you create a great product. Blog: Reflect on how you might use Google Forms 1)in your practice and 2) for your Touro action research/capstone project. What might be the best uses for your particular situation? If you already have been using Google Forms in your practice, explain how you currently use them and what you might do to extend your knowledge to new applications/situations.
I currently use google forms a lot for my classes, for coaching and I have even used it for my Touro action research project. I will discuss each of those areas above and how I use google forms and how I could possibly extend my knowledge and application of google forms. In my teaching I use google forms for different things like tests/quizzes, reflection on projects or assignments, input on rules/expectations, and many more. I probably use anywhere from 10-15 google forms during a school year. This year I have expanded my knowledge of google forms by using the auto-grading tool. I was introduced to it recently and it really helps when grading multiple choice or true and false questions. I want to continue using google forms in my classes and explore possible add-ons to enhance them. I also use google forms for coaching, for example, when kids need to vote for awards at the end of the season, or when I am trying to get kids to sign up for end of the year banquet. One of the videos from the previous class showed me how I can expand on my use of google forms by using the certificate maker add-on. This would help save me time making certificates. Finally I have used google forms in my Touro action research. I sent out a google form to my students which had them talk about their technology use. Part of the survey asked them to rate their ability to use different websites or technological tools. Questions ranged from how much time they spent using technology outside of school per day to do they have access to the internet at home. Students also rated their ability to use the following: google classroom, google docs, google slides, gmail, legends of learning, online simulators, and stemscopes website. There was also a question where students rated themselves on a scale of 1-5 on how confident they are in their ability to navigate new websites or technology tools. The final section of the survey had students rate their skill level using a progress chart, which is similar to a rubric, on critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and technology use. This survey could be improved using some google add-ons. My next steps are to look at some of the current google forms I use, in all areas (coaching, teaching and touro) and see how they can be upgraded. Continue building a bridge between your practice, your action research and what you are learning. Share what inspires you, observations, reflections, experiences, connections, dilemmas....
This last week so many things happened. These are going to be causing a ripple effect in my research and life. I currently am waiting, like many others, on word from the district if we can continue with our distant learning plans we made last week. These plans I made are unfortunately very simple and do not require technology except using google classroom and google docs/slides. We had to create work for students that could be done without technology, so this limited what we, as science teachers could use. This goes against my action research of using new technology every few weeks and seeing the kids progress in being able to navigate new websites. Right now my mind is going over options and ideas for the future of my action research. I guess I am stuck until we hear the final word, then from there I can begin to think about what is next for my research and how I can relate it to the SITE models. How can/Should social media be used to help you develop/collaborate/communicate as a professional? What are the critical issues to consider?
Social media is a blessing and a curse! Seriously. I believe that so many important moments can happen when you use social media correctly. People can inspire others to make a life change for the better, there are support groups for people with medical conditions when they have no one else to talk to, the list goes on. The positives that come from social media are many but I have also seen many negatives. People can post anything they want anonymously. People can spread hate and negativity like wildfire. But if you overlook the bad, you can find many instances of good. Social media can be a tool for professionals to use in order to communicate and collaborate together across the world or even across the street. We can use social media as a type of professional development to help learn more about teaching. Overall I think that professionals can use social media in a positive way because many of us understand the implications of not using it appropriately. What would you do if you were to come across an inappropriate post made by one of your students outside of the school. Do you address the post and, if so, how? Whom do you involve in the conversations? What considerations must you make in determining your course of action? I do not use social media pretty much at all, besides the occasional facebook or instagram post. This helps me stay away from possible students and any inappropriate posts made by them. If I did ever come across an inappropriate post, I would let my admin know right away. I would not address it myself. I could also involve the counselors depending on the type of post (whether it’s an emotional distressing post vs something like a threat). I think it’s best to involve administration at schools to help deal with it in an appropriate way. Blog Assignment: This week you have explored instructional design models, Clark’s principles regarding how to design for technology use, and the SITE model for putting new learning into a bigger context. Take a moment to try and make sense of how you might use what you’ve explored in your next round of designing action research for your driving question. Share your new questions and the methods you might use to research them.
I am frustrated. It's hard to give students opportunities to use technology when they are literally addicted to computer games. The last 2 weeks have been the most disheartening for me as a teacher. I have provided so many different activities online for students to learn from and they continue to not care. I have given students a chance to play physics games, use cool simulators, watch videos and more. They would rather play computer games. It's not just me experiencing this though, most other 8th grade teachers are having this problem at my school. When my entire action research is designed around technology use, it's hard to know what to do next. I have spent time so much time lately writing detentions, I tried using positive behavior reinforcements and re-teaching proper procedures and more but I have wasted so much time and it's not working. I am honestly re-thinking using any technology in class for a while but am not sure how I can continue my action research. My driving question is: How can students use 21st century skills to navigate new technology to help prepare them for the future? Sometimes we have these big ideas but simple classroom management problems will get in the way. I need ideas on what I can do. I also have the added pressure of 1 month to pilot new ONLINE curriculum in which I am required to use part of the publishers website. I do not know what to do next, I am stuck but I guess that's what these blogs are for. |
Krista LoperHarvest Middle School Archives
May 2020
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