This summer I completed the first three courses of the MAET program. I have seen exponential growth on both a professional and personal level. Through taking CEP 811, I have learned how to implement innovative technologies to evaluate and assess learning. The Maker Movement is one that creates affordable inventions that inspire communities of learners.
Professional Assessment & Evaluation:
Richard Culatta’s 2013 TED talk inspires educators to use technologies to allow for creativity and learning in the classroom. A primary focus in CEP 811 was Maker Education. Maker kits are one type of innovative technology that I can see becoming a part of my workplace in order to support creativity in learning. Maker kits, such as Squishy Circuits, help to provide real-time feedback to students. Students who use given feedback have a greater chance of being successful because they know the end goal. They can adjust their work and approach to the topic to achieve this end goal. To evaluate the effectiveness of Maker kits in the classroom, teachers could deliver short formative assessments, following the immediate feedback and reflection from the Maker kits.
As an educator, I am expected to create a successful learning environment for all learners. In the lesson plan I created for CEP 811, I incorporated Squishy Circuits maker kits. These kits offer immediate feedback to students, which is also supported by feedback from the teacher. The lesson encourages and supports collaboration between classmates. The conversations held can be assessed to determine if students are mastering the material. Implementing Maker kits into my classroom will help foster creativity in my students.
The graphing linear equations activity I created using Squishy Circuits
Personal Assessment & Evaluation:
CEP 811 has allowed me to explore and extend my knowledge as an educator. Through weekly “Learn, Explore and Create” assignments, I have been presented with many resources to incorporate into my own classroom community. As stated in the MAET Evaluation Philosophy, “We expect each of you to meet deadlines. We expect each of you to ask good questions. We expect each of you to seek out answers by leveraging all of the resources at your disposal. We expect each of you to adhere to professional standards of academic integrity, to respect the work of your peers and to offer thoughtful, constructive suggestions that sharpen our collective understanding and focus.” My growth in this program comes from upholding these high standards Michigan State holds for me. I see asking good questions and receiving constructive feedback as a crucial part of the learning process. It’s how one responds to feedback that determines their success. I take feedback as a learning opportunity. Receiving feedback from my instructors and colleagues allowed me to take a second look at my assignments and dig deeper in my understanding of weekly topics.
I am excited to continue my journey through the Master’s in Educational Technology program. The skills and resources I’ve accrued over the past 15 weeks will assist me in finding success in the future.
We were introduced to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) this week in CEP 811. UDL is the framework for developing a curriculum that engages all students in learning. One of the benefits of this is that “UDL helps address learner variability by suggesting flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments that empower educators to meet these varied needs” (Rose and Gravel, 2011). While holding students to high standards, UDL creates support for students and reduces barriers to learning. All students work toward the same objective by creating goals and using resources to support their individual learning styles.
The Universal Design for Learning is guided by three principles:
Principle I: Provide Multiple Means of Representation
Principle II: Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement
Using the three principles of UDL, I revised my Week 2 lesson plan on “Graphing Linear Equations” using this template. In this lesson students completed an activity made from Squishy Circuit maker kits. To view my revised lesson plan, click here (all revisions are in blue)! Being aware of the UDL principles and how they support student learning, revisions were made on the approach to planning, along with the resources used to support the “Graphing Linear Equations” activity within the lesson.
Part 2: Reflection on Using the UDL Framework on my Maker Activity
As I revisited my lesson plan, I saw some aspects that aligned with the Universal Design of Learning and many aspects that could be revised to better suit learning for all students. In my original lesson plan, I provided options for comprehension by beginning the lesson with connecting prior knowledge through Battleship. Objectives were clearly stated on the board for students to work toward. To promote expectations, students will be made aware before the activity begins that they will have to write a summary of their experience using the Maker Kit activity before class ends. This loops back to clearly stating the objective for the lesson.
Revising my lesson was very eye-opening. Giving students multiple ways to communicate with classmates and express their thoughts needed to be added to the lesson. I incorporated more collaboration and discussion between the community of learners during or after each activity. Providing immediate feedback to students through teacher-student interactions and supplied solutions will help students monitor their own progress throughout the class. One of the biggest changes I made was providing many opportunities for students to have choice in their own learning. This is seen through choice of partners, technology, approach to work, discussions and homework.
