Week 9

This past week included both the integration of technology into the classroom, as well as hours spent preparing for my graduate comprehensive exam.  To prepare for my exam, I reviewed concepts pertaining to Psychological Foundations in curriculum, more specifically the constructivist theory and its applications in the classroom.  Also in review was augmented reality, which I have gained a sparked interest in. I hope to be able to incorporate augmented reality into a math station soon to help motivate students as we prepare for the upcoming STAAR test.

This week students continued working on their robotics projects, and, due to a change in stations, students were given an opportunity each day to refine their math computation and fluency skills using two great programs: Reflex Math and Prodigy Math.

Reflex math is a program that I wrote a grant for and received for free for a year.  It is an amazing program that works on building students' math fluency.  Students create an avatar and play different games as they build their fluency.  Their goal each day is to reach their "green light," which means they have successfully completed a lesson in Reflex for that day. 

                                                      www.explorelearning.com
Prodigy Math is a program that I am new to having my students use, but am already in love with.  Like Reflex, students create an avatar and then travel about a virtual world defeating monsters and leveling up.  Students can collect special clothing items and weapons.  Teachers can log in and collect data to assess student math performance.  Best of all, it's free! 

This upcoming week we plan on going back to our Seesaw lessons, hopefully finishing and having students become "Seesaw Certified."

Week 8

While I spent Spring break out of the classroom, I found plenty of time to work on my research and learn more about technology integration. I started the week by viewing a webinar by Istation that discussed the challenges with integrating technology into the classroom. You can find the webinar here:

https://www.edweek.org/ew/webinars/education-technology-webinars.html?override=web


The rest of the week I continued working on research, adding newly attained survey data from a recent technology survey.  I had sent a request for the survey a few weeks ago and finally was given access to the results.  It contained data that further showed a need for technology in the classroom and helped with giving purpose to both my research and internship.  

I also used this time away from the classroom to review for my upcoming Comprehensive exam.  I viewed both videos and research that related to AR in education and industry.  Below are a few of the sources I viewed:

Aug That!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg3CcaAgnUM

Using Aurasma and Powerpoint to create educational AR experiences

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEVKtPEcgQg

AR in industry (Index AR Solutions)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMEJnYKpwog

Caterpillar AR for inspection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8jMgBimuxg

Air measure app

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8jMgBimuxg

I tried out the Air tape measure app and it was amazing how accurate it was!  It combined virtual reality with reality as it created a virtual tape measure to measure real objects.  Best of all the application was free!  I would like to do more research and see if there is such an app available for the kindle.  How neat would it be to have students measure objects at their desk with a virtual tape measurer?  Or measure objects that would otherwise be very difficult to measure, such as floor to ceiling or from one side of the room to the other? 


I also viewed videos and research that related to learning theory of constructivism and how it shapes curriculum.  The resources are below:

Constructivist Approaches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krqjqGIuC-A

Article on Learning Theories in Education Technology

https://www.scribd.com/document/342240877/Foundations-of-Curriculum

Breakout Session #1: Constructivist Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk-RdlAahXc

Today I was back in the classroom, and while it is good to be back, it was nice having this time to focus on professional development and further understanding how to integrate technology into the classroom. 

Week 7

This was the week before Spring Break, and what says break time more than benchmarks all week? We spent most of the week either administering benchmarks or being in "testing mode," but amidst all the testing we still found time for technology integration in the classroom.

Students finished up writing their reflections from previous week and worked in collaborative groups, supporting learning objectives for my internship.  Students were also introduced to the drawing tool in Lesson 8 of the Seesaw Learning application.  Students are one step closer to getting "Seesaw Certified." In this lesson students worked in collaborative groups to create a life cycle of their choice. Students then had to use the microphone, captions, or labels to explain their drawing.

Students also used the drawing tool to demonstrate an understanding of math concepts.  We were learning about data, so we decided to draw dot plots.  After I modeled how to create a dot plot using the kindle, students then were given a set of numbers and told to plot them on a dot plot of their making.  

Students used a combination of the text tool and drawing tool to create their dot plots.  I could have extended the activity further by having them write 2-3 sentences about their dot plot, or having them write questions that could be answered with their dot plot.  

