Hello Michelle, There are so many aspects of this project that I am excited about. It is student-centered and the format is engaging. I thought you did an excellent job incorporating the UDL guidelines. The wide variety of media as well as the fact that the students get to choose the type of media that they use, are all good examples of UDL.
This lesson obviously builds upon prior knowledge and it a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their skills. The fact that the knowledge base for all students will be expanded by viewing the different videos while being engaged in watching the videos is a benefit to all students. As I pointed out in the feedback that I left for your prototype, I especially like the way that you incorporated the idea of quality feedback. So often we ask students to share their thoughts and offer feedback, but how often do educators actually teach the students how to do this and model it for them. I think by you allowing them to view the video that you created and then practice giving you quality feedback allows your students to practice this important skill in a safety zone. I hope that you are still planning on incorporating this piece in your final project design. I plan to incorporate it into my final design, but I did not remember to add it before I revisited your project. Thank you for the reminder.
The way that this project works with your course competencies and performance indicators is excellent. Have you considered using this type of project to replace the traditional forms of assessment? The subject matter of this course lends itself more to the demonstration of mastery by actually showing, then to the traditional paper and pencil summative assessments. The format that you have designed for this lesson could be used to assess many of the competencies in your course. For example, look at Competency 2 which is described as "Students will understand food safety and sanitation in order to prepare food in a safe manner free from harmful pathogens." You could have the students create a video demonstrating each performance indicator. You could have the students work in groups and then present their video to the class. After all groups have presented, you could then reinforce with a class discussion, followed by a shorter, but pinpointed, written assessment. The format and goals that you have shown in the solution to your problem of practice could easily be transported to other courses as well. I am eager to see where you take this project in the future.
As I was reading your documents and watching your video, I was impressed by the way that you methodically addressed the key components of this course, ECOMP6106. I did not address them as directly as you, but I found myself wishing that I had. I especially took notice when you spoke about the usefulness of brainstorming. I too found that to be much more beneficial then I had originally anticipated. Like you, I will incorporate some of the ideas shared with my by members of this class with future projects. I am going to miss the brainstorming piece as I design future assessments for my courses.
When you were addressing the SAMR model and how it has changed the way that you look at your work, I found myself nodding my head in agreement. Thank you for bringing that to the forefront of my consciousness. The way you aligned your project to the SAMR model illustrated just how effective this tool can be. The combination of competencies, Blended Learning, SAMR, UDL and culturally responsive instruction, all work together beautifully to the benefit of our students. Your final project is a clear and excellent example of this.
I very much enjoyed reading your paper and watching your video about your problem of practice and your solution. Making videos is an idea that I am using in addressing my own problem of practice. I have used them, to a small degree in my classroom off and on before, and I have always been amazed at the quality of the work I get from my students. I am sure you won't be disappointed.
I was excited to hear about the blended model your school is investigating. While I realize that a wholly online format of learning may be best for some students (and that certainly hits on UDL) I am convinced that a blended model is the best solution for most high school students. In my opinion, most high school students lack the maturity to handle a fully on line class and need the extra layer of accountability a blended environment has.
As I reviewed your work, I did have a few ideas and questions come to mind that you might consider as you go forward with your idea to produce videos. First, what technologies are you using to produce the videos? Will you only use a video camera? Have you thought about a flip camera or even a cell phone?
Second- how will you keep and share the videos? Of course you can keep them on YouTube, but it would be really cool to see them grouped together into a single place using a Thinglink that would allow the students to access each video from a central hub. Having the students work on curating these videos using different technologies will increase their digital literacy.
I think this is a very well thought out and executed. I know that it will be a successful change to your practice and you and your students will have lots of fun.
Hi Todd. Thank you for your feedback. I have created a blog for the classroom next year and my intention is to share the links to the videos there with the students. I also had some issues with the format that my first created video was shared in. I could view it on the school computer, but not at home. i was also unable to convert it to a format that worked. It was very frustrating and I spent an enormous amount of time trying to get it done to no avail. This being the first run through I think it went pretty well and I will tackle those problems for the next attempt.
