LSSL 5391 Final Reflection

 Final Reflection

This semester was a whirlwind because of all the events happening in our world that made everything change drastically. With having to teach virtually I learned to look at technology in a different way and I am glad that I was taking this class at this exact moment. With all the apps that I started to learn, I started to feel more comfortable with using technology in the classroom because I was learning new things that I could use in my virtual classroom to make my lesson more engaging. I enjoyed this class so much because it taught me that I no matter how much technology I know there is much more that I need to learn.

Which technology excited me the most?

The technology that I enjoyed the most was creating Cartoons and Comics because it gave me the opportunity to be creative and think outside of the box. I had a blast coming up with stories to create and make them real through a comic or cartoon. I enjoyed reading my classmates' cartoons and comics as well. Another assignment I enjoyed working on was creating a story using Animoto. Animoto is a fun way to create book trailers for students to enjoy the story that is being taught in the classroom. 

Which technology was most difficult for me?

The technology I found was difficult for me was Infographics because I had trouble creating it because I didn't understand what exactly had to be done. Of course, after going through all the apps and selecting the one I thought was the easiest I started to understand a bit more. The second difficult part for me was selecting the information from the article that had I had to add to the Infogram because to em everything was important and I wanted to add everything. This assignment was the one that I struggled with the most.

Which technology will benefit the students?

All the new digital technologies that I learned will be beneficial to my students but the one I think will be the most beneficial will be UDL. Using the UDL guidelines in the classroom will help not only the students but for me as well. The UDL guidelines help teachers create better lessons so all students are successful in the classroom. Universal Design for Learning minimizes the barriers of all learners and maximizes learning for all students and helps meet the diverse population of the students in the classroom. All students learn in a unique way so our lessons need to reflect the diverse learning that is being taken place.

For my final reflection, I decide to use Book Creator because it seemed like a fun way to share my journey through the semester. Hope you enjoy it.

Final Reflection

Universal Design for Learning

UDL

    Universal Design for Learning is an approach to curriculum that minimizes the barriers of all learners and maximizes learning for all students. The UDL is meeting curriculum goals for the diverse population of students.  The way the students learn in the classroom is as unique as their fingerprints. UDL guidelines are a tool that provides help in improving and optimizing the learning of all students. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an evidence-based educational framework that supports the needs of all learners through the use of multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression (Boothe, K. A., Lohmann, M. J., & Owiny, R). 

Breakdown of UDL

Universal 

• Is identified as a curriculum that can be used and understood by every learner. Each learner brings their own background, strengths, needs, and interest.

Learning

• Every learner is unique and the curriculum should challenge and engage all students.
• It has three networks:
• What of learning?
• How of learning?
• Why of learning?

Design

• A flexible curriculum that accommodates all learners. 

As educators we need to build, support and challenge the learners, we need to know the goal we want the students to obtain, and we need to know what barriers can we find in the classroom that will affect the learning of the diverse learners.

3 UDL Principles

1.) Representation- show information in different ways. Activate prior knowledge and support vocabulary.

2.) Action and Expression- allow students to approach learning and demonstrate what they know in different ways. Provide models and supports for their different levels.

3.) Engagement- offers options that engage students and keep their interest.

Which of these guidelines am I already using?

At this moment I am using the Representation Principle (Perception) Guideline 1 in my classroom. At the beginning of my lesson when I am going to be introducing a new lesson and vocabulary I use videos, anchor charts, vocabulary cards, and diagrams to teach my students the important concepts of the lesson. I know that all my students learn at different levels so I try to accommodate each one so they all can have equal opportunities to learn the concept being taught.

Which of these could I add right now to my teaching practice?

Checkpoint 6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress

For students, learning cannot happen without feedback and a clear picture of what their end goal needs to be. I would want to start giving my students feedback on their work by showing them representations of their progress by self-reflection or scoring rubrics. This will help the students know what they did wrong and what they can do differently for the next assignment.

Which of these looks great, but I might need some help to implement?

Checkpoint 2.4 Promote understanding across languages

In my classroom, I make key information in the student's dominant language to help my LEP students but I feel like I still need more help implementing more curricular material that will help clarify the content to the students. I know that I need to embed more visuals that support more vocabulary clarification like pictures and videos. It is hard to implement Spanish materials into my curriculum because there isn't much material available in that language. I know I need to make sure there are enough linguistic alternatives available so my LEP students as well can be successful. 

