Module 7 Culminating: The Flipped Classroom

Article Link:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar13/vol70/num06/Evidence-on-Flipped-Classrooms-Is-Still-Coming-In.aspx

Reflection:

One new idea in education today revolves around the idea of a “flipped” classroom. That is, the students are able to watch short videos with the lesson presented at home, or at the beginning of the class, and then the majority of the time spent in class with the teacher is used to practice the concept, ask questions, or compare problem solving solutions. Particularly in mathematics, this strategy can be worthwhile as students often fail to fully grasp new concepts when they learn them through a lecture format. As suggested in the article “Research Says Evidence on Flipped Classrooms Is Still Coming In” by Bryan Goodwin and Kirsten Miller, in Educational Leadership’s journal, “after a hit-or-miss lecture, teachers often assign homework, which many students perform in a private hell of frustration and confusion” due to their lack of understanding of the concepts. As the curriculum has changed so much in the last twenty years, the concepts that students are now learning are often foreign to their parents who are thus unable to assist them in completing their homework. The flipped classroom reverses this problem by allowing the students to learn the concept at home, and then practice the concept in class with the aid of the teacher and their peers. Teachers are also able to better communicate with students, and provide them with much faster individualized supports and feedback.

I really appreciate the beginning of the article which acknowledges that lectures are not inherently bad, as “they can be an effective way to help students acquire new knowledge”. As a secondary teacher, I recognize the importance of providing students with the tools that they will need to succeed in post-secondary institutions. I therefore feel that it is important that students are exposed to some lecture-style lessons, as many of them will be faced with this style of teaching in university or college, and will need to understand how to effectively take notes and ingest the information. Through the flipped classroom, some of the video lessons may still be in lecture format, which can allow students to practice their note taking skills and ability to digest information in faster paced environment. With that being said however, for many students, they may need additional supports in order to understand new concepts. Using a technique such as the flipped classroom may allow these students who may feel overwhelmed with lectures to learn the concepts more thoroughly and develop a greater proficiency as they are able to ask more questions and get one-on-one assistance after they have watched the lesson online.

The journal article also notes how today’s students have a limited attention span of often around ten minutes. Through the flipped classroom, teachers can utilize this information to chunk their video lessons into more manageable ten minute sessions in order to increase engagement and understanding. I have found in my own classroom that many students often cannot sit still or pay attention for longer than ten minutes as they are digital natives, and are accustomed to accessing information at a much faster pace. They would often prefer a quick explanation, rather than a longer more exploratory lesson.

I am curious about the results of some of the preliminary studies which have been conducted on the flipped classroom. The article mentions that in one survey of 453 teachers, 67% reported increased test scores (especially for advanced students and students with special needs), and 80% noted an improvement in student attitudes. I am curious whether these statistics would change based on the subject and grade level. While I recognize the benefits of the flipped classroom in a secondary math and science classroom, I wonder how effective it would be in other classes where there is not always the need for ample practice time and problem solving, such as history or English classes. Most exemplars focus on the sciences and maths, but I think it would be interesting to explore how it would work in the arts or social sciences, where rote practice may not be required.

Project vs Problem vs Inquiry

	Project Based	Problem Based	Inquiry Based
Similarities	·         Place an emphasis on teaching process, not just content ·         Require students to make discoveries for authentic audiences and purposes ·         All fit well in a technology-rich learning environment where the focus is on the learning experience ·         Use technology as a way to facilitate learning ·         Bound to the students interest of solving a problem or addressing an issue they find meaningful ·         Provide authentic applications of content and skills ·         Emphasize student independence and inquiry ·         Are longer and more multifaceted than traditional lessons or assignments
Differences	·         Focused on developing a product, performance, or event ·         Often involves multiple subjects ·         May be lengthy (weeks or months) ·         Often involves real-world, fully authentic tasks and settings	·         More often single-subject ·         Tend to be shorter ·         The “product” may be just a written or oral proposed solution ·         More often uses case studies or fictitious scenarios as “messy problems” created by the instructor	·         Student explores a subject or theme and formulates a question themselves ·         Student develops a plan of research ·         Not about seeking the “correct” answer, but to seek resolutions to questions and issues

There is no “best” practice when it comes to these three. Many different source, such as Lauren Davis on Smartblogs, give different ideas of where they are more commonly found. According to her entry, “Project-based learning is usually done in English, social studies or foreign-language class… Problem-based learning often takes place in math and science class… [and Inquiry-based learning] is often done in science but can be done in any subject area.”

For a better understanding of each type, please check out the following websites that have a lot of information on each:
Eduscapes
Edutopia

University of Saskatchewan
Smartblogs

Technologies Aid in the Classroom

For me personally, I have used websites, such as Trello, to help me better communicate with my students and parents. I have used Trello this past year to set each of my Physics 30 students into groups for their final projects (or individually if they choose to). I had posted all of the required information on the Trello page and left the students to complete this project. As they complete each individual part of the project, they post their work to the Trello page, which allows me to immediately give feedback to them, and also a nice place to keep a record of all things they have completed with all previous versions of their work.

Another tool that our school has adapted this past year was to use Maplewood as a recording software for the students marks and attendance. This allows us to enter the students marks with comments on each individual assignment and have them available to use anywhere with an internet connection. Also, students and parents can log in at any time and see what they are missing, what their marks are like, and any attendance issues.

A classroom blog is also an amazing way to bring focus on the course work that you do within your class on a day to day basis. This allows student who have missed the class to find out what is required of them for the next day. This also allows parents to see what is happening within our room.

I believe all of these items have helped me to collaborate more with both parents and students. Parents are able to see which assignments need to be completed and what we are up to in each class, to allow them to be more connected to their own childs education. The students are also able to keep on top of any assigned work and ensure they are completed all of the required course work on time.

Since we have integrated our classroom with the use of the Internet and World Wide Web, a lot of the content in classrooms have changed. A lot of teachers have changed from having students do journal entries to creating a classroom blog or even Twitter page that allows parents to see what is happening within the classroom. In my class, I am able to do a lot of online simulations for Physics experiments that we would normally be unable to obtain. The Web has also allowed me, and many others, to share and receive pre-planned lessons and course material (why re-invent the wheel?). This has created a large selection of material for each teacher to use at their discretion.

