Multimedia Tools in Education - Reflection

 Reflection:

Multimedia Tools in Education

Fall 2020

    I feel that I've grown more as an educator from this course in a number of ways. First, I definitely enjoyed being able to experiment with different technology tools I have never tried before, such as Smore, Vyond, and Google Drawings. I always find it gratifying when I leave a course with a few take-aways I know I could use in my classroom, and this is how I feel now as the class is winding down. I also believe the weekly topics were well-catered to the current remote setting most schools are in right now, so I felt connected to every project and discussion. I also liked how the weekly assignments of this course felt like they belonged in the category of "less is more." They were open-ended enough to give us the freedom to mirror them to our curriculum, and they were not overly-complex.  I felt like my final products were successful because they accomplished the task without an overkill amount of technology integration or research. 

    A final highlight of this course for me was focus on communication with students and parents. There was one week where I created a newsletter that had to be a revamped version of what a typical classroom newsletter would entail, and I enjoyed having to think about how I would send out communication to parents. Apart from emails, I realized I don't often utilize other platforms to reach my students' parents, and this course made me think about innovative ways to do so. I also enjoyed the week where we were able to share with others in the class cohort how we use social media to keep families informed. I was able to share with quite a few peers that I use a teacher Instagram account, which has been a success since I started it in 2019. Having meaningful discussion can be difficult sometimes in an online class, but this course allowed for a variety of ways to communicate with each other, which I found very unique.

Multimedia Tools in Education - Artifacts

 Artifact #1:

Tell Me in a Graphic Assignment

    I enjoyed creating this assignment because I was able to produce a visual idea I have had since the beginning of remote learning. Working with my students via Zoom has presented challenges I could have never anticipated before this school year, and this assignment was both useful, timely, and forced me slightly outside my comfort zone. I have never used Google Drawings before, and this project allowed me to experiment with the program and realize how many creative options it allows for--and it comes with G-Suite, which I already use daily for lessons. I was pretty proud of the final outcome because I felt like I gained experience with a new tech tool and every shape, color, and bit of text was created by me.

 Artifact #2:

Video Book Trailer

    For this assignment, we were to create a book trailer and/or introduction to a unit that we wanted our kids pumped for, and I chose The Outsiders because my own class was starting the novel around this time. It worked out perfectly. I tried a new video-production website, Vyond (GoAnimate), and the site was very user-friendly and worked well to portray some basic details about the book that I wanted my students to have before we began reading. This assignment allowed for some creative expression and reminded me of how engaging a video can be to jumpstart any unit or lesson. I also enjoyed this assignment because this video is one I plan to use for years to come when I teach The Outsiders.

Link to Video

Multimedia Tools in Education - Module 5

 

Module 5 Discussion

Graphic Design

    I think there are many benefits and opportunities to incorporate graphic design in the classroom. Teachers constantly create visuals to help students remember concepts, such as anchor charts, and high quality graphic design is crucial here. If an anchor chart is not engaging to look at, students won't use them and their purpose is no longer relevant. Another tangible way teachers use graphic design is in other types of classroom posters, such as to display classroom expectations, school procedures, schedules, or even inspirational signage. I think many teachers take a lot of pride in how they display their rooms and express who they are and their subject, which provides many graphic design opportunities.

    Additionally, we are in such a digital age, graphic design naturally makes it way into the ways teachers present information and instruction. For example, I create daily Google Slides presentations to help guide my lessons, and every time I design these slides I am always thinking about graphic design and how my slides appear to 12-year-olds. Is the text readable, is the font large enough, are the colors easy on the eyes, what types of images can I incorporate, etc. I really do feel graphic design works its way into many areas of teaching.

    Thinking about how students absorb information, we have to be aware of who they are as learners. I have a large population of EL students, so I am constantly thinking about ways to present information with visuals, videos, and gestures as much as possible. We also know that children these days have rather short attention spans, so this makes it even more necessary to keep lessons engaging and visually appealing. I also think being able to manipulate things like emojis and memes into lessons resonates with kids as well because it connects with visuals they enjoy and are used to seeing/using.

