Lesson Plan Supplemental Materials

In this lesson I address a first-grade math standard regarding telling time. Ohio 1.MD.B.3 States that student should be able to tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks. After this lesson unit, students will have learned the attributes or parts of a clock and how to use analog and digital clocks to tell time to the hour and half hour.

This lesson also includes three technology components. A PowerPoint Online Broadcast that is designed to be a game that reinforces student's ability to tell time to the hour and half hour. In the beginning of the presentation, students simply recite the times (24hrs) on the digital clocks. Later, In the presentation, they have to select the correct digital that matches the time on each analog clock. 

Go to link for a live Broadcast of Mrs. Blacks Clock Game.
Go to link for the same game in Scribd Mrs. Black's Clock Game

I also created a component through Classtools.net.  It is a scavenger hunt using QR codes. The QR code would be placed around the classroom and students would scan them with their iPad cameras to answer the questions embedded in the QR codes. The questions are simply term matches for time telling vocabulary.

Go to link for the Telling Time QR code Scavenger hunt http://goo.gl/myspoE

My third component is a Plickers app component.  It is a short assessment of the standards I addressed in this lesson.  The plickers app assigns students with answer cards  that I print out.  As the questions are presented on SmartBoard, students can hold up the correct the answer codes that I scan with my smart phone.  The app scores and extrapolates the answer by class and by individual student.
The Plickers app does not allow me to provide a link to my questions, answers and grade reports, however, I screenshoted the various user interfaces to give you a general idea of how the app works,

Go to link for Plickers app  http://www.plickers.com Plickers App 
Go to link for my Plickers Game Google Drive copies of Plickers Screenshots

My Technology Lesson Plan

Standards Based Tech-Lesson Plan: Learning to Tell time

Picmonkey

Picmonkey is a free photo editing app that allows the user to upload an image and begin editing without a user account.  This made the process much smoother to me, eliminating the process of entering my profile information and email address then waiting for a confirmation email so that I can then login. Picmonkey lets me hit the ground running.  I was able to use all the standard editing tools you’d expect from such a website without downloading apps and registering.  I really do like the app for classroom application.  Such as creating paper/worksheet activities with timely designs and graphics or simply creating cute holiday portraits with adjustments for seasonal projects.

I decided to take a photo of myself and create some fairy-esque graphics.

QR Code

<img src="http://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?color=000000&amp;bgcolor=FFFFFF&amp;data=http%3A%2F%2Ftechnicallyiteach.blogspot.com%2F&amp;qzone=1&amp;margin=0&amp;size=400x400&amp;ecc=L" alt="qr code" />

This QR code was created at goqr.me 

Pinterest in the Classroom

What I learned from using PINTEREST as an educator…

 I have used Pinterest as an educator for many years.  I have multiple boards and over 800 pins of varying content including education. I enjoy the time-saving features other educators share such as lessons, organizational tips and skills-building activities.  Teaching and planning takes so much time and effort to do effectively.  It is nice to be able to open an app and cherry pick from a list of things other teachers have already found success with.  I also learned how to add a Pinterest gadget to a blog, something I’ve never done before. This is very useful since I have always wanted to delve into the educational blog or mommy blog world.

How I will utilize PINTEREST as a teacher…

I will continue to use Pinterest as a valuable resource for organizing my teaching ideas, inspiration for fun projects as well as sharing my own effective teaching ideas.  There are many educators who I follow on original Pinterest account such as “The Moffatt Girls” and “Kathy Schrock” who have loads of printable, crafts and activity ideas on their boards. There are many book suggestions for accompanying lessons of specific content such as poetry, sight words and alliteration.

Strengths of PINTEREST…

Simplicity is Pinterest’s greatest strength.  It is easy to use for even the older crowd who are less technically inclined. My mother in law uses it and that’s saying something!  Also, it provides a space for people to explore their passions. Pinterest keeps those passions alive by feeding them with more pins daily. Volume is another of Pinterest’s great strengths.  Pinterest has over million active users and the number of pins grows by 75% annually. According to Quora.com, there are 50 billion pins and 1 billion boards as of recent 2015 data. That’s a lot of pinning!  It is no wonder that when I go to Pinterest to find a teaching tool of any type, I rarely come away emptyhanded.  Not to mention how visually appealing Pinterest has been designed.  Nearly any search for content whatsoever will yield numerous graphic images with information of your interest…you barely have to read!

