680 Course Reflection

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About 18 months ago, I started the Teaching with Technology endorsement program through the University of St. Francis. My first course was EEND 675: Foundations of Educational Technology. My final reflection today marks the last day of the last course in the endorsement sequence, EEND 680: 21st Century Educational Leadership, and my last hurrah in this program.

The ISTE standards have been the common thread throughout every course and each USF adjunct instructor has done a respectable job reminding course participants of their importance in education today. My goal is to continue to incorporate the student, teacher, and teacher-leader standards in my curriculum and be a resource in my school building.

Speaking of instructors...Michelle Nevin, Kristin Beeler, Scott Hagedorn, and Kim Darche were phenomenal leaders in their own right as they helped many of us along this path. I've also had the pleasure of meeting some great educators from all across the DuPage area who have participated in these courses with me. I've enjoyed the countless face-to-face and virtual encounters with many of you and have learned a great deal from your experiences.

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It's fitting that I end the program with this course because leadership has taken on a new meaning for me as I've progressed through the course sequence. Educational technology programs, applications, and platforms will continue to improve, and newer, better things will come along to enhance curriculum and guide student learning. Compared to 18 months ago, I can clearly see the importance of developing better digital citizens in my classroom, maintaining/modeling a positive and ethical presence online, and using technology to address the 4 Cs - communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Part of my job as an educator is preparing 21st-century learners to be successful, contributing members of society.

I doubt I will every move into an administrative role as I'm quite happy being a science teacher, department head and ed tech leader in my building. I endeavor to redefine my leadership role and be a lifelong learner in fulfilling this quote by John Quincy Adams: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader."

680 Artifact Reflection #1

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Professional Development. It's a very interesting word.

A word that conjures this notion that information, discussion, and practice improves our profession.

Educational PD topics are broad and limitless; usually tied to school improvement goals, established by administrators, or (hopefully) shaped by teacher input. As I approach another school year, no doubt chockfull of PD opportunities, I reflect in this post about my opportunity to design a day of professional development and reflection.

In Module 6, I developed a full-day PD opportunity designed around the Edcamp model which

• allows educators to take charge of their own PD and attend sessions that most pertain to their needs or goals
• allows educators to collaboratively determine session topics
• encourages educators to facilitate sessions by sharing experiences and conversations, not a planned presentation

Edcamps were “born” to include sessions about using technology in the classroom but don’t always; many times it’s related to general education topics.

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I’ve attended a few edcamps through conferences I’ve attended and was pleased by the overall outcome. I walked out feeling better educated on topics than if I had attended an individual conference session with one main presenter talking to me. Edcamps are hard to implement if the school climate isn’t receptive to this sort of idea. Some teachers are comfortable being told what to do and where to go. Those teachers sit through sessions and (usually) don’t pay attention but are perfectly content to waste a half-day sitting there. But, there are other colleagues I work with who would like to see more personalized PD that relate to topics in education or technology that we grapple with day after day, year after year. Why not experience PD together and be expert presenters together?

With these ideas in mind, I developed a professional development day for the CTE, Science and Math Departments at my school. The design of the agenda allowed for teacher choice, personal reflection, and small group work that would continue throughout the year during PLC meetings. I was pleased with the outcome and hope to present my ideas to the building administrators at my school.

678 Course Reflection

And just like that, I am one class away from completing this Technology Specialist endorsement program through the University of St. Francis. In the last 18 months, I have grown as an individual and educator, meeting the demands and challenges of this program with an open mind and a willing spirit. This course required a bit more work on my part in comparison to other USF courses, but the outcomes were beneficial and will definitely move me forward in my career.

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There are two takeaways from this course that I'd like to reflect on. The first relates to the importance of essential questions in driving course objectives. Essential questions are necessary and integral components of a unit's daily lessons. The students need to observe and understand the relatedness of each essential question as a unit progress from beginning to end. The essential questions also help to formulate assessment criteria when a unit wraps up. Good essential questions can drive the learning and be linked to quality instructional materials.

