Digital Learning Inventory
This was created to give readers an insight into the technology that is utilized teachers in my district--Belleville Township High School District 201.
Below is an annotated list of technology and digital resources that I have found useful.
1. Moodle is one of the digital tools that I have found myself most frequently using. Moodle is a virtual school. It is easy to use, but somewhat labor intensive to make any changes. Moodle allows each teacher to have a page for the class. On Moodle, students are able to participate in online forums, blog, set up a wiki and submit assignments.
I have used Moodle for many projects, including blogs, wiki pages, virtual discussion and just a resource for students. Students respond well to it and like the easy access. One of the main benefits of Moodle is that students who might be hesitant to verbally discuss a controversial topic, are very open on Moodle. It also scaffolds student responses so the instructor can see if the student is responding to the original post or a subsequent comment.
2. Weebly--Through this grant, I have learned to use Weebly. It is a free site where you can set up your own webpage. It is easy to use one you figure it out. I have yet to utilize this in my classroom, but I see many possibilities. This could be an ongoing project throughout the school year. Students could keep a blog with their reflections on current events. Students could include links to news sources with a place for commentary. How awesome would it be for a student to have a record of an entire year's worth of current events and their reflections about them. This will allow them to recognize perspective, one of the four global competencies. I also see myself having the international students that I coordinator use this. These students are here in America for a year, so I am envisioning having them complete a capstone project similar to the we completed for the TGC program.
3. Edmodo--I have recently begun to use Edmodo and have found it easy to use. I have used it extensively with a summer program I facilitate called Youth Leadership Program with Belarus. This program is a one way exchange, with the Belarussians coming here for three weeks. Students were trained on blogging, documenting their travel experience with photos as well as reflecting on their experience. I also have found it helpful as students can post assignments to it and there is an easy way for me as a teacher to leave comments. The students can also read other students' blogs and leave comments. I also like the feature which allows me to create badges of my choosing and award them to students. This is good motivation for them to stay active on the site even after the physical exchange is over.
My Reflections on Digital Learning
Now that I have begun this online class, I realize I too am underusing technology. I occasionally use Moodle, but I am not using it nearly as frequently as in year’s past. I do utilize a Smartboard and the board and software includes something called Bridgit—this is a feature that allows my board to connect with others from across the country and even the world. I primarily use technology for student research, and I typically have the students experiment with products. I have had them submit PowerPoints, documents in Publisher and Prezis. I would like to utilize the online discussion boards more frequently, and I also would like for them to develop a blog. I did this last year, and I was surprised to find out that most of my students did not know what a blog is. They are familiar with Vine, Twitter, Snapchat and Tumbler but not blogging.
4. From the list of e-learning sites, all were easily accessible at my school.
5. I know some teachers are still frequently utilizing the discussion forums on Moodle, but most of the teachers I know rarely incorporate technology into their teaching and learning environment. Several of course, use Youtube for videos, but I cannot recall a single discussion we have ever had about a podcast. Teachers typically use the computers for research, but the products these students are creating are pen and paper (or even cut out shapes, colors, etc—and this is in high school). Some teachers have Smartboards, but others do not have one, nor do they want one.
a. Several teachers create a podcast of their lessons which are make available for those students who were absent.
b. . At least one science teacher flips his classroom. This means the students watch a video or his lecture the night before, and in class, they are able to ask questions and have discussions.
d. One teacher uses Moodle much like we are using Blackboard for this course. In class they usually just read, and at home each night, they are required to post on a discussion board, comment on at least two other students’ posts , and post all assignments
e. Some teachers have students submit papers using Turn it In…an online program for paper submission.
f. At least one teacher tweets the assignment each day.
g. Several teachers have a website, usually not connected to the school’s, where they post assignments each day.
h. Several teachers use Remind 101 to send a text out to all students to remind them of important deadlines.
6. To the best of my knowledge, there is no system for evaluating student technology literacy in our school.
7. My students are decidedly creatures of habit. Earlier this year, I had them use Publisher as a medium for their assessment. I feel that PowerPoint is over used and most students have a grasp of it. I had anticipated my students’ eagerness at using and trying Publisher, but instead, they did not like it. They also did not want to try to manipulate it much. Students also feel overwhelmed by Prezi. When I asked them how they would like to see technology integrated, they were pretty noncommittal. Most did not like the suggestion of podcasts (those that knew what it was), or videos. They love the app Vine, which is short videos, but were unable to see how that might help them. When they think of video, it means a long version with lots of editing. My students did like the blogging assignment I gave them, but when asked if they would be willing to blog each week, they said they would rather write it on paper. Each week I have the students do a reflection about any number of topics. I do this so they can find their voice. Currently I have them complete this on paper, but I have been thinking of having them blog instead. It seems the students do not associate technology with learning. They love Vine, Twitter, Tumblr, and Youtube, but they did not seem to like the idea of turning their past time into a new way to facilitate learning.