Technology in the Curriculum (SK Edition)

Flipped Classroom Lesson Outline

Click HERE to be transferred to a lesson outline which uses the Flipped Classroom model approach, modeled well by Graham Johnson on his website "Flipping Math."

I highly recommend watching the video on Graham's website which explains his methods in the mixed classroom.  I can see it would take a long time to incorporate into a class setting, but could be very much worth it.

Personal PD

Throughout my education and career thus far, I have experienced a variety of different PD opportunities, from those that were mandated through the school division, to those that I was able to attend myself based on my interests and learning goals.

Each year our school division has a two day conference which all teachers must attend. Often these sessions are held in August right before the school year begins. We have had a number of notable presenters and educational theorists, such as Sandra Herbst, Damien Cooper and Mike Mattos. I really enjoyed listening to Damien Cooper last year as he provided some great suggestions for making effective assessments and a better framework for understanding the key components of assessment. The only downside to these conferences however, is that the sessions are often very general, as the speaker must cater to teachers from pre-kindergarten to high school level. I commonly prefer PD which can be catered to teachers’ levels and subject areas so that they can provide applicable examples and direct examples which could be implemented in my own classroom. As teachers, we are constantly struggling to find time outside of teaching time to prepare and improve our materials, so if the material that is presented is not adapted to meet my subject area, I find that I often get caught up in my day to day work, and don’t have time to alter and change the presenters’ ideas to meet my needs. This reaffirms the main idea in the document entitled, What is Effective Teacher Professional Development, from the Canadian Education Association, which suggests that “teachers need to have the chance to put what they learned into practice and to reflect on how new ideas and teaching approaches work within their classrooms; and that students are more successful when teachers have meaningful, ongoing, PD opportunities.”

Our division has also started a PD program for first year teachers, where we were able to meet once every other month for a full day with fellow first year teachers and more experienced teachers and mentors in our school division. I found these days to be highly worthwhile as we were able to not only learn more about initiatives within our board, but we could also spend this time working with other first year teachers to share resources, problem solve, and ask more experienced mentors for assistance in any areas which we were struggling. These meetings were a great way for us to establish connections with other teachers and to learn from their experiences, which is one of the key indicators of effective PD as suggested by the Canadian Education Association. By giving us a choice about the direction these meetings took, we were able to cater these PD sessions to meet our individual needs and learning goals. As a first year teacher it was nice to listen to experiences of other teachers and reflect on the outcomes in our own classroom throughout the year- rather than just having one meeting. I also had the chance in my first year to attend a first year teacher conference in Saskatoon with first year teachers from across the province. This opportunity provided us with a great opportunity to network with one another and learn more about the profession and benefits through the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF). By learning more about our rights and the logistics behind the profession, we were better able to maintain a safe and effective learning environment within our own classrooms.In the future I would like to continue to focus my PD opportunities around the flipped classroom and new mathematics and science initiatives (such as robotics). I am also very interested in technology (which is the reason I am taking this course), and would like to continue to take courses/attend PD sessions focused on integrating technology within the classroom as the students we are teaching today are digital natives and often are more interested in subjects such as math and science when technology can be integrated. The only challenge which I have faced as a result of these PD sessions, is trying to get new technology and programs approved by the board for classroom use. Sometimes this process can be highly lengthy, and as a result, I am not able to integrate new initiatives in a timely manner at which point there may be newer technology available to use.

What is Effective PD?

Effective professional development is important for the progression of teachers’ skills and understanding. Often times, professional development happens through local workshops, school based collaboration groups, or formal/informal presentations. In our school board we have a number of professional development days built into our yearly schedule that are solely devoted to improving teacher skills. We worked in horizontal and vertical teams within our school, and had presentations from experienced educators and administration to help guide us through new board initiatives. Each year we also have a PD conference which is mandatory for the entire division that has brought in a number of well-known theorists and presenters, including Mike Mattos and Damien Cooper.

In order for PD to be effective there are a number of guidelines by which it should be run. Firstly, it is imperative that teachers are given choice in the conferences and sessions which they attend. Since teachers are professionals, their choice and interests should be given some consideration as PD is much more engaging and worthwhile if it relates to the content or teaching strategies that a teacher is using. As a high school mathematics and science teacher, I have experienced this first hand, as a number of the PD sessions which I attended at one conference were primarily geared towards elementary and primary teachers, and thus I found it difficult to remain engaged and apply the concepts to my own classroom because they were so unrelated.

It is also important that through PD teachers have an opportunity to reflect on their learning. Often times, teachers attend conferences and pick up great resources, only to have them sit on a USB or on a shelf never to be touched. By having a chance to come back to their place of work, try strategies, and then reflect on their outcomes, teachers can better utilize PD as a learning opportunity that can guide and improve instruction. This process may also involve data collection and reflection, as it is easier to reflect on the effectiveness of your improvements if you have concrete data to analyze. Through programs such as Aimsweb and Key Math, teachers now have a variety of instruments which they could use to test students prior to a PD session in order to use the results to provide a greater understanding of the improvements made or challenges which may have been faced.

We often think of PD as being solely those opportunities when a guest speaker is invited to present a new theory or strategy, when in actuality, PD can be just as effective when it occurs with local teachers and support staff. As educators have such diverse backgrounds and experiences, we all have different strategies for teaching, assessing and reporting. As such, this provides a great opportunity for teachers to learn from one another. Effective PD can occur within our own schools, by taking the time to teach each other about new ideas or strategies that have worked well in our own classroom, and asking questions to one another about how to improve and optimize student learning.

In summary, PD requires work. It requires constant reflection and commitment. As suggested in the document entitled, What is Effective Teacher Professional Development, from the Canadian Education Association, research has confirmed that “teachers need to have the chance to put what they learned into practice and to reflect on how new ideas and teaching approaches work within their classrooms; and that students are more successful when teachers have meaningful, ongoing, PD opportunities.”

The Astronomy Dream

I really hope that I eventually have the opportunity to teach astronomy.

Why you ask?

Because of Elite: Dangerous.

It's a new space-sandbox game that has been available on PC for a while (recently released as an early access game on Xbox).  It's very open ended and does not ever really "end" in the true sense of a video game.

What does this all mean?

It means if I were to teach a lesson about a specific solar system, star, black hole, or nebula, the class could travel there within the game and explore (as long as it is within our Milky Way galaxy)! They could see the different stars in the galaxy, and actually read up on some general information about the type of body it is, as well as specific information about that individual object.

