COURSE ARTIFACTS
tier 1 - INTERACTIVE RESUME
from 3145 - Engaging the Blended/Online Learner
ABOUT THIS ASSIGNMENT
- This short video includes a description of my experience prior to engaging with the blended and online certification courses. It also describes my expectations for how digital tools can and will impact my classroom.
- Given my knowledge and experience today, I would not change much about this video. It is true to where I was at that point in my career and provides a clear picture of how I perceived blended and online learning at that time.
TIER II - DIGITAL LESSON
From 3155-01 - Designing for the Online/Blended Environment
Summer 2014
ABOUT THIS ASSIGNMENT
- This item is a digital lesson in the form of a web-based module on the layers of Earth's atmosphere. I selected this module because it represents a major departure from the way I previously built online lesson. This course provided strategies for creating digital lessons that are attractive, clear, and engaging which I have showcased in this site.
- Overall, I was very happy with how the lesson turned out but there are some small changes I would make in hindsight. For one, students struggled to complete all parts of the lesson within the recommended 50 minutes. I would expand the time allotted for this lesson so that more students could engage in the digital discussion in the "Share" section of the lesson. I would also include an opportunity for students to engage prior knowledge before beginning the lesson. This could be done simply by asking students to create a KWL chart in Padlet.
ITEM OF CHOICE - VOKI STUDENT + LEARNING PLAN
From 3148-01 - Differentiating InstrUCTION in the Online/blended env.
Introduction to my Voki Student
Voki Transcript - "Hello, my name is Abril and I’m in 7th grade. I was born in Mexico but have lived in Spain, France, and now the U.S. I can speak Spanish and French but am still learning English. My parents are both writers who work from home. We love to travel to new places and take lots of trips. I used to love school but starting middle school in Las Vegas has been hard. I’m still learning English but I wish I could be learning more about the things I was studying last year in France. I used to get top marks but I don’t understand what the teacher is saying a lot of the time in many of my classes."
Academic Evaluation
Students is at grade level and has minimal attendance issues (periodically leaves for a week for family trips). The student has a supportive family and friends at school and does not struggle emotionally or with her health. She is struggling to adapt to yet another change of schools and cultures as she transitions from school in France to school in the U.S. The students is a gifted students with language barriers who wants to move ahead with grade level curriculum.
I would recommend an individualized Flex model for Abril.
This model can target both Abril’s need for personalization to connect her interests and passions to her learning and the need for individualization. Personalization will ensure she is engaged with the material and free to learn at the accelerated pace she is capable of through a competency based model. Many programs provide translation tools or Abril could utilize freely available tools like Google Translate to help ease the language barrier. She can learn content through digital means in one of the two languages she is already comfortable in and work with the teacher in person to improve her English. Abril is eager to be challenged and a personalized learning plan with a Flex model push her to learn content at an accelerated pace while she monitors and tracks her progress. The Flex model also provides room for ample individualization to ensure her needs as an ELL are met. When Abril is working directly with the teacher, she will complete activities and assessments that have been chosen for her by the teacher or a para-professional. These activities will likely be focused on helping Abril to build her English skills and ensure she can participate with required grade-level learning and assessments.
Voki Transcript - "Hello, my name is Abril and I’m in 7th grade. I was born in Mexico but have lived in Spain, France, and now the U.S. I can speak Spanish and French but am still learning English. My parents are both writers who work from home. We love to travel to new places and take lots of trips. I used to love school but starting middle school in Las Vegas has been hard. I’m still learning English but I wish I could be learning more about the things I was studying last year in France. I used to get top marks but I don’t understand what the teacher is saying a lot of the time in many of my classes."
Academic Evaluation
Students is at grade level and has minimal attendance issues (periodically leaves for a week for family trips). The student has a supportive family and friends at school and does not struggle emotionally or with her health. She is struggling to adapt to yet another change of schools and cultures as she transitions from school in France to school in the U.S. The students is a gifted students with language barriers who wants to move ahead with grade level curriculum.
I would recommend an individualized Flex model for Abril.
This model can target both Abril’s need for personalization to connect her interests and passions to her learning and the need for individualization. Personalization will ensure she is engaged with the material and free to learn at the accelerated pace she is capable of through a competency based model. Many programs provide translation tools or Abril could utilize freely available tools like Google Translate to help ease the language barrier. She can learn content through digital means in one of the two languages she is already comfortable in and work with the teacher in person to improve her English. Abril is eager to be challenged and a personalized learning plan with a Flex model push her to learn content at an accelerated pace while she monitors and tracks her progress. The Flex model also provides room for ample individualization to ensure her needs as an ELL are met. When Abril is working directly with the teacher, she will complete activities and assessments that have been chosen for her by the teacher or a para-professional. These activities will likely be focused on helping Abril to build her English skills and ensure she can participate with required grade-level learning and assessments.
ABOUT THIS ASSIGNMENT
- This item consists of a Voki introduction to a student I created as well as the blended learning plan I developed for her.
- I selected this item because it shows how digital tools can be used to meet the unique needs of individual students. When carefully considered, a blended learning plan can be tailored to fit almost any student. The student I created was inspired by young people I have met in my time teaching and represents some of the challenges faced in our district.
- If I could revisit this assignment, I would alter Abril's plan slightly. I would like to include more opportunities for her to practice her listening and speaking skills in English. This could take place in a secure, small group setting or digitally using a program such as Skype or Google Hangouts.