Overall the Universal Design for Learning provided me with the knowledge to better plan and execute lessons that will reach all of the students in my classroom. The changes made to my Graphing Linear Equations lesson support UDL through organization, interaction and engagement. This in turn will yield better results in student learning.
Resources:
Rose, D.H. & Gravel, J. (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines (V.2.0). Wakefield, MA: CAST.org.
I participated in my first EdCamp this week. EdCamp is an “unconference” that allows educators to lead professional developments in order to discuss and share ideas. This type of professional development brings educators to life as they participate by interacting and offering real-life connections, which isn’t always seen during the traditional style of professional developments.
My EdCamp Experience
Several of my colleagues from CEP 811 got together in a Google Hangout to discuss topics of our choice. I really enjoyed participating in EdCamp for many reasons. Most importantly, it provided a casual environment to share thoughts and ideas. As a person presented, anyone could chime in and offer their insight and connections to the topic. While we as educators, are used to sitting through hours and hours of professional development, participating in an EdCamp was informational, yet short.
The two parts of EdCamp I didn’t like were the time limit (15 minutes) and the technology problems. When participating in EdCamps in the future, I’d like more than 15 minutes to present and discuss on a topic. I didn’t feel like I had enough time to successfully present important information and gain insightful feedback from it. On that same note, when others were presenting or commenting on a presentation, the program was freezing and I missed quite a bit of material. Having a trial-run in whichever program that is used for the EdCamp would be recommended.
The Potential of EdCamp for Professional Development
EdCamp creates huge potential for professional development worldwide. Encouraging collaboration and discussions with people that have the same interests is beneficial to one’s growing knowledge. My school thrives on finding innovative ways to foster growth and learning. I think participating in EdCamps with my colleagues would help us growth and learn from one another.
A 2012 EdCamp in Philly surveyed the feelings on professional development in general. These are their results. (CC licensed flickr photo by Kevin Jarrett https://flic.kr/p/bLN2E4)
Organizing an EdCamp Experience
How would you organize an EdCamp experience for others? What issues would you need to consider both conceptually and logistically to pull it off?
If I were to organize my own EdCamp, some factors would need to be considered: location, discussion topics and technology needs. I like face-to-face interactions with my peers, so I’d have to find a location large enough to hold the number of people attending. This location would also need to be able to handle the amount technology that may be used: computers, iPads, phones, etc. In order to make it a successful EdCamp, I would provide different discussion topics to allow participants time to prepare and sign up for what they like.
For two years I’ve taught in the typical 21st-century classroom: white board in the front of the classroom, 30 individual student desks and 12 fluorescent ceiling lights. Desks are arranged in tables or rows, depending on the amount of area enclosed by the four walls.
In Chapter 2 of the book “The Third Teacher” the authors state “The tools and tactics that encourage the creative thinking that is now, more than ever, so critical to success in higher education and the world at large have yet to be integrated into the standard curriculum or overall design of our schools” (2010, p. 55). David Kelly’s TEDTalk stresses the importance of human-centered designs. We can adapt these educational views to the way we set up our classrooms to best suit student learning.
Toward the end of last school year, I was given the opportunity to “loop up” with my current seventh graders and become their eighth grade math teacher. This job change also involved a new approach to teaching created by Sean Kavanaugh: the 360 Degree Math classroom. This approach is a five-step process: the exchange, the rewind, the micro-lecture, the practice, the proof. Students enter the classroom being greeted by the teacher. They then complete previously learned problems on the whiteboard. An 8-10 minute lecture is given on new objectives for the day. Students return to working on the whiteboards to collaborate with classmates and have group discussions. Teacher will assess student work as it is being put on the board (Kavanaugh, 2013).
I based my experience design on the idea of the 360 Degree Math classroom. Using SketchUp, I created a three dimensional classroom that models how I see my future classroom. In this design, all four classroom walls have a white board mounted across them. I chose to replace the thirty student desks with four white board tables. When students are not working at the boards, I can work with small groups to provide mini-lessons and small group instruction at the tables. I didn’t see the need for a chair for each student because not all students will sitting at the same time. The bean bags create a comfortable environment that welcomes learning.
The back of the room houses another white board, the teacher’s desk and an area rug. The area rug can be used as a place for group discussions or quiet work.
