2.1 Content Standards & Student Technology Standards
Candidates model and facilitate the design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences aligned with student content standards and student technology standards. (PSC 2.1/ISTE 2a)
Artifact:
Decades Unit Plan for 5th Grade
Reflection:
This artifact is a unit plan designed in collaboration with another instructional technology specialist in Forsyth County Schools. The main goal was to address multiple Social Studies Georgia Performance Standards for 5th grade in conjunction with the English Language Arts and National Educational Technology Standards for students and create authentic and rigorous learning opportunities for students. The focus standards listed in the plan were the learning objectives addressed in the summative assessment of the lesson. The complementary standards were addressed throughout the unit, but not formally assessed. In addition, the 4 Cs (collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity) were taken in consideration when planning the unit and strategies for technology integration.
The design of this technology-enhanced unit was facilitated after the team of fifth grade teachers expressed a need for ideas to teach the decades in American history. They wanted a lesson to be standard-based, integrate multiple subjects, and be enhanced with technology to allow for student creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. I immediately contacted another elementary level instructional technology specialist who used to teach 5th grade and offered to collaborate on the unit design. Setting up a Google Doc as an interactive working space helped facilitate the developing process. In addition, three different face-to-face sessions took place during which ideas were brainstormed, responsibilities for locating age-appropriate online resources were divided, and the assessment tool for the lesson was created.
The design of the lesson was modeled to the fifth grade team. Every step of the process was imitated to demonstrate the strategies used in building a standard-based lesson with technology enhancements. Integration of the standards from different subject areas is a skill that many teachers in the school have not yet fully develop, and modeling the design of the lesson provided an opportunity to address this need in professional learning. Teachers also had an opportunity to provide their feedback to improve the lesson and share ideas on how different management strategies could be used to implement the lesson successfully.
The facilitation of implementation of this lesson occurred in a co-teaching setting with one of the fifth grade classrooms. Small-group discussions were led to make sure students stayed focused on the essential question of the lesson and understood the concepts required by the standards. Assistance with revisions of final presentations was provided to students and the process of self- and peer-evaluations was facilitated based on specific rubric criteria. After students chose a presentation mode and tool, specific technology tools and multiple strategies were modeled in small groups. Demonstrating efficient and effective ways to utilize different technology tools allowed me to connect with students and provide a job-embedded professional learning opportunity to the classroom teacher.
To improve the learning experience for students, this project could be expanded beyond classroom walls. Revisions of collaborative activities could be made to connect students with peers outside their classrooms. It would be a powerful learning experience for fifth graders to connect with a classroom in a different state. Students outside Georgia may have different perspectives about the decades in American history because of the dissimilar historical events and people listed in Social Studies Standards. With this approach, this lesson could become more authentic and culturally-responsive.
The design of this technology-enhanced unit was facilitated after the team of fifth grade teachers expressed a need for ideas to teach the decades in American history. They wanted a lesson to be standard-based, integrate multiple subjects, and be enhanced with technology to allow for student creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. I immediately contacted another elementary level instructional technology specialist who used to teach 5th grade and offered to collaborate on the unit design. Setting up a Google Doc as an interactive working space helped facilitate the developing process. In addition, three different face-to-face sessions took place during which ideas were brainstormed, responsibilities for locating age-appropriate online resources were divided, and the assessment tool for the lesson was created.
The design of the lesson was modeled to the fifth grade team. Every step of the process was imitated to demonstrate the strategies used in building a standard-based lesson with technology enhancements. Integration of the standards from different subject areas is a skill that many teachers in the school have not yet fully develop, and modeling the design of the lesson provided an opportunity to address this need in professional learning. Teachers also had an opportunity to provide their feedback to improve the lesson and share ideas on how different management strategies could be used to implement the lesson successfully.
The facilitation of implementation of this lesson occurred in a co-teaching setting with one of the fifth grade classrooms. Small-group discussions were led to make sure students stayed focused on the essential question of the lesson and understood the concepts required by the standards. Assistance with revisions of final presentations was provided to students and the process of self- and peer-evaluations was facilitated based on specific rubric criteria. After students chose a presentation mode and tool, specific technology tools and multiple strategies were modeled in small groups. Demonstrating efficient and effective ways to utilize different technology tools allowed me to connect with students and provide a job-embedded professional learning opportunity to the classroom teacher.
To improve the learning experience for students, this project could be expanded beyond classroom walls. Revisions of collaborative activities could be made to connect students with peers outside their classrooms. It would be a powerful learning experience for fifth graders to connect with a classroom in a different state. Students outside Georgia may have different perspectives about the decades in American history because of the dissimilar historical events and people listed in Social Studies Standards. With this approach, this lesson could become more authentic and culturally-responsive.