677: Artifact 2, Ed Puzzle bell ringer

For my second artifact I have chosen my edpuzzle bell ringer. I had barely used Edpuzzle before and had never really thought about using a video in any way as a bell ringer. When I did this assignment it seemed like a completely missed opportunity for me that I had not. I have done a lot of screencasting of myself working out problems and narrating them as I do them to give students with any supplemental help they may need outside of class, but turning one of those videos into an Edpuzzle is the perfect opening to a class. It takes the concepts they learned the previous day and helps them remember how to do it, because, as my fellow teachers know, a big chunk of students in a classroom forget everything they learned yesterday. Then when you consider weekends, it just goes downhill from there. 

Now that I have this new to me tool at my disposal I plan on taking all the screencasts I have made in previous years and turning them in to Edpuzzles. I may not use every single one of them in class, but this gives me more flexibility to open class a different way some days. It is also just another tool in my belt, and the more of those I have the better educator I will be.

677: Artifact 1, Video book trailer

I have chosen to include my video book trailer as my second artifact for this class.  I’ve included this because I’m extremely proud of what I have created using WeVideo.  This was probably the most challenging part of the class for me.  Before putting this project together, I had very little experience using WeVideo.  I had used it for recording myself, but never for a project like this where I had to use so many different effects and themes.  While it took me quite a while to complete, and it is far from perfect, I’m very happy with how it turned out.

The biggest challenge for me during this project was finding the animation I wanted to use.  I wanted something that would capture people’s attention and keep them interested in the video.  I thought about creating my own animation for the project, but I ended up using already available images.  It was also difficult getting the audio to sync up with the animations the way I wanted, but after some work I was able to figure it out well enough to make it work.  Again, the video is far from perfect, but I think it works well for my first try.

I’m always on the lookout for ways to get my students interested in science, and I want to “create a story in a way that entertains, evokes emotion, and connects them with a wider audience” (Wylie, 2017).  I think making book trailers accomplishes this and is something I could definitely use now that I have some experience with it.  I have a wide variety of science books and stories I’m always trying to get my students to pick up and read, but it is hard to get them interested just by talking about it.  I think making a few video book trailers could really do the trick with some of my students. If they can see what I see when I’m talking about a book, I know some of them will buy in.  I can make the videos and easily post them to my school website. If I can get some of my students to read the books related to topics we’re learning about, I would be thrilled.

Before I took this class, I had never heard of a video book trailer.  I am very happy that I was able to learn something that can be very useful in my classroom.  I’m also very happy that I was forced out of my comfort zone and was exposed to trying something new and different.  I feel like it has really been helping me grow as a teacher. This project in particular has given me the confidence to try to make more videos like this for my students.  Hopefully, it will get my students more interested in the topics I teach. I can’t wait to create another one very soon.

References:

Tell your story. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wevideo.com/

Wylie, J. (2017, April 29). Getting Creative With Video in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://jonathanwylie.com/2017/02/26/getting-creative-with-video-in-the-classroom/

677: Course reflection

Much of this course focused on developing assets that could be used immediately in class to supplement lesson plans or management strategies already employed.  It felt great to produce something that would not only be used, but would be used immediately and often. It is exciting to try new things, evaluate them, and make adjustments as needed.  I look forward to continuing to make improvements and grow as an educator. The teaching repertoire continues to grow as I continue to take more classes.  

I spent a lot of time on the internet finding images to use in my lessons.  I knew about Google Drawing, but never really thought of it as a useful tool.  I have been using it like crazy recently. I found that it is quite easy to use to do some pretty cool work.  I think that I should spend a little bit more time learning in order to really improve my skills in creating pleasant looking graphics, but I think I could get there eventually.  

I really enjoyed learning about the effectiveness of audio in the classroom.  I liked getting the opportunity to see peers posting great video tutorials as well.  Really, everything that we did or created was an adventure into the unknown. These activities forced some of us, including myself, into a zone of uncomfortability that we may rarely experience.  This is obviously a good thing. Generally speaking, not much good comes out of doing what’s comfortable to us.  

