EDIM 513: Unit 3 - Reflections on Inquiry Based Learning

Over the past two weeks, I feel as though my eyes have really been opened to what inquiry based learning is all about.  I had no idea there were different "styles" of inquiry based learning, with regard to teacher involvement.  I had assumed there was one tried and tried method with one set of "directions," but I was definitely wrong!

When I had just started off learning about this type of instruction, I have to admit that I was nervous about implementing IBL in my own classroom.  I foresaw chaos and a lack of direction and students not meeting the desired outcome or objectives of the learning experience.  However, now I realize the different types of IBL (teacher-directed, teacher-student balanced, and student-initiated) can help serve different populations of students to ensure learning objectives are, indeed, met.

One type may be more appropriate for a class than the others, depending on age/grade level, level of experience with IBL, classroom dynamics, etc. If I were to implement IBL with my 6th grade class, I would probably start off using a more teacher-directed approach in the beginning, just until my students became accustomed to this very different style of learning.  As they become more comfortable and confident in allowing inquiry to guide their learning, I'd step back gradually until it was more student-initiated. 

Inquiry based learning doesn't mean simply letting students do whatever they want.  There is purpose and direction there, but the students have more control over the path that leads them to understanding.  Instead of being told to sit down, be quiet, and listen, students are now put in the driver's seat and allowed to rely on their natural curiosity.  Anyone who's ever spent any amount of time around a child knows how often children ask questions.  So, wouldn't it make sense to allow children to do just that in the classroom? Asking questions is a natural way for children to learn.  It's quite refreshing to think about letting children to be children and allowing them to tap into their inquisitive nature, rather than succumbing to the stifling uniformity of the CCSS and the latest flavor of the week educational policy.

As I move forward in my journey to learning more about inquiry based learning, I'm interested in learning more about the pedagogy behind it.  What are some effective questioning techniques for teacher-led or teacher-student balanced instruction? How do I ensure that my students are, in fact, meeting the learning objectives and mastering both content and skills when they have so much control of what is happening in the classroom through inquiry based learning?

EDIM 513: Unit 1 Blog

So far in the first week of my new course, I have gained a better understanding what inquiry based learning actually is.  Before, I had only a vague understanding of the concept and very limited experience with it in the classroom.  I'm confident that by the time I finish the course, I'll feel much more comfortable attempting to implement inquiry based instruction in my own classroom.

Perhaps the biggest revelation I had this week was that hands-on instruction does not necessarily equal inquiry based learning.  When it comes to student engagement, educators like to throw around terms like "hands on" and "student-centered," but I now understand that it takes more than that to truly constitute inquiry based learning. 

I learned that inquiry based learning isn't just letting students "run free" with their education; it actually involves quite a lot of work and planning on the part of the teacher.  The teacher must continually assess their students throughout the process and adjust the activity or help guide students towards an end goal.  With inquiry based instruction, teacher involvement can vary.  I can see teachers of younger elementary grades having to provide more support and modeling than secondary teachers, although teachers of any age or grade level would need to model and practice the process with students first, since inquiry based learning is a departure from the traditional "stand and lecture" method of teaching that most students are probably used to.

As I begin my journey into developing a plan to implement more inquiry based learning experiences for my 6th grade students, the main questions I have are related to the fact that I teach in a cyber school.  I am wondering if there will be a difference between inquiry based learning in a cyber school and a brick-and-mortar school. Is it "easier" to implement in one setting vs. the other? With my students working on their own at home, at different paces, and on different lessons, how can I effectively implement inquiry based learning in my class that also allows for collaborative work? Since I will be teaching Science this year, I think that subject area will lend itself particularly nicely to inquiry based learning.  I am hoping that by the time I finish my final blog post for this course, I will have found the answers to my questions and will be able to put them into practice!

EDIM 514: You.com

For my final project for EDIM 514, I created a digital portfolio using Wix. I was able to merge my work and education histories with online social media activity in one location.  It also gave me a place to show off some of my photography, as well as a more personal side of myself.

Wix is a free web-hosting site and webpage builder.  I was able to choose a template and easily customize it by putting in my own text, photos, clipart, and links.  I couldn't believe how easy it was to use! In the past, I have had a few students use Wix to create webpages as a class project, and now I understand why. It is so user friendly that even students can use it.

