Saturday, April 30, 2016
For all teachers interested in providing 21st Century learning standards and NGSS for their students, I encourage you to research Project EDDIE, a collection of learning modules developed by science and education scholars who provide data driven environmental exploration. These modules incorporate critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. My daughter who graduates this May from ISU with her Master's Degree in Science and Education, helped to write them.
Project EDDIE
The following are three lesson plans of my esteemed fellow students and comments regarding their work:
My comments:
From Sara’s lesson
plan on World War II, I learned about pragmatism, and its connections to the
constructivist epistemology. Sara applied the learning theory and design of pragmatism:
it consists of the need for teachers to know our students and what lessons would
be most practical and important for them. The theory of pragmatism is evident
in the purpose of this lesson: to create
a Prezi presentation for understanding of World War II, and its impact on the
United States and the world. The purpose also includes creating lesson tools
for future students. Sara’s lesson was historically significant in allowing
students to research history and discover its important elements. The lesson
allowed students to prepare presentations that would focus on the students’
perspective: what part of World War II was influential and significant to them.
The technology
incorporated in accomplishing the lesson’s goals was paramount in that it
allowed the students to research, analyze, and synthesize. Online textbooks
provided content instruction. The online textbook also allowed the students to
divide into smaller focus groups, with separate areas of emphasis. The Prezi tool gave students a tool to
identify and choose elements in their presentation that effectively represented
the section of World War II history they were assigned. The iPads allowed the
students to create a video of the Prezi presentations, and the iMovie software
the ability to edit the videos. Once uploaded to the class Vimeo account,
assessments could be made that alligned with rubrics provided by the instructor
and students. Standards were well
followed in the lesson plan with the following:
NETS goals of locating, organizing,
analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information were provided in the online
textbook as well as videos created from the Prezi presentations.
NETS goals of modelling
collaborative knowledge construction and designing, adapting, and facilitating
digital instructional tools were met in the teams that created Prezi’s and
videos of their presentations.
Students collaborated and published
with peers their videos on Vimeo.
Students presented explanations
about World War II in their videos that would appeal to other audiences.
(future students, for example)
They analyzed public policy in
historic settings with their research on World War II.
They analyzed World War II events
as changes and/or continuous events in their research of how World War II
impacted the US.
I
believe my instruction has benefitted from Sara’s example lesson in the
following ways:
1. I
will search for video editing programs that my students can use on laptops or
PC’s. I found avs4u, an editing software
program that is not as expensive as some others available. I also discovered Cyberlink Power Editor, and
will research its parameters. Because my students do not have Macs or iPads, we
cannot use iMovie yet. I think creating videos is a wonderful resource for
students to view and evaluate their own work, and that of their peers. It is
especially supportive to English language learners who benefit from the
simultaneous audio, visual, and text presentation.
2. I
will use Sara’s example of providing her students ownership of the material and
creative learning activities as they pertain to history; these lessons are
often distant and difficult to comprehend for younger students whose perspective
is generally in the “here and now.” My
ELL’s find it difficult to grasp historical concepts, as well as cultural
differences that present themselves in our social studies lessons. When they
are able to connect with the material in small groups, researching, discussing,
and analyzing, they understand more readily the historical events and the
effects that are produced on our countries today. Then, when they create their presentations
and view them on Vimeo, they can benefit from the repeat language and
vocabulary exposure to the information presented in a new format. They later
could review and evaluate their own work and that of their peers, according to
the rubrics created by both instructor and students.
The lesson provided by Aysha Alahmari was insightful for me
as an ESL instructor in that it provided me a comprehensive plan for
researching and implementing the Professional Learning Network, “Edmodo.” As Ms. Alahmari is currently a doctoral student,
she is not in the classroom at present.
I became her student in reviewing this lesson. I also further developed my own teaching
repertoire for my students. I have
created an Edmodo page for each of my two ESL classes where they will be able
to connect with each other this summer.
As I work for a grant funded program, I was unsure whether classes would
be offered next fall. I can continue to
use Edmodo this summer, and continuing in the fall, regardless of funding
decisions made. Her lesson has provided a framework for my learning, as well as
a teaching resource for my students this summer and fall.