This approach to teaching and learning needs to be supported by administration and parents. Administration would have to consider the funds and resources necessary to create this learning environment. Putting whiteboards on all four walls of a classroom is expensive (approximately $1,500 total via Amazon). You must also factor in molding and installation for the boards. Administrators must also look at the data to see the success rate of the 360 degree math classroom. Sharing with parents how this teaching technique can vastly impact the success of student learning will create a school-home partnership. Without parent support, it is difficult to get buy-in from students.
If the resources and funds are not available to run a 360 classroom, the implementation can be staged in other ways. One version of these alternate implementations would be to give each student a white board. Students would still have the ability to show all their work and thought processes to their teacher.
OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture, & Bruce Mau Design. (2010). The Third Teacher. Harry N. Abrams; First Edition. Retrieved from http://static.squarespace.com/static/509c0d15e4b058edb8f35a86/t/50f495b3e4b0c7661ad2ec2e/1358206387728/Ch2%20TTT%20for%20Web.pdf
During Week 4 of CEP 811 I learned about MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) and P2PU (Peer to Peer University). P2PU is an online university that allows people to participate in or teach a MOOC. Each course offers participants a set of skills to improve through tasks and peer feedback.
In my “Run Like You Mean It” course my peers will master their running goals by creating their own personalized training plan and joining a community running group.
Course Topic: Running
Course Title: Run Like You Mean It
This course is designed for anyone interested in living a healthy lifestyle through running. Whether you are beginning your running journey or have plenty of experience, this course is for you. We will be focusing on running with the intention to complete a half-marathon and beyond.
This 4-week course will provide the opportunity to research running tips, create training and nutrition plans, connect to a running community and complete a race! You will see results each week as you work toward your goals. Fellow runners may give you real-time feedback at a group workout or online through running blogs. Learners will create a blog where they will record each of the following tasks.
During this course, learners will complete the following tasks:
Task 1: Self-Evaluation (Week 1)
In order to know where to begin in the running process, learners will take a survey using Survey Monkey. This survey will have questions that evaluate their current running experience, activity level and nutrition. Instructor will provide learners with immediate feedback about their knowledge, running type and level of running.
Task 2: Running Blog/Journal and Chat (Week 1)
Learners will create a blog or journal that documents their journey to becoming a better runner. If learners already have a blog they use, they can continue to record activities for this class. If not, blogs can be created with WordPress or any other platform of their choice. Posts will include research of running tips, gear, nutrition and training. Learners in this course will be able to read and comment on each other’s blog posts. On top of the blog, learners will also create an account with TodaysMeet. By joining a room, learners will be able to discuss anything and everything about running with fellow runners. Any questions, concerns and great finds can be shared with the community of runners!
Assigned Workout #1: Go out and run. How far did you run without stopping? Why did you stop (tired, bored, met time/distance goal, etc.)? Use this run to think about next week’s assignment: planning your goals!
Task 3: Running and Nutrition Goals and Plans (Week 2)
Learners will watch the following video from Allan Besselink and RunSmart. What aspects of running does Besselink say are important when planning your training schedule?
Learners will proceed to pick a running goal! How far do they want to run? Learners will create a Pinterest account to find training schedules that fit their appropriate goals. They will also research nutrition information that will help them achieve this running goal. There are so many different plans out there, but learners will find one that correlates to the results of their surgery in Week 1. To get started, here is a board that has a lot of links to training schedules and nutrition plans: Fitness- Running. Learners will also create an account with MapMyRun. If they have access to a phone or iPod to download the app, use it on your run. Having an account will help you find running routes and keep track of workouts.
Assigned Workout #2: Once you have a training plan, go out and put it into action. Does the training schedule seem reasonable and achievable based on your run? Do you have all the resources necessary to have a successful run? Write at least 500 words summarizing this week’s activity. Be sure to link the goals you choose in your blog.
Task 4: Sign Up for a Race (Week 2)
Learners will pick a race they are interested in running. Most states have an online website dedicated to running events. Learners will visit their state’s running website to choose a race. A list of websites will be supplied.
(Example- Michigan’s running website: This site lists the running events in or near the state of Michigan. It also has great links to different running blogs and other resources!)
