EDLD 5364 Course Embedded Reflection - Wk 5

     What a journey EDLD 5364 has been.  This course has been a substitute course for me because I am not a technology student.  I consider myself to be about average when it comes to using technology, but I was very overwhelmed at the beginning of this class because of my unfamiliarity with certain technological aspects that would be required.  My group TEAM AWESOME 5364 has been great to work with.  I have learned so much from them.  I normally hate group projects, but because of this experience, I have become an even bigger advocate of technology and collaboration in the classroom.   

     As a teacher, I embrace the use of technology, but sometimes I did not use it adequately.  As an elementary principal, I can see even more advantages the use of technology in the classroom can add to students becoming more and more successful.  While I do not agree with the the concept about becoming Cyborgs, I do acknowledge that there is definitely a place for technology in the medical world.  The text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, has been a great source of information to help me point my teachers toward great technology uses in the classroom.  Pitler discusses Blogs, Grading Software, Applications, Educational Websites, Videoconferencing, Social Media, and many other great educational technology tools.  The assignment of developing an ebook and an UDL lesson plan were also two great experiences that helped me to learn the importance of differentiating lessons to meet individual's needs.  

     Our group TEAM AWESOME developed a lesson over the Causes of the Texas Revolution.  In this lesson, we addressed the learning needs of six different groups using different strategies and technology tools to reach the subgroups of students.  We used Google Docs to collaborate and plan our lessons and activities.  We also used Google hangouts a couple of times to collaborate through videoconferencing.  Using these two applications helped me to become aware of ways that I could use these tools for teaching or even professional development trainings on my campus.  The creation of our website has also been a great experience for me.  I have learned how to create and link information onto a website.  I learned enough in this process that I think I could actually teach students how to create their own site, which they could use to keep an up to date electronic portfolio.

     I have to admit upon completion, that this course was enlightening.  It has helped me to open my eyes to maintaining an openness to allow my students to have the freedom to learn through experimenting and exploring technology.  

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

EDLD 5364 Week 4 Reflection - What I Learned

While much time is spent in dealing with administrative issues, a principal or district administrator is more than ever an educational leader with responsibilities for guiding classroom activities and focusing thoughtful attention on the intellectual growth of students and teachers.

Schrum, Lynne; Solomon, Gwen (2007-10-01). Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools (p. 111). International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Kindle Edition.

     In my first year as a campus principal, I have found the statement above to be so true.  While I am continually dealing with discipline, fiscal, or scheduling issues, I am also constantly trying to find ways to expand students' and teachers' intellectual growth.  Schrum and Solomon (2007), discuss the usefulness of technology and it's role in students' and teachers' development.  I believe that it is important for me, as an administrator, to model the use of technology.  I think that by using podcasts to communicate some professional development training sessions, and having teachers participate in group blogs to reflect and share their growth, our school environment will become more eager to embrace the use of technology in the classroom.
     Using technology in the classroom can be a great motivator for students.  Students of today grow up surrounded by technology.  Almost every student in my elementary has access to a smartphone, xbox, iPad, or some type of technology tool.  Incorporating their use in the classroom can be a motivator that helps learning become more fun or interesting.  Pitler states, "Technology can scaffold, or provide support, while students are learning the summarizing process." (2007)  If teachers can experience technology as a motivator and a positive experience in their professional development, then they will be more likely to incorporate the use of technology in their classroom. 
     As an administrator, much of my time is spent trying to motivate students to make better choices in the classroom.  Students who are not motivated to perform in the classroom usually have more behavior problems and usually perform lower on standardized tests.  I believe that by incorporating technology in the classroom, students will be more eager to put forth a greater effort when doing their school work.  Improving in this area should improve test scores and eliminate discipline problems.  

