Candidates set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness. (PSC-IT 1.1, ISTE-E 1a)
Candidates pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks. (PSC-IT 1.2, ISTE-E 1b)
The artifact for this standard is an ADI Lab on Plate Tectonics. I have been teaching this scientific inquiry lesson for a few years now in order to teach about the three different plate boundaries and the geological effects they have. I was in a math science partnership training where this lesson was shared with me. Students collect and analyze real data they gather from NOAA Natural Hazards Viewer to determine and justify what happens along each of the three different plate boundaries. The website has so much information that it can be overwhelming. The lesson was way too difficult for the students in its original form and I have made many changes over the years to make this a much better and impactful learning experience for the students and myself!
The evolution of this lesson demonstrates my ability to set goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches with technology and to reflect on the effectiveness of the approaches. My first goal for this lesson was to explore and apply ways to break it down and make it easier for my students to tackle. I completely changed my delivery method, I provided a graphic organizer for data collection, I had students share tips and tricks for the site with the class, and I basically just chunked things better for the students. This definitely helped the kids use the site much better and collect the right type of data. They were able to determine geological events that occurred along the boundaries. The first site was still a bit overwhelming though. My second goal, was to find a way to build an even better foundation before heading into the harder site. I found a much easier site for students to explore that would not be as overwhelming as the first. Students could get a good foundation of knowledge of the plate boundaries with the new site and then go into the major site more prepared and knowledgeable. I felt like the students would feel more confident and less scared or overwhelmed if I scaffolded the lesson this way.
I learned to be flexible and do what is needed based on my students' needs each year. This lesson is a published lesson that has completely changed from the first time I did it. Teachers know what is best for their students based on reflection and goal setting. I continue tweaking this lesson every year. Each time I reflect and update something, I make the lesson more effective and there is deeper learning. I am going to improve this lesson even more by creating a video tutorial for how to use the site that is overwhelming.
This had an impact on student learning. This lesson is student centered, inquiry based, collaborative, and real world. The students love it. It is a very interactive way to learn about the geological features at the plate boundaries. The evidence of the impact this has is that students are able to explain what is happening at the boundaries and why after doing this lesson and the information is retained because of the way it was received.
This artifact shows several examples of how I participate in and create new dicsussions in local and global digital learning networks. There are screenshots of conversations I have had in Microsoft Teams, Twitter, and Facebook. There is a screenshot of the available support channels available in a Microsoft Team created for certain technologically advanced members throughout the school district.
On a local scale, I create and participate in discussions by utilizing Microsoft Teams. My school district has a group of members that are dedicated to technology use in schools and huge part of that includes supporting the use of technology. We have a Microsoft Team dedicated to supporting each other while we try to support teachers in our school. I am able to go to specific channel to post questions I need help with and I can also go help others in need by responding to others' posts. I create and participate in discussions globaly through the social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook. I am usually involved in some form of learning task or I am trying to get more ideas or resources when I am using my global learning networks and I look to my local learning network more for support.
When creating this artifact, I realized that I don't utilize my global learning network enough and that I need to make more time for it. I learn so many amazing things from so many amazing and talented people when I utilize the available resources and get out of my bubble more often. I haven't used my social media much because of a lot of the negativity. I can always make a new Facebook account that is strictly for educational purposes!
Using the tools reflected in this artifact, I have been able to impact the school's faculty development and student learning in a positive way. During the pandemic, we all had to teach online using Microsoft Teams and I was a main point of contact for staff support in my school. People knew and know that if I do not know the answer, I have the resources to reach out to get the needed answers for how to do something or why something isn't working. When teachers are better able to do their work, students are going to have a much better learning experience. The impact can be assessed through the continued education students were able to receive through Microsoft Teams during the pandemic.
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Candidates stay current with research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences. (PSC-IT 1.3, ISTE-E 1c)