Hi Todd. Thank you for your feedback. I have created a blog for the classroom next year and my intention is to share the links to the videos there with the students. I also had some issues with the format that my first created video was shared in. I could view it on the school computer, but not at home. i was also unable to convert it to a format that worked. It was very frustrating and I spent an enormous amount of time trying to get it done to no avail. This being the first run through I think it went pretty well and I will tackle those problems for the next attempt.
Your problem is well thought out. So many great resources to choose from, and I think you have picked the best. I have used Kahoot! quite a bit in my classroom and my students cannot get enough of it. I don't think one could use it for assessment as it is based on speed and not so much accuracy but it does break up the classroom and adds some excitement. You also mentioned Glogster. I really enjoyed Glogster when we first were introduced to it in one our first Lesley classes together but now they charge a fee and it is a bit cumbersome to enroll students. My newest "free" info graphic creator is Piktochart. All you need is a Google account to sign in and I think it is more user friendly than Glogster. I am all about signing in with Google as my school has a Google Apps for Education where every student has an account. The email and a few other features are turned off but students can access without having to set up an email account.
I found your scaffolding idea of rearranging your classroom very interesting. It would almost be like centers in the elementary school. Maybe you could group students together and they have to teach others in the particular center something they have learned? I also wondered if somehow on your Schoology cite if you could have a space that opens up other assignments/projects once a skill was mastered. I know in Moodle we have options to hide and un-hide blocks as students work through them.
As I told Tracy, I was intrigued by the concept of "flipped" classroom. I have heard and read about this concept but haven't tried it yet. In your list of resources, I saw "JeopardyLabs". I just might have to check that one out for sure.
Your problem of practice is so interesting to me! Intro to Baking and Pastries is not the first class I would think about for integrating technology, yet you have such drive and interest in doing it. I think your students will really enjoy the work you've done to modify and redefine the learning your class!
One thing I really like is how you're taking existing goals and initiatives from your school - such as exploring blended learning - and making that part of your project. By doing this, I think you're helping to set yourself up for success by aligning your problem/solution with related initiatives and activities in your school. Not only will you have support from your administration because of this, but also - and perhaps more importantly - you will be able to share the experience with your colleagues. Have you thought at all about what role some sort of collaboration with colleagues might have in your approach to addressing your problem of practice? I would be interested in hearing more about that.
Your consideration of "scaffolding" and differentiation of various levels is really interesting to me. Especially in an elective class, I know this is important in order to keep all students engaged and actively learning at their own levels. You wrote a bit about this in terms of some students taking on teaching a task or skill to others, but it would be useful to explore some of the other ways you plan to do this. Also, you mentioned accommodating students who are more advanced, but what about students are underperforming? You may want to consider some of the elements of UDL to support this latter question.
Your inclusion of the competencies and performance indicators for your class is really helpful in understanding your perspective and how technology will fit into it. You may want to consider going a step further and using those same indicators as a way to align your technology goals for the class. For example, you talk about your final project based on the EdTech Teacher article about video in the classroom; perhaps you could identify which parts of the project can be used to support which parts of your syllabus? Or, instead, maybe you have a separate rubric or list of expectations that address technology components of the course and how they support your core curriculum goals?
I'm glad you were able to complete some good testing of your solution. It sounds like you've learned some important lessons through doing it that will help to shape how the project looks in future sections of your course. One recommendation I have about your technology issues (you mentioned school firewall problems) is to try and partner with your school's IT department to resolve these issues before next time. I think that getting tech tools to work properly is probably one of the biggest hurdles in implementing complex projects (which you are certainly doing!), so I would hope that your school's IT would be helpful in supporting your use of technology for your classes. Additionally, you write that your student was "skilled at editing"; have you considered how this project might work for a student without the same level of tech-savvyness? It may be useful to explore some common video tools and identify which would make most sense for the largest population in your classes - perhaps something that is taught/supported in your school?
Good luck as you move forward with this project! You've already done it once, so I hope your reflection and modifications become rewarding parts of the process!
