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.
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.
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.