EDLD 5364 - Bookbuilder Reflection

     Another part of our assignment in the EDLD 5364 class this week was to create an ebook in the Cast Bookbuilder website.  The website was very user friendly.  It offered great tutorials and examples to help the user become familiar and confident with the process.  My ebook went along with my lesson that was created on the UDL lesson assignment for the week.  I created a book about the causes of the Texas Revolution.  I used two characters to help introduce information about the book at the beginning.  The two characters also interjected important insights to events that were taking place in the book.  Many times I would use the character to prompt the reader, or ebook participant, into thinking about how they could apply things from the lesson to their lives today.
     One of the things I liked about the book was the tools at the top left hand corner.  The reader can highlight any word or words in the ebook, and then by mashing the green arrow from the tools mentioned earlier, it will be read to them.  I think this aspect of the ebook is beneficial in using with struggling readers.  I also like the fact that you can have your students respond or participate by recording their findings in the bottom right corner of the book.  For the tech savvy creator, one can include audio or music to the book.  If this choice is made, then the file must be a mp3 file to be uploaded into the book builder.
     Upon completion, I had my daughter who is a junior in high school sample the book.  She thought it was interesting and served its purpose in creating some excitement about the lesson.  When I first heard about this part of the assignment, I cringed at the thought of having to create the ebook.  Looking back at the experience, I actually enjoyed it.  The activity definitely increased my knowledge about a strategy that could be used to captivate a classroom audience.  I think the tool would probably serve a greater purpose as an activity that my students used to present information they have learned from one of my lessons.  My reasoning for this was due to the amount of time I spent creating the ebook.  I only made seven pages to my book, and it took me about three and a half hours.  This is an exercise that someone would become faster at completing through practice.  I also feel that it is a tool or strategy that would be more beneficial in lower grades.

EDLD 5364 - UDL Lesson Reflection

     One of our assignments this week was to create a UDL lesson Plan through the Cast website.  I watched many tutorial videos and read many different articles in order to gain knowledge about the process.  The website is very user friendly and informative.  I found the process to be a great learning experience.  I feel like using this model for planning helped me to be completely prepared and ready to teach the lesson.  The main concern I have with the process was the amount of time it took me to produce one lesson.  I do not feel as if it is reasonable to ask teachers to use this process daily.
     I have taught World and American History for 15 years.  I have also had the pleasure of teaching may different types of students from low achieving, 504, special education, hearing impaired, gifted and talented, honors, and last but not least the average student.  I have always used differentiation in my class in order to help students to become successful.  Yet, I have also concentrated on building a relationship with my students first.
     By showing my students that I truly care about them,  I usually developed a relationship that allowed me to also place high expectations on their achievements.  If my students did not master the lesson on the first try, then they were allowed or expected to perform the lesson again.  The school that I teach at issues every student an apple laptop.  While I allowed and pushed for the use of technology, I had many students who preferred a textbook, pencil, and paper.  That was one of the ways that I differentiated.  The students had their choice of what tools they wanted to use.  My students always passed the state mandated tests, and the results were always 97 to 100 percent passing.
     My conclusion is that the UDL process is beneficial because it stresses differentiation.  I believe that teachers must become more flexible with their lessons in the classroom.  Students learn in different ways, and this is the direction that education is moving.  I have used SIOP and now UDL lesson planning strategies, and the result is the same.  It would be impossible for a teacher to use this process to prepare their lessons daily.  I have approximately 6 hours in planning and creating my UDL lesson plan that is going to take 90 minutes to teach.  

Week 3 Reflection -What I Learned

     21^st Century Learning has become about differentiation in the classroom. “ As teachers, whether we are addressing individual differences in our students' recognition, strategic, or affective networks, we can provide the best support by individualizing pathways to learning.” (Meyer, 2002) This individualization of strategies and tools for students allows them to experience the greatest amount of success. It peaks interests and also helps students to take ownership of their learning. Meyer states, “While pursuing a common goal, each student in the classroom can follow his or her own path and obtain a level of performance that represents personal progress.” (2002)

     In order to do this, the Universal Design for Learning principles may be used to plan efficiently. The Cast Lesson Builder and Cast Book Builder are easy to use, and help differentiation in the classroom to become less stressful when creating a lesson. To differentiate lessons in the classroom, Pitler suggests using web based tools such as computer applications that can enhance learning in the classroom. ( 2007, pg 51) Other tools that Pitler recommends are the use of blogs,wikis, videoconferencing, and social networks. He believes that these tools increase interaction in the classroom. (2007, pg 52)

     As educators, we must embrace technology in the classroom. Exploring the use of technology in the classroom helps both the teacher and the student. When a teacher uses technology and differentiation in the classroom, they develop a better relationship with their students. Building a relationship of trust is one of the most important aspects of teaching in todays schools. The more that these tools are practiced, the more comfortable we become with using them. As students become more familiar with this type of instruction, they will be more eager to learn because of the connection they can make with the classroom and the real world.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Chapter 6. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 41-58, 217-225.

