READ  Chapters 8, 9 &  10 (Teaching with Transparency, Teaching Kids How to Reflect & Conclusion) in  DON'T Ditch That Tech: Differentiated Instruction in a Digital World 

READ   Chapters 7  &  8 Learning Supercharged: Digital Age Strategies and Insights from the EdTech Frontier 

SYNTHESIZE "key" ideas, concepts, findings from Unit 5 required materials.

ANSWER the following questions

1. SELECT one case study (Kolb) that RESONATED with you. Explain why and what new idea did you glean, BE SPECIFIC.

2. Why is Formal, Nonformal and Informal the "new normal" in today's classrooms? Support your assertions.

3. To what degree is "transparency in teaching" achievable in today's education profession? Support your assertions.

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Factual— How have world religions influenced and impacted societies?
Conceptual— How are other religions are interrelated?
Debatable— Can people start in one religion and transfer to another?
How can we facilitate students literacy in religion through the use of various technologies?
2. What initial ideas do you have for your PBI?

3. What is your target age group?

4. What specific Common Core or Essential Standards learning objectives will your PBI address?

5. What is your timeline for implementing and completing your PBI?

6. What materials and resources do you need to be successful?

7. What are the benefits and challenges of marrying traditional formats with the new literacies? How will your PBI address this? 

8. What is transmedia, and how is it influencing the way students learn? How does this help you approach your PBI? 

9. Identify the changes in curriculum, instruction, and assessment that have taken place in your school or classroom to promote new literacies. What technology is available to support your efforts?

6. Materials and Resources Needed
-Each student (or group) will need access to a computer (Google Tour Builder cannot be fully accessed from a mobile device) and will need access to the internet. Will also need access to primary source materials such as readings, photographs, journals, etc. 

7. From New Literacies Chapters
-Gamification and Collaboration- Students will not be playing a game as much as creating a game-like world for their peers to explore. Students will use Google Tour Builder to create a pathway for viewers to travel along while incorporating primary sources. Students have autonomy to create their own tour, and work collaboratively with partners.

8. Benefits and Challenges
-This will allow students to learn information in a format much closer to the ways they learn outside of school. They will be gaining access to information through multiple senses, and through organic research and inquiry discovery. Students will work collaboratively with peers and present their mastery of content knowledge in an interactive format on Google Tours.
-Google Tour Builder can provide an educational experience that closely resembles the style of a video game that they play outside of school. Therefore it could peak their interests and help meet them where they are as learners. 

9. Transmedia
-Transmedia is a technique in storytelling that employs multiple different technologies to carry meaning to the audience. Transmedia could be related to the Marvel Universe. Marvel employs comic books first and foremost, feature length movies (both live action and animated), tv series, and conventions to add detail to the ever expanding MU. Transmedia is therefore the collaboration, not just adaptation of one story medium to another. 
-In our PBI, we will be allowing students to build a transmedia Google Tour using primary (originally) hard copy sources, virtual space for the actual tool, and created content for analysis and synthesis. 

10. Changes in Curriculum
-Increased access to professional development that focused on implementing increased literacy in the classroom. One example is the use of Castle Learning which is an online platform with preloaded readings and questions for teachers to choose from and assign to students as desired. In New Hanover County, we also have online digital learning badges that we, as teachers can earn for demonstrating increased use/mastery of digital learning tools. After learning about and implementing certain digital tools with our students, we can apply to earn a digital technology badge for that particular technology. There are a wide variety of badges available including ones related to canvas, wordcloud, twitter, google classroom, google docs, moodle, Kahoot, plickers, etc. All teachers are encouraged to learn and master new digital literacies and then apply to earn the badges.

How can Poppet be used to help students gather, evaluate and synthesize information for formal writing assignments? 

*What initial ideas do you have for your PBI?

Poppet seems like it would be an effective tool to brainstorm ideas for writing projects related to theme, characterization, etc. for assigned novels

* What is your target age group?

8th grade 

*What specific Common Core or Essential Standards learning objectives will your PBI address?

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.5

Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.9

Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new. (This could be something they compare.)

*  What is your timeline for implementing and completing your PBI?

Students will begin reading a novel during the second quarter (Animal Farm) and based on class discussion and their reading, they will begin their concept map on November 16th, completing their Popplet in the pre-writing phase a week later.

* What materials and resources do you need to be successful?

Assigned (modern fiction) novel, popplet, Teacher assigned notes on understanding of theme, characterization, and other rhetorical devices

  

* What are the benefits and challenges of marrying traditional formats with the new literacies?

