Lesson Plan Reflection

Description:

The big idea that I will be teaching is rhyming.  I will be teaching kindergarten students.  I will be making sure they know when words rhyme they sound the same at the end of the word.  One challenge that I will face is some students have a difficulty understand what the end of the word is.   I will use many of examples and repeat the end of the word to help these students understand. I will use the SmartBoard to play an interactive game on matching words that rhyme.

Implementation:

I implemented this lesson in a kindergarten classroom with 21 students.  The children were very engaged in the lesson and all wanted to play the game on the SmartBoard.  Students did a really great job of understanding how to use the SmartBoard and play the game.  Most students were successfully able to complete the game and understand what it means for words to rhyme. 

Question Set One

•               What was learned? What were the learning goals of this instructional experience? What were the underlying assumptions (explicit and implicit) about the nature of knowledge?

The concept that was learned was when words rhyme they have the same sound at the end of the word.  When teaching rhyming I had to make sure that the students understood what the “end of the word” meant.  If students were not sure where the end of the word is they would not be able to identify rhyming words.  Once students understand what it meant to rhyme students were able to identify when words rhymed. 

•               What are the affordances for how knowledge/information is being represented? What are the constraints?

The affordance for this lesson was the technology.  Using the SmartBoard was engaging and interactive.  The SmartBoard is a new piece of technology in our classroom so the children were very excited to be able to use it.  This also was a constraint in the lesson because students were not exactly sure how to use the SmartBoard.  Part of the lesson involved teaching how to use the technology.  

•               How does learning take place? What elements of constructivism did you observe? What elements of behaviorism did you observe? Were any other learning theories present?

This lesson was interactive.  All children had an opportunity to interact in the lesson.  The lesson built on previous knowledge about what the end of a word is.  Students needed to understand the ending of words in order to know if words rhyme.  The lesson depended on how well the students participated and interacted with the SmartBoard. 

•               Was your lesson intended to supplement or supplant existing curriculum? Or, was it intended to enhance the learning of something already central to the curriculum or some new set of understandings or competencies?

The lesson was used to reinforce and enhance existing curriculum.  Part of the curriculum is knowing parts of words and knowing words that rhyme.  This lesson reinforced the concept of rhyming.  

•               How are important differences among learners taken into account?

This lesson can be extended for learners who need a challenge.  The game has different levels beginning at easy and going to difficult.  If a student quickly picks up the concept they can be challenged by completing a different more challenging level.  I was able to reteach in a small group for students who did not understand the concept taught during whole group.  It is very important to think about the different learners

•               What do teachers and learners need to know in order for your lesson to be a success? What demands are placed on teachers and other "users"? What knowledge is assumed?

Teachers need to know how to work the game on the SmartBoard.  Teachers also need to know that students may have a difficult time with rhyming because students might not understand what it means by “the end of the word”. 

The learners need to know what the end of a word is.  They are need to be familiar with how to use a SmartBoard. 

•               How did you assess what students were doing and what they were learning from this activity? How did you hold them accountable for the work they did?

I wanted my students to know that when words rhyme they have the same sound at the end of the word.  I wanted my students to be able to identify if 2 words rhyme.  I assessed this by observing them playing the rhyming game on the SmartBoard.  If they were unable to complete the game, I know that they do not understand what it means to rhyme and need further teaching of the concept.  If students quickly understand rhyming words I challenged them to a higher level of the game on the SmartBoard.  . 

Question Set Two

•               What role does technology play in your lesson? What advantages or disadvantages does the technology hold for this role? What unique contribution does the technology make in facilitating learning?

The role of technology in this lesson was to allow the students to interact with the lesson.  Students were able to be active learners by playing the game on the SmartBoard. The disadvantage of the technology was only 2 students were able to participate at one time.  This made it difficult to allow everyone a chance to use the board.  This lesson would be great to use during a center time because it would be small groups working on the board at each center.  It would allow students something to do while they wait for their turn. 

•               What did you expect your students to make of their use of technology in your lesson? How did they react when using the technologies? What questions did students have, and how did you respond to them?

