Week 13 / Keystone Assignment

1.    Think back to your many experiences with well-designed learning, both in and out of school. What was the most well-designed learning experience you have ever encountered as a learner? What features of the design- not the teacher's style or your interests-made the learning so engaging and effective? (Design elements include challenges posed, sequence of activities, resources provided, assignments, assessments, groupings, site, and teacher's role.) Briefly describe the sign.

      From my experience, the most well designed learning experience I encountered was in undergraduate school while taking differential equations. The class was assigned to read a mathematical test to gauge understanding of the topic for the next lesson. When we came into class, the teacher would discuss the target goal of the day, present the class with a problem, and then have the class figure it out together. He would select a random student to come up on the board, kind of putting you on the spot. You would explain what you knew how to do, if you didn't know what to do then it wasn't a problem. The student would still remain in front of the class and your classmates would help to determine a solution. The only time the professor would actually teach material would be when none of the class knew what to do. He would guide us through the work but we basically taught ourselves and each other. It was a very student centered class and helped shy students participate more.

 2.    In sharing your recollections and analyses with your peers, build a list of generalizations that follow from the accounts. What do well-designed learning experiences have in common? In other words, what must be built in by design for any learning experience to be maximally effective and engaging for students. 

      In order for a learning experience to be well designed it must be student centered, have a target goal, have exploratory components, and most importantly assess understanding at multiple levels. In my school, we have DOK (Depth of Knowledge) questions. DOK 1 and 2 are very general and basic questions, DOK 3 and 4 get deeper into understanding. Any successful learning experience should result in students answering the DOK 3 and 4 questions correct and complete.

3.    Where in your school or the school that you are observing are the characteristics of best design most likely to be seen in action? In what programs and subject areas would we most expect to see these characteristics, compared with other programs or subjects? Are there any patterns, If so, why? 

      I believe that the Social Studies and Science classrooms have the most freedom to do many of these supports. Nowadays, the Math and ELA curriculum is so rigorous and teachers are given so little time to teach these curricula.  I know in middle school, the assessments (that rate us as teachers) are given in April. That leaves two more months of school after the state test! Social Studies and Science classes still have measures of student learning tests that need to be given but have more freedom with the curriculum. This allows the teachers to spend days, if not weeks on a single topic, tackling it from all angles and with different approaches.

4.    After a study of sample units, and one of your own designs, edit or amend your list of characteristics of the best designs, as appropriate.

      I feel that the best lesson designs stem from backward design. Lessons should contain some sort of technology as either a support or the main method of learning. Supporting ELL and IEP students is extremely important as learners are unique and differentiation is necessary. In addition every lesson should contain student choice, ICT's, formal and informal assessment, and questioning.

Keystone Assignment 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0YRcML949fVN1lIQkE1WG1ucWc&usp=sharing

Week 12

Group Code: nxg8hr

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Edmodo is a really neat program that allows communication between student, teacher, and even parents to extend beyond the classroom. Edmodo provides the user with an easy to navigate, very similar to facebook, web program that can be accessed using any internet connection. The teacher can post notes, assignments, alerts/reminders, quizzes, and even polls.

Edmodo can enhance instruction in numerous ways. I really like the option of posting quizzes to Edmodo. They can count towards the students grades or just be a review quiz so the students can practice and gauge their understanding. The polls can give the teacher immediate feedback on how a lesson went and can be used as a form of assessment. This allows the teacher to reflect on the instruction of their lesson and modify it as necessary. Some students may even be shy as to asking the teacher a question or telling them that they do not understand the material. Edmodo can allow the student to type up a message, word it so that it pleases them, and send it to the teacher without any of that awkward in person situations that my arise from a shy student.

I would use Edmodo in my class in a variety of ways. I would post tons of review quizzes so that my students can practice their math and improve. I would post assignment due dates and reminders because sixth graders are not quite mature and responsible enough to handle a due date, from my experience. This can help students remember when something is due so they do not receive a late penalty. You can even reward students who use Edmodo frequently by posting an alert saying that there will be a pop quiz the next day. There are truly tons of different functions Edmodo provides in the educational setting.