Non-traditional literacies combined with traditional literacies allow students to combine text with images and video in an organized and interesting way that provides them opportunity to think about their ideas in a non-linear way. This provides more opportunity for "outside of the box" thinking.   

* How will your PBI address this?

Popplet allows them to use text and traditional rough draft formatting with other modes of communication such as images, quotes from the text, video, etc. 

* What is transmedia, and how is it influencing the way students learn? 

Transmedia allows students to show their work across multiple media platforms, such as in social media and traditional formats like Google slides. It's allow students to understand how to effectively use language across a variety of genres of writing as the rules of communication and messaging change for each genre. 

* How does this help you approach your PBI?

It gives us an idea of how Popplet can work effectively in accordance with the traditional literary analysis essay. 

* Identify the changes in curriculum, instruction, and assessment that have taken place in your school or classroom to promote new literacies.

We are a 1:1 school and use technology a lot for formal and informal assessment. For example, students might participate in a quizlet in order to review which would earn them points for an informal assessment. Then, they might use Google docs to create a group project for a formal assignment. We have more options for assessment which allows us to use various mediums that promote new literacies. 

* What technology is available to support your efforts?

We are blessed that each student has a Chromebook at our school. We have accounts with Storyboard That, Castle Learning, Canva and other learning sites that allow students to work on assignments with their devices. 

How can we create engaging lessons leading to advancements in literacy using Google Virtual Tour in the Social Studies Classroom?

Google Expeditions   Garbino’s Ecology of Adolescent Development

Google Virtual Tour  Unit: Colonization and Global Powers

What is your target age group? 7th graders (11-14)

Tyree’s school Tracks back in Oct 22, the unit will start that day. 3 week unit so end research November 12th, compile PBI for project, find connection to Theorist and turn in for Review by the 20th, and edit and submit for Review Dec 6th.

1:1 devices (ipad cart), lesson plans, primary source materials

7.What are the benefits and challenges  of marrying traditional formats with the new literacies?How will your PBI address this ?
8.What is transmedia,and how is it influencing the way students learn?How does this help you approach your PBI?
9.Identify the changes in cirriculum,instruction,and assessment that have taken place in your school or classroom to promote new literacies .What technology is available to support your efforts?

      What we often do before we ‘re fully aware of the Triple E Framework  is to take it for granted that it should be a great and modern teaching style as long as we integrate a certain technology tool in our class,without considering weather it is promoting the outcome of the learning process.Providing very few benefits compared to a more traditional option,It can not cause a shift in the behavior of the students or move them from a passive to an active learner,let alone the enhancement and extension of the learning goals. 

2.Formal,nonformal,and informal are the “new normal” simply because the traditional class has changed greatly since the technology was integrated to enhance the process of teaching. Thanks to the technology tools, we are not limited by the boundaries of in-school or out of-school ,formal or nonformal ,informal.We now have technology widely available to allow the type of interactions to improve the learning experience of individual students.We can take everywhere as a classroom to inspire and lead our students to do something .As John Dewey puts it ,Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking, learning naturally results .Technology collectively contributes to a culture where students are encouraged to find their own voice and passion.Truly prepare learners need to equip themselves not only with content knowledge and high-tech tools but also the skills and creativity needed to navigate a rapidly changing
society. Our role is to provide the inspiration that gives them confidence for their aspirations.

      
3.    Transparency is now becoming more convenient and effective than any time in the past due to the popularity of the advanced technology tools.Its differentiation makes it possible for our classroom to become more varied ,intentional and allow us to provide reliable,comprehensive interaction with the students as well as their parents and family members.Take the modeling as an example: What if we offer an quality model when our students have trouble to deal with a pitfall that occurs along the way?What if we show the steps to assist them work out a certain problem without wasting time rather than trapped in it?What if our students have access to these models at any place and any time and get help from their families who are fully aware of their troubles? We even don’t need to rely on Canvas to distribute our materials and models ,instead ,a Google Doc and Google Drive is enough .We can meet the needs of the students who have disability in learning through providing extra appropriate exercises ,or additional exposure to skilled students who even study in a different school.We can also educate our students on everything assisted and keep their parents informed by updating information at any times. 