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The second takeaway relates to the first. Essential questions are the bones of a good project/problem-based learning (PBL) unit. With the aid of technology in the classroom, students have an opportunity to solve problems and generate educational materials that support their wonderings. PBL units also use the 4 Cs - creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking - to enhance a student's learning experience and develop the 21st-century skills needed to be a responsible digital consumer and citizen. This course has provided a wealth of research to support the use of PBL in education. As technology continues to advance, I'm certain PBL will be a common way of learning in classrooms, including mine.

678 Artifact Reflection #2

In Module 4, I reflected on the feedback that several of my classmates gave on my PBL unit ideas and ended up pursuing my third topic listed. My essential question for is “Why is all the ice on Earth melting?” I started to get some ideas about this topic in the last USF course (677) I was enrolled and the idea seemed plausible to pursue with my high school Earth science students. You can find my climate science PBL unit outline HERE.

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This is a science topic that requires considerable research and students can arrive at multiple “correct” answers to satisfy the essential question. Most of the technology listed in the unit outline I have used before with my students, with the exception of the infographic platforms. Because I want my students to create quality infographic posters as one of their end products, I expect that I will need to provide some instruction in order for them to use Canva, Piktochart, and/or Adobe Spark. I'm excited to see what my students create!

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I think that sharing information outside of the classroom is a powerful means to communicate with other people. Student-generated infographics about climate science not only show other teachers what’s going on in other departments but it validates the importance of this topic to other students who are not enrolled in the class. This type of project-based learning promotes student voice and choice; something they would readily admit they don’t have the opportunity to engage in very often in any of their classes. This should be a great opportunity for my students to show what they know in supporting the essential question “Why is all the ice on Earth melting?"

Once I try this PBL unit for the first time next school year, I'll be able to reflect on the pros, cons, and outcomes of the unit, collect student feedback, keep some of the infographics for future school years to show students, and use my experience to educate others in my building. I worked tirelessly on this unit and hope to find success with it next school year.

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.

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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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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!

#ISTE2018 - Things I Learned, Things I Love, Things You Should Know About...

The International Society for Technology in Education held a massive conference this summer in Chicago, bringing together teachers, administrators, and tech specialists to learn about the most effective and innovative ways to integrate technology in the classroom. The ISTE conference offered sessions on a wide range of topics, where presenters shared ideas, strategies, and tools for using technology to enhance learning.

Apart from the scheduled sessions, the conference brought together 18,500 people from all across the U.S. and 87 other countries. Connecting with other like-minded educators had a whole host of benefits:

• strengthened my resolve to keep getting better with teaching and technology
• established connections that will last well beyond the conference
• provided effective and exciting teaching practices

So how did I, a science teacher from a small high school west of Chicago, find out about this conference and burst onto the scene? TWITTER. Twitter has really been a turning point in my 16-year teaching career. It has become a go-to resource to connect to awesome people who broaden my horizons and inspire me to take risks and be innovative.

I attended the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) conference when it was in Chicago three years ago. Same location, same setup, lots of walking and LOTS of sessions. My experience three years ago definitely prepared me for ISTE’s conference. Except maybe for the walking tech zombie part...many of us were walking around with our devices, hoping to avoid others who were also looking at their device getting to or from somewhere in our quest to get in line for a session, show up on time for an amazing raffle prize in expo hall, or just find a bathroom!

#ISTE2018 took it to the next level when it came to useful (but sometimes overwhelming) amounts of information. I did my best to stay organized and pull together resources from my sessions that I could use and could also share with my colleagues. My experience was stimulating, productive, and engaging. This graphic (created using one of my new tech tools, Adobe Spark!) offers some buzzwords that summarize my 4-day experience.

Based on this list, an outsider might think I didn’t actually attend a technology conference! But it wasn’t really about technology - it was about how to use technology tools to enhance what teachers are already doing in their classrooms! Sure, the big guys...Google, Microsoft and LEGO, were in attendance but it wasn’t about them. It was about teachers helping teachers be better teachers as they use technology to educate their students.