Students finished their online STEM virtual investigation on topic of lifecycles.  While I had two students control the animations and read the instructions, the rest of the classmates went through the scientific process in their journals and came up to the interactive whiteboard to interact with the investigation.  The virtual investigations are very engaging for my students, and I have noticed that they are retaining the information at a better rate versus reading from a textbook.

We did not have too much time for robotics this week, but I did meet with one small group at a time to go over reflections.  Both groups of students are participating in meaningful learning that is getting me excited for more technology integrated activities.  Tech has become such a big part of our classroom environment.

I also took some time to work on putting together my research, which is showing how online journaling/blogging increases engagement, promotes peer collaboration and improves literacy skills.  I have already gathered qualitative data that supports my research, and when it comes to improving literacy skills, students are recording their voices, stopping mid paper, and revising/ editing their papers.  Hearing their papers read aloud by themselves is definitely making students more conscious of their writing.

Now its time to enjoy a week of Spring Break!  I look forward to updating you after the break with how our class is further integrating technology into our classroom!

Week 6

This past week was very productive and helped me move closer to my goal of integrating technology into my campus.  This week my intervention students received their robotics folders to help organize their work. Students were told expectations and shown the robotics rubric.   Students were given time to begin a Blockly assignment with Dash robots and began tracking their progress using their assignment organizer.   My homeroom continued with Seesaw Lesson 5.  I continued assisting students with taking a photo of their work and encouraged peer collaboration.  We also discussed appropriate/not appropriate photos to use on Seesaw.

My campus recently expressed concerns about behavior, which made me think of an application titled Class Dojo- an app used for behavior management. Students receive weekly reports, and the system is very positive.  My hope is that the data I have been collecting since September will show administrators the effectiveness of the technology application in reinforcing positive behavior.

This week I had my supervisor observe my robotics group– While my students continued working on their robotics assignment, my supervisor spoke shared with me information about Lego Robotics as well as Presentation software titled “Spark.”  I am hoping to utilize Spark at the end of the semester as a way for my students to present what they learned about robotics to the group.


Our class began Seesaw Lesson 6, where students set and recorded their goals on paper. The class was introduced to the rubric that they would use to self-assess their writing. Students were shown a writing example that was read aloud. The teacher then went over the steps for taking a photo, tapping the microphone, and reading the story. Students were given five minutes to brainstorm their “5th Grade Goals.” After the brainstorming period students were given a 15-minute silent writing period. The teacher then went over the steps for taking a photo, tapping the microphone, and reading the story.

This week was definitely rubric-focused.  My robotics students were introduced to the journaling rubric that they would refer to when writing reflections on programming sheet. Students continued working on projects, teacher recorded student progress into Seesaw in the form of video that students could leave feedback on.

I reviewed with my homeroom students the rubric that they would use to self-assess their writing. Students then took snapshots of their writing using the Kindles and uploaded the work to Seesaw. Students then added their voice to their posts. Students were then asked to use the rubric to assess the quality of their post.



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Students continued to post their goals to Seesaw, taking pictures of their writing and recording their voice to go with the image.


During Science I had my students self direct themselves through an interactive whiteboard virtual investation about life cycles. Students wrote scientific method in journals and drew and labeled pictures as they were guided through a smart board lesson controlled and read by their peers. Students were asked to come up to the board several times to interact with Mimio smartboard.


We had "Read Across America Day" on friday, and I had the students scan QR codes with their Kindles in order to trigger a read-aloud of a Dr. Seuss story that they then listened to with their book buddy. Students then used the technology to helped their buddy take Accelerated Reader (AR) tests over the books read.  I also discussed with technology teacher website code.org. She was unfamiliar with the website, which features self-guided modules that teach students to code.

On Saturday, I proctored and judged junior high and high school optics examinations.   While stressful, it was a really exciting experience, and I also helped with operations of a Smart Board used during the testing period.  I had a chance to work directly under three physics professors and was even able to provide assistance as to how incorporating a tablet into a lecture would be more engaging for students.

