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677 Artifact Reflection #2
In Module 4, I used Flippity to create a scavenger hunt related to the 1930s Dust Bowl which was a central theme for my high school Earth Science sustainable farming unit. Flippity works with coded spreadsheets to present information in a fun and engaging way. Take a look at the scavenger hunt I created!
I did enjoy developing this activity for my students. It's not necessarily easy to set up--there's definitely a learning curve for some of the activities that Flippity offers. But with some trial and error, you get a finished product that you can be proud of. I would encourage anyone looking for something different to use in their classroom to try it! All the activities on Flippity can be used for any K-12 group of students. I was impressed that the scavenger hunt allowed you to add multimedia including images, youtube videos, links to websites, google docs and some fun math functions including EquatIO equations and Desmos. Besides the scavenger hunt, I feel these are the most useful for a high school teacher or student to use: flashcards, quiz show, timeline, badge tracker, and the progress indicator. Many of the other functions are useful too, it's just a matter of exploring and testing what Flippity has to offer.
Playing "games" in class to review concepts is nothing new. I remember creating Jeopardy! review games using the old fashioned power point platform in my early years of teaching. Lately, the buzz word for educational technology enthusiasts is gamification. There's lots more to gamification than just playing Jeopardy!; they way technology has seeped into education has allowed teachers to bring many fun learning activities into the classroom. Educational platforms like Flippity help achieve this and I encourage you to try it out!
677 Artifact Reflection #1
My high school Earth Science students have been engaged in a unit related to sustainable farming. In the last four weeks, my students have looked at the past, the present, and the future of farming in the United States. I would like to share my thoughts on two multimedia tools that I was introduced to in Module 2 and how I used them to create an EdPuzzle video related to the 1930s Dust Bowl.
The first resource I learned more about was a site called Listenwise. This is a free platform that provides snippets of National Public Radio (NPR) shows as podcasts for teaching and learning. Every day, NPR puts out many incredible stories and some of those stories have tons of learning potential for teachers and students. These stories go beyond the written text in helping teachers and students connect to topics like never before.
I thought a library of podcasts that a person could keyword search was pretty impressive, but Listenwise goes further in providing comprehension questions, discussion themes, vocabulary, listening graphic organizers, quizzes connected to the podcast, transcripts so that students can read along, and class activities related to external resources.
Although it didn't directly relate to the creation of my EdPuzzle video, the Listenwise resources I found helped supplement my unit. I look forward to using this platform in the future for other units I teach.
The second resource that I used to create my Module 2 assignment was the website called Critical Past. This is another free platform that provides historical video clips and images. The collection has thousands of videos and thousands more of still images. All the media are available for viewing online, or for immediate download. Critical Past includes some of history’s most notable moments.
I was looking for some media on the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and the Great Depression and found a speech that FDR gave to a crowd of citizens from the Great Plains during his presidency. Critical Past's site is well-organized and easy to use. With a few different keyword searches and some time to listen, I had found what I was looking for! And because EdPuzzle allows users to upload their own videos, it was easy to download a video taken from Critical Past and turn it into a teaching tool for my farming unit!
I found Listenwise and Critical Past to be very useful multimedia tools. I even went so far as to suggest these two platforms to several science and social studies teachers at my school. After reading this reflection, I hope you too have an opportunity to discover these versatile resources!
The first resource I learned more about was a site called Listenwise. This is a free platform that provides snippets of National Public Radio (NPR) shows as podcasts for teaching and learning. Every day, NPR puts out many incredible stories and some of those stories have tons of learning potential for teachers and students. These stories go beyond the written text in helping teachers and students connect to topics like never before.
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Although it didn't directly relate to the creation of my EdPuzzle video, the Listenwise resources I found helped supplement my unit. I look forward to using this platform in the future for other units I teach.
The second resource that I used to create my Module 2 assignment was the website called Critical Past. This is another free platform that provides historical video clips and images. The collection has thousands of videos and thousands more of still images. All the media are available for viewing online, or for immediate download. Critical Past includes some of history’s most notable moments.