After reading through the guidelines I was surprised that I still need a lot to learn. I am implementing some of the guidelines but I know that I can implement more in my classroom. In this time because of virtual teaching, I would like to implement more of these guidelines through technology. I would like to learn different methods that will be effective that I can use in my virtual classroom. I do see that some of my LEP students are struggling with vocabulary because it is hard to implement those guidelines through a computer. Technology is important and if used correctly it will be beneficial to the learning of the students. Implementing the guidelines will help maximize learning for all students.

Boothe, K. A., Lohmann, M. J., & Owiny, R. (2020). Enhancing Student Learning in the Online Instructional Environment through the Use of Universal Design for Learning. Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research, 22(1).

Podcast

        Podcasts are fun to create and a great way to share information. Podcasts have been increasing in popularity not only in adults but in young adults as well. You can find many podcasts about different topics across many platforms. Podcasts are becoming very popular in classrooms and libraries. Using and creating podcasts in the classroom and library will give the students an opportunity to work together. It also provides the teacher and librarian with opportunities to engage students in a creative way. Sharing book talks, guest speakers, and storytelling through a podcast will be a creative way to engage the students in the library and share the love of reading.

Podcast Reviews

Synth is an easy platform to use to create a 256-second recording. It is easy and free to sign up. You can create recordings by using the synth app on your phone or by computer. You can insert a pre-recorded audio or you can create one from the app. On the main page, it shows a podcast overview of different features that you can use and find.  The only challenge with this platform is that I couldn't find the link to embed my podcast to the blog. Synth is an audio/video recording platform that is designed for all ages. Synth was awarded the 2019 TeacherCast Best in Class Award for Best Classroom Podcasting Application.

 

Podbean was easy to sign up for because it allowed you to use your google account. It gives you up to 5 hours of podcast recording with your credentials. It was easy to upload a pre-recorded audio and to share it with multiple platforms. You can customize the colors and size of the embedded player. There are more features to it but of course, you have to pay for the upgrade. I decided to use Podbean because it was the easiest to use and it contained more features. It was easy to find the link to embed the podcast to my blog.

Anchor is 100% free with unlimited storage platform where you can create recordings using a phone, tablet, iPad, or computer. It also integrates with Spotify to allow a variety of background music. It is easy to upload pre-recorded audio that can be shared with multiple platforms. I am still trying to figure out how to use the platform but I know with more practice it will be an awesome feature to use in the library/classroom.

Our group decided to do a podcast about the life and accomplishment of Margaret Edwards. It was a really fun and creative assignment to do.

Here are some great educational podcasts that you can explore.

• Cult of Pedagogy
• Shake Up Learning
• The New EDU
• The Librarian Is In

Cartoons and Comics

Cartoons and Comics

    Creating cartoons and comics was very fun. In the process of creating comics and cartoons, I came to understand how reading a comic and cartoon works. I never understood how to read them so when I would read a comic or cartoon I would get frustrated but now I have come to the conclusion that they are fun to read. They provide a good laugh and a very interesting story. I have seen that many students are reading graphic novels and comics and I know I understand why. Comics and cartoons are a great way to teach students about dialogue between characters.

    Pixton was very easy to use. Choosing backgrounds, characters, and text boxes was not complicated. It did provide a variety of backgrounds and characters but the ones that I wanted to use I couldn't because I had to upgrade the content pack that I was using. It did give the option of a search bar to just find what you were looking for. The part that I enjoyed the most was changing the face reactions of the character. Like I mentioned, if you upgrade to a better content back, you can have a bigger variety of features to use when creating the comic. I had a lot of fun coming up with the story and creating it. This is the first website I used to create the comic, and I really enjoyed it. I can see students using this website to create comics of what was learned in a story or even when teaching the students about dialogue between characters.

Overdue Books

    Make Beliefs Comix was a very interesting website to use. You don't have to create a login to use it. While working on the comic I learned that you had to update "save" the comic every time you make a change. I learned that the hard way because I was almost done working on it when I accidentally pressed a wrong button on the computer and when I tried to retrieve it, it wasn't there any longer. I had a lot of fun creating this comic because it is a reminder of my daily life. This website had a lot of variety of features you could use for the comic. To download a picture of the comic you had to create a login and classroom to add it in. I only added myself to the classroom to make the process shorter. Other than creating a classroom it fairly easy to use and fun as well. This will be fun for students to use to make an assignment about what is being taught in the classroom.