I also did a bit of research this week.  I viewed a pre-recorded presentation titled “Ask an Expert: Programming and Team Management” by First Lego League. I also researched STEM activities for Read Across America, April. https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/egg-drop-activity-stem-challenge-young-kids/.  Finally I reread chapters “Social Media and Education,” Sound educational design using social media,” and “Common aspects of social media functions and practice” from the textbook Using Social Media in the Classroom by Megan Poore. 

This week was long, but very productive.  I look forward to continuing to research and continue activities with my students that will go toward my internship.

Week 5

This past week the robotics group grew from 10 students to 15 students, meaning new procedures and expectations were to be put into place.  The good thing about the change was our work space went from a closet down the hall to my classroom, making it easy for students to get to  their robots and make the most of what precious time we have for intervention.  Students were introduced to a rubric they would be using to rate themselves on their programming performance.  Students were also given checklists and a troubleshooting guide to help them take charge of their learning. 

Students were also introduced to the reflection sheet that will be used weekly or biweekly in order to reflect on that day or week's programming.  I have not yet decided if I wanted this to be a weekly or biweekly task, but I do know that I am going to have my groups post onto Seesaw weekly with a summative reflection.  My groups have already used Seesaw to write their goals for robotics and the rest of their fifth grade year.

Our group also was able to get two more devices, so now our classroom has 8 kindles (one is an older kindle that does not run the Wonder or Blockily applications but does connect to the internet), 4 desktop computers and 2 laptops.  This makes it so much easier for our classroom to seamlessly integrate technology into our curriculum and keeps students from having to wait for a device.

I read up on a Case Study involving the Dash and Dot wonder robots.  The challenge presented in the study mirrors my own objective for robotics: to "inspire students to participate in programming and other technologies; while improving student motivation and engagement" (Segiet, 2016).  This case study helped put into perspective what exactly I was trying to achieve with my Dash and Dot robots.  In the case study, the researcher was also wishing to start a coding club for the following school year, making the research and findings very relatable and relevant to my own internship and studies.  You can find the PDF to the case study below:

http://wonderworkshop.sunburst.com/ww_case-study1.pdf

Week 4

This week was a little difficult when it came to getting my internship hours in.  Fifth grade had back-to-back benchmarks on Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday was our Valentine's parties.  Thursday, however, we were back on track and I had the chance to meet with both my robotics group and my homeroom group to continue our Seesaw lessons.

Today I put the power of programming back into the students' hands as they worked together to navigate through the learning modules on the Wonder Workshop application.  Our first programming session was a teacher-guided lesson on nested loops using the Blockly app, so this was a different approach that students had not yet had a chance to discover. 

Through trial and error, and by seeking help of fellow "programmers,"  the students continued to surprise me with how quickly they worked through the modules, as well as how they were able to customize the modules to make them their own as they also fulfilled the tasks at hand.  It was very rewarding to sit back and watch as they problem-solved and helped each other through some difficult steps in the programming process.

However, as much as we are having with programming, the STAAR test is lurking just around the corner.  I am going to begin using Quizziz on the Kindles to help this group of students refine their knowledge of content before they are able to continue with the learning modules on Wonder.  Students will still be getting to program as well as receive refinement along the way.

My home room also got to work with Seesaw a little this past week as well. This past Thursday students completed lesson 6, which had them post a selfie to Seesaw that included positive words about themselves.  Students really enjoyed seeing their posts projected on the board as I approved their comments.  Students also enjoyed helping out eachother and bringing eachother up as they encouraged their classmates to take selfies. 

Week 3 - Jumping into the technology

Week three of my internship has been a very productive one.  The week starting by me introducing my home room students to SeeSaw, a journaling application that puts students in control of their own personal E-portfolio.  This week students got to watch me model posting and taking pictures on SeeSaw, along with learning about "Netiquette."  I was also able to meet with my GT/TPSP group and introducing them to their Dash and Dot robots they will be programming with for the remainder of the school year.

This week was very exciting for both myself and my students.  On Thursday I received Whispercast training so I can have access to and control of applications downloaded onto our Kindles.  I also ordered a Amazon charging tower to help manage charging of the kindle devices.  With Benchmarks next week I am looking forward to intervention time as I continue to use technology to help the students interact with their learning and eachother.