I was looking for some media on the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and the Great Depression and found a speech that FDR gave to a crowd of citizens from the Great Plains during his presidency. Critical Past's site is well-organized and easy to use. With a few different keyword searches and some time to listen, I had found what I was looking for! And because EdPuzzle allows users to upload their own videos, it was easy to download a video taken from Critical Past and turn it into a teaching tool for my farming unit!
I found Listenwise and Critical Past to be very useful multimedia tools. I even went so far as to suggest these two platforms to several science and social studies teachers at my school. After reading this reflection, I hope you too have an opportunity to discover these versatile resources!
Elements and Principles of Graphic Design
Module 5 - Graphic Design and Typography
Why might incorporating graphic design into the classroom be valuable?
Graphic design and the use of infographics can communicate information in a direct and powerful way. I was introduced to graphic design and infographics at the ISTE conference last summer (2018). I gathered some great resources from the sessions I attended and have tried to find ways to incorporate infographics in my lessons but haven’t used them with my student’s designing their own. I’m most comfortable with Canva, Google Drawing, and Adobe Spark.
Thinking about how students absorb information, how might teachers better support the learners in their classrooms?
My high school students are very tech savvy and seem to respond well to infographics. They can absorb small bits of information quickly, but seem to be overwhelmed many times with longer news articles. Using graphic design to teach, communicate and present information is stimulating for students. I am a strong supporter of giving students the choice to complete larger assignments or projects in their own way. They have the option to communicate information using what some educators might call a choice menu. In this way, students are allowed time and space to master their learning. graphic design and infographics could be one way for students to demonstrate their learning and expand their digital skills at the same time.
Envision an activity, unit or event that is approaching. How might you incorporate some of the design principles?
I’m getting ready to start a climate science unit - a very hot topic these days in the science and political realms. I have my high school students research both sides of the global warming debate. They set up their own Padlets to organize their research, data, facts and figures, graphics, videos, and resources. They eventually “choose a side” and support their viewpoints with evidence that is backed by valid and reliable resources. This question is giving me that fluttery, tingly feeling when I want to try something new. An infographic from each student or group of students could be a powerful demonstration of scientific research not only for my students in class BUT for the entire school if we made them into actual hang-on-the-wall posters. I might be silently squealing with delight!
Why might incorporating graphic design into the classroom be valuable?
Graphic design and the use of infographics can communicate information in a direct and powerful way. I was introduced to graphic design and infographics at the ISTE conference last summer (2018). I gathered some great resources from the sessions I attended and have tried to find ways to incorporate infographics in my lessons but haven’t used them with my student’s designing their own. I’m most comfortable with Canva, Google Drawing, and Adobe Spark.
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Thinking about how students absorb information, how might teachers better support the learners in their classrooms?
My high school students are very tech savvy and seem to respond well to infographics. They can absorb small bits of information quickly, but seem to be overwhelmed many times with longer news articles. Using graphic design to teach, communicate and present information is stimulating for students. I am a strong supporter of giving students the choice to complete larger assignments or projects in their own way. They have the option to communicate information using what some educators might call a choice menu. In this way, students are allowed time and space to master their learning. graphic design and infographics could be one way for students to demonstrate their learning and expand their digital skills at the same time.
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| image source |
I’m getting ready to start a climate science unit - a very hot topic these days in the science and political realms. I have my high school students research both sides of the global warming debate. They set up their own Padlets to organize their research, data, facts and figures, graphics, videos, and resources. They eventually “choose a side” and support their viewpoints with evidence that is backed by valid and reliable resources. This question is giving me that fluttery, tingly feeling when I want to try something new. An infographic from each student or group of students could be a powerful demonstration of scientific research not only for my students in class BUT for the entire school if we made them into actual hang-on-the-wall posters. I might be silently squealing with delight!
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