I will now, without a doubt, be more connected with parents through Remind.  I would like to have students create the newsletters that would be sent to parents, but at least I now know the tools are available to quickly create and connect with parents and students.  I will try to establish a way to get students involved with this process as it is their class and their learning that we are sharing with parents.

677: Graphic Design in the classroom

Using graphic design in the classroom is a powerful tool because it allows students to visualize information rather than just reading it or hearing it.  Studies have shown that people tend to remember an impressive 80% of what they see and do compared to only 20% if they just read it and 10% if they just hear it (The Power of Visual, 2017).  It is also a great way to keep students engaged in the lesson and focused on the important information, not distracted by all the extra information that often goes with it. Having students make the graphics themselves takes it even one step further and forces them to use their own creativity.  Student creativity fosters both self-motivation and flexible thinking which are very important to student learning.

 

In order to support more visual learners in the classroom, teachers should try to use a wide variety of graphic design ideas.  Simple ideas such as which type of font should be used, which pictures or graphics, which graphs or charts can all lead to students absorbing and remembering the information better.  Instead of simply talking about the different types of volcanoes, have the students create an infographic explaining the differences. This forces the students not only to learn the information, but makes them create something unique and show it off in a way that they understand.  Many of my IEP students have accommodations stating that they be allowed to use graphic organizers. These could be great for that as well. There really is no limit to what can be done in the classroom with graphic design for both regular ed and special ed students, as long as the teacher is willing to experiment and try new ideas and tools.

 

I do a unit in my chemistry class about molecular geometry. This is very reliant on the 3 dimensional shape of the molecule. This is a perfect unit to use graphical representation. I could have students use a program to build the 5 different molecular shapes we talk about in class. Then use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast these 5 shapes. 

 

References:
The Power of Visual Communication Infographic. (2017, August 31). Retrieved July 2, 2019, from https://blog.wyzowl.com/power-visual-communication-infographic/

679 Course Reflection

This was really an interesting class for me.  Much of what we worked on are things I have thought about trying in my own classes or have already tried to some degree.  It was fun for me to do some of these things and really figure out how I can use them in my class, instead of just experimenting a little on my own.  I would say that the topic that will stick with me the most was the Genius Hour. It is something that I thought very little about before, but now that I have learned more about it and have tried it out, it is definitely something I’m going to pursue in my classroom.  I think it is such a great way to get students learning in a different way, and it gives me an opportunity to redesign how I do things in my classroom. I really can’t say enough about the benefits of using Genius Hour in the classroom, and without enrolling in this program I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

Throughout this entire learning experience, the one thing that I appreciated the most was being able to connect with and learn from my peers.  It was truly an invaluable tool being able to discuss topics and get ideas from other teachers just like me. Many of them were in similar situations as I am, but they still have new and different experiences as well.  I felt that everyone was able to bring something new and different to the discussions, and all of them were able to teach me and help me at some point along the way. I will be using many of the new ideas and techniques that I’ve learned from them, and I’m really grateful to have made these meaningful connections in this class.

I think that I have grown quite a bit as a teacher throughout this experience.  I have tried and done things in this class that I don’t think I would have attempted otherwise.  I’ve already mentioned Genius Hour. That was quite the experience for me, and I’m glad I have a better understanding of it because it is something I can see the benefits of doing for my students.  If I hadn’t learned about it in this class, I’m not sure it would have been something I tried with my students. Now I can see the benefits of implementing things like this in my class, and I have much more confidence in trying it now than I did when we first started discussing it.  

I will continue to use much of what I’ve learned in this class as I move forward in the program.   I want to develop more and better assessment activities for my students to help capture their attention and get them interested in learning.  Overall, I’m very pleased with my experience in this class. I have learned a great deal about many different topics that I will take with me as I progress through the classes here at St. Francis.  I hope to build on the foundation I have received in this class, and look forward to incorporating many of the new ideas and strategies in my own classroom.