Task 5: Running Gear (Week 3)
In order to purchase the appropriate running gear, instructors will provide links to videos, blogs and other running forums. A list of running gear will be provided (shoes, watches, belts, clothes, etc). Learners will research what types and brands will work best for their running type. Record your research with Evernote.
As helpful as researching running gear is, it’s really hard to tell if the gear will be comfortable just by looking at it on a screen. Learners will be asked to venture out to a sporting goods store to test out running gear! Purchasing items is not required! For example, learners can get a feel for what brand and type of running shoe they find comfortable. They can connect to an expert by getting information and advice from the person working at the store.
**Runs/training should be happening daily based on your individual schedule.**
Task 6: A Community of Runners (Week 4)
Participants will join a community of runners, online or in person. There are Facebook groups, blogs and other online resources that you can communicate with fellow runners. If participants would rather find a group of runners they can train with, there are many out there. Here are a list of blogs and websites I’ve found extremely resourceful:
Through experiential learning and communities of practice, I have designed this course so that learners will gain knowledge through their running experiences: physically and through research and their community. Technologies were incorporated into this course to support the connections to classmates and fellow runners. MapMyRun is an extremely popular tool used by many runners. It offers so many features that connect a person to the running community.
Learners participating in this course will learn a variety of new skills. Not only will they learn tips and resources to become a better runner, they will blog about their experience and connect with new people. As explained in Task 6, participants will join a community of runners. It’s important that runners communicate with those who are having, or have had, similar experiences. Joining a running team motivates and excites runners to get out there and run that extra mile. Being a part of a community that encourages you and gives you knowledge can be very rewarding.
This course has been designed to walk learners through the important aspects of becoming a runner. Each week has an outlined activity that will be recorded on their blog so that their research will be found in one spot. Each week’s activity builds on the previous week.
Last week in CEP 811 we were asked to incorporate a Maker kit into a lesson that we would use in our classroom. I created a game board with Squishy Circuits that helped students graph linear equations. I was able to use two canvases, a pen, battery pack, LED lights, index cards and two types of dough to create the activity. Students work in small groups or partners to complete the activity. The cards students choose from each have an equation on them. A different color LED light on the board represents each equation on the cards. Together, students will use their preferred method of graphing equations to graph whichever equation was on the card they picked.
The graphing linear equations activity I created using Squishy Circuits
Richard Culatta gave us insight during his TED talk (2013) as to how we as educators need to use technology in new ways to allow for creativity and learning in the classroom. Culatta mentions how important technology is in its ability to provide real-time feedback to students to avoid the danger of not being able to change a student’s thinking. Mark Milliron spoke at Big Ideas Fest about the same topic: Immediate Feedback. Milliron’s talk reinforced similar ideas to Culatta. He gives real-world examples of immediate feedback (Amazon, Netflix, Garmin, etc). Take a few minutes and listen to his talk!
My graphing linear equations activity seems to appropriately satisfy this affordance that technology has to offer. The colored LED lights are matched to linear equations provided on the game cards. If each student in the group can work together to find the appropriate ordered pairs that satisfy the equations, they will all light up the same color. If the ordered pair is incorrect, the LED light will not be similar to all the rest for that equation. This gives the group the opportunity to discuss and find a solution to their error.
In Karen Walker’s 2011 article, she compared the effectiveness of summative versus formative assessments. “Formative assessment […] occurs much more frequently, often within a lesson or unit, and allows a student to practice their knowledge, adjust, modify and grow from constructive feedback” (Walker, 2011, pg. 2). Students who use feedback have a greater chance of being successful because they know the end goal. The teacher gives awareness to errors made, concepts missed or extensions to look into.
Another factor to having immediate feedback be effective in learning is the definition of “immediate”. What is the time-span in which feedback is considered immediate? The journal article “Provision of Feedback during Preparation for Academic Testing: Learning Is Enhanced by Immediate but Not Delayed Feedback” found that “The robust effects observed when immediate feedback was provided during practice tests suggests an optimal window within which immediate, self-corrective information should be delivered” (Dihoff, Brosvic, Epstein, and Cook, 2004). The studies that proved this to be true both supplied the immediate feedback while students were preparing for that final assessment.
Activity Revisions
While I do believe my activity satisfies the real-time feedback model, after researching how the immediate impact of receiving feedback affects student learning, I would change a few details of the activity.
