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My top 3 takeaways from this course are:

1. How important teaching digital citizenship is. Even in the younger grades, this is an area where we must focus time and energy on having honest discussions.

2.  Using technology to enhance learning. I see now that technology can be used in so many unique ways to help students dig deeper into their learning and stay engaged and connected.

3. Inquiry based learning is super interesting! I love being able to give the students that I work with the opportunity to take control of what they are learning. I can offer guiding questions and provide them with the tools they need to make the connections to their world. I feel that this is so beneficial for teaching those critical thinking skills that will carry with them throughout life.

A resource that I have enjoyed earning through is the Annenberg Learning modules. I got a lot from watching other educators in action and also from diving into the content that is provided. https://www.learner.org/

I have learned so much from each person in this class, and am inspired by what they may have noticed or learned that I hadn't noticed originally. Kelsey mentions a good point about progression in lesson planning. I definitely need to work on this! She says, "....the order in which students need to learn things in addition to what they are going to learn." Moving forward, I will be spending more time on this as I see that I was too quick in developing a well-rounded unit. Practice makes progress!
-Jill

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First of all Congrats everyone for getting through the last week of assignments for the course. For me the most memorable thing i learned about from this course was the concept of Digital Citizenship. Technology keeps getting more and more prevalent in our lives and i think that it is so important to guide or students in using tech in a responsible and meaningful way. I think we need to do a better job on empowering students online and teaching them right and wrong and the consequences of online behavior. This course has really opened my eyes to how to use technology in the classroom in a lot of different ways, and i think i will incoroprate more technology inot lessons in the future. https://www.theedadvocate.org/students-taught-digital-leaders-instead-digital-citizens/

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Top 3 takeaways from EDU 706:

1) Make Social Studies lessons as immersive and engaging as possible by incorporating role playing, debates, technology, real-life scenarios and equipment/tools, and connecting content to the students' lives in order to make it relatable.

2) Use the Arts and other subjects in Social Studies in order to connect content across subject areas. For example, have students study and evaluate artwork from a specific period in time (ex: Revolutionary War), then have them create their own artwork.

3) These are some of my favorite websites I found this course to help with lesson planning:
-Newsela (school subscription)
-National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/student-experiences/geobee/study/study-resources/
-PBS
-Using art to tell stories (Beth Olshanksy: https://picturingwriting.org/
-National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/teachers/index.htm
-Trinity University S.S. lesson plans:
https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/ubd_social_studies/

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AldoAcademic Supervisor of Humanities New Jersey

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Solutions for every subject, student, & school: Newsela 2021

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Learn about how every piece of content or text set from Newsela is vetted and reviewed to ensure alignment with your specific state or local standards.

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Over this course, I was able to not only learn more about my own teaching strategies, but also gain new knowledge and skill that I can incoporate into my career. Coming from a pretty limited experience in teaching, I have gained valuable resources as well as ideas that I can't wait to utilize. In this course, there were two main take-aways: using the theory of constructivism and not to shy away from teaching the hard histories of our country.

The constructivist approach was already something I have been incorporating into my classroom but diving deeper into this idea has formed new ideas and learning activities I want to use for Social Studies and other subjects too. I want to try and use more self-led learning in my class and allow my students to go on a learning journey, with me as their guide, rather than laying down the subject matter and telling them about it. Because of the age group that I work with, I think it is both developmentally appropriate and also an engaging opportunity for them.

The second takeaway I had from this course is to not shy away from difficult subjects, but rather create a place for open discussion that is appropriate, informative, and an environment for students to ask questions. I spent a lot of time reflecting on the lesson I did on MLK day and it has been something that has really encouraged me to look back and change how I went about it. While I feel that my students left with new knowledge, I missed an opportunity to begin the tough conversations of racism and slavery. I thought that kindergarteners didn't need exposure to those topics yet but after the module on teaching controversies, I realized it is my duty to start these conversations, even if I don't have all the answers myself.

References:
Constructivism – Learning by Constructing Meaning from Experience (2017). Teachingadventuressite. Retrieved from
Constructivism – Learning by Constructing Meaning from Experience – teachingadventuressite (wordpress.com)

Teaching Hard History: Grades K-5 Introduction. (2019, August 16). Learning for Justice; Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved from Teaching Hard History: Grades K-5 Introduction | Learning for Justice

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I'm going to start with a celebration. I feel proud of myself for completing this course! This was an incredible amount of work, that I thought I had prepared myself for, but I think it was even more than I thought. Adding that on top of teaching full time, being a mom, and regular life, it was definitely a challenge.  I'm not mentioning all of that to sound negative or to complain, or think that nobody else had a similar experience, but because I am proud of myself for persevering. It was not always pretty or organized but I did it!

I really enjoyed the module on constructivist approach and inquiry based learning. There has been such a shift since I was a child at school, with the idea that teachers are not there to just provide information for students to memorize or learn. Teachers are the tool that provide students with information for them to think about and build on. We guide the way for them to develop their own thinking and understanding of concepts. This coincides with growth mindset and the power of "yet" that we continue to instill in children. I think one of the best ways to teach children this is to model it myself. I am always reminding them that I am also learning. I enjoyed the TED talk from Carol Dweck.

The other topic I found to be really important was on higher order thinking in the classroom. Giving the opportunity back to the children to discuss and talk about what they are thinking, connections they are building, and their interpretations are the key to helping all the students learn and grow! The videos from Annenburg Learning were particularly helpful for this. There were so many great ideas discussed, and they tied into assessments as well.

And of course, in a course that teaches about technology, it was wonderful to learn about so many different technology options that are available! What I liked about the assignments was having the opportunity to use many of them myself, like this on Padlet. I also really liked using FlipGrid. I will be looking back at some of the other apps and sites that classmates suggested, too! I would still like to do some investigating on Pink Cat Games!

This was a lot of work, but I do feel like I learned so much, about teaching, about technology and about myself!

Resources:
Assessing students' learning. Annenberg learning. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.learner.org/series/social-studies-in-action-a-methodology-workshop-k-5/assessing-students-learning/.
Constructivism: Actively Building Knowledge. (2018). Retrieved May 9, 2023. https://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/ask-a-master-teacher/23896

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Sharon Miller EDU 612 6/15/23

Favorite Takeaways from Using Technology to Teach Social Studies

I liked learning about the 5 strands of Social Studies and the 10 Themes. Looking at these themes provided a good starting point in creating my Social Studies unit

The importance of Critical thinking: This is from my post on our  first Module about why K-8 Social Studies is so important: Because our world has become so diverse, children need to see themselves as active citizens of this diverse world and thus be able to think critically and make thoughtful value judgments. The very word “social” in social studies emphasizes the fact that children need to value, respect, and honor all people. With the help of teachers and a good social studies curriculum, our students can become active critical thinking citizens in our democratic society. We need to give social studies curriculum the same priority as math and reading.

NH K-12 Curriculum Frameworks for the Arts: I liked having a multidisciplinary approach to my topic and using art and drama as part of my lessons.

I had the most fun with the 3rd lesson of my Unit on Slavery and Abolitionists in NH. The lesson was project based and a cumulation of what the students had learned in the first 2 lessons. The students performed mock interviews with the historical figures that we had studied. Their drafts for these interviews came from their summative assessments from the first 2 lessons ( in their  drafts they stated 3 facts about each person and then asked a question).  In the interviews students had to use the knowledge they had learned from the past 2 lessons to answer questions as if they were the historical person. This idea came to me from the reading in Module 4 about using higher order thinking in social studies instruction.

National Council for the Social Studies. (2017). Powerful, purposeful pedagogy in elementary school social studies.

Kracl, C. (2012). Review or True? Using higher-level thinking questions in Social Studies instruction.

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I feel that I have learned and grown a lot during the past 11 weeks of the course. This was my first time teaching Social Studies and my first time planning lessons for a unit. I think that planning lessons for a unit really forced me to think more carefully about my lesson planning. When planning standalone lessons there isn’t as much focus on what comes next. When planning a full unit, it is important to think about the progression of knowledge and the order in which students need to learn things in addition to what they are going to learn. Through teaching Social Studies I not only learned to step outside of my comfort zone, but also about the importance of addressing difficult topics. Although some areas of Social Studies may be uncomfortable to discuss, it is important that teachers do so in a way that is age-appropriate for their students.

Finally, I learned about the importance of reflection for teachers. It is only through looking back on what can be improved upon, as well as what is going well, that teachers are able to improve upon their skills. As teachers we are often very busy, which makes it difficult to find time to sit down and really reflect on our jobs but it is extremely important to do so. Through reflecting, we can become the best educators we can be.

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I feel like the biggest takeaway from this course is to consistently reflect on what I practice, what I notice, what I hear, and what I receive. Reflection is a big part of my courses and my practices as I achieve this new level of knowledge.  I absolutely love looking at the big picture to figure out what I did good, what I did great, and what may need improvement.  I think beyond personal reflection I enjoy getting feedback.  I love receiving the feedback of other instructors and the students about what they liked, didn’t like, or what I could do differently.  This feedback opens to more reflection and correction if needed.  I appreciate how Holmes (2017) stated to “keep it simple” when reflecting on the lesson.  Simple yes or no questions to begin with and then from there maybe dig deeper into redirection or correction if needed.

I find it hard sometimes to get out of my own mind as to what technology is and how it can be used.  I feel that we all tend to think about computers when we think about technology, but it is more than just computers and could be impactful if used properly.  I like how Miller (2020) pointed out that when integrating technology or other tools into a lesson plan it is useful to attempt to use the tool as if you were the student in different learning brackets.  We build lesson plans and try to build in different scenarios but to take the time to actual try to think like an advanced learner, the math minded individual, or the individual with reading trouble can bring a new and perhaps a very strategic perspective to the lesson to help with those students.  I feel like we are being taught a lot more how to help those who struggle or those who are ahead and may sometimes overlook the people who don’t necessarily fit into either group but tilt towards one or the other.  It is important to keep an open mind about our learners and the kind of thought processes they have as we build and teach a lesson and with the use of technology.

I have truly learned a lot about social studies and how it is incorporated into a lesson.  I have learned that sometimes one subject can overlap with another in the classroom so students can work on two objectives at the same time.  Although social studies may not be “taught” in the younger grades, it may be there but in a different format or within the use of another subject such as reading.  The younger grades may have a reading assignment, but the assignment may be about something pertaining to social studies or even science.

Overall, I also learned that I can still accomplish anything if I put my mind to it.  In my own mind, I knew from the beginning that this was probably going to be my worst graded class.  Social studies is a subject that I do not do well with but I also learned that it may have been because of the way I was taught.  After learning about different and creative ways to teach social studies and even different ideas of what social studies actually are, I realized it may not be so bad.

References

Holmes, E. (2017, July 20). Are you a still a reflective practitioner? https://www.eteach.com/blog/are-you-a-still-a-reflective-practitioner

Miller, S. (2020). What Matters Most When You’re Evaluating Edtech Tools. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-matters-most-when-youre-evaluating-edtech-tools

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Jennifer Fiorentino EDU 612 : Spring 2023

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Jennifer Fiorentino EDU 612 : Spring 2023

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I can’t believe how quickly this course went by! It was definitely a challenge, but I learned so much. While I’ve written lesson plans before, creating a UBD Unit Plan was a new experience for me. It required a deeper level of planning, and I am grateful for all of the positive feedback I received on my unit and on my lessons. I feel like I have grown from this experience.

One of the things I enjoyed about this course was learning about the different technologies my classmates used in their lessons. Since the district I work in isn’t very up-to-date with technology, I found this information to be especially valuable. I’m excited to explore all the different ways I can incorporate technology into my lessons and engage my students and help them learn and grow.

What’s more, as we learned about these different technologies, we got to use them ourselves. We used tools like Padlet, Jamboard, and choice boards to collaborate and learn from each other. It was a great experience and reminded me of the importance of sharing experiences and perspectives to help each other learn and grow.

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I really enjoyed this course.  My biggest take away is the clinical portion of the course.  I grew a lot as a teacher this semester.  The lesson plan feedback in this course was very thorough and extremely helpful. My lessons were very successful because of the valuable feedback and attention I was able to give the unit.

Otherwise, the discussions, readings and resources on Digital Leadership left me thinking, a lot!  They brought up a lot of things I either hadn’t been exposed to or had me re-thinking my approach to technology and my students.  The Digital Leadership topic had me thinking send talking about how to approach this subject with my own children as well.  Great stuff!

The third main takeaway would have to be the Bingo Board assignment!  I truly enjoyed the content in this assignment.  I chose to explore Brene Brown’s website, watch Danger of the Single Story and listen to the Are Your Diversity Strategies Missing the Mark? Podcast.  I encourage anyone to check out these resources, they are valuable and eye opening.

References

Adichie, C. N. (n.d.). The danger of a single story. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED Talk. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/comments

Are your diversity strategies missing the mark? nine ways to get it right. Cult of Pedagogy. (2022, February 15). Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/diversity-strategies/

Daring Classrooms Hub. Brené Brown. (2022, March 30). Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://brenebrown.com/hubs/daring-classrooms-hub/

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Hi y'all,

I couldn't have asked for a better course for my first post-grad class. I'm a big word and quote girl because they stick in my head and I can live my life by them. Two of the quotes that have stuck with me and that I have shared out with my coworkers are as follows. "Maslow's before Bloom's - hang that in the wall of your teachers' lounge" paraphrased by none other than the legend herself - Professor Militello. We are teaching in a place and time where there are more troubled kids than not. Poorer families, rougher living conditions due to the housing market, empty lunch boxes, and OD'd parents. While I am proud that my kids have learned something this year, I know more than anything they were loved. Their social-emotional growth is huge and their smiles are growing.
And one more a little lighter and geared toward social studies: "Keep humanity when learning about humans. " (Teaching Hard History). This course has taught me that we are responsible for keeping the spark of learning alive when keeping kids safe online and included in the community.

Kracl, C.L. (2012). Review or True? Using Higher-Level Thinking Questions in Social Studies. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from http://pensonpd.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/5/8/25586900/review_or_true_using_higher-level_thinking_questions_in_social_studies_instruction.pdf
[Jokingly, I was taught never to ask kids questions. I think that was more alongside behaviors "Why would you do that, what are you thinking" because you never really want to know their response. But on a serious note, if we are asking questions they should be good ones. When I talk to my students I try to make every sentence count because we are so pinched on time.]

Teaching Hard History: Grades K-5 Introduction. Learning for Justice. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.learningforjustice.org/frameworks/teaching-hard-history/american-slavery/k-5-framework/introduction

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This course taught me a lot over the last twelve weeks. This was my first time writing so many lesson plans and making an entire unit. I think that was one of my biggest take away. The amount of technology that I was able to use and learn about as well this semester was great for making my lesson plans this semester and future lesson plans with. I was introduced to Jamboard, padlet, Blooklet, Nearpod, Edpuzzle, and so many more great resources. I really got a handle on how to use each technology and further use google forms and google slides for assessments and presentations for my lesson. I really struggled with the work load this semester and I think I definitely have a lot of work to put into my remaining classes. Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice and comments on assignments. I was really able to learn a lot from everyone!

