ISTE2 EDTC6433 Resolution Reflection

Triggering Question:  How can I use contemporary technology to create and assess authentic learning experiences in social studies for my 4th graders, in relation to ISTE-S 2-communicate and collaborate with others?

 Program Standards: 11. Utilize formalize and summative assessment in a standards based environment
12. Evaluate and use technology for teaching and learning

Incorporating technology into my 4^th grade classroom has seemed to be a more of a challenge than one must think. Even though in my room, I have a class set of Chromebooks and kiddos that have a want to be technologically involved. In order to meet ISTE 2 standards, as their teacher I really want to focus on section C: customize and personalize learning activities to address diverse learning styles, working strategies and abilities using digital tools and resources; and section B: develop technology enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own goals… My question for Module 2 was: How can I use contemporary technology to create and assess authentic learning experiences in social studies for my 4th graders, in relation to ISTE-S 2-communicate and collaborate with others? With this triggering question, I really wanted to find a way for my students to pursue their individual curiosities about the world and people around them. My students all come from many diverse backgrounds but are very unaware of the world around them. My goal was to find a way for my students to research the world around them relating to our social studies unit of Citizenship, and also be able to communicate and collaborate with others, connecting with our speaking and listening standards.

 In the first article I found “Pen Pals in the 21^st Century” is told by a 5^th grade teacher who started a Pen Pal activity and has shared many resources to get started, along with the benefits of her students being pen pals. The benefits of having students become pen pals is that it gives their writing a purpose. They have an “authentic audience” who will read their letter and then RESPOND, giving their work meaning. Not only does this project connect kids socially, but also helps improve their writing skills. Also offered though the blog was ideas on how to get your class involved with another classroom as pen pals. There are a couple different ways: Skype in the classroom, Global Read Aloud Project, and the Edmodo group titled “Pen Pals that WRITE” which allowed me to further research the sources available for my students to get globally connected.

The first technology project that sparked my interest was the Global Read Aloud project. “The project was created in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. From its humble beginnings, the GRA has grown to make a truly global connection with more than 1,000,000 students having participated” (Ripp, 2016). This project picks a book that spans a 6-week period. Teachers pick how in depth they would like to take the project, connecting with either one class or multiple classes for the project. Classes connect and then begin communication amongst each other sharing personal narratives about their lives, where they live, and reactions to the book that they are reading together. Unfortunately the 2016 session began in early October and will end mid-November but this is something that I am going to try and get my students involved in next year. Through the GRA, it gave some suggestions for how teachers can use technology to connect their classrooms such as Skype, Twitter, WriteAbout, or Edmodo. Which led to my next area of research, Skype.

The second article I came upon in my researched was titled “A window on the world: Using Skype in theclassroom” by Cindy Phthisic. In the article Phthisic gives ideas on how to get started with skype in the classroom and different possibilities on how to actually use it. She talks about how important it is to make that initial connection with your Skype Partner and how finding a partner for your classroom may rise as a challenge. Offered are suggestions of starting out with a local partner or checking out Skype In Schools which offers teachers a place to sign up to look for other teachers in search of classrooms to connect with. “One of my personal favorites, Around the World with 80 Schools, is the brainchild of Silvia Tolisano. She challenges teachers to connect with 80 different schools. At the “Around the World” website, you can sign up to become a part of the project and connect with other like-minded educators, read technical advice, see where Skype fits in with national educational technology standards, and learn about simple practices to help you make the most of your Skyping experience” (Phthisic, 2010).  In searching, I went on to find Skype in the classroom which offers Skype Lessons (learning about a particular topic from an expert or another classroom around the globe), Mystery Skype (connect with a classroom from across the globe or in the same area, it’s a mystery!), and Virtual Field Trips (out in the field adventures without leaving the classroom).

Through this research I have found numerous ways for my students to get globally acquainted and found ways for them to connect and collaborate with students in various locations, really answering my question on ways to have my students experience an authentic learning experience in the subject area of socials studies, as well as, hitting upon those speaking and listening skills. Ideas such as reading with another class, reading buddies, polishing language skills, taking virtual field trips, and connecting with experts really allows my students to explore areas of interest and provide for those diverse learning styles. Where I believe I need to further research, is how to assess these experiences that is technology based. 

With connecting with my learning circle, we all seemed to have different outlooks on our triggering questions, but I found Conrado Julian’s link he posted to be a great resource titled "10 Best, Shockingly Good Apps for ESL Teachers." Again, my classroom has over 50% English Learners. His linked provided a variety of different applications that students could use to develop language skills, again, meeting those needs of diverse learning styles and needs.

