3.2 Managing Digital Tools & Resources
Candidates effectively manage digital tools and resources within the context of student learning experiences. (PSC 3.2/ISTE 3b)
Artifact: Internet Lesson Mapping the Library
Reflection:
This artifact involved kindergarten students mapping their school library. This required taking a tour of the library, using a digital camera to photograph the library and drawing sketches of the floor plan. This activity was planned to meet our Common Core social studies standards for maps. However, we also met many language arts and technology standards during this unit. After reading several books about mapping the students were comfortable in drawing their own maps of the library. The students illustrated what types of text were housed where in the library and they labeled the drawing to indicate this. After the students completed their maps they used headsets and narrated what they wanted to say about their map into Audacity. Once the narration was completed their map and narration was uploaded to either Windows Movie Maker or Glogster.
This artifact shows mastery of the standard 3.2 as it show how digital tools and resources were managed within the student’s learning experience. Photographing, scanning and gathering dictation from twenty-three students was challenging. Yet each student had access to all the digital tools and resources. Their contributions to the final product shows they had a meaningful learning experience that showcased what they learned. I was surprised to find how critical they were of their own narrations and often shook their head as they played them back indicating it was not good enough for the project and they needed to redo it. This was a great experience for students who are just beginning to self-evaluate.
During this project students accessed their prior knowledge through brainstorming activities and then applied this knowledge to newly acquired information by mapping the library. As they took photographs and created illustrations to be put into a video cast they are synthesizing everything they have learned. Finally they moved into evaluation, according to Bloom’s Taxonomy, as they critiqued one another’s work. Additionally, this lesson met many of the indicators for engagement, empowerment and deep understanding. Technology truly enhanced this lesson and was not added just for the sake of using it.
This was a large project and in the future I would allow for more time for creating twenty-three maps and narrations. Glogster is bright and colorful and the students enjoyed using it, however, audio and arrangement of the artwork was very difficult to set up. In the future I would look for a digital tool that is more user friendly and one that can accommodate more student artwork. Most of the students preferred Glogster because they could interact with it on the SMARTBoard, as opposed to the passive experience of Movie Maker. In Glogster students were able to push the play button and listen their own or to a friend’s narration.
During professional learning teachers were amazed to see the student’s work in this digital form. They were also able to see how this project could be used to assess the students not only on their social studies standard, but in several language arts standards. This type of assessment is more authentic and meaningful to the student and very easy for the teacher to catalog. The two products were also published on the classroom web page for students to share with their parents and siblings. This had a positive impact on students’ learning, school improvement and our faculty’s development in using digital tools.
This artifact involved kindergarten students mapping their school library. This required taking a tour of the library, using a digital camera to photograph the library and drawing sketches of the floor plan. This activity was planned to meet our Common Core social studies standards for maps. However, we also met many language arts and technology standards during this unit. After reading several books about mapping the students were comfortable in drawing their own maps of the library. The students illustrated what types of text were housed where in the library and they labeled the drawing to indicate this. After the students completed their maps they used headsets and narrated what they wanted to say about their map into Audacity. Once the narration was completed their map and narration was uploaded to either Windows Movie Maker or Glogster.
This artifact shows mastery of the standard 3.2 as it show how digital tools and resources were managed within the student’s learning experience. Photographing, scanning and gathering dictation from twenty-three students was challenging. Yet each student had access to all the digital tools and resources. Their contributions to the final product shows they had a meaningful learning experience that showcased what they learned. I was surprised to find how critical they were of their own narrations and often shook their head as they played them back indicating it was not good enough for the project and they needed to redo it. This was a great experience for students who are just beginning to self-evaluate.
During this project students accessed their prior knowledge through brainstorming activities and then applied this knowledge to newly acquired information by mapping the library. As they took photographs and created illustrations to be put into a video cast they are synthesizing everything they have learned. Finally they moved into evaluation, according to Bloom’s Taxonomy, as they critiqued one another’s work. Additionally, this lesson met many of the indicators for engagement, empowerment and deep understanding. Technology truly enhanced this lesson and was not added just for the sake of using it.
This was a large project and in the future I would allow for more time for creating twenty-three maps and narrations. Glogster is bright and colorful and the students enjoyed using it, however, audio and arrangement of the artwork was very difficult to set up. In the future I would look for a digital tool that is more user friendly and one that can accommodate more student artwork. Most of the students preferred Glogster because they could interact with it on the SMARTBoard, as opposed to the passive experience of Movie Maker. In Glogster students were able to push the play button and listen their own or to a friend’s narration.
During professional learning teachers were amazed to see the student’s work in this digital form. They were also able to see how this project could be used to assess the students not only on their social studies standard, but in several language arts standards. This type of assessment is more authentic and meaningful to the student and very easy for the teacher to catalog. The two products were also published on the classroom web page for students to share with their parents and siblings. This had a positive impact on students’ learning, school improvement and our faculty’s development in using digital tools.