3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
Candidates model and facilitate effective classroom management and collaborative learning strategies to maximize teacher and student use of digital tools and resources. (PSC 3.1/ISTE 3a)
Artifact: ITEC 7445 Multimedia Design Project "We Have the Whole Globe in our Hands"
Reflection:
This multi-media project asked kindergartners to begin thinking about maps and globes and where they are on the globe. In this project there were many activities using technology that helped them meet this social studies standard and several math standards. The students were able to experience learning math and social studies in a fun, engaging, and authentic method. This project contained videos, songs, a story, and a task narrated by their teacher. I wanted to create something that even a kindergartner could manipulate without teacher assistance; therefore, I included large buttons that say “push” and quickly students began to recognize this word and use it as it applied to the project. When this media project was viewed on the SMARTBoard, it was extremely easy for the students to advance through the pages on their own.
Using technology with young children is very often criticized, and I wanted to show with this lesson that this fear is unfounded. I believe this multi-media design project does that and meets the standard 3.1 for effective classroom management and collaborative learning and all the while using technology tools. Students collaborated with one another on this project as they rotated through large group, small group, and independent activities. One of the activities included giving students a task card with a country’s name written on it to use in Google Earth. The spelling was on the task card and with a little assistance from the teacher and each other; students were able to type their country’s name into the search bar of Google Earth. Google Earth gave students a wonderful visual that inspired them to create their own maps and globes and articulate the difference between the two. The students then moved to the art area and worked independently creating their map as I took the next group through the Google Earth activity. Differentiating between a map and globe is one of their social studies standards and in years past this was done with a plastic globe and paper map, however, this year the maps contained much more detail. Google Earth provided a moving three dimensional globe that amazed this group of students. After their maps were completed they joined Ms. A. and used gold fish crackers to measure various distances such as; the length of land and water masses and the distances between these land masses on their own maps. Using standard and non-standard forms of measurement is another important math standard for them. We continued these rotations until all the students had completed all of the activities. Daily the media project was displayed on the Smartboard and students were able to manipulate it on their own; singing the songs, watching the videos and listening to the online story.
This project was fun to create and to present, however, it was my first multi-media designed project and I learned a great deal. I would like to extend the project so that it covered more time as it easily could have covered a month long unit. Also, I would like to encompass more learning domains such as; science activities that could also help them meet those standards.
This artifact demonstrates mastery of this standard as it illustrates effective classroom management and collaborative learning using digital tools and resources. It is amazing how kindergartners can manage digital tools on their own when given the chance, and I wish I had known this in years past. This activity was by nature differentiated for each student and I was able to use their work as evidence in our online assessment, GKIDS. I gathered evidence using anecdotal notes, photographs and student work to show their mastery of language, math, and social studies standards. Additionally, parents were able to view their child’s work at our scheduled student-led conferences. During these conferences students were able to recall what they had learned and this demonstrates the impact the project had on student learning.
The project also had a positive impact on professional learning as I was asked to share this activity with other teachers at our weekly professional development meeting. Teachers were amazed how easy and effective it is to embed digital tool in a project. Hopefully, this had a lasting impact and teachers will begin to think outside the box when using technology with their students.
This multi-media project asked kindergartners to begin thinking about maps and globes and where they are on the globe. In this project there were many activities using technology that helped them meet this social studies standard and several math standards. The students were able to experience learning math and social studies in a fun, engaging, and authentic method. This project contained videos, songs, a story, and a task narrated by their teacher. I wanted to create something that even a kindergartner could manipulate without teacher assistance; therefore, I included large buttons that say “push” and quickly students began to recognize this word and use it as it applied to the project. When this media project was viewed on the SMARTBoard, it was extremely easy for the students to advance through the pages on their own.
Using technology with young children is very often criticized, and I wanted to show with this lesson that this fear is unfounded. I believe this multi-media design project does that and meets the standard 3.1 for effective classroom management and collaborative learning and all the while using technology tools. Students collaborated with one another on this project as they rotated through large group, small group, and independent activities. One of the activities included giving students a task card with a country’s name written on it to use in Google Earth. The spelling was on the task card and with a little assistance from the teacher and each other; students were able to type their country’s name into the search bar of Google Earth. Google Earth gave students a wonderful visual that inspired them to create their own maps and globes and articulate the difference between the two. The students then moved to the art area and worked independently creating their map as I took the next group through the Google Earth activity. Differentiating between a map and globe is one of their social studies standards and in years past this was done with a plastic globe and paper map, however, this year the maps contained much more detail. Google Earth provided a moving three dimensional globe that amazed this group of students. After their maps were completed they joined Ms. A. and used gold fish crackers to measure various distances such as; the length of land and water masses and the distances between these land masses on their own maps. Using standard and non-standard forms of measurement is another important math standard for them. We continued these rotations until all the students had completed all of the activities. Daily the media project was displayed on the Smartboard and students were able to manipulate it on their own; singing the songs, watching the videos and listening to the online story.
This project was fun to create and to present, however, it was my first multi-media designed project and I learned a great deal. I would like to extend the project so that it covered more time as it easily could have covered a month long unit. Also, I would like to encompass more learning domains such as; science activities that could also help them meet those standards.
This artifact demonstrates mastery of this standard as it illustrates effective classroom management and collaborative learning using digital tools and resources. It is amazing how kindergartners can manage digital tools on their own when given the chance, and I wish I had known this in years past. This activity was by nature differentiated for each student and I was able to use their work as evidence in our online assessment, GKIDS. I gathered evidence using anecdotal notes, photographs and student work to show their mastery of language, math, and social studies standards. Additionally, parents were able to view their child’s work at our scheduled student-led conferences. During these conferences students were able to recall what they had learned and this demonstrates the impact the project had on student learning.
The project also had a positive impact on professional learning as I was asked to share this activity with other teachers at our weekly professional development meeting. Teachers were amazed how easy and effective it is to embed digital tool in a project. Hopefully, this had a lasting impact and teachers will begin to think outside the box when using technology with their students.