Week 11 - Google Earth

Your name: Daniel Graham

Grade Level: 6^th Grade Geometry

Title of the lesson: Google Earth: Finding areas of your neighborhood

Length of the lesson: Two Class Periods

Central focus and central technology of the lesson Students will be able to use Google Earth to find geometric shapes, measure distances, and calculate areas of their shapes.

Knowledge and skills of students to inform teaching Students will be required to know basic skills using Google Earth.

Standards 6.G.1 Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes; apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems. 6.G.3 Draw polygons in the coordinate plane given coordinates for the vertices; use coordinates to find the length of a side joining points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.

Support literacy Identify one language function: Categorize, compare/contrast. question, retell, summarize or another one appropriate for your learning segment) Identify a key learning task from your plans that provide students opportunities to practice using the language function. The students will compare/contrast different shapes made from their town to determine areas of those shapes. Describe language demands: The students will need to give written representations of their findings. Vocabulary General academic terms: analyze, categorize, compare/contrast, describe, explain Content specific vocabulary: Area, legs, sides, bases, heights, lengths, widths Discourse Text structure

Learning objectives The students will be able to measure distances using Google Earth. The students will be able to apply these distances to create polygons. The students will be able to apply their understanding of areas to find the areas of the polygons that they created.

Formal and informal assessment Formal assessment will be done by the students handing in their findings. The teacher will check measurements and formulas as well as correct answers. Informal assessment will be done by teacher observation. Students with IEP’s will be given guided examples, asked to find the distance of set points, then the formulas to plug in their work. ELL Students will have access to google translate to assist their understanding of the lesson.

Instructional procedure: First, the students will go onto google earth and find their house. Next, the students will find the distance from their house to the school. Then, the students will find a third location to create a triangle. They will be able to apply knowledge of bases and heights to find the area of the three vertices. Finally, the students will come up with their own “destinations” to create different polygons to find the area of.

Instructional resources and materials used to engage students in learning. Google Earth

Reflection Did your instruction support learning for the whole class and the students who need great support or challenge? Yes, instruction was designed to guide the students and then give them control. ELL students and IEP students were accounted for in the design of the lesson. What changes would you make to support better student learning of the central focus? Continued practice with finding areas of wholes and parts. Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your explanation from evidence of research and/or theory. Students always need continued practice, at the sixth grade level, with multiplying wholes and parts.

Week 10 - Gaming

Roller Coaster Tycoon

1.      1. What gaming elements provide users the learning content and how? (Refer to the journal article page 4)

Roller Coaster tycoon gives entire control to the person playing the game. They get to choose what they want to do and how they want to do it. There are some fantasy aspects to RCT because, even though it’s modeling a real theme park, some of the rides would not be possible and even safe to make in real life. The game itself is very challenging. It has many different levels with objectives that are new and challenging.

2.     2.  What is the goal of the game?

The rules to the game allow the user to spend money made on advertisement for the park to attract more guests. The user can build their own rollercoaster or choose from default rollercoasters. The user has a lot of freedom but is limited by money earned. Basically, it costs money to build rides, to advertise, and to expand. In order to have that money, you need to attract guests at a fair price. You can also decide costs of rides and even build food stands and kiosks.

3.     3.  What are rules of playing this game?

The rules to the game allow the user to spend money made on advertisement for the park to attract more guests. The user can build their own rollercoaster or choose from default rollercoasters. The user has a lot of freedom but is limited by money earned. Basically, it costs money to build rides, to advertise, and to expand. In order to have that money, you need to attract guests at a fair price. You can also decide costs of rides and even build food stands and kiosks.

4.      4. Does this game have any scenario design? (Refer to the journal article page 5.) If yes, is this a fabricated or embedded in curriculum-related content?

Roller Coaster Tycoon has fabricated scenario design that revolves around the players approach and goals. A player can decide to strive for one goal to have 10,000 people visit their park to earn an award or they can create the safest park and win a different award. Regardless of complexity, the player will be able to play the game with the strategy that they choose.