EDLD 5364 Group Planning Document - Sunday March 9, 2014

Planning Document Guided Questions:

April: Blue

Elizabeth: Pink

Marcus: Purple

Jeffrey Mitchell:  Dark Red 1

Dane Richardson

Brandon Stumon

What process will you use to solve the scenario-based problem?	I believe it is best to use good collaboration among the whole group. We need to be able to give input about the various differentiation techniques we can use to touch every child in our lesson design while still providing the teacher with an environment they are comfortable with (don’t do so much that the teacher is overwhelmed and not comfortable teaching the tools provided). We will use google hangouts and this document to process the lesson design, give input, and write a successful lesson. Goals for the lesson to be successful: Design meaningful objectives Setting goals or objectives (short-term and long-term accomplishments) Collect data with online surveys to engage learners and gather the information needed to set more meaningful personalized objectives. (Activate and assess students’ prior subject knowledge) Be aware of National Education Standards required in each student’s situation and incorporate them into objectives and/or goals. Plan and determine the type of technology to implement and provide training to the staff. I agree that collaboration is going to be a big part of making this lesson successful. We will be working with our teacher during conference time along with updating our own site for the teacher to use. yes, our group website for this project will be available for all concerned parties to use and collaborate about.
What skills will you need to possess to successfully solve this problem?	Group collaboration, a knowledge of the UDL lesson design, understanding of the age group teaching and the TEKS required for the lesson, and good teamwork skills. I have the most experience in both the TEKS addressed for the lesson and finding technology tools to complete the activities in the lesson. I believe that we all need to be familiar with the needs of the students we are addressing in our lessons. The technology person needs to be well versed in lesson planning to know where everything would appropriately fit in. We will need to be familiar with the different brain networks: recognition, strategic, and affective in order to make sure we are differentiating according to learning styles and abilities. As someone helping the classroom teacher, it is also good to keep in mind that we don’t want to overwhelm the teacher; they only have one class period.  We need to concentrate on differentiation, not diversification which can leave the classroom teacher trying to deal with a million things at once.    Prior knowledge to working with each group of students in the classroom or resources to help you develop differentiation for these students.
What types of experiences do you have with special needs students?	My first year I had one student who was wheel car bound. He also had trouble seeing and writing legibly. Also several SPED students. I have taught a student who is hearing impaired.  I have also had many special ed students in my classrooms with the assistance of an aide.  I feel as if one of the most important strengths I have with these type of students is building a relationship of trust. I have had some Sp. Ed. Students in class in previous years, I have worked with life skills briefly last year and actually had them in our P.E. classes. I haven’t had any w/ physical disabilities. I agree with Dane that relationship building is top priority with these kids. I currently have three students with auditory disabilities.  One has a microphone which I use when instructing him.  The other two are simply seated where they can hear me.   I currently have a student with a visual learning disability.  He requires all font to be in size 28 or larger.  He has his own dictionaries that he is allowed to use on assessments, and he often uses different apps on our iPads to help with his physical disability.  I have also had several students with auditory disabilities.  They all use microphones during instruction time.   I do not have currently any student with severe learning disabilities. I do have a few 504 and SpEd students. Mostly, I have them work with a peer tutor in class and give them modified assignments. We do not have access to classroom computers on a daily basis.
How will you assure the development, implementation, and assessment of the program?	To assure the development, I will aid the teacher in preparing the lesson for her classroom and give her a tutorial on how to use the tools in the classroom. On the day of the lesson I will begin the day with her to provide any assistance she may need with the implementation of the lesson. When she has completed the lesson and does a final unit assessment, we will look over the data and compare it to a previous year to assess how the students did. I will begin by trying to make sure that the students have some prior knowledge or experiences that they can use to connect with the lesson. Upon completion of the lesson we will evaluate the data from students assessment to check for their understanding.   I will assure development by collaboration with co teachers and lesson planning. My lesson plan will help with the implementation and making sure the lesson runs smoothly. Also I will assure assessment by creating some type of informal or formal assessment checking for mastery.
How  will you ensure the technology-based learning activities are research-based?	We will adhere to the NETS standards for integrating technology as well as utilize the many tech resources we have learned about and applied in our courses. By using technology tools taught in personal developments at school, and resources shared from other teachers.
What grade level and content area(s) will you address?	We are gearing this lesson design for a middle school audience, more specifically 7th grade. Our lesson will be based around the Texas Revolution (The battle and significant events leading up the Texas Independence. I agree with all above. The content area would be Texas History.
What will the learning activities look like?	I feel that in order to reach every child you have to provide activities that reach every learning style and accommodate any that need  modifications. Our activities need to be collaborative, creative, have visuals, hands-on activities, and have an environment that allows for student input and discussion. We would like to be able to have access to technology (ipad cart). Technology assisted learning as well as peer and group collaboration will be a big part of differentiating the activities in the classroom. Collaborative and more of a constructivist style classroom where the students have freedom to take ownership in their learning. I agree with the above. Collaborative and Independent working. The teacher in this learning environment is more of a facilitator.
How will you model examples for the teacher?	I feel that teachers are like our students, they need visuals and hands on experience as well. I would like to create short tutorial videos on how to get started with the technology tools being introduced. I would then walk her through the different activities in the lesson and how to design examples for the class. The best way for the lesson to be successful is to make sure the teacher is comfortable teaching the tools for the lesson. I would like to use our PLC time to discuss examples and model those examples for our teacher.  Our current literacy coach does with our ELAR team each time we are introduced to a new teaching strategy or program.   I agree that PLC time would be the best time to model examples for the teachers. At my campus we meet for PLC three times a week to collaborate on lesson plans and ideas for activities in class. PLC is a great option for modeling. We could also ask to come in and teach a lesson in the classroom using the different types of technology to familiarize the students with it before the teacher has to teach the scenario lesson. PLC could also give us an opportunity to discuss with the teachers what technology they have used and what they would like to do.  That could definitely give us a starting point; plus the teacher will have a better idea of what may fit with his/her students. PLC sounds great.
How will you assess the effectiveness of the learning activities?	I think there could be both informative and formative assessments. I think we could assess the knowledge gained through group discussions or peer-to-peer teaching for informative and for formative normal end of lesson test, peer review and critical reflection, or even a project that requires a multi-step process. I think a follow up meeting with the classroom teacher would help with this since he/she will be the one who sees the effects first hand. Also, a student survey via google forms or Survey Monkey could be beneficial as well. It’s always good to see what the kids think since they are the ones directly affected. I agree both informal and formal assessments. I agree that both informal and formal assessments are the way to go.  I also like the idea of having a follow up meeting with the teacher to see where the teacher is at. I agree that both formal and informal are necessary for assessing the effectiveness of the lesson.
What technology tools will be included in the -Google site format you will use for the final delivery of your scenario solution? Will it include video, documents, and other technology project samples?	I would like to provide a small sample of what the tools look like that we are introducing in the lesson (short lesson tutorial videos and maybe 1 or 2 examples). We will also have sample of our ebooks. I would also like to provide resources on where to gather information for creating their products too (online resources). I believe that it will include videos, documents, samples of projects, and maybe a little bit about our group. I think it should definitely include project samples so the teacher and the students know the end results - backwards design if you will. I like the project samples also.
Where will you publish your work and to which free sites such as TeacherTube, Google Videos, Flickr, or others wiki/Web site?	Well all lessons will be published through our google website, but if the team would like for certain video or activities samples to be posted somewhere else, that would be a team decision. How to videos for technology tools could be posted on youtube.