    We have a unit on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens coming in the next couple weeks in my curriculum, and I am already brainstorming ways to revamp lessons from years past. How can I hook in my students from day 1 using graphic design, engaging visuals, videos, audio, etc. I think videos like movie trailers are very effective with junior high students before diving into any story, so my initial thought is to create something like this. I'm also thinking about what ways I can illustrate Scrooge's character so that the kids can make personal connections and be interested in him as a dynamic character.

680 - Reflection

 680 - Reflection

        Amidst the beginning of a hectic school year, I learned a lot from this course, 21st Century Educational Leadership. I learned what traits are necessary to be a leader in the world of education, I gained insight and empathy for my own leaders in my building--my principal, assistant principal, district coaches, etc. The different activities throughout the course were extremely beneficial because they all allowed me to put myself in an administrator's shoes for a brief moment. I experienced what it would be like to plan a staff meeting, how to increase social media presence, what makes a good Walk-Through, how to develop interview questions, and how to plan for spacial redesign of a classroom (among other things). This course put into perspective what it is like to be a leader in the building and all the work behind the scenes admin must be a part of.

        In a way, this course actually taught me how grateful I am to be a classroom teacher. I am not sure if administration is necessarily in my future, but being leader in my building is. This course taught me how to step up for my colleagues and how to effectively share information. I think that is the biggest take away for me. It is about supporting everyone in the building while doing what it takes to meet the needs of the students. I think that is what being a true educational leader is all about.

680 - Two Artifacts

 Artifact #1: Professional Development Workshop Design

Link to PD Workshop & Design

      I worked really hard on this particular project for the 21st Century Educational Leadership class this semester. This project gave me the opportunity to plan, design, organize, and envision an entire staff development about topic that is important to me--annotating over a virtual platform. With the current status of education and almost everyone working remotely with our students, this was a problem my team and I ran into at the beginning of the year and then found several solutions for. If I am ever given the opportunity at my school to educate others of these awesome websites and programs for annotating, this project provided a wonderful foundation to share the information. This project also gave me insight as far as how complex it can be to plan a full staff development. In order to keep 50+ teachers engaged after a long school day and present information effectively, you really have to think through every aspect of those 60 minutes. It was a great experience to put this professional development plan together.

 

 Artifact #2: Redesigned Learning Spaces Assignment

Link to Redesign Plan

        The second artifact I chose was the Redesign Learning Space assignment because it put into perspective how much it would cost to truly revamp a classroom. I used knowledge I had of my district using some different types of furniture in other buildings and I based my itemized list off of that. If I could use $10,000 to revamp my room, I would focus on two areas: student seating /desks and technology. This assignment allowed me to research how much it would cost to purchase 30 mobile desks, a Chromebook charging station, flexible seating, and a new classroom monitor for my front board. In a way, I was happy to see I could fit all these changes in a $10,000 budget. But on the other hand, this was just itemizing for ONE classroom--can you imagine for an entire school? It costs so much money to try to keep up with the current education climate and a digital world, which is what I took away from this assignment.

678 - Artifact #2 - Device Management Slide

MSED 678 - Device Management Slide

For this assignment, I created a Google Slide that depicts the expectations I have for my students with regards to their Chromebooks. This particular slide focuses on the expectations of appropriate use of Youtube, as this is a site that teachers commonly use in their classes, but also a site that students often trail from academic purposes. The expectations are as follows:

1. Earbuds In while watching videos so other students do not hear your device

2. View the Assigned Video: It is not appropriate to browse or watch other content

3. Review if Necessary: Remember Youtube is a tool and if you need to rewatch the assigned video to be successful, do what it takes and review. 

The main reason I enjoyed this assignment is because it forced me to think outside of the device expectations I already have set forth for my students. I plan to use this slide and print it as a poster for next school year, as a constant reminder to my students how to properly navigate and use Youtube.

