Blog Phase III: Comprehensive Reflection

Part I
         My philosophy of education has remained the same, but after this course I have learned many new things to add to it. Some important things I would add include technology in the classroom. I now know how important it is to incorporate technology into learning. There are so many ways to do so, and incorporating technology gives students a chance to learn even more and in new ways. A new part of my educational philosophy is to make sure students can be connected and learn, but use this technology responsibly. It is important to teach responsible use of technology to students.
         I think I will use technology in many ways. There are many online resources and apps that are made available for classroom use. There are ways I will use this technology for every subject. Whether it is teaching English by using journaling websites or story creators, or using math resources such as the bar graph maker website I used in my second micro lesson. I will also make use of smart boards if I am given the opportunity in my classroom. I believe there are many useful apps on smart boards that can be incorporated in the classroom. I will also use community websites for the class where teachers, parents, and students can stay connected. I believe technology is a crucial part of the teaching process in today's education system.

Part II
Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
1. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. To meet this standard, I would (and did) use websites where students can create projects. For example, there are story maker websites where students can create their own story using text and pictures. I would do this because it is important to show students creative ways to show what they are thinking and come up with creative ways where they can complete assignments.
2. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. I met this standard in my third micro lesson. I did this by providing students with research materials to learn about current events. These current events included real-world issues and resources. I did this, and will do so in the future, because it is an excellent way to show students how to research what is currently going on in the world.
3. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. I met this standard by having students journal their reflections on certain topics. This helps their understanding, thinking, and creative processes because it gives them an outlet to share their thoughts. I did this to give students an opportunity to share what they were thinking and write about how it pertains to the lesson going on.
 4. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments. I met this standard by having students work together on a problem-solving assignment. I did this because when students are given problem-solving tasks and are told to work together, they are collaborating with other students and using technology while doing so. They have to work together and use critical thinking skills to solve the problem at hand.

Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
1. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. I did this by using different types of technology in my lesson plans. Using different websites, apps, tools, and resources is an excellent way to incorporate digital tools. When students have the internet at their fingertips, they are given excellent resources to promote their learning and creativity because the possibilities are endless. I did this because I believe it is important to incorporate a variety of different technology in the classroom, so students are exposed to all of it and given a chance to learn how to use it.
2. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. I would meet this standard by using an educational resource such as Edmodo (which is the technology resource I presented on in class). I believe this is an excellent way to meet the standard because students are connected with their classroom online, connected to teachers and parents as well. This is an excellent way to set educational goals, and let students manage their own learning and progress because the website allows you to post assignments as well as a grade book. Students can stay up to date with their learning in this way.
3. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. I would meet this standard by coming up with different learning activities for different groups of students to meet diverse learning styles. I would do this because it would give students a chance to learn things differently. Not all students learn in the same exact way, and it is important that teaching styles reflect this.
4. 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. I met this standard by having different formative and summative assessments. I walked around the classroom, monitoring each students work and progress to see how they were doing with the assignment. I also had summative assessments in the form of checklists to check for each specific detail of the assignment and grade it accordingly. I do this because it is important to have different forms of assessment to monitor student progress and see what they may or may not need more help with.

Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
1. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations. I did this by using different websites. For example, I used a bar graph creator website. This works because prior to using the website, I taught students the important aspects of a bar graph and how to use data to create them. They transferred this current knowledge to new technologies by creating a digital bar graph with data I gave them.
2. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. I met this standard by having students collaborate and work together on assignments. They used their technology to complete the assignments with one another. I did this because it incorporates technology with collaboration and student success.
3. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats. I met this standard by having students research current events. This meets the standard because students were communicating relevant information and ideas. They were also to share their summaries of the current events with other students and peers, using their microsoft word formats.
4. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning. I would meet this standard by using a variety of digital tools, such as apps and websites. A variety of apps and websites can help students locate information, find resources, and it supports research. This meets the standard because I would show students how to research topics and learn from these topics.

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
1. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. I would meet this standard by teaching students the responsible way to use technology. I would model this by being safe on the internet, only using reliable sources, and teaching my students to do the same. I will also teach them about copyright issues and plagiarism and how this is not acceptable behavior when using technology. This works because students will understand the different between right and wrong, and know safe and legal ways to use technology. 
2. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. I would meet this standard by having computers in my classroom and giving students access to digital tools and resources. This meets the standard because it gives students a chance to be diverse learners, and use technologies that are relevant to them.
3. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. I would meet this standard by teaching students how to be responsible when interacting with other people on the internet. This means not talking to strangers, or bullying other students on the web. I would do this because students need to know the difference between right and wrong when using this technology, in order to use it correctly.
4. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools. I would meet this standard by grouping students together and using technological websites that have tools for collaboration. There are many websites for this, where students can share and upload their work with others. I would do this to teach communication and collaboration to my students.

