Digital Blog Post #I - Technologically Designed Lessons & Curriculum

The first concept that sprang to mind in this chapter was the Thinkfinity resource, a wonderful tool which I am positive I will use often in my early years as a teacher. It is in essence, a database for curriculum ideas and fully built lesson plans which meet the standards for each state which they correspond with. It also features tons of interactive and guide based resources from various educational institutions, including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and National Geographic. Therefore, when determining my weekly lesson plans for students, this resource will truly help me determine a plan and some resources I might use to proceed in the classroom. This will be especially helpful when I have not had much experience in the classroom and need time to build up a supply of lesson plans and curriculum goals for myself.

Using technology to aid in developing lessons was another important concept which I believe will be incredibly helpful to me as I pursue the best methods to teach my students. The book describes the three stages that go into developing the curriculum of a classroom - what the lesson will be about, how it will be taught, and determining what the students learn through the lesson. We must think about exactly what facts, concepts, and skills we wish to instill in our students and what we must teach based upon state guidelines. We must determine the role of technology in the things we teach, and we must use it to its greatest advantage. Then we must decide exactly what we are going to do to accomplish these lessons - what methods we'll use, the technology we'll use to implement it, and the procedures we'll use to get through the lesson. Finally we must ascertain what our students learn, throughout the entire process. We must think about their preexisting knowledge, what they see throughout the lesson, and what they retain following the entire lesson.

My former point plays into my final concept - the necessity of evaluating and assessing our students. Though it can be difficult, frustrating, and in some cases emotionally draining, the assessment of our students is vital in our work as instructors. Educators refer to assessment in two ways typically - the final aspects of a lesson and the ways teachers grade students, and what the instructor does to monitor student progress within the lesson. The insight gained from assessment can lead to adjustments of the lesson and aid the teacher in his or her instruction of every student. Some students might have difficulty with the way a lesson is presented, and some might have learning disabilities. In every case, a good assessment can allow a teacher to make the proper adjustments or see where their students are succeeding and continue those practices. Though we often associate assessment with testing, there are a number of ways teachers assess their students - through standards set by the school board and the state, more recently through electronic based grading software, and many instructors and schools are moving towards assessments which have multiple outlooks on student success, measuring multiple areas of success rather than simplified standardized testing.

The important things to keep in mind when discussing assessment of students is the fact that these are both children and people. They have feelings and they exist outside the bubble of school. If they are failing, we must consider what we are doing to design our curriculum and the ways we build our assessments. If it is possible that our assessment is not an accurate representation of what they have gained through the curriculum, we must work towards an assessment which captures an honest reflection of our students abilities and success.

References

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Blog Post #G - Success of All Students through Technology

The most important theme for this particular section was the idea that we must use technology to promote the success of all our students. And in today's world, we have an incredibly large variety of students to work with. Today, though we have seen some push back against the educational system and the way it works, we know we will work with students who come from latino, African American, and numerous other ethnic and racial backgrounds. We will meet students who have parents of the same sex (as my own children will) or who have single parents. Children who are adopted, who are poor, and possibly refugee children. And all of them deserve our full attention, and our best efforts. And when it comes to technologies, we must consider the best practices and we must research which technologies may benefit our students the most. And we must consider them individuals with their own needs and interests, and adapt to those.
An important section in this chapter was on Writing Transformations with Technology, which highlights some of the issues we face in the way we teach writing skills and the way the skill has evolved over the years. We face new challenges with the advent of Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and digital literacy playing a roll in the way our students write. Of particular note are the abbreviations we use in other forms of writing with technology, phrases like 'lol,' 'ttyl,' 'brb' and others are all inappropriate for any formal writing. So students have got to be taught using proper writing form as well as the varying technological formats it now encompasses.
Another interesting thing to me was the section on Differentiated Instruction and Universal Design for Learning. They are two systems which allow for the adjustment of curriculum for different students within one class.
The first, Differentiated Instruction (DI for short) is a system in which the instructor makes a variety of experiences so as to meet individual needs of students.
The second, Universal Design for Learning (UDI for short) is, as its name might suggest, inspired by architecture. The description briefly talks about architectural designs which create greater access for all. The idea is then translated into educational purposes - for example, creating curriculum in which multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement are offered. The idea is to give the broadest access to educational and learning opportunities without diminishing any students educational experience.
The following is a link to my padlet, a new form for me and the place where I conclude this digital blog post. It is simple now but I plan to use it to a much greater capacity in the future - it is an excellent form to blog with and it allows for utilization of space and content in a novel way!
Working with Variations

Resources
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O'Loughlin, Ruth Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.