Aysha’s lesson plan is well constructed and includes a step
by step procedure to learn about Edmodo, and use it collaboratively. Her
objectives of identifying and evaluating Edmodo, using Edmodo to support
individual and collaborative learning, and demonstrating creative thinking and
knowledge construction were well met by my learning with her as a student.
I have benefitted from Aysha’s lesson in that she invited me
to join another learning network called “Classroom 2.0”, an amazing network of
80,000 instructors from 200+ countries who use technology in their research and
classrooms. I have designed a science
review test on Edmodo, which my students will use next week. They benefit from this digital platform, as
it provides testing experience online, a skill required for passing the GED
tests. I have connected to ESL
instructors from all over the world to share resources, pedagogy strategies,
and future student collaboration. I have learned that YouTube presents
tutorials on using Edmodo, which I will use for my students as an introduction
of the software before we begin.
Aysha applied her chosen design theory of social
constructivism and the work of Vygotsky to this lesson on using Edmodo with the
instruction of synchronous and asynchronous communication available on Edmodo,
and the parameter of social networking as a base for the instruction. Students
who are teachers learning about Edmodo create their own accounts and actively
seek information from the various software formats provided. Students benefit from her inclusion of “Zoom”,
the web conferencing program, and “Open Learning”, where a teacher can create a
course in a different language. Aysha
has targeted students and fellow teachers in Saudi Arabia. She is offering
instruction to these students by offering a socially constructive lesson plan
that meets their language requirements and proposes future learning with the
lesson activities of joining five different groups, five different communities,
and collaborating with other teachers in discussing the use of Edmodo in the
classroom.
The technology she incorporated for accomplishing
instructional goals were varied and abundant:
Zoom, Open Learning, Classroom 2.0, YouTube, and Edmodo. She confirmed
the option of Arabic as language of instruction in the YouTube video about
Edmodo, an awesome resource! She used
the Edmodo platform to invite me and other instructors to join her in our
discussions about Edmodo and its amenities. She was both an instructor and
collaborator sharing information.
The six
competencies were aligned with an ISTE NET standards, with learning activities
following the benchmarks. Her alignment to those standards contributed to 21st
century learning by including creating, communicating, and collaborating as
benchmarks. She also used digital
software and open-source networking that created “borderless learning
territories for all students.” (Barnett
Barry, Center for Teaching Equality, 2010)
My own instruction has already benefitted from Aysha’s
insight by providing instruction in Edmodo that I am using next week in my
classes. Her scholarly treatment of
Edmodo as a learning and teaching tool is exemplary. I hope that she will share this lesson in
Edmodo, and Classroom 2.0, and Open Learning, and perhaps Education Week,
Teacher PD Sourcebook.
Lisa Dawson’s lesson plan
on researching various ecosystems is an excellent representation of integrating
technology in research and pragmatic learning theory. I found the lesson
particularly insightful with her use of a teacher created Webquest. I imagine
Lisa’s webquest might include specific information the students will use in
their projects, as well as websites where they can access information to
complete the outlined presentation responses. I appreciate her mention of her
teacher’s page with connections to the assignment. I support her instruction to include
different digital presentation formats, like Prezi, Emaze, and Popplet. I have
not used Emaze previously, and my students would be enthralled with its
artistic capabilities, especially one student whose photography and digital
design skills are exemplary.
Lisa may have already
discovered the Fifth Grade Ecosystem Webquest, a site where multiple resources
about ecosystems are available. The scientific terms and descriptions are
written in a comprehensible form for fifth graders. The images are superb and
charts simple and easily navigated. The
ample links provided include connections to the San Diego Natural History
Museum, a site for oceanographers, National Geographic, University of
California at Berkeley, and the Illinois State Museum, to name just a few.
Lisa’s practical
application of the design theory of pragmatism is well evident in her lesson
plan. She provides ownership of the lesson content by offering her students a
research assignment where they themselves choose the ecosystem, discover and
share the information, and collaborate with their groups. They have many tools
for research: books, print resources,
Pearson science textbook, laptops with Wifi capabilities, ecosystem website
linked to teacher’s page, and digital presentation sites to create their
research findings. Their learning includes scientific research practice,
knowledge of ecosystems, ability to use this knowledge in teaching others, and
the language practice required to read, analyze, synthesize, and create.
