Self-Evaluation

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity:

Novice:  
1. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
2. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

I did not use these two criteria, but I could see how I can look and find resources that would promote understanding of animals and adaptations.  Older students could look up videos about animals in their different environments and use these resources to give presentations.

3. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.

I am still working on integrating technology into the lessons that I create.  But I do feel that I can augment my lessons with technology to help young students re-enforce what was being taught and to help them think further about specific processes.

For example, the lesson on desert adaptation had a center that used a Smart Table activities.  Students worked as a collaborative group, categorizing different species with the region each animal inhabits.  It delves into the color of the animal, the different animal parts (long neck, long nose, beak, thick fur, scales) go with what animal and even camouflage. This activity will help the students understand what is needed and necessary for survival in different regions thus promoting their understanding when creating their own unique animal.

4. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

Although I did not add this element into my lesson, I did look into virtual field trips.  Students can be in the classroom while they video conference with a professional at their work place. With the science lesson unit, the class could visit with a zoo, an aquarium, or some type of vet to learn more about those animals and elevate the learning.


2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments:

Novice:

1. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

Although the Smart Table activity was a good tool to expand the students understanding, there are so many more things that could have been used.  Letting students use the computer to generate their unique animal or finding an iPad app that lets them to explore animals and their enviroment.

2. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. 

There are so many activities that could be used that I didn't address.  If the classroom has access to iPads, there is an app that is called Animals! This activity follow animals in their appearance, habitat, and living habits.  The app will send updates to the teacher so they can follow the progress that they are making.
  

3. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

If using iTunes U, the teacher can customize videos and activities for individual students that may meet the needs of diverse learners.  The student can show success or mastery of the lesson by putting together a poster or glogster to show a more visual approach.  They could video themselves for a presentation.  I like this idea to help a student who may be more anxious about talking in front of large groups.  They could video themselves in a quiet corner of the room or at home away from others.

4. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

With the adaptation lesson, I could have used a clicker to poll the class about past lessons and to assess background knowledge.  There are many ways to assess with the lesson.  I chose to use an informal assessment at the end of this particular unit, but at the end I can find a quiz generator to see if they have understood what was taught was understood. 

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning:

Novice:

1. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situation. 

I find that I am very tech savvy.  I have been able to keep up with the new technology that is available and to learn how different devices work within the classroom.  I do know that I will probable have to take more classes to be able to keep up with the fast paced growth of new technology to help the students work and use those devices and programs to help them in the classroom.

2. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

I learned about the many different tools to use to help keep the student, teacher, and parent all working together.
There are also many different web sites that can be accessed at home.  Students would be able to to extra work to help re-enforce ideas or even to explore something they found interesting at home.  Sites such as Khan Academy or if an iTunes U was set up for the student to work on at home.  It is an idea for flipped learning.  I'm not sure if flipped learning would work with primary grades but if parents are involved and willing, some aspects of flipped learning could be incorporated.  An example with this lesson would be to have the student come to class with three details about an assigned animal or environment. Then when the student is in class, they can present their ideas to the class and allow discussion of which animals belong to which environment.

3. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

Many classes now have web pages that are only accessible to those students and their parents.  Many of them have web sites to help students work on basic skills to advanced sites to accelerate any learning.   They are also a great way to keep parents informed of what is going on in the classroom.  If willing, the class can make a Facebook page that students can use in a collaborative way.  There is also Google Drive to allow students to work together if they are unable to get together outside of class time.

4. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, ananlyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.  

The Smart Table activity was a very basic tool to help students use information they have learned during the lesson.  The teacher has many effective tools at their disposal to model how to find primary sources and understand the difference between secondary sources.  During this lesson, I did not use the computer to research animals, but I could see doing a class project together and find and compare different environments and animals.


4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility:

Novice:

1.  Advocate, model and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.
2. Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
3. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.
4. Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.

All though I do not believe that I addressed any of these issues directly in my lesson, I can see how I could if my lesson was geared toward an older, intermediate class.  I would take the time to explain how they can not just copy and paste from other sites.  That everything used must be cited and explain the consequences of stealing.  Having good models for the students to follow would be key for the students to understand how to responsibly use other sources, especially when doing reports.

If we were able to do a virtual field trip, many rules would be discussed on how we talk with others and behave to allow the class to enjoy this unique visit.  If it was possible to visit with a class on another continent, it would provide an opportunity for the students to first research the country and culture and to come up with questions about that particular area.

Although I am just starting out as a teacher, the opportunities that technology allows will broaden my lessons and broaden the minds of my students. Teaching them to be responsible when using technology is just as important as teaching them how to use it in their reports or research.   I am really excited to begin this journey and to see where it will go in the future and how it will effect the classroom.     

Post-Lesson

1. Instructional Decisions/Teaching

When putting this lesson together, I realized that you must look at the whole picture.  Understanding what the objective will be is looking at the whole process of the lesson: The engagement of the students, the ability of working with partners and/or groups, and if they will be able to transition to working on their own. 

Understanding the outcome or goals helps to maintain consistency of the lesson.  I can see how easy it would be to veer off course with this lesson, but if the goals are clearly defined and the lesson well planned, then it will stay on course.  The students stay engaged and meet the goals by doing lots of hands on activities. Each student will have a science journal that they can write their observations. While actively experimenting with how water evaporates and sweat test with the teacher and their peers, students gain a more deeper understanding of the lesson and thus meeting the objective.  

