Module 8

Of everything I have learned, I think developing the unit plan will have the biggest impact on student learning in my classroom because it reminded me to give great consideration to each of the areas. It reminded me how important assessment is to think of BEFORE teaching the lesson to be certain that it measures the goals that I want to accomplish, it reminded me to think of all the activities and their purpose ahead of time, and to make certain resources, especially technology, are integrated and appeal to all skill levels. I have learned to incorporate technology into many aspects of my instruction, but I also need to let the kids be in charge of it more so that they learn the programs at an early age.

I would haved liked to learn how to use more programs during this course, instead of learning them on my own, because I don't have a lot of time for that. And it would be good to learn how to manage technology in the classroom some. But developing a large unit like this really made me consider all aspects, and make sure all areas of a lesson are fully developed and appropriate for the concept at hand.

Module 6 Reflection

This module has helped me think about self-directed learning and differentiation by forcing me to focus on the specific areas of our unit that meet individual needs and what areas we could amp up so that they appeal to all. There are certain portions of the unit that will lend themselves nicely to each type of learning style and skill level, but it's important to remember to assign or utilize the various students in the area that suits them. It's always good to be reminded of this and focus on it as much as possible in planning, implementing and assessing.

Module 5 Reflection

Student-Centered assessment is important because it allows the students to take responsibility for their learning. If they know exactly what is expected of them up front, and have the tools to monitor their progress throughout the project, they can stay focused and ensure they have a quality product. With teacher guidance, they can be sure they are headed in the right direction and there will be no surprises after all their hard work. It also makes things clear for both teacher and student so that they are on the same page and can work together toward their goals.

Module 4 Reflection

There a variety of ways that technology can be used to support and assess student learning. For instance, teachers can let small groups, pairs or individual students complete Kidspiration activities, webquests and other online activities that have a final product or assessment. The students can then print this out and the teacher will have a hard copy to grade and see how well they understood. Teachers can also task the students with creating graphic organizers, blog posts, etc online to see their knowledge. The students can also create an array of final products to showcase their learning such as PowerPoints, online books (can't remember the name?!), brochures, or movies.

Module 3 Reflection

This module has helped me think about the impact of the Internet on my students' learning because of the sheer depth of the internet. There is such a vast amount of information and great resources out there. It takes time on the teacher's part to weed through it all and determine what the students can use or read based on their level, but with time, a lot of valuable tools can be found.

The internet also opens the doors to communication that was not possible before. Sharing and learning from others via online tools has endless possibilities. At the first grade level, and for this PBL Unit we are developing, I think the internet will be beneficial for research, for collaborating on documents, and for communicating with other students in foreign countries. With minimal guidance, even such young students can utilize these tools in ways that allow them to take control of their learning and really get a lot out of it.

Module 2 Reflection

This module has helped me think about using standards, CFQs, or formative assessment in the following ways:

• The essential question seems to be a lesson opener, or a thought-provoking big picture concept to get the students interested and thinking.
• The content questions are helpful because they tie to the exact standards and content that you are required to cover.
• Then the unit questions take the essential question into a greater focus, and bring the content questions up to a higher level that requires thought, investigation and problem solving.
• I have always used the standards during instruction and planning, but it's important to let the children's personal interests and natural curiosity drive some of the learning, and not be stuck in a box with the specific standards.
• Formative assessment is simply a way to monitor progress and provide immediate feedback - something that should always be embedded in order to achieve success in learning goals.

Module 1 Reflection

This module has made me think about my role as an instructional designer in the following ways….
It has made me think about what Project-Based Learning is and what it means to my students. Using essential and guiding questions to ensure that goals are reached and mini-milestones are passed at critical points during the learning process will help focus the lessons and assess whether or not the students have learned the content.