One could easily make an assignment where they would need to go out and find a specific star (you are able to search within the game itself) and give certain information about it.

An example could be to find LHS 2520 (a star which astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson found for DC comics as the possible location for where Superman was from). Once found, you will need to explain what type of star it is, how massive it is compared to our sun, and how hot the surface of that star is. 

After they had done that assignment, they could then decide to search anywhere within our Galaxy. Want to visit the coal stack nebula? Go find it! Want to find Sagittarius A*? Get a move on, and bring some heat sink launchers to avoid burning up along the way to the center of our Galaxy!

I'm really hoping to find a way to explore this in my classroom, even if it's just as an extra curricular astronomy club. I think this is an interesting way to get students interested in the topic and allow them to explore our own Galaxy!

Classroom Vs Professional Blog

Although both sound similar, there are key differences between a Classroom Website and a Professional Educational Blog. The table below gives the glaringly obvious differences.

	Classroom Blog	Professional Blog
Audience	Students Parents Guardians	Educators Administration
Purpose	To detail what is happening within your classroom Provide students with material for classroom activities Posting of homework or important documents Any other materials used within the classroom Allow parents/guardians to be more involved with their students education	To voice your opinion on different issues in education Ask questions to other professionals and receive feedback

The Classroom Website/Blog is a very nice way to create a connection with the parents. Having the connection between school and home is a proven way to improve your child’s success in education. Because you’re trying to create this connection with the parents and students, the way you type to your audience is very different than how you would type on a professional blog.

In a professional blog, you are voicing an opinion on a specific topic in Education and almost expecting your audience to post comments about their own opinions or any questions they may have. This is more about a learning and collaborative experience than one of an information giver.

If you maintained having both a Professional Blog and Classroom Blog/Website, you would want to keep the two separate. Although some parents (and maybe students) may be interested in your opinions on education, this should not but contained within your Classroom Blog, as it could become congested and confuse the readers who may be looking for just their homework, or just the opinion on Google Classroom.

Parent Night Outline

• Slideshow
• Introductions(5 min)
• Talk about topics covered in class (depends on class, either Math 10, 20, 30, Physics 30, or Computer Science 20, 30) (10 min)
• Full year project information (Physics 30 only [so far]) (5 min)
• Technologies used in class for both parents and students
• Remind
• 1 way communication with entire class / parents to cell phones or email
• Ability to remind students of upcoming assignment due dates or tests
• Ability to send out days homework
• Allow parents to sign up
• Khan Academy (for Math and Physics classes)
• Online videos that will help explain a concept
• Allow students to re-watch and attempt questions as many times as they require
• Contains question sets directly related to video lessons
• Setting up the coaching tool will allow me to “assign” videos and question sets to students in place of missed classwork
• Helps students master the topics taught in class
• Trello / Google Docs (Physics 30 Project)
• Allows students to collaborate in group tasks even when they are not directly beside each other.
• Easily keep track of all work done on project and have a place to store all of the information
• No more “John has all the work”
• Allows for immediate feedback from me
• Classroom Blog (how to get there, guide through the site)
• Store all of the above information
• Will contain each topic that was covered for the day, as well as any Khan Academy video lessons and question sets that may be important
• Homework and assignments will be posted

UDL Strategies

The Universal Design for Learning process encourages teachers to offer multiple forms of representation and engagement. There are a variety of different ways that teachers can incorporate 21st century technologies into a classroom to provide students with different modes of representation and learning.

1. Teachers are encouraged through UDL to provide alternatives for viewing visual and auditory information. By using audio books and read aloud software, teachers can limit the amount of visual information which the students must process. In an English class, rather than having a student feel isolated by reading a different book than their peers, the teacher can provide the student with an audio book to help the student better understand the content of the book, rather than solely focusing on their lack of fluency or comprehension skills. Similarly, to aid students who struggle to process auditory information, teachers can now provide students with copies of their notes/lectures, directly from the SMARTBoard or tablet device. Teachers can also utilize the closed caption feature on videos, and even many Youtube videos, thus allowing students to have the opportunity to watch multi-media presentations. 
2. Teachers are also encouraged to continuously clarify vocabulary and symbols for students to ensure comprehension and understanding. There are a variety of resources that are available online which can help to develop students’ vocabulary, such as Visuwords, an online graphic dictionary and thesaurus which uses colours and patterns to identify the links between words. The program is free, and may be easier for students to use, rather than looking up a definition in a dictionary. Wordle is another tool that could be used to help students develop their language skills, as students could make posters with synonyms or describing words for each of their vocabulary terms in order to help them remember what it means. Making these bright and colourful posters can provide a fun way of practicing ones’ vocabulary. 
3. In UDL it is essential for teachers to illustrate the content and outcomes using multiple media forms. That is, teachers need to be able to present the content to students in a variety of different ways so that students of all different learning styles and abilities have the chance to develop their understanding. The National Centre on Universal Design for Learning, suggests a variety of different online tools that teachers can use to help integrate this idea into their teaching. For instance, Search Cube is a website that allows students to search any term, and it will create pictures or different visual representations of the top 96 pages from your search. From here, students can rotate the cube or move it to see different sides to learn about their search in different ways. As a math teacher, I have used the Illuminations website many times in my math class as it provides visual representations of different math topics. The webpage is easy to use and is easy for students to understand and manipulate the animations. Particularly in math, it is important that teachers utilize various forms of media to ensure student understanding as many of the concepts are very abstract unless students can actually move the shapes around or plot their information to see a realistic image of their task. 
4. In UDL, it is also important for teachers to highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas and relationships. There are a number of online tools that can help students identify key ideas, or help to keep students focused on the purpose of the lesson. Pace Car is a great tool for students who are often distracted by other content on a webpage. The program lights up only the words that surround the students’ cursor and creates a dark shadow over the rest of the webpage so that the student can only focus on the information in the box. Students must then focus on learning the key ideas in the written text as opposed to looking at the advertisements, or other distractions on the webpage. Similarly, Readability allows teachers to create clutter-free pages from the internet, so that students are not distracted by unrelated pictures or advertisements. By solely having the key information on the screen, students will be more focused on the important information- particularly for those students who struggle with attention deficit disorders.
5. The final teaching idea from UDL centers around the understanding that information should be displayed in multiple formats for students, particularly those with exceptionalities. Using the Aim Explorer, for instance, students can take a grade-level text and utilize text-to-speech, magnification, and highlighting tools to assist them in the reading process. Additionally students can change the text and background colours which can assist students with vision troubles. Having this software can assist any English, social studies, or even science teacher when their students are presented with different readings to complete. This software will allow them to adjust the program settings to meet their individual needs to help optimize student learning. For instance, when studying a particular novel, the teacher could have some students read to themselves, have others with visual impairments (such as colour blindness) use the program to alter the colours of the text to make it easier to read, and students who struggle with the reading skills could have the computer read the text aloud to them.