Since I am not sure what the future holds for me, I may someday find myself looking for teaching jobs in a different location.  I think having a digital portfolio like the one I've created on Wix would be a great resource to share with potential employers.  It not only showcases the important biographical and professional information, but it also shows off my technology skills, creativity, and my personality.  I could easily remove some of the more "casual content," such as links to Instagram and Flickr if I decided to use share this page as part of the job-seeking process.

I decided to link to most of the Social Media websites that I maintain a regular presence on.  I recently decided to start using Twitter again and to begin following people and organizations in the educational world.  This makes the decision to include a link to my Twitter profile on my Wix more relevant.  Most of my recent uploads to Flickr have been related to my Wilkes courses, so I felt it would be a good idea to include that link too.

I had fun playing with the layout and choosing photos for my Wix page, which is not surprising, since I tend to be more "right-brained."  For my "About Me" page, I selected a variety of photos, showing the things that are important to me: my fiance, my dog, and my sense of humor and fun.  I tried to tap into that sense of humor and a little bit of whimsy by including a funny picture of my dog on the "Contact Me" page.

I hope if you check out my Wix digital portfolio, that you not only learn a little more about me, but you enjoy the experience.  Now without further ado, here is my final presentation.

EDIM 514: Live Webcast

This week I had the opportunity to host a live webcast.  While this was probably a brand-new experience for most of my classmates, this is something that I do almost daily at my job as an online teacher! I am very accustomed to hosting live webinars (my school calls them "Live Lessons") for my students.  After my students have read through their lesson content or completed required activities, we go through the lesson content and reinforce key vocabulary, concepts, and skills.  We also play review games to prepare for unit tests, explore websites together, hold writing workshops and literature circle discussions, and complete science demonstrations and experiments.  I use my webcam and a microphone headset to ensure my students can see and hear me, and students can communicate and interact in the webcast by using their own microphones at home or typing comments and questions on the screen.

So while hosting a live webcast was not a new experience in general, it was new for me to host one for a group of peers instead of students.  While I'm very comfortable presenting webcasts to my students by now, I have to admit that I was a little nervous about presenting in front of my friends.  It's a whole different experience presenting for a group of peers and appearing calm, composed, and organized!

Since I love to bake desserts, I decided to do a cooking demonstration in my webcast.  In my idealistic mind, I pictured the webcast looking something like an episode of Giada at Home, but I should have known better! I gave it my best shot, though! I started off by emailing my closest friends and posting the date, time, and topic of my webcast on Facebook.  I tried to tempt my Facebook friends to attend my webcast with offers of the recipe and tips on making my great aunt's Peanut Butter Cream Pie, which friends and coworkers routinely request that I bring to potlucks and parties.  I made my initial post on Monday, repeated it on Wednesday, and then made one final plea for attendees on Friday morning (a few hours before the live broadcast).  While I think my reminders were effective, I only had three friends who were able to attend.

Before my official live webcast, I spent some time investigating the website I would be using to broadcast my cooking demonstration.  I am accustomed to using Adobe Connect for my class webcasts, so I decided to use something different for this assignment.  I tried using Go To Meeting with the new "HDFaces" video conferencing, which I have seen countless commericals for recently.  I spent some time during the week familiarizing myself with the features.  While it had many of the same features and capabilities as Adobe Connect (microphone connectivity, chat log, "show my screen"), it was set up differently than what I was used to. Most of the learning curve for me with Go To Meeting came from just learning how to connect my microphone and turn it on and figuring out how to share my screen and broadcast my webcam.  After spending an entire afternoon playing around with it and doing a few test broadcasts, I felt pretty comfortable that I knew what I was doing.  I was even able to send out an email invite containing my meeting ID.

When the big day for my live webcast arrived, I was a little nervous but ready.  I spent time making sure I had all of my ingredients and materials ready, and I also did a few tests with my webcam to make sure my camera would be lined up just right to best capture the demonstration.  Once my attendees arrived and typed in their greetings, we were ready to go! My main regret is that I forgot to record the presentation.  Just as I was about to begin, my dog started barking in the background.  After shooting frantic telepathic messages to my fiance to grab the dog and take him upstairs, I was a little flustered and eager to start my presentation off with a smooth greeting.  In my haste, I completely forgot to start the recording. 

