Post #8-Course Reflection

Flipgrid

So much has changed in the past four weeks. I feel that this course set me up to be more prepared for assisting students with school closures to help "flatten" the curve for COVID-19. I miss my students, and even though I have video chatted with most of them, I miss their faces SO much. If we weren't so remote, I feel like technology would have been a better route to offer remote learning during school closure. The reflection below shares some of the ways that I have grown as a "lead learner" by taking part in this class. 

With the idea of a flipped classroom, I still wonder how districts truly handle equitability. I saw in a few videos that they leave computer labs open in some schools until 10pm. Our district tried checking out Chromebooks to students in the past, but some students were not responsible with the technology. Now, sadly students are only allowed to "check out" chromebooks, and with the school closures, sadly none of our students have access to the school's technology. 

Post #7- Curriculum Video Project

Authoring Multimedia-Final Project

I'm not going to sugar coat this, the curriculum video has been my nemesis. I need relevancy in order to make something worth my time. With school closures and COVID-19, my priorities and routines have been overhauled. When I began this class, I knew that next year I was going to be the Title I and Title III teacher for the district. Two days ago I called to talk with my principal and was notified that I wasn't going to be in the new position, instead I was going to continue being the 4th grade teacher. 

I realize that "There is nothing permanent, except change," Heraclitus. However, I was SO excited to be serving my district in a new way. I looked forward to serving students who were not on grade-level and helping them to grow. I am depressed that my school year ended abruptly and I was unable to say farewell to my students. I miss their laughter, silliness and antics. I miss our discussions and adventures in reading. I worry and wonder if my students are safe, looked after, and loved.

So my curriculum video is one that relates to the NOW to address what we are going through as teachers, parents and students. One year from now, it may not be relevant, but it is meaningful today and this year. This video is addressing the need for students to set aside time to read, while school is closed. 

YouTube removed my video as it was seen to be "spam and misleading." Click the following link to view the video using Animoto. 

Curriculum Video Link

Post #6- Free Technology

"Free Technology for Teachers"

Richard Byrne’s blog (click Here to see the blog) is a very useful resources for finding and implementing a variety of “free technology” in the classroom. I found his video on Gmail Features very helpful. Now I have set up for student work to automatically filter into a folder for easy reference. This is also helpful to keep other emails in organized in folders, Title I, NSCAS, parent communication, etc.

Another topic I found helpful was how to use Flipgrid for screencasting. His videos are easy to follow, and he breaks the tasks into manageable steps. I like that the blog has a search bar the help locate blogs on specific topics. I found so much on the blog that I even subscribed to his newsletter.

Creating a blog for students to use as a reference is a great idea. As a district requirement I have a classroom website. I could also embed a link to my YouTube Channel and create/upload helpful videos there.

On a related but different note, after creating a video using PowerPoint, I realized that Google Slides doesn’t offer the same option. Then it dawned on me…if I wanted to create a video using Google Slides, then I could simply do so by using Screencastify or another application.

Post #5-Screencast

Screencast

Screencasting can be useful in a variety of "How to..." situations. Visual learners will benefit from the step by step visuals in a screencast pausing and replaying the video as necessary. One skill that my ELA students require is copy and paste. I repeated the words "Control, C and Control V" about a million times this Fall. Instead, I should create screencasts to teach these keyboard shortcuts. 

The screencast I created is intended for parents and other stakeholders. It seems that many, don't realize that the teachers created websites and update them often. I have been given permission to share this screencast on the Elementary Facebook page. Hopefully more people will access teacher websites after watching the video.