Reflection on Lesson Implementation 3

1. Instructional Decisions/Teaching (InTask Standard # 9): Discuss the implementation process and describe
• What went well and what didn't go well during the implementation of your lesson? My overall lesson went well. The timeframe for my lesson ran smoothly and perfectly. I believed my lesson had good elements that worked well together to teach the standard. I felt successful in this lesson.
• How well was the alignment to objectives and standards maintained? My objectives and standards were aligned well. I followed the objectives and standards. I also explained them to the student. It was explained well and maintained in my lesson throughout lesson. 
• Describe any modifications made during the implementation of the lesson. I added an activity to have students create a list of 10 resources for current events. I felt this was necessary because it gave the students insight on resources they can use, and it taught them how to search for these resources.
2. Mechanics:
• What technologies did I use (for the teacher and the learner)? The teacher used youtube to show an example of a current event. The students used google and news websites, as well as microsoft word to type their summaries and lists.
• How were the technologies used (by whom and in what manner)? The students used computers to use microsoft word and google.
• My lesson was within the correct time frame. Everything ran according to plan and I finished up the lesson in just enough time.
3. Assessment of Learning (InTask Standard # 6): Refer to Assessing Student Learning; attached in Blog Phase I
• Include at least 2 digital artifacts that demonstrate what you or your students (peers) have created as a result of your lesson. 
  I only had one group member to teach, so there is only artifacts for one student.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Describe your students' level of success in achieving the standards and objectives for your lesson based on your assessment. Based on my assessment, the students achieved success in the standards and objectives for this lesson. They understood all the important parts of a current event and what details to include when researching them and writing a summary. They also understood how to find news resources and use them accordingly.
• Describe the level of success you had in teaching the lesson. I felt a high level of success with teaching this lesson.
• How do your individual reflections support this? My individual reflections support this because I met all the guidelines of the lesson and assessment for the lesson. I also felt successful because the timeframe worked out perfectly, as this was not the case with my previous lesson.
• How do the comments from your classmates support this? My classmate gave me good feedback. She told me she enjoyed the lesson. She also liked how I incorporated technology and the activities I had set up for this lesson. She believed my lesson went well. I appreciated her feedback.
4. What did you learn from designing and teaching this lesson and how will you use this in the creation of future lessons/learning activities.

I learned that sometimes, adding a last-minute activity can be a good idea. I was unsure when adding this activity if it would be entirely useful for the students, and I believed it was in the end. I also learned that I should think things a little more throughly when creating a lesson because I should have added the extra activity in my original lesson plan.

Micro Lesson 3 - Current Events

LINK TO LESSON PLAN

Lesson Plan: I. Rationale & II. Overview Reflections: Assessing Prior Knowledge and Planning Instructions:

o   What do the students need to know prior to the lesson?

Students need to know what a current event is.

o   How will prior knowledge and experience be assessed?

Prior knowledge will be assessed by the teacher facilitating a discussion before the lesson. The teacher will review current events, the important elements of current events, and different forms of current events (youtube and news sites). 

o   How will you use this information in the planning process?

I will use this information to plan the lesson, what the students will be doing, and what they may need help understanding still. This will help me plan the assignment for the students and make any necessary changes.

o   Why should the content of this lesson be taught at this grade level?

This content should be taught at this grade level because it is outlined in the common core standards for 4th grade. It is an important social studies lesson that carries on into more detailed current event lessons in 5th grade. It is good preparation.

o   How do the objectives that you have for the lesson align with the standards?

The objectives for this lesson align with the standards because students will be able to research current events, use different resources, and summarize a current event.

o   When will the lesson be taught in the course of the school year? Why?

It will be taught during a social studies unit, towards the middle of the school year. This is so students will be familiar with the technology by the time the lesson is taught.

·       Lesson Plan: III. Implementation Reflection: Designing Instructions:

o   Why are you using the instructional methods you have described?

I am using these instructional methods as described to help students understand current events and different types of current events. It is an important skill for students to learn how to research current events.

o   How do the instructional methods align with what you know about best practices (think about your methods classes)?

The instructional methods align with what I know about my best practices because my lesson includes examples, discussion, technology, and creation. It has the elements of a good lesson because it checks for prior understanding and students are given examples to help them understand the assignment.

o   How are you engaging students in creative and higher order thinking?

I am engaging students in higher order thinking because they are creating their own summary of the current event. They have to use higher order thinking in order to understand the elements and important details of a current event.