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ReplyDeleteHello Michelle,
There are so many aspects of this project that I am excited about. It is student-centered and the format is engaging. I thought you did an excellent job incorporating the UDL guidelines. The wide variety of media as well as the fact that the students get to choose the type of media that they use, are all good examples of UDL.
This lesson obviously builds upon prior knowledge and it a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their skills. The fact that the knowledge base for all students will be expanded by viewing the different videos while being engaged in watching the videos is a benefit to all students. As I pointed out in the feedback that I left for your prototype, I especially like the way that you incorporated the idea of quality feedback. So often we ask students to share their thoughts and offer feedback, but how often do educators actually teach the students how to do this and model it for them. I think by you allowing them to view the video that you created and then practice giving you quality feedback allows your students to practice this important skill in a safety zone. I hope that you are still planning on incorporating this piece in your final project design. I plan to incorporate it into my final design, but I did not remember to add it before I revisited your project. Thank you for the reminder.
The way that this project works with your course competencies and performance indicators is excellent. Have you considered using this type of project to replace the traditional forms of assessment? The subject matter of this course lends itself more to the demonstration of mastery by actually showing, then to the traditional paper and pencil summative assessments. The format that you have designed for this lesson could be used to assess many of the competencies in your course. For example, look at Competency 2 which is described as "Students will understand food safety and sanitation in order to prepare food in a safe manner free from harmful pathogens." You could have the students create a video demonstrating each performance indicator. You could have the students work in groups and then present their video to the class. After all groups have presented, you could then reinforce with a class discussion, followed by a shorter, but pinpointed, written assessment. The format and goals that you have shown in the solution to your problem of practice could easily be transported to other courses as well. I am eager to see where you take this project in the future.
As I was reading your documents and watching your video, I was impressed by the way that you methodically addressed the key components of this course, ECOMP6106. I did not address them as directly as you, but I found myself wishing that I had. I especially took notice when you spoke about the usefulness of brainstorming. I too found that to be much more beneficial then I had originally anticipated. Like you, I will incorporate some of the ideas shared with my by members of this class with future projects. I am going to miss the brainstorming piece as I design future assessments for my courses.
When you were addressing the SAMR model and how it has changed the way that you look at your work, I found myself nodding my head in agreement. Thank you for bringing that to the forefront of my consciousness. The way you aligned your project to the SAMR model illustrated just how effective this tool can be. The combination of competencies, Blended Learning, SAMR, UDL and culturally responsive instruction, all work together beautifully to the benefit of our students. Your final project is a clear and excellent example of this.
Michelle-
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed reading your paper and watching your video about your problem of practice and your solution. Making videos is an idea that I am using in addressing my own problem of practice. I have used them, to a small degree in my classroom off and on before, and I have always been amazed at the quality of the work I get from my students. I am sure you won't be disappointed.
I was excited to hear about the blended model your school is investigating. While I realize that a wholly online format of learning may be best for some students (and that certainly hits on UDL) I am convinced that a blended model is the best solution for most high school students. In my opinion, most high school students lack the maturity to handle a fully on line class and need the extra layer of accountability a blended environment has.
As I reviewed your work, I did have a few ideas and questions come to mind that you might consider as you go forward with your idea to produce videos. First, what technologies are you using to produce the videos? Will you only use a video camera? Have you thought about a flip camera or even a cell phone?
Second- how will you keep and share the videos? Of course you can keep them on YouTube, but it would be really cool to see them grouped together into a single place using a Thinglink that would allow the students to access each video from a central hub. Having the students work on curating these videos using different technologies will increase their digital literacy.
I think this is a very well thought out and executed. I know that it will be a successful change to your practice and you and your students will have lots of fun.
Good job.
Hi Todd. Thank you for your feedback. I have created a blog for the classroom next year and my intention is to share the links to the videos there with the students. I also had some issues with the format that my first created video was shared in. I could view it on the school computer, but not at home. i was also unable to convert it to a format that worked. It was very frustrating and I spent an enormous amount of time trying to get it done to no avail. This being the first run through I think it went pretty well and I will tackle those problems for the next attempt.