8. A “tool” that is not currently available is not really a tool. My suggestion would be to have a full-time technology/curriculum specialist available to search for, evaluation and share lessons with us. Most teachers in my department rarely change their lessons, or implementation of their lessons from year to year. I think many feel it is too labor intensive to shift through the plethora of e-learning sites that are available. If someone were to do this and then help with the development of curriculum, I think many would be very grateful. We have the technology to make e-learning happen, just not the teachers who are willing or able at this time to do it.
I have been teaching unit on global climate change. One of the things I am hoping to implement is use of the online discussion board through Moodle, and then the use of a Wordle—just to give them a visual representation of what they have been writing about. I also would like them to connect with students from our sister school which is located in Lusaka, Zambia. Several students and former students are involved in a group called Zambians Unite for Climate Change! In fact, one of the most involved students is a young man who was selected as part of a State Department reciprocal exchange. He was here two years ago for three weeks, and he is currently a university student in Moscow, Russia. I will have the students engage in dialogue through Facebook, a social media site. I currently have a FB page set up for our global ambassadors, and this will provide a forum for their discussion. I would like them to discuss what they feel are their primary concerns regarding climate change.
What I learned. I learned that it incorporating a bit more digital technology is not that difficult. Sure, I had to search a bit online to see exactly what digital resources I thought would best fit my needs for this particular lesson, but in the end, it was worth it. I also learned that it is useful and incredibly helpful to have global connections. I realize that I am lucky to actually have contacts in other parts of the world. I guess that if I did not have these contacts, I could have used the e-pals site or tried to hook up with educators using Skype. The students even enjoyed using Wordle. They thought it was fun to see what terms they used the most, and I felt it reinforced the key ideas.
Okay, after evaluating and reflecting I now realize that I incorporated two new ideas using technology. Honestly, the main idea was to have students discuss with peers from across the globe and in a developing country, and the Wordle was going to be just for fun, and it turns out, it was. The students immensely enjoyed both, and they especially gained knowledge that even though these students at David Kaunda Technical High School have a completely different perspective on many things, they all share a common goal—quell this rising tide of climate change.
This was created to give readers an insight into the technology that is utilized teachers in my district--Belleville Township High School District 201.
Below is an annotated list of technology and digital resources that I have found useful.
1. Moodle is one of the digital tools that I have found myself most frequently using. Moodle is a virtual school. It is easy to use, but somewhat labor intensive to make any changes. Moodle allows each teacher to have a page for the class. On Moodle, students are able to participate in online forums, blog, set up a wiki and submit assignments.
I have used Moodle for many projects, including blogs, wiki pages, virtual discussion and just a resource for students. Students respond well to it and like the easy access. One of the main benefits of Moodle is that students who might be hesitant to verbally discuss a controversial topic, are very open on Moodle. It also scaffolds student responses so the instructor can see if the student is responding to the original post or a subsequent comment.
2. Weebly--Through this grant, I have learned to use Weebly. It is a free site where you can set up your own webpage. It is easy to use one you figure it out. I have yet to utilize this in my classroom, but I see many possibilities. This could be an ongoing project throughout the school year. Students could keep a blog with their reflections on current events. Students could include links to news sources with a place for commentary. How awesome would it be for a student to have a record of an entire year's worth of current events and their reflections about them. This will allow them to recognize perspective, one of the four global competencies. I also see myself having the international students that I coordinator use this. These students are here in America for a year, so I am envisioning having them complete a capstone project similar to the we completed for the TGC program.
3. Edmodo--I have recently begun to use Edmodo and have found it easy to use. I have used it extensively with a summer program I facilitate called Youth Leadership Program with Belarus. This program is a one way exchange, with the Belarussians coming here for three weeks. Students were trained on blogging, documenting their travel experience with photos as well as reflecting on their experience. I also have found it helpful as students can post assignments to it and there is an easy way for me as a teacher to leave comments. The students can also read other students' blogs and leave comments. I also like the feature which allows me to create badges of my choosing and award them to students. This is good motivation for them to stay active on the site even after the physical exchange is over.
My Reflections on Digital Learning
Now that I have begun this online class, I realize I too am underusing technology. I occasionally use Moodle, but I am not using it nearly as frequently as in year’s past. I do utilize a Smartboard and the board and software includes something called Bridgit—this is a feature that allows my board to connect with others from across the country and even the world. I primarily use technology for student research, and I typically have the students experiment with products. I have had them submit PowerPoints, documents in Publisher and Prezis. I would like to utilize the online discussion boards more frequently, and I also would like for them to develop a blog. I did this last year, and I was surprised to find out that most of my students did not know what a blog is. They are familiar with Vine, Twitter, Snapchat and Tumbler but not blogging.