·       Lesson Plan: IV. Assessment Reflection: Planning Assessment:

o   How does the assessment align with the standards and objectives of this lesson?

The assessment aligns with the standards and objectives of this lesson because it checks for understanding of current events, as well as understanding of the important elements to include in a summary of a current event. It also demonstrates the students' abilities to use research methods to learn about a news event.

o   How does the assessment demonstrate that the students have been successful in learning the content?

The assessment demonstrates that students have been successful because it checks to make sure their summaries were written with the correct elements included.

o   How does the assessment demonstrate student engagement in higher order thinking?

The assessment demonstrates this because students need to use higher order thinking skills to create summary of the current event. They have to do research, and then read carefully to recognize important details.

·       Lesson Plan: V. Materials & Resources Reflection:

o   How does your lesson meet each of the ISTE NET’s Standards?

My lesson meets the ISTE NET's standards because it facilitates student learning, facilitates creativity, and provides digital learning experience by using the websites to research current events. They are also modeling digital work by using computers in this lesson. They are modeling responsibility by using the computers and website responsibly and correctly.

o   How does your lesson meet Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity?

My lesson meets this standard because students will be learning about current events, and then going on to find out more on their own and create a digital work out of it (the summary).

o   How does your lesson meet Standard 2: Provide Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessment?

My lesson meets this standard because students will be using online resources to find a current event. They will also be using microsoft word to type up a summary, as well as viewing youtube videos.

o   How does your lesson meet Standard 3: Model Digital Age Work & Learning?

My lesson meets this standard because the teacher will be modeling what a current event is with several examples. This will help the students learn more about current events.

o   How does your lesson meet all four elements of Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Age Citizenship and Responsibility by:

§  advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

§  addressing the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

§  promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

§  developing and modeling cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

My lesson meets the elements of this standard in many ways. My lesson includes modeling by using examples and creating a discussion about current events. My lesson includes diverse needs of all learners by including differentiated instruction for gifted students, cognitive delay students, and ELL students. Students are taught and expected to use technology responsibly during this lesson. I believe my lesson meets citizenship and responsibility as well. 

Reflection on Lesson Implementation 2

1. Instructional Decisions/Teaching (InTask Standard # 9): Discuss the implementation process and describe
• What went well and what didn't go well during the implementation of your lesson? My overall lesson went well with the activities and the examples I used for my lesson. What didn't go well was the timeframe - I thought it would take longer. I suppose it would take longer if I was working with third graders rather than college students, but this was still an issue for me.
• How well was the alignment to objectives and standards maintained? My objectives and standards were aligned well. It was explained well and maintained in my lesson throughout lesson. 
• Describe any modifications made during the implementation of the lesson. The only modifications I made were adding some more discussion about the graphs and the examples.
2. Mechanics:
• What technologies did I use (for the teacher and the learner)? For the teacher and learner, we used a graphing website to make digital bar graphs aiding in the rest of the lesson about math graphs.
• How were the technologies used (by whom and in what manner)? The students used computers to use a graphing website to create digital bar graphs with the data they were given by the teacher.
• My lesson was within the correct time frame
• It was short because… the students finished the activity and the assessment questions quicker than I expected. I thought they were more challenging questions, but it is also dependent on the skill level of the student, and since these were college students, they finished much faster than a third grader would.
3. Assessment of Learning (InTask Standard # 6): Refer to Assessing Student Learning; attached in Blog Phase I
• Include at least 2 digital artifacts that demonstrate what you or your students (peers) have created as a result of your lesson. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Describe your students' level of success in achieving the standards and objectives for your lesson based on your assessment. Based on my assessment, the students achieved success in the standards and objectives for this lesson. They understood graphs and were able to successfully create their own, each making the checklist on my assessment 100%. They included all the elements of a graph when they created their own digitally. They also answered the questions correctly in correspondence with the graphs they created.
• Describe the level of success you had in teaching the lesson. I felt a high level of success with teaching this lesson.
• How do your individual reflections support this? My individual reflections support this because I met all the guidelines of the lesson and assessment for the lesson. I also reflected upon the lesson time frame which gave me insight on the success of this lesson.
• How do the comments from your classmates support this? My classmates gave me good feedback. They liked my lesson and my incorporation of technology within it. They enjoyed the activity and did not give me much insight on changes I should make to the lesson.
4. What did you learn from designing and teaching this lesson and how will you use this in the creation of future lessons/learning activities.

I learned that there should always be a back up activity for the students if there is extra time left over. In this case, it worked out because my classmate had to teach an extra lesson. But in the classroom, I would have been stuck in a situation with nothing for my students to do. In the future I will use this to be better prepared in case I have extra time at the end of another lesson.

