Collaborative Web Tools In Education Reflection

Reflection of Course 676

I have come to the end of my 2nd course in the Teaching with Technology Cohort.  I can truly say I have learned strategies and tools that will benefit  my students and myself.  This course was  an extension of the first course (Foundations of Educational Technology) because it took me further into educational technology and provided additional insight and practice.

There are many collaborative tools that we have discussed during this course that I have used within my classroom, a few I am still undecided about using and some tools I would like to try.  Our last discussion focused on Video Conferencing.  I have not tried this, but I am looking forward to it. I was presented with the idea of having my first grade students video conference with a kindergarten class within my building so that my first grade students could share what they like about first grade and some of the skills the kindergarten students should have to be successful in first grade.  I am excited about this project. It will give the students and me a chance to get acquainted with the idea of video conferencing.   

Collaborative Web Tools in Education Artifact #2

Creating Rubrics to Assess Learning

One of the artifacts I chose to highlight was the creation of rubrics. During this course we had to create two rubrics.  One rubric to Evaluate Collaborative Web Tools  and another  to  Assess a Collaborative Task.  

The thought of  creating rubrics did not fill me with warm fuzzy feelings.  I found this to be one of the most difficult activities of the course.  But, I know how I am.  The activity  I usually dread the most is the one that I usually learn the most from.  Well, I was right.  Creating rubrics has shown me that I can assess my students on their learning journey.   Our students should not only be assessed using the traditional paper and pencil assessments at the end of a unit, they should be assessed on their performance to help them learn the material as well.  My Collaborative Web Tools in Education course has helped me take my 1st grade class into a different era of assessment. 

  

Yes, creating rubrics can be time consuming, but creating rubrics forces teachers to evaluate what we want our students to learn.   Since creating my first rubric for Evaluating Collaborative Web Tools, I have created other rubrics outside of my Educational Technology course to help me assess learning in more authentic ways.  I still have a lot of growing to do with the creation of rubrics.  I think that some of my rubrics are to overwhelming, but I am happy that the thought of creating rubrics no longer sparks a negative reaction.


Evaluate Collaborative Web Tools Rubric
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JA5PMrYfmw4DI4O8BYOE8zURQ-yBGFTAdBsT5nkMu84/edit?usp=sharing

Assess a Collaborative Task - Earth and Space Rubric
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wMJ_kX8_7uPqk-6obcMegSmu-8tU4Mev1h3uhQp2pNA/edit?usp=sharing

Maps Rubric

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bp0n76gkxcF8XAuSwV3_5HeaIzMQjjxJs-V18lLiI6I/edit?p=sharing

Collaborative Web Tools in Education Artifact #1

     Writing & Assessing A Collaborative Task

EARTH AND SPACE

My  Educational Technology Cohort was given the task of creating a Collaborative Task for our students. I decided to create a task which supports our English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum. During the 3rd Trimester, my 1st grade students are exploring Earth and Space.  To help them learn about Earth and Space, the students will complete various activities involving the moon, the sun and the Earth. The activities created by the ELA coaches involve reading books, watching videos, writing, and illustrating. I wanted to infuse more technology into the activities so I created a Google Class, Earth and Space, within my Google Classroom.  

Google Classroom is an excellent platform teachers can use  to organize activities and information for our students.  I have assigned many activities ranging from watching videos, playing learning games on Kahoot.com, writing about what they have learned on Padlet.com, and using Google Docs to answer questions about the Earth. The activities will be completed as a whole class, small groups, and in pairs.    

Check it out!

https://classroom.google.com/c/MTE2Njg0MTM4NTla

class code:  op7htb

                                   ART & TECHNOLOGY   

The question:  Can "How to Draw" videos make you a better artist?  My students took the challenge.  We drew Minions and they were fabulous.  

 

Backslide and Technology

Summer is quickly approaching.  What are your students going to be doing over the summer?  Going to the beach?  Going on educational trips to the Museum of Science and Industry?  Most of them probably will not.  Summer is the most unequal time in America," said Matthew Boulay, the interim CEO of the National Summer Learning Association. Not only is nutrition an area of concern during the summer for most of our students, the summer academic backslide is also an issue. 

Students who leave kindergarten reading at a level C, sometimes enter my first grade classroom reading at a level B after 10 weeks of summer break.  Students who used technology for reading and math during the school year will experience the absence of technology during the summer.  Instead of using the summer to sit on the couch like couch potatoes all day, students could be engaged in online learning experiences.  Maybe technology usage over the summer break could prevent the summer backslide. If so, what should a district do for those students who do not have access to technology over the summer?  I have two questions,,,

1.  Should districts provide students with laptops, Chromebooks, etc. to use at home over the summer break?  

2.  If students receive laptops over the summer, should teachers provide assignments for them to complete?  Summer learning could be equivalent to an Online Learning course and serve as a method of extending the school year without being physically present in a classroom.  

Reflection

The Foundations of Educational Technology course has been an amazing experience.  I have enjoyed so many of the activities.  When the course began, I felt clueless and afraid of the unknown.  Technology had always been my Achilles heel. It was confusing and overwhelming due to the massive amount of information available.  After diving into each assignment, my fear began to fade and enlightenment developed replacing the fear that once existed my mind.  I was excited to learn and even more excited to share my experiences with my students and colleagues. My colleagues welcomed me into their classrooms and gave me the opportunity to share my newfound joy of integrating technology into our curriculum to increase student engagement and learning.

Online Learning Space

Assignment #1

The Life Cycle of a Butterfly

In October, my Foundations in Educational Technology Class was given the task of creating an Online Learning Space with a collaborative tool for our students.  Every task assigned provoked bittersweet feelings due to my lack of technology skills. While trying to decide what learning space I would use for my 1st grade students, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Google Classroom.  

Check out my Google Classroom

https://classroom.google.com/u/0/c/ODU0MDQwMDE1NFpa

class code:  vhr47cj