Students who need more support will work with the teacher or a responsible peer.  When writing the observation, if students struggle with writing or reading, pictures can be used to illustrate what they think.  The teacher or responsible peer can then be a scribe if needed.  

2. Assessment

Success of the lesson will be determined through the assessment.  The type of assessment will be an informal assessment.  As students work together and independently, the teacher can be walking around checking for understanding.  With the outside experiments, the teacher can walk around and ask higher level questions about what they are observing: What is happening? Why? How will this help animals survive?

When the students create their own animals that reflect how they have adapted to environment, they will be able to use the strategies that they have learned from their experiments and from the lessons that the class has learned.  The students who do not understand will have already been identified from past lessons and will receive more modeling from the teacher. 

The tech used in this lesson will also be a big portion of their informal assessment.  They will have to categorize the different traits that different animals have adapted to survive in their environments.  This will also help the students as they create their own animal.  

Pre-lesson Reflection~

Assessing Prior Knowledge:

This lesson is a science lesson for 1st grade.  It will be the third part of the lesson of a 4 part lesson.  We will be learning about the different habitats of animals and plants and how they adapt.

At the beginning of the lesson, I will talk to the student about how other animals we studied so far found water and stayed alive in their environment.

If students can place the animals in the appropriate places and understand why, then they have prior understanding to move on. If some students still struggle, then the class can review and the teacher can model a little more until there is more understanding.

Planned Instruction:

To help students understand clearly what the objectives are I will first start by showing the students water evaporating off a chalkboard or some other material that will dry quickly.  I will ask the students what happens to the water? What does water evaporate from? Does water evaporate from plants and animals, too?

We will discuss how hard it is for animals to live in the desert where there is very little water.  We will discuss how the animals adapted to survive with little water and stay cool in the intense heat. 

The standards that we will be addressing is to identify plants and animals that exist in their local environment (S1:C3:PO1) and for the students to be able to collaboratively participate in conversions with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups (1.SL.1)

Designing Instruction:

The lesson states that the students will be able to show how animals and plants have adapted to the desert.  They should be able to analyze how they stay cool and how they find water; two key components for surviving in the desert.  

This lesson is engaging that all students from all levels should be able to follow along.  I would pair up students or group them with a range of levels; high students with lower students, to help them gain a deeper understanding of the lesson with peer instruction.  Students who did not demonstrate understanding from the previous lessons will be with me so that I can model for them on a more one-on-one level.  

The technology used will be diverse enough that it will meet both lower level students and higher level students.  It is interactive and will re-enforce the lessons taught previously and that day.

https://www.schoology.com/assignment/46333701/info

Assessment:

The students will be assessed by what type of animal they created.  They must show how they stay cool and how they will find water.

Digital Literacy

Safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology.

Before a computer or an internet accessable tablet is even put into the hands of the student, the teachers and school administrators need to outline what sites are allowed and expected on this equipment.  They should understand the dangers that the internet can pose along with the good that they can do toward their education and learning.  A teacher should have forms for both the student and their parents, reviewing the rules and the consequences.  

Students should understand the rules of plagiarism.  Copy and paste is the same as writing directly from a book with the same result.  Students should also be taught what is a good primary source for information and what is just a wiki that anyone can add information to without proper references.  

Digital etiquette and responsible social interactions.

To promote digital etiquette and responsible social interactions, the teacher should be first and foremost a model of "netiquette".  

Interactions through e-mail, social media, or any type of blog should be respectful.  Students need to understand that cyber bullying is just as bad as bullying someone face-to-face and the consequences are just the same.  The old adage, "Treat others as you want to be treated," should be re-enforced every time the students is on the computer.  

Again, students need to be reminded about plagiarism, copyright laws, ideas of others, and crediting the sources for their information.  

Meeting diverse needs of learners through learner-centered strategies and equitable access.

Technology can be used to meet the diverse learners in a classroom.  Programs that are visual can help a student who takes tme to process information.  Using the computer or other device to  make text readable or audio textbooks for students who have visual impairments; predictable text for students who have communication issues; even something as simple as voice to text for students who take time to process when writing.  

On a personal note, I have a good friend who has Cerebal Palsey and is autistic.  He loves music, especially the violin, but has only one functional hand.  I play the violin for him on a regular basis.  He can accompany me on his keyboard playing cords.  His knowledge of music is very broad and follows violin players on YouTube and anywhere he can find them playing.  Recently he bought himself a mini iPad along with GarageBand.  On it he can simulate playing the violin.  He can do this easily with his one hand by just pressing on a string and doesn't need to use his other hand to pull the bow across the strings.  We sat down and played a few simple songs.  He was moved to tears because now he can actually play his most favorite instrument when he thought he would never have that opportunity.  

Global awareness and digital-age communication.

With the invention of the internet, Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social media out there, the world has become smaller.  Often music groups will collaborate with others around the globe.  We are updated on world news faster then ever before, often seeing coverage live from the people at those locations. 

Students often can get to primary sources without having to go to a museum or read about it from a textbook.  The can also have access to classes from other colleges or even countries.  With the this availability of resources, it is more important then ever to teach students proper behaviors and "netiquette" so that the experience is one of a positive value.