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This course was definitely challenging at times and there was a point about halfway in that I didn't know if I would be able to finish, BUT I can say that I have and it has been such a great class. Not necessarily for the social studies aspects (although this was the most fun I have had teaching in a while), but just the lesson planning and all the great feedback I have gotten. I truly appreciate everyone's comments, questions and suggestions that pushed me to thinking harder and learning more ! Here are some of the resources that I have bookmarked and will refer back to. I think one of my favorite things I learned was everyones points on diversity in the classroom. The Ted talk was one of my favorites and I will probably listen to it a few more times and write down some more quotes for future reference.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding-good-tech-integration

https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students

https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/standards-socialstudies-framework.pdf

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ogi-pbheowGsUVlICH_GFAgYirCZUflizhNuHRZbXDQ/edit

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/comments

Sam Harvey

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

The biggest obstacle to teaching online probably isn't the technology. Teachers seek out educational technology, in fact, because it "can have considerable positive impacts on student performance," according to a 2016 study -improving test scores and allowing teachers to assess student achievement more efficiently. The big problem is how to integrate it: Beyond the sheer number of tech tools available, the same researchers identified "inadequate professional development and training" as the primary obstacle to using technology productively in classrooms.

Understandably, the emergence of the coronavirus has dramatically accelerated the process of integrating edtech, as educators around the country race to get online as fast as they can. But as many of our teachers have noted, the current state of K-12 online learning is more like triage-a form of crisis management-and not at all like skillfully managed distance education.

What's missing from the conversation right now, which makes sense given the immediacy of the need, is a focus on the bigger question of what the highest quality technology integration actually looks like. That's an important conversation to have, because in a post-coronavirus world there's likely to be a greater emphasis on digital learning, even as we return to physical schools and take advantage of face-to-face opportunities.

A Hierarchy of Tech Uses

A powerful conceptual tool to think about technology integration-and edtech's best uses-is the SAMR model, developed in 2010 by education researcher Ruben Puentedura, who was the 1991 recipient of a Phi Beta Kappa teaching award.

The SAMR model lays out four tiers of online learning, presented roughly in order of their sophistication and transformative power: substitution, augmentation, modification, and r edefinition. When switching to an online format, teachers often focus on the first two levels, which involve replacing traditional materials with digital ones: converting lessons and worksheets into PDFs and posting them online, or recording lectures on video and making them available for asynchronous learning, for example.
Creative Commons
Those are important steps, especially when teaching online for the first time, but in classrooms where tech integration has moved to the mastery level, the last two levels of the SAMR model-modification and redefinition-should also be in the mix. Students in classes where this kind of mastery is embedded find more novel and immersive uses for technology. They are creators and publishers of their own work across multiple forms of media, for example, or they are inviting professionals to provide feedback on their work products, or participating in digital forums with other peers around the world.

It's tempting to think of SAMR as a mountain to be summited. But good technology integration isn't about living at the top of the SAMR model; it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

Here's a closer look at good classroom practices at each level in the model:

Substitution

"Substitution" means replacing traditional activities and materials-like in-class lectures or paper worksheets-with digital versions. There is no substantial change to the content, just the way that it is delivered.

The goal here is to keep things simple: there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Scan your lessons and worksheets, convert them into PDFs, and post them online using Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or a similar file-sharing service. Think about the information you have on your walls, such as the classroom norms, the daily schedule, or vocabulary lists, and convert them into digital formats that students can easily reference.

It may also help to provide synchronous as well as asynchronous versions of your lectures. If you're holding class meetings over a videoconferencing service like Zoom or Skype, provide a recording for students who can't attend. You can also create your own instructional videos for students to view at their own pace.

Augmentation

This level involves incorporating interactive digital enhancements and elements like comments, hyperlinks, or multimedia. The content remains unchanged, but students can now take advantage of digital features to enhance the lesson.

For example, students can create digital portfolios to create multimedia presentations, giving them more options to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. And instead of handing out paper quizzes, you can gamify your quizzes with tools like Socrative and Kahoot.

Teachers can also create virtual bulletin boards-using an app like Padlet -where students can post questions, links, and pictures.

Modification

At this level, teachers can think about using a learning management system like Google Classroom, Moodle, Schoology, or Canvas to handle the logistical aspects of running a classroom, like tracking grades, messaging students, creating a calendar, and posting assignments.

Teaching online opens up new channels of communication, many of which can help students who have traditionally been marginalized. Research shows that girls may be less likely to speak up in class, for example, so they may benefit from backchannels -alternative conversations that can run alongside instruction-that encourage participation.

Zoom's text chat feature, meanwhile, gives students an opportunity to write their questions out, which can feel less intrusive if there are dozens of students participating in the call. Also, students who prefer to collect their thoughts may benefit from slower-paced, asynchronous discussions in an online forum or email threads.

Redefinition

Learning is fundamentally transformed at the "redefinition" level, enabling activities that were previously impossible in the classroom.

For example, virtual pen pals can connect students to other parts of the world, whether it's with other students or experts in a field. Virtual field trips enable students to visit locations like the Amazon rainforest, the Louvre, or the Egyptian pyramids. After reading a book in class, you can invite the author to chat about their work and answer questions.

Technology also provides an opportunity to bring authentic audiences into your virtual classroom, and can make publishers out of your students. Kids can write their own wikis or blogs for public consumption and feedback-and platforms like Quadblogging can connect distant classrooms together so students both write and respond. Students can tackle local problems-like investigating the water quality of a nearby river-and invite members of the community to assess their digital proposals.

Going Beyond SAMR

Finally, consider how technology can be used not just as a way to deliver content, but also to strengthen relationships with your students. For elementary school teacher John Thomas, Seesaw and Flipgrid allow him to share a daily greeting, which his students then respond to-or to each other-with a typed or voiced comment. It's a good way to provide some stability while they're isolated.

How can my lesson be improved using technology?

How can I engage and empower students through technology?

How can online learning more closely resemble authentic, real-world learning?

Remember, again, that SAMR is sometimes thought of as a mountain to summit, but it's really more like a toolbox. The goal isn't to use the most sophisticated tool, but to find the right one for the job. More importantly, however, it's a way to reflect on your technology integration by thinking about a few key questions:

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A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

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Hello all!

This course has truly been amazing and has taught me so much. Personally, I think my biggest takeaway was learning about all of the technology that is available for educators to use in the classroom. Before taking this course, I was never introduced to Wixie, Seesaw, or even Google Classroom. When I initially found out that we had to incorporate technology into each one of our three unit lessons, I was worried because I only knew about Google programs (i.e., Google Slides, Google Jamboard, Google Docs, etc.) and had no idea that other programs existed for students to use. I am beyond grateful to have learned about other technology tools from my classmates and professor, and I cannot wait to use them in my future clinical courses and future classroom! While learning about these technology tools, I was also retaught about the SAMR model, which is basically a model that helps teachers decide whether or not a technology tool will be useful in the classroom. For example, at the substitution level, the technology may not be necessarily needed because it does not enhance, engage, or extend learning further. However, at the redefinition level, technology is totally necessary because it will enhance learning, engage students, and extend learning. With this being said, I learned how important it is for educators to examine the technology they will be using and to really reflect on whether or not they should be used in a lesson.

Another takeaway that relates with these new technology tools is using them and testing them out before students use them. If I had tested out Seesaw before having students use it in my lesson, then I would have been more familiar with the program and most likely would not have run into any problems on the day of my lesson. Basically, in this course I not only learned about these tools, but I also learned the importance of using and practicing them with students before the day of the lesson.

Moving forward, I also really enjoyed learning about the social studies standards and framework. I was never introduced to these standards before this course, so I am really grateful to have been exposed to these standards and apply them in my lessons. Since I want to be an elementary school teacher, it is imperative for me to know about the standards and be familiar with them, as well as know how to implement them. Not only was I introduced to the social studies standards, but I was also introduced to the art and technology standards, which I was unaware of until this course. Once again, it is imperative for me to be familiar with all standards because I will need to create lessons that focus on these standards.

Even further, I learned about digital leadership and the importance of teaching students to be kind and safe users online. This was super important to learn about because teachers should not expect students to already know how to be a digital leader online. Students should explicitly be taught how to be a leader. It was really beneficial to learn about the traits of a digital leader and to make a word cloud focused solely on digital leaders because it made the topic meaningful to me and it also made me realize how essential it is for students to be taught. Therefore, when I become a teacher, I will make sure to go over these qualities before letting students use technology because I want them to be safe, cautious, respectful, and kind when using technology.

Lastly, I have absolutely loved blogging throughout this course. This is something I want to take with me and continue to do even after the course ends. I think blogging is a great way for educators (and all people) to reflect on what they are learning about and also to share with others what they have learned. Blogging has also been a way to alleviate my stress throughout this term. In fact, blogging has been my favorite thing to do in this course! Like I said before, all educators should be exposed to blogs and try writing them because they may find that they love doing them more than they thought they would!

Here are some links that I would like to share and refer to in the future:

SAMR Technology Integration Explanation

NH Social Studies Standards

Lessons On Digital Citizenship from Charlie Brown

NH Art Standards

Technology Standards

Technology Rubric

Technology Evaluation Tool Rubric

Sincerely, Hope

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So let's begin.  This course was not at all what I was told when I signed up for it.  It has been quite a challenge for me, but I survived as we all did.  I want to say thanks to Mrs. Militello for putting up with my constant questions and very little knowledge of modern day lesson planning. I am not going to lie when I say I am so glad this class is over.  It was hard work and with teaching full time and taking this class it almost beat me, now as we head into the christmas season I can finally breathe.

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MGrierson EDU 702, Fall 2022 Course Takeaways

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MGrierson EDU 702, Fall 2022 Course Takeaways

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This course challenged me in more ways than I thought. I knew it would be difficult with a new job at a new school and increased responsibilities as a new special ed teacher, but I did not expect to struggle as much as I did. The amount of work this term made it difficult to balance things like I had hoped and I found out quickly that I was only able to do homework on the weekends due to my job needing to take priority during the week and having daily meetings that I am required to attend. I am a part of the 4th and 5th-grade team so the meetings are doubled and this was not always conducive to working on group projects or needing others to comment on my posts. We, or at least I am at the point in my life where I have a very different schedule than my classmates and this made it challenging to collaborate. I felt guilty about that but I, like everyone, has different things going on in their life and it is not possible for everyone’s schedules to align when we are all in different places around the state and are in different stages of life.

I am feeling very proud about having gotten this far and being almost done. This course helped me to reflect in new ways, blogging has become a way to vent about what happened during the week and move on. My classmates commenting on my post helped me to feel that I am not alone. Attending school online can really make me feel that I’m all alone and interacting with other classmates reminds me that everyone is in this together. Another big takeaway from this course was using technology for learning and not just for the sake of using technology. It was really great to see how my students thrived while using technology in a useful way. Another important takeaway from this course was the fact that although I am currently a special ed teacher, I can still utilize social studies material with my students. There are a lot of excellent readings I can do about topics that meet the NH social studies curriculum framework and having more knowledge about the SS curriculum is very important. Social studies is about so much more than I had thought and it covers so many wonderful topics that would be fun to explore with students in different ways while still relating to the student's special education goals.

A resource that I really liked is the Ted Talks! I really look forward to watching those videos when I see them assigned in a course. I find them so incredibly well done and so knowledgeable for me. Some that stood out to me in the past are the one about a growth mindset, the one about invisible disabilities and treating others with compassion. In this class I watched one about Is my skin brown because I drank chocolate milk? And went over what it means to be color silent and how that can have a detrimental affect to society.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_TFaS3KW6s

Another great resource, especially for social studies is Time for Kids or Scholastic News articles. Often, these catalogs highlight current events and introduce them to kids in a fun engaging way that is also at their level. It contains words that are not too challenging and presented in a way that they can fully understand and comprehend the importance and how it relates to their life.

This course was challenging, harder to balance with a new job than I anticipated, but also rewarding. I learned a lot during this course and I have a lot of new knowledge to utilize as I continue to work towards my certification.

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I am not entirely sure where to start. I feel this semester took a whole lot out of me. The workload was a lot and, in some cases, almost seemed more than necessary. However, it was helpful and helped me in some ways to shape my lessons to be a bit more thought provoking and engaging with the use of technology. I would say the largest piece I took from this course was actively teaching the lesson. I learned that even when you think you have thought of it all, the students will prove you wrong and throw in a curve ball to show you how different they all are in their learning, understanding, and attention and provide you with a need to adjust the lesson in a way that provides meaning and engagement for everyone.

When it comes to using technology for teaching, it is important to remember that technology shouldn't be used just for the sake of using technology, but for the benefit of learning.

I was truly interested in the Learning for Justice website (Teaching Hard History: Grades K-5 Introduction | Learning for Justice). It provided some interesting ways of teaching hard-to-talk-about topics and demonstrated how some teachers show courage in teaching these difficult lessons for the sake of the students. I also really enjoyed the TED Talk with Brene Brown on the topic of shame and vulnerability (TED Talk: Listening to Shame - Brené Brown (brenebrown.com)). It helped me to feel a little more empowered about trying new things and putting myself out there. It helped me to understand that it is ok to be vulnerable and take risks.

I am confident that this course has helped me to prepare for lessons as well as future courses in a very large way. Now that I know what to expect, I can try to manage my time better and prioritize tasks.

Tina

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Teaching about slavery is hard. It's especially hard in elementary school classrooms, where talking about the worst parts of our history seems at odds with the need to motivate young learners and nurture their self-confidence.

Teaching about slavery, especially to children, challenges educators. Those we've spoken with-especially white teachers-shrink from telling about oppression, emphasizing tales of escape and resistance instead. They worry about making black students feel ashamed, Latinx and Asian students feel excluded and white students feel guilty.

Slavery is hard to teach about for all these reasons-and because its legacy of racism and white supremacy is still with us. That legacy influences the lives of even very young students, permeating our classrooms whether or not we acknowledge it.

Children encounter slavery in one form or another-some through children's literature, some through family lore-as soon as they begin school. Kindergartners learn about Harriet Tubman during Black History Month, and they will meet her again and again, along with other escapees on the Underground Railroad, by fourth or fifth grade, when they're actually "supposed to" learn about slavery.

The same thing happens for the civil rights movement: We teach children about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks long before we pull back the curtain on the reality of what they struggled against.

This is understandable: We want to provide young children with heroes and with hope. It's easy to cement slavery firmly in the past and tell a story of triumph over evil.

The problem lies in both what we teach and what we don't teach. Field trips to colonial sites rarely include the stories of those who were enslaved there, yet enslaved people labored in every European colony in the Americas. Each state's history of agriculture and industry stands alone, with little mention of how connected it was to slavery through trade. And Indigenous people? How many of us were taught that they tragically succumbed to disease, but not that they, too, were enslaved?

Whether we mean to or not, we're teaching elementary students about slavery. Our omissions speak as loudly as what we choose to include. And what children learn in the early grades has broad consequences for the rest of their education.

History teachers spend too much time unteaching what their students previously learned. Professor Hasan Jeffries, chair of the Teaching Hard History Advisory Board, talks about having to unteach what his college students learned in high school. High school teachers tell us that they have to unteach what their students learn in earlier grades. This doesn't happen in any other subject: Math, science and reading all begin with fundamentals and build on them.

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Teaching Hard History: Grades K-5 Introduction

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Teaching about slavery is hard. It's especially hard in elementary school classrooms, where talking about the worst parts of our history seems at odds with the need to motivate young learners and nurture their self-confidence. Teaching about slavery, especially to children, challenges educators.

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This semester was full of growth and definitely had a few learning curves. Balancing work life, school work, and my personal life is always going to be a challenge for me, but this semester really forced me to focus on managing my time well because procrastinating (something I have become very good at) was not an option. Now that I look back, I realize just how much information we have learned and how much I will take with me beyond this course.

I think when it comes to technology in schools, we assume we know enough already. This class has taught me that there is always more to discover to help us evolve and support our classrooms in the best ways. Technology is something we need to be wary about, yes, but it also provides so many ways to enhance our students’ learning. I love that we were able to look at the balance between teaching our students safe ways to use technology and understanding that we should not rely on it, yet looking at the reality of living and teaching in a tech-based world and that it can be a powerful resource to us.