The challenges of PINTEREST…

Of course with any app there are challenges, Pinterest is no exception. Pinterest has a narrow demographic.  Most women in the 25-34 age range and over a third in the $100,000 income bracket. If you are using it for classroom purposes, you must keep in mind that it is not appealing to the younger crowd.  Its largest audience base is in the 25-45 age range.  I think teachers and moms are an easy draw but using it as an app in the younger demographic would work if the activity or assignment requires its usage.  Just don’t expect them to make it an app they use in their own leisure after the assignment is completed. Also, Pinterest pinning does not lead to engagement on a conversational level.  People do not interact with one another as much as they do on Facebook and Instagram.  If student interaction is your driving point, look elsewhere.

Reflections on PINTEREST…

Pinterest is addicting!  It constantly feeds you pins similar to the interest of your previous searches and leads you on a rabbit trail. Nevermind that you may have opened the app for a reason completely different from your previous pins or searches.  This is why my boards grew exponentially as soon as I joined the site.  From a teacher perspective, I do not suggest openly searching while students watch. There are quite a few inappropriate pins that have shown up that are often irrelevant to my search. Some users tag their pins with common terms just to get hits on their inappropriate boards/pins. Instead of openly searching in front of students, pre-pin unto boards and go directly to the boards in your teacher account.

Khan/Koller Review

Khan 

How I Envision Using the Khan Academy for Personal Needs…

Upon visiting the Khan Academy site, I realized that it was something I could have used when I had difficulty in my statistics class back while working on my Adult Education & Distance Learning Degree.  This would have been useful because Khan examples in a handwritten format in a very easy, step by step format with a conversational tone. My instructor could not provide assistance in the same format and style. I will use the Khan Academy to give my own children supplemental support in their academic areas.  I will be pursuing this site more for my own edification as well.  I love learning and improving myself is a lifelong goal of mine.

Encouraging Student Utilization of Khan Academy

As I read the article I found myself thinking of concepts I’ve taught in the past as well as students I taught in the past. Which Khan lessons could my third graders have benefited from? My fifth graders?  In the past I had students that I may have failed to challenge while I was beleaguered with helping students who were behind or struggling.

Ease of Use and Efficacy of Khan Academy as a Learning Resource

I completed a short Chemistry of Life skill check on Atoms and the Periodic table. This skill check was purposed to give me an idea of my prior knowledge of the topic.  While it revealed that I remember very little about my high school chemistry lessons, I did like the way I was given multiple hints and clues to inform my selection from the multiple choices. I did find this lesson easy to follow and learn from and I think I will continue this entire section when I have more time. 

Khan’s Speculation of Future Reliance on Online Credentialing/Making Learning More Accessible

It would be difficult to say he is wrong about our future reliance on online credentialing as I type my constructed response answer to a question posed in my distance learning course.  More and more students, employers and organizations are choosing this modality as a way to complete degree programs, train employees, or get certifications in their career field.  This modality offers more choices for the homebound, the disabled and for those in the far reaches of the globe who would not otherwise have access to coursework such as this.

Koller

Coursera Offerings I found personally Interesting

Amongst Coursera’s plethora of topics, I found the Personal Development Courses to be the most interesting. I was most interested in the Virtual Teacher 5-course Specialization because it could enhance my training as a Distance Learning Instructor or enhance my resume  for my interest in Adjunct professor positions. There are also courses in Strategic self-marketing and Personal Branding this cadre could help me brand myself as an educational professional as well as a blogger in the education.

Does Columbus State accept Coursera transfer credits?

Columbus State Community College does not accept Coursera transfer credits since Coursera isn’t regionally accredited. However, CSCC does offer a link on their website to those interested in courses with the organization.  A quick search from the CSCC homepage search box will lead you to the Coursera site.

How Coursera courses Compare as Challenging and Interesting Options

Coursera courses appear to be just as challenging as courses I’ve had before or even more challenging. The fact that Ivy League universities and the like are offering courses via Coursera does give me the impression that the courses offered will have more “meat” in their content than courses I have taken in the past. These universities are known for their rigorous curricula.

MOOCs (massive open online courses) as the "wave of the future".

Since MOOC’s are have emerged as a popular modality, due to their free access I can perceive that this trend will continue to grow exponentially to expand to include more resources, and more educational institutions.

MOOCs Changing the Way Students receive their education

A student like myself would be remiss in not considering MOOC’s as a valid resource in future educational endeavors.  Before I hand over my hard-earning cash, earmarked for continuing education I will weigh the advantages of choosing a coursework in a MOOC such as Coursera, Udacity and edX. This is especially true given the emergence of MOOC’s for credit through various educational institutions.

