This course has really got me focused in on, and better understanding my students needs as learners. Looking at them through the lense of an “End User” we can identify what tools and skills they need to be successful in middle school.
I always knew it was important to get to know the kids and have a good relationship but did not realize the impact students emotions and feelings play into their learning.it had on their ability to learn and the learning process. Whether it was Baggio talking about the Trilogy of the mind, SITE design model, Dervin talking about getting to know the user profile and closing the communication gap, or the design models we looked at the all started in some way with getting to know your audience on a personal level. Another big takeaway was Baggio’s Book “The Visual Learner” has really helped me look at how I present information to the kids. Now I can’t sit through a presentation without critiquing if it. I have been having my kids really look at their presentations and now our motto is “If your going to say it, Don’t type it, just show it” They are currently working on a digital presentation on the States of Matter and it is forcing them not to just read from the slides but speak to what they have learned. The Design models and Prototypes helped me outline and wrap my head around the next steps for the capstone. I also feel like this course has narrowed and simplified my driving question. I wish we had it before the paper, but then again it was nice to get the paper over with!
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The “Flipped Classroom Pros and Cons” by Mary Beth Hertz was the article that resonated with me the most. I had the conception that flipping the classroom was centered around the videos and taking the time to select good ones and come up with good discussions for class. When I was teaching math is when Khan Academy came out and was the big rage. I like her quote “Good instruction, especially for math concepts, requires that ideas be presented in a number of ways.” I think this is so true in a lot of what we do when we find a new thing whether small or big. She also states “And as many teachers can tell you, not everyone learns best through a screen.” I may counter that with some do. I could really see it working with the math180 program. They do the computer piece at home instead of in class. It does come back to the access issue and intrinsic motivation to allot the time and get it done.
I used Bubbl.us to map out my prototype and it seemed to help with the whole sense making process. Once I started mapping it out I could see the “gaps” and started to fill them in. This whole process helped me find the “sweet spot” in the TPACK model. Using the mind mapping program helped me conceptualize what I need to do going forward with my prototype on how I will set up my next set of action research. To address my driving question. Flipgrid is an example of how I am trying to move from using technology to make learning more fun to using it as the vehicle for learning. The initial intention was to have students articulate the learning intentions. What ended up happening was kids were watching each others not only to understand the concept but on the best way to present it. The next step is going to have kids give feedback on the flipgrid, use the flipgrid to ask questions and start conversations, so they are collaborating with each other to learn the concepts. I have used google forms this year more as a management tool not so much as l learning tool. I have created forms as a quick way for kids to turn in assignments and use it as a student sign in and out when they leave the classroom. I also use it at back to school night so parents sign in collect emails and other info. An area of weakness for me is keeping in contact with the parents, so I looked at the add on Formmule. Students will be able generate quick emails to inform their parents on variety of things whether it be a behavior issue, or a great test score Another add on I am looking at trying when we do Earthquakes is mapping sheets. By mapping earthquakes students can discover plate boundaries and fault lines. One draw back is I have only figured out how to use it with addresses and not mapping coordinates. For my Touro action research/capstone project I used Google forms to collect qualitative data for my research paper. I am now using it for students to track their leaning progress as we go through our chemistry unit. using a scale from 1 to 4 they rate how well they think they know that learning intention and what they need to revist. What I think I need them to do is make a copy of the form so as they do it multiple times, they will have their own responses on the spreadsheet instead of entering them.
After reading Part 3 in Baggio I immediately drew the connection to my students and their presentations. Their presentations for the most part are Slides High In Text. I want to start planning some direct instruction for the students to apply this CRAP that I have learned. This is going to be a focus going forward with my driving question on student clarity, can they articulate what they are learning and how they are going to acquire the knowledge. Students can tell you what they are doing but have a hard time articulating what they are learning. Flipgrid has been a really good way to do this. Many of the kids hate putting their face on it, some aren’t even allowed to, so they have come up with creative ways to show diagrams and drawings of what they are thinking and then just speak to it. These turn out to be the best ones. If I can get them to apply some of the ideas about being visual and “less is more” so the listener focuses on what they are saying and the visuals are used to engage, peak curiosity, and make connections to their audience. Another unattended benefit was students were using the flip grids to learn and gain clarity on not only what was expected but the content being learned. One class I had 19 Flipgrids turned in with 219 views. Many students said they watched at least 5 before they did theirs. They ones they liked best were the ones with clear and creative visuals. By using Flipgrid instead of a screen-cast I hope to force to kids to create their own visuals, and since they are middle school kids they will want to do the least amount possible. Then later be able to apply that to creating good digital presentations. |
AuthorJeff Albertazzi Archives
November 2018
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