I am still trying to make sense of what “transliteracy” means to me and how I can apply it within my classroom. The first connection that comes to mind is to the TPACK model by Punya Mishra. According to Mishra, technology has not only changed how we teach (pedagogy), but also what we teach (content). Transliteracy means the fluidity of movement across a range of technologies media and context. I currently teach with more technology integration in mind. For the most part, my students tend to stay motivated if they can write, read or do mathematics through the use of technology. When it comes to presentations, they rather use Google slides or a similar format. Based on the definition of transliteracy, my students excel in social networks, using tools and media. The areas of need for them are signing and orality through handwriting, print and film. I have definitely changed my perception of traditional teaching methods from last year, when I first started the Innovative Learning program to now. I now ask myself, how can I deliver instruction knowing what obstacles or shortcomings my students have. How can I bridge the gap to help my students be successful in and out of class?
2 Comments
I had not heard about gamification until this semester. Growing up I was never interested in playing video games nor would I have ever equate designing a learning environment on the educational properties of a digital game(s). Nonetheless, after viewing the Ted Talk presenters, Gabe Zichermann and Jane McGonigal, I am more intrigued in combining digital games and simulations that can be interactive and engaging learning tools for my students. Digital games are user centric, promote challenges, cooperation, and the ongoing process of problem-solving strategies.
Currently, my students play Sims, and MineCraft. However, as I attempted to research them, I was immediately restricted from the Sims site by the district. My students are not engaged by most math games available through the Chromebooks. I would like to use game-based learning/gamification to practice life skills math, review a math concept, or to teach survival skills, such as attitude, shelter, fire, water or food using a simulation or virtual games. I will continue to do more research as to what digital games are free and compatible to ChromeBooks. I have learned many tools and strategies to add to my teaching repertoire, but most importantly I have gained confidence as a teacher to explore and integrate technology during math classes to bridge the gap with my special needs students. As reluctant as my students are to learn math concepts and procedures, with the use of Google Classroom, Google Form and Google Doc students have been more engaged and responsive to this learning approach. Although the Dervin reading was quite dense and challenging to connect with, it also made me think about students’ reactions to math lessons above their cognitive abilities. This reading has giving me a new perspective on the importance of creating and thinking about the end user first and foremost, Baggio, on the other hand, was relatable and placed a high emphasis on creating lessons geared for the Visual Learners. I still have many questions about the end project or Capstone. How much data are we supposed to be collecting in our classrooms? If I was not completely satisfied with last semester’s data results, what can I do at this point? Anyways, I hope all of my questions will be answered by next semester. I am super excited about having used Adobe Spark to create my video on a flipped lesson plan. It took me awhile to figure it out, but once it did I was thrilled with the end results. I found the process/steps easier to follow than using the Screencast-o-matic tool. I selected a lesson theme, full-screen layout, music was pleasant and color was easy on the eyes. But, best of all, it was so easy to record or re-record your voice over. I plan to have my students use Adobe Spark to present research papers, or record themselves sharing their life aspirations before leaving high school. The Screencast-o-matic was a bit more challenging for me to use, the edit button does not let you re-record, therefore a mistake means starting all over from the beginning. A record is set for no longer than fifteen minutes.
A video can be used as an assessment tool, to check for students’ understanding of a science project, research paper, or even interact playing a game with video, similar to Kahoot. I have dedicated time looking over previous Cohort samples to get ideas for my own prototype. So far, I know I want to develop a prototype that will include math lessons with the integration of multimedia tools for student engagement. I am in the process of narrowing down how to bridge the gap between where my students are and how to get them across the bridge. How do I structure a bridge that is designed with the students in mind?
As Mishra explains, technology changes how and what we teach, within which teaching/learning happens. I feel as though I am making progress towards creating a prototype, still have more work to do before feeling I have a full grasp of my end product. I was not aware of Google forms or their purpose until last semester. One of the instructors presented the forms as a tool for collecting data for our action research paper. I have used Google forms to create a survey and for distributing math assignments. I am starting to become more familiar with the use of Google forms but I have much more to learn through “trial and error” before my skills are proficient. I especially like using the add-ons, Flubaroo is able to provide a summary of each student’s overall results, possible points, average points and submission time with their names and type of questions created by the teacher. There are so many tools and add-ons to keep us busy for years to come. I am excited and intrigued by the endless possibilities of incorporating the G suite tools and add-ons into our classrooms. I am inspire to learn more about teaching tools to better equip my high school students, especially in math classes. For many of my students, reading, art and history are subjects easier to comprehend than mathematics and/or science. The students find math particularly challenging because it is not relevant or of minimal interest to them. I have introduced Google Classroom as an alternative approach to learning math. I am inspired by Alice Keeler to make my math lessons more engaging and technology based with the help of her tutorials. At this point in the semester, I probably know 5 things to do in Google Classroom, my goal is to start using Google forms to collect quick data and give better feedback.
I am still debating whether to maintain my action research as is or tweak it to reflect my current student population. How much do I want to change and what are the guidelines I need to follow to arrive to this ultimate goal? What specific questions or concerns do I currently have? In the Sociocultural Subcontext of the SITE Model, it recommends for users to think in terms of broad questions. An example of this is “What motivates (or could motivate) students to engage with technical and informational subcontexts?” This broad question could then lead you to ask more specific issues that pertains to your learners/students in mind. The next Subcontext deals with technical attitudes. Again, the question is pose in broad terms. How might the features of technical devices and methods help attain achievement goals? Lastly, in the third subcontext a broad question will be presented. What are the learners’ ability to use technical systems to achieve their goals? It is advisable to take into account the learners’ attitudes toward informational subcontext. This type of framework, where it is learner-centered for designing and implementing contextualized learning experiences is helping me reflect on how to narrow down my DQ for this project. The idea of starting with a broad question, to then think about more specific issues, while integrating the subcontexts to design an effective and useful product. Although my students constantly communicate through social media, I had not open a social media account, until now. One of the main reasons, I had not joined the social media community is primarily due to the amount of time it takes to set up accounts, and then manage them. I am still trying to figure out how to manage my twitter account. I am enjoying reading the educational posts. If I were to come across an inappropriate post by one of my students outside of school, I would meet with my student after school hours and discuss my finding. I would only point out that in the future, this type of posting could lead to unwelcomed ramifications, such as being turned down from a college/university or not being considered for a job opportunity. I would not involve administration since I work with high school students. I have gone back and forth to identify the audience I want to address for the remaining two semesters. For most of us, our students are the main reason we are enrolled in this program, however, our colleagues will be ultimately reading our capstone. I would like my colleagues to embed technology in their teaching practice to bridge the gap with their students. I have been slowly implementing Google Classroom in both my math classes to engage my special needs students. Students have expressed positive feedback with this new learning approach. My initial idea that comes into mind in addressing the challenge of creating a resource is how to identify my students’ interests, learning styles, moods and feelings to create lessons which will encompass all of their needs. How can I make my final project/product engaging and visually stimulating. |
AuthorI am a special ed teacher at Vintage High School. Archives
July 2018
Categories |