ReplyDeleteHi Todd. Thank you for your feedback. I have created a blog for the classroom next year and my intention is to share the links to the videos there with the students. I also had some issues with the format that my first created video was shared in. I could view it on the school computer, but not at home. i was also unable to convert it to a format that worked. It was very frustrating and I spent an enormous amount of time trying to get it done to no avail. This being the first run through I think it went pretty well and I will tackle those problems for the next attempt.
ReplyDeleteYour problem is well thought out. So many great resources to choose from, and I think you have picked the best. I have used Kahoot! quite a bit in my classroom and my students cannot get enough of it. I don't think one could use it for assessment as it is based on speed and not so much accuracy but it does break up the classroom and adds some excitement. You also mentioned Glogster. I really enjoyed Glogster when we first were introduced to it in one our first Lesley classes together but now they charge a fee and it is a bit cumbersome to enroll students. My newest "free" info graphic creator is Piktochart. All you need is a Google account to sign in and I think it is more user friendly than Glogster. I am all about signing in with Google as my school has a Google Apps for Education where every student has an account. The email and a few other features are turned off but students can access without having to set up an email account.
ReplyDeleteI found your scaffolding idea of rearranging your classroom very interesting. It would almost be like centers in the elementary school. Maybe you could group students together and they have to teach others in the particular center something they have learned? I also wondered if somehow on your Schoology cite if you could have a space that opens up other assignments/projects once a skill was mastered. I know in Moodle we have options to hide and un-hide blocks as students work through them.
As I told Tracy, I was intrigued by the concept of "flipped" classroom. I have heard and read about this concept but haven't tried it yet. In your list of resources, I saw "JeopardyLabs". I just might have to check that one out for sure.
A job well done. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteYour problem of practice is so interesting to me! Intro to Baking and Pastries is not the first class I would think about for integrating technology, yet you have such drive and interest in doing it. I think your students will really enjoy the work you've done to modify and redefine the learning your class!
One thing I really like is how you're taking existing goals and initiatives from your school - such as exploring blended learning - and making that part of your project. By doing this, I think you're helping to set yourself up for success by aligning your problem/solution with related initiatives and activities in your school. Not only will you have support from your administration because of this, but also - and perhaps more importantly - you will be able to share the experience with your colleagues. Have you thought at all about what role some sort of collaboration with colleagues might have in your approach to addressing your problem of practice? I would be interested in hearing more about that.
Your consideration of "scaffolding" and differentiation of various levels is really interesting to me. Especially in an elective class, I know this is important in order to keep all students engaged and actively learning at their own levels. You wrote a bit about this in terms of some students taking on teaching a task or skill to others, but it would be useful to explore some of the other ways you plan to do this. Also, you mentioned accommodating students who are more advanced, but what about students are underperforming? You may want to consider some of the elements of UDL to support this latter question.
Your inclusion of the competencies and performance indicators for your class is really helpful in understanding your perspective and how technology will fit into it. You may want to consider going a step further and using those same indicators as a way to align your technology goals for the class. For example, you talk about your final project based on the EdTech Teacher article about video in the classroom; perhaps you could identify which parts of the project can be used to support which parts of your syllabus? Or, instead, maybe you have a separate rubric or list of expectations that address technology components of the course and how they support your core curriculum goals?
I'm glad you were able to complete some good testing of your solution. It sounds like you've learned some important lessons through doing it that will help to shape how the project looks in future sections of your course. One recommendation I have about your technology issues (you mentioned school firewall problems) is to try and partner with your school's IT department to resolve these issues before next time. I think that getting tech tools to work properly is probably one of the biggest hurdles in implementing complex projects (which you are certainly doing!), so I would hope that your school's IT would be helpful in supporting your use of technology for your classes. Additionally, you write that your student was "skilled at editing"; have you considered how this project might work for a student without the same level of tech-savvyness? It may be useful to explore some common video tools and identify which would make most sense for the largest population in your classes - perhaps something that is taught/supported in your school?
Good luck as you move forward with this project! You've already done it once, so I hope your reflection and modifications become rewarding parts of the process!
Best,
Jason