Innovation, creation, and curiosity were mentioned in the bulleted list above. These words were echoed over and over throughout the four days. Young students traveling from all parts of the nation and even internationally were in attendance to share with attendees their passion for learning. They were excited to share how they were using technology in their classroom to any stranger who approached their table. Andy Weir, the author of The Martian, referred to the problem-solving main character, Mark Watney, in his keynote speech. Kids need to tinker and figure things out (with or without technology). And @TheTechRabbi, Michael Cohen, shared a moving and powerful message to all who sat before him, reminding the audience that “innovation is not achieved by knowledge and skill alone. It’s through having belief in yourself, belief in others and belief in something bigger than us. We need to give our students the courage to believe that they can create incredible things in the world.” The ability to challenge and engage students was a common theme throughout the conference and renewed my spirit in preparation for the coming school year.

When #TeachersBecomeStudents, amazing things happen in our quest to be lifelong learners. A little professional development goes a long way in rekindling our passion and love of learning.

675 Course Reflection

As my coursework in EEND 675 comes to an end, it's time to reflect on my learning the last eight weeks. Each week I learned something new that engaged me and improved my level of understanding in educational technology. Being introduced to the ISTE standards was one of the bigger takeaways from this course. Not only am I responsible for my content standards, but I should also take an active role in teaching my students and modeling the technology standards in order to make them "future ready".

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The collegial discussions that took place each week were interesting. Gaining new insight and understanding people's perspectives definitely enriched my learning experience. The discussion I most enjoyed was the 5th C. Every "C" that was suggested made me consider how it would impact my teaching and my student's learning.

My favorite assignment was the Multimedia Project from Module 4. I enjoyed creating the activity because it incorporated many resources in one location and it's ready to be used in my Earth Science curriculum for next school year! The project made me reflect on how important it is to have a variety of lessons that incorporate technology and make them engaging enough to draw students in day after day.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I've really worked hard at becoming a connected educator. My participation on Twitter has increased, as I've followed many people that I think will suggest ways to be a better educator and individual. Twitter is there when you need it; you shouldn't feel compelled to check it every day like other social media platforms. A quick 10-minute stream scroll or search is all it takes to make sure I'm plugged into my PLN.

Path to Success

Professional development in educational technology can sometimes be absent within a district or building, yet it's a necessary form of education that all teachers should regularly participate in. This course is my first in the USF Educational Technology Endorsement program and I look forward to continuing my journey of understanding and incorporating technology as it relates to me both personally and professionally.

675 Artifact Reflection

As I reflect on the class, Foundations of Educational Technology, I am compelled to consider how this introductory class has impacted my teaching and learning. When first introduced to the ISTE standards, it resonated with me how important the technology standards were. If ISTE standards are not taught in conjunction with content standards (for me its NGSS), there is a gap in understanding! That gap hinders my students from practicing, refining, and mastering the 21st-century skills needed to be successful. In recognizing this gap, I shifted my perspective and hope to implement more ISTE standards that correlate with the current science standards I address throughout the school year.

The two artifacts I'm choosing to highlight in my reflection post include my Collaborative Assignment from Module 3 and my Multimedia Project from Module 4.

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In Module 3, I learned to create a collaborative assignment that included student perspectives on a topic related to glaciers. After watching the movie trailer for Chasing Ice, the assignment asked each student to respond to the question "How are portraits of people’s faces and portraits of ice the same thing?" Students were directed to a collaborative tech tool called Lino where they posted their responses and were asked to share their favorite glacier portrait. In posting to Lino, students could see each other's posts and compare pictures. In creating this assignment I had to be aware of the ethical use of other's pictures and plan to use this lesson with my high school Earth Science students to demonstrate fair use, copyright, and plagiarism.

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In Module 4, I added to my collaborative assignment by creating a multimedia project that incorporated a variety of media to enhance my lesson on glaciers in the United States. Within Google Slides, I was able to embed a topographic relief map of Alaska, add a YouTube video of Glacier Bay National Park, and hyperlink text and photos to various website links to create a multi-day activity that studied glacier formation and movement. In creating this project, I again had to be aware of the fair use of media in education. I liked how this project turned out because of the variety of multimedia tools I incorporated to engage my science students.

In looking ahead at future courses within this endorsement program, I'd like to continue to explore and implement the TPACK framework, and SAMR and RAT models to create, develop and enhance my units and lessons. In order to cross the threshold between substitution/augmentation and modification/redefinition, I need to study my science lessons closely to see how they tie to the ISTE standards and carve out some time to reflect and make changes to those lessons when necessary.