2.3 Authentic Learning
Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences. (PSC 2.3/ISTE 2c)
Artifact: Engaged Learning Project
Reflection:
During my first semester in the program, I was tasked with creating an engaged learning project for my students that was required to be highly authentic and engaging, promote higher-order thinking skills, and result in students’ deep understanding and transfer of skills. This project was the culminating demonstration of my learning about the research-based Engaged Learning Indicators and Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTI) that were discussed in ITEC 7400. My project called for students to use authentic music composition software to compose an original piece of within specified guidelines for rhythm, melody, harmony, expression, and form according to Fulton County standards for 5th Grade General Music and the NETS-S student technology standards.
This artifact demonstrates my understanding of and ability to use digital resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences because the project involves many of the indicators of authentic learning. For example, in the project students assume an adult/professional role of composer, which is a complex task that involves the same higher-order thinking and creativity skills needed by real-life, professional composers. The compositional process in this project is further made authentic by having the students utilize the same or similar software program used by professional composers. As a result of the project, students produce an entirely original product in the form of a musical composition, which is given an authentic audience when published to online forums for composers and other users of the software program involved with this project. The authenticity of the project’s audience is further demonstrated by the possibility of entering student compositions in the state-wide Georgia Music Educators Association composition contest, for which there are prized for the best student compositions in the state. Each product is unique and unpredictable, even within the specified guidelines, because the product is driven by student creativity. This artifact demonstrates my ability to model the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in these authentic learning experiences as I myself created the plan to include such digital tools and resources. I could further model this technology use for authentic learning by sharing this lesson plan with my colleagues, discussing these strategies during PLC meetings, and posting about my experiences with this lesson on my blog and on Twitter. The artifact also demonstrates my ability to facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences, because it demonstrates my own deep understanding of the meaning of “authentic learning experiences,” which I can then transfer to other teachers when helping them plan for and implement similar learning experiences in their classrooms.
I learned many things from completing this artifact. I learned how to make a project as authentic as possible for elementary-aged students. When initially learning about the meaning of authentic learning, particularly about placing students in the roles of adult/professional, I was not sure that I could create such learning experiences for my young students. The completion of this project taught me that this was entirely possible. To make this learning experience even more authentic in the future, I would like to perhaps find an even wider audience to publish my students’ work so that it can be more motivational for my students and appreciated by more people around the world.
This project had a very positive impact upon my students’ learning. I believe that at least part of this success is due to the fact that this project was more authentic in nature than any other project or project I had implemented in my classroom to that point. The impact of this specific project on student learning can be assessed through comparing student achievement data from before and after the implementation of this project to demonstrate student growth. The comparison student data from previous years before I knew about authentic learning strategies to student data from after I learned and implemented these strategies can be used to assess the impact of my overall understanding of these strategies.
During my first semester in the program, I was tasked with creating an engaged learning project for my students that was required to be highly authentic and engaging, promote higher-order thinking skills, and result in students’ deep understanding and transfer of skills. This project was the culminating demonstration of my learning about the research-based Engaged Learning Indicators and Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTI) that were discussed in ITEC 7400. My project called for students to use authentic music composition software to compose an original piece of within specified guidelines for rhythm, melody, harmony, expression, and form according to Fulton County standards for 5th Grade General Music and the NETS-S student technology standards.
This artifact demonstrates my understanding of and ability to use digital resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences because the project involves many of the indicators of authentic learning. For example, in the project students assume an adult/professional role of composer, which is a complex task that involves the same higher-order thinking and creativity skills needed by real-life, professional composers. The compositional process in this project is further made authentic by having the students utilize the same or similar software program used by professional composers. As a result of the project, students produce an entirely original product in the form of a musical composition, which is given an authentic audience when published to online forums for composers and other users of the software program involved with this project. The authenticity of the project’s audience is further demonstrated by the possibility of entering student compositions in the state-wide Georgia Music Educators Association composition contest, for which there are prized for the best student compositions in the state. Each product is unique and unpredictable, even within the specified guidelines, because the product is driven by student creativity. This artifact demonstrates my ability to model the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in these authentic learning experiences as I myself created the plan to include such digital tools and resources. I could further model this technology use for authentic learning by sharing this lesson plan with my colleagues, discussing these strategies during PLC meetings, and posting about my experiences with this lesson on my blog and on Twitter. The artifact also demonstrates my ability to facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences, because it demonstrates my own deep understanding of the meaning of “authentic learning experiences,” which I can then transfer to other teachers when helping them plan for and implement similar learning experiences in their classrooms.
I learned many things from completing this artifact. I learned how to make a project as authentic as possible for elementary-aged students. When initially learning about the meaning of authentic learning, particularly about placing students in the roles of adult/professional, I was not sure that I could create such learning experiences for my young students. The completion of this project taught me that this was entirely possible. To make this learning experience even more authentic in the future, I would like to perhaps find an even wider audience to publish my students’ work so that it can be more motivational for my students and appreciated by more people around the world.
This project had a very positive impact upon my students’ learning. I believe that at least part of this success is due to the fact that this project was more authentic in nature than any other project or project I had implemented in my classroom to that point. The impact of this specific project on student learning can be assessed through comparing student achievement data from before and after the implementation of this project to demonstrate student growth. The comparison student data from previous years before I knew about authentic learning strategies to student data from after I learned and implemented these strategies can be used to assess the impact of my overall understanding of these strategies.