Ancient Text and the Use of Desgin Elements

The first thing I noticed when opening the pages of the Ethiopian Bible is the repeated use of warm colors in the pictures and symbols.  The symmetry of the columns was also noticeable as soon as I opened the book.  The use of pictures also made it possible for the reader to understand the text even without being able to read the text.

The authors/artists used the four principles of design with both the text and the pictures.  Contrast is found in the use of different colored text, red, to show the importance of the verse or to demonstrate the speaking of Jesus.  The artist demonstrates repetition with the consistent use of five colors (blue, yellow, red, orange, and green).  The artist also repeatedly uses red and yellow behind the head of Jesus on the cross to illustrate holiness.  The red and yellow are also used for the wrap around Jesus dead body in the tomb scene; this is repeated to represent holiness.  Alignment is demonstrated in the symmetry of the columns of text and they are justified so that the columns form perfect rectangles.

The importance of the elements of design was evident in the Ethiopian Bible.  I was able to follow the story without being able to read the language.  I could identify the important text and the important characters through the authors/artists use of repetition and contrast.

EDLD 5363 Web Conferences Reflections

I was not able to attend any of the web conferences live, but I did watch the recordings.  The web conferences contained valuable information to help with each weeks assignments.  All questions were addressed and any conflicting information clarified.  The conferences were also a great place to talk with other classmates and bounce ideas off of them.  The members of the class also created Facebook page and individuals that were not able to attend the web conferences could access the Facebook page and other class members would relay the information from the web conferences each week.

Digital Story

Creating a personal digital story was an enjoyable experience.  The project was engaging because it had personal meaning and it was fun going back and reflecting on a major event in my life.  The most difficult part of the project was keeping the video within the two minute time frame.  There was so much I could have said about my Ironman experience that it could have been an hour video. 

I can see the benifits of digital story telling within the classroom.  The process forces the students to go deeper then just the knowledge level of learning.  They have to use critical thinking skills to plan out the video and to write the script.  As a Geography and History teacher, digital story telling could be utilized for many different topics and to teach many different skills. 

Universal Design for Learning

I like the concept of Universal Design for Learning because it is more about the “what” and not the “how”.  UDL lessons also allow each student to operate at his or her own level but still obtain the information they need.  Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning points out, “New technologies offer us the opportunity to respond to the multifaceted individual differences in our student population by providing more varied media, tools, and methods.” 

I agree technology can play a large role in helping the classroom teach create a environment of differentiated learning in the classroom.  This is so important because of the different levels of ability represented in every classroom today.  It is also important to remember that the students need to be the ones utilizing the technology and not just the teacher.

Teachers complain about the difficulties of providing for the varying levels of ability in the classroom, and I agree it can be difficult at times.  However, if the teacher could focus on creating a lesson in terms of what the students need to know and accomplish by the end and leave the “how” to get to that point to the students through using different types of media, including technology, they would find it a much easier task.

Ultimately, teachers need to shift the focus away from how the students learn to what the students learn.  There needs to be a shift from the teacher being the deliverer of content to the teacher being the facilitator that helps guide students to where and how to find the content so it then can be applied in various high level activities. 

Constructivism, Connectivism, and Cyborg Learning Reflections

As I watched the videos and completed the readings on constructivism, connectivism, and cyborg learning, I found I agree with many of the points made by Abbott and Siemens in regard to how students learn and how learning has changed over the last several years.  According to the Abbot interview, Building Knowledge: Constructivism in Learning, students do not learn facts individually, but build on the knowledge they already have and fit the new information into that knowledge as best they can.  If this is the case, the more life experiences and the more students are exposed to, the larger the knowledge base they bring to your classroom.  It is also important for the teacher to make the learning relevant to the students so they can pull from the knowledge base they bring to the classroom and then build that base through activities inside and outside the classroom.  How students acquire knowledge has changed drastically with the creation of the Internet and social media sites.  Siemens address this in his interview The Changing Nature of Knowledge, in which he points out the connections the learners make with other students, social communities, databases, etc. is the most important source of learning.  I agree with this point of view and believe content is no longer the most important thing I teach in my classroom.  Teaching students where to find the content, how to analyze the information, and how to problem solve has replaced content as the most important things learned in the classroom.

 

Technology can assist in creating student-centered classrooms that allow the students to access their prior knowledge and build on that knowledge base.  Technology also allows the students to investigated new information and helps them build learning communities where they can collaborate and share ideas.  I like the idea of the technology being the source of content for the students and the teacher helping the students with how to interpret, analyze, and evaluate the information they have discovered. 

