This week I went to class on Tuesday night and got to participate with that cohort. It was interesting for me to see the different dynamic of another class. Honestly, the presentations were a little long and repetitive however it is nice to see everyone's different presentation styles. I would like to see a greater variety of presentation strategies than Power Points. I have enjoyed seeing the variety of Prezi options. My favorite part of class were the App Presentations. I again was able to teach more about Evernote. I actually focused on how I use Evernote to enhance my Weebly, take notes for endorsement in an organized fashion, and the amazing thing that is WebClipper. It is so fun to see the way the teachers get so excited about the options available. I also get so many good ideas for uses when presenting in a setting like this. I also loved learning just a little bit more about Evernote and all of the apps that work so well with it!
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This week most of class time was spent listening to my classmates presentations of their thematic units. It was interesting to hear about the different units that were planned an implemented. I found it interesting that many of the presenters in their synopsis of using the ADDIE model, expressed feeling of uncertainty in using this model in the future. I believe that is probably because of the time consuming process that the ADDIE model requires in order for successful development and implementation. I do believe that the ADDIE model helps the designer create an excellent, well developed final product. I did find it interesting to hear others experiences with using and implementing the ADDIE model and the successes and challenges they faced.
The part of class I enjoyed the most were the breakout sessions. I was able to present the Explain Everything App and use information had learned while presenting at UCET and share it with my classmates. The teachers seemed very excited about the possibilities that Explain Everything provides them. They helped add to our running list of uses for the app in K-12 classrooms in a variety of subject areas. The information from the training can be found here. This week during class we discussed the Evaluation stage of the ADDIE model. We spent quite a bit of time discussing rubrics, how to create them, use them, and how students can use them. Honestly, right before class began I realized I had lost my wallet and it turned class into a little bit of a frenzy for me. I spent some time searching for it and then I was trying to cancel all my cards. After all the shenanigans were taken care of I was still a little flustered. However, it was a good reminder for me that we have to take in mind the needs of ours students. Camille and Ross were very understanding and kind to me about it. They allowed me to take a little time and moved my schedule presentation of the Teach Like a Champion Strategies to later in the class. I think that is important for us as educators to take into consideration the needs and challenges our students face every day.
Once I had settled down, I found the rubrics portion of the lesson a good reminder about rubrics. I really enjoyed some of the terms presented and found them helpful for rubric writing in the future. In order to remember these terms I created the Tagxedo picture to the left as a visual reminder. I even made it in the shape of an E for Evaluation! Class notes can be found here. During class this week the implementation phase of the ADDIE model was reviewed. The implementation model is really when you teach and present everything you have planned and created. During lesson implementation it is important to use a variety of teaching strategies for meeting our instructional goals. We were introduced to the text Teach Like a Champion which provided 49 instructional techniques for teachers to use when implementing and delivering instruction.
I have used Teach Like a Champion in the past as a classroom teacher and in my role as an ed tech in assisting teachers in implementing these strategies. I have always found these strategies to be very effective and am I think it is a fantastic tool for teachers. However, I haven't necessarily used these strategies for my teaching role as an ed tech. Many of these strategies would enhance my instruction for the professional development training I facilitate on a daily basis. As I listened to the group presentations, I focused on how those presentations could be used with my learning population, teachers. It was extremely interesting for me to change my thought process regarding these strategies and set some goals for using them during the implementation of my thematic unit and during upcoming PD opportunities. In my class notes taken using the Evernote App, I included my thoughts and ideas for implementing strategies I found useful for my my teaching setting. Notes taken during class can be found here. Tonight in class we focused on the development stage of the ADDIE Model for instructional design. We started by reviewing the chapter readings and discussing the development stage and it's importance. The development stage is when lesson plans are written, all materials and documents that will be used are created, and instructional resources are gathered. This stage in the instructional design in the planning of the actual lessons and activities that will be used for teaching and delivering instruction. I feel very familiar with this stage of the process and was happy for the review and time spent discussing how to make lessons effective. I thought something important that was pointed out in class is the need to create lessons so that if someone else was delivering instruction they would have all the tools and information needed to be successful.
Although this was a familiar process I was having a difficult time differentiating between the three levels of Application Feedback when delivering instruction. When we split into groups to create a sample lesson plan for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, my two partners helped me by comparing application feedback to my background knowledge. They explained it as "I Do, We Do, Ya'll Do, You do." This helped me gain a clear vision that it is just another model for explicit instruction. That is a great reminder why group work can be so powerful because it can help a student (me) gain deeper understanding of a concept. I also found Figure 11.2 helpful because it broke the nine events for delivering instruction into three familiar sections of preparation, delivery and practice, and wrap-up. I'm a very visual learner and all of the charts and figures really allow me to learn and retain the information presented. Notes taken during class can be found here. This week in class we focused on the analysis stage of the ADDIE model for instructional design. I personally think of the analysis model as the brainstorming and information gathering process. During this process you gather as much information regarding your project as possible. As we were discussing the Analysis stage I was thinking of my thematic unit and how I can best create this unit to benefit my current position and students. This year the teachers we work with are extremely focusing on implementing the Language Arts Common Core and the use of Reading Street content in their classrooms. My thematic unit is going to be on using the Pearson SuccessNet tools because Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies are all taught through the online tools found on SuccessNet. As Camille discussed the analysis phase of this model I felt more calm about my thematic unit and how I can use this as a great opportunity to plan meaningful and effective instruction for my demographic of learners.
Besides discussing the analysis stage and how to complete the assignment for the thematic unit we created About Me presentation and had the opportunity to get to know one another better. I enjoyed not only getting to know my classmates better but also seeing the various presentation tools used. As an ed tech I am always looking for ideas for presenting and sharing information with students and teachers. The one thing I was disappointed about was the I only got to see half of the students in the classes presentations. I realize this was due to time but I would like to get to better know all the students in the class not just a select number. I believe the more we get to know various classmates, the more likely we are to create a positive learning environment where communications, collaboration, and learning are fostered. Notes taken in class can be found here. This week in class we discussed instructional design and various models and instructional design theories. It was interesting to learn about the variety of instructional design models available to use when planning instruction. I really enjoyed the group presentations for many reasons. I liked working with people in the class that I don't know yet and getting different ideas and perspectives. I also thought the group presentations were interesting and fun to see a variety of presentation tools used. Groups used power point, prezis, interactive games, Explain Everything, iMovies, and other presentation tools to present their information. It made it fun and an interesting way to gather a large amount of information in a short amount of time. I'm really enjoying getting to see various ways technology is being used by the teachers of the course and also the participants in the class.
The way the instructional models were presented in one evening was a great overview and review of previous information I learned in my undergrad and masters programs. However, because so much information was given in such a quick manner my retention of the information is low. I feel that is good information for me to remember when planning instruction for the teachers and students I work with. When presenting lots of information using presentations or jigsaw strategies it should be more of a review of previous information or to help students understand the concept but not the detailed information. We also discussed The ADDIE Model and that during this course we will be focusing on the ADDIE Model of instructional design. I look forward to learning more about this Model and designing instruction using The ADDIE Model. Class notes found here. |