Reflection
Reflection
This course was beneficial to me as an educator in that I learned not only a few new technologies to incorporate into my teaching but also how to create a PBL, a UbD and develop a grant. In the past, I had considered all of these to be too time-consuming. The PBL is somewhat time-consuming, but if you have an idea and sources, the process goes rather quickly. The UbD took considerable time. There were many components to consider, but in the end, I had a unit that will last at least a month and provide students with a unique learning experience. I was most surprised about the ease of writing the grant. I know some grants require letters of references and lots of other data, but the NEF grant that I chose was pretty straightforward. It was a form and you basically just fill it out and get a few signatures. I also looked at several other grants and many of these were simply comprised of completing a form with three or four boxes - seems easy enough. Moving forward, I plan to apply for more grants.
An article that stood out to me was The Flipped Classroom: Pro and Con from Edutopia Online. The author, Mary Beth Hertz discusses the pros and cons of flipped learning, which I found helpful as I like the idea of this teaching approach, but also recognize many inherent problems. According to Hertz, "...flipped classroom has truly individualized learning for students. Teachers describe how students can now move at their own pace, how they can review what they need when they need to, and how the teacher is then freed up to work one-on-one with students on the content they most need support with" (2015). The benefit of maximizing classroom time as well as allowing students to work at their own pace far outweighs the problems with flipped learning. This convinced me to start using flipped learning in my classroom when feasible.
One discussion that stands out to me was from module six - the in-class discussion about assistive technology and differentiation. One of the topics we discussed is how over the past 5 - 7 years or so technology has played a huge part in leveling the academic playing field. I remember when students who needed text-to-speech technology had to use a program/device called Dragon. In order to get this technology, I would have to fill out a form, submit it to the district, get it approved and then have someone come out and train the student. Now, with Google Read and Write and many other technologies, Dragon has not only become obsolete, but all students have access to this technology. This leads me to another idea of if all students are gaining access to the same technologies that in the past were typically used by students needing interventions or students with IEP's, it is now becoming more difficult to differentiate the accommodations. In my experience as an LBS, I have seen a decrease in student accommodations since the technology already exists. For example, in the past, I might write, access to a word processor for written assignments. Now, everyone at the school has a Chromebook and access to this accommodation is now obsolete.
This course provided me with several assignments that have helped me grow as an educator. The assignment that helped me the most was the grant writing. I always imagined grant writing as a cumbersome project that would take days to complete and require letters of reference and other obstacles to overcome. However, most grants that I looked at were rather simple. It appeared that organizations want to help teachers and have streamlined the grant application process. With that said, there were some grants that were much more in-depth and time-consuming. I plan on writing grants moving forward - it can't hurt and it's rather simple to do.
As I continue to grow professionally, I will continue my education by continuing this series of courses through St. Francis which culminates in one more class. After that, I plan to spend time using the tools, strategies and concepts learned from the classes in my teaching. Eventually, I will enroll in more classes to help me grow as an educator. I figure the classes will most likely be in technology again due to the fast pace of the creation of new technologies. The last thing I want to do is fall behind and be one of those teachers who is in the dark when it comes to the latest technological trends.
One discussion that stands out to me was from module six - the in-class discussion about assistive technology and differentiation. One of the topics we discussed is how over the past 5 - 7 years or so technology has played a huge part in leveling the academic playing field. I remember when students who needed text-to-speech technology had to use a program/device called Dragon. In order to get this technology, I would have to fill out a form, submit it to the district, get it approved and then have someone come out and train the student. Now, with Google Read and Write and many other technologies, Dragon has not only become obsolete, but all students have access to this technology. This leads me to another idea of if all students are gaining access to the same technologies that in the past were typically used by students needing interventions or students with IEP's, it is now becoming more difficult to differentiate the accommodations. In my experience as an LBS, I have seen a decrease in student accommodations since the technology already exists. For example, in the past, I might write, access to a word processor for written assignments. Now, everyone at the school has a Chromebook and access to this accommodation is now obsolete.
This course provided me with several assignments that have helped me grow as an educator. The assignment that helped me the most was the grant writing. I always imagined grant writing as a cumbersome project that would take days to complete and require letters of reference and other obstacles to overcome. However, most grants that I looked at were rather simple. It appeared that organizations want to help teachers and have streamlined the grant application process. With that said, there were some grants that were much more in-depth and time-consuming. I plan on writing grants moving forward - it can't hurt and it's rather simple to do.
As I continue to grow professionally, I will continue my education by continuing this series of courses through St. Francis which culminates in one more class. After that, I plan to spend time using the tools, strategies and concepts learned from the classes in my teaching. Eventually, I will enroll in more classes to help me grow as an educator. I figure the classes will most likely be in technology again due to the fast pace of the creation of new technologies. The last thing I want to do is fall behind and be one of those teachers who is in the dark when it comes to the latest technological trends.
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Jason -- I liked that you reflected on the fact that while the UBD takes considerable amount of time to complete, it does give you a plan for around a month. When you put it this way, it doesn't seem like the length of time to create it is that unreasonable. I also thought the grant writing was going to be too much work, so I have never written one. I think going forward I will actually consider applying for one through NEF. Have you thought about what you might ask for?
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
DeleteI think I am going to ask for SEL books - 16 Habits of Mind and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. I also would like to get some money for supplies to use for some of the team-building activities.
Jason,
ReplyDeleteI had a very similar outlook about PBL, Flipped Learning and Grant Writing as you at the onset of this class. It is amazing how much my thinking changed over these last eight weeks. I have always been impressed by colleagues who have written and won grants and the amazing thing they have been able to do as a result. I felt like the actual hardest part of the grant writing was deciding what I wanted to write a grant for and which one to apply for. It was so easy to write the grant about something I was passionate about and would really help my students. I look forward to writing more in the future, and hopefully winning one day!
I also appreciate your perspective on the way technology has changed IEPs and accommodations in the classroom. I feel that I have anecdotal experience of this but it is great to hear from the perspective of someone who is writing IEPs. As technology continues to improve, what do you think it will mean for our students who do need accommodations? How do you think it will it change the current system?
Good question Erin. I am uncertain how this will change the current system. I guess there will be less focus on technology accommodations and more focus on others - extended time, graphic organizers and such. The abundance of available technology may also lead to less contentious IEP meetings which often focus on appropriate accommodations.
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