3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
Candidates model and facilitate effective classroom management and collaborative learning strategies to maximize teacher and student use of digital tools and resources. (PSC 3.1/ISTE 3a)
Artifact: Internet Lesson Plan
Reflection:
As a culminating project for ITEC 7430, I was tasked with creating a Web 2.0 immersion lesson that was aligned to both student content standards and student technology standards. I designed the lesson for and implemented the lesson with my third grade music students. I had these students utilize three separate Web 2.0 tools: Noteflight, an online music composition tool; AudioBoo (now audioBoom), an online recording/podcasting tool; and ThingLink, an online platform for creating interactive images to which you can link different “things.” One objective for this lesson was for students to demonstrate understanding of musical form by creating an original composition and pairing with another student or group to create a musical arrangement that featured both their compositions. Another objective for this lesson was to use digital tools and resources to create an original product within the context of music.
This artifact demonstrates my ability to utilize effective classroom management strategies, as an entire section of the lesson plan specifically describes which classroom management techniques were used. For example, one strategy that students know from previous practice is not to get out of their seats or call out my name if they need help, but rather to raise their hand to let me know, and in the meantime move onto something else they can do on their own while waiting for me to come to them. Additionally, I activated the Guided Access feature in the iPads, which disabled students from exiting a given app and instead locked them into only the app they are currently using in order to prevent students from getting off-task. Students’ use of the digital tools is and the teachers’ ability to help students as needed is therefore maximized as a result of putting these classroom management measures in place. These classroom management strategies also helped maximize the collaborative learning in this lesson. Each student was tasked with collaborating with at least one other student at least one time in the process of completing the project. Some students chose to collaborate starting with the first step by pairing with a partner for the composition and recording stages of the project. For the ThingLink stage of the process, all students or pairs of students were required to collaborate with another student or pair of students to combine compositions and recordings to create a new form with their two sections as well as an image, via photography or drawing, to represent their new form. I often hear from other teachers that their biggest concern with implementing technology in their classrooms is how to effectively manage their classrooms during the implementation process. This artifact itself can be used to model classroom management and collaborative learning strategies when using digital tools and resources as it specifically lists tools and strategies to help accomplish that goal. I can further model these effective practices by discussing these specific tools strategies with my colleagues at PLC meetings or via county email. I can also take what I learned from my own experience with these strategies to facilitate others with implementing the same or similar strategies in their own classrooms.
I learned many things from the design and implementation of this lesson. I necessarily became more familiar with the Web 2.0 tools that were included in this project. I gained experience with planning for both classroom management and collaborative learning, as these were constantly reinforced throughout the lesson. The planning process tested my ability to complete pre-troubleshooting and to develop classroom management strategies for such learning experiences. The implementation of the lesson also gave me unprecedented experience with acting as “facilitator” rather than the “sage on the stage,” as is common in ensemble-based music classes. However, as mentioned in the post-implementation reflection, my students had some trouble navigating the Noteflight tool. Although they were familiar with paper-pencil compositions strategies, they had no prior experience with digital composition tools. To improve the quality of the lesson, I would either choose an easier tool for my students to use or pre-teach the Noteflight tool so students would know how to use it during the lesson.
The work that went into creating this lesson had a tremendous impact on my students’ learning, enthusiasm, and creativity. This can be measured by comparing their end-of-unit data with that of other classes and/or previous years to show how much more these students learned about the music content standards and student technology standards as a result of this lesson/project. The impact on student learning can also be demonstrated in the anecdotal data regarding my students’ opinions about the project. For example, I heard several comments throughout the project’s implementation such as, “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in music class!” and “I wish every class could be like this!”
As a culminating project for ITEC 7430, I was tasked with creating a Web 2.0 immersion lesson that was aligned to both student content standards and student technology standards. I designed the lesson for and implemented the lesson with my third grade music students. I had these students utilize three separate Web 2.0 tools: Noteflight, an online music composition tool; AudioBoo (now audioBoom), an online recording/podcasting tool; and ThingLink, an online platform for creating interactive images to which you can link different “things.” One objective for this lesson was for students to demonstrate understanding of musical form by creating an original composition and pairing with another student or group to create a musical arrangement that featured both their compositions. Another objective for this lesson was to use digital tools and resources to create an original product within the context of music.
This artifact demonstrates my ability to utilize effective classroom management strategies, as an entire section of the lesson plan specifically describes which classroom management techniques were used. For example, one strategy that students know from previous practice is not to get out of their seats or call out my name if they need help, but rather to raise their hand to let me know, and in the meantime move onto something else they can do on their own while waiting for me to come to them. Additionally, I activated the Guided Access feature in the iPads, which disabled students from exiting a given app and instead locked them into only the app they are currently using in order to prevent students from getting off-task. Students’ use of the digital tools is and the teachers’ ability to help students as needed is therefore maximized as a result of putting these classroom management measures in place. These classroom management strategies also helped maximize the collaborative learning in this lesson. Each student was tasked with collaborating with at least one other student at least one time in the process of completing the project. Some students chose to collaborate starting with the first step by pairing with a partner for the composition and recording stages of the project. For the ThingLink stage of the process, all students or pairs of students were required to collaborate with another student or pair of students to combine compositions and recordings to create a new form with their two sections as well as an image, via photography or drawing, to represent their new form. I often hear from other teachers that their biggest concern with implementing technology in their classrooms is how to effectively manage their classrooms during the implementation process. This artifact itself can be used to model classroom management and collaborative learning strategies when using digital tools and resources as it specifically lists tools and strategies to help accomplish that goal. I can further model these effective practices by discussing these specific tools strategies with my colleagues at PLC meetings or via county email. I can also take what I learned from my own experience with these strategies to facilitate others with implementing the same or similar strategies in their own classrooms.
I learned many things from the design and implementation of this lesson. I necessarily became more familiar with the Web 2.0 tools that were included in this project. I gained experience with planning for both classroom management and collaborative learning, as these were constantly reinforced throughout the lesson. The planning process tested my ability to complete pre-troubleshooting and to develop classroom management strategies for such learning experiences. The implementation of the lesson also gave me unprecedented experience with acting as “facilitator” rather than the “sage on the stage,” as is common in ensemble-based music classes. However, as mentioned in the post-implementation reflection, my students had some trouble navigating the Noteflight tool. Although they were familiar with paper-pencil compositions strategies, they had no prior experience with digital composition tools. To improve the quality of the lesson, I would either choose an easier tool for my students to use or pre-teach the Noteflight tool so students would know how to use it during the lesson.
The work that went into creating this lesson had a tremendous impact on my students’ learning, enthusiasm, and creativity. This can be measured by comparing their end-of-unit data with that of other classes and/or previous years to show how much more these students learned about the music content standards and student technology standards as a result of this lesson/project. The impact on student learning can also be demonstrated in the anecdotal data regarding my students’ opinions about the project. For example, I heard several comments throughout the project’s implementation such as, “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in music class!” and “I wish every class could be like this!”