Final Course Review & Reflections
Part 1
1.1 In what ways have the pandemic and school shut-downs over the past 2 years affected your job this semester (if you are currently working in the schools)?
As a science teacher, I have dealt with the fact that students are missing key material in math and science that they should know by 9th grade. When dealing with math problems, my students don't remember how to calculate an average. They are struggling with the basic abilities to decide when to subtract, add, multiply, or divide. Additionally, last year as students were back in the classroom after a year and a half at home, discipline was a major issue as students didn't seem to be able to even sit still for 15 minutes.
1.2 In what ways have the pandemic and corresponding shutdowns continued to affect your home life?
Things at home are mostly back to normal. I wear a mask at school so that I avoid getting myself and my parents sick. My son is doing well in school. I use technology more than I did before. I keep in touch with friends via video calls.
1.3 How has technology HELPED you manage the shutdown...both professionally as well as personally?
Technology has made my life much easier over the last 2 years. At the beginning of the pandemic my son and I were in Houston. In the beginning, when we were both at home, his school was giving them work with a due date at the end of the week. Things went well and my son adapted. However, when school started in the Fall of 2020, the school pushed zoom calls with a regular class schedule. This was a disaster. My son was finishing his work and then falling asleep. We moved to Virginia in October and I made the decision to homeschool him for the remainder of 7th grade. I researched Virginia SOLs, and various online programs, and developed an online curriculum for him that fit his preferred way of working. He had live Spanish and Japanese lessons at certain times but the rest of his classes were on an online learning platform that allowed him to work at half-day stretches on a subject. I let him set his own timeframes with the caveat that all work must be completed at the end of the week. He learned better time management skills and stayed at grade level or above throughout the pandemic shutdown. This made my life much easier than if we had tried to manage the virtual zooming. I don't think that trying to replicate the in-school environment online works well.
1.4 How has technology made things more difficult for you right now (both professionally and personally)?
I like technology and there hasn't been anything that it has made more difficult.
1.5 What aspects of this course have you found beneficial in light of the current state of education?
This past summer I worked as a GA in the Education department. I saw another GA working on this class and decided I needed to take it as soon as possible. That was a great decision as I will use almost all of the material and lessons in this course. I have been incorporating what I can as we have moved through the semester. Building the website has been exciting and boosted my confidence in using a website in my classroom. I was excited to address gaming as a means to increase engagement and use skills that kids already have.
1.6 What would you like to learn more about regarding how technology can be used to help improve instruction, build community, manage the processes and resources for learning, and/or professional development?
I would like to learn more about building community. I have enjoyed using discussion boards in my graduate-level courses and want to incorporate that to a degree in my classes.
Part 2
2.1 How do the skills detailed in the Partnership for 21st Century Skills' (P21.org) framework fit into Manifesto 15?
The 4Cs of the 21st Century Skills fit into Manifesto 15 because creativity, innovation, and critical thinking are central to Manifesto 15. These are truly important skills in the current and future.
2.2 Why do you think many schools in America are so far removed from realizing the principles detailed in the work of Manifesto 15 and P21.org's framework?
Schools are stuck in the past. We are teaching the same way with an underlying judgment that something is wrong with kids today rather than realizing that the students in high school now have grown up with smartphones as the norm and are basically an extension of themselves. The other anchor is state testing. When there is a need to cover a huge list of topics, it is difficult to allow kids the time to explore, innovate, fail, and then learn to adapt their thought processes.
2.3 Describe specific ways in which you can work within the existing system to help integrate the twelve principles of Manifesto 15 into your practice. Be specific.
I ask students for feedback on a regular basis and take their opinions into account as I move through the semester. When students feel like they have some control and input then their level of engagement increases. I can help them feel like their opinions matter in my classroom. I plan to integrate gaming into my curriculum so that I am teaching 3.0 students with 3.0 methods. I have some labs that allow the students to fail. I gave them instructions and gave them room to make some decisions. They document it and then we compare and contrast different ideas and methods.
Part 3
3.1 After reviewing these recommended standards, critique your own abilities in being able to perform the specific skills described in each of the seven categories:
Part 4
During the past semester, you were asked to develop several different projects for this course. When you review your online website/portfolio, which project stands out to you as having the most value and importance? Why?
I am most excited about the gaming project. It gave me confidence that using games in class was a legitimate form of learning experience. I want to move towards teaching students 3.0. The only way to do that is to adapt to technology and changing views of the world. For students, games are an integral part of their lived experience. By weaving educational topics into a game, it meets the students in their world.
1.1 In what ways have the pandemic and school shut-downs over the past 2 years affected your job this semester (if you are currently working in the schools)?
As a science teacher, I have dealt with the fact that students are missing key material in math and science that they should know by 9th grade. When dealing with math problems, my students don't remember how to calculate an average. They are struggling with the basic abilities to decide when to subtract, add, multiply, or divide. Additionally, last year as students were back in the classroom after a year and a half at home, discipline was a major issue as students didn't seem to be able to even sit still for 15 minutes.
