Reflection of Blended Classroom Course

 

When planning to develop my blended course, I’m at some challenges and some triumphs. The triumph was a feeling of accomplishment and trying new things. My students loved having the power to go home yeah and preview or work on upcoming lessons. They came in feeling like they already knew what we were going to do for the day, which gave them a quote leg up. It was exciting for me when they would come in ready to learn and prepared to ask and answer questions. This was especially helpful for the students that always ask, “what are we going to do today?” or “what’s next?”. I never thought of how it gave children the power of knowing what would be occurring the next day. This seemed to help their self-esteem.

This course also came with its challenges. I had some parents who were not happy with the “extra schoolwork” since they were in school all day. Coming out of a pandemic and one hundred percent virtual learning,  parents were not wanting to “be the teacher” at night and wanted their children off of the computers since they have had too much screentime in the last year. I quickly realized I needed to compose a letter with my reasoning and let them know why we were doing a quote flipped classroom. When I wrote an explanation letter about what I wanted them to do at night, I did not include the “why”. Once I let the parents know why I was doing what I was doing and some research behind it, they were OK with it. Some students did have extracurriculars that impeded, so I try to do as much as I could where it would fall on a Tuesday night because, in my district, Wednesdays are 100% virtual. Students are to work on uncompleted work or be pulled into small virtual groups by their teachers.

I would like to implement this next year as well. I would make sure to state my reasoning to parents, to begin with, and not make them think I am making them be the teachers. Because of the pandemic, students can navigate the technology well. Next year, I will make sure that the computer lab teacher goes over using specific digital tools before I implement them in a flipped classroom environment. Depending on the age of the students, I feel there was more that could be done. As a second-grade teacher, I think a lot of my job is to scaffold student knowledge regarding the use of technology and cooperative learning. Students need to learn how to work together. Students also need to learn how to navigate technology independently. This is not something that happens quickly and takes practice.

Using Technology for Authentic Assessments

 

Using Technology for Authentic Assessments

            When students engage in real-world tasks and apply their knowledge and skills to show their learning, authentic assessment occurs. Teachers must be able to evaluate if a student can apply their new knowledge in different contexts (Assessing Authentically, n.d.). Technology is essential when students engage in these tasks in order to gain the skills needed to be successful in the 21^st century workforce. E-portfolios allow students to digitally organize and archive their learning over a period of time (Basken, 2008). E-portfolios can cultivate motivation and engagement from students who are given a choice about what artifacts they want to include in their e-portfolio (Tosh et al., 2005).

Reflection with E-portfolios

When students reflect on the creation of their E-portfolio, they are able to see their learning as a process that builds (Bass and Eynon, 2009). When students reflect on their learning through the use of an e-portfolio, they are able to see their progress and take steps to improve in the future. Self-reflection is important for students and teachers to practice to continue to grow and learn. 

Eportfolio and Accessibility

            E-portfolios must be easily accessible for students to ensure they are able to add and organize their artifacts. Teachers must take the time to show students how to use, access, and manipulate their e-portfolio. This scaffolding allows students to be independent when adding, deleting, and organizing their artifacts. When students perceive they have choices in their learning, they take ownership of their learning (Kreber et al., 2014).  Eportfolios allow students to make connections and show their learning outside the classroom walls. 

All About Me

 

Welcome to The Controlled Chaos Classroom

This blog is used to organize my college classes, and to hopefully be informative to other teachers.

My goal is to work to educate other teachers through coaching and mentoring. 

I spend most of my time working on ways to make my class more fun and exciting for my second graders and chauffeuring my daughters back and forth to dance. 

I moved to Georgia after college to begin my teaching career.  I have been teaching in the public school system for the past 18 years. I graduated from the Jacksonville State University in Alabama with my undergraduate degree and my Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education.  I also attended Piedmont College where I earned my Educational Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.  I taught the first 13 years of my career in Paulding County where I taught 1st grade for 6 years, the Early Intervention Program (EIP) for a year and 6 years teaching Kindergarten.

I have been married for 16 years and have two daughters.  My oldest daughter will be sophomore and my youngest will be in 8th grade..

Module 7 Refelction

 

What kind of BYOD resources are available to your population?

In my classroom, I have students who are able to bring devices in order to accommodate a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) day. This allows me to plan for instruction and check out the devices for students who may not have access at home. My school offers two laptop carts and an iPad cart that can be checked out using an electronic sign-out on OneNote. Having these devices available to students allows me to assign websites/apps such as Freckly, Zearn, and our Digital Library to students and know that they have access.

How could you make more devices accessible?

Devices have been distributed throughout my district to students who requested them. With the pandemic and mandated virtual learning, the district collected school devices and checked them out to students to use throughout the year. This ensured students had what they needed. Mobile hot spots were also given to families based on needs. This has made the ability to have any extra technology slim throughout the year, but students have had the ability to use these websites and apps at home.

How could you have students use smartphones to create, share, and/or gather data for this assessment?

Students can use Seesaw to complete assignments for grades. They can also participate in Kahoot through their smart device and play learning games. Students can use their knowledge of Seesaw to create, answer questions, and explain through recordings their understanding of content knowledge.  Microsoft Forms can also be used for assessments.

How useful is digital storytelling as an assessment strategy in a variety of contexts?

Digital storytelling is useful and allows students to creatively show what they know. This allows students' knowledge to shine through, even if they are lacking grammar skills or phonics in their writing. This tool is helpful for the outgoing child but also the shy child who does not want to present in front of a crowd.

Informational Writing Infographic and Infopic

 

Here are our reminders for writing our informational piece on life cycles.

Community of Inquiry Model