Even so, the webinar went fairly smoothly.  I started off by making sure my webcam was broadcasting a live video and audio feed.  Then, I introduced my demonstration by explaining that I'd be showing them how to make Peanut Butter Cream Pie, a recipe that has been in my family for at least three generations now.  I was able to click the "Show My Screen" button and share the ingredients list (which I had previously typed up on a PowerPoint slide) on the screen.  Then, I cut back to the video feed and got to work.  While using my webcam and laptop's built-in microphone, I put all of the previously prepared ingredients together (including a pre-baked pie crust).  I showed and explained step-by-step how to complete the recipe.  At the end of the webcast, I displayed the final product (freshly garnished with whipped cream!) for the camera and explained that it now needed to be placed in the refrigerator to cool before serving.  At that point, I opened up the webcast for questions.  All three typed comments into the chat log about wanting to eat the pie or complimenting its delicious appearance. One of them, who happens to be a coworker, was brave enough to try to connect her microphone to ask a question, but she had trouble figuring out how to connect it properly.  Unfortunately, we couldn't hear her.  It made both of us laugh because this is a problem we routinely encounter with students trying to use their microphones during our class webcasts.  In the end, she typed her question, which I was able to answer for her.  I thanked my three attendees for taking time out of their busy days to come to my webcast and let them know I'd be following up with the promised recipe in an email later that afternoon.

Overall, this was a fun experience, even though it wasn't necessarily new to me.  I overcame my trepidation of presenting to my peers and actually had fun pretending to be Martha Stewart on my webcam.  While I will definitely stick with using the Adobe Connect software that my school has purchased for our use and requires for our class webcasts, it was interesting to try out a different broadcasting tool. The only real challenge I encountered was the microphone issue with one of my attendees.  If I were to use Go To Meeting in the future, I would want to first figure out how attendees use their microphones so that I could offer more guidance in the case of technical issues.  I might also consider using the phone conference option that allows all participants to call a conference line while simultaneously viewing the online visual presentation.

EDIM 514: Attend a Live Webinar

Yesterday, I attended a live webinar, "Online Speech Therapy: Hot Questions, Cool Answers," broadcast by eSchool Media, Inc. I didn't realize when I first registered for the webinar that I actually used to receive email newsletters from eSchool News, which is part of the same company.  They offer a lot of great resources related to educational technology.

When I initially set out to find a live webinar to attend this week, I had an unexpectedly difficult time finding one! After trying the sites recommended by my course and doing multiple web searches for "free webinars for teachers," I realized that many sites were either not offering their webinars in a live format or else they were on a summer hiatus.  I got excited when I finally did come across a site that offered live webinars that not only sounded interesting but also applied to what I teach.  However, quickly discovered that you had to upgrade to a paid account to register.  Undeterred, I kept searching using different search terms and finally stumbled across the Online Speech Therapy webinar that was being presented on Thursday.

While I am not a a speech-language pathologist, I thought this topic was very relevant to my job as an online teacher.  Over the past few years, I have had several students with IEPs for speech who received services through online virtual speech therapy.  I always wondered how exactly the process worked, and I received answers to the questions I had from the presentation.  Here are my thoughts on the webinar I attended, as well as live webinars in general:

What were the strengths of the show format?
The webinar I attended was broken into three parts, with time for questions from attendees in-between. The host introduced each topic, and then each of the two presenters elaborated on that topic. One strength of this format is that the presentation maintained a consistent pace and flow and it stayed on schedule.

Participants could enter their questions into a Q&A pod, and those questions could only be seen by the host/presenters. While participants could type in questions at any time, the presenters typically answered them only during the Q&A breaks. I think this helped maintain the flow of the presentation without multiple interruptions.  Typing the questions privately could also be a plus because some people are not comfortable asking questions in public.  For those individuals, it would be nice to be able to type them, instead of being put on the spot with a microphone, and also nice to have some anonymity in asking the questions. 