Create different versions of the game board and have students rotate. This allows for students to come across different linear equations.
Create game cards that are not linear equations. Have students discover they are not linear using their game board.
This week in CEP 811 I was asked to be creative in my learning process. Using a Maker kit (Squishy Circuits) and some repurposed items, I had to create an activity that would improve the learning in my eighth grade mathematics classroom. We focus a lot of time graphing linear equations, so that was my learning objective for this project.
Thrifting
I began my Maker kit adventure by sifting through the closets in my parents’ basement. I wanted to use my Squishy Circuits kit to create a math activity my students could use. I decided to look for something I could make into a board. I found a small canvas that would work. I also found an expo marker to draw a coordinate plane on the canvas. The last item I needed was a cylinder-like object to use as a pointer. I rummaged through a box of craft supplies and found a pen that could be disassembled.
Making a Circuit
After cracking open my Squishy Circuit kit, I noticed I needed to make two types of dough: conductive and insulating. Mixing flour, water, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, and food coloring all over medium heat makes conductive dough. The conductive dough helps conduct the electricity because of all the salt it contains. Mixing flour, sugar, and vegetable oil, while slowly adding water, makes the insulating dough.
Once my dough was made. I started created very simple circuits to make sure my dough worked. The first circuit I made consisted of two balls of conductive dough and an LED light, which is shown below.
I then tried out my insulating dough to make sure it didn’t conduct electricity.
Lastly I stuck a piece of insulating dough in between two pieces of conductive dough. If you allow two pieces of conductive dough to touch, the LED light will not turn on because all the electricity flows through the dough. Separating them with insulating dough prevents this from happening.
Constructing my Game Board
To create my activity:
Start by making the pointer. Unscrew the top, empty the ink tube and stuff it with conductive dough.
Take scissors to cut 16 slits in the canvas. Four columns and four rows. This is where your LED lights will go to represent ordered pairs. Label each order pair with a marker.
Flip the canvas over and cover the holes with strips of conductive dough. Connect each strip with another strip along the top.
Stick the positive (red) end of the battery into the conductive dough on the game board and the negative (black) end into the dough in the pointer.
Place the LED lights into the holes. The positive end of the LED light is the longer end. This end should be placed through the hole and into the conductive dough. The negative end, which is the shorter end, should be bent up. Current can only flow in one direction: positive to negative. I made sure that all LED lights that represented were y=x red, y=x+1 were blue, , y=x-1 yellow, y=x-2 green, and the rest were white.
Finally, turn on the battery pack and start “graphing”. The video below shows a quick demonstration of how the activity works!
If you’d like to use this in your classroom, here is a lesson plan to accompany my activity!
Linking to the Common Core
In my school, eighth grade students take Algebra 1. Student need to have a very strong understanding of linear equations in order to be successful in the course. This activity allows students to build knowledge in a fun and interactive way. It also allows for students to sharing ideas that could spark further investigation!
For the first assignment of CEP 811 I was asked to use Mozilla Popcorn Maker, a tool to remix videos and audio, in order to create a video explaining a common educational technology buzzword: flipped classroom. The flipped classroom is an alternate method to teaching and learning. As depicted in the image below, the flipped classroom has a majority of the core background knowledge being introduced at home. When students come to school, they are taking that knowledge and applying it to activities and real-life concepts.
Never using Popcorn Maker before, I started exploring the website by watching tutorials and making practice videos. I quickly learned that this tool did not work with a MacBook. Luckily I was staying at my parents’ for the day and used their Dell. It was all clear sailing from there! It took time to search for Creative Commons videos and audio, but I am very happy with the results. You can watch my video on flipping the classroom by following the link.
Resources
Creelman, Alastair. (2013, September 16). Students Listen to the Teacher [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://flexspan.blogspot.com/2013_09_01_archive.html
Gerstein, Jackie. An Illustration of Flipped Classroom [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXcCBuU3ytU
The Piano Guys. (2012). What Makes You Beautiful [Streaming Audio]. Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/sonymasterworks/the-piano-guys-what-makes
UBC LEAP. Students’ Guide to the Flipped Classroom [Video File]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/R3HKUl_f0Gg
SinesOfSuccess 