For more information, or to read up on more strategies, visit UDL Center.

Universal Design Learning Theories

Universal Design Learning Theories exemplify the idea that all students should be given the opportunity to learn. As suggested in the a paper on Universal Design for Leaning, “instruction can be universally designed when, without after-the-fact adaptation, it provides information that is easily recognized by all students, diminishes unnecessary physical effort for access, or is structured to avoid unnecessary frustration and to be highly engaging and motivational for the student” (pg. 22). The first step in the design process is identifying the barriers which inhibit students from learning. Through differentiated instruction, various technologies, cooperative learning, community-based learning, and by teaching learning strategies, teachers are able to better meet the needs of the students in the class and ensure that they are learning- that is, that they are being challenged and are not solely presented with tasks that they could finish with little effort or thinking. The National Center on Universal Design for Learning suggests that this method requires teachers to provide multiple means of engagement (to develop purposeful, motivated learners), representation (to develop resourceful, knowledgeable learners), and action/expression (to develop strategic, goal-directed learners). There is not a simple blueprint to follow for UDL, as it varies based on the needs of your students. As technology is further developed however, we are finding easier and more effective techniques for incorporating UDL into the classroom. For instance, there are a variety of online programs such as Mathletics that scaffold the curriculum for students and can be adjusted to meet the needs and abilities of the students in a class. From working on concepts that a student may have missed, to challenging students who are more advanced in their studies, these programs can allow teachers to individualize lessons to best suit the learning goals of their students.

As an educator, I feel uncomfortable saying that my classroom follows all of the UDL concepts, as I believe that there is always room for improvement, and that we as teachers must do the best we can to provide an optimal learning environment based on the tools we have and the unique students we meet. While I believe that I have seen classrooms that have taken large steps to be inclusive and to meet the needs of all students, I do not believe that there are many truly UDL classrooms in existence. I have observed classes this year that have incorporated new thinking and educational trends which have really helped to bring are more UDL environment, such as guided math. Through guided math, the teacher is able to divide the students into groups (which may change based on the strand or unit being covered), and the groups are able to cycle through a variety of different stations which are catered to their individual learning needs. For instance, one group may be doing activities through cooperative learning, while another group meets with the teacher. There may be another group using the computer, SMARTBoard or other forms of technology to practice their new skills. This technique allows for the teacher to differentiate their lesson and meet the different needs and abilities of their students, rather than solely lecturing at the front of the classroom.

The National Center on Universal Design for Learning has posted some great resources on how teachers can implement UDL in their classrooms, and ways for offering alternative forms of learning for students of different abilities and exceptionalities. These resources can be found by clicking here.

It is important to understand that integrating UDL in a classroom is a fluid process that is ever-changing, as the needs of your students and available tools may continuously change and improve. The five phases that teachers must pass through while implementing UDL are: exploring, preparing, integrating, scaling and optimizing, according to the National Center on Universal Design for Learning.

21st Century Learning with Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a learning disability which can impede or affect a person’s ability to control their handwriting and fine motor skills. Often times this can lead to illegible handwriting, trouble using different types of letters (such as upper and lower case letters) and spacing, as well as difficulty copying material and multi-tasking. This disability can also cause students’ to develop cramps in their hands due to poor writing posture/technique. With the development of technology, we now have a multitude of resources that are available to help students overcome these challenges. For example:

• Penfriend and other text prediction software can help students who are slower at typing to become more confident writers as the program is able to help predict future words, thus causing less strain on the student. Other speech to text programs can also aid in alleviating some of these problems as the student would only need to talk into a microphone in order to record their thinking. Audacity would be a great example, whereby students can record their conversations and submit the audio file for the teacher to listen to. Similarly, teachers can use video recorders to record student performance, rather than asking for a written document, thus allowing the student to demonstrate their learning in a multitude of different ways. Computers can also help students with dysgraphia, as they may be able to type more accurately than they can using paper and pencil. Students could also use the spell-check feature in order to assist with their spelling and grammar depending on their dexterity. 
• SMARTBoards may also assist students as the teacher can write the notes on the device and then save/print a copy of the completed notes, thus allowing the student to focus on the content rather than trying to copy all of the information down off of the board.
• In mathematics, where sometimes it isn’t easy to explain the steps to a problem out loud, the teacher could provide the student with cloze notes (where the formula and problem are already recorded) to help reduce the amount of writing the student needs. Similarly, Excel or graphing programs, such as Geometer’s Sketchpad, could help the student to draw shapes, images and graphs instead of asking them to draw them on paper to illustrate their solution or understanding. 

Through these programs which utilize 21st century skills and technology, students with dysgraphia would be able to place a greater focus on learning the content and presenting their understanding, rather than focusing on their ability to copy down the information and neatly communicating their ideas. At the end of the day, we as teachers want to be able to assess what our students have learnt, and for students with this disability, traditional paper-and-pencil assignments may not fully represent their comprehension as writing can be a frustrating and tiring experience. Rather than discouraging them, teachers could use the above strategies to help the student reach their true potential.

Assistive Technology in the Classroom

Word Prediction Software (Penfriend)

In our school, we have started to use text prediction software (not the same one listed above, but similar). This helps a multitude of students with learning disabilities that affect their written language. According to Penfriend's website, Penfriend software “benefits users who have dyslexia, visual impairment or physical [disabilities], including Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Stroke, limb deformities and any condition which impairs the ability to write with a keyboard.” This software can help students become more confident writers as the software is able to predict the next word in a sentence as a student is writing, making the writing process more fluid and faster for students who struggle with typing. This could be particularly beneficial for ESL students, or those who struggle with their grammar and fluency.