Her instructional goals
were successful in that students used multimedia resources to conduct their
research and create presentations in the form of a webquest, digital websites,
and presentation tools of Prezi, Emaze, and Popplet.
Lisa’s lessons were aligned to the ISTE NET standards with Common
Core English Language Arts standards of conducting research, recalling relevant
information, summarizing or paraphrasing, drawing evidence from informational
texts, and applying existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or presentations
with a variety of sources.
Her standards contributed to 21st century learning by
incorporating the 4 C’s: Critical
thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Critical thinking
opportunities are included in the class discussions that will take place after
viewing student group ecosystem presentations. Communication is paramount in
this group research project to ensure all students take part. Lisa provided
special accommodations to those students who were hesitant or who needed
additional assistance. Collaboration is
the key to this project, in the research phase, as well as presentation
creation phase. The instructor’s job, as
Lisa indicates in her plan, is to provide facilitation of work for all
students, and provide accommodations for those whose IEP’s require specific
supports. Creativity manifests itself in the research as well as presentation
phase with students choosing websites to investigate, and platforms with which
to create their final project they share.
My own instruction will benefit from Lisa’s insight in the form of
providing my students more opportunities to search facts and data charts online. I was not previously aware of all the science
sites available to fifth graders, which is the reading level of most of my
advanced ELL’s. This is a perfect lesson
for them, though they are adults. We
have been studying GED science test preparation this semester, along with
language attempts. I had not provided them a research project, and now I am planning
on implementing several. I appreciate the wonderful template Lisa provides.
C
Sunday, April 3, 2016
ESL/
GED students at Illinois Central College
Ann
Eads
Illinois
State University
Essential Questions
|
Teachers’ standards
|
Students’ standards
|
Learning activity
|
Date completed
|
Essential question:
Students
will watch a video about Kid President and Soulpancake: “How to change the world? A Work in Progress”:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z7gDsSKUmU
|
ISTE-T
3C:
c.
Teachers will communicate
relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers
using a variety of digital-age media and formats
|
ISTE-S 3B: Students will Locate,
organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize,
and
ethically use information from a variety of
sources
and media
|
Students
will choose vocabulary words as they walk in the classroom. They will watch
the video and hold up their specific word when they hear it spoken and see it
written in the video:
“progress,
complain, holler for a dollar, yell,
bullhorn, dumb, figure it out, ignore, famous, powerful, one person filled
with love, homeless, hungry, unhappy, awesome”
|
___________
|
Presentation:
Students
will be presented images of war and strife and poverty with a websites
referenced on each one.
|
ISTE-T 1B:
Teachers will engage students in exploring real-world issues and
solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
|
ISTE-S 4A:
Students will Identify and define authentic problems and
significant
questions for investigation
|
Students
will work in partners and locate the websites corresponding to the images. They will write a short description of the
photo together.
|
____________
|
Practice: Students will
work as a whole group and identify the word “Global” with a doc cam and topic
wheel graphic organizer, taking turns adding to the diagram on the doc cam
for all to read.
Application: Students will create a PowerPoint on google docs collaboratively to identify what is means to be a global citizen |
ISTE-T 2D:
Teachers will 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
ISTE-T Teachers will address the diverse needs of
all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable
access to appropriate digital tools
and
resources
|
ISBE-S
2B:
Students will Communicate information and ideas effectively
to
multiple audiences using a variety of media
ISTE-S Students will contribute to project teams to produce original
works
or solve problems
|
Students
will complete a graphic organizer that will later inform their research and
application of connecting with other students in a discussion about global
citizenry
Students
will create and edit PowerPoint slides collaboratively on google docs to
identify what it means to be a global citizen
|
____________
|
Extended application and
formative assessment:
Students
will post comments about being a global citizen on an Edmodo classroom site
with another ESL instructor’s classroom whose students are also discussing
global citizenry
|
ISTE-T 4D:
Teachers will develop
and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with
colleagues and students of other cultures using
digital-age
communication and collaboration tools
|
ISTE-S 2C
Students will Develop cultural understanding and global
awareness
by engaging with learners of
other
cultures
d. Contribute to project teams
|
Students
will post comments about global citizenry and read and share other comments
from students in different classrooms, an authentic example of global communication
in a digital format
|
_____________
|
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