A day in the life of a Teacher

 

    Fotojet was a bit harder for me to use. I guess the fact that I had to use real pictures made it more challenging for me. This website is free to use, and it does provide a variety of free templates and features you can use. Although it wasn't my favorite to use, it was fun to use. This cartoon/comic was easy to save and download. This website allows the students to create real-life cartoons/comics about anything they want. The teacher can have the students create one for a story they are reading and add a different plot or twist to the story. Students will enjoy creating a comic/cartoon and presenting it to the classroom.

    Tellagami is a mobile app that you can download to an iOS device that lets you create animated videos. You can use a character to speak for you. I wasn't able to download the app because my device wasn't compatible with the app. When I tried to download the app, it gave me a message that said, "The developer of this app needs to update it to work with your version of iOS." This app only works with the older versions of iOS. I was disappointed because by what I read in the comments and the internet, it seems like a fun app. This app would be fun to use in the classroom to give a review of a lesson. It can also be used in the library to make a short book talk/book review. I really hope the developers update the app.

Share comics with teachers

These websites and apps will be awesome to share with teachers because it will give an interesting change in teaching a lesson or assigning work for the students to do. Every website is different and provides different features, so depending on the assignment, that is the website that can be used. The best part about using comics/cartoons in the classroom is that it will be beneficial to the ELL and Non-reader students struggling with vocabulary and language. There aren't many words on a comic that a student has to read, so that will help those students not feel overwhelmed. It also gives the students a visual representation of what is happening, so they have a better understanding.

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

 YouTube, Animoto, and QR Codes

YouTube has always been a resource that everyone can depend on to either find a video about how something works or as a classroom tool to engage students in a lesson. There are many creative ways that YouTube can be used in a library or a classroom. Teachers and librarians can create a channel where they can post videos that they find resourceful or helpful to the students. The students can also create their own videos for a project and add them to the class channel. YouTube videos can be used to promote learning in the classroom and the library.

Norman High Library

• The most helpful video for students is How to use EBSCOHost because it teaches the students how to use the online database.

How to use EBSCOHost

• The video students would like the best in Norman Public Schools Celebrates your Freedom to Read because it has educators reading from banned books. It teaches students that they have the freedom to read whichever book they want to read.

Norman Public School Celebrates Freedom to Read

The Unquiet Library

• The most helpful video for students is the mini-lesson on finding creative common images because they learn about finding copyright images.

Finding Creative Common Images

• The video students would like the best is the new arrivals video because it shows the students the new books that can be found in the library.

New Arrivals

Pikesville High Library

• The most helpful video is the course advisement video because it helps the student know what classes they need to meet specific requirements like graduation.

Course Advisement

• The video students would like the best is the snapshot of the library because it shows all the fun learning they are doing in the library.

Snapshot of the Library

BBMS Media

• The most helpful video is how to create a book citation because it is important to teach the students to give credit when it is due and how to cite their books.

How to create a book citation

• The video students would like the best is the hotline overdue Drake parody video because it is very popular, and it is very fun to watch.

Hotline Overdue Drake Library Parody

Animoto is a fun and creative way to make book trailers for students to see. Creating an Animoto was a fun learning experience that I will be using in the classroom. At first, I was confused about how to create an Animoto, but once I saw a tutorial and I started to use it, I was able to do my book trailer without any problems. It takes a few steps to create an awesome book trailer that the students will love. Before I started, I went into YouTube and searched for other examples of Corduroy so I can get an idea of how it suppose to look. Students that are a little older and create their own book trailer from their favorite books. The book that I did a book trailer over is Corduroy. This book brings back many good memories from my elementary years, and I had so much fun creating this book trailer.

