Digital Identity / Module 5: Final Reflections on My Learning Hub and Blog

Looking back to July when I started the IT&DML program, I realize I’ve come a long way! I didn’t have much of a digital identity and I wasn’t very technologically savvy. I definitely identified with the term “digital immigrant!” It’s now November and I know I still have a long way to go, but I’m learning so much.

My philosophy hasn’t really changed much; I still think that learning is all about being challenged, being engaged, having fun, but working hard. The past few months, I feel that I have experienced all of the above, and that is what I want my students to experience. I’ve been frustrated at times, but I’ve enjoyed the journey and I’m coming away better prepared to engage my students.

Setting up a blog was my first challenge. Once I established my site, I enjoyed posting entries. I’ve always liked writing - it helps me to clarify my thinking. The blog was a perfect fit for me and an excellent way for me to wade into the waters of technology.

In September, when I realized I needed to develop my own website, I spoke to the tech person in my district and was told that the only approved sites were Final Site or Google Classroom. I immediately set up sites for each of my classes on classroom.google.com and I have had a lot of success with them. I’ve added more technology to my lessons, and I’ve been able to upload documents, links, and assignments to the classroom website. In addition, kids can turn in their projects on the website so that I have all of their work in a specific folder. As the year goes on, we use it more and more. I’ve demonstrated the site to a few teachers and might be modeling for others soon. Who would have thought??

Although the Google Classroom site is convenient for my students, it’s private and accessible only with a Bristol Public Schools gmail address. I realized that I would need to create an additional site to share with parents, my class, and anyone else interested. After experimenting with a few sites, I chose Weebly because it seemed pretty straightforward.

The fact that I even have a website is amazing to me! However, after evaluating my own blog and learning hub, I realize that I need to make some changes. My partner for the learning hub critique was Tina, which was lucky for me. To me, Tina’s learning hub is an exemplar, and provided me with ideas that I would like to incorporate into my site. In particular, I love how Tina categorizes all of the entries on her blog. I see that I definitely have some organizing to do. Tina embedded her tutorials on her hub which inspired me to revise my hub to embed my tutorials instead of just posting links. I’ve looked at others’ websites also, and have come away with ideas for designs and content that I would like to include in my hub. There are lots of talented individuals in our program!

While my learning hub and blog are still works in progress, so is the art of teaching. I’ve grown a lot in the past few months and I plan to continue to learn along with my students. As I take risks, I’m encouraging my students to move out of their comfort zones. So far, students seem to be receptive. My students this year have been engaged in their learning which is a big first step. I feel like my new knowledge has invigorated my teaching and I’m looking forward to continuing the journey.

Power and Justice: Unit one / To Kill A Mockingbird

Jody Ceglarski

ED 7720

Unit Plan

November 18, 2014

Power and Justice: Unit One / To Kill A Mockingbird

The theme of the first unit in our Grade 10 English Curriculum at Bristol Central HIgh School is “Power and Justice.” In order to teach the skills targeted in the unit, the predominant text I used was To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I have used this text before, but this year I incorporated a great deal of technology into the unit, thanks largely to my participation in the Instructional Technology and Digital Media Literacy program at the University of New Haven.

Basics of the Unit:

At the beginning of the unit, students received a calendar detailing the reading assignments for the entire novel. In addition to reading the assigned chapters each night, they were responsible for completion of a written response. Each night, accelerated students completed a reflection which included a  summary, an analysis, and a key passage from the assigned chapters. Academic students created a title for the chapters, wrote a summary and explained the importance of a key passage.  Students had the option to complete their written responses online (via classroom.google.com) or on paper. During class, students’ responses were discussed and shared in a variety of ways. Formative assessments to assess students’ comprehension throughout the unit were both formal and informal. They included homework, whole class discussions, small group discussions, and brief quizzes.

Detailed Lesson #1: Research Project: Racism in America

To lead into the unit, students conducted research on various topics relating to racism in America. They worked in small groups, chose topics and prepared presentations to enrich the background knowledge of their classmates. Luckily, I have had a lot of access to Chromebooks, so students were able to conduct their research entirely online. In addition, students were able to choose the platform for their presentation. Most students chose Google presentations or Prezi, although a few chose EMaze. Students worked collaboratively to prepare and present their projects.