Exploring Standards Based Lesson Plans

It’s a Perfect Fit---Part I

Getting into Shapes

A Class Over Time (Geometry)

http://www-tc.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/lessonplans/pdf/esmp/perfectfit.pdf

Lesson Description

This PreK-2 math lesson plan involves geometry. During this lesson, students are expected to be able to visualize a geometric shape after it is shown to them briefly and reproduce the image on the table using the tiles provided.   (See Fig. A)

 Fig. A

They gain more practice recognizing shapes as they survey the room for objects in order to describe their shapes. Next, the learners, compare and contrast their shapes with the shapes of other students after they cut them out from the shape cards. (See Fig. B) 

Fig. B

In a cooperative activity, the students pair up for a classifying task where they group the shapes according to their attributes.  The students are then asked to explain and describe the reasons for their classifications.  This questioning takes the task to higher order thinking and reasoning skills. In conclusion of the lesson, the children are given more copies of the Shape cards to classify at home. (See Fig. C and D)

Fig.C

Fig.D

  

Common Core Standards of This Lesson

Kindergarten

Geometry

Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes.

K.G.B.5 

Analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and vertices (“corners”) and other attributes (e.g., having sides of equal length).

Grade 1 Geometry

Reason with shapes and their attributes.

1.G.A.1 

Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.

Meeting the Standards in This Lesson

Throughout this lesson, the learners were comparing and contrasting their shapes with the shapes of their classmates and teacher.   Analyzing the structure of shapes in their environments.  In a whole group activity, the teacher had the students create a mock-up of an image flashed briefly before them.

In a cooperative task, the students were asked to classify the attributes of the shapes and describe/explain their classifications.  Within this lesson all of the above Common Core Standards were met through whole group, cooperative and independent tasks.

Implementing this Lesson

Most of this lesson was geared towards the visual learner.  A student with poor spatial reasoning skills would do poorly with the beginning where they used tiles to reproduce the shape that the teacher briefly displayed.  I believe that in my own classroom I would need to do this portion of the lesson in small groups so as to provide more assistant with those who are more inclined to auditory learning.

I appreciate the way the kids were allowed to observe their surroundings to find shapes in their environment.  I would have taken this opportunity to allow the students to leave their seats to observe shape attributes around the room and burn some energy during the lesson.  The portion where the students were to create a picture with their shapes and write a story about them seems a bit daunting on this grade level but of course, inventive spelling and mistakes in grammar and mechanics would be apropos since this isn’t a language arts lesson and the children are likely beginning or emerging in literacy and writing skills.

Assistive Technology for The Visually Impaired

     Visual Impairment and blindness greatly affects students’ learning due to their inability to see classroom materials such as text, graphics and images on computer screens. A student with this disability will need significant modifications to the learning environment to succeed and be afforded an equal education in the least restrictive environment according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (2004) A student who is affected by a disability must be given the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers to the greatest extent appropriate.  A student with disability may be hindered by the print-rich environments of today’s classrooms. Their inability to see as clearly as their peers also hinders their participation in cooperative-learning activities and reading activities.  For these reasons, visually impaired students must be provided tools and devices will allow them to receive an equal and quality education.

     Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology is a very useful tool for the visually impaired student. This technology has the capability to scan, recognize and read text, as well as convert the images into recognized characters and words.  The OCR synthesizer then speaks the recognized text.  This file can be save on the computer for later access or stored on the OCR which has dedicated storage memory. The visually-impaired student can access their files as a word document format, since these files are easily converted. Just as the word processing applications we are familiar with and depend on our own computers, the OCR will also recognize sentence structure and language mechanics in order to correct common errors in spoken word or text.   The OCR like many non-AT’s has its own dictionary and spellchecker.

     One example of OCR technology is Cobra 10.2.  This screen magnifier provides speech output and large print magnification as well as support for Braille users.  It is available in twelve languages and is compatible with multiple versions of Windows Operating Systems. A special feature called Acoustic Hour Glass audibly reports the status of the system after a command has been issued by the user.  This is useful because a blind learner cannot easily determine the cause of the latency between the command and the execution of the command while it is processing.  This can be especially frustrating for the visually impaired learner.  While processing, the Acoustic Progress Indicator lets the user know how much progress has taken place in the application. This tool really is comprehensive with features that support Braille readers and audio tools to help the learner hear the text.

     The most current tech tool for the visually impaired is the refreshable Braille Display. This electro-mechanical device displays braille characters to allow the user to read text output.  A series of round-tipped pens raise through the holes of the keyboard in which the user reads with their fingers. In the future it would be advantageous for this technology to be available to users more affordably.  The current versions of this device are prohibitively expensive at $12,000 for individuals as well as schools.  Providing braille users with version of this device at an affordable price point will significantly change the way visually-impaired learners access text and content.