It’s safe to say that looking at technology as a whole and its connection to teaching can be overwhelming. The SAMR model is a great tool to remind ourselves if what we are using is just another substitution for a tool or if it truly helps to redesign and help create new forms of collaboration. Ultimately, this is the goal for integrating technology tools and devices in the classroom.

Finally, here are some resources that really stuck out to me this semester regarding how to approach social studies topics and how to safely integrate technology in the classroom:

Learning for Justice:

https://www.learningforjustice.org/frameworks/teaching-hard-history/american-slavery/k-5-framework/introduction

Interland:

https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland.

Annenberg Learner:

https://www.learner.org/series/social-studies-in-action-a-methodology-workshop-k-5/assessing-students-learning/

National Council for the Social Studies:

https://www.socialstudies.org/position-statements/powerful-purposeful-pedagogy-elementary-school-social-studies

Daring Classrooms Hub:

https://brenebrown.com/hubs/daring-classrooms-hub/

Tate

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As with previous courses, I enjoyed the readings and resources that were provided. Among my favorites were:

Learning for Justice:
https://www.learningforjustice.org/frameworks/teaching-hard-history/american-slavery/k-5-framework/introduction

CommonSense: https://www.commonsense.org/education

TEDtalk, growth mindset by Carol Dweck:
https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve

TEDtalk, single-story narratives by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

There was a rather large learning curve for me this term. The amount of work made it difficult to balance all the things and the reliance on others to complete their assignments so that I could complete the task for credit was challenging. No one seemed to have similar schedules which led to less sharing and discussion.

However, I learned and curated additional resources which will continue to be useful in the future.

Kate

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Teaching about slavery is hard. It's especially hard in elementary school classrooms, where talking about the worst parts of our history seems at odds with the need to motivate young learners and nurture their self-confidence.

Teaching about slavery, especially to children, challenges educators. Those we've spoken with-especially white teachers-shrink from telling about oppression, emphasizing tales of escape and resistance instead. They worry about making black students feel ashamed, Latinx and Asian students feel excluded and white students feel guilty.

Slavery is hard to teach about for all these reasons-and because its legacy of racism and white supremacy is still with us. That legacy influences the lives of even very young students, permeating our classrooms whether or not we acknowledge it.

Children encounter slavery in one form or another-some through children's literature, some through family lore-as soon as they begin school. Kindergartners learn about Harriet Tubman during Black History Month, and they will meet her again and again, along with other escapees on the Underground Railroad, by fourth or fifth grade, when they're actually "supposed to" learn about slavery.

The same thing happens for the civil rights movement: We teach children about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks long before we pull back the curtain on the reality of what they struggled against.

This is understandable: We want to provide young children with heroes and with hope. It's easy to cement slavery firmly in the past and tell a story of triumph over evil.

The problem lies in both what we teach and what we don't teach. Field trips to colonial sites rarely include the stories of those who were enslaved there, yet enslaved people labored in every European colony in the Americas. Each state's history of agriculture and industry stands alone, with little mention of how connected it was to slavery through trade. And Indigenous people? How many of us were taught that they tragically succumbed to disease, but not that they, too, were enslaved?

Whether we mean to or not, we're teaching elementary students about slavery. Our omissions speak as loudly as what we choose to include. And what children learn in the early grades has broad consequences for the rest of their education.

History teachers spend too much time unteaching what their students previously learned. Professor Hasan Jeffries, chair of the Teaching Hard History Advisory Board, talks about having to unteach what his college students learned in high school. High school teachers tell us that they have to unteach what their students learn in earlier grades. This doesn't happen in any other subject: Math, science and reading all begin with fundamentals and build on them.

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Teaching Hard History: Grades K-5 Introduction

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Teaching about slavery is hard. It's especially hard in elementary school classrooms, where talking about the worst parts of our history seems at odds with the need to motivate young learners and nurture their self-confidence. Teaching about slavery, especially to children, challenges educators.

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Julia Kilmister EDU 702, Spring 2022 Takeaways

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Julia Kilmister EDU 702, Spring 2022 Takeaways

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This was a very challenging term for me.  It being the first intermediate level course I’ve taken thus far, there was a pretty big learning curve.  The time of year also made this term very difficult- I anticipate that courses next Spring will bring up the same kind of stress.  I ended up sick a good amount this term- getting behind on assignments is the kiss of death for me.  Once I am a little behind, I begin to snowball with anxiety.

On the other hand, I feel the most accomplished that I have at the end of any course so far.  The fact that I turned in a 50-something page unit of lesson plans seems unreal.  That is something I truly questioned whether or not I would be able to do.  I made many mistakes this term, but I learned a lot from all of them.

Trudging through the end of this term was challenging and to be honest, it was discouraging.  I felt at the end that I was letting myself down by falling behind and still making mistakes.  Going back through my unit and final submissions I just kept thinking “why didn’t I do it this way earlier, so I wouldn’t have to go back and fix it”.  I’m trying to take those ideas and put them to action next term.  Now I understand the pace and demands of an intermediate course.  I have definitely picked up a few tips and tricks to making my life easier in the scope of the course as a whole.

My favorite resource that I found regarding technology integration has been Common Sense Education.  This webpage inspired my digital literacy project, and is now one of many resources I have bookmarked to go back to in the coming years.  I just know that I will turn to Common Sense Education to help with lesson planning and resources in the future.

Common sense education. Common Sense Education | Digital Citizenship Curriculum & EdTech Reviews. (n.d.). Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/

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There is no question about it, this class was a ton of work, but I feel like this class was a good way to show us what teaching is all about. I really enjoyed building a Social Studies unit and following it through, although it felt like it took forever. I can’t wait to be able to teach a unit in a consecutive week rather than a lesson a week. I also enjoyed collaborating with my SP and some of the other third grade teachers about resources and the activities I was doing. Did you know there aren’t a lot of kid friendly resources when you are looking at the NH State Symbols!

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this class was the Tic-Tac-Toe board. This activity was so much fun and it gave us the opportunity to choose what we wanted to do. This activity is something that I would like to use within my classroom to have the students take control of their learning. They will be able to have choice on what activities that they want to do and will be able to work on them in their own creative way!

With that being said, one of my favorite videos from this class, was the TED talk from the tic-tac-toe board. The Danger of a Single Story, was absolutely eye-opening and should be something that educators should watch as well as older students, like in high school. It gives you another perspective on looking at people and concepts and although you think you may have an open-mind about things, I bet you that you don’t. I learned that I need to become better in my perspectives because of this Ted Talk.

Another resource that I really enjoyed that I had discovered through the Digital Citizenship project was https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship . This resource has so many things that it is overwhelming, however it is SO HELPFUL. It has articles and resources for teachers and parents along with lesson plans that are already made to help you incorporate digital citizenship within your classroom! If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend it.

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When I first began this course, I was not sure what to expect. I knew the course was going to be a lot of work but I did not know how much I would actually be doing. When I learned that I was going to have to create a Unit Lesson Plan with five lessons built into that, I was very overwhelmed. I have learned so much from this course. In my classroom, I rarely teach social studies. After this course, I learned so many different ways that I am able to do that. It was great having the framework and resources shared within this course because it provided me with many different materials and resources to implement in the classroom. When teaching my lessons,

I learned so many valuable lessons. I learned great ways to teach social studies but also that things might not go as planned and I have to be okay with that.
I have learned the best ways to support my students and their needs and know now that I have gained the knowledge to appropriately teach social studies in my classroom.

Some of the resources that I have really enjoyed using this term were these.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Tedtalk https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

Learning for Justice
https://www.learningforjustice.org/?
gclid=EAIaIQobChMIroOJiuG3-AIVfGxvBB0PRgF-EAAYASAAEgLtPfD_BwE

Social Studies Framework
https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/standards-socialstudies-framework.pdf

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Breanna Owen EDU702 Spring 2022, TakeAways

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Breanna Owen EDU702 Spring 2022, TakeAways

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This course was like a rollercoaster ride - jarring, surprising, fun, rewarding. There were some beautiful highs and sudden drops that put my heart in my throat (is that the way you say it?). The 5-lesson unit was very challenging - but I learned the most from it. Having to keep going day after day for a week was exhausting but eye-opening. And it was only one subject! Imagining teaching each subject every day, all week, for the whole school year ... no wonder teachers are so wiped out! I have mad respect for my SP - she carried herself very gracefully and professionally through a very difficult year. She taught me most by example. The first thing that comes to mind that I will take away from observing her teaching is that I don't have to copy her. I can do my own thing. What works for her may not work for me, and that's okay. I need to figure out what works for me. I need to be confident in myself, and take risks. And not be afraid to show love and care to my students.
While showing that I love and care for my students is important, I've also learned that  I can be too soft and gentle. I need to be more firm - and learn to PROJECT MY VOICE!!!
The resources I really enjoyed and got a lot from were:

*   https://www.learningforjustice.org/

* the Annenburg videos that showed a variety of teachers learning and workshopping together

* Carol Dweck's TedTalk - https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve

* The Edvocate article on digial citizenship: https://www.theedadvocate.org/students-taught-digital-leaders-instead-digital-citizens/

* Beverly Tatum's TedTalk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_TFaS3KW6s

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My biggest takeaway was learning how to create a 5 lesson unit.  It seemed like it would be a lot, and it was.  Knowing I had to incorporate technology and the arts really made me think how I was going to accomplish it.  Since I made my lessons for 4th grade, I realized I could have them create maps, drawings, etc during the lessons and that would count for art.  The technology I used was the students' Chromebooks, Google classroom, Google slides, and Flipgrid.  I created slides for each lesson in which I shared definitions, pictures, videos, and information about what they would be learning.  In their Google classrooms, I posted a document with links to physical maps of each of the colonies for them to reference when creating their own physical map.  I also had the slideshows as material in the Google classroom for the students to use as needed.  Learning how to create an Online Learning Experience (OLE) was great.  I can see how this can be used for students at home and for those that need visual and auditory learning.  This was my first time using Flipgrid as a teaching tool and the students did a great job recording themselves for the assignment.  I appreciated the links and reading from this class that were about getting the students to higher order thinking.  The sentence starter questions I saved for later use and I bought a tool that was suggested.

My second takeaway was experiencing all the different technology we used in the class and the ways we collaborated using them.  Jamboard, Flipgrid, Padlet, Google docs, blogging, discussion boards, Tic Tac Toe board, OLE, Digital leadership resource,  lesson plans, word cloud, and sketch note.  I thought learning about and using each one of these was a great part of this class.  They all helped me to better understand how technology can be used in classrooms, the benefits of it, and how it helps collaborative learning.  I look forward to using these tools and others in the future.

My last takeaway is all the resources shared in this class from both the teacher and the students.  I saved the videos, links, website, etc. that were shared so that I can go back and look at them any time in the future.  The Ted talks were informative and inspiring.  Websites shared such as Learning for Justice, Tech in Pedagogy, and Common Sense  are an amazing resource filled with incredible information.

This class has been full of great information, resources, and learning.  I'm excited to be able to have all of these in my toolbox for future use.

Allison

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This course was, on the surface, very overwhelming. I felt very thrown into creating a unit and all the other projects on top of it an keeping up with updating the lesson plans; it was a lot. However, probably around week 8/9, I really started to see how much I have learned and appreciated this course, it's probably been the most useful course I've taken so far in terms of material I can apply to real classroom application.

One of my favorite resources this year was the Learning for Justice website. It goes into such depth and detail. The fact that it provides resources and topics, lesson plans, materials, and guides you in how to have the conversations is very straightforward and user friendly and it is definitely something I would love to implement teaching in my class. Working with the young students, they have lesson plans on digital leadership which ties in geat to this course!

I loved being able to see the NH framework and what the state required and what specific topics fall under civis, economics, geography, history, etc. The different types of essential questions and just in general what students are expected to learn is a whole lot more than I ever anticipated for elementary (at least the wording makes it sound that way).

I look forward to being able to implement what I have worked on here in my unit and my projects in my actual classroom, as I feel the material given is the most useful by far of the classes I've taken when it comes to see it's real world applicable use!

Tony

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My biggest takeaways from this course come from teaching the 5 lesson unit itself. With the help of my SP I learned a lot about classroom management. I learned to make sure all eyes are on me when I'm speaking. I learned to state the goal of the lesson at the beginning of the class so the students know what to expect. I learned how to re-direct to maintain focus. I also learned more about what makes compelling lesson instead of a boring lesson.

From the coursework itself I learned a lot about the New Hampshire Social Studies curriculum. I began the class thinking it would be impossible to teach social studies to Kindergartners but by the end of the class, with the help of the standard, I learned there's a lot to teach that age group.

I also appreciated the tips and discussions about teaching difficult topics. I feel that kind of knowledge is increasingly needed. I also feel that there is the most pushback to the teaching of difficult topics, especially institutional racism, than ever before so I'm interested/terrified to see how this knowledge will work for me in the future.

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This course was quite the learning experience. Before this class I had only created two lesson plans and the only technology used in those lessons were powerpoints or the smartboard for math. Through this course I learned how to integrate technology into lessons to promote engagement and collaboration, and to gather assessment data. Some of the tech I used most throughout the course were Jamboard, Kahoot, Google Forms, Padlet and Flip Grid. These tools helped support a variety of learners and students really enjoyed the opportunity to explore them.

My biggest takeaways were seeing firsthand the benefits of incorporating technology into the lessons and learning to collaborate more with colleagues. I think using tech helped deepen comprehension for the students but I learned how to use it to make my life easier. Not only did the tech provide differentiation and UDL for students, but for me, it made data collection more efficient. I had never used Google Forms before but moving forward this will be a regular way to give assessments or student surveys. Through the process of creating the unit, I learned that experienced teachers are the best resource for advice and insight. A goal moving forward is to maintain professional relationships developed over this term and to continue networking and collaborating with my colleagues and classmates.

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Hello class,

This course was very stressful for me.  However, my fellow classmates that I have communicated with on a regular basis has been my saving grace.  I appreciate all the help and support I received from you has been greatly appreciated.  I have learned a lot about different aspects of digital technology.  I still find it hard to do all this online posting.  I understand that it could be helpful to students but for me it is still difficult.  I have learned a lot about programs that my children have told me about like Gimkit.  I also now understand the benefits of using technology like Quill.org and other programs that specialize in certain areas for subjects like ELA and math.  Thank you for all that you have shared with me!
Zita

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Hi Class,
This was the longest class that took the shortest amount of time. I feel like my head was spinning for most of the past 10 weeks, but we made it! Teaching a unit was tough but one take away I had was that my lesson actually felt complete. In previous courses I would teach 1 or 2 lessons and they never seemed to have a huge purpose or really wrap up. This lesson plan had a begining middle and end. Even though I taught it all in just over a week I felt a sense of accomplishment and closure when it was done.  I still struggle with technology but I am learning. It was frustrating and confusing for me all at the same time to try to plan so much into so little time. I ended up utilizing Epic books to help me with my unit. The students love these books and it makes it easier for even the weakest reader to keep up with the group. Behavior issues plagued me throughout my lessons, I was reassured that this was not directed towards myself or my lesson. I plan to research more technologies and behavior interventions as time goes on. Good luck to everyone as they continue on their journey.
Jenn

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Rachel G Reflections - Edu 702 Winter 2022

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Rachel G Reflections - Edu 702 Winter 2022

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Somehow along the way, I missed the video of "The Danger of the Single Story" so decided to take a listen after seeing a few people cite it in their comments. Wow, what a powerful message! I, too, am guilty of making some of the assumptions or mistakes she talks about in the video, such as not realizing that people speak English in Nigeria. The sad part is that I'm a reasonably well-traveled and educated person too. Yet I managed to have this assumption or idea in my mind. The video inspires me to learn more and open my points of view.  From a personal perspective, I remember being excited as a kid when my minority religion
(Judaism) was on TV or in books. I see my kids get excited about it now too, and there are many more cartoon characters who celebrate Hanukkah than there were when I was a child. This feeling reminds me of the beginning of the video when she talks about describing characters with blond hair and blue eyes, rather than realizing she could include people who looked like her.  Representation matters and makes a huge difference! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg)

I also liked the Unit planning. It was HARD but I'm better for it. Observations and this type of planning prepare us for our career, even though many of us dread them. I learned to take criticism and learn from it, rather than negatively ruminating. I'm taking a non-clinical course next term and am looking forward to the "break," even though it'll still be a lot of work.