Since we just received the SmartBoard in the classroom it was one of the very first times the students had a chance to use the SmartBoard.  The students were eager and excited to have the opportunity to come up and use the SmartBoard by themselves.  They did a very nice job of listening to the directions of what to do and then following them to play the game.  Students did not have questions about the use of the SmartBoard.  I modeled how to use it so they were familiar with what they needed to do. 

•               How would you describe how students were making sense of the content with the technology?

Students were making sense of rhyming words by using the technology of the SmartBoard.  They were able to interact with the SmartBoard to show their understanding of rhyming words.  I think that allowing students to interact with the SmartBoard helped to keep the students attention during the lesson.  This helped them to understand the concept.  

Rhyming Lesson Plan

I will be teaching a lesson on rhyming to kindergarten students.  I will use a SmartBoard game found on here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/literacy/rhyming_words/play/ to have students practice identifying words that rhyme. 

1.     Content:

The big idea that I will be teaching is rhyming.  I will be teaching kindergarten students.  I will be making sure that when words rhyme they sound the same at the end of the word.  One challenge that I will face is some students have a difficulty understand what the end of the word is.   I will use many of examples and repeat the end of the word to help these students understand.  The GLCE that this lesson will focus on is R.WS.00.01 demonstrate phonemic awareness by the wide range of sound manipulation competencies including sound blending and deletion. 

2.    Pedagogy:

I will be scaffolding student learning.  I will start by modeling identifying words that rhyme by giving many examples and pointing out why the words rhyme.  I will then give the students the opportunity to identify words that rhyme.  To extend and stretch the students who have a strong understanding of the concept I will have them produce their own rhyming words. 

I will also activate the student’s prior knowledge by having them identify the end of a word.  Students will have to know what the end of the word is in order to see if it rhymes. 

The different learning types that this lesson will teach to is visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.  We will use the SmartBoard, which will show a visual of the words, and it will also say the words so the students can hear if they rhyme.  Students will also get up and move around in order to play the game on the touch screen of the SmartBoard. 

3.    Content & Pedagogy:

The strategies will work well for this lesson.  Modeling and scaffolding are very important for young learners.  They can learn a great deal from watching what you are doing and hearing what you are doing.  Teaching to the different learning types will help make sure that I reach all the learners in the classroom.  Having a lesson that teaches in many ways is very important. 

4.    Technology:

The technology that is being used to teach this lesson is a SmartBoard.  The SmartBoard will make the lesson interactive.  The students will be playing a rhyming game on the SmartBoard.  Students will practice identifying words during the game.  The SmartBoard is not absolutely necessary to achieve the objective.  Students can learn about rhyming words in a different way but by using a SmartBoard it makes the learning more interactive.  The SmartBoard will show if students are able to choose a word that rhymes with the given word. 

5.    Technology & Pedagogy:

The technology fits closely in with the strategies that I have chosen to use to teach this lesson.  I will first model using the SmartBoard before students are able to use it on their own.  Once they have an understanding of rhyming words and how to play the game they will be able to use the SmartBoard to practice the concept.  The technology will also help me teach to the different learning styles.  It will be useful to teach to auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners.  The technology adds an interactive aspect to the lesson about rhyming. 

6.    Technology & Content:

The technology will help me teach the students what rhyming words are and how to know if 2 words rhyme.  The SmartBoard will add an interactive aspect to the lesson where they will be able to practice the concept of rhyming.  The technology allows me to differentiate instruction because there are different levels to the game.  If a student is very successful in understanding the concept then I will be able to push them by having them work on a high level on the game. 

Assessment:

I want my students to know that when words rhyme they have the same sound at the end of the word.  I want my students to be able to identify if 2 words rhyme.  I will assess this by observing them playing the rhyming game on the SmartBoard.  If they are unable to complete the game, I will know that they do not understand what it m

Patterns

Audacity Project

Here is a my Audacity Project.

Final Wicked Problem Project

Text of your problem: 

The important educational need that I am seeking to address is parent involvement and communication. Parents are partners in education and it is fundamental that they are involved and aware of what is going on in the classroom with their child. It is a teacher's job to have constant communication with the parents to they are aware and involved in their child's education


 Text of your solution:

I teach in a district where almost all families have computers or cell phones with internet access. This year in my class all parents had internet access. Parents that that email would be the most effective way to communicate with them throughout the school year. After thinking about this I thought that a classroom website would be an effective form of communication. Parents would be able to check it often and refer back to it when needed. My plan was to create a website where I could give curriculum updates, list important dates, and also show parents what their child has been working on and doing at school. A classroom website would increase parent communication.

