Module 6 Reflection

This module has helped me think about self-directed learners and the role of differentiation in the following ways…

After reading this module, I thought a good bit about how teachers from my own educational experience helped me to become self-directed.  At the time, I never had any idea my teachers were helping me become more self-aware, but they were.  I remember being taught about different learning styles like visual/auditory/kinesthetic and thinking that was really neat, and I did come to recognize in myself that I personally learn best through kinesthetic practices.  I now try to get my own students to think about how they learn or "remember" things most effectively.  I truly believe that the writers of the Intel Education eReader are spot on when they say, "students who understand the ways in which they learn are more adept at using appropriate strategies to complete tasks successfully."  I am living proof of that statement.  Once I recognized my learning style, I returned to the same strategies time and again to complete tasks with the greatest success.

I do not know that I had ever thought much about differentiation before reading this module.  I knew that different expectations had to be put into place for special needs and ESL students, but having never taken any education classes prior to this, I had not been exposed to how teachers would incorporate that differentiation into their lessons and projects.  I really had not thought about ways to better engage gifted learners at all.  I love the idea of seamlessly including more challenging concepts and tasks into a project so as to stretch the learning for gifted students to keep them excited about learning.  I think project-based learning really lends itself to that idea.  When students are given options on how to present their learning, I think students at every level can be challenged at a rate acceptable to their abilities and be successful without anyone feeling singled out.

Module 5 Reflection

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

"When students are engaged in assessment [...], they develop feelings of control over learning and see themselves as successful, capable learners" (Intel Education eReader, Module 5). Isn't that what all teachers want for their students?  As an educator, I want my students to be successful and capable, but even more importantly, I want them to know that they are capable of learning the class material, they are in the driver's seat of their education, and when they take on that responsibility they will be successful.  Reading this module helped me see that self and peer assessment plays an integral role in the achievement of this goal.  I believe reflecting on one's own work and that of his or her peers holds one accountable not only to themselves but also to his classmates.  Self-awareness and accountability are life lessons that all students need to learn in order to become positive contributors to society once their school careers are behind them.

After reading this module, I am certain that I want self-assessment and peer evaluation to become an important part of my courses.  I feel that it should be one of my primary goals to incorporate these tools into the classes I teach throughout the year.  I have always felt that students needed to take ownership of their learning, and I think student-centered assessment is the perfect vehicle to help cultivate that concept in my students.

Module 4 Reflection

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

There's a reason this is the "Essential Question" for this course.  Technology is so vast, and I think each educator would/could answer this question differently.  The teacher's comfort level and knowledge of different technology will determine how that particular person most effectively uses technology to support their students' learning.  For me, at this point in my career, I am most comfortable with using technology for research purposes.  That being said, I will most likely use the Internet and Subscription databases with my students to teach them proper research skills as well as information literacy.  I am also very interested in student blogging.  I think journals are a great way for students to express to themselves and the teacher how and what they have learned.  Blogs give students more options to be creative about how they communicate their understanding with their teacher.  Instead of only writing paragraphs, which will not be every student's strong point, students could embed a video or an audio recording explaining what they've learned.  They could also create other visual representations of their growth and knowledge.

Creating a student sample last week and then an ePortfolio this week further solidified my opinion that technology is a necessary component of any 21st century classroom.  There are so many skills that can be taught in addition to core curriculum concepts when technology is employed.  Through creating a publication, multimedia presentation, and/or blogs/wikis, students learn about collaboration, become more information literate, and find new outlets for their creativity.  This is most definitely the digital age, and we must prepare our students to use technology in ways that will prepare them to become self-sufficient, successful members of society.  

Module 3 Reflection

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

Specialized search engines.  The thought of such makes my librarian heart go pitter-patter.  The realization that I was unaware of most of the ones listed in the Intel Education eReader makes me cringe.  These are great tools that really open the door to better research possibilities for today's student.  Research is such a huge part of education it seems now more than ever.  Living in the information age, students must know how to effectively do  research.  They are doing research daily, whether they realize it or not.  Every Google search they do, be it on Justin Bieber or the United States Constitution, is research on the small scale.  And the Internet puts all that information at their fingertips.  Making sure they can effectively navigate this enormous source is paramount to educating today's students.

Along with teaching students how to conduct online research, we must also educate students on the other tools which the Internet provides.  The Intel Education eReader says, "effective use of the Internet goes beyond conducting research."  I believe that is true, and through project-based learning teachers can easily weave instruction on Internet communication and collaboration tools into their subject matter lessons.  I am excited about the possibilities that tools such as blogs, wikis, Skype, and social media have to offer in the classroom.  Students need to know how to safely and effectively use these tools.  What better place to learn than in the classroom?

Module 2 Reflection

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

When I began this module, I knew about standards.  You hear about common core state standards all the time.  And I knew that a course of study is designed to uphold those standards.  But how teachers went about translating that into their lesson plans seem like a difficult and possibly frustrating task.  Reading through this module really helped me see how to make it fit.  I had been coming at it from the perspective of starting with the standard and then trying to create a unit that would teach that standard.  I think starting with the project you want to do is a much more organic approach.  It's easier to see how the standards can support your unit than the other way around.

Curriculum-Framing Questions seem to go hand in hand with showing the correlation between standards and project plans.  Developing your essential question, unit questions, and content questions help you identify which standards your project will address.  I love the idea of an essential question for my classroom that will link my subject matter to big ideas that are meaningful to a student's own life.  I think I would have been much more engaged in my classes as a high-school student if the material had seemed to have any impact on my world.  Often times classes seemed to have nothing to do with me, and I rarely felt like the lessons I was being taught would help me in the "real world."  This first taste of curriculum-framing questions has made me realize how much real life training can be taught through every school subject.  Teachers are commissioned to "teach the whole child." Curriculum-Framing Questions can help teachers structure their courses to make that possible. I'm excited about the possibility of using this format to create engaging learning experiences for my students.

Module 1 Reflection

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

Before studying this module, I had not given much thought to the "behind the scenes" work a teacher does to prepare for her class.  I knew that lesson plans had to be made and a course conceptualized before classes began, but that was the extent of my knowledge.  This being my first semester as a student in education, that may be understandable.  Still, I felt woefully under-prepared and to be honest completely overwhelmed with the task of creating a unit of study in the project-based learning style. Gone are the days of the rote: read, lecture, write a paper. While I believe that project-based learning is more valuable and better suited to today's student, I felt that designing new methods of instruction would be quite the daunting task.

Though I will probably still have twinges of  anxiety throughout this process, after completing the two lessons for module 1, I am confident that I can embrace the title of instructional designer.  There are so many tools and tutorials in our course materials, as well as on the web in general, that will help me create a unit that will be beneficial to my future students.  One thing in particular from the Intel Education eReader that resonated with me was the statement that, "classroom teachers facilitate student learning and are implementers, evaluators, and curriculum designers." I had not equated creating units of study with designing curriculum, but that is exactly what it is.  As an educator it will be my job to ensure students learn from projects and other class assignments that support the state standards in a way that will also develop 21st century skills.  Fortunately, today's technology offers so many creative outlets for learning. I hope that by learning about and creating a project-based unit, I will be better prepared to design meaningful learning opportunities for today's students.