Lastly, Brene Brown's video made an impact on me. It made me think about ways I can grow both professionally and personally. She has small Ted Talk snippets on h per page (https://brenebrown.com/hubs/dare-to-lead/) that are easy to listen to while cleaning the kitchen etc. Small talks that leave you thinking.

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This clinical course was a complete eye opener for me! Going from an intro clinical to this one was a big difference in terms of creating lesson plans and all the information learned in terms of teaching social studies and technology integration. I am someone who is already in a technology position in an elementary school, yet I feel like I gained new resources and tools to carry with me in this profession to teach students in the lab that I value learning from this course. I had little knowledge on sites such as Wonderopolis, Flipgrid, Padlet, Gimkit, etc. There are still so many resources I feel I have yet to unlock, but am excited to see what more I can provide to students and especially for differentiation in the classroom and meeting needs for those students with accommodations. I loved that this course gave experiences that are different than simply posting in discussions and creating lesson plans. The collaborative assignment with annotations was an interesting experience to work with classmates I otherwise would only react to in discussion posts, and gain a better perspective on the formulation and foundation of lesson plans. The blog was my favorite aspect, because it mixed personal and relatable teaching experiences with all of us with the education and informational side of this course. I loved the ability to improve my teaching skills with the intricate lesson planning and unit planning which I have never created a unit plan before. I will take away the experiences we all seemed to have in this period of time with Covid teaching and as student teachers- "My best advice for a new teacher is to care deeply, problem-solve relentlessly, and ask for help incessantly. Of course, this is also my best advice for experienced teachers!" -Maurice J. Elias

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I can't believe this class is already coming to an end. There were many things I gained from this class. Looking at the clinical portion, I gained A LOT of useful knowledge on behavior management techniques. My students were like a group of wild animals at times! Through feedback from my SP's, the instructor, my cooperating teachers, and my FPF, I was able to address behaviors meaningfully and effectively by the end of the unit. I also enjoyed learning how to meaningfully incorporate technology. At first, it seemed like a task that I wasn't sure how to approach, but the readings and discussions helped me make more sense of this. Lastly, I enjoyed the choice board tic tac toe where we learned about teaching hard social studies topics. This is really important, and I feel like it is often glossed over.

- Shayna

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Like others, I am in complete disbelief that this term has already flown by. It feels like only yesterday that I was starting a blog and dreading the thought of having to share thoughts and feelings online!

One of the biggest takeaways for me this term was the use of technology to enhance engagement and support my learners. I was able to take a rather mundane and often boring subject (in the eyes of 4th graders) and bring it to life with role-playing or personalized experiences that challenged my learners to get out of their comfort zones. With this technology integration came the SAMR Model for properly and effectively integrating technology into the classroom. Not only was referencing this model vital to my Unit development, it is going to serve as a lifelong reference to implement technology for student engagement and supports going forward!

While I was initially not a fan of the group project surrounding the dissecting of someone else's lesson plan, it created an opportunity to communicate and collaborate with others in a similar position as me when it comes to student teaching. This expansion of my PLN is one that is forever ongoing, but this course provided an opportunity to collaborate meaningfully in an online course, which is rare!

While I am not one for TED Talks, one of the most influential components of this course came within the Constructivism Module. The power of believing you can improve TED Talk really resonated with me beyond an educational influence. I have always struggled with my own personal influences and growth mindset, but hearing this TED Talk speak so simply and with purpose was truly beneficial to me closing out this term.

Best wishes to all going forward!

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Though the weeks have been long the term has flown by! I feel like I’ve learned so much about myself , my time management skills, and my teaching in the past 77 days.

This class had pushed me to learn new technology tools, compose units, and integrate art into my lesson plans.

One tool I found very useful was screen castify. Though I knew it was a website you could use to record your screen, I had never used it, or knew how to use it. I used screen castify to show my students how to make an avatar character. It was so easy to download into your computer ( I used the Chrome store, it’s free), turn on, and boom your students can see everything you have on your screen. It also records your voice so you can give directions. This is a tool I will 100% be using in my future classroom. It is especially useful for online learning, should we need to do that again. This will also save instructional time in the classroom, to leave more room for learning. I’m a visual learner so being able to provide my students with a visual of exactly how to do something on their computer is important to me.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/screencastify-screen-vide/mmeijimgabbpbgpdklnllpncmdofkcpn?hl=en

The danger of a single story really stuck with me for so many reasons. Chimamanda Adichie is an affluent speaker, you can tell how passionate she is about this subject. I loved the grace she showed while talking about a hard subject. The story of her roommate who was surprised she could speak English so well, and thought she didn’t know how to use a stove, because she was from Nigeria. She realized this was her roommates single story of Africa.  Rather than getting mad and calling her roommate racist, she thought back into a time in her life where she identified Fide’s (a house boy that worked for her family) family, as just poor, because she only knew one story of his life. To handle something like this with calmness instead of frustration, shows just how educated she is. Rather than getting mad at her roommate and society, she became part of the solution. She creates literature now that shows more than just one story of Nigeria and its culture, and was able to make this TED talk so people all around the world can understand the danger of a single story.

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

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I feel like this course went by fast! It is crazy how much we have completed in this course and how much I have grown in 11 weeks.

1. I really liked the video we watched: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 19 minute TED talk titled The Danger of a Single Story. I thought the was easy to connect with and it was such an interesting story. It really gave me something to think about. I know about stereotypes, we have discussed them, but I like how she connected it to a different style of thought.

2.I also learned about UBD. I had not written a unit prior to this semester. I learned where I needed to improve my lessons with a larger class. Previously I had taught a max of 6 students with my lessons. Now I have officially taught a class of 20 students and it took longer to complete each section of the lesson. I now know where I can improve my lessons! I also learned how hard it is visually for me to complete each section of the unit , in which next semester I am going to divide it up differently that way I am less overwhelmed.
-Mikah

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This was a good class for me and I really enjoy Social Studies.  However, this was the most difficult class so far for me since I was teaching in my own classroom for the first time.  My favorite elements of the class were; collaborating on the one assignment, blogging, and the module on constructivism.

1. collaborating with my classmates on the group project was really nice.  It gave me the first real feeling that I was in a class with other students and that we were working on something together rather than having the feeling that we are going at this all on our own.

2. Blogging was so much fun.  I was definitely not looking forward to it initially, but I have really taken to the exercise.  It has been a great outlet for me to really think about the week from the aspect of what I have learned and what I have taught.  you can follow my blog at the following link.  https://misterfranksclassroom.wordpress.com

3.  The unit on constructivism was really great.  I most enjoyed the video linked on the top by Carol Dweck.  It was just great and made me feel so hopeful.

I am looking forward to my final few classes and hope we will have the opporunity to work again as a group with our classmates.  It was really nice to see each other outside of the meeting at the beginning of the term.

Frank Del Medico

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The power of believing that you can improve

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Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain’s capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? A great introduction to this influential field.

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I cannot believe how fast this semester went by! I honestly feel this was my best course yet. I felt like I was able to connect more with others in the class which made me feel extremely supported. I loved all the collaboration that was needed for assignments and doing the group project.

1. I really loved the article “Visual Arts and Social Studies: Powerful Partners in Promoting Critical Thinking Skills” by Paige Vitulli and Susan Pitts Santoli. This article really opened my eyes to how important it is to incorporate the arts into lessons. It was also great to think about how incorporating arts can enhance the students' learning experience. The article really explained how to incorporate visual arts and how this can help students with their critical thinking skills.

2. My favorite assignment was the Weekly Blog. I loved having a place to write about my connections with my current position and the weekly readings. I was really able to express a lot of positive experiences as well as struggles I was having in the classroom. I also loved being able to read other peoples experiences and commenting on their posts. I got a lot of really great inspiration from the blogs!

3. I also found a lot of value in learning about the SAMR model. When I was finding ways to incorporate technology into my lessons I often thought of where it would fall on the SAMR model. It helped me find meaningful ways to incorporate technology. It is something I will continue to think about when incorporating technology into lessons.

Overall, this course was amazing. I have really enjoyed all assignments because they helped me think of a wide range of activities to incorporate into lessons to make them more engaging. It also helped me understand the value of different activities and how to use them to enhance the students' learning experiences.

Sam Ciampa

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I can't believe this semester is almost over! It has gone by so quickly. There were so many aspects of this course that I enjoyed!

1. I found the readings, videos, and resources to be so, so helpful! Through this course I found so many free resources regarding social studies and technology that I will be using with my students in the classroom. I linked the Common Sense Education resource because I really love it. It contains so many amazing resources, videos, and information for a wide range of students!

2. I also enjoyed the amount of collaboration we participated in during this course. It was so helpful to connect with my peers through blogs, discussion boards, and collaborative lesson plans. The comments others provided on my unit plans helped me reflect and create better activities for my students. I felt like the amount of collaboration done in this course was similar to that of an in-person course and it as refreshing!

3. The choice board was very eye opening for me. I thought it was a great way to find resources and information about how to teach harder topics in social studies. I know there are many controversial concepts in social studies today that may make teacher shy away from teaching essential information. The resources from the choice board explained why it is so important to teach hard topics and how to teach these hard topics.

Overall I really enjoyed this course and learning with everyone this semester!!
- Isabella DeSimone

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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I'm not sure how I survived two college classes at once, but it happened and it happened quick. This didn't seem so difficult 9 years ago when I attended college at PSU, but I guess life is different now. Below you will find my key takeaways from this course!

1. I really enjoyed the readings and assignments based on higher level of thinking. I think this is important for all age levels but never really knew how to approach it. This article taught me a lot about how to ask those questions to students and how to get them to lead discussions (http://pensonpd.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/5/8/25586900/review_or_true_using_higher-level_thinking_questions_in_social_studies_instruction.pdf). Higher level of thinking doesn't have to be incorporated into everything you ask students, but providing opportunities for that to happen can change a whole classroom atmosphere. I challenged myself to start doing that with my students and we had some great discussions.

2. I also really enjoyed doing a blog post each week and reading other's blogs. It was not something I was looking forward to when I heard this was a weekly assignment, but it was definitely a good one. It was the one thing I ended up not dreading to complete each week. I also liked the fact that I could do it when I had thoughts to share and time to do so. Life gets busy and sometimes it's just hard to push for a deadline when you aren't ready. I appreciated being able to share my thoughts when I had them.

References: http://pensonpd.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/5/8/25586900/review_or_true_using_higher-level_thinking_questions_in_social_studies_instruction.pdf

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This fall has literally been a whirlwind! I cannot believe that it’s December and that this course is just about over. As I prepare to write progress reports for my students, I’m also in amazement that the school year is already a third of the way through. This is my first course at GSC, and I was extremely nervous to make the jump to Canvas to and a completely new platform for learning. Having completed my M.Ed. at a different university, I grew accustomed to their course structure and layout. I’m extremely thankful for this class and I have a few key takeaways:

1)     Until I started this course, I had never heard of the SAMR Model. In today’s classrooms, it’s near impossible to avoid technology. With the presence of COVID-19 and the necessity for distance learning, Education 3.0, Gerstein (2014) argues, drives the need for technology to assist communication, contribution, and collaboration (p. 1). You’d be hard-pressed to find a classroom that doesn’t provide Chromebooks or iPads for students to utilize to complete work. The emergence of smartphones and social media creates a paradigm shift that demands that educators think outside the box for how information is delivered and how students are expected to demonstrate understanding of their learning.

2)     I really resonated with our module on Constructivism. The video from Dr. Andy Johnson was incredibly informative and I really liked the analogy he provided about the filing cabinet. Learning is like keeping and arranging a filing cabinet. As learning happens, information is constructed, and each student must manage the information in this “filing cabinet” and students must organize this material to construct new and deeper understandings.

3)     I really enjoyed the “openness” of our learning. Having many of our assignments available on Google Drive was different for me. I was a little hesitant about having my documents available for each other to see, but then I realized that we’re all here to learn and grow together. I know when I was completing my unit, I saw some wonderful examples on our shared unit plan folder, and it was helpful to have these additional resources available to help guide my thinking.

References:

Common Sense Education. (2016, July 12). How to Apply the SAMR Model with Ruben

Puentedura [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQTx2UQQvbU

Gerstein, J. (2014). SAMR as a Framework for Moving Towards Education 3.0.

Retrieved from https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/samr-as-a-framework-for-moving-towards-education-3-0/

Johnson, A. (2010, November 15). Constructivism [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELPsKhd9lWs&t=16s

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How to Apply the SAMR Model with Ruben Puentedura

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It is insane that this course is already over! This has been one of my favorite course to take by far. I loved the conversations we had about online resources to use in the classroom, because this is something I am passionate about.

1.) My favorite aspect of this course was definitely the blogging part. It was so fun to use the blogs as a place to share our experiences and feelings. It was a great place to share my worries and feelings during the week. It really helped with my mental health and self reflection.

2.) My favorite resource we used was the "Danger of a single story" TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It was such an eye opening video. I work in the same school I went to so I have never personally experienced anything like this. But some of my students do not have that same background, so it is very important to make sure we do not create "single stories" in our classrooms.

3.) Another resource we used was the "Learning Hard History" website. It is such a great resource to have when teaching these hard topics. I will definitely be using this website in the future when I have to teach topics like this.

References:

The Danger of a Single Story. (2009). TED. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en.

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Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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I can't believe how fast this semester has gone by. It seems like only yesterday that the idea of having to write and teach a 5 lesson series about social studies to Kindergarteners but now its been accomplished and I feel like I learned so much during this course. In regards to my 3 main takeaways from the course:

1. The blogs. I loved seeing what everyone posted about each week and found them very insightful. I thought that I would dread having to write it each week but in the end I actually enjoyed each one, and sometimes would get caught up in the writing. I feel like it made me relax some because I was able to see that many of my classmates were going through the same struggles as I was with their adventures of becoming a certified educator.

2. Brene Brown's leadership assessment and video. I had previously watched Brene Brown's video about daring classroom during a PD for my school district, and I found it to be fantastic. I loved exploring her site and taking the leadership assessment as part of the tic-tact-toe choice board assignment. It was eye opening for me to see the feedback that I got based on my leadership assessment results. Some were not surprising but others were interesting to learn. Overall I enjoyed the entire choice board assignment and feel like I learned a lot from it, and that the element of choice made it even more engaging and motivating.

3. Being able to interact and reflect on classmates lesson plans. I feel like this was a very valuable thing to integrate into the course because it let us as students lead our learning a little more. If we were unsure of something we could look at our peers work as an example to help clarify and questions and misunderstandings. It was also nice because at the begining I thought I was the only one who was going to be having to teach social studies to kindergarteners, but as it turned out there was actually quite a few of us that had this in common. Which made it possible to share ideas about how to implement different teaching strategies into the classroom of kindergarteners.