Mims, L. (2013, November 6). Pen Pals in the 21st Century. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/pen-pals-in-21st-century-lisa-mims

Phthisic, C. (2010, November). A window on the world: Using Skype in the classroom. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6573

EDTC6433 Resolution Reflection

Starting this school year off in 4^th grade for the third time and co-teaching with English Learners, I have been on the quest to figure out how to support my learners in the best way. At Horizon Elementary we cater to a school population where 49% of our student population are English Language Learners. Being in the grade level that is also working with the co-teach model, servicing my ELL students within my own classroom with the ELL support teacher has become one of my main priorities. Out of my 24 students, 18 of them are ELL students this year. Through my research, I believe that I have found some great ways to answer my trigger question of “How can I use technology to support my English Learners in order to meet the expectations of 4^th grade rigor? With reading the article “Supporting English Language Learners through Technology” it states that students that are learning a second language benefit through reinforcement of vocabulary and concepts through visual representations such as pictures and videos, which technology provides. “Introducing or reviewing a concept while using manipulatives and props helps students gain a deeper understanding … The English language learner is able to see what is being addressed as well as listen to the information”(Brozeck, E., & Duckworth, D. 2011). Having worked with EL students previously and being GLAD trained, I was already pretty aware of this. When making anchor charts, I am one that has printed pictures as visuals, color chunking for new vocabulary/concepts, and draw silly sketches of things on the fly for visual representation for vocabulary support.

 What I really liked from this article was the concept of creating a Photo Story. I have never heard of that software before and like how it can be used as a tool for EL students as a support for presentations or to help process their own thoughts and ideas for a creative writing project. I know the difficulties that my EL students have in expressing themselves in writing. Having the support and reinforcing vocabulary verbally FIRST, the My Story software provides a fun and engaging way to do that. Instead of having my EL students sit in frustration with paper and a pencil at their desk with wandering eyes. I can see myself using this as a create station and be a great scaffold for my students. Then, as they get more comfortable and confident, move them into physically writing/typing their work instead of a verbal presentation. This idea is also reinstated in the article that a cohort member found titled “Digital Storytelling: A Powerful Technology Tool for the 21st Century Classroom.” In this article it reinforces that using this software it is allowing students to be able to work effectively and be prepared for future endeavors. “Digital storytelling can be a potent learning experience that encompasses much of what society hopes that students will know and be able to perform in the 21st century” (Jakes & Brennan, 2005).  It also states that as students develop these skills students develop students enhanced communication skills (Robin, 2008), which is the main goal for English Learners.

Another article I read titled “Technology in the English Language Learner classroom” written by Judith Rance-Roney talked about a group of teachers coming together for a conference to ask questions about how to use technology in an EL classroom and collect answers to those questions. Throughout the conference, they participated in a hands on exploration of four technologies that teachers have used in their classrooms to support their learners. The four technologies being 1) Digital Storytelling 2) Blogging 3) Pod casting 4) Google Docs. Throughout my research and discussions with my cohort members, they have talked about having great successes using Google Docs within their classrooms. One of the participants in the conference stated that “every single piece of this work puts the student at the center. There is no doubt that students are going to be active learning on their own and learning to be more independent and engaged learners” (Rance-Roney, 2008.) As teachers we want activities and learning in our classroom to be student centered and these outlets of technology really provide that.

In the end with answering my question of how technology can provide support for English Learners, I believe it comes down to me as their teacher in using technology for my lessons and providing the opportunity for my students to use it as well. EL’s can benefit from technology to keep up with 4^th grade rigor expectations, if I, as their teacher use it as a resource. Using technology for a way to retrieve photographs, videos, for visual representations to use during my lessons to keep them engaged and a way to learn new vocabulary. Also providing the opportunity for my students to use the technology. There are many articles that provide support towards students using software for digital storytelling to build communication and vocabulary skills. As well as, provide technology skills that they will need to know to be successful in the 21^st century work force. That blogs, podcasts and other applications also provide ways for English Learners to work with native English speakers to gain support. Using an app called “SeeSaw” provides a way for students to share documents with their peers. By using this app, students can work with group mates that will provide feedback, correct grammar, and help them use English vocabulary appropriately. Overtime, Seesaw builds a portfolio for each student that showcases their learning. Again, this provides a way for students to take ownership pride in their work. What a great way for students to look back and reflect on their own learning and see their personal growth over the year.