1.2 In what ways have the pandemic and corresponding shutdowns continued to affect your home life?
Things at home are mostly back to normal. I wear a mask at school so that I avoid getting myself and my parents sick. My son is doing well in school. I use technology more than I did before. I keep in touch with friends via video calls.
1.3 How has technology HELPED you manage the shutdown...both professionally as well as personally?
Technology has made my life much easier over the last 2 years. At the beginning of the pandemic my son and I were in Houston. In the beginning, when we were both at home, his school was giving them work with a due date at the end of the week. Things went well and my son adapted. However, when school started in the Fall of 2020, the school pushed zoom calls with a regular class schedule. This was a disaster. My son was finishing his work and then falling asleep. We moved to Virginia in October and I made the decision to homeschool him for the remainder of 7th grade. I researched Virginia SOLs, and various online programs, and developed an online curriculum for him that fit his preferred way of working. He had live Spanish and Japanese lessons at certain times but the rest of his classes were on an online learning platform that allowed him to work at half-day stretches on a subject. I let him set his own timeframes with the caveat that all work must be completed at the end of the week. He learned better time management skills and stayed at grade level or above throughout the pandemic shutdown. This made my life much easier than if we had tried to manage the virtual zooming. I don't think that trying to replicate the in-school environment online works well.
1.4 How has technology made things more difficult for you right now (both professionally and personally)?
I like technology and there hasn't been anything that it has made more difficult.
1.5 What aspects of this course have you found beneficial in light of the current state of education?
This past summer I worked as a GA in the Education department. I saw another GA working on this class and decided I needed to take it as soon as possible. That was a great decision as I will use almost all of the material and lessons in this course. I have been incorporating what I can as we have moved through the semester. Building the website has been exciting and boosted my confidence in using a website in my classroom. I was excited to address gaming as a means to increase engagement and use skills that kids already have.
1.6 What would you like to learn more about regarding how technology can be used to help improve instruction, build community, manage the processes and resources for learning, and/or professional development?
I would like to learn more about building community. I have enjoyed using discussion boards in my graduate-level courses and want to incorporate that to a degree in my classes.
Part 2
2.1 How do the skills detailed in the Partnership for 21st Century Skills' (P21.org) framework fit into Manifesto 15?
The 4Cs of the 21st Century Skills fit into Manifesto 15 because creativity, innovation, and critical thinking are central to Manifesto 15. These are truly important skills in the current and future.
2.2 Why do you think many schools in America are so far removed from realizing the principles detailed in the work of Manifesto 15 and P21.org's framework?
Schools are stuck in the past. We are teaching the same way with an underlying judgment that something is wrong with kids today rather than realizing that the students in high school now have grown up with smartphones as the norm and are basically an extension of themselves. The other anchor is state testing. When there is a need to cover a huge list of topics, it is difficult to allow kids the time to explore, innovate, fail, and then learn to adapt their thought processes.
2.3 Describe specific ways in which you can work within the existing system to help integrate the twelve principles of Manifesto 15 into your practice. Be specific.
I ask students for feedback on a regular basis and take their opinions into account as I move through the semester. When students feel like they have some control and input then their level of engagement increases. I can help them feel like their opinions matter in my classroom. I plan to integrate gaming into my curriculum so that I am teaching 3.0 students with 3.0 methods. I have some labs that allow the students to fail. I gave them instructions and gave them room to make some decisions. They document it and then we compare and contrast different ideas and methods.
Part 3
3.1 After reviewing these recommended standards, critique your own abilities in being able to perform the specific skills described in each of the seven categories:
- Learner - I am a lifelong learner. This is an easy aspect of keeping up with new ideas and pedagogies.
- Leader - I am on the CIP curriculum team for Earth and Environmental Science. I advocate for variations and updates each year on the CIP framework and types of practice questions used in benchmark testing.
- Citizen - My goal for next semester is to increase the digital presence of my class. I already use some techniques to increase their ability to be good digital citizens but I need to increase this aspect.
- Collaborator/ - Collaborating with my students is a fun way to engage with them and understand what interests them. I get surprised by which activities they find interesting. Sometimes it is something I come up with to fill time and then I develop it into a more substantial activity. For example, last year I asked students to research the types, numbers, costs, and mileage of electric vehicles. They loved it. This year I expanded it to include a discussion and a measure of how much their opinions had changed about e-vehicles.
- Designer - In the upcoming semester, I plan to use technology to help differentiate learning experiences for students with 504s, IEPs, and more advanced students.
Part 4
During the past semester, you were asked to develop several different projects for this course. When you review your online website/portfolio, which project stands out to you as having the most value and importance? Why?
I am most excited about the gaming project. It gave me confidence that using games in class was a legitimate form of learning experience. I want to move towards teaching students 3.0. The only way to do that is to adapt to technology and changing views of the world. For students, games are an integral part of their lived experience. By weaving educational topics into a game, it meets the students in their world.