 Text of the TP, TC, & PC

TP Knowledge is “knowledge of the existence, components, and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in teaching and learning settings, and conversely, knowing how teaching might change as the result of using particular technologies.” The technology that I have chosen to support the methods of parent communication is a classroom website. A classroom website will help parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom. Parents will also be able to use it as a resource to help their students with their education. There will be links and information provided about ways for them to support their child.

 TP Knowledge is “knowledge of the existence, components, and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in teaching and learning settings, and conversely, knowing how teaching might change as the result of using particular technologies.” The technology that I have chosen to support the methods of parent communication is a classroom website. A classroom website will help parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom. Parents will also be able to use it as a resource to help their students with their education. There will be links and information provided about ways for them to support their child.

 PC is “concerned with the representation and formulation of concepts, pedagogical techniques, knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn, knowledge of students’ prior knowledge. At curriculum night next year, I will model and explain how to use our classroom website. This will give parents an understanding of how the site will be used and will also guide them in how to use it. After modeling how to use the website to the parents, I will also show the students where they can find resources to use. Students will be able to find and use the resources on their own. After modeling how the website will be used, parents will be able to email or talk to me about any questions they have about how communication will take place in the classroom.

Professional Learning Plan

Here is a link to my Professional Learning Plan.

Group Leadership Project

1. What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial?  Why?

We choose to deliver a tutorial on how to create a blog.  The tool that we used to deliver this tutorial is Camtasia.  We thought this would be a great program that we could use screen shots to teach how to use a blog.  It worked very well to compile all of the parts together. 

2.  What did you learn during the development process of the final product?

Before completing this project I was not very familiar with Camtasia.  This assignment helped me to learn how to use the tool and how it is pretty easy to use.  I have thought of ways I can use this to teach students.  

3.  What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?

If I had to do develop a similar product again, I would explore more of the features that Camtasia has to offer.  I feel like I was just beginning to learn how to use it and am excited to try different things with it.   

How to use Blogger

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Wicked Project Part D

•                Formative: Did the project get implemented as planned?

The project did get implemented as planned.  It was a tough project to complete with such little time left in the school year. I had to quickly create a website that parents would be able to use to keep updated with the classroom happenings.  After creating the website I had to communicate with parents how to use the site and what the site would be used for.  After parents were aware of the website they begin using it to find information. 

•                Summative: Evidence of success in addressing the problem of practice.

When talking to parents about their thoughts of the website, I heard very positive feedback.  They felt like they were up to date, in the loop and knew what was going on.  They told me they thought it was an easy way to be informed.  Parents liked that all the information was in one place and did not have to look in many places for the updates.  Parents were happy with the use of a website. 

                          

•                How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here?

I would approach another project of this type differently giving myself more time to implement in the classroom.  I felt rushed and felt like I could have been more detailed for the parents.  More time would help me to concentrate and develop the project before implementing it.  

•                What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?

It is important to have a backup plan for your project so that it will benefit it all people.  For example, if the parents in my class did not have access to a computer I was planning on sending home a paper copy of what was on the website has on it. 

In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do

I will create a website to use at the beginning of the year to support parent communication.  Starting at the beginning of the year will show parents what to expect.  I will be able to explain what to expect and how to use the website at curriculum night with all the parents.  I am excited to start the year out with open communication and using a website to communicate with parents.  

Wicked Part C

Here is a link to my podcast about the implementation of my Wicked Project.

Part B: Storyboard and Script

Our group used Google Presentation in order to create our storyboard and script.  Here is a link to our storyboard

Each person has a different part of Blogger they are focusing on.  Here are the different parts each person will focus on:
Aubrey: Setting up a new account, starting your blog, and design options
Nancy: Creating a new post
Lisa: Adding links and images
Kim: Adding comments and sharing

We will each use Camtasia to record our section of the project.  After completed we will send them to one group member who will put them all together for the final product.