Synopsis:

Have you ever dreamed of being locked in a department store at night? The endearing story of Corduroy paints a picture of the adventures that might unfold (for a teddy bear at least) in such a situation. When all the shoppers have gone home for the night, Corduroy climbs down from the shelf to look for his missing button. It's a brave new world! He accidentally gets on an elevator that he thinks must be a mountain and sees the furniture section that he thinks must be a palace. He tries to pull a button off the mattress, but he ends up falling off the bed and knocking over a lamp. The night watchman hears the crash, finds Corduroy, and puts him back on the shelf downstairs. The next morning, he finds that it's his lucky day! A little girl buys him with money she saved in her piggy bank and takes him home to her room. Corduroy decides that this must be home and that Lisa must be his friend. -GoodReads

QR CODE

Creating a QR was a very easy process. I thought it was going to be more time consuming, but it was an easy process. QR codes are a very fun way to make an assignment or activity more hands-on and fun. Teachers can create QR codes and post them around the room to make learning math fun for the students and use them for reading by creating a book trailer for the week's story. Librarians can create QR codes of different stories. Students can walk around the library with an iPad and scan a code, and they will be able to hear the book being read to them. The teacher and librarian can use QR codes to make a scavenger hunt about the lesson. 

Here is my QR code for the book trailer Corduroy. Thank you for watching it.

Screencasts

 Screencasts

A screencast is a digital recording of a computer screen where you can record lesson videos. Through the videos, a librarian can explain to the students how to use the school OPAC to search for books and other programs. A teacher can use a screencast program to record the introduction to a lesson or explain to the students how to solve a math problem. The best thing about a screencast is that once you record, the recording can be uploaded to any platform. For example, a teacher or librarian can upload their recordings to their google classroom. Students and teachers can access the recording any time they need to reference something they need a refresher in.

Screencastify- This program is a basic program to use, and it is easy to maneuver. The program offers drawing tools that you can use while you are recording. I use this program to record some of my lessons at the beginning of the week. It can be added as an extension to your computer, which makes it easier to record. The only downfall is that it only gives you 5 minutes per recording, and that is not enough time when you are trying to explain a lesson.

My Screencastify Link

Screencast-o-Matic- I really enjoyed using this program because it has many similarities to screencastify. At first, I did have some trouble understanding how to use the program, but it became easier to use after playing and experimenting with it. One thing I liked the most about the program is that it gave you 15 minutes per recording, which is sufficient time to record and explain a good lesson. 

My Screencast Link

TechSmith Capture (former Jing)- This screencast former name was Jing. It wasn't my favorite program to use because it took a while to get the program installed to the computer and once it was installed I didn't understand how to use it. It took me a few tries to understand how to make it record. I had to go to website and watch videos about the program. I also kept losing the dialogue box where it gives me option to record. Once I finished recording it didn't seem complicated but I wish it had fewer steps to get to the recording. 

My Jing Link

*Each program had it pros and cons. These programs can be used to record lessons for the classroom. Screencast are very handy at this moment in time with virtual teaching. The teacher/ librarian can record a lesson or a refresher on a lesson so students can go back and watch it if it is needed. As educators we know that not all our students are synchronous and they log into the class when they can. By posting screencasts about how to do an assignment or how to search for books in the OPAC will be very beneficial to the students.  Screencastify is a good program but the timing wasn't enough. When I was recording I ran out of time and had to re-record myself.  Overall, after using each program I decided that my favorite is screencast-o-matic because it was easy to use and it gave sufficient time to record a lesson. 

Infographics

 Infographics

Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly in a more interesting way. This is my first time creating an infograph and I enjoyed it a lot. This will be a fun way to create a project with students in the classroom and the library. These graphic visual representations are geared to the 21st century learner. Working on infographics will give the lesson or information being learned a new view or perspective. The students can use their imagination in the creativity of an infoagraph of their choice. The infograph is a creative way of putting all the information in an interactive way where the student enjoys working on it and the reader enjoys reading it.

Easelly- This was the first website I decided to visit and play with. It had a variety of templates to choose from or you can use a blank template. The templates provided were nice but they weren't what I was looking for. I decided to play with a blank template to see if it was user friendly and it was easy to use. The downfall was that it didn't have many options in charts and different elements that can be used to create an infograph.

Piktochart- This was user friendly and easy to explore. It had good graphs but not the variety that infogram had. I did like all the variety of pictures it provided. All the features are well organized and easy to use. I was fun to use but I still found infogram easier to use. There was really good templates as well that can be used for the assignment but it wasn't what I wanted to use. I used some of the features to creat an infograph and I was pleased by the variety.

Infogram- I decided to use infogram to creat my presentation. At first it took a while to figure out but after I learned how to create the infograph it was very easy. Out of all the three this one was the easiest to use and it had more elements available. I was able to use my creativity to its full potential. It was easy to add the titles, numbers, graphs, and images. The only downfall to it was that you have to pay for an upgrade to be able to download the infograph.

INFOGRAM