Reference:
Brown, B. (2021). Building brave spaces for students. Daring Classroom. Retrieved on November 11, 2021 from Daring Classrooms Hub - Brené Brown (brenebrown.com)

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I can't believe we are here. Week 11. It flew by way too fast. I think the 3 biggest takeaways from this class are:

1. The collaborations we had with our classmates. This was the first GSC course in which I collaborated with peers outside of discussion boards.

2. I also found the blogs more fun than I thought I would have. I have read blogs before but never thought of starting one. Simply because I would not know what to write about or even keep of with it. This course proved me wrong. There is always something to write about. Even the smallest thing can have a lot to say about.

3. Being able to look at others' lessons/units was helpful. I found myself gaining ideas from others and finding easier ways to write lessons.

Overall, this course was quite fun. Though at times I found myself overwhelmed with work especially towards the end of the course. In reality, stuff like this happens all the time. ~TJ

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I thoroughly enjoyed this course this term. This course pushed me out of my comfort zone and emphasized the importance of social studies instruction in the early elementary classroom. Of all the learning experiences we had this term, I most enjoyed having the opportunity to blog on a weekly basis, reflect on Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk, and learn about/use the Common Sense website.

Before this course, I had never blogged before. This was a whole new experience to me, and I was a bit anxious at first, but I learned how helpful blogging can be for educators. Having the opportunity to blog each week allowed me to think deeper about my practices, created an outlet for me to vent and reflect on the teaching challenges I've experienced due to the pandemic, and allowed me to explore topics of greater interest throughout the course each week. I appreciated having this push as it allowed me to see how beneficial blogging can be, especially for educators as we are consistently reflecting on our practices. My hope is to continue blogging as I continue my journey here at GSC!

Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk introduced me to the power labels can have on ourselves and others. Many of us are guilty of identifying groups of people with specific stereotypes or “labels” based on the stories we hear from others or social media. While it’s natural for this to happen, we should try to stray away from this. We must recognize the importance of developing our own perspectives and being open-minded, and remember there are two sides, if not more, to every story. We should teach our students this as well, and help them practice being open-minded and thoughtful learners. Her quote: “When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise” (The Danger of a Single Story, 2009), deeply resonated with me and is one I’ll hold on to for many years to come.

Lastly, I found the Common Sense website to be a helpful resource, and was one I referenced repeatedly as I designed my digital leadership resource. Additionally, I enjoyed exploring the different tools on their site to help teach diversity and equality in the classroom. My hope this year, and during my future years of teaching, is to introduce my students to the Who Am I? Race Game. I felt this was a wonderful tool to teach my students about diversity, and help them  become comfortable asking questions about race, ethnicity, and other elements of identity in respectful ways (Villamagna, 2021). Unfortunately, I feel this instruction is lacking in many schools, and at times, avoided because of fear of disrespecting others.

References:

The Danger of a Single Story. (2009). TED. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en.

Villamagna, D. (2021, October 1). Who am I? Race Awareness Game. Common Sense Education. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/who-am-i-race-awareness-game.

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Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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The thing I LOVED the most about this class was the amount of time we spent collaborating. I felt like I learned so much looking at my classmates’ lesson plans and was able to apply ideas they learned to improve my own lessons. I also greatly enjoyed reading the many different blog posts throughout the semester.  Since we all had different experiences and unique styles of blogging, I felt like I was able to learn vicariously through my classmates.

In addition to the wonderful resources my classmates were, my top 3 takeaways from this class are as follows:

·       Word Wall – I am indebted to whichever of my classmates introduced me to this site. I have used it with my class for assessments, and they absolutely LOVE it!!!

·       The SAMR model – I learned a lot about this model and know that I will need to apply it to my future career when picking out appropriate technologies for my kiddos

·       Annenberg Learner – As far as videos go, I tend to multitask to keep myself from falling asleep out of boredom; however, I really enjoyed these videos and learned so much from them. In fact, I stopped doing other things while watching them, so I could soak up everything they were discussing.

In all, this was a great class, and I have enjoyed being able to practice what I have been learning. Thanks for being a part of this journey!

Sincerely, Mallory

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This semester feels like a blur in some ways!  You know that feeling when you are so busy you don't absorb what is going on around you?  Or distracted when driving and all of a sudden you are at your destination and don't remember driving there, that's me this semester.  How is it over already?

A few take aways from this course: I had my first ever group project!  I wasn't sure how it would go, you tend to never hear good things about group projects.  But, it was actually great!  My group worked really well together, and we zoomed a few times which was really nice to connect.  It was probably my favorite assignment because it just game me a really nice perspective that we aren't all alone in this journey.

I also enjoyed the blogging more than I thought I would.  I am not a fan of forums, so I assumed I wouldn't like the blog either.  But, it was fun to just put my thoughts out there and connect with my classmates.

I also definitely learned more what social studies was... it's not just history!  We are all probably incorporating it into our classrooms of littles without even knowing. it.  A resource that I loved was Brene Browns website on a daring classroom https://brenebrown.com/hubs/daring-classrooms-hub/ I have long been a fan of Brene, and my district has done some PD revolved around her. I really liked her talk at SXSW and how she describes vulnerability and shame and the classroom being a safe space for kids to let down their guards. As a teacher I want that thought to lead everything, safe, warm, welcoming environment where my kids feel at ease.

Overall, despite the craziness, it was a good term.  2 more semesters left for me, the end is so close!
-Heather

Brown, B. (2021). Building brave spaces for students. Daring Classroom. Retrieved on November 11, 2021 from Daring Classrooms Hub - Brené Brown (brenebrown.com)

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I really loved learning about constructivism and how to teach hard topics in social studies. Those two topics really stood out to me during this course.

I had not really heard the term constructivism before taking this class. Teachinghistory.org had a great article about it. The main takeaway is that constructivism is a process in which the learner "constructs" knowledge instead of acquiring it.  Technology helps make it easier to promote constructivism in the classroom, so it was a cool and relevant topic to learn about during this course (Teaching History, 2019).

Learning how to teach hard topics in social studies was one of my favorite videos I've watched in this course. I really enjoyed hearing teachers discuss the importance of teaching controversial topics, and how they go about it. I find this extremely fascinating because it is SO important to cover some sensitive/controversial topics in school, but HOW it is done is key. Teachers need to make sure they are not inserting their own opinions, and are promoting an environment that is safe so students feel comfortable and encouraged to share. Learning how to respect other's opinions helps them beyond school. I wish I worked in grades that did mock trials. I find that a really great way to have students learn. They sometimes might have to defend an opinion that they don't personally agree with. Having to argue that opinion helps them see it from a different viewpoint. That is they key to forming your own opinions: learning about different viewpoints and deciding which one you believe (Annenberg Learner, 2019).

Resources:

Annenberg Learner. (2019, December 17). Issues in social studies: Dealing with controversial issues. Annenberg Learner. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://www.learner.org/series/social-studies-in-action-a-teaching-practices-library-k-12/dealing-with-controversial-issues/.

Teaching History. (2019). Constructivism: Actively building knowledge. Teachinghistory.org. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/ask-a-master-teacher/23896.

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I have had a few AHA!  moments in this course...I have struggled in this course more than I am used to or comfortable with, so in some ways I guess a reflection I have had is that I was pushed past my comfort level a bit.  That is a good thing (now, looking back lol) I really struggled with writing this unit and I think it was because I am used to following a curriculum for language arts and math but with Social Studies you are left to your own devices, and often that means just following the lead of the teachers that have been there longer than you.  That is what I was trying to do...do what the rest of the team was doing but that standard was so vague and open to interpretation I was stressing myself out.  Deciding that it was OK to chart my own path, stray from the team but come back to what they are covering in Trimester 2 was fine...my students wouldn't even know.

Writing measurable objectives are a tricky thing for me, of course I want my students to learn from me but deciding how to measure it is a challenge, I will continue to work on it.  And again, my students won't know all they care about is having ME!  I LOVE what I do and they can tell it really makes them excited and happy to come to school each and everyday.  DO they care that we strayed from the 3rd grade class next door?  NO!  Do they care that I wrote 95% of them would be successful but in reality 90% were?  NO!

Another AHA moment was when my FPF said she wanted to see group work or stations?  Over zoom?  How the heck would I pull that off, you wouldn't be able to "see" everything.  But she assured me that seeing how I handle the "controlled chaos how I assist my students in taking hold of their own learning and letting them drive their understanding would be more beneficial to an observer than hearing me lecture at my class.  She reminded me that this years class was different and may need a more hands on way of learning and to lean into that.  I am SO happy I did!

Another favorite moment in this course was writing a blog, reading others comments on my posts and reading my classmates blogs.  It reminded me that while you are tough on yourself (I am my own toughest critic)  or thinking you are the only one that struggles, makes mistakes, has to redo unit  plans or worries about how an observation goes you are NOT the only one that is feeling this way!  It made me smile reading the challenges of my classmates dealing with the behaviors of this current group of my students, not because I was enjoying their pain but I could 1000% relate to what they wrote!

The TED talk "The Danger of a Single Story" really resonated with me and is something I will take with me as I teach my students.  There are always more than 1 side to the stories.  I do not claim to know everything and there is some great learning that can happen when you learn alongside your students.

9 reasons Why Every Teacher Should Blog
https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/9-reasons-why-teachers-should-blog

Constructivism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELPsKhd9lWs

Engaging Students in Active Learning
https://www.learner.org/series/social-studies-in-action-a-methodology-workshop-k-5/engaging-students-in-active-learning/

The Danger of a Single Story https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

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My edtech journey at Boise State University was an eye-opening and life-changing experience in too many ways to count. Blogging was one of the professional activities I got exposed to as a student, and it is also one practice I want to continue as part of my teaching.

In every edtech course, I was required to keep a digital learning log as a platform to post homework assignments, reflect on my learning and progress, showcase projects, ask for help, share aha moments, share resources, and finally, organize artifacts for my M.E.T. portfolio.

Right from the start, the whole concept of homework changed; there were no more papers written to be read by no one. My classmates' homework was available for everyone to review and comment on, and last but not least, a priceless library of resources built by every edtech cohort to date is at my fingertips!

But is blogging only suitable for students? Would teachers, busy as they are, also benefit from blogging? Should every teacher engage in blogging and build her/his own teacher-centered blog?

Absolutely! And here is the why part:
1. Share
Share your successful projects, ideas, resources, etc. Think of those brief, on-the-go encounters with fellow teachers by a microwave or coffee machine. Don't they often turn into helpful "how-to" sessions, where we exchange our best teaching practices, lesson ideas, or classroom management strategies? Expand that "kitchen space" and reach out to thousands of teachers worldwide. Blogging will enable you to share 24/7/365!
2. Reflect
Reflect on your own learning and teaching by engaging in the best thinking activity - writing! What kind of a teacher are you? What kind of a learner? What is your teaching philosophy or style? What are your beliefs and preferences? Blogging will reveal your own story to you! Also, blogging will help you clear up the head and make sense of your own thinking, organize and visualize your ideas, and record your progress.
3. Publish
Many teachers continue to research well beyond their grad school. Just as writing was the way to process and report the findings while back in school, blogging will support the same goals. Turn your blogging into your own degree while writing for a real audience and receiving real feedback.
4. Improve Your Reading Skills
Even though blogging is mainly a writing activity, it will encourage you to read more! Blogging requires reading; reading more books, other blogs, articles, etc. It will, however, alter the way you select and process new information as you will be connecting it to the topics you write about. You will develop certain filters and improve your ability to analyze and synthesize new information and think critically.
5. Serve Others
Build your own library of content and resources and share it with others. Wouldn't it be nice to create a library of useful links, articles, content, activities, etc., and share them with educators who teach the same grade, level, or student population? Want to curate a topic? Share your collection on your blog! We all turn to the Internet when searching for ideas or materials. Selecting the best resources and organizing them on your blog will save others a lot of time.
6. Lead Your Own PD
Turn your blogging into your own professional development. Engage with your audience and build your Personal Learning Network or Environment (PLN or PLE). Your blog can turn into the best professional development you could ever hope to have. It will help you identify your starting point, where you are at at the moment, and where you are heading.
7. Become a Digital Citizen
Become proficient with technology. Establish digital presence. Build a positive digital footprint. Blogging will make you a producer (as opposed to a consumer) of information. Living in this amazing time gives you an unprecedented opportunity to contribute and show your unique point of view. You can create your positive digital footprint and become more proficient with technology. As digital literacy often being defined as "literacy in the 21-century," what teacher would want to become illiterate?
8. Be Ahead of Your Students
More and more teachers make blogging a requirement for students. Having this experience will enable you to foresee the difficulties, learning curves, or fears students may face along the way. It will also give you some exposure to possible technical issues that may arise as well as how to fix them. Finally, you can model by showing students your own blog (you can even teach from your blog)!
9. Showcase Student Work
Showcase your students' work and projects. Similar to inviting other teachers and students in the past, only now you can showcase worldwide! Your students will also be able to leave their comments and share your blog.

And a couple of quotes I recently came across; I hope you find them inspiring!

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao-tzu

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great!" - Zig Zagler

Happy Blogging!

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My edtech journey at Boise State University was an eye-opening and life-changing experience in too many ways to count. Blogging was one of the professional activities I got exposed to as a student, and it is also one practice I want to continue as part of my teaching.

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One takeaway I had was how to plan a unit! I had never planned a whole unit before, and I had never seen the unit template before, so that was a whole new experience for me. While planning my unit, I learned how to build each lesson on the last, and how to make more effective goals for my students.

Another takeaway I had was the “Teaching Hard History” website. These are very sensitive topics to teach, and as an educator, sometimes we want to shy away from these topics. However, “Teaching Hard History” helped show me just how important it is to teach my students the real, true history, and how to teach that in a way that is appropriate for my students.

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This has been an amazing course and I feel like I have grown so much. Some key takeaways from this course have been lesson planning skills, the digital leadership assignment, and the choice boards (specifically Brene Browns Daring classroom website).

First off, my lesson planning skills have grown so much. Being able to see everyone else's units really helped me to create new ideas, become inspired and assisted my unit journey so much. The helpful instructor feedback from this course was also very beneficial and it definitely helped me to improve upon my unit writing skills. I also feel that the debriefs after teaching my lessons helped me to understand what went well and what I should work on from a perspective other than my own.

Next, the digital leadership assignment really taught me a new topic which before this class, I had never really given much thought too. Common sense was a great resource that I utilized quite a bit https://www.commonsense.org/education/. This assignment really hit two birds with one stone as I was able to learn a lot about digital leadership, but also enhance my lesson planning skills. I loved that this assignment was open ended and we had choices in what we wanted our final project to look like. I chose to do a less plan and because of this, I feel even stronger with my lesson planning abilities.

I also really liked the choice boards. I enjoyed the set up as it allowed us to have choices and to take a closer look into topics that really interested us.

I was enthralled with Brene Browns Daring Classroom. https://brenebrown.com/daringclassrooms/.  I explored the leadership assessment which helped me learn more about myself. I think this is important for professional growth. The area I need to improve in most was my ability to overcome setbacks. So often, I strive for perfection, even though I know that is an unrealistic expectation. This is something I will work to improve on.

Overall, this has been a great course which provided me with both great learning opportunities and great resources.

One a different note, I wanted to share with you all a quote that hangs in the first grade classroom I work in. I found out on our last day of school that it was actually a quote from one of the paras that works at the school. It says, “Children and not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded”. This has really stuck with me, and I hope that it sticks with you all as well.