679 Artifact 2: Assessment Comparison Infographic

Infographic reflection

I chose to include the infographic that I created during the 679 class as my second artifact.  I chose this project because I am proud of how the final product turned out.  I am even more proud of this project particularly because I originally made some mistakes and had to go back and make some changes.  Making these mistakes was a big learning experience for me and I think I understand the process much better for having made those mistakes.  I now know what kinds of things should be included in a good infographic and which things should be avoided.  I feel that now I am in a much better position to help my students as they work through their own infographics in my class.

The biggest challenge I had with creating this activity was using fewer words and more images.  “Infographics are traditionally viewed as visual elements such as signs, charts, maps, or diagrams that aid comprehension of a given text-based content” (Ross, 2009).  I am not used to doing activities like this and that was a hard lesson for me to learn.  I wanted to explain myself using words, when I should be focused much more on images conveying my message in an infographic.  I believe though, that my final product does a great job of this and I definitely learned my lesson.

I can use an activity like this for many different topics that I teach.  While this particular one is designed for comparing two digital tools, the principles can apply to many other topics as well.  One aspect of this activity that I really like are the visuals. Most of the students I teach are more visual learners so I think a project like this will really help them.  Also, in order to create a well done infographic, you really have to understand the topic. It is not enough to just copy and paste an article from the internet. The students have to understand the concepts in order to choose relevant images, graphics, and charts.  “The combination of verbal and visual learning styles has been shown to ultimately increase students’ retention of basic skills by 21% and higher order skills by 20%” (McGuire, 2015). This type of activity is perfect for many of the science topics I teach and will lead to higher learning and retention.  I will definitely try to include more activities like this one into my teaching in the future.

I have learned so much about infographics and assessments from taking this class.  Without this class, I would not have gained so many tips and tricks for including more visuals and higher thinking into my classroom.  I would definitely not have the same confidence in creating and using infographics without this class. These ideas are ones that I will carry with me the rest of my career and I am thankful to have gained so much knowledge over the last few weeks.  I wouldn’t have been as successful in this class without my classmates. Their ideas and thoughts have helped me so much. Having discussions with other teachers that are in the same position as me was very beneficial and provided a lot of different viewpoints I would not have thought of myself.  I learned quite a bit in this class, and look forward to learning much more as this program progresses.

References:

McGuire, S. (2015, November 05). How To Use Infographics As Multimodal Learning Tools. Retrieved July 25, 2018, from https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/how-to-use-infographics-as-multimodal-learning-tools/

Ross, A. (2009, June 7). InfoGraphic Designs: Overview, Examples and Best Practices. Retrieved July 25, 2018, from http://www.instantshift.com/2009/06/07/infographic-designs-overview-examples-and-best-practices/

 

679 Artifact 1: The Badge System

Badge System Reflection

I have always wanted to incorporate a badge system into my instruction, but never really understood how to do it, at least not efficiently.  I want to be able to quickly evaluate students to determine mastery of a concept or skill in order to reward them with a badge. This eluded me as I believed it would require far too much time to grade and reward badges.  I want more of the responsibility to fall on the students. Therefore, I have created the following badge system, this will be implemented in our stoichiometry unit in chemistry, to monitor student progress toward mastery the concept and all associated skills within.  

Although I must create questions and badges (which I really enjoy doing), the students must do the work and submit it to me for review.  When they have achieved mastery of the skill, the badge is very easily awarded to the student by simply turning the color on and increasing the transparency.  

I will continue to develop these badge systems for each of the 14 units of chemistry.  I have already finished 2 units and, with a template in place, only need to swap out the badges and the questions that must be answered to demonstrate mastery.  

I am excited to incorporate student portfolio development within this badge system.  Students will be able to link their artifacts onto the badge page so that they can go back and see their mastery.

Genius Hour Reflection

I really like the idea of Genius Hour.  I think it really gives the students something different and interesting to work on.  They get to choose their own topics and work on their own ideas, so they should be really enthusiastic about doing it and I hope it will be a lot of fun.  I have never done this with my students before, but I have heard a lot of really good things about it from teachers who have. After trying a Genius Hour myself, I’m even more excited to try this in my classroom.  I think it is a great way to get students interested in learning and excited to share their thoughts and ideas with the rest of the class. I am for sure going to try this with my students next year.