My Slideshow of my game:

http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/33623355

Week 9 - Technology Integrated Lessons

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_-4hOEIyBuiBiBvecko4HTaZIxbMf3Ftgz1_ASx5nzY/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_-4hOEIyBuiBiBvecko4HTaZIxbMf3Ftgz1_ASx5nzY/edit?usp=sharing

Week 8 - Math Lesson with Rubric

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gsms1QVjaodbegPNYp8U8mqFqHRqZw_3spqf-Bcz_NI/edit?usp=sharing

Week 7: Assignment #2 Lesson Plan using Google Docs

Your name: Daniel Graham

Grade Level: 12

Title of the lesson: Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

Length of the lesson: One Class period.

Central focus and central technology of the lesson. The focus of this lesson is to build discussion on a reading that the students were asked to read the night before. The text is entitled “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor”. The students will analyze the text, describe what they found interesting, discuss the theme, and any other reactions/reflections through discussion. Central Technology: Computers/laptops/ipads will be used for ELL students and an audio file or program to read text will be used as well. Key questions: What does it mean to be evil? What do you think was the author’s intention of writing this work? How can something be defined as good or evil?

This lesson will have students analyze the text by discussing their opinion and interpretation of the reading through evidence from the reading. Students will also be able to build off of each other through discussion and dive into the many interpretations of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2- Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1- Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3- Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4 - Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.

Support literacy (traditional literacy, domain specific literacy, or new literacy) development through language (academic language) The students will compare/contrast the idea of good vs. evil. The students will use discussion to convey messages that they responded to from the reading. Students will need to know how to perform an oral discussion while maintaining continued support from the reading. Vocabulary Compare/contrast, analyze, discuss, interpret, cite. Content Specific: Evil, Grace, Discourse Students will use student centered discussions to reflect on the reading. The teacher will guide the students through the discussion with structure and questioning. If the student centered discussion is going very well, then this will be established by the students themselves.

Learning objectives •     Students will discuss their responses to the reading. •     Students will build off of one another and challenge each other’s ideas. Support from the text will give evidence to one’s argument or point of view •     Students will question each other regarding the reading.

Formal Assessment: The students will be assessed through a guided worksheet that provides questions based on the text. Informal Assessment: The teacher will informally assess the students understanding through a guided skills checklist as the class discusses the reading.

Instructional procedure: Instructional strategies and learning tasks (including what you and the students will be doing) that support diverse student needs. Your design should be based on the following: The students will have understood the learning goal for the lesson before discussion has begun An audio file or program to read the text will play to the class. Students will be given time to write their reflections of the piece before discussion has begun. Next the teacher will guide the class into the discussion and maintain guidance while giving the floor to the students. Consider all students, including students with IEPs, ELLs, struggling readers, and/or gifted students. Students with IEP’s will be given proper supports according to their individualized plan. (Shortened versions, marginal guidance, underlined/highlighted key parts, etc.) ELL students will use google translate and voki to provide their reflection on the reading.

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” Different versions of the reading pertaining to IEP and ELL students. Computers, laptops, or ipads for Google Translate and Voki presentations. Reflection worksheet. List of guided questions. Audio File/Program to read the text.

Reflection Did your instruction support learning for the whole class and the students who need great support or challenge? Instruction was designed for the class to reach goals appropriate to the individual. Alternate forms of the text were given to students who have difficulty with reading comprehension. The instruction of this lesson will allow students to discover the main idea and be able to reflect on what they had read. What changes would you make to support better student learning of the central focus? I feel that it may be beneficial for the students to listen to the text again before reflecting and discussing it. I would use an audio file or a program that reads text for you. This technology can give the students who are auditory learners a chance to sit back, follow along, and perhaps pick up something that they wouldn’t have when reading it on their own. Providing the students with a third party to read the text to them can prove to be beneficial for all types of learners. Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your explanation from evidence of research and/or theory. These changes would improve student learning because research has shown that the more outlets you have for analyzing a text, the better a person will understand it. Students may be visual or auditory learners, therefore for all students to read and then listen to the text will give each student a chance to really grasp the reading. Technology can be essential in the classroom when used appropriately and I feel that having either an audio file or a program to read the text to the class will help deepen their understanding.