Works Cited:

Brozeck, E., & Duckworth, D. (2011). Supporting English Language Learners through Technology. Retrieved October 8, 2016, from https://www.nysut.org/~/media/Files/NYSUT/Resources/2011/March/Educators Voice 4 Technology/edvoiceIV_ch2.pdf

Rance-Roney, J. (2008, October). Technology in the English Language Learner Classroom. Retrieved October 8, 2016, from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2728

Robin, B. (2008).  Digital Storytelling: A Powerful Technology Tool for the 21^st Century Classroom. Retrieved October 8, 2016 from https://canvas.spu.edu/courses/10314/files/271987?module_item_id=101733.

Initial Reflection

    Going into my 3^rd year teaching I have noticed that I am a very reflective individual, not just in my career of being a teacher, but in most aspects of life. As a teacher, I am constantly reflecting on lessons and conversations that I have with students and coworkers. I am the one that takes the job home and lays in bed at night thinking of lesson plans, creating anchor charts, which kids need to work on such and such strategy etc. My goal as a teacher is to be the best I can be, for my students. Working in a Title 1 school in a high poverty area, they NEED and deserve me at my best. Which sometimes causes my reflections of myself to be extremely high and criticizing. My strength in my individual self-reflection is that I am very goal and data driven. I am able to take the data and noticing’s I collected during my lessons and use them to drive my instruction further that would be best for my students. As for collaboration with peers, I find I do some of my best learning from my fellow teammates and colleagues. I love listening to their ideas and fresh perspectives. This year, I have recently taken on the role to be my grade levels Instructional Leadership representative. This role allows me to lead our grade level’s PLCs. I will be the one to receive extra Professional Development on the new reading curriculum our district just adopted and come back to my team and teach them. It will also be a place that my team will be able to analyze data to drive our team goal for our students. My strength in this role is I am extremely passionate in curriculum and analyzing data to drive instruction. I come to these meetings well organized and with a set agenda on what our team needs to accomplish during our time together, which I feel we don’t get much of. Taking on a leadership role is a little outside of my comfort zone. I am known to be a listener and an observer, rarely voicing my opinion and thoughts out of nerves or fear of being wrong. I am learning that even though I am the youngest and have the least amount of experience on my team, I still have a lot to offer.

    One of my strengths in teaching is my planning and organization skills. My classroom is well organized where my students know where materials are located and are easily accessible. I tend to have high expectations for my 4^th graders and work with them to be self-mangers and leaders within the classroom. In order for them to become that, it takes set procedures and expectations. I am known as the “sticky note” planner. I write all my plans on sticky notes, so that they are not “locked” in. You never know how a lesson is going to go. It may take two days, it may take another day to reteach and try and new approach. With my sticky notes, I am able to self-reflect and MOVE my day’s forwards or backwards depending on how each day went. I am the teacher that has the entire week and its materials planned and set in designated containers in case of emergencies and anyone could come in and find all materials and plans laid out.  Another strength I feel that I have is building a safe, positive, learning environment. I have had many peers tell me, “your class is like a family, and they all really love and care for each other. They support each other in their learning.” I always smile and think that this really does exist in my room. Each one of the classes I have had, we create this amazing bond. I am not really sure HOW I do it, but I am extremely proud that I am able to create that type of learning and supportive environment for my students. 

   Some challenges I have as a teacher is during some lessons following Gradual Release of Responsibility. Math is an area that I feared and “struggled” with as a student growing up. I had one teacher that instilled that fear and it has followed me up to my profession, where I sometime fear teaching math. Hoping that the strategies and skills I am teaching are reaching my students. So with GRR, I struggle with the “you do.” I have a hard time letting them go…knowing that they seem to be getting it with me. However, I am learning that letting them work together and on their own, is the time to gather evidence and data to guide further instruction for all or some students. I also feel that I struggle with differentiation with the wide span of learners that I have. I have to figure out how to offer the best support for my students who are new to America and just learning English to challenging my student who is at a 6^th grade reading and math level. Really setting those differentiated supports in place.

   The TPEP framework that the Mukilteo School District uses is the CEL 5D+ Framework from the University of Washington. Having been on this framework for the past two years, and entering my third year I have gathered more and more knowledge over the years. The rubrics and the language that is used is key to understanding how evaluators approach their observations within your classroom. I am one that really studies the rubrics and the verbiage that is used to make sure that I can get the highest marks---I am one of “those” teachers. Always striving to be “Distinguished.” I use the rubrics and evaluators notes to set goals and better my teaching practices.