Audio Books (Audible.com)

Our English teachers here have started using Audio Books within their classroom for students who have troubles reading on their own. This allows students who have difficulty reading to follow along with someone reading to them. This can help increase the student's vocabulary, as well as help with their reading comprehension and fluency. Students can listen to the book as a class, or individually using a personal listening device. For some students, listening to an audiobook can also help them to make more connections and think more critically about the content of the novel, rather than trying to solely decode the text. Students can gain a greater appreciation for literacy and different texts which they may have previously felt isolated from due to their reading level or language barrier. By listening to another source read the book aloud, students who have trouble decoding emotions and humor may gain a greater understanding of its and role in the text by hearing the expression in the reader’s voice.

Personal Listening Systems

Although we only have this available in our Theatre, our school has invested in a Personal Listening System, which allows the speaker to broadcast their voice directly into the user's ear by use of headphones or earphones. The unit we have connects directly into our sound system, so no special microphone is required. These can help with students who have a hearing disability, or even those who have trouble paying attention by allowing the user to focus more clearly on the speakers' voice. Rather than having to isolate students by moving them to preferential seating, students can sit anywhere within the room provided they have the device. Student comprehension is aided by these systems as the student can listen more attentively to the presentation and put a greater focus on the content, rather than struggling to focus or listen to a faint sound.

Interview with a Teacher

An interview with Samantha Stuart. As she was preparing her exams for her students, we were able to steal her away from her work for ten minutes to discuss her classroom and uses of technology.

What is your background in education, and can you remind me how we met?

I completed my education through McMaster University and Nipissing University, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education, with teachables in senior history and English. I moved to Saskatchewan in 2012 to begin a middle years English position with the Northwest School Division. We met at a first year teachers’ meeting, which was a program set up in our division to help new teachers share resources, learn about current initiatives and educational technologies available to us, and to work alongside more experienced educators to improve our classes.

Can you describe the school that you work at?

I teach in St. Walburg, Saskatchewan, which has roughly 800 people in the town. We are primarily a farming community, and have a K-12 school with approximately 300 students. I have really enjoyed the small class sizes which we have, as they range from 9 to 27 students, depending on the grade. While we have small numbers, we certainly do not lack in our athletics and extra-curricular activities! We have a number of teams which have made it to the provincial level in different sports, including volleyball, badminton and track and field. We also have worked really hard at the school to integrate new educational philosophies and technologies within our school. These initiatives include guided math and reading, triangulation of data, outcome based assessment, daily 5, Key Math and aimsweb.

What types of technology do you integrate into your classroom?

This year I chose to integrate Google Classroom into my middle year’s English courses. The students enjoyed having access to all of their work and assignments, and found it was easier to keep track of everything. I also noticed that it was easier to keep track of students’ assignments and monitor who had handed it in. The only struggle with using this method has been our access to computers. We do not have enough computers for each student in the school to have one each period, and thus there were some classes where they were unavailable to be used. The students also often forgot their passwords, causing this process to be rather inefficient. As a result, I found that I still needed to print out a number of assignments and had students still submit some work by hand.

I also utilize a SMARTBoard in my classroom. I enjoy having this technology as I am able to save copies of all of my notes and print them off, particularly for those students who require completed notes or who are absent.

Audacity has been used by a number of my students who prefer to submit their work orally, or who feel their learning can be best demonstrated through a discussion or conversation. The students have submitted their audio files at the end of class to justify their learning.

Finally, we have begun to utilize aimsweb in my school which is a brief assessment that provides a snapshot of students comprehension and reading skills. This helps me as a teacher direct my allocated RTI time to provide interventions for those students who are below grade level or may be struggling with a particular concept.

Do the students bring in technology into the classroom?

The majority of students have smartphones and they are able to use them based on the discretion of the teacher. Often students prefer to use their phones to complete small amounts of research or to look up definitions as it is faster than finding a dictionary or using the internet at the school. Some students have also brought in their own laptops depending on the assignment.

Is there technology that you would like to use in the future?

In a dream world, I would really like all students to have their own computers, as this would make using digital classrooms (such as Google Classroom or One Note) more feasible. I would also be excited to have a tablet, as they are easier to write on and are often clearer than a SMARTBoard.

Thank you for your time and best of luck with your exams!

Makey Makey

MaKey MaKey is a new product that has been crowd-funded over the past three years. The project was launched in May, 2012, and raised over $500 000. The kit is based on research that was conducted at MIT Media Lab and driven by Eric Rosenbaum (who has a Master’s degree in Technology in Education from Harvard University), and Jay Silver (an electrical engineering graduate with a master’s in Internet Technology from Cambridge University). MaKey MaKey is an “invention kit for the 2st century” which students can use for art, engineering and science. In the kit, people receive a MaKey MaKey, alligator clips and USB cables. This hardware allows you to transform any device that can transmit electricity into a keyboard. Students could use ketchup, fruits, plants, etc. and transform them into their newest keyboarding device. Not only could this be a great lesson for science class, but it could also allow teachers to limit the amount of expensive technology which they need to buy or continuously replace for their classes. As alligator clips and USB cables are very inexpensive, teachers can consistently reuse these materials, and hook them to different items depending on students’ age and interests, unlike keyboards which are constantly having keys popped off and broken by students. The kits are relatively inexpensive ($49.95) and they can run on a variety of different operating systems. These kits would be fantastic for students who have special needs, who enjoy sensory stimulation as they may be more interested in completing different learning tasks if they can use objects that are of interest to them rather than a traditional keyboard. It could also be used to simplify different tasks for elementary students, as having only four buttons would be much easier for students to understand and utilize effectively. In a middle years science class or computers courses, these kits could provide a great study tool or basis for an inquiry project when exploring electricity and circuits. By learning how electricity is able to travel through these systems, students can investigate different properties of electricity and conductivity. With new inventions like the MaKey MaKey, it makes me excited to think about where the future of technology is heading and the innumerable applications and connections that we as teachers can make with the help of it.

Inquiry in Technology Lesson Plan: Formatting with MS Word

Lesson Plan and Reflection
Icon Scavenger Hunt
MS Word Formatting Basics
MS Word formatting with Ruler and Tabs

This lesson was originally adapted from Jennifer Britton, Glenn Ellis, Nick Hillier, Jeff May

Attack of the 50 Foot Mutant!