678 - Artifact #1 - PBL Outline

MSED 678 - PBL OUTLINE

In this PBL Outline, I had the opportunity to brainstorm ways to plan 3 different PBL units. For my 7t h grade language arts class, I thought about our curriculum, units, and standards that we assess throughout the year to come up with three PBL topics that would align well with what I already teach. The three topics were as follows:

1. Shark Tank Presentation
2. Environmental Awareness PSA
3. To Fund or Not - Space Campaign

What I liked most about this assignment was it forced me to thoroughly think about how each of these PBL units would pan out and if they were even workable. I came up with a list of technology tools, programs, apps, and resources that I felt would work well with each unit and meet the needs of my students. With the use of those tech tools, I also thought about possible products and final outcomes would come from these PBL ideas.  This was the first time I actually got excited about the idea of planning a PBL unit because it was the first time I understood how PBL could possibly work in my classroom. Now, in the future if I ever have the opportunity to dive into PBL at my school, I have a solid foundation to work from.

713 - Artifact #2 - Feedback Quadrant

Feedback Quadrant

     This artifact was a great take-away from the course and a resource I can realistically imagine using in my class. I like the format of this type of feedback because it provides clear spaces for specific type of feedback. Many of the assignments and projects in our 7th grade language arts curriculum involve groups or partners working together to create a final product, so naturally peer feedback is something we highly value. This graphic organizer type of feedback is more engaging and clear than some others I have tried in the past.

What I love most about the feedback quadrant is that it serves a constructive purpose, but each quadrant is worded in a positive way. Instead of students coming off as critical, the feedback would be received as helpful and concise.

713 - Artifact #1 - Unit Plan

Examining Adversity Unit Plan

     The artifact I have linked below is an extensive 2-week unit plan I created for this course in which I had to think about how to incorporate elements of e-learning. While I worked on this unit plan, I learned a few things along the way. First, there is an abundance of educational websites and programs that lend themselves to every type of content area. Second, by simply spending time to plan where e-learning can work within a unit, student engagement and interest is guaranteed to increase. Third, e-learning also works extremely well when it comes to formative assessments and tracking student progress.

There were elements of e-learning in the unit plan I already use regularly in my classroom, such as Google Docs, Google Forms, Google Classroom, etc. However, this course helped me discover other options for e-learning I now plan to bring into this unit, such as Edpuzzle or using Google Slides for student how-to's, as a means to get students to work more independently on this unit. Overall, it seems like exploring more options for e-learning will pay off, especially for this type of unit.

Link to Unit Plan

Genius Hour - Week 7 (Mod 8)

Reflection

The process of this Genius Hour project was both strenuous and rewarding. I was able to take something I am truly passionate about and educate myself more about it, as well as share my findings with my students, family, and friends. The last few weeks have opened my eyes to not only the grave truths of the hunger crisis in Cook County, but also all the efforts being made to alleviate the problem. Perhaps my biggest celebration with this Genius Hour is what is to come--on December 7, a group of friends and I are going to volunteer at the Chicago Food Depository. I’ve thought about inviting people to volunteer with me in the past, but if it wasn’t for this project, I’m not sure I would have ever truly taken the steps necessary to rally a group like this. To make it even better, they seem to be more excited than me--which is so awesome to see!

I feel so fortunate that I’ve already begun to take bits and pieces of my passion back to my classroom. I’ve been able to help my students learn about what food insecurity is, and how to help support the cause--whether it be through volunteering at our school’s food pantry or at various charity events, like Hoops for Hope, which our school hosted on November 14. I’m proud of myself that I committed time each week to researching and bringing awareness of this issue, and I’m so grateful this course gave me the opportunity to participate in my first Genius Hour project!

Genius Hour - Week 6 (Mod 7)

It's Showtime

Over the past few weeks, I spent time researching and spreading awareness for the fight against hunger across Cook County. Although my “final product” will not technically happen until December 7, I still feel a sense of accomplishment through this Genius Hour Project. (I rallied a group of friends to join me in volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository on this date.)

Aside from the volunteer event in December, another product that came out of this Genius Hour was the opportunity to share information with my students at the junior high I teach at. It worked out that throughout the month of October and November, we had a school-wide initiative to educate our students on being charitable, and we focused on collecting donated items for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, as well as items for our own food pantry within our school.