EDLD 5364 Week 2 Learning Reflection

     The information that was shared this week helped me to gain some insight on technology strategies that can have a big impact on the education of diverse learners.  While it is clear that classroom management, experiences, and relationships play an important role in educating students, technology is a tool that can be used to enhance the experience in the classroom.  Page (2002) states, "Numerous studies have demonstrated that young children's self-esteem or self-concept directly affects their academic performance."  The article also mentions that the use of technology in the classroom helps students to have a better self-esteem about themselves and their education.  It also mentions the increased academic performance on achievement tests and the improved performance for at-risk students.  
     Pitler (2007) suggests the use of good teaching strategies along with using technology to improve and engage student learning.  For example, he recommends setting objectives in four different ways that will help students to become involved in goal setting, improve communication between school and parents, link student learning to previous and future learning, and will allow students some freedom in the way they learn.  Pitler also suggests the use of tools such as a KWL chart.  Students could implement the use of this tool through Microsoft Word, and it would be used to help students map out what they already know, what they want to learn, and what they learned.  
     It is obvious that technology has an important role in the classroom today.  Research shows that all students can benefit from the use of technology in the classroom.  Some students may need to be completely engulfed in the use of technology while other students may use it on a limited basis.  Reguardless of the amount of its use, technology is a tool that helps students to learn.  Now, teachers must become accepting of this ideology, and they must become proficient in determining the how and the amount that technology is used in the classroom.  It is all about doing what is best for our students.

 Page, M. S. (2002). Technology-enriched classrooms: Effects on students of low socioeconomic status. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 34(4), 389–409.  Retrieved from the International Society of Education at http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm? Section=Number_4_Summer_2002&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentFileID=830

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Chapters 1, 15-38.