What were the weaknesses of the show format?
While having the presenters only answer questions at designated times and at the end of the presentation really maintained the flow and kept the webinar on track, I feel like there would have been more of a personal connection if the questions had been answered immediately.  I felt disconnected from the presenters because I really had no interaction with them.  While I learned a lot from the presentation, it would have been nice to have some interaction among the presenter and attendees or to at least have my questions acknowledged and addressed to me by name during the presentation.





Would you participate in future shows of this nature?
I would definitely participate in a live webinar again.  I learned a lot from the presentation, and it was helpful to have my questions answered in real-time.

How could this type of webcast be incorporated into the classroom?
Since I teach at a cyber school, my online synchronous lessons are very similar to the live webinar format.  I present content by sharing PowerPoint slides, PDF or image files, and even websites on the screen, and then present orally using a microphone.  My students can also interact with me and each other using microphones or by typing or manipulating items on the screen.  These presentations can be recorded so that students who weren't present can watch the recording, or students who were present can go back and review.  Parents are also able to watch the live presentation or the recordings to see what their kids are learning and to help support their children in their schoolwork.  Students in a traditional brick-and-mortar school could benefit from webcasts, especially recorded ("non-live") ones for the same reasons.  If lectures, demonstrations, experiments, or even students presentations were broadcast and recorded, parents at home or work could tune in, or students and/or parents could review those recordings at a later time while preparing for a test.

How might you use it with students?  As attendees or broadcasters?
I will continue to use this with my students, in the form of attendees AND broadcasters.  Since my students cannot present projects or speeches in person, I would like to utilize the web-conferencing technology more often to allow students to show off their work and practice their public speaking skills.

EDIM 514: Integrating Social Networking

I have chosen to integrate social networking into our 6th grade gifted project.  This is an interdisciplinary, long-term project that students in the Gifted and Talented program complete over the course of the school year in addition to their normal coursework.  Last year, we struggled to make the process more collaborative and allow for peer feedback, since our students complete their schooling online and are not able to physically share their work in person.  Students were able to share their work during online class meetings, but this required students to be "live," which wasn't always possible due to differing schedules. It also required work to be uploaded ahead of time and only a few disappointing file formats were able to be shared in the online meeting room. Using Twiducate should solve many of these issues!

Since the project is interdisciplinary, all of the 6th grade teachers pull from skills and topics developed in the 6th grade language arts, science, social studies, and math courses.  However, this course has a special connection to social studies, which focuses on ancient civilizations (Ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Middle East, and China). 

The project's main goal is for students to create their own unique civilization.  They will develop all of the cultural, societal, and governmental aspects of that civilization and present an overview of their civilization at the end of the school year. Students will have due dates and checkpoints throughout the school year, leading up to the final project, so not everything is due at once.  The final presentation may be created using Glogster, Prezi, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, website, digital storybook, posterboard, or traditional paper report with images/drawings.

Students are given directions at the beginning of the project (a few weeks after the start of school), telling them of the due dates for each checkpoint in the project.  Every 1-2 weeks, a small part of the project is due (most times in the form of a written overview or sketch).  Students are instructed to develop and include the following aspects in their civilization: form of government and leader(s), system of laws, women's/men's/children's roles in society, jobs, education, religion, language, food, fashion/clothing, medicine, and art and music.  They also must create a map of their country, deciding upon a name, major cities, geographical features, bodies of water, and natural resources.  A flag for the country is also designed and created.

The project is evaluated for meeting the criteria, how well those criteria are developed, use of technology, and research.  With the introduction of Twiducate, I would also be able to evaluate student's presentations to their classmates as well as peer feedback.  I would like to have students upload not only their final project, but their ideas and smaller checkpoint submissions for peer feedback along the way.

This is where Twiducate comes in handy.  Twiducate is a social networking site similar to Facebook or Twitter, but created specifically for classroom use.  Students receive a class code and password to log on to the class page.  There is a "newsfeed" (to borrow a Facebook term) showing announcements that have been made by the teacher or content that has been uploaded by teachers or students. Students can link to content they have uploaded to sites such as Googledocs and YouTube.  Their classmates can then view that content and "like" it or leave comments on it. Teachers can comment or send a private message with feedback.