Action Research Plan

ACTION RESEARCH: IDENTIFY TEACHERS HESITANT TO USE STUDENT-DRIVEN LESSONS TO CREATE AN ENGAGING CLASSROOM AND IDENTIFY THE REASONS WHY.   School Vision:  To ensure that all teachers are creating and/or implementing student-driven lessons which create an engaging classroom for our students. Goal:  To identify the reasons teachers on our campus are hesitant to use student-driven lessons and then to provide them with the support and training needed to address the areas of concern, so they will be confident enough to use student-driven lessons and create an engaging classroom for our students. Outcomes ·         To identify reasons teachers are hesitant to use student-driven lessons. ·         To identify teachers who do use student-driven lessons and to identify what has enabled them to be confident enough to use student-driven lessons. ·         To provide teachers not implementing student-driven lessons with meaningful staff development and training so they are confident enough to use student-driven lessons.  Activities ·         Meet regularly with campus principal ·         Maintain confidentiality ·         Distribute teacher surveys ·         Collect and analyze data ·         Classroom Walk-throughs ·         View and review materials from meeting ·         Review literature on student-driven lessons and engaging classrooms Resources / Research Tools Needed Including, but not limited to: ·         Teacher survey ·         Access to Internet ·         Literature on student-driven lessons ·         Literature on engaging classrooms ·         Implementation calendar ·         Food (if after school or during summer) ·         Classroom Walk-through evaluation forms ·         Access to Eduphoria Responsibility to Address Activities Nicole Velebil and Heath Koenig Timeline February 1, 2013 to June 07, 2014 Benchmarks/Assessments Not limited to: Teacher surveys after training; analyze Eduphoria evaluations to see if engagement levels have increased. Revisions to SIP/PIP based on Monitoring / Assessments None

Engaging Classrooms

I like the idea of action research.  The fact that the research is done by the people the study most effects is the best part of it.  This also makes the outcome of the research more relevant than a broad research project done by an outside person.

One of the areas our district would like to improve in is creating more engaging classrooms.  On my campus we have several teachers that are hesitant about turning the classroom over to the students and letting them take ownership of their learning, thus being more engaged.  In my opinion the main reason teachers are hesitant is a lack of training in creating student-driven lessons and how to mange a classroom during student-driven lessons. 

After a discussion with my campus principal we decided the most relevant action research study for our campus would be how to create more engaging classrooms.  The proposed action research study is listed below.

 

Proposed Action Research Study:

Why are teachers hesitant  to implement student-driven lessons that are more engaging, opposed to teacher-driven lessons?  What prevents teachers from being able to create student-driven lessons and creating an engaging classroom?

Who will benefit from research:

1.      Teachers – the concerns of the teachers will be identified through the research and then addressed in the proposed plan of action.  The desired result is for the teachers to be equipped with the knowledge and tools to be able to create and implement student-driven lessons.  Also, one of the intended outcomes is for individual teachers to be able to identify areas of weakness and fears so they will know what they need to improve in order to increase the level of engagement in their classrooms.

2.      Administrators – will gain be able to identify the type of staff-development needed to help the teachers create student-driven lessons and in turn increasing the level of engagement.

3.      Students – will be in more engaging classrooms and participating in student-driven lessons in all subject areas.  As they participate in the student-driven lessons, the students will learn critical thinking and problem solving skills they can use in everyday life.

Educational Leaders and Blogs

Blogs can be a very powerful tool in education.  Sometimes the teaching profession can feel very isolated.  Teachers do what they do in their classrooms and all too often do not talk with other teachers or school leaders about success and failures within the classroom.  Through blogging, teachers and/or school leaders become more connected with one another and create a collaborative community where ideas and concerns can be shared.  Blogs can also give teachers and school leaders a place to record their thoughts and wonderings which can easily be reviewed at any time. 

Action Research Defined

Action research, according to Dana, is done by the practitioner to address issues or concerns relevant to them and is not done by outside researchers (Dana, 2009).  The intent of action research is to bring about change in the classroom, school, or district.  This approach to change is valuable, because each school has its own unique issues and those issues are identified and addressed by those who deal with them on a daily basis.  Outside research on a general issue does not always provide solutions that work in every school.  Action research is also beneficial because it involves all of the stakeholders, such as teachers, students, parents, administrators, and the community during the collection of data and formulating a plan to address the issues.  The involvement of all the stakeholders increases the level of buy-in for the plan of action and ensures more teachers will implement the changes.  The inquiry process also creates an environment of collaboration in a profession that has typically been done in isolation.  Finally, action research is a continual process of inquiring and evaluating outcomes of changes made and determining the need for other changes.

I believe action research can help address several issues at the campus I am at currently.  The push at my high school is for teachers to create classrooms that are engaging to the students.  This means the students need to be actively involved in the learning process and not just sitting quietly, taking notes as the teacher lectures.  The classroom becomes student-driven and the teacher becomes a facilitator as self-discovery takes place.  There are many teachers on campus that have not been able to change from the teacher-driven lessons to the student-driven activities.  Through action research, I would like to identify reasons teachers are not buying in to the student-driven classroom approach and also identify those teachers on campus who have successfully shifted to student-driven classrooms.  Once the reasons for not creating a more engaging classroom are identified then a plan of action can be devised that will help teachers successfully create a student-driven classroom that is engaging.