Module 8

Of everything you learned, what do you think 

will have the biggest impact on student learning?

It is extremely hard to select just one thing. I think the combination of skills and tools I acquired are going to impact me as a teacher and my students as learners. Developing essential questions is something I am grateful for learning because I believe my students are more content and motivated when learning since they are provided with a legitimate reason why. It is no longer enough to just learn something for the sake of learning, they need a reasonable explanation for how they will use a skill or apply a topic in their lives. Including them in the assessment process is also something that I feel will help them grow as life-long learners.

Module 5

This module has helped me think about student-centered assessment in the following ways...

I feel like I am more explicitly thinking about the specific criteria I am looking for in an assessment. Rather than creating the assessment and then figuring out the rubric afterwards, thinking about the rubric concurrently allows me to really think about what I want my students to be able to do and what I need to see in their assessment in order for me to know they learned. I feel more confident and at ease planning and teaching lessons that are leading up to an already well-planned set assessment and rubric. Having students evaluate their work and the work of others is something I have done before, but feel I have more tools to use when developing these types of peer evaluation opportunities.

Linoit

http://linoit.com/users/jhartman/canvases/Planning%20My%20Student%20Sample

Module 4 Reflection

How can technology be used most effectively to support and assess student learning?

Cherie said something very profound in class tonight. "When you think of your end project, is it something that could NOT be done WITHOUT technology?" She discussed to use technology not for technology's sake, but to enhance learning and create something you otherwise would not have been able to. This tells me to create meaningful technology experiences and find creative and effective ways to integreate technology into my unit plan. I think technology is engaging for students no matter what, so since we have their undivided attention, we better do something good with it! It is much easier to track student progress and communicate with them about their progress so assessment should be more frequent and individualized. Data and performances will be driving my instruction and technology will allow me to keep track effectively.

Module 3 Reflection

This module has helped me think about the impact of the Internet on my students learning in the following ways...

I have always viewed technology and the internet as having great potential for impact in education, but this module has allowed me to evaluate more explicitly the ways to incorporate it. All the sites my classmates and I evaluated and documented as being tools for collaboration and communication put new tools immediately into my teacher toolbelt. Evaluating websites and citing sources will ensure that my students are being presented with meaningful, accurate information, and citing my sources will allow me to track where I have been, refer back, and give credit where appropriate.

Module 2 Reflection

This module has helped me think about using standards, CFQs, or formative assessment in the following ways...

After working with essential, content, and unit questions in this module, I have really made more of an effort to explain WHY my students are learning something. Creating and communicating a strong essential question for them is more important than I originally thought. I find myself explaining more about why we are learning something than before. "Because we have to" or "because its our grade-level curriculum" just isn't going to cut it. Students need to know why they are learning something and how they will use it in real life. However, sometimes it is hard to make these connections and explain them in a way kids understand. I find myself changing wording and sometimes struggling to come up with a decent essential question. Once I find it though, my lessons are so much more grounded and the kids understanding seems stronger and deeper.

Module 1 Reflection

This module has made me think about my role as an instructional designer in the following ways:

IMPORTANCE
It is extremely important for me to take my role as an instructional designer seriously. Regardless of age, grade level or ability, the curricular opportunities I present to students are essential to the development of their creativity. I do not mean that as, "AHH! So much to do in so little time! Hurry up kids! Did I miss a PO?" More like, "I will be student-centered, engage my children in learning that activates their whole mind, and realize what I am doing will give them significant confidence and essential abilities for their futures."

TAKE A CHANCE
I feel blessed that I have a great interest in technology and feel comfortable learning and experimenting with it. Kids are very intuitive and feed off of my tone and attitude in the classroom. I am not afraid to try something new or have it not work out. In a 2006 TED conference talk, Sir Ken Robinson said, "If you are not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original." He spoke about how children are not afraid to be wrong and definitely not afraid to "have a go of it." Unfortunately, I think our education system is rather focused on the right answer, (hello standardized testing) and children may have this natural confidence suppressed and lost at times. My goal is to not allow that in my classroom. I want to keep these things about children at the forefront of my mind while planning my instruction.

(If you have not seen the rather popular talk from Sir Ken Robinson I mentioned above, you can find it here: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html He is profound AND humorous.)

MIX IT UP
There are so many different types of learning, strategies, and technologies out there. Also, there are so many ways a student can express their understanding. I must incorporate them all. Teaching to the whole brain is essential for students to truly develop deep, meaningful understanding. I am excited and anxious to add more technology tools to my "teacher toolbox."