Mobile Learning

Mobile Learning

When I think about mobile learning i think it would be awesome in middle school and high school where a very large number of students have their own personal cells phones.  Students are eager to use their cell phones and teachers could support this by having them use them in an educational way. 

As a first grade teacher I do not see mobile learning as being as valuable as with older students.  Yes, all first graders know how to use a cell phone but they do not all have their personal cell phone to bring to school (at least not yet!)  I would find it difficult to use mobile learning with first graders for this reason.  The only way to use mobile learning in my classroom would be for the district to provide the technology and I am not sure how likely that would be to happen. 

I spent some time exploring Poll Everywhere and found it to be an awesome resource.  I think that students would be engaged doing an activity like this.  The first way to use Poll Everywhere that popped into my head was for a review game.  Teachers could use polls to review concepts for a test.  Teachers would easily be able to tell where students needed more instruction and immediately reteach concepts.

I think that mobile technology will become very popular in schools in the near future.  I can’t wait to see how early elementary teachers use it in their instruction.   

Wicked Project Part B

1.             What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

TP Knowledge is “knowledge of the existence, components, and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in teaching and learning settings, and conversely, knowing how teaching might change as the result of using particular technologies.” The technology that I have chosen to support the methods of parent communication is a classroom website.  A classroom website will help parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom.  Parents will also be able to use it as a resource to help their students with their education.  There will be links and information provided about ways for them to support their child. 

2.             What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

TC knowledge is “knowledge about the manner in which technology and content are reciprocally related.” All the parents in my class have a computer with Internet access.  Also many of their phones have internet also.  This technology decreases the likelihood that papers will get missed placed, lost or never make it home to the parent.  Parents will always have access to updates and resources to use to support their child. 

 

3.             What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?) Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

PC is “concerned with the representation and formulation of concepts, pedagogical techniques, knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn, knowledge of students’ prior knowledge.  At curriculum night next year, I will model and explain how to use our classroom website.  This will give parents an understanding of how the site will be used and will also guide them in how to use it.  After modeling how to use the website to the parents, I will also show the students where they can find resources to use.  Students will be able to find and use the resources on their own.  After modeling how the website will be used, parents will be able to email or talk to me about any questions they have about how communication will take place in the classroom.  

Group Leadership Project Part A

My group chose to focus our project on how to create a blog.  The technology that we will be using to teach about blogging is Camtasia. 

1.            What web conferencing tool did your group use?

The web conferencing tool that our group chose to use was Yvew.  This was the first time that I have used this tool and found it to be very useful. 

2.            What were the advantages to using the web

conferencing tool to discuss this project?

There were many advantages of using this tool in order to discuss the project.  One advantage was it was free to use.  One person from the group set up a meeting and sent the link out to everyone else.  When we arrived in the “room” we had the choice to use video, voice, or a chat feature.  We choose to just use the chat feature for this meeting.  Another advantage to this tool was that everyone could edit the document that we created during the conference.  Each person was able to add to the document and participate in creating the way to present our information.  I found this conferencing tool to be simple to use and very effective for our purpose. 

3.   What were the disadvantages to using the web conferencing tool to discuss this project? 

One disadvantage that I found when using Yvew was when I was exporting our entire conversation and the pages we created.  Some of the formatting changed and it was unreadable.  In order to solve this problem, I had to copy and paste our conversation into a word document. 

 Here is a summary of what we talked about during our meeting:

Here is a link to our entire conversation from our meeting.  

Wicked Problem Project: Part A - Description of Need or Opportunity

Here is a link to the description of my Wicked Problem Project.  

Video Bio

Here is a link to my video bio. 

Reflection

Effective teaching strategies:

         I have learned that technology integration has to be deliberate and meaningful.  It is important to thoughtfully integrate technology in order for it to be effective.  Learning about the UDL principles has really helped me to think more deeply when lesson planning.  Thinking about all of the principles has helped me to create successful lesson plans. 

 Integrating web-based technologies:

        Integrating web-based technologies in this course has really helped me realize how I can use technology with my students.  Web quest are one way to first graders can begin to use technology.  The variety of technology that I was introduced to has really opened my eyes to what is available and how different technologies can be used for different things at different times. 