For my Genius Hour, I was trying to figure out how to remove and reinstall carpeting in my basement.  During my Genius Hour, I learned that the most helpful information was on youtube. Watching a professional explain how to install the carpet was much easier than trying to read a bunch of articles. The biggest win for me was learning that installing the carpet would be much easier than I expected, and I felt pretty confident it wouldn’t be as big of a project as I originally thought.

Genius Hour is something that I think I could fit into my class schedule on a regular basis.  I would probably pick a day during the week when that is all the students worked on. It may not be feasible for me to use a day a week for the entire school year, but I could do it for several weeks at a time.  I might start off slowly with 4-6 Fridays in a row and see how that goes. If it worked out and I had enough time for my normal curriculum I would continue that 4 or 5 more times throughout the school year. I think that it would not only excite the students to work on something of their own choosing, but it would help with other skills such as researching and presenting that I want them to be doing anyway.  It really wouldn’t take much for me to get this going in my classes next year, and I look forward to giving it a shot.

675 Reflection

When I first began teaching, I searched all over for resources to support my initial offerings as a young educator.  I actually started a little later than most, so “young” is relative in this case and meant more in terms of experience than age.  However, I was thirsty for knowledge. I assumed that there were many experienced teachers out there that would want to share their ideas with the world.  I have found out that when you find something that works in the classroom, you are always eager to share it with colleagues. During my research, I came across some great resources and then, feeling slightly overwhelmed by teaching, grading, and coaching, I got away from finding more content and information.  

I have been reinvigorated through the discussions with peers, the learning modules, and simply taking the time to dig deeper with respect to professional learning groups.  I have gone back to twitter in an effort to add more sources. I check the feed more often than I was, and I plan on doing more research.

In using the information that I gather online, I must remember to give credit to the producers of any information or resource that I use in the classroom.  In a discussion with peers over teaching ethics, I discovered some of my practices were not completely ethical. Further, I determined that it does not take much to make sure that you give credit where it is due, and that it is not hard to create your own graphics within the Google Suite using Google Slides or Google Drawings.  

I will continue to pursue ways to improve my instruction through the use of quality technological resources.  It took some hard times and heartache, but I found out that it is not enough to simply implement the use of technology in the classroom.  There must be careful consideration when designing formative assessments so that they are not just substitutions of paperwork. Students can get a great deal more out of using technology if it is used appropriately and efficiently.  Students need to be provided an opportunity to be creative, challenged, and successful.

I found that when integrating technology, I should stay simple, have options, engage and not look to entertain (Sullivan 2018).  The SAMR model is great and will be a focal point of assessing all technology use in the future, but sometimes it is nice to take a step back to make sure things are simple and engaging.  

I will forever embrace the use of technology in the classroom.  Now, I will do so with more confidence and understand, which in turn, should lead to more effective student growth.  

SAMR. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2018, from http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html

Sullivan, C. (2018, March 13). Five Things I Want Teachers To Know About Edtech – EdSurge News. Retrieved September 26, 2018, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-03-28-five-things-i-want-teachers-to-know-about-edtech

675 Artifact 2

I decided to use my student creativity project as my second blog artifact. I chose this project because I thought it was a great way for students to do something a little out of the norm and maybe a little outside their comfort zone. Many assessments are just answering some questions and this gives students an opportunity to show their creative side and think outside the box a little. It also helps students get more used to doing more diverse activities online. This activity fits most closely with ISTE educator standard 5: designer; where educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability

Before I made the creativity project, I did not do much assessment with this topic other than class discussion and a couple questions on the unit test. This new project will help with determining how well students can differentiate the different types of substances while flexing their creative muscles at the same time.

I very much enjoyed the results I got from this project. There were some great examples students used to show some of the different types of substances. This has made me want to do more creativity-based assignments online. There are all kinds of different websites and chrome extensions I could use to do more of assignments with other topics. This is something I am going to strive to implement more often in my teaching.

ISTE Standards for STUDENTS. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2018, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Create Infographics, Presentations & Flyers | Piktochart. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2018, from https://piktochart.com/