 

2.   I think that we have always known that nonformal and informal learning is as valuable, if not more valuable than formal learning.  During our current time we just simply embrace it more openly and give it due credit.  According to “Learning Supercharged” p. 153 “...learning can take place across boundaries, and what has been learned out of school can help shape what is learned in school.”  On an on-going basis I am ever mindful of student prior knowledge when presenting a lesson.  If the students don’t have that prior knowledge it is up to me as the teacher to make sure they do in order not to facilitate their learning.  Often my assessments are informal and drive how my lesson will be navigated “on-the-fly” throughout my presentations and the goals set for my students.  I navigate their understanding and make corrections as I proceed or stop and take those necessary turns and u-turns.  Many of my observations are just simply scribbled on legal notepads as “to-do” type lists of which to respond and tailor my instruction.
3. Transparency in teaching today is extremely achievable.  The popularity of today’s cell phones and other devices alone lends itself to instant, constant connection and collaboration at any point throughout the day or night.  ClassDojo has changed the ways in which I choose to communicate with parents and offers me an instant tracking of my parental  involvement attempts.  Students cannot get away with saying “I don’t have homework.” because before students step inside their homes after school I have already notified parents of all assignments and provided them with a link to copies of the assignments.  Parents can speak with confidence to their children about assignments and have great “models” (Matt’s Note-Don’t Ditch That Tech) from which to offer additional support.  There is little reason or obstacles to justify not keeping parents informed.

The new idea I gleaned from this case study is the interesting connections the teacher helped students make between nature poetry and real environmental issues. Although I’ve thought of connected nature poetry with the environment, I had not thought of how an interactive poem would help students submerge themselves in a real way in the sensory imagery and details of a poem. This is genius! This is also a cross-curricular project so that students are not only working on ELA goals but also science and  civic goals. 

2 A blend of formal, informal and nonformal assessments are the new normal, simply because of the skills that 21st century learners need to practice while in the classroom. So much of technology that educators use in the classroom has to include opportunities for students to simply explore and tinker with different ways of doing things so that they have opportunities to truly think outside the box without having to worry about their grades. They also need opportunities to collaborate with one another using new technology and approaches to doing things. Of course we need formal assignments to assess what they have learned, but informal and nonformal assignments give them the opportunity to explore without having to worry about their performance. 

For example, I allow my students to blog on their digital portfolios which is informal writing because I’m not grading for mechanics, grammar, organization, but rather giving them a time and place to “think out loud / on paper / in digital spaces.” 

3 Transparency in teaching is certainly achievable on the part of educators, administration and schools in this day and age. We now have websites, interactive calendars, online learning management systems as well as tools like PowerSchool which keep students and parents in the loop of what is happening at school on a 24/7 basis. Not to mention the emails, newsletters, and even reminder texts that go to parents and students on a regular basis. One example if the reminder texts we get from you; how can we forget about due dates when we get these reminders!

There should be no reason why parents and students are left in the dark about what goals, objectives and lessons are being covered in their classes. If schools and teachers are not utilizing the tools they have to communicate with parents, it’s not because those tools are not available to them. For example at our school we use Canvas as well as PowerSchool, but we also send emails to parents and have an electronic newsletter that goes to all parents - Charter Chatter - in addition to the calendars and other information available on our main website. 

On the other hand, what about parents from low-income areas who don’t have access to technology? Certainly there are still traditional ways for schools and educators to keep parents in the loop on what’s going on outside of the use of technology. But even in those instances, I think it’s pretty rare that a parent or legal guardian doesn’t have access to a smart phone or email. However, it’s certainly possible. In those situations, administration and educators are definitely responsible for implementing paths of communication with parents / guardians. 

1. SELECT one case study (Kolb) that RESONATED with you. Explain why and what new idea did you glean, BE SPECIFIC.

Case Study 11 resonated the most with me, for two specific reasons, both personal and professional. First, I am a first generation college student who comes from a working-poor family. When I was growing up I had to learn on my own how to craft emails such as the ones described in this E-Mentor assignment. I had to search for online resources during hours hidden at public and school libraries, as there was no one in my home-life who had the skill set to teach me. I only wish that this had been a lesson taught to me. The second reason this lesson resonated with me is because it is similar to a lesson I conduct with my students. Every year we collectively craft a letter to be sent to our district’s NC General Assembly Representative. Then, over the course of our final unit, students are expected to identify ONE other public servant/representative they want to reach out to and start a dialogue around one of the NC current events we had discussed during the first two quarters. While very few students typically get responses, this Case Study has me reflecting on ways to support a continual dialogue between these students and a public servant. 