Personal Goals: 

        I have met my personal goals.  I wanted to become        familiar with webpage’s and wiki’s.  During this class I have learned how to create and use each effectively in my classroom.  I plan to continue to develop and explore both. 

New Goals: 

         My goal continues to be to develop my website.  I want to have a    complete website created at the beginning of the next school year.  I want to keep it updated and use it for communication with the parents in my class.  

Online Learning

I think that one technology that would be cool to use with my first grade students is an electronic portfolio.  First graders grow and learn so much throughout the year it would be great to electronically see their growth.  Two things that I think would be great to include in an electronic portfolio are their reading and writing.  I would like students to record themselves reading at the beginning of the year, in the middle of the year, and at the end of the year.  They would be able to hear how much they have grown as a reading over the course of the year.  In first grade we also “publish” a few of their Writers Workshop stories.  I would love for their writing to be saved electronically so they could see their growth. 

It would take a lot of practice and modeling in order for first graders to be successful with an online portfolio.  I think that it would be a great ongoing project to do with an older grade.  First graders could have a “technology buddy” from an older grade to support and help them with this project. 

One technology that I think would be difficult to use with my students is online research.  It is difficult for first graders to complete online research.  Finding information that they can read and understand is difficult.  Students need to be giving specific sites to visit and finding these sites can be hard.  Research is a difficult thing for first graders to complete on their own.

Online learning is a great way of learning for students to become familiar with at a young age.  

Wiki

This week we learned about Wiki's. When I searched for my school on Wikiepdia, there was not a a page created. I went ahead and created a paged and added a fact to the page. Here is a screenshot of the page I created:

I also created my own wiki that I think will be great to use in my classroom and for communication with parents. Here is a link to the wiki that I have started: https://nancywilson5.wikispaces.com/

UDL Checklist

After learning about the Universal Design for Learning, I used the checklist to analyze the lesson plan that I created. The lesson that I created was introducing and using Photostory with my first grade students. Here is a link to the UDL checklist that I used to evaluate the lesson.

UDL Checklist

Merlot Evaluation

The resource that I found on Merlot that would be very useful in my classroom was a STAIR project about addition and subtraction. My first graders are currently working on addition and subtraction facts and it take a lot of practice! This game/activity would be fun and helpful for them.

http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=552444

Quality of Content:
1. Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
Yes, the software presents correct concepts, models and skills for teaching addition and subtraction to early elementary students.

2. Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
Yes, the software presents educationally significant concepts, models and skills. There are models to show the skills and also help students who have a miss understanding.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
1. What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?

1. Explanation or description of the topic/stating the problem
This activity would not be used for an explanation of the topic.
2. Demonstration of the curriculum/exploration of the problem
Brightly colored pictures are used to demonstrate the skills of addition and subtraction.
3. Practice using the curriculum/analysis of the outcomes from solving the problem
The activity would be used best for practice of addition and subtraction facts. Students could use this activity to practice on their own.
4. Applying the curriculum to "new" problems/application of the outcomes to other problems
The activity starts out doing simple addition and subtraction problems then it moves into word problems. The students have to apply the simple facts to a word problem.
2. What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?
The students will understand the concept of addition and subtraction.
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)
The learners should be able to use the computer to navigate themselves through the PowerPoint slides.
4. Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
Yes, there are visual representations of the problems, which allow students to visually see the materials, and math problems that they are solving. It also provides support for students who are not successful answering a problem.
5. Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
Yes, the activity could easily be integrated into a unit about addition and subtraction.
6. Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
This activity could be used to help students understand and practice addition and subtraction facts.
7. Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
Yes, they are presented in the description of the activity.
8. Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
Yes, the activity is a great learning assignment for students to use.

Ease of Use:
1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?
Yes, very easy to see.
2. Does the user get trapped in the material?
No, it is easy to navigate.
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material?
No, it is very easy to follow.
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?
Yes, if a student makes a mistake they are able to see what they did wrong.
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use?
Yes, if a student makes a mistake they are able to see what they did wrong.
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?
No, it would be simple for students to use without having a difficult time.
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students?
Yes, students are use to having pictures to help them solve problems.

Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?

Yes, very brightly colored and kid friendly.