Bristol Central IDT Lesson Planning Document

Research Project: Racism in America

(See links to student directions and rubric at end of lesson plan.)

Jody Ceglarski

Course: English 10 Unit: 1 Date: 9/22/14

Objectives	Lesson Essential Questions
Students will develop inquiry questions to conduct research on a specific topic of their choice relating to the larger concept of racism in America. Students will conduct research and prepare a presentation to share with the class.	How do intertextual connections contribute to my understanding of a topic? How do I organize and present my ideas so they make sense to my audience?
Which items are incorporated into this lesson?
Common Core State Standards
RI-7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g.,visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. W-6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically. SL 4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Literacy Strategies (CCT Domain 2)
Generating effective inquiry questions Searching and evaluating sources on the Internet Synthesizing multiple sources
SBA Targets/Claims Addressed
Claim 1, Target 9: CENTRAL IDEAS: Summarize central ideas, topics/subtopics, key events, or procedures using supporting ideas and relevant details.
Mozilla Web Literacy Map Alignment Sharing: Creating Web resources with others. Sharing a resource using an appropriate tool and format for the audience. Collaborating: Providing access to Web resources. Choosing a Web tool to use for a particular collaboration. Navigation: Using software tools to browse the web Accessing the web using the common features of web browsers Using hyperlinks to access a range of resources on the web Web Mechanics: Understanding the web ecosystem Managing information from various sources on the web Search: Locating information, people, and resources via the web Synthesizing information found from online resources through multiple searches

Lesson Development -activities and transitions (CCT Domain 1): Background information: Students have been introduced to the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. They have read the first few chapters. They will generate questions and conduct research on various historical and current issues of racism in America in order to enhance their understanding of the novel. Lesson Development: Begin with a quick write: “What do you know about racism in America? Think about what you’ve learned in history, what you hear on the news and your own experience.” Discuss responses. I explain that in order to understand the novel more completely, it is important to understand the issue of racism, both historically and currently.  Also, since there are so many potential topics, we will divide into groups, and each group will be responsible for creating a presentation on their topic. I will provide a list and brief explanation of suggested topics, but students are free to choose their own but must get my approval. (See attachment below.) Students will sign up for topics in pairs. Have students generate a list of questions about their topic. Share questions and model creation of effective questions. (Since this is a short research project intended to provide the class with background information on a topic, questions may be fairly simple. Students must be able to answer the “who, what, where, why and when” types of questions about their topic. They should also be able to explain the influence of their topic/event on American society.) Explain that students will need to choose a format for their presentation. In addition to Google Presentations, students may consider Emaze and Prezi, which I will model for them briefly. They are free to choose other options as well. Remind students of the importance of assessing credibility of sources. (For example, if they are researching the KKK, the KKK website will not be objective.) Remind students to cite all sources. Distribute Chromebooks. I show them a tutorial to have them log into the Google Classroom site which I have created. I also demonstrate how to insert images and how to cite sources. Once they are all logged into the site, they can begin researching. Students spend the remainder of the period researching their topic and creating the presentation. I will circulate, assisting students as needed. Prior to the end of class, each pair will turn in an index card briefly summarizing what they accomplished and what they need to do to complete their project. At the beginning of the next class, I will give them back their index cards, as their own reminder of what they need to do to complete the project. Presentations will be completed in the second class. Students will present the presentations. Classmates will write a brief response to each group telling them one thing that they learned from the presentation.

Instructional Strategies (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Small group discussion Whole class discussion Modeling Guided instruction Individual and group conferencing Small group work using Chromebooks Self-monitoring / evaluation of next steps Sharing

Modifications and Differentiation (CCT Domain 2): Students select their topic. Choice of presentation format. Individual and small group conferencing to assist students who are having difficulty. Students assist one another.

Assessments-Formative and/or Summative (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Students will be scored on the content, quality and effectiveness of their presentation.  See rubric attached. Written responses to group presentations.

Directions and Suggested Topics

Google Classroom Tutorial

Research Presentation Rubric

Detailed Lesson #2: What is Courage?