2. Why is Formal, Nonformal and Informal the "new normal" in today's classrooms? Support your assertions. 

Schools have begun to shift their thinking in order to support life-long learning and meaningful integration of technology. It is the “new normal” in today’s classrooms, because what is learned out of school shapes what is learned in school. Informal learning, or students’ various Experience and real-world understanding impact what they want and what they need to know. Every student comes to a classroom with a wealth of resources and background knowledge, and while this knowledge may not be directly related to the content being taught, their expertise and knowledge should be harnessed to engage, enhance and extend their learning. The use of technology makes nonformal learning all that more accessible. Through the use of Skype, virtual field-trips, community partners or cultural centers (museums, theaters, etc…) nonformal education can be intertwined with the formal schooling and informed by students’ informal knowledge base. d

3. To what degree is "transparency in teaching" achievable in today's education profession? Support your assertions.

Transparency in teaching is not only achievable, it is encouraged! Accessibility of the classroom and teacher has been encouraged for decades now, and something that has been made much easier by new technology. However, this accessibility does not automatically translate to transparency. The chapter in “Don’t Ditch that Tech” on transparency has an interesting quote:  “If something amazing happens in your classroom and no one knows, did it really ever happen?”. With technology and protocols put in place for student resource accessibility should also come the ability of students, parents, administrators, community members and other stakeholders to see the fantastic things you do in your classroom! That is not to say that every moment need to be documented or tweeted, but that when kids do great things or when great things are planned, make it known. You could inspire other educators, help parents feel “looped in” and make students feel proud of what they have accomplished. If all the necessary procedures for student privacy are followed, transparency is easier than ever to achieve and arguably more important to tackle. 

 

2. It is known that much of what any individual knows is not learned in a formal classroom setting. After all, we spend far more time out of school than in it. It makes the blending a necessary. To meet the needs of the real life of students, educators need blend nonformal and informal learning with formal learning. Besides, mobile technologies make it possible to learn across different contexts, which allows the blending to happen in schools today. With technology integrated in classroom, different types of information and knowledge streamed in, nonformal and informal learning has huge platform to present in front of students. What’s more ,in order to increase some form of new knowledge, skills, abilities and understandings ,which can not gained from school, and at the same time are beneficial to the future life , students should  learn from informal learning .It can help shape what is learned in school in return. It is essential that the connection between theoretical and practical work should be restored. From the point of view of educations, the blending learning create prospective teachers with opportunities to apply their knowledge of concepts covered in class to solving real-world problems. Teachers improved, students are equipped with more skills, to meet the needs of 21sth century. 

 

 3. a. Make models available to students and parents. Demonstrating demands and aims using technology, making larger projects smaller by giving check points, which increase communication between teachers and students. Expose student models of work to enhance discussion among students’ discussion. Make classes’ content and skills accessible. Keep parents and students alike informed of weekly or daily events. Update work in projects and even involve students in assessing or grading practices. By creating and sharing class content through technology, educator showing their own page, which provide more advanced access to content. what students are learning. To meet the communication needs of 21^st century students and parents, educators can have more examples , expectations and communications at school community’s fingertips. With the help of remind or bloomz, they can easily involve parents in to enhance classroom organization and communication. Increase and ease communication between teachers, parents and students. One tweet, phone call, or digital portfolio can be sent to school’s families and communities., which can more transparent the amazing activity in students. 

 

1. SELECT one case study (Kolb) that RESONATED with you. Explain why and what new idea did you glean, BE SPECIFIC.

The case study that resonated with me most from the Kolb text was the UN Poets case study. This case study is a brilliant and powerful example of how cross-curricular learning of English Language Arts and science are possible. There are several reasons why this case study stood out to me. First, I love poetry about nature. Second, I believe it is imperative that students learn the importance of conservation of natural resources. Preserving Planet Earth is paramount! If we neglect to teach our children about conservation, and fail to put in the effort to save the environment, we will cease to exist. Additionally, the case study appears to have appealed to the students on a personal level as well as an academic level. Upon receiving the official letter from the United Nations the students appear to have felt called to action. This inspired them to feel there was purpose in their creative writing endeavor. Their poetry was not a frivolous creative effort that would remain unnoticed but something that could make a positive and immense impact on the world stage. This motivates me to make an effort to create language arts lessons that speak to students on this level: calling them to make a positive difference in the world through their writing endeavors.
 
 2. Why is Formal, Nonformal and Informal the "new normal" in today's classrooms? Support your assertions.

The world is evolving and becoming less formal almost constantly. The way we learn also continues to evolve. In this increasingly more informal age of innovation it is imperative that we as teachers and student learners embrace all forms of learning: informal and formal. If we are to reach the students of today it is crucial for us to be able to meet them on their level. A teacher must present to the students as relatable and as someone who cares about them as both students and as people, who live both inside and outside of the classroom. Famous educational advocate Dr. Madeline Hunter asserted, “Students do not care how much you know unless they know how much you care.” Students perform better and achieve at higher rates when teachers demonstrate unconditional positive regard. This is repeatedly demonstrated across the country at schools that have implemented the Time To Teach curriculum. This methodological approach includes effective strategies for achieving successful classroom management and also utilizes the successful implementation of unconditional positive regard.

