Sienna Project, Phase II

Describe your thoughts on using technology (i.e. eBook creator, the website, and translator) to help you work with non-English speaking future students. Don’t just say it was great…provide details to these items. A) Describe the strengths and B) Describe the challenges.

• I thought this was a really awesome project. I loved having the chance to communicate with children from another country. I thought that it was cool that we were required to do a similar project as the Italian students. This let us see what the students homework is like and how difficult it can actually be. When you are assigning the work, you don't necessarily realize how much the students have to do. I think this provided us with great insite.
• One of the challenges that I found was that I was pretty reliant on the Google Translator and wish that I didn't have to use it as much (possibly if the books had been written in both Italian and English). I also felt that the project was pretty difficult, especially since I used PowerPoint to make mine. Maybe if we all were required to use the same program to create our books, including the Italian students, it may have made it more equal.

Describe your thoughts on the quality of your eBook as it compared to your Italian middle school students....disregard the fact that you may not be able to read the Iitalian.

• Compared to some of my peers, I don't feel like my eBook is nearly as good. I was extremely impressed by the Italian students. I can't believe they created those books on iPads! I had a hard time doing it on my computer, I can't even imagine what it was like on an iPad! They did amazing jobs. They also provided so much information in their books! A lot of mine was pictures. I had some information, but not nearly as much as them. They chose some really amazing pictures too. I really wish that I was learning photography and could take pictures like those!

Describe another way you could use student eBook publishing to support learning for your future students.i.e. How else could you use iBooks Author – (or some other eBook publishing tool) to support learning of some content.Be specific…provide an example!

• You could have the students create an eBook based off of a book report or research paper they did. It can be about a topic of their choosing. The teacher can assign the project and provide a checklist or rubric for the students to follow. They could then be as creative as they want with eBook they create.
• If you have connections, you could do a similar project like the one we did. The students could pick a place and write about it and then share it with children from another country. This could actually be a combination of a research project and the project that we did.

Describe your thoughts on this specific learning experience.i.e. What did you like about it? What would you change? Etc.

• I thought that creating the book was really fun. It let me explore my own city and learn some things that I didn't even know about where I was born and raised. I also liked trying out different types of technology in order to create my book. I finally decided on using PowerPoint, because I felt like I could do the most with it on my home computer (a PC). This proved to be pretty difficult in the end. It also didn't turn out the best. It wasn't fancy at all like some of the other books that my classmates made. If I could do this project again, I would definitely do it in the MAC lab so that I could use iBook Author.
• I think what I would change about this project is having the books written in both English and Italian, like we did in the comments. I would have found this to be more helpful when reading their books, instead of having to type everything into Google Translator. I am sure they would feel the same way.  

Blog Phase III

Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

1.  Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

• In the first lesson I taught, the Mount Everest lesson, the students were were required to create a quiz based on the information they found on the Mount Everest Panorama website. They were able to find creative and innovative ways to word their questions. I think I could have made it more innovative if I had allowed them to use various browsers or applications in order to create their quizzes instead of requiring them to use Google Forms.
• The second lesson I taught, the Parts of Speech lesson, required the students to use the information they learned to write their own MadLibs story. They were given criteria, in the checklist, that they were to make sure to include. However, the subject of their story and the content was completely up to them. This helped to foster the children's creativity and apply to their interests.

2.  Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

• In the Mount Everest lesson, the students were learning about real-world concepts and issues through the fun-facts on the panorama website. They were required to think critically about the information that they read. One of the things in the checklist that they were supposed to think critically about was how people and animals in the area would have to adapt in order to live there. I feel like this kind of applies to solving authentic problems. However, they did not really do much for this, besides critically thinking about it.
• The Parts of Speech lesson did not really meet this goal. Next time I teach this lesson, I could give the students a prompt for their writing assignment that relates to real-world issues. Within their MadLibs story, they could have to discuss the issue and provide various ways in which the issue could be solved. I feel that this may limit the students' creativity, but it would help meet this goal.

3.  Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.

• In the Mount Everest Lesson, the students used Google Forms in order to create a quiz for their peers to take. Google Forms is a collaborative tool, because other students are able to access it. The students were able to think critically about the information on the panorama website, plan their quiz on the Google Forms tool, and be as creative as they want.
• During the Parts of Speech lesson, the students did not use any collaborative tools. In order to do this in the future, I could have the students put the MadLibs story they created in a Google Doc. This would be an easy way to distribute the stories to other students so that they could fill them out.

4.  Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

• The Mount Everest lesson began with a class discussion about Mount Everest. I asked questions like “Who has ever heard of Mount Everest?”, “Who knows what Mount Everest is?”, “Who knows where Mount Everest is located?”, and “What are other things you know about Mount Everest?”. This was a time for the class to think about what they already knew. The students were able to build off of one another and create a collaborative conversation about the topic.
• The second lesson was really similar to the first. However, as a class we wrote down their previous knowledge on the whiteboard. We then went over the parts of speech powerpoint. Finally, we went back to the board and added to what they had previously said. I believe that this is a great example of collaborative knowledge construction, because the students worked together to construct an outline of what they knew previously.

Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and

Assessments

1.  Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

• The Mount Everest lesson is based around 6 Arizona College and Career Readiness standards for 4^th grade. This helps in making the lesson relevant for the students. The digital tools that were used were the internet (the Mount Everest panorama website) and Google Forms. The students were able to be as creative as they wanted to be during this lesson.
• The Parts of Speech lesson is based around 4 Arizona College and Career Readiness standards for 1^st grade. Many of the digital tools that were used were internet based. As mentioned previously, I could have had the students use Google Docs in order to have the other students complete the stories. This lesson also allowed the students to be as creative as they wanted to be.

2.  Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue there individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.

• In the first lesson, the students were able to explore the Mount Everest panorama website which promoted managing their own learning and they were able to pursue their own curiosity during this learning process. The students were able to assess their own progress by using the checklists to make sure they covered all the required aspects. Unfortunately, with this lesson, the students did not participate in setting their own educational goals. In the future, I could work with the students to brainstorm the types of things they should have in their quiz and base the checklist on these aspects.
• The Parts of Speech lesson promoted managing their own learning, because the students were able to choose which MadLibs stories they wanted to do. They were able to assess their progress by making sure they covered all of the requirements by comparing their work to the checklist that I had created. Once again, with this lesson, the students did not participate in setting their own educational goals. In the future, I could work with the students to brainstorm the types of things they should have in their MadLibs story and base the checklist on these aspects.

3.  Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

• In order to address diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities, I varied my teaching strategies throughout both lessons. I provided instruction and directions both orally and written. When the students were working independently, I walked around, answered questions, and directed the students on what to do. This individual attention and assistance greatly helped on making the lessons diverse while still meeting the goals, objectives, and time frame of the lesson.

4.  Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

• Throughout both lessons, I walked around the classroom and informally assessed each student by making sure they were on task and understood the directions that were given. I also broke each lesson up into smaller parts and went step by step with the class. I would make sure that the students finished the step they were on, before moving on to the next. This also provided me with some areas to formatively assess the students along the way. In each lesson, the summative assessments were when I went through the students' final projects and graded them using the checklists I provided.

Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

1.  Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

• In the Mount Everest lesson, the students were able to apply their current math knowledge of finding the difference in heights to what they were observing on the panorama website. They were then able to create their quiz and ask questions about the difference between the heights of two peaks. This was a great way to bring the students' current knowledge into a lesson in which they are using new technology and situations.
• In the Parts of Speech lesson, the students had already learned, in detail, about the parts of speech. This was only a review lesson in which they were able to apply their knowledge to the new technology of the MadLibs website. They were also presented with the new situation of creating their own MadLibs story.

2.  Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

• I don't feel like I collaborated much with the students, peers, parents, or community members in order to support student success and innovation in either of these lessons. Maybe, in a real classroom setting, I could have guest speakers (community members, parents, or peers) come in and talk to the students about the topic of our lesson. Or we could use a digital tool that was created by someone from our community and have them come in and discuss what they created and why. For instance, if the Mount Everest panorama website was created by a friend of mine, I could ask them to come in and teach the students about the site. They would obviously know more about the website than I do, so this would greatly benefit the student and help them to succeed.

3.  Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

• In both lesson, I had the students go to my blog and follow along with the directions as I said them aloud. This helped me communicate the important information and ideas effectively to the students. In the future, I could create a weekly newsletter to send out to parents and peers so that they know what we are doing within the classroom. Or, I could just simply give the parents the link to my blog so, they can see the lesson plans in detail, just as the students and I do.

4.  Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

• In the Mount Everest lesson, the students used the panorama website to locate information that they would use in their quiz. They were then required to analyze and evaluate the information in order to create a quiz for their peers to take. This requires the students to research the information, process it, form it into a question for their peers, and therefore, learn it.
• For the Parts of Speech lesson, the students learned the main content in a previous lesson. They were then required to locate this information in their brain, then analyze and evaluate it. Finally, they were required to use this information to complete a pre-fabricated MadLibs story. Finally, they used another digital tool in order to create their own MadLibs story, once again recalling the information they learned.

Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

1.  Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

• None of the websites that I used for these lessons asked the children to sign up or enter personal information. This helps to promote a safe digital environment. Both of the lessons require the students to critically think about the information and create new projects. Because the projects are new and creative, there will be no copyright issues. Also, the precise checklists make it very difficult for students to cheat or use information illegally.

2.  Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

• In order to provide equitable access to all students during both of my lessons, I provided every child with access to a computer. When I taught these lesson, there were no children with disabilities, so the lesson already met their needs. However, if there had been a child with a disability, I could have switched the mouse with a joystick that would be easier for a child with fine motor problems to manipulate. I could also change the brightness and contrast of the computer screen as needed. Finally, I could make it so the computer reads to the student. This would be beneficial to students who have a visual impairment and may not be able to read the screen on their own.

3.  Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

• Throughout both lessons, I walk around and monitor what the students are doing. This helps to make sure that the students are on task and being digitally responsible. The students also knew that I would be reading their stories and quizzes. Because of this, they kept their assignments appropriate and they used good digital etiquette.

4.  Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

• Neither of these lessons had the students engaging with students of other cultures. However, the Mount Everest lesson taught the students about another part of the world where they haven't been to. It also discussed how people and animals would have to adapt in order to live in this area.
• With the Parts of Speech lesson, there were no cultural aspects. However, in the future, we could talk about how the parts of speech are the same in other languages, they just appear in a different order in a sentence. We could then find pen pals in another country. This could give children the opportunity to practice their English and parts of speech while still learning about different cultures.