After students had finished reading chapter 11 in To Kill A Mockingbird, we discussed the way courage was portrayed in the novel. Students then had to craft their own definition of courage and create a multimodal presentation showing real world examples that fit their definition of courage.

Bristol Central IDT Lesson Planning Document

What is Courage?

(See links to tutorial, student directions and rubric at end of lesson plan.)

Jody Ceglarski

Course: English 10 Unit: 1 Date: 10/7/14

Objectives	Lesson Essential Questions
Students will be able to develop a personal definition of courage. Students will find evidence to support their definition and present their examples to the class.	How is interactive reading part of a meaningful conversation between the reader and author about human experience? How do I organize and present my ideas so they make sense to my audience?
Which items are incorporated into this lesson?
Common Core State Standards
RI-7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. SL 4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Literacy Strategies (CCT Domain 2)
Close reading of text (To Kill A Mockingbird) Making connections to experience / the world to enhance meaning Searching and evaluating sources on the Internet
SBA Targets/Claims Addressed
Claim 1, Target 11: Reasoning and Evidence: Make an inference or provide a conclusion and use supporting evidence to justify claims, concepts, ideas.
Mozilla Web Literacy Map Alignment Navigation: Using software tools to browse the web Accessing the web using the common features of web browsers Using hyperlinks to access a range of resources on the web Web Mechanics: Understanding the web ecosystem Managing information from various sources on the web Search: Locating information, people, and resources via the web Synthesizing information found from online resources through multiple searches

Lesson Development -activities and transitions (CCT Domain 1): Background information: Students have read through chapter 11 in To Kill A Mockingbird. They have been responding to and analyzing various literary elements as they read. Chapter 11 focuses on courage. Lesson Development: Review chapter 11 (which students read for homework). Divide students into groups and have them come up with 5 words or phrases that relate to important events or ideas in the chapter. Share their most important word / phrase with the class and explain its importance. We discuss Atticus' definition of courage along with examples from the book. Quick write: I display Atticus' definition of courage on the SmartBoard and ask students to write their own definition. They share definitions with the class. I also explain how many ideas in the book can relate to real life and as the characters learn lessons so can we. I explain the Courage project to students and share the rubric. They will be creating a presentation to share with the class. They will develop their own definition and support it with examples. (Individual story, images, videos, quotes). Next, I distribute Chromebooks and have students log on with their school gmail address. Students have been introduced to the Google Classroom, but if necessary, I revisit the tutorial to have them log into the site which I have created. I also demonstrate how to insert images and how to cite sources. Once they are all logged into the site, they can begin creating a Google presentation. (Students are working alone or in small groups / their choice.) Students spend the rest of the period creating their presentations. I conference with individuals and groups and assist as necessary to make sure everyone is on task. Students turn in their presentation on the Google Classroom site. Students present their Courage project to the class. Students may respectfully ask questions when each individual or group is finished. Closure: When all presentations are finished, students complete another quick write. "a) Consider your initial definition of courage. Has it changed at all from doing your research and listening to your classmates? Explain. b) What example from the book best fits your definition? Whip around: Each student chooses one sentence to read from his/her quick write.

Instructional Strategies (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Small group discussion Whole class discussion Modeling Tutorial Guided instruction Individual conferencing Individual and small group work using Chromebooks Sharing (whip around)

Modifications and Differentiation (CCT Domain 2): Students develop an individual definition of courage and find appropriate supporting evidence. Choice of multimodal forms of evidence. They can add more or less. Individual conferencing to assist students who are having difficulty. Students assist one another.

Assessments-Formative and/or Summative (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Students will be scored on the content, quality and effectiveness of their presentation.  See rubric attached. Whip around / sharing of final definitions.

Google Classroom Tutorial (if needed as a review)

Directions for students

Courage project rubric

Detailed Lesson #3: "Is Everyone A Little Bit Racist?"

One of our curricular goals this year is to incorporate more nonfiction into our English lessons. For this lesson, I chose a series of NY Times op-ed pieces by.Nicholas Kristol relating to racism in America today. In addition to discussing racism, we discussed online reading strategies. Students used the Chromebooks to read the articles online and complete an accompanying worksheet.

Bristol Central IDT Lesson Planning Document

“Is Everyone A Little Bit Racist?”

