Digital Technology for Teaching & Learning

      I would like to start by saying that this course of Assessing and Improving Students Achievement with Technology had offered me the chance to not only to use technology for assessing students, it had also provided me the tools for using assessments to enhance students' learning experiences. All the assignments, class discussions and the resources aimed at the reflection of why assessments are important in the class for both students and teachers. I would like to highlight the following assignments: the creation of a formative assessment using two different digital tools, and students self-assessment plan.         In reference to the design a formative assessment, I had the opportunity to design and compare Google Form and Socrative digital tools. For the creation of this assessment, I took what Dr. Anabel Jense spoke about on her video,   Asking Powerful Questions in the Class,  in regard to how to ...

The 4th-grade students will create a digital historical fiction book report by using screencasting. An online rubric tool is available for helping students know the expectations of the project. I am including this assignment as an artifact because it is a great example for demonstrating that through this tech-based project, students will be able to develop learning skills such as tech digital skills, keep on topic, summarize important events, and evolve oral media presentations. In reference to the project, the teacher will provide a list of books for students for their screencasting presentations. Students will be responsible for following a study guide that will be revised periodically by the teacher with the purpose of providing feedback and support students’ screencasting projects. Students also will share with their peers, twice a week, regarding how their projects are progressing and getting suggestions from their peers on how they can enhance their screencasting presentatio...

      Genius Hour Reflection       The Genius Hour idea was a new concept for me and after going over the USF resources, I can say that the Genius Hour refers to a student-centered learning trend that not only allows students to explore their own initiatives but build confidence, creativity and knowledge in any subject.  On True for Teachers podcast, A.J. Juliani recommends that teachers must guide the process of getting into the genius hour task by asking students to define what they want to learn and what they are going to make. Along with this, students should explain why and how they can get to the desired learning goal. I like the concept of the Genius Hour for the reason that students learn on their own motivations and they need to be able to identify and apply different strategies to answer their own questions. The Genius Hour also embraces the development of learning skills for the 21st century that is the 4C’s: Critical Thinking, Comm...

      T here are many concepts that I am taking away from this course. The class discussions, the studied resources and the assignments helped me reflect on my teaching practices and try new pedagogy paths by integrating technology into my lessons and curriculum to reach all my students.        The class discussion regarding differentiation helped to clarify that differentiation means: to deliver instruction according to student’s needs and learning styles. Now I pay more attention to how I can provide alternative avenues for students to succeed at school and ensures that each student has access to the curriculum independently of his/her learning abilities.       For example, students who struggle with writing skills use Flipgrid to videotape their understanding from readings. Also, students who are shy expressing their thoughts in person use forum rooms on Schoology or Padlet. I envision recording passages from rea...

Field Trip Grants from the Civil War Trust – Initial Proposal  5th Grade Columbus West Rationale: The Civil War Unit study is part of the 5th-grade social studies curriculum. Having a field trip to the Civil War Museum in Kenosha, WI, will expand Columbus West 5th grade student’s knowledge regarding the Civil War by reflecting on the Civil War artifacts and sources available in the Civil War Museum. Students also will reinforce critical thinking skills of the 21st century such as asking questions, gathering data and drawing conclusions. Going to the Civil War Museum, the school promotes reflection on how historical events have marked us as a nation and how we can innovate ways to make society better. Moreover, this field trip will provide learning experiences to students that would be difficult to obtain on their own . Learning Goals: · Describe causes and effects of the historical events that led to the Civil War. · Describe roles and influences of individuals and inte...

Understanding by Design Stage 1 – Identify Desired Results Established Common Core State Standards : CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. What essential questions will be considered? How would you raise awareness of the animal’s plights? What understandings are desired? Students will understand … The importance of raise awareness of the animal’s plights by citing textual evidence to support their points of view. What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit? Students will know… Ø   The story of The One and Only Ivan Ø   Facts and fiction about the real Ivan Ø ...

      The Multimedia Tools in Education course has increased my knowledge on a variety of multimedia tools and their usefulness in the classroom.  During this course, class activities such as discussions, modeling, exploring and applying the concepts of multimedia tools in education were part of the strategies that helped me discover the impact of the multimedia tools for supporting student learning.       I learned different ways I can incorporate the audio recording tools in my instruction for helping students practice fluency, record messages to their classmates, record their answers for comprehension questions and use the voice recording from Google docs to express their understanding.       I also learned and explored different multimedia tools, applications and websites such as Voice Recording, Drawing and Screencastify on Google Suite,  FlipGrip, Bandlab, , Screen-o-matic, iPhone Movie/Book Trailer, and Video recording ....