Google Classroom Review / Distance Learning / ED 722

Distance Learning Medium Review of Google Classroom / ED 722

Personal Online Case Study / Final Reflection on Distance Learning / ED 722

Jody Ceglarski

Distance Learning / ED 722

March 26, 2015

Personal Online Case Study

Three words come to mind to describe the qualities necessary to be a successful online learner and educator: ingenuity, patience, and persistence. I’m not there yet, but I’m working on developing all three. When I run into a technological snafu (which happens frequently), I find myself thinking of Albert Einstein’s quote after I have repeatedly failed to rectify an issue by doing the same thing “over and over again.” Too often I demonstrated a lack of ingenuity, impatience and little persistence. Now, whether something won’t upload onto YouTube, or I can’t figure out the timing on a Powtoon, I am learning to take a deep breath and try something different - ingenuity. I am also learning to be patient - some things take time. Finally, I am learning persistence - I rarely give up.

As a high school English teacher, I am not currently in a position to be an online educator. High school students need face to face interaction and a personal connection with the teacher. However, I have markedly increased my use of technology in the classroom, largely thanks to the IT&DML program at University of New Haven. I believe that this semester I have become much more comfortable with the new platforms and applications that I am now sharing with my students. The combination of classes in the IT&DML program this semester, Distance Learning and Global Literacy, proved to be perfect partners. I not only gained a lot of technological skill, I was exposed to many global resources that I was previously unaware of. In addition, the Distance Education class and readings helped me to see how to use Internet resources effectively with my students. I also began to see my role much more as a facilitator as I attempt to move my students from passive learners to active ones.

My shift towards blended learning has been fostered by my implementation of Google Classroom this year. I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I am very pleased with it so far. My school also has more Chromebooks available this year, which has enabled me to give my students much more time to research, read, and create online. As part of the Common Core, one of our goals in the English Department has been to increase the quantity of nonfiction that our students read. I have used Google Classroom to provide links to multiple articles on whatever topic is at hand. Students have been able to log on and choose the article they want to read and share with the class. By providing students with choices of multiple resources, not only has engagement grown, but class knowledge has expanded as students share their articles with one another.

I have also implemented a great deal of choice in assessments. The five paragraph essay is falling by the wayside (finally!) Kids still write essays, but frequently they choose to present their learning in a variety of mediums. A few of the platforms I have introduced my students to are Prezi, eMaze, Thinglink, Powtoon, Animoto, Piktochart, Pixton, and Storify (one of my favorites). Of course the old standbys on Google Docs are available, but students are becoming more adventurous. Students get excited about projects and I think it’s largely because they have a choice in topics and in format. With the experience that I am gaining in my classes at UNH, I am more comfortable helping kids when they have a technological problem. We try a different approach to fix the glitch instead of doing the same thing “over and over again!” I’m also not afraid to admit when I’m not sure how a site works; we look at it together and figure it out.

In addition to getting new ideas from the readings and classes, my colleagues have provided inspiration to me to explore new topics. I learn a lot by reading everyone’s responses to the prompts each week. It’s comforting to know that others struggle with the same issues (such as lack of homework completion or introduction of multiple initiatives at once), yet they find ways to work around it as I try to do. I enjoy seeing the technological tools that my colleagues choose to use. I’m not afraid to try new things on my own or with my students. Getting rid of that “fear of failure” is liberating.

The Distance Learning class has also exposed me to the value of social media in education. In particular, I see that there is a lot I can learn on Twitter. Completing the Storify each week gave me an opportunity to find additional resources and Twitter was a productive source. I still want to learn more about maximizing the use of social media and other open learning opportunities. There’s so much to learn and so little time.

At the end of this semester, I will be more than halfway through the Sixth Year Program. When I started the program I thought that I would learn what I had to and be finished. Now I see that I am just scratching the surface. As far as the program goes, my blog continues to grow, but I know I have a lot of work to do on my learning hub. My website definitely needs to be developed further. I also look forward to the remaining classes. I want to continue to expand the role of technology in my high school classes. Again, I stress my belief that creating a personal connection with my students is invaluable. However, I am excited by the prospects that the Internet has to offer. The resources that I can pass along to my students are endless. Twenty-first century skills are a requirement for students today. Kids need to be able to navigate the Web and synthesize a plethora of resources. They need to be creative problem-solvers and clear communicators. My classroom is definitely moving towards a blended learning environment as I hope to help my students achieve the skills they need to be productive members of society.

I’m so much more comfortable now with online and blended learning than I was at the start of the program. I feel that I now have the confidence to learn on my own. After all, there’s a YouTube tutorial on just about everything! My learning won’t be finished at the end of the summer. It’s really just the beginning. And when I get frustrated or discouraged, I just need to remember, “ingenuity, patience and persistence.”

Image credit (tumblr.com)

Teach Like A Pirate / Distance Learning / Week 7

Please discuss the most potent points in the discussion this week. What instructional and pedagogical opportunities are out there to build student voice, choice, and agency? How will you create learning experiences for your unique learners?

Dave Burgess wrote the book, Teach Like A Pirate to share his philosophy of teaching. After listening to the video chats, his outlook on education is simple: “Don’t just teach a lesson, create an experience.”  The participants in the first discussion talk about the “secrets of engagement.” Again, it’s simple - tie whatever you’re doing into something kids are already interested in.

Burgess divides teaching into three parts.

One of Burgess’ main points is that teachers learn about content, techniques and methods in school, but they rarely learn about presentation which is the key to delivering successful lessons.

I agree with a lot of what Burgess says. While I’m not really one to dress up as literary characters to get my students’ attention, I do try to engage them in other ways. I try to make my lessons as participatory as possible. I strongly believe that learning should be active not passive. The increased use of technology has helped a lot to get kids engaged.

Choice is another important factor in creating engagement and I try to incorporate choice into activities as much as possible. For the semester 1 writing unit, students had to write an argument essay. Thanks to the availability of Chromebooks for my classroom, I was able to provide links to the NY Times Room for Debate section where students could choose from a multitude of topics to research. Students were much more engaged and I benefitted by not having to read 85 essays on the same topic. For other projects, students have had choice in the way that they present information. We’ve also conducted research projects on various topics and students have “jigsawed” to share their newfound knowledge with the rest of the class. We’ve used various platforms to present information (mostly thanks to what I’ve learned in the IT&DML program) including Storify, Prezi, Powtoon, Animoto, Haiku Deck and Google Docs. I have also spoken with our Literacy Consultant about creating a literature circle unit this spring. We are going to work together to give kids several choices in what they read in the hopes of increasing engagement in reading.

When I started listening to the Google Hangout about gaming, I will admit that I was skeptical. My initial reaction was that everything can’t be made into a game - learning is just plain old hard work sometimes. However, when Burgess explained that it’s not necessary to turn everything into a game it began to make sense. Basically, teachers need be prepared to have a multitude of strategies at their disposal because you never know what will work. Figuring out ways to incorporate popular ideas into content is one way to make learning fun and relevant for kids. The bottom line though is that you need to do anything that works.

I try to mix up the type of activities in my class as much as possible. I want to share my passion for what I’m teaching with the kids. I want to continue learning and I’m constantly looking for new ideas. I’m not ready to dress up as Louis XIV and gorge on food as an intro to the French Revolution as one of the teachers participating in the hangout did, but I try my best to make learning interesting so that my students will be actively engaged in their work.


And here is my Week 7 Storify: Voice and Choice