This year, I had tried to bring a little more inquiry and research based skills into my Physics 30 classroom. One of the tasks that I had my students had come from the website TeachNuclear. The task is called “Attack of the 50 Foot Mutant: Radiation in Popular Culture,” where the students need to research some sort of radioactive mutant in popular culture (Spiderman, The Fantastic 4, the people from The Hills Have Eyes, etc) and determine whether their mutations are realistic based on our current knowledge of radioactivity. The students will then create a poster (or other form of presentation, such as a video, slideshow, etc) explaining the differences between the fact and fiction of their choice mutant.

I have included links to the pages involved in the lesson below, including an Achievement Chart.

TeachNuclear also ties into the curriculum of every province. To find specific lessons that are tied to your provinces curriculum and grade, just type into the search bar on the side of the website!

• Lesson Plan
• Intro Quiz
• Poster Assignment
• Poster Rubric / Achievement Chart
• Curriculum Alignment (with Saskatchewan)

aimsweb

Did you know about aimsweb? This is a new program that our school division has just purchased, that I am very excited about using in the future. aimsweb allows teachers to screen students and monitor their progress in math and reading. It can also assess early literacy, reading, early numeracy, mathematics, spelling and writing. The program can be fit to incorporate a variety of different curriculums, which allows it to be used throughout Canada. aimsweb allows teachers to gain a quick snapshot of student abilities, and can verify which students are above grade level, or below grade level- thereby indicating which students may need extra individualized assistance or RTI (response to intervention). This quick assessment can be completed individually (as required for some of the English assessments), whereas others can be completed as a group (such as the math assessment which takes approximately 8 minutes for a full class to complete). Having a resource like aimsweb is an invaluable resource for teachers, particularly at the beginning of the year when teachers are given a new group of students, or if a new student transfers to a school. This resource would allow teachers to have a baseline for starting and guiding their instruction. aimsweb can also be connected with Key Math (a great resource which provides very detailed reports of students’ understanding in mathematics from grades 1-9). Key Math offers detailed lesson plans and guided instruction which can be started from the results of the aimsweb testing. In addition to the universal screening capabilities of the software, it can also help schools create learning and achievement goals, as it can be administered numerous times throughout the year and can be used to track individual student progress and guide instruction/ interventions. For those teachers who struggle with new testing, aimsweb offers ample instructional webinars to help teachers accurately complete the testing and learn how to analyze the results to effectively lead their instruction. Upon asking more questions to my colleagues about the software, I have learned that the webinars can be very lengthy however, and the software must be purchased for a school (i.e. it is not free for everyone to access).

OneNote

I have selected to explore OneNote as a new E-Learning tool. As it offers such a range of uses in the classroom, I have broken my reflection into two categories- benefits for teachers, and benefits for students.

Benefits for Teachers

OneNote allows teachers to easily create organized digital binders of their materials. For instance, teachers can compile all of their lesson plans, assignments, worksheets, quizzes and answer keys in neatly tabbed sections rather than having to keep a hard copy of all of their master copies. Teachers can maintain records of conversations and emails, as OneNote and Outlook can be directly linked together. There are easy search features that allow teachers to find key words and assignments without searching through the entirety of their collection manually. The system also has a clear and easy to follow help screen where teachers can follow the web tutorials to learn how to start their own classroom notebooks. It can be accessed at: http://www.onenoteforteachers.com/

Benefits for Students

Through OneNote, students can access quizzes, handouts, class notes, homework, and any other material from their classes. Rather than printing the material, students can fill it in online (which can help schools become more environmentally friendly). Teachers can access individual student work and provide direct feedback and annotate their work as needed. This works particularly well if teachers have access to a tablet where they can actually handwrite and draw on the assignment to indicate changes or suggestions. Students are then able to adjust and edit their work throughout the writing process, in English for instance, rather than having to wait until they have handed it in to receive feedback. Teachers can monitor student progress and understanding and provide clear and descriptive feedback through the OneNote program which can be accessed through a variety of different technological devices. As students collect their assignments online, they can begin to form a digital portfolio and no longer have to worry about losing their assessments. Teachers can also create individualized and differentiated lessons for students and by providing audio, video and text supports for students to learn from. Likewise, students can submit their work through audio, video or text provided they have the correct technology. This allows students of various needs and abilities to submit work which is reflective of their understanding, rather than solely being expected to submit assignments using the traditional paper and pen format. Students can also collaborate with one another through classroom notebooks, or the teacher can change the settings so that students have an individual workspace. This flexibility allows teachers to assign a variety of different assessments and interactive lessons which can be catered to the needs of the students or class. Finally, teachers can easily email the work to parents/students if they are absent to keep everyone informed.


Here is a great video which explains and clearly illustrates some of the features of the program.

Tools for Blended Learning

Note: With all of these products, teachers should look into the copyright on the materials uploaded, and should ensure that the privacy settings on the programs adhere to classroom and school policies. These three technologies, while beneficial when used correctly, do involve uploading personal content to the internet and as such teachers should fully research their policies before using them.

Schoology:

PROS:

• Parents and students can access the website from any device with internet, so parents can stay informed about student work and key dates. Parents can also see what their students are learning on a daily basis (depending on how frequently the teacher updates the page).
• Teachers can post assignments and notes for all students to access.
• Students and teachers are able to converse through Schoology, and teachers can provide comments/feedback for students. This allows for the option of class discussions.
• Students can use the same platform for multiple courses. They do not have to login to different accounts to view different classes.

CONS:

• It is harder to differentiate lessons for students unless you assign them to separate classes (i.e. you cannot post an assignment just for a group of select students). 
• The system can be harder than others for teachers and students to learn if they are not technologically literate. It can be harder to learn as it is more complicated.
• The basics are free, but if you want a more specialized platform, you will need to purchase it.

Three Ring:

PROS:

• Students can select the evidence which they feel best meets the expectations of the teacher, thereby allowing for differentiation particularly for those students with special needs or abilities. 
• Teachers can provide instantaneous feedback to students from any device. This means that teachers do not need to print off student work (more environmentally friendly). Teachers can also access the student work from any location (which allows them to easily take marking home).
• The software can be used on many different devices.
• Allows students to develop a virtual portfolio of their work.
• It is free!

CONS:

• Requires students/teachers to have a device to upload the material and the app (must have the internet).
• Some reviewers have suggested that the interface is complicated to use, and the settings can be hard to find/change. 
• Hard to organize the files once uploaded. Can be hard to find assignments and assign them to individual students. 
• The system can be hard for teachers and students to learn if they are not technologically literate.

