Group Leadership Project Part A: Brainstorm Session

For the first part of the Group Leadership Project I was asked to use a web conferencing tool to meet with my group members and have a brainstorm session. Here are my thoughts on the session:  

What web conferencing tool did your group use?
Our group chose to use Vyew as our web conferencing tool.  

What were the advantages to using the web conferencing tool to discuss this project?
An advantage to using a web conferencing tool is that everyone is present and can collaborate at once. I like this better than sending multiple emails to each other, or even collaborating on a google doc. We were able to make the commitment to "meet" and get the work done in a timely manner. Another advantage is that Vyew has the option of creating multiple pages. Our group decided to create a page for each area of the project we needed to discuss. This helped us stay focused on each task and not get sidetracked thinking about other parts of the assignment.  

What were the disadvantages to using the web conferencing tool to discuss this project?
 A disadvantage to using the web conferencing tool is that is can be tricky to coordinate multiple schedules. Luckily, our group didn't have too much trouble, but meeting at 7:30 on a work night isn't my first option for getting class work done. Another disadvantage to Vyew in particular is that it doesn't have the option to record sessions. In order to record a web conference session you would need to use another tool. I chose to use Jing to record an overview of our meeting after it was completed.

To view an overview of our meeting click here.

Part B: Application of TPACK

PART B: Application of TPACK:
For part B of my Wicked Problem Project, I was asked to apply TPACK to my wicked problem solution.  TPACK stands for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge.  The purpose of the application of TPACK is that when integrating technology into teaching and learning it should address all areas of TPACK, not just using technology to use technology.  For the wicked problem project I see an educational need for students to have the ability to view mini-lessons of a concept taught, especially in the area of math.  Many of my students need to review addition and subtraction strategies, while others have mastered the concept and are ready for a challenge. I plan to use jing to create tutorials for my students to view.  Here is my application of TPACK:

1. What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

I have chosen to use jing to create a guided math tutorial.  Using jing will allow me to model a math problem for students. They will also have the option to review the modeled problem by starting the tutorial over as much as needed and have the ability to work at their own pace. As the tutorial continues students will use pencil and paper to attempt a guided practice problem.  At the end students will be given an independent practice problem.  They will be asked to pause the tutorial to practice an independent problem.  Once they have completed the problem they can resume the tutorial to view another modeled problem and have instant feedback.

2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

Giving students the ability to view the tutorial as much as needed, as well as the option to pause the video and work at their own pace will assist in making the content more intellectually accessible.  As a learner myself I know there are some topics that require multiple readings or watching videos more than once for me to understand the concept.  My students are the same way.  Having a tutorial for addition and subtraction strategies at their fingertips will allow them to pause when necessary and rewind if a part of the concept still isn’t clicking.

3. What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

Using a tutorial to allow for guided practice through the steps of solving an addition or subtraction combination, as well as giving the students the ability to pause the tutorial and solve problems independently with instant feedback will make the content more intellectually accessible.   Through the use of the tutorial created through jing, guided practice can be done at the speed of the learner.  If the learned needs to review a step, they can rewind the tutorial and watch it again.  Once students feel they are confident with the process they can practice a problem independently, then check their work instantly.  This will aid in correcting any misconceptions before students are sent to work on their own.

Wicked Problem Project Part A: Description of Need or Opportunity

For the Wicked Problem Project I was asked to use technology to address a problem of practice or educational goal.  Click on this link to view the google doc of my Wicked Problem Project Part A.

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Personal Learning Reflection

Learning about UDL guidelines and applying them to the Weather Report lesson I created was very beneficial for me in learning about effective teaching strategies. These guidelines really opened my eyes to how technology can be such a huge asset in a lower elementary classroom. In a lower elementary classroom you have such a variety of reading levels, so the simple tool of text to speech is very valuable. I really liked the website Vozme, and I also loved the feature included in powerpoint to add a sound recording. This is such a great tool to use and takes a frustration out of learning for some students. Another thing I learned about effective teaching strategies was the importance of reaching the TPACK “sweet spot” by blending knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and content when creating a lesson. After evaluating the TPACK webquest it was interesting that a lesson may be strong in content, but very weak in other areas, such as technology. The strongest lessons were those that addressed and blended all three areas.

Finding effective ways to integrate technology in a lower elementary classroom has been one of my main goals. After learning to create a StAIR, and creating my own StAIR for learning coin values, I have found that this is a very valuable tool for a lower elementary class. A StAIR is a great way to create a teacher guided activity and incorporate tutorials, online activities, or videos, while still allowing students to work independently. This is definitely something I will use in my classroom.

A new goal I have for myself is to be conscience of the UDL guidelines, as well as TPACK, as I create lessons. Making a few changes to a lesson to incorporate more UDL and blending the content, pedagogy, and technology will make my lesson plans much stronger.

Online Teaching Experience

In a lower elementary classroom an online experience that would work well with students is a webquest. Webquests can be used to teach any content area, and can also be used to teach cross curricular. The focus could be on science or social studies, but also ask students to incorporate some reading and writing tasks. When using a webquest students are able to see a task defined for them, the teacher can even model an example of the task, and then students have interactive practice through games, or use other internet resources, where they apply what they have learned.

One technology that might be harder to use with lower elementary students is interactive discussions with experts. I believe this would be a challenge due to the lack of an actual person coming to the classroom and the short attention span of lower elementary students. Another online experience that might be challenging is an online project. I feel it would be very overwhelming for students to learn how to organize all the information to create an online project.