Micro Lesson 2 - Graphs

LINK TO LESSON PLAN·       

Lesson Plan: I. Rationale & II. Overview Reflections: Assessing Prior Knowledge and Planning Instructions:

o   What do the students need to know prior to the lesson?

Students need to know about pictographs and bar graphs. Students need to know how to use data to create these graphs and answer questions.

o   How will prior knowledge and experience be assessed?

Prior knowledge will be assessed by the teacher facilitating a discussion before the lesson. The teacher will review pictographs and bar graphs. Then, students will be asked to explain how the graphs work. This will give the teacher some idea of prior knowledge and experience with graphs.

o   How will you use this information in the planning process?

I will use this information to plan the lesson, what the students will be doing, and what they may need help understanding still. This will help me plan the proper assignments in this lesson for the students.

o   Why should the content of this lesson be taught at this grade level?

This content should be taught at this grade level because it is outlined in the common core standards for 3rd grade. It is a part of the math standards that students can create bar graphs and pictographs using mathematical data.

o   How do the objectives that you have for the lesson align with the standards?

The objectives for this lesson align with the standards because students will be able to create bar graphs and pictographs, as well as answering questions that go with these graphs.

o   When will the lesson be taught in the course of the school year? Why?

It will be taught during math units. It will be taught to help students learn how to create mathematical graphs and answer questions with these graphs. It will be taught towards the middle of the school year when students have an understanding of computers.

·       Lesson Plan: III. Implementation Reflection: Designing Instructions:

o   Why are you using the instructional methods you have described?

I am using these instructional methods as described to help students understand graphs so they can create their own. I am using examples in the beginning of the lesson to facilitate understanding of the content.

o   How do the instructional methods align with what you know about best practices (think about your methods classes)?

The instructional methods align with what I know about my best practices because my lesson includes examples, discussion, technology, and creation. It has the elements of a good lesson because it checks for prior understanding and students are given examples to help them understand the assignment.

o   How are you engaging students in creative and higher order thinking?

I am engaging students in higher order thinking because they are creating their own graphs. They are using the data I give them to successfully represent it using technology. 

·       Lesson Plan: IV. Assessment Reflection: Planning Assessment:

o   How does the assessment align with the standards and objectives of this lesson?

The assessment aligns with the standards and objectives of this lesson because it checks for the important components of a graph, and it also checks for accuracy of data and questions.

o   How does the assessment demonstrate that the students have been successful in learning the content?

The assessment demonstrates that students have been successful because it checks to make sure their graphs were made correctly. This includes all of the components in the checklist and accuracy of their answers to the math problems that go along with the graphs.

o   How does the assessment demonstrate student engagement in higher order thinking?

The assessment demonstrates this because students need to use higher order thinking skills to create the graph with the correct data. They have to carefully follow the instructions and make the graph with the correct values. They also have to use higher order thinking when they use their graphs they created to answer the questions going along with it.

·       Lesson Plan: V. Materials & Resources Reflection:

o   How does your lesson meet each of the ISTE NET’s Standards?

My lesson meets the ISTE NET's standards because it facilitates student learning, facilitates creativity, and provides digital learning experience by using the website to create the graphs. They are also modeling digital work by using computers in this lesson. They are modeling responsibility by using the computers and website responsibly and correctly.

o   How does your lesson meet Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity?

My lesson meets this standard because students will be learning about mathematical graphs and then creating them. Students can be creative with their graphs by how they display the data, what symbols they chose for the pictographs, and so on. There is room for creativity in this lesson.

o   How does your lesson meet Standard 2: Provide Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessment?

My lesson meets this standard because students will be using online resources to create their bar graphs. They will be using this website to create each part of the graph and represent their data. This gives them experience on the computer and making digital graphs.

o   How does your lesson meet Standard 3: Model Digital Age Work & Learning?

My lesson meets this standard because the teacher will be modeling the graphs for the student to learn how to create them. Giving examples and showing students how to use this technology are part of the lesson.

o   How does your lesson meet all four elements of Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Age Citizenship and Responsibility by:

§  advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

§  addressing the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

§  promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

§  developing and modeling cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

My lesson meets the elements of this standard in many ways. My lesson includes modeling by using examples and creating a discussion about graphs. My lesson includes diverse needs of all learners by including differentiated instruction for gifted students, cognitive delay students, and ELL students. Students are taught and expected to use technology responsibly during this lesson. Students can also collaborate during this lesson if they need help creating their bar graphs digitally. I believe my lesson meets citizenship and responsibility.