I created a sample class using Twiducate and set it up with a few imaginary students. I created a sample map of one of the student's civilizations and uploaded it to the class page from her account.  After testing it out, I saw that this really could be a great tool for gathering feedback on student work and allowing my kids to collaborate more on projects.

It was easy to create profiles for each student. You can add multiple teacher accounts, too, which is perfect for our gifted project, since there will be four teachers involved.

Teachers can also share links to resources, which show up in the sidebar of the class homepage. I found various web resources that would give students background information on how real ancient civilizations lived.

Teachers can also create due dates with instructions, which are then posted in the sidebar so students can see exactly when things are due!

 

 Teachers can make announcements or just offer some encouragement on the homepage.

Students can post pictures or links to online content they've created. These show up in the class feed.  Students can comment on those posts to leave constructive feedback.

 

Teachers can also comment or send private messages related to a student's post.  Private messages show up in an individual's inbox.

I can see how Twiducate could be a very useful tool for increasing collaboration and peer feedback with my students for next year's gifted project.  I've already started to gather resources to share with students and upload them to our class Twiducate page in anticipation of the new school year.  Hopefully I can revisit this post after the school year kicks off and update on how Twiducate is impacting our class!

EDIM 514: 7-Day Social Immersion Challenge Reflection

The 7-day photo challenge was a small taste of a project I've been considering undertaking for a few years.  I had seen it done before by a few friends on Facebook, including a coworker who successfully completed the full 365-day photo-a-day challenge in 2012.  For the latter, I was always excited to log on to Facebook and see what her daily photo would be, and the online album of 365 colorful photographs she was left with served as a remarkable souvenir of a year well-lived and the successful completion of the ambitious project she undertook.

Needless to say, I was excited to try a miniature version of the photo-a-day challenge this past week.  At first, it was challenging to remember to post a picture every day, but by the end of the week it had become part of my daily routine. It became something fun that I looked forward to. I was always interested to see what each day's "prompt" or "theme" would be.

Sometimes deciding what to photograph was a challenge.  I really tried to think about what was being asked of me by each daily prompt. Once I had an answer, I looked for objects or people I encountered throughout the day that might symbolize those answers or ideas. Some were easier than others, such as "A person you look up to."  For me, the instantaneous response was my parents.  Others, like "Something in the world you want to change" were more challenging because there are so many things I wish I could change.  After deciding that I was overthinking it, I found simple inspiration in the form of my rescue dog.  I snapped his picture while he was peacefully sleeping next to my fiance, wishing all animals could know the peace and love of a caring home.  If there's anything that I took away from this project, it's that there is beauty and contentment to be found in the simple things in life.

Posting the photos online was a fairly easy process, and one that built upon last week/unit's focus on using cell phones and mobile technology.  I was able to complete my 7-day photo challenge entirely on my smartphone.  First, I took the photos using my phone's camera.  Then, I edited them using Instagram (probably my favorite smartphone app!).  Finally, I used my newly downloaded Blogger app on my phone to upload the photos directly to my blog and create my posts, comments, tags, and all!  If I decide to undertake the full 365 photo-a-day challenge, which I would very much like to in 2014, I feel confident that it would be an easy process with my smartphone.  I have my phone with me at all times, and I'm constantly snapping photos with it, so as long as I can remember to post every day, I think I would be successful in this project. 

EDIM 514: 7-Day Social Immersion Challenge - DAY 7

Day 7: Something That Inspires You

 





I took this photo at the Baltimore National Aquarium)


Quite simply, the beauty and intricacy of nature amazes and inspires me.  Too often people get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and don't take enough time to stop and marvel at the wonders of the natural world.

EDIM 514: 7-Day Social Immersion Challenge - DAY 6

Day 6: A Picture of Something You Want to Do Before You Die

"You want to become a duck?" you might ask. No. This mama duck and her tiny ducklings symbolize the one thing I have always wanted and looked forward to more than anything: becoming a parent.

EDIM 514: 7-Day Social Immersion Challenge - DAY 5

Day 5: Something You Are Grateful for

I am grateful to have found love and family with my fiance, Wes, and our dog, Carl. :)