Our school hosted Hoops for Hope, an event that took place on Nov. 14 where our students, staff, and their families participated in a series of basketball games and all the money raised that evening went towards the Greater Chicago Food Depository. While I helped work the event, I was able to have conversations with my students and their families about the cause and about the hunger problem in Cook County. They were not only shocked to know how many of our district’s students are food insecure, but also to learn that it is a significant problem across the entire county. These conversations then allowed me to let families know about our school’s food pantry and how to get connected should they ever need it as a resource.

Finally, about a week after the Hoops for Hope event, a smaller group of choir students (different from Club Unify) participated in a service opportunity in which they helped organize and stock our food pantry. I’ve included a photo of our food pantry below. This Genius Project couldn’t have happened at a better time. It allowed me to invest time and energy into something I am truly passionate about, AND share my findings and passion with the students and staff at my school.

Genius Hour - Week 5 (Mod 6)

We Are Learners

As I worked through this project, although at times it honestly felt a bit like a chore to devote 30-40 minutes each evening on it, I never felt “frustrated” by the process. Something I noticed about my learning while I researched facts and statistics on hunger, I realized my stamina is not very strong. Some evenings after getting home from a long day of teaching (and usually a meeting or two after school), I felt my learning was not always as valuable as it could have been. It felt like I had hit a wall and was no longer processing new information as I browsed websites. 

Something that I started doing was listening to soft music as I spent time researching and learning. When I was in college, I always listened to music while studying, so I had a feeling this addition to my routine would be beneficial. I also had to situate myself somewhere with limited distractions. I mentioned in an earlier post that my phone is an easy distraction, so I make sure to put it away (on silent and out of sight). Beyond that though, I also had to change up the location of where I worked on my project. I used to work in the living room--the common area my boyfriend would also use when he got home. He used to sit on the couch next to me and I’d update him on where I was at with my project. However, this week I realized this type of interaction actually slowed my productivity, so I decided on days when we were both home and I had to work on my project, I moved myself to the spare bedroom, shut the door, and truly devoted some quiet, isolated time to get some work done. Between the music and new location, these two adjustments to my routine has helped focus my learning overall. 

Something that I learned this week was actually part of an experience I was fortunate to have with some of my students. My school has an after-school club called Club Unify. The club consists of students with special needs, as well as “mainstream” student mentors. The purpose of the club is for these students to build friendships and support for one another while fostering acceptance of students with special needs. This past Thursday, the group spent an hour after school organizing the food pantry that is located in our school. This food pantry serves many families within our entire district, and it was so inspiring to see these 7th and 8th grade students work together to organize the pantry. I think it was a great chance for them to partake in something truly hands on and fulfilling.

Information from the District 54 Food Pantry:

Genius Hour - Week 4 (Mod 5)

Expect the Mutiny

This week, I took time to reflect on what is keeping me motivated with this genius hour project. Besides having a passion to help with hunger in Cook County--why else keeps me going? I kept coming back to this reason: my drive to educate. Being a teacher and educating people about what is going on in the world/in our community/in our school is something I do every single day, and raising awareness is doing just that--educating. 

The sentence stem of “Why do you want to…” also kept me pushing forward with this project this week. “Why do I want to spread awareness of the fight for hunger?” “Why do I want other people to care?” “Why do I want to learn more about it myself?” These types of questions kept me focused this week and confident that by sticking to this genius hour project, I can make a difference. 

Something I achieved this week that I couldn’t or didn’t last week was rallying together people for this cause--and in my case, these people were my students. This genius hour could come at a better time because right now our 7th and 8th graders at my school are collecting items to donate to our district’s food pantry and the Greater Chicago Food Depository. This past Tuesday, I gave a 30 minute lesson to my students about the hunger crisis in Cook County, I showed them an informational video produced by the Chicago Food Depository, and I hyped up our school’s charity event, Hoops for Hope, which is being held Thursday, Nov. 14. The event will be in our school’s gym and involves a series of basketball games where all our students, staff and their families are invited to play. We will be selling game cards, concessions, t-shirts, bracelets, and raffle prizes--and all proceeds go toward the fight for hunger. The students are getting more excited for the event as we get closer, and I had the opportunity to teach them about why the topic of hunger is so important.