Using Symbaloo...

For my Symbaloo webmix, I choose to provide sources for my students to learn about Polar Regions. We will be covering this in our writing time with three read-alouds on the subject over the next few weeks as we embark on our expository writing journey. I thought that adding the digital sources along with a few lessons on using reliable sources, giving credit to those sources and creating a digital presentation would be a great way to incorporate 21st century skills into something we are already doing. My students will gain access to the webmix by using the following QR code.

I have also located two videos I will use in the project. The first one I will use is a great example of a second grade student made iMovie trailer. I will play it when I am introducing the lesson. It seems to have similar parameters to those I will give the students, and the creator of the video presented her information in a very interesting way. I chose to use the student created video instead of creating one myself for two reasons. First, it will encourage my students that they will be able to be successful. Second, it saved me time. The only disadvantage to using this video is that after watching it the students may want to create more of a narrative than informational project. The second video that I will use in the project is a “how to” video for making trailers using iMovie. Although, I will teach the students how to make a trailer, I will not spend very much time on it. Also, I may teach it to a small group of students and then have them be the “experts”. Having the “how to” video available will help answer questions when I am not available. Students will access the video using the following QR code.

ISTE*T2 Reflection

It’s been more than a few hours since I took the ISTE self-assessment so I’m not entirely sure how I rated myself at the beginning of the course. I do know that I have learned a lot, and I am not doing as well as I thought I was before I started this course. It’s not that I’m horrible at ISTE*T standard 2, developing digital age learning experiences, but more that with my current knowledge I am now aware of areas I need to improve.

I believe I am weakest in substandard B, developing technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. Although I have made growth in this area by providing a few experiences for self-design and assessment it is not the norm in my classroom. This is partially because of the lack of technology in my classroom, but I could do more with the devices I do have. For instance, if I let the kids stay at the iPad center for a week at a time, instead of rotating them daily, they would have a more realistic chance at completing a project. I could give them a guiding question, some project guidelines, maybe some key vocabulary I would like to see included, and if I really had it together I would provide a project rubric.

I am stronger in standards C (Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.) and D (Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.). I am good at seeing that a student cannot be successful at the learning activity using the tools I have provided, or anticipating the need ahead of time. Some students need more scaffolding, modifications, or accommodations to reach the desired learning goal. Likewise, I effectively use formative data to inform my ongoing teaching of the content and students of their current progress. And, I use summative data to give students a picture of their learning and to plan future projects and units.

Digital Citizenship

In the Teaching in the Digital Age class I am taking I have been going through technology standards for teachers set forth by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Below are the four components of standard four along with a brief response detailing how I plan to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility:

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.

a.     Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources

Response: Honestly it has been difficult for me to wrap my brain around the level to which I can teach this to my second graders. Citing a source isn’t really addressed in the Common Sense Media Lessons until grade 3. I think a good start is to teach kids how to filter images so they can choose those that are okay to “borrow” when creating a project, then having them figure out who the source and how to give them credit. Of course, I wouldn’t hold them to MLA format.

b.    Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources

Response: Each week I incorporate technology into my teaching of the core subjects. Sometimes I use the apps the students are learning to use to present a lesson. For instance I’ve been using Explain Everything to teach a series of lessons from the Being a Writer Skills curriculum. Each slide needs responses added as I go through the lesson. I walk the room as I teach the lesson and have random students add what is needed. This helps students stay engaged and gives them one more opportunity to use an iPad in a classroom where we have only 4 devices. Students also get the iPads 20 – 60 minutes per week to practice fluency skills or to work on a project. In the computer lab I use different sites where students can show their knowledge or practice skills such as Spelling and Vocabulary City, Front Row Math, and Sumdog.

c.     Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information

Response: I look forward to showing my students the PowToon video I made on Cyberbullying. I also plan on teaching the Going Places Safely lesson from Common Sense Media. It will provide them with a hands-on experience where they will learn safety rules as they engage in the lesson.

d. Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age communication and collaboration tools

Response: I think a good way to address this is to implement a class blog or some type of a pen pal component. I could also look for virtual fieldtrips that second graders might be interested in.

Goals

Watching the videos and going through the readings in the first week of this course (Teaching in the Digital Age) has prompted many thoughts about ways I am succeeding using technology in my classroom, but I have also gained ideas for expansion. Reading the Technology Integration Matrix developed by the University of South Florida gave me a general idea of where I usually fall in the characteristics and levels of integration. Although the projects I develop for my students range from the adoption to the infusion levels of technology integration, I do not do enough of them. For now, with the limited amount of devices I have in the classroom I would like to include at least one project per week or an ongoing project that has students actively collaborating and constructing. As I get more devices, we should be able to manage more projects. Last year I taught a 5/6 multilevel class, and I was much more familiar with the content I was teaching which made it easier to come up with projects that covered a broader scope of material. For instance, I spent about 6 weeks on a huge integrated tsunami preparedness unit. Some aspects of the unit were supported by different technologies and other parts were centered on technology. The culminating project was a public service announcement that groups created using iMovie. I built this part of the unit using resources I found at Rock Your World.  That leads me to my second goal; so far my projects this year have centered on math as that is my comfort zone. I would like to expand to other subject areas and focus on cross-curricular projects that will facilitate students to use technology to demonstrate their understanding of content. Third, I would like to become better at tracking students’ progress as related to the specific standards addressed by the goals of the project. I can track each student’s progress throughout the project and use the data to facilitate dynamic and purposeful grouping.To help me reach these goals I will more actively seek out the knowledge of other teachers who use technology in the way that I aspire to.

Meet my Voki