4. From the list of e-learning sites, all were easily accessible at my school.
5. I know some teachers are still frequently utilizing the discussion forums on Moodle, but most of the teachers I know rarely incorporate technology into their teaching and learning environment. Several of course, use Youtube for videos, but I cannot recall a single discussion we have ever had about a podcast. Teachers typically use the computers for research, but the products these students are creating are pen and paper (or even cut out shapes, colors, etc—and this is in high school). Some teachers have Smartboards, but others do not have one, nor do they want one.
a. Several teachers create a podcast of their lessons which are make available for those students who were absent.
b. . At least one science teacher flips his classroom. This means the students watch a video or his lecture the night before, and in class, they are able to ask questions and have discussions.
d. One teacher uses Moodle much like we are using Blackboard for this course. In class they usually just read, and at home each night, they are required to post on a discussion board, comment on at least two other students’ posts , and post all assignments
e. Some teachers have students submit papers using Turn it In…an online program for paper submission.
f. At least one teacher tweets the assignment each day.
g. Several teachers have a website, usually not connected to the school’s, where they post assignments each day.
h. Several teachers use Remind 101 to send a text out to all students to remind them of important deadlines.
6. To the best of my knowledge, there is no system for evaluating student technology literacy in our school.
7. My students are decidedly creatures of habit. Earlier this year, I had them use Publisher as a medium for their assessment. I feel that PowerPoint is over used and most students have a grasp of it. I had anticipated my students’ eagerness at using and trying Publisher, but instead, they did not like it. They also did not want to try to manipulate it much. Students also feel overwhelmed by Prezi. When I asked them how they would like to see technology integrated, they were pretty noncommittal. Most did not like the suggestion of podcasts (those that knew what it was), or videos. They love the app Vine, which is short videos, but were unable to see how that might help them. When they think of video, it means a long version with lots of editing. My students did like the blogging assignment I gave them, but when asked if they would be willing to blog each week, they said they would rather write it on paper. Each week I have the students do a reflection about any number of topics. I do this so they can find their voice. Currently I have them complete this on paper, but I have been thinking of having them blog instead. It seems the students do not associate technology with learning. They love Vine, Twitter, Tumblr, and Youtube, but they did not seem to like the idea of turning their past time into a new way to facilitate learning.
8. A “tool” that is not currently available is not really a tool. My suggestion would be to have a full-time technology/curriculum specialist available to search for, evaluation and share lessons with us. Most teachers in my department rarely change their lessons, or implementation of their lessons from year to year. I think many feel it is too labor intensive to shift through the plethora of e-learning sites that are available. If someone were to do this and then help with the development of curriculum, I think many would be very grateful. We have the technology to make e-learning happen, just not the teachers who are willing or able at this time to do it.
I have been teaching unit on global climate change. One of the things I am hoping to implement is use of the online discussion board through Moodle, and then the use of a Wordle—just to give them a visual representation of what they have been writing about. I also would like them to connect with students from our sister school which is located in Lusaka, Zambia. Several students and former students are involved in a group called Zambians Unite for Climate Change! In fact, one of the most involved students is a young man who was selected as part of a State Department reciprocal exchange. He was here two years ago for three weeks, and he is currently a university student in Moscow, Russia. I will have the students engage in dialogue through Facebook, a social media site. I currently have a FB page set up for our global ambassadors, and this will provide a forum for their discussion. I would like them to discuss what they feel are their primary concerns regarding climate change.
What I learned. I learned that it incorporating a bit more digital technology is not that difficult. Sure, I had to search a bit online to see exactly what digital resources I thought would best fit my needs for this particular lesson, but in the end, it was worth it. I also learned that it is useful and incredibly helpful to have global connections. I realize that I am lucky to actually have contacts in other parts of the world. I guess that if I did not have these contacts, I could have used the e-pals site or tried to hook up with educators using Skype. The students even enjoyed using Wordle. They thought it was fun to see what terms they used the most, and I felt it reinforced the key ideas.
Okay, after evaluating and reflecting I now realize that I incorporated two new ideas using technology. Honestly, the main idea was to have students discuss with peers from across the globe and in a developing country, and the Wordle was going to be just for fun, and it turns out, it was. The students immensely enjoyed both, and they especially gained knowledge that even though these students at David Kaunda Technical High School have a completely different perspective on many things, they all share a common goal—quell this rising tide of climate change.