(See links to source document and worksheet at end of lesson plan.)

Jody Ceglarski

Course: English 10 Unit: 1 Date: 10/15/14

Objectives	Lesson Essential Questions
Students will identify strategies to help them read a nonfiction article online. Students will identify the central idea of the text and delineate the supporting details. Students will discuss the validity of the argument and author’s bias in a small group.	What strategies will help me to read online text more effectively? How does an author use details to convey meaning throughout a text?
Which items are incorporated into this lesson?
Common Core State Standards
RI-1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RI-2:Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. RI-8: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.
Literacy Strategies (CCT Domain 2)
Close reading of a nonfiction text online Identifying central idea of a text Delineating and evaluating supporting details using a graphic organizer
SBA Targets/Claims Addressed
Claim 1, Target 9: CENTRAL IDEAS: Summarize central ideas, topics/subtopics, key events, or procedures using supporting ideas and relevant details. Claim 1, Target11: REASONING & EVIDENCE: Make an inference or provide a conclusion and use supporting evidence to justify/explain inferences (author's line of reasoning, point of view/purpose, relevance of evidence or elaboration to support claims, concepts, ideas).
Mozilla Web Literacy Map Alignment Navigation: Using software tools to browse the web Accessing the web using the common features of web browsers Using hyperlinks to access a range of resources on the web Recognizing the visual cues in everyday web services Credibility: Critically evaluating information found on the web. Researching authorship and ownership of websites and their content.

Lesson Development -activities and transitions (CCT Domain 1): Background information: Students have finished reading To Kill A Mockingbird. They have been responding to and analyzing various literary elements as they read. Throughout the novel, we have discussed the issue of racism as it affects the events in the story. As a class,  we previously read, responded in writing and discussed the NY Times article, "Is Everyone a Little Bit Racist?" Lesson Development: Intro: Quick write - Have students respond to the following questions for 4 minutes:   What are the differences between online and offline reading? What did you “take away” from the article,   "Is Everyone a Little Bit Racist?" which we read and discussed the last class? Discuss responses. Teacher modeling of online reading. Using the SmartBoard, I will do a read aloud/ think aloud of the NY Times brief biography of Nicholas Kristof.  (Students will be reading Kristof editorials which are follow-ups to the initial op-ed piece, “Is Everyone A Little Bit Racist?” ). Strategies and concepts to discuss include: Not being distracted by surrounding advertisements. Headings in text Reputation of the publication (in this case the NY Times) Concept of an op-ed piece in journalism Reading the author’s bio to give insight into potential bias Purpose and use of hyperlinks in the text Using Chromebooks, students will log into my Google Classroom site to access the assignment. Included in the assignment are the following: Links to the Nicholas Kristof editorials on racism A worksheet for students to complete after reading. Students will be divided into 3 groups and assigned one of the following articles to read on their Chromebook. "When Whites Just Don't Get It" "When Whites Just Don't Get It, Part 2" "When Whites Just Don't Get It, Part 3" Students will read the article silently. I will ask them to focus on the author’s main argument and the details he uses to support it. I will also ask them to consider the validity of the author’s reasoning and the credibility of the supporting details. Students will then be placed into groups with others who have read the same article. Together, they will work to complete their individual worksheets. Since a copy of the worksheet is uploaded for each student on Google Classroom, they will be able to complete the worksheet online. They can also use a split screen display so that they can view the article and the worksheet simultaneously. (They will have to do this when taking the SBA). The worksheet involves researching one hyperlink in the article. Each student in the group will choose a different hyperlink to investigate. They will share what they learned with the other group members. After completing the group discussion / worksheet completion, each group will share what they learned with the whole class. Closure: Students will do a 5 minute quick write addressing the following questions: Is it true that “Whites Just Don’t Get It?” Explain. How does racism today compare with racism in the time of To Kill A Mockingbird? Does equality exist? If so where? How did we achieve it? If equality doesn’t exist, what can be done? Whip around: Each student in the class chooses one sentence from their response to share with the class.

Instructional Strategies (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Modeling Individual silent reading with chromebooks Small group discussion Whole class discussion Online completion of documents Sharing (whip around)

Modifications and Differentiation (CCT Domain 2): Individual conferencing to assist students who are having difficulty. Students assist one another with completion of worksheet. Choice of which hyperlink to investigate.