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Social studies are my favorite school subject, and I was excited to construct a unit plan on ancient Rome for my SP's 3/4 grade class. What were most challenging to me was developing the MLO and essential question - I knew I would teach them about Julius Caesar, but what should the MLO be? After meeting with my SP to review my lesson observation, we talked about working on MLOs for my next classes. I felt part of my struggle with MLO development was how broad SS is. I could have done my whole unit on the life of Caesar -but then we would have missed out on other fun topics like gladiators and chariots.

One of my favorite resources (not related to ancient Rome) was Brene Brown's Daring Classrooms. I was excited to share it with coworkers. SEL is my second favorite subject, and Brene's site has a lot of helpful information for educators to foster inclusive, daring classroom communities.

Another resource I found helpful was Study.com. I found this site when I was looking for a kid-friendly biography video on Julius Caesar. I ended up using their video and exit ticket worksheet in my lesson. The video was clear, concise, and interesting to my students - it also briefly highlighted the main points at the end of the video. I can see using Study.com as a springboard for future lessons.

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One of the biggest takeaways I have from this course is honestly time management with assignments and how to utilize my time in an effective way. The unit plan took me forever to finish and it taught me to not wait until the last minute and do small chunks until it is finished. A great resource from the class that I read was https://www.learningforjustice.org/frameworks/teaching-hard-history/american-slavery/k-5-framework/introduction. I love history and teaching history but history isn't always super nice and friendly. There have been some terrible things done in the past and they have to be taught. This link helped shed the importance of talking about these hard topics while giving ways of how to teach them which I really found amazing.

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One of my favorite resources from this course was Brene Brown's Daring Classrooms site. There are so many great resources, videos, and tools to help teachers and students alike grow, learn, lead and become more vulnerable in a very positive way. I especially loved the viewpoint regarding mistakes being a necessary part of life that people of all ages make, and serve to help you grow and learn.

The final project on digital leadership is also a fantastic resource, as that will get widespread use. I created a self-paced professional development presentation that staff in my school can use going forward, and includes both information and resources to guide staff in teaching their students about digital safety. We are using technology more and more in school and at home, by kids of all ages, and statistics show that even young kids are the victims of identity theft and fraud. It's so important that we are teaching digital safety in schools, and this project will have far-reaching use.

Finally, the teaching hard history choice board is one I will keep and reference often! It provides so many great resources about challenging topics and suggestions for approaching these topics in the classroom - topics which are essential to discuss - and really help to open students' eyes to different points of view and higher order thinking. The resources also help guide students through having the tough conversations that must be had.

Overall, learning in the open was very helpful and I realized so many benefits to it. There were quite a view great resources in this class that I will use going forward.

Thanks,
Beth

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My Reflections Spring 2021 - Cheryl Goodman

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My Reflections Spring 2021 - Cheryl Goodman

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There were so many things I wanted to highlight this term but I am limited to my top 3, so here goes:
* Social Media can be used FOR education! I was truly surprised by Twitter chats. I didn’t realize how much I can connect professionally in the virtual world. To be honest, I had a negative idea about Twitter so I was VERY reluctant to even explore it. I was also really hesitant to put myself out there. However, after having tried it as one of our activities in class, I must say it is one of my favorites now. I selected a few favorite hashtags to follow and I now have Twitter as a bookmark. I intend to engage in this medium professionally. I think this is one way I can foresee myself participating in learning in the open so to speak. Twitter definitely helped me feel less isolated (since I was working remotely for the term) with everyone in the education community just sharing ideas on this platform.

* Next, I loved the collaborative ways we worked in class like on blogs, shared google drive, commenting features on the lesson plans and all the sharing assignments. This format of learning was new to me but I enjoyed learning and engaging with peers’ posts and learning with and about technology at the same time. I thought it was clever for the instructor to teach the class while using the very apps we are learning about.

* My third takeaway is to somehow make sure I organize all these tech tools, ideas and articles into one spot: check out the  Wakelet App if you have not tried it so you can keep all these resources handy. I started curating all the things I am learning from everyone and organizing them in a way that I won’t need to flood my bookmarks.  It’s been a lifesaver!

Some of the common components I loved were exploring Common Sense Media website, creating the Digital Leadership Resource, all the technology tools we were able to explore and creating the Unit Study Lesson Plans using the template. It took me time to learn it, but I loved how I grew in the process --from planning to teaching and finally self-reflection.

Thank you EDU 702 Spring Term peers for sharing your experiences, questions, ideas, posts and responses! I truly enjoyed this term learning with and alongside you all.

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Many of the resources in this course are so valuable in teaching students at every age in today's world. One source that I found very helpful is COMMON SENSE MEDIA. This website has many articles and a plethora of lesson plans for teachers to both research and teach digital citizenship and leadership. Each topic is broken down into age-appropriate lessons that address the most important issues in regards to using technology of all types.

Another resource that I found extremely valuable is BRENE BROWN's site, which was listed as part of the Tic Tac Toe Choice Board reflection. The Daring Leadership Assessment was eye-opening and thought -provoking. I will definitely explore the other videos and resources on this website to be able to truly create a safe space for my students.

The third resource that I would like to highlight is TEACHING HARD HISTORY. These topics are challenging to teach, at best, but this site offers excellent information, lesson plans for K-5,  and thoughtful information for those tasked with starting the conversation about difficult subjects.

Moving forward, I am looking forward to exploring more of these and other sources from this course. I feel that the resources listed above will be useful to integrate challenging, but necessary, subjects into the curriculum.

A favorite quote from Brene Brown is: "We must be guardians of spaces that allow students to breathe, be curious, and to explore."

Thank you,
Judy Moore

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Biggest Takeaways Spring 2021 Caitlin Dubisz

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Biggest Takeaways Spring 2021 Caitlin Dubisz

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There were so many good takeways from this class! From websites to curriculum frameworks to videos and more! These were some of my top favorites that I made sure to save:
1. New technology tools such as Pear Deck, blogging on Wix, and Twitter Live Chats
2. Common Sense Media: the go-to resource for digital citizenship/leadership
3. This TedTalk about digital leadership: https://www.ted.com/talks/keegan_korf_kid_you_posted_what_how_to_raise_a_digital_citizen
4. Teaching Hard History--an INCREDIBLY useful website for teaching kids the tough topics of history
5. How to plan a full unit, and the UDL template!

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I really enjoyed the Teacher Hard History website from the choice board. The topics of slavery, civil rights and race are personally some of my favorite topics, but can be hard to appropriately teach to 5th graders. This website also had lesson plans along with different resources and ideas to talk about these issues that are so important for our students to know. This cite also had resources for teaching things about other races, polarizing events, LGBTQ+ resources  and other things that are important but hard to start. Moving forward this will be a resource that I will refer to teaching and planning.
Lindsey W.

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The name of this course makes it seem like you will either learn about technology or learn about social studies and in some way combine them.  That's not quite the case and "learning how to implement technology into lessons for any course, in this case social studies" was probably either to long or already taken somewhere else.  In all seriousness this class was not what I expected at all but it was great none the less.

The first resource I want to highlight is from the Tic Tac Toe choice board.  The Teaching Hard History (#5) was an amazing resource.  I think most schools do their best but I also think that isn't good enough.  This resource provides an excellent framework for K-5: TEACHING HARD HISTORY

The second resource that I found helpful is one that is not from this course but was shared with me during this course.  If you have not read about Webb's Depth of Knowledge, do so now!  It is amazing and will help in writing your measurable objectives.  This PDF is a great start and this WHEEL is a nice little tool to have close when working on lesson plans.

The last resource I'd like to mention is this article, SAMR Model: A Practical Guide for EdTech Integration that discusses technology integration in the classroom.

I look forward to continuing my path towards certification and these resources will be helpful, I hope you find them helpful as well.

Best Wishes,
Tim F.

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In this course I found so many of the resources to be of value. More specifically, before beginning this course I did not really understand the academic language portion of the GSC lesson planning template. I knew it was important, but I did not understand how to incorporate it into my lesson plans. I found the article titled “Six steps to better vocabulary instruction” by Marzano (2009), to be quite helpful in understanding vocabulary and how to implement it. It breaks it down into six easy to follow steps that ensure understanding.

Another resource that I found to be extremely useful were the ones that we read within the choice board reflection. I definitely want to explore the other choices that I have not yet had the opportunity to explore. However, I did get to explore Brene Brown's Resources and they were extremely helpful. I love Brene’s work and have always looked up to her. So this was a useful resource for me to explore my leadership qualities and find ways that I can improve upon my skill set to create a supportive environment for my students. Her website has so many resources to help not only educators, but also students. There is a lot of great content on her website that I plan to continue to explore. I also love her TED Talks and recommend everyone to listen to those! You can find more here on her website https://brenebrown.com/.

One final resource that I would like to include is the SAMR as a Framework for Moving Towards Education 3.0 resource. I found this resource to be extremely helpful in navigating technology use within the classroom. Before this course I had little to no understanding of how to implement technology effectively. This SAMR resource helped me to identify when to use technology, how to make it meaningful, and how to incorporate it effectively. It was extremely helpful.

Overall, there are many more resources I plan to take with me but these ones really helped to expand upon my skills as an educator.

Thank you,
Sadie Bloom

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For the most part, this course was great when learning how to work off others. I like having an open concept for learning and being able to see what others thoughts are. The Ted talk was wonderful, I always find these types of videos to be intriguing.
One thing I enjoyed lots was the opportunity to blog each week, I never thought of myself as an open person and posting my life to the public, but it was rather freeing, especially to get comments relating to my post.
As I look around at the other Padlets posted, I am reminded of some things we did earlier in the course.
I like to look at the SAMR model, being able to see the different ways of integrating technology was helpful especially during this year.

I wish you all the best!
Gabby Stevens

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What Is Successful Technology Integration?

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Well-integrated use of technology resources by thoroughly trained teachers makes twenty-first-century learning possible. From our Technology Integration Professional Development Guide.

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Final Reflections - Winter 2021- Cristin Vondrasek

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Final Reflections - Winter 2021- Cristin Vondrasek

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I really enjoyed Brene Brown’s videos and discussions on vulnerability in the classroom. Not only were her videos so relatable, the whole website on daring classrooms had a lot of great information on how to create a safe place for the students so that they all feel like they belong. She explains many ways on learning how to become more vulnerable so that I can continue to work on those skills in order to be a better educator. I will definitely be saving this website for the future.  : https://brenebrown.com/daringclassrooms/

A favorite quote of mine also came from Brene Brown’s website, “we should never underestimate the benefit to a child of having a place to belong—even one—where they can take off their armor. It can and often does change the trajectory of their life” (Brene Brown). Giving the students a safe place where they feel accepted and like they belong can change their whole life. It will be a class that they will remember for ever. If the students feel like they comfortable in the classroom, they will be able to show their true potential in their work. This is a quote that I will take with me into my future classroom. I want my students to feel comfortable enough to “take off their armor” so that we can grow a classroom community. I want to be that teacher that they feel safe with and that they can just be themselves.

Another key takeaway is how to teach my students to become digital leaders rather than digital citizens. With technology being so common in today’s world, this is especially important. Collaborating, integrating and embracing change are all great skills to learn when teaching the students to become digital leaders. These skills will not only benefit them when it comes to technology but in their every day lives as well : https://www.theedadvocate.org/students-taught-digital-leaders-instead-digital-citizens/

-Cristiin

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Commonsense.org's resources. I love their diversity and inclusion section, as well as their digital citizen lessons. I will definitely be incorporating tools from both soon.
The other favorite was the tick tack toe choice board assignment. I loved how responsive this was to our country's current reckoning with social justice. I gained so many amazing resources from this one document!

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Using Tech to Teach Social Studies Reflection Winter 2021- Jenn Miner

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Using Tech to Teach Social Studies Reflection Winter 2021- Jenn Miner

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One of my favorite takeaways from this course was the SAMR Model Framework. The SAMR Model made me really think about how, when and why I used technology when planning my lessons. I think once we are all back in school teachers will look at technology differently after relying on it to deliver both asynchronous and synchronous instruction for the past year. Using it wisely is the key.
https://info.schoology.com/rs/601-CPX-764/images/SAMR_Article_ebook-resources.pdf

My favorite resource was actually a Bloom’s visual a middle school ELA teacher recently used to teach 6th graders how to ask better questions. The students used the chart to develop research questions for a writing project. I wish I had this chart when I wrote my Unit Plan. I will definitely use it when lesson planning in the future.

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Final Course Reflections Winter 2021- Brianna Sabourin

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Final Course Reflections Winter 2021- Brianna Sabourin

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Video- Is My Skin Brown Because I Drank Chocolate Milk?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_TFaS3KW6s

I really enjoyed this TED Talk. I love the simple conversations that open up a confetti cannon of ideas and questions. Tatum experienced this with her preschool-aged son, and I relate to her approach for answering his questions. She was thoughtful, honest, and kept her answers simple and concrete. This is what I try to do with all children, and I find that my connection with them only grows stronger. Children do not need every little detail about everything; a simple, honest answer is what I find they need to feel satisfied and move forward.

Quote- Bruner said students’ “learning [is] through discovery, dialogue and self-reflection” (TEACHINGADVENTURESITE, 2017).

TEACHINGADVENTURESITE. (2017, Jan 21). Constructivism -- Learning by constructing meaning from experience. Retrieved from https://teachingadventuressite.wordpress.com/2017/01/21/constructivism-learning-by-constructing-meaning-from-experience/.

This quote had stood out to me in Week 6. As educators, we need to recognize how students learn. Bruner believes students learn "through discovery, dialogue, and self-reflection." As a student, I agree with this determination. When I am given the opportunity to make my own discoveries, discuss what I learned with others, and then reflect individually, I am able to take charge of my learning. In the end, this is more beneficial to my understanding than if I had not had any control, which is a conclusion I came to from my own learning and will help me in my approach to teaching.

Article- A Pernicious Myth: Basics Before Deeper Learning

Concept- Bloom’s Taxonomy as a web, not a ladder

Mehta, J. (2018, Jan 4). A pernicious myth: Basics before deeper learning. Education Week. Retrieved from edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-a-pernicious-myth-basics-before-deeper-learning/2018/01

Reading this article gave me a different perspective. When I learned about Bloom’s Taxonomy in my undergrad, it was presented in the ladder format. This gave me the perspective that Bloom’s Taxonomy must work from the bottom to the top. After reading Mehta’s article, I found myself agreeing with her view of Bloom’s Taxonomy as a web. I related to the web idea from my personal experience with note taking. Whether I am taking notes for myself or for my students, I do not follow the pyramid from bottom to top. Instead, I work from top to bottom. I do not believe working in this order will work for every assignment. Looking at Bloom’s Taxonomy as a web means the order can be done in any way that best fits the learner’s needs for a particular task.

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This course had many positive aspects to it. I was able to experience new ways of incorporating technology, not only in my classes, but also outside of class to connect with other educators. I learned a lot from my peers by reading their blogs, engaging in discussions, checking out their unit lessons and working with them on our annotated unit. I also got to teach a 2nd grade class about economy which was a huge learning curve after working primarily with middle school students. I enjoyed teaching them to use Padlet and Flipgrid! They had a blast with the new technology and thought it was extremely fun, all while demonstrating their learning! The last thing I wanted to share was the choice board tic tac toe option that I chose. The Danger of a Single Story was a fantastic TedTalk that I hope everyone takes the time to watch. It's so important that we teach students to see things from many perspectives and not just one. This video really highlights that and I will continue to recommend it to everyone I know! Thanks for a great learning experience to my classmates and professor!!
-Christa Casey

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Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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I think the best part of this course was the ability to have assignment open ended, because let's face it, life gets in the way. There were so many opportunities to learn about different technologies that we can use as educators. I think I would have enjoyed this piece a little more if I was able to apply it to more than one block per day. This will be a goal for my follow up classes. I like the resources that we were given, such as this padlet, so I can peruse at my leisure. I think it will be a great resource for future teaching. I use Pinterest, and TPT. For the few times I have been on Twitter, I found a few people to follow and will use some of their ideas. I hope in the future I get to use some of this technology on a regular basis and feel more comfortable with it.