Google Classroom:

PROS:

• Students can submit their work online (more environmentally friendly), and teachers can instantly see who has completed their work.
• Teachers can upload all of their class files so that students can print off notes and assignments, particularly for those who are absent.
• Teachers can also grade student work and provide feedback for individual students. 
• Students can monitor their progress in the course and have access to a calendar with due dates (if set up).
• Students can also have discussions with one another using the stream feature.
• The software is free!

CONS:

• It has been speculated that Google was using student data to target their advertising. (https://scooled.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/using-google-classroom-the-pros-and-cons/)
• Requires students to have a computer (most schools do not have enough computers for each class and student to be using one).
• The system can be harder than others for teachers and students to learn if they are not technologically literate.

Blended Learning

As the world of technology continues to advance, there is a greater emphasis on teachers to incorporate blended learning into their daily routines. That is, they are being encouraged to utilize technology in order to enhance students understanding and optimize learning. As schools purchase more technology, this has made our jobs much easier to incorporate blended learning and I have noticed that students are more attentive when it is used.

In the primary and junior divisions, we have seen a great push towards guided math instruction. In this model, students rotate through a variety of stations (which change daily based on the needs of the students) where students are able to work in small groups to develop their learning by completing tasks with the teacher, individually, or virtually with the help of technology. Using programs such as Mathletics and Mangahigh, the teacher is able to pre-select the assessments, challenges, or learning tasks that the student must complete which allows teachers to differentiate it based on the individual needs of the student. With Mathletics, the teacher is able to monitor how each student progresses through the work (thus allowing the teacher to hold the students accountable for their work), and they can select specific content which aligns with their curriculum (which for most provinces is already in the Mathletics system). My fiancé utilizes this program throughout her guided math lessons, and finds that by using this program, the students are excited to learn about math- particularly those students who have a learning disability, as the material can be changed and catered to meet their needs or to even challenge those students who are more advanced. The program also can read the questions and information aloud to help those students who may not be fluent in the English language.

We have also seen more teachers using Schoology, Blackboard, Edmodo and Google Classroom. A good friend of mine uses Google Classroom throughout her Practical and Applied Arts classes, as well as her middle year’s English classes. Through Google Classroom she is able to provide students with all of their assignments online so that if students are absent, they are able to take the initiative and look at what they have missed from any computer. She also utilizes this program to collect students’ work and provide individual formative feedback. For those students that struggle with writing (whether it is due to a disability or a language barrier), this allows students to utilize assistive devices on the computer as they can upload audio files, pictures, or other file types to demonstrate their understanding of the outcome. Rather than having the students write down their answers every time, she is able to have the students record their conversations and submit their audio files or video, thereby allowing her to differentiate her assessments based on the individual needs of the students.

Three Ring is a new software program which teachers have also started to use to incorporate blended learning into their classes. Three Ring allows for students to capture images or videos of their evidence to show exactly what they’ve learned. The students therefore take the initiative to document their progress, and these files, once uploaded, are sent to the teacher who can provide instantaneous feedback and comment on specific sections of their work. Three Ring helps students to develop their self-reflection skills and can be used with students with language barriers, or those with a disability, as they can choose to select any evidence that they feel best demonstrates their understanding. For a student who may not feel comfortable writing about their understanding, they could instead chose to perform a song or a skit.



It is clear that learning is no longer limited to a paper and pencil. By incorporating any of these programs into a classroom, teachers can help to engage students of all backgrounds and abilities in order to optimize student learning.

9F62 Questions on Course

1. Identify your personal learning goals for this course
   
   I hope to become better at adapting technology within my classroom. I have used a number of different virtual strategies, but I always seem to fall short on performance. I’m hoping with some help through this course, I will be able to achieve something that will benefit myself and my students.
   
2. Identify a specific topic, tool, or pedagogical approach that you want to learn more about
   I’d like to learn more about the flipped classroom and how to get it started. It appears to me like it is something along the lines of: Students watch video at home of how to do the skills; practice skills in classroom instead of teaching it to students; have more time to assess (diagnostic and formative assessment).
   
   The only issue I have is that I can’t seem to get the students into the idea of going home to learn the concepts. Most of my students don’t watch the videos or prepared lessons on their own time. This means I’m re-teaching the material to the majority of the class, which then hinders the point of doing this flipped classroom.
   
3. Identify one educator that has inspired you to take this course
   I don’t believe an individual alone has inspired me to take this course. It is more along the lines that seeing the available technologies out there has inspired me to take this course. I’m very interested in integrating a lot more technology into my classroom than I have ever done before.

The Teachers Role for 21 Century Tools

As a teacher, it is our job to prepare students to be successful and productive citizens. In this day and age, this picture of success looks very different than a century ago. Today students are bombarded with images, videos, televisions, computers, and other forms of technology that have changed the landscape of education. We as educators now must take on a new role of helping students navigate this confusing online world, and teach them new 21st century skills to ensure that they can make informed and safe decisions. No longer do we need to just teach basic facts and terms, as we are learning how important it is for students to also develop critical thinking skills and other 21st century skills needed in the workplace. Our job is to prepare students by ensuring that they have developed an ability to think critically and analyze information both in paper form and through technology. Much like learning how to write the alphabet, students now need to learn how to use technology safely and securely, and understand their role in the real and digital world. Students need to understand how to find information, effectively manage and organize it, and be able to present it using a variety of different formats. In doing so, students will also be expected to understand FAIR use of content. This implies that students recognize the origination of the work that is published online, and give appropriate credit where required. Teachers should work with students to develop an understanding of copyright laws, and ensure that students consistently reflect on origination of their information in order to think critically about the validity and reliability of the piece- thereby applying their 21st century skills. Teachers can also help to promote this understanding by ensuring that their resources are properly documented and modeling proper FAIR use policies. These policies should be discussed and explored with students to help them prepare for their futures- particularly if students are intending to continue their education in a post-secondary institution where students will likely need to understand FAIR use content.