Assessments-Formative and/or Summative (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Informal assessment of group discussions as they are completing worksheet. Students will be assessed on successful completion of the worksheet. Informal assessment of groups sharing summaries of their article. Whip around / sharing of final thoughts.

The following documents are accessible by students on the Google classroom website:

Student worksheet / each student has a copy in Google Classroom

Links to NY Times Sources

Detailed Lesson #4: To Kill A Mockingbird: Final Project / Lessons Learned

In the past I have assigned an essay at the end of the book. This year, I decided to have kids discuss the lessons learned in the book and apply them to real life. I allowed the kids to choose the format for their project. Choices included a written essay on google docs, Powtoon, Pixton, Prezi, and EMaze.

Bristol Central IDT Lesson Planning Document

Lessons Learned: To Kill A Mockingbird: Final Project

Jody Ceglarski

Course: English 10 Unit: 1 Date: 10/31/14

Objectives	Lesson Essential Questions
Students will be able to identify lessons learned in To Kill A Mockingbird. Students will find evidence to support their ideas. Students will relate the lessons to the real world. Students will choose a platform to share their ideas with the class (actively and by publishing on the classroom website.)	Why is it necessary to justify my interpretation? How do I justify my interpretation? How is interactive reading part of a meaningful conversation between the reader and author about human experience? How do I organize and present my ideas so they make sense to my audience?
Which items are incorporated into this lesson?
Common Core State Standards
RL 2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details. SL 5: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. W 6: Use technology, including the Internet to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
Literacy Strategies (CCT Domain 2)
Close reading of text (To Kill A Mockingbird) Making inferences. Identifying themes. Making connections to experience / the world to enhance meaning Communicating through writing and/or multimedia presentations.
SBA Targets/Claims Addressed
Claim 1, Target 4: Make an inference or provide a conclusion and use supporting evidence to justify/explain inferences. Claim 1, Target 11: Reasoning and Evidence: Make an inference or provide a conclusion and use supporting evidence to justify claims, concepts, ideas.
Mozilla Web Literacy Map Alignment Building: Composing for the Web Combining multimedia resources Connecting: Creating web resources with others Sharing a resource using an appropriate tool and format for the audience.

Lesson Development -activities and transitions (CCT Domain 1): Background information: Students have completed reading To Kill A Mockingbird. They have been responding to and analyzing various literary elements as they read. Lesson Development: I will explain how to complete the graphic organizer for Lessons Learned.  I will use the SmartBoard to model completion of the chart by doing one example as a whole class. Students will identify a lesson learned in the book, identify the events that taught the lesson, and choose a supporting quote. Students will then work in cooperative groups to complete the graphic organizer. I will introduce the Lessons Learned project by explaining the directions and requirements. Basically, students will identify 3 important lessons learned, explain how the lessons were taught in the book, provide evidence, and relate the lesson to the world and to their lives. I will briefly demonstrate some of the options that students can choose. In particular, I will model Powtoon, EMaze, and Pixton, all of which are new to most of the students. They will choose a format to share their information with the class. Next, I distribute Chromebooks and have students log on with their school gmail address. Students spend the rest of the period creating their projects. I conference with individuals and assist as necessary to make sure everyone is on task. Students turn in their project on the Google Classroom site. Students present their project to the class. After presentations, as a class, we reflect on the lessons learned in the  book. We also discuss as a class the benefits and drawbacks of the various means of technology which were used.

Instructional Strategies (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Small group discussion Whole class discussion Modeling Guided instruction Individual conferencing Individual work using Chromebooks Sharing / Reflecting

Modifications and Differentiation (CCT Domain 2): Students choose the platform for their project. Individual conferencing to assist students who are having difficulty. Students discuss what they learned about the technology they used which will be helpful to students on future assignments. Students assist one another.

Assessments-Formative and/or Summative (CCT Domain 2 & 3): Students will be scored on the content, quality and effectiveness of their presentation.  See rubric attached. Whole class reflection on lessons learned and technology benefits and limitations.

 Comments:

Graphic Organizer: "Lessons Learned"

Directions and rubric for students