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Final Reflections Fall 2020-Gillian Cahill

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Final Reflections Fall 2020-Gillian Cahill

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This is the first course at GSC I really felt like I was teaching. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities I have had as a para. I have been able to observe and work with some truly outstanding educators and kids. This course taught me the dedication, depth of knowledge, and careful consideration of details teachers must understand to be effective in the classroom. I have learned the importance of reflective practice from weekly blogging and data analysis from the lesson series. I saw student growth and growth in myself as an educator.  This class came at the perfect time. I worked with the classroom teacher on the tech tools that I found provided the best student outcomes and we worked together to teach the students how to use them functionally for the coming return of remote instruction.

The resources I found the best throughout the course, I wrote about in my blog. Here's a link to it! I hope everyone who takes the course in the future gets as much out of it as I did!

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Final Reflections Spring 2020 Katrina Locke

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Final Reflections Spring 2020 Katrina Locke

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This course has offered me a lot. Before this course I wasn't very comfortable with the use of technology and used it minimally with my groups. Now I feel i have new ways to engage my students and work with them using technology. I am Thankful to my instructor for her understanding and flexibility during this class with the covid and buying a house and my family it has been one crazy time in my life and she took the time to talk to me and answer my questions and give extra sources to help me with assignments. She was a model educator as well as my instructor. Blogging in this course helped me self reflect and think about what was working for me and what i needed to do in my next steps. EdTechTeacher is a source I came across this term that I felt had some great blogs and inform about teaching remotely and how to teach with technology. https://edtechteacher.org/blog/

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Before this course, and before remote learning, I hardly incorporated technology into my lessons. I am so grateful that I started taking this course while our school was in the process to switching to remote instruction. I have learned how technology can really bring us together when circumstances are pulling us a part. Although I was very hesitant about using social media, I have found that it is a great way to interact with others in the field, share and get inspired by others, and a tool to use as reflection.

I most enjoyed learning more about hot to help students have a growth mindset. I know that I am constantly working on this myself, so I valued the resources that focused on how to help student have a growth mindset as well.

Although this was a challenging semester, Emily was such a great resource, I value her feedback and try enjoyed learning from her and my peers!

https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/nov/15/four-questions-encourage-growth-mindset-students

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I was leery of creating a Twitter account, but I found that it provides a real time PLN for any educational subject or topic. I am so glad I stumbled upon the Google program Be Internet Awesome and the game Interland. I will definitely be doing this with my own kids! Best thing about this course is Emily! She is a thoughtful instructor that incorporates technology into the course in meaningful ways that provide insight into the technology from the student perspective.

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The Internet Keep Safe Coalition is dedicated to protecting children, families, and schools by assessing, advising, and certifying organizations that collect, use, and share personal information and data that is protected by law.

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Be Internet Awesome is a multifaceted program that includes a fun and free web-based game called Interland and an educational curriculum to teach kids how to be safe and responsible explorers of the online world.

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Something that I am taking away from this course is to step out of your comfort zone to explore options with technology in the classroom, and there are SO many options. I do think that it is important to integrate technology in classroom, especially in this technology-based world we live in. Also especially at a time where a lot of businesses/places are closed and people are stuck working from home due to social distancing, and teachers are doing remote learning. I do think however, that so much technology use at the elementary level can be difficult for many reasons, but it can certainly be something that you can experiment with and explore with the students. I did really learn a lot on lesson plan writing and received great feedback on my lessons. Also in some cases, differentiating the lesson can actually be easier when technology is used. I know to always reflect on my lessons and use it to make me a better educator.

I enjoyed reading, https://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?item=http%3a%2f%2fapi.edweek.org%2fv1%2fblog%2f163%2findex.html%3fuuid%3d74874&cid=25920011&intc=mob-topnav .

I always love reading about different theories or strategies used in teaching. I liked thinking about deeper thinking and the analogy, to let students play the whole game from the start and how I could do this with my future students.

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This term I have found that adding the use of the arts in our lessons engages the students efficiently.  I have always believed that creating an active learning environment will help the students become more engaged, but by integrating music, videos, projects and having the students be a part of the lesson drives the information home and they retain more of what we are trying to convey.  http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Integrating-Social-Studies-Arts.pdf this is a great resource on this topic.  I have also found that the use of technology in the classroom is key with this and future generations.  They are living in a world where they function through technology so meeting them where they are at only makes sense.  They are more engaged and receptive when technology is used, but we do need to chose carefully the platform we use.  Look at the age, experience and abilities of the students when planning for the use of technology.  It is not a one size fits all resource.  https://learn.granite.edu/mod/page/view.php?id=1682435 This link talks directly to what to look at before you decide on the technology and platform for our students.  Overall I feel this course has strengthen my feelings and thoughts on technology in the classroom.  I did find the requirements restrictive to selection being in an elementary school, but I do feel that for middle school and high school students the sky is the limit for technology in the classroom.

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This course has made me more aware of the importance of technology in the classrooms. I always shrugged it off before, but now I know the importance, and why its a disservice to students if we don't utilize it more. This semester was my first time having to teach full units, and I took two classes where I had to do so. That was a little bit of an eye opener, however I know now what I need to do next semester to be more successful. Besides Pinterest, one of my favorite resource was https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/social-studies/ which helped make my lessons more engaging-- at least I hope it did!
One of my favorite parts about this course was learning new technology that are useful in the classroom. I really enjoy Padlet, however not going to lie, I don't enjoy the videos.
This class has truly made me more confident in using technology

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Differentiating Instruction with TechnologyThis course has been the most challenging one for me thus far! Integrating Arts, using technology, following the standards, and keeping up with all the work was a challenge for me! But it was my first experience writing and teaching a full unit. I got some awesome feedback from my observations and learned a lot. Some of my favorite resources this course:
Article "Differentiating Instruction with Technology" (link below). It lists ways to scaffold and differentiate instruction, lists resources to use, charts differences between them.

Ted talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve
I love the growth mindset lessons and approach.

Lastly, I discovered my new favorite site for teaching with technology. Nearpod.com! I got such good use out of it for my lesson, and my students really enjoyed it. I am excited to use it in the future!

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One of my favorite parts about this course was the discussion about integrating art into the Social Studies curriculum. I am always a fan of cross-curricular lessons because I think they are more authentic and help students to transfer knowledge.  I also really enjoyed learning more about the Social Studies standards.  The school that I work in does not follow any particular standards or even curriculum across the grades so this was a great experience for me to work with these standards.  Another part of this course that I feel really helped me to grow as an educator was blogging.  I sort of hate reflecting to be honest.  I am the kind of person that is always on the move and I would rather get things done than think about them.  But being held accountable to reflect really helped me to learn more about myself as an educator.
Integrating technology into my lessons continues to be a challenge for me.  The students I work with are young and not very capable with technology.  I also don't have a lot of access to the shared devices at my school.  Most of all though, I struggle to find ways that I am not just using tech for tech's sake.  There is just something about being told to use technology in a lesson that does not lend itself to authentic use.  I find myself starting with what tech can I teach this group of students instead of what objective do I want to teach.  The online learning experience was particularly difficult for me because I feel my students really need to learn a new technology as a separate lesson from learning any content.  I remember a colleague saying once that having a separate tech class in today's schools is like having pencil class.  But the thing about kindergartners is that some of them still need pencil class.

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This course was definitely not like any of the others that I have taken.  I feel like there has been a consistent eb and flow as to how I can apply what we have learned and limitations based on the age of the students I am currently working with and district restrictions.  There has also been this constant of social media weaved throughout the course that has been personally challenging because I have made a conscious decision to NOT have a social media profile.  While I did enjoy reading and responding to my classmates blog posts and copying and pasting various twitter conversations that I could access via google (because it's out there forever) I still feel confident that my success of an educator and development of my professional network is not dependent on it.  I did appreciate the exposure to all of the tech platforms that are accessible for use and learned quite a bit.  Learning the standards and applying them to the current curriculum standards was challenging, but in a good way.  I have not worked with these standards before, so I really had to go through them thoroughly and be sure that I was choosing strategically.  I also thought about what we learned about incorporating art when teaching social studies was invaluable.  I feel like as educators we incorporate art into other subjects almost effortlessly, incorporating art into social studies took some extra thought and planning.  Creating a lesson with my peers was great because we all have different styles and it was great to incorporate all of them into one plan and the online learning experience was a different challenge but I love teaching it and my students thought it was pretty great too.  Overall, I learned a lot on many different levels and I am grateful for that. ~m

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Using Technology was something I felt confidant about before taking this class. While overall I still feel confidant, I am not 100% sure I am as willing to use it to the degree that this class was wanting me to. Admittedly there are great benefits for the use of technology both for the students and us as teachers, but there is a point I feel that it goes to be too much. Finding that balance was something I struggled with in this class. I understood the purpose of showing us new technologies to utilize in our classrooms, and to help us grow our PLN, but I am not a fan of Twitter and I don't like to be on Facebook much these days. The websites that focused on using videos and having students record themselves is not allowed in my district and it makes for a lot of information that is interesting, but ultimately useless for me in my current place of employment. Social Studies is a tough class to implement a great deal of technology in, and there were many times I felt like I had to force it into my lessons. Again, there are some great tools out there like Newsela, Active Classroom, and the like that give students a new way to interact with current events and access to primary sources for historical events. I will do my best to implement technology when able and when it makes sense, but ultimately I feel that Social Studies and history is a subject that deals with stories and are often best taught through the use of engaging story telling. The trick, I feel, is to find ways that technology can enhance your engaging storytelling.

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I have such mixed feelings about this semester. Everyone told me the work would be so hard. There is so much work. You won't have time to get through all of the work. I didn't find that true at all. What I found to be hard was finding new ways to teach kindergarten. I really struggled with the learning objective component of teaching. I really struggled to think the way I needed to think. On top of all that I had my marriage almost fail, then come back together just long enough for my husband to take a job in NY leaving me home alone with the kids from  May-September. I lost my job and healthcare benefits. My emotions have been insane, but it simply put teaching back into perspective for me. This was the hardest year of teaching for me, I felt like I really struggled to connect with my students. I think the real problem was that I didn't take enough time to sit down with each of them and learn about their lives. If my life can be this crazy, and I can still show up to work every day, what says that their lives aren't this crazy as well. I learned that learning objectives are super important, but I also learned that you need to have a growth mindset, and really take the time to learn about your learners.

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This course took me out of my comfort zone a bit. I have always been a believer that technology should be integrated into learning nowadays. However, this course introduced me to the world of educational technology based sites and apps, as well as some I discovered myself through research in this class. I discovered seesaw, powtoon, flipgrid, epic, pebblego (which is awesome!) as well as testing my knowledge with google drive, which in turn just made me want to learn more about google classroom.
I certainly became a stronger reflective student, teacher and person in general. There really is power in reflection. I was never much of a blogger, but I felt it helped me be a better student and teacher. I feel reflecting can encourage a change in mindset, and the growth mindset theory is something I truly believe in and bring into my teaching and life daily. I face challenges with being a student, parent and have a job aside from student teaching. I am not the only one to be all these things, but oh my is it challenging and at times I am defeated feeling as if quitting is the only option to avoid failure. But I keep pushing, I say I can so I do to the best of my ability.
I will be a better mother, wife and teacher when I reach the finish line!

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In this course I had been regularly asked to step out and work with classmates to increase my learning potential.  While I had familiarity with Facebook, twitter and blogging none have I utilized in a professional manner.  In previous courses topics such as growth mindset and SAMR were given but I had never been asked to reflect on them or even utilize them in practice.  Flipgrid has now become a preferred choice to record evidence of student understanding as well as look back at where weaknesses are.  Using UBD in lesson planning was a challenge but I kept walking away and coming back until thoughts were clear on the objective.  An interesting video I had used to understand this concept further: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ubd+lesson&view=detail&mid=E24CCDB4F740CBBD51FEE24CCDB4F740CBBD51FE&FORM=VIRE  Open education resources was a third takeaway from this course as it is very important to understand and utilize its offerings in the 21st century classroom.  I have learned not only to push myself out of my comfort zone in this course but also increased my understanding of how much is out there for educators to utilize.  The open-communication portals seem endless and I do plan on using these practices in the future.

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I have been pushed out of my comfort zone many times throughout this course. Although it was uncomfortable at the time, I'm glad I did it. I have not only learned how to incorporate technology, I have also learned new stuff about myself. Technology can be such a wonderful way for student learning to take place. Previously, I had no real interest in exploring technology. I have never used twitter, I have never blogged or used flip grids. Out of the three of these I enjoyed blogging the most. It was free flowing and easy for me. And I enjoyed reading other blogs. Flip grid videos were harder for me, only because I am way to critical of myself and too self conscious.
I never realized all that twitter had to offer. I use it more than I ever thought. There are some great resources on twitter. It's not at all what I thought it was.
I would like to challenge my students with different technology as I have been challenged here. I want to continue to grow and utilize technology for my self and my students.

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This class has definitely pushed me past boundaries that I'm not sure I was ready to climb past. While I believe that all of the takeaways from this class have been positive, I definitely feel that I have been thoroughly challenged to push past prior hesitations and implement many things that I had previously thought were too hard to incorporate in a day to day class. Most of these difficulties did not revolve around technology, surprisingly. I seemed to have a pretty easy time incorporating technology into my unit plans. I learned many new technological tools and expanded previous ones that I was already comfortable with. I was incredibly happy to learn that many of these new tools and easy to use and user friendly as far as set-up is concerned. This was one of my major concerns when it came to technology. I was very worried that, in introducing my students to new programs and applications that they had never used before, they would be hesitant or become confused when being exposed to these technologies. In practice, however, I found quite the opposite to be true as the students delved into each new technology with excitement and enthusiasm. My biggest challenge in this course definitely came from collecting appropriate prior data and using it to influence my future lessons. While I now feel that I am more successful in this area than I was when I started the class, I feel that there is much more learning to do and I will continue to work hard to become an educator with a deep and complex toolbox.

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I have learned so much over the last 12 weeks. Here is just a few thing I have learned, new ways to incorporate technology into my lessons, stimulating higher order thinking for students, creating a Twitter, and creating a blog! Learning and doing all of these thing required me to step out of my comfort zone. Whenever someone steps out of their comfort zone, it can be a scary thing, but I am glad I did. I absolutely love learning new things, especially if it helps be become a better teacher. Learning to incorporate new technology has been favorite so far. Learning Flipgrid was neat! It is a fun and great way to assess students understanding. They also have a lot of fun with it as well! Learning how to stimulate high order thinking with my students has been a learning curve. I how importance of it, so I want to become better at it. I know it is a skill that will come with time! Creating a Twitter and a Blog has been awesome! It was a little intimidating at first, but over time I have grown to love it. I have found it to be a great place to connect with other educators and share ideas and also a place for me to share my thoughts. It has been a busy semester and I have learned so much in such a short amount of time. So many takeaways and I plan on taking them all with me for when I become a teacher!