3. To what degree is "transparency in teaching" achievable in today's education profession? Support your assertions.

Transparency in teaching is arguably more achievable currently in the education profession that ever before. With recent innovations and advancements in technology, it is now possible for teachers to maintain heightened transparency about teaching expectations, procedures, and questions the student learners and their parents may have. Different technological tools are available to seamlessly integrate technology as a vehicle for inciting conversations and intellectual interactions to occur that previously may have been impossible. Remind is a great tool to help everyone stay connected. Teachers can also use technological tools to create educational instructional videos and to respond in a more personal way to parents (and potentially also student learners). (Video responses are a much more personal method of communicating than email.) 

 

The case study that grabbed my attention the most was the third case study that used Project Based Learning centered around the Flint Water Crisis. While my content area is Spanish, I love how literacy was being taught through authentic real life situations - as this makes the material more meaningful to students and thus promotes increased levels of engagement. I am currently teaching a unit on the Bolivian Water Crisis in which we discuss if access to water is in fact a human right and how the government plays a role in protecting (or violating) this right. It could be worth comparing the Bolivian Crisis to Flint to help me cover the World Languages connections/ comparisons standards. I like that this uses Piktochart as well as I have recently been experimenting with creating infographics in my classes and this has been very helpful as students can not only show they understood the material, but I can transform this into a gallery walk after as part of the extension. 

2. Why is Formal, Nonformal and Informal the "new normal" in today's classrooms? Support your assertions.

One thing that grabbed my attention is when the reading mentions that “informal learning is embedded in meaningful activity, builds on the learner’s interest”. This makes me think about how in education today, we strive to integrate student voice/ interest to make content more relevant for our students. We know that when students are interested in what they are learning, they naturally want to continue to learn about it. Another note was when it states that “what has been learned out of school can help shape what is learned in school”. Through technology, we are given an opportunity with our students to promote learning outside of school. We can use technology to give them tools to be able to continue to learn as they continue with their day after leaving the building. As project based learning, blended learning, and personalized learning become more and more relevant and popular, we are teaching our students skills that they in turn use at home. This goes hand in hand with the 21st century learner concept in which we are trying to prepare our students for the real world - which is done by creating authentic resources, and helping students to realize their own strengths. 

 

 

3. To what degree is "transparency in teaching" achievable in today's education profession? Support your assertions.

 

I believe transparency in teaching is highly achievable. One way the Don't Ditch that Textbook points out is to increase communication to help bridge the gap between your class and your students’ outside worlds. This can be done through things like Remind, Class Dojo, etc. to help bring stakeholders into the class. One quote that resonated with me is “if something amazing happens in your classroom, and no one sees it, did it really happen?” I think personally, we are continuously learning and we should encourage transparency with what we are doing in our classrooms so that we can share our awesome and pull awesome from other teachers. This can help us continue to grow in the profession and doing so helps promote transparency in teaching because you are once again pulling the outside into your classroom. 

 

2. Various types of learning is more acknowledged now-a-days. We are in a wave of education that believes strongly that students should not be judged only by test scores, the bill that was signed into law a few weeks ago shows that. There is research on “multiple ways of knowing” and we are, as a society, re-entering a stage where it is vogue to push career paths on kids that don’t require a college education. Because of this new wave in education, we see more acceptance on the idea that sometimes a student doesn’t need an actual curriculum in order to learn skills that would make them successful. Honestly, my own skills in reading and explicating text were self-taught; since I was homeschooled by parents that didn’t have higher education, my curriculum in high school was almost non-existent, yet here I am, pretty adept in these abilities to the point where I actually teach these skills to others. In today’s classrooms, we are encouraged to be original and intentional about the way we teach students. These types of nonformal and informal ways of learning are ways to do just that.

3. Transparency in teaching is not only achievable in today’s education profession, it is absolutely necessary. Due to the unstable world that students live in now-a-days and the constant flows of information, students need to know that there is someone that they can completely believe in and trust that is on their team. This level of transparency exists in a delicate balance, however, as too much transparency and openness can often make the distinction between authority relationship and peer relationship very muddled. If students lack that feeling of you as the teacher being the authority, it results in an unmanageable classroom which results in a loss of potential learning. However, this transparency while still maintaining the proper relationships can still be achieved through discussions as long as the ball is always in the teacher’s court.