What Is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization which allows people to share their information, pictures, and knowledge using free legal tools and clear copyright licenses. As an individual using CC, you can select what the conditions of the copyright is for each of your documents. This ultimately allows you as the author or artist to ensure that your work is not being claimed or used by someone else or businesses (for profit) without credit, depending on the terms of your copyright. As a teacher, I would recommend this to my students- particularly those who produce music, artwork, or any type of document for publishing online, to ensure that they have ownership over their work. It is also a great resource as it offers free and legal songs, videos and academic works that the public can use. Thus, students can utilize these resources in their classes without having to do additional research the copyright laws on the material, such as the Public Library of Science journals.

Creating Positive Digital Citizens

In order to develop students that are positive digital citizens, I believe it is first imperative that teachers reflect on their own use of social media and their digital footprint. OCT has created an advisory regarding social media and acceptable use which I feel all teachers need to be familiar with. It can be accessed at: http://www.oct.ca/resources/advisories/use-of-electronic-communication-and-social-media

As technology continues to advance, so too does the push to ensure that our students are developing 21st century skills. To help students create a positive footprint, teachers are beginning to work with students from a young age about what is appropriate to post and say online, and what types of websites are safe. Mary Beth Hertz posted an interesting article about how she incorporates digital citizenship skills into her grade two classroom and provides some great links to resources for elementary teachers. It amazes me how much time young children spend using technology, and as a result I believe that we need to teach more of these skills in elementary grades before they’ve fully developed their footprints online.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-mary-beth-hertz

I also found some interesting videos that could be used to help explain the concept of digital citizenship to parents, students and staff alike. Each of the short videos offers different statistics, techniques and skills for developing 21st century skills, including videos that discuss copyright issues and protecting privacy online.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-digital-citizenship

Finally, as a teacher it can be sometimes daunting to find a way to incorporate new concepts into an already jam-packed schedule and curriculum. There are a number of resources that have been created as of lately to help teachers integrate lessons about digital citizenship into their plans. This site is organized by lesson topic, grade and resources/tools to help teachers teach about digital citizenship and safety.
http://www.teachinctrl.org/

Teaching Social Media Etiquette in the Classroom

I believe it is important to teach students about proper social networking tools in order to fully prepare and protect them from the multitude of opportunities and dangers associated with the worldwide web. We would never allow students to start as a quarterback without first teaching them the rules about football. The same logic should apply with social media and networking- as this field is even more complex and potentially harmful if students venture out onto the web without any skills or knowledge. Susan Elkin reaffirms these ideas when she wrote an article for The Independent, where she states that it is “much better to guide and teach than to leave vulnerable children and teenagers to find out for themselves without warning them of the potential dangers, pitfalls and problems." As teachers we don’t always need to have a computer or device in order to instruct students about proper social networking etiquette. Simply having a conversation with students about what types of information they should or should not be posting online can be included into any lesson, at any grade level. Students should understand that they should not be posting anything that their teachers, parents or friends would not be comfortable viewing. This type of lesson could easily be discussed in a health class or wellness course, particularly when talking about safety or bullying. Talking about the dangers of social media and the web would also be a good exercise in order to discuss the implications of posting pictures and talking with individuals who they may or may not know online. For instance, when talking with a group of high school students in a law course, teachers could easily explore privacy laws to discuss their applications to social media. If teachers have access to social media and networking tools, they could have students use some of the devices for assignments in order to educate students about the positive tools these sites offer, while also modeling how to positively develop their digital footprint. For instance, by learning how to use Google Docs or online bulletin boards, the teacher can allow students to work in groups and positively share their ideas with one another. Even having the students use Twitter or Pinterest to capture their ideas and post their comments about a class book that they were reading can allow students to learn how to effectively communicate and organize their ideas using 21st century skills. There are also many mock sites that can allow teachers to teach these lessons without actually having students create accounts on public forums, such as Edmodo which allows students to create private educational profiles. By using mock websites, the teacher can better monitor students’ postings and provide immediate feedback if they have control over what is posted. As teachers we are exposed to students’ interests and activities each day, and as a result, I believe it is part of our job to make sure that students are equipped with the skills needed to succeed when they graduate – which includes being able to effectively and safely use 21st century skills and technologies. We must be continuous learners ourselves in order to learn and modify our teaching to reflect new ideologies and technologies, such as social networking and social media.

Digital Footprint - How Much is Too Much?

As a teacher, we have the responsibility to teach our students how to utilize technology in an effective and responsible manner- which includes social media. Students need to learn about privacy on the internet, and how to create a safe digital footprint. With the mass production of new technologies and software programs, students are bombarded with new activities and ideas online and it is our role to help them learn how to utilize these tools in a safe and productive manner. My students are often using “Snapchat” and “Instagram” but I can guarantee that many of them have not actually looked into what happens to these pictures once they are posted, or who truly owns their rights. As their teacher, I feel that it is my duty to set an example of what positive citizenship looks like. In the OCT advisory for the use of electronic communication, they specifically note that “members should maintain a sense of professionalism at all times- in their personal and professional lives” and that “teacher’s off-duty conduct, even when not directly related to students, is relevant to their suitability to teach." Thus, as an educator, I feel it is my job to model what a positive digital footprint looks like. This includes keeping all of my postings and blogs professional, and not posting anything that I wouldn’t be comfortable sharing in front of my students. I believe that teachers should also ensure that they are aware of the privacy settings for all programs which they use, so that they are aware of what information is truly public, and what is able to be shared amongst approved friends or family. As reaffirmed by Chantelle Bradley-Davies in her Edublog “A Learning Life for Me”, “even things shared through mediums like Facebook should never be something you would be embarrassed of if your students saw. There is no guaranteed privacy and we can be leaders in reminding our students of that." In order to keep a professional digital footprint, I think it is important for teachers to explain to their students about the importance of protecting their digital identity and how their identity can influence their futures, and setting a positive example themselves is just the beginning. I believe that teachers should ensure that all communication with students and parents is conducted using appropriate channels, and that students should be made aware of the reasons for this. The OCT advisory confirms that “even the most innocent actions can be easily misconstrued or manipulated. The immediacy and simplicity of a text message, for example, may lead to longer, informal conversations. Rules may relax and informal salutations may replace time-respected forms of professional address." As such, teachers should model what appropriate uses of technology and social media looks like- by keeping their digital footprint professional and utilizing social media in an appropriate manner both in the workplace and at home. I feel that Ms. Bradley-Davies sums it up well when she writes “there is no guaranteed privacy and we can be leaders in reminding our students of that."