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I know its sounds like a cliche when I say I learned a lot throughout the duration of this course but I truly have! I have:
1. Built confidence - This was the first class that I have taken thus far that required me to create and implement my own lesson plans to the same group of students over several days. I came out of my comfort zone and learned a lot about myself.
2. Created & Implemented 2 social studies units - I quickly learned just how much time goes into each lesson. I enjoyed looking through the social studies standards for each grade cluster and developing lesson plans that follow.
3. Different outlook on technology - Honestly, prior to this class I believed that students today are spending too much time using technology. I compared their typical day at school to what it looked like when I was a kid. I quickly learned that technology, when used appropriately, can be a valuable tool to engage students into higher order thinking.
4. Became more open with learning - Prior to this class I didn't have a Twitter; Never had an interest. Since having an account, I learned about the advantages of having a professional learning network where we can all share thoughts and ideas. In addition, blogging has been a big step for me. I don't care for expressing thoughts and feelings for the world to see, but I found it to be a stress reliever (if that makes sense). Each blog post acted as a reflection of my week whether it was good or bad. I learned from it and continued to move forward.

Overall, this was an awesome class and I would recommend it!

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While taking this course I have learned a variety of different content, sources of information and strategies that I can incorporate into my teaching practice.
1.  The use of technology and online curriculum management sites can be a powerful tools for educators and students, allowing them to communicate and collaborate with one another.  As teachers are often limited on time, this resource offers teachers to assess students in real time while giving almost instantaneous feedback.  One thing I observed in my school is that some if not many teachers are still not introducing or utilizing  such resources.  This could be due to lack of professional development and training.  It is a possibility that teachers have not been introduced to such tools.  This may also be due to digital security and safety practices regarding student information.
2.  Social studies content can be taught using different techniques, intertwining concepts, and connect to standards related to other subject areas. The C3 Framework for Social Studies and the NCSS introduced me to the social studies curriculum.  Instruction should be related to real-life situations to enhance student understanding.
3. #GROWTHMINDSET
What I love about this mindset is that it teaches students and teachers that learning is continual process, requiring hard work, effort and persistance.  Learning is not measured in letter grades alone.  Students need encouragement and recognition that teachers value their individuality and unique learning styles.  It is also important  for teachers to practice as well.  Starting each day fresh can be difficult when previous days or weeks have been frustrating and discouraging.  Blogging and Twitter chats and posts offer teachers an outlet for feedback and reflection on teaching practices, as well as a way to connect with other educators for encouragement.

KEEP UP THE HARD WORK EVERYONE!
Emma

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Throughout this course I have learned an abundant amount of information.  I have learned how to improve my lessons by using my instructor’s and peer feedback, I have participated in live chats on Twitter, I have discovered new programs to use in the classroom, and so much more!
One important thing I have been working on is growth mindset.  Before this course I never thought about it but now I am continuously trying to have a positive attitude to learn and grow.  Feedback can be overwhelming at times, but understanding the feedback and using it to learn has been beneficial.
I have grown to enjoy using Twitter as an online resource. I was nervous when I found out I had to create an account and post reflections, but being able to read posts my peers or others have posted has been great. I have learned so much.  I find myself going on to Twitter just to check for new posts on education.  I really enjoy learning new strategies and techniques.
Another online resource I have recently discovered is a GSC resource on lesson planning (https://granite.pressbooks.pub/lessonplanning101/ ).  I have not read the entire thing yet, but what I have read has been useful in developing successful lessons.
Padlet has been another online resource that has been useful in sharing reflections and learning from others.  I enjoy reading others views on specific topics, looking at others projects or lessons to get new ideas, and learning from others.
This course’s main focus was using technology in the classroom.  I have learned about several programs that are really easy to use and students love them!  I really enjoyed using Flipgrid in the class I am in.  The school I work in is not tech savvy so this was a struggle at first, but once I introduced the program, the students couldn’t wait to use it.  The students have even asked to use it more!
I am excited to use more of these resources in the future!!

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Looking back from the start of this course until this day I have one word, WOW! The amount of things I have learned in these short 12 weeks is amazing.  Starting with "learning in the open" or Open education while sounds scary at first is amazing.  You can share so many things and learn so much from others it is incredible.
This was my first venture into Padlet as I had never even hear of it before but what a great resource. By allowing us to go back an look at past students work and their words was a great resource to have. Once again, getting other peoples points of view of things was such an eye opener, It is definitely a take away that I will keep with me.  Another new app I discovered this semester is Flipgrid.com It is an amazing place to record things that students have learned but it is in their own words.  It also allows them to have a bit of individual creativity by allowing them to take a selfie after they have completed the needed work.
Another very useful thing is twitter.com but the "live tweets".  THIS is something that I will continue to check out weekly beyond this course.  There is some much higher order thinking with the questions that get asks it is astounding.
And finally, I have to say, my last take away is something I wouldn't have thought would be important in education but the social media aspect.  As I have stated since starting on my SOE journey I didn't understand what social media had to do with becoming an educator.  I have learned that social media gives students and teachers alike a place to ask questions, voice their opinions and gather information that works and to understand what doesn't and why.
My final comment would be that my favorite statement regarding education is "every student needs a champion" (Rita Pierson) check out her Ted Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw

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When I reflect on this class, I have trouble picking just a few valuable takeaways. There were so many new concepts introduced to me this semester that I can't wait to use in my own teaching. I think learning more about Bloom's Taxonomy and higher order thinking really helped me develop as an educator, especially after actually creating activities and questions following Bloom's Taxonomy. I feel like I've gained a greater understanding of how to create activities that encourage my students to engage in higher order thinking.
The other major take away I gained from this course came from reading the National Core Arts Standards and the Technology and Digital Media Common Core Standards. I had never encountered either set of standards before but they are so important to know and incorporate into lessons. I found it really helpful in planning my lessons to see what the standards are for each content area because it helped me better decide what I wanted my lesson to look like.

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Upon reflection of this class, these are my big takeaways:

1.      My first big takeaway is a resource that I have used quite a bit this term for all my classes and it is the Open Education – Open Resources link.  I am ALWAYS using the openly licensed images from: Pixaby, Flickr, Unsplash

https://pixabay.com/

https://unsplash.com/

https://www.flickr.com/

Through these resources, I was able to appreciate the value of the concept that learning should be open and free, allowing all to achieve their dreams.  Though, I may cringe at technology, it is what is offering so many a fuller, more engaging and meaningful education.

http://openedgroup.org/oer-enabled-pedagogy

2.      The Annenberg Learner www.learner.org

This is a site that I have used for all my courses this term!  Their mission statement states: “we focus on the teacher as a learner, as well as the student as a learner” (Annenberg Learner, 2017).  I love all their resources from videos, lesson plans and interactives.

3.      Last, but not least, I thoroughly enjoyed my classmates’ blogs, tweets and facebook posts.  As much as I am a private person and am not completely confident enough to share my pedagogy with the world, it was truly a blessing to read the journeys of my peers.  It helped me to not feel alone with my lack of confidence and it gave me tons of food-for-thought.

I see these as great tools and resources along my educational journey.  Also, I can’t offer my thanks enough to all my classmates for their wisdom and feedfordward!!!

Cheers all!

Tracy

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One new item I was introduced to during this course was the Adobe Spark program. It was mentioned in passing during one of our assignments, and I have used it numerous times now with my students. A great find. I have also started to use this Padlet software for my assignments as well as a couple of ideas on how to use it with my students. I will be looking more into resources from Blogs, prior to this I had not referenced them before, but I have found good information in them over the last two months.

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For me, one of the biggest takeaways from this course is the idea of Growth Mindset.  It is something I had heard a lot about at my school.  I’m glad we took the time in class to explore this area so I could speak with knowledge during discussions. Here is the link to a great website I found when we posted on FB about the topic. It includes lessons for teaching middle school students about Growth Mindset:   https://www.mindsetkit.org/topics/teaching-growth-mindset?fbclid=IwAR0ay9L2yw3MQ3hiYlFMlEj5YPLE7cL8y4vXSJPcqCOVk9wzUDaddd9IYa4

A resource I found to be quite helpful is the K-12 Social Studies NH Curriculum Framework.  In particular, the grids and grade-span expectations, which made writing goals and objectives for my lessons much easier.

Paula Lombardi’s online book, Instructional Methods, Strategies and Technologies to Meet the Needs of All Learners was an invaluable resource for this class.  I’m sure I will be referring to it again and again throughout the rest of my teaching journey.  I like that it is clearly written and includes videos that explore topics more deeply.

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Hello class, teachers, fellow future educators,

This has been quite the class to say the least. There has been so much that we have learned as students. For instance, different viewpoints that lead us to find new creations for curriculum, scaffolding our own knowledge, and implementing it into technology. One of my biggest takeaways for this course, was two things, well, technically three. The first two were based on the idea of the "WEB" and the "constructivist theory" of teaching. The web was part of week 4's reading, which dealt with the learning process more of a web, rather than just a latter that one climbs. Because before this thought, we all noted that we should teach one way, and students only learn by scaffolding vertically....well, this taught us that students learn in a plethora of ways, and can learn based on a web.
The second thing that was most important to me was the constructionist theory of teaching. which to simplify it makes it easy for students to learn, in their own way, and learning the content based on self learning. this was in week 6.

Lastly was from a twitter week, where we needed to post a link to a video which was my video..."does  schools kill creativity." Link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBRwcNL5LDg

This video is profound, and amazing to watch, when you watch it, you take a step back, and see that yes, I have seen this....

Cam

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T1 - Module 4
https://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?item=http%3a%2f%2fapi.edweek.org%2fv1%2fblog%2f163%2findex.html%3fuuid%3d74874&cid=25920011&intc=mob-topnav is where the "pernicious myth" of students needing to do basics before going into higher order thinking is squelched! Think web instead of vertical ladder for a stronger support with embedding of basic skill building in the web. Larger arcs can be built that ask students to make meaning and take on difficult questions fro the beginning. Assets put ahead of deficits.
T2 - Module 6
https://teachingadventuressite.wordpress.com/2017/01/21/constructivism-learning-by-constructing-meaning-from-experience/ is where constructivism becomes a paradigm for teaching and learning. Focus is on: problem-solving,higher-order thinking skills and collaborative work. A sensible and liberating form of teaching! List of 8 points included in that above link are worth reviewing!
T3 - Module 10
https://twitter.com/ and https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/ are my favorite PLN via social media. That live chat hooked me real good! It was fast paced and healthy (not the junk food diet!) and it bettered me. Those 9 Reasons to Blog can be morphed into tweeting. 1)share w/ a voice
2)reflect me 2 me  3)publish new findings  4)improve my readings, 5)serve by offering our resources
6)lead my own PD  7)be  digital citizen  8)stay ahead of Ss 9)showcase student work though I do enjoy blogging. I find tweeting more fulfilling. My books on the nightstand get my reading time though I don't visit them as often as I'd like.
p.s. my Christmas wish on a selfish note is this sweetness...

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total participation techniques: making every student an active learner

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education / teaching methods & materials / general

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Total Participation Techniques: Making Every Student an Active Learner, 2nd ed.

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Here are 51 easy-to-use, classroom-tested alternatives to the "stand and deliver" teaching techniques that cause so many students to tune out or drop out. Teachers report that these techniques motivate students to participate in learning, as they build confidence and are supported by comp...

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Hi Everyone,
I loved Growth Mindset thinking, Digital Leadership, and thinking about Bloom’s as a ladder or a web was a pretty intriguing conversation that I enjoyed.

I think the resources and support Emily provided while discussing technology was great. My favorite resource for better understanding technology integration was : https://granite.pressbooks.pub/teachingdiverselearners/chapter/learning-with-digital-tools-2/

I loved the idea of a growth mindset board and lessons used in the classroom. I think that all teachers should introduce this in their classrooms.

I found the online learning experience to be a helpful way to have teacher candidates and students step out of their shell, and work with technology in a meaningful way. I am glad I was pushed to use Seesaw and interactive technology. I will be using Flipgrid with my students in the future, even though I didn’t enjoy recording myself (but I do like the idea of it), I think the students will like that. I am glad Emily used more in her course then the traditional weekly discussions on Moodle. Even though change is hard, it helps us to experiment more with the different ways we can use technology, and how we can use it in the classroom to better the student's learning experience.
Twitter was also new for me this quarter. I try not to be over consumed with social media, but the PLN on Twitter was helpful.
I learned a lot from my feedback this quarter. That includes from my SP, FPF and Emily. I have learned so much about planning my lessons in a way to differentiate, scaffold and engage students. Those are my areas of weakness, but the difference between this quarter and last is huge.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2QQNsq2vv0SbGlhS2U4RXVKUVk/edit
The resource above was very useful, along with the book Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess

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Hi everyone,
EDU 612 has been filled with new resources/tools, information and takeaways that will help me become the best teacher I possibly can be in the upcoming years. I think some of the biggest takeaways from the course were learning more about growth mindset and how important it is to self reflect. This wasn't an easy course at all. There were a lot of readings, a lot of lesson planning, assignments and a lot of posting/ blogging. Although I was pushed out of my comfort zone for a lot of it and time was never on my side, I still feel like this class has made such a large impact on myself as a teacher. Some of the tools we touched upon and even used have amazed me. I had never heard of Flipgrid or Padlet until I took this course. I can truly see myself using so many of the resources learned about from this course once I am teaching my own students.

Not only did I learn a lot of new things and get the chance to see a lot of cool new resources, I also learned how to self reflect even better. This time around I had to create a unit with 7-10 lessons, where things would have to be changed and tested etc. The lesson planning might get a little easier as time goes on, but the reflecting is still always time consuming. When I start to feel like I' repeating myself, I stop for a minute and look back on my lessons. Its an important thing to be able to look back and realize your mistakes and take others advice into consideration. After all, we are constantly learning and growing ourselves. Self reflecting helps us see our own strengths and helps us fix our weaknesses. I am very thankful for this course for sure.

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I thought I would have such a hard time with technology, especially because I am working in an inner city school with no too many resources for students and teachers. I was also working with 2nd graders, which was also nerve racking because I thought 2nd graders would have a hard time with technology.

#1 Kiddle.net is a site that students used to research information on inventors. The site is child friendly and everything on the site is rated PG. It was a great way for students to learn how to research, especially for 2nd graders, because this was there first experience. This site helped students but it also helped me understand how to be creative with technology. My district is very limited on technology, and I really liked the lessons I was creating. The Kiddle site allowed me to continue with my lessons, while still hitting standards.

#2 The most important takeaway from this course was connecting social media to education. I did not think I could learn so much though social media. I had no idea twitter had a live chat, Facebook had education resources, and so on. I have talked to coworkers and peers about everything that I am learning and even some of them had no idea on how much you can learn from social media. This experience has helped me develop my theory on taking something that people can view has negative or un-educational, and making it positive. The reality is, students are using social media! How can we be a part of that and make it into a moment to learn, and grow? This is how!!

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There has been so much in this course that I am going to take with me and use to my benefit as a teacher. One thing that I loved this semester was using Bloom's Taxonomy and Higher Order Thinking. This helped me to dig deeper into the lessons I planned in my units so that they can learn more from what I am teaching. I love how rather than simply doing the classwork, they have to open their mind and make a larger connection to the topic being taught. I found that my initial learning objectives were very simple and plain, but once I learned about Bloom's Taxonomy, I went back and revised my objectives so that they demand that higher order thinking in the students. Another thing that I will take with me is integrating technology into my lessons. The students loved working with technology and it helped them to have some fun with their learning rather than me just talking at them then going back to their desks to do work. The last thing I will take away from this class is the importance of feedback. Reviewing the students' work is so important because it gives you so much input on if the students are understanding the information, if there are students who may be struggling, or if there are some students who get the information easily and need to have higher expectations for their work.