References:

Disabilities Education Act, U. (n.d) Building the Legacy:  IDEA 2004.  Retrieved February 16, 2016 from http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root, statue,I,B,612,a,5, 

American Foundation for the Blind, Optical Recognition Systems (2015) Retrieved February 16, 2016 from http://www.afb.org/info/living-with-vision-loss/using-technology/assistive-  technology/optical-character-recognition-systems/1235

Cobra 10.2 The First in The World: On-screen OCR - Text Recognition. (n.d.) Retrieved on February 16, 2016 from http://www.baum.de/cms/en/cobra_features/  

Ohio DL Schools

Connections Academy

http://www.connectionsacademy.com/

This institution is Accredited by AdvancED the national accreditation commission that represents tens of thousands of educational institutions across the United States. Ohio Connections Academy is also accredited by The North Central Association Commission. A parent looking to evaluate educational programs for their own prospective student would feel some assurance by these accreditations. 

The FAQ’s page on the site provides information a multitude of topics a first time visitor would inquire as well as the parent or guardian of a current student.  Topics such as student time spent on the computer, curriculum, financial structure of the organization, books and materials and a host of other topics.  I found this feature very helpful as I strived to become familiar with this school choice.

I also appreciated that the school provides specific expectations for the role of the parent or learning coach of each student. They also limit the number of students that each parent/learning coach can manage. 

The learning management system Connexus is accessible 24 hours a day.  Students can view daily and monthly schedules, access lessons and watch their progress, all from the learning platform.  Web mail and message boards are provided to facilitate communication between students and teachers. There are online learning resources and also a product called LiveLesson® that allows for broadcasts of live lessons.

Another tool for students that I thought was unique was something called Teachlets® are tutorials and learning games that uses graphics, video and audio to engage the learner.

Connections Academy provides the following subjects English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Geography, Art, Physical Education, Music, home-life, World Language, tech literacy and other enrichment subject areas.

Connections Academy would definitely be on my short list with its high Parent Satisfaction rates and efforts to connect parents with prospective families.  This reassurance goes a long way while navigating the Distance Learning Choices in Ohio.

Virtual Schoolhouse

http://virtualschoolhouse.org/

Virtual Schoolhouse is a K-12 charter school that boasts their acceptance of students of all abilities, backgrounds and needs. They offer a “mix of delivery methods” in their academic program.  I do appreciate their professed commitment to economically disadvantaged students, special needs students as well as ethnically diverse students.  The student body is however well over 80% African-American. This in my mathematical calculations, a largely homogenous student body.

There are multiple areas in which Virtual Schoolhouse (VSH) could improve as they present themselves as a quality option for Distance Learning.

There is no specific information on the curriculum being used by the school.  No evidence of accreditation that I could find on the website.  There is no information about what learning management system is being used or what the DL user interface entails. Three calls to the institution in order to inquire of this yielded no answer.

Descriptions for their programs are vague and offer little insight into the school.  The digital copy student handbook offered on the site is several years old.

I was interested in seeing the subject area offerings, Parent contact for feedback.

Judging from the website alone, this school would not be my first choice.  A site visit and interview would be necessary before I would even put it on a list of prospective schools. 

ECOT

https://www.ecotohio.org/

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) has been around for over 10 years.  It is fully accredited by the North Central Association and is certified by the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools. This accreditation and the over a decade of distance learning education is a huge selling point with parents with multiple distance learning options.

ECOT provides one computer per student and also provides a high speed cable connection for students to connect to ECOT’s secure Web-based network.  Students may log on 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week. The broadband connection is a great option for families who do not have an internet service provider.

The ECOT website does not offer a FAQ’s page.  However I believe that most questions would be answered after visiting the information on the various pages.  The information is quite comprehensive.

The learning management system, IQity® is a cloud-based learning platform with high reviews due to its dynamic learning objects and customizable classrooms and content. I deem the learning management system as an important factor because it should be easy to navigate and appropriate for the learner and the age group in question.  User friendliness is imperative when school age students are the users vs. adult learners.

I would definitely put ECOT on my short list of distance learning options.  They have the experience, the technology and the professional wherewithal to offer a quality educational experience. 

Ohio Virtual Academy

http://ohva.k12.com/

This online k-12 institution professes to use the K12 curriculum.  This school does not provide laptops like many other distance learning offerings.  They do state that computers, printers, books, CD and tools such as microscopes are offered.  They also provide a stipend for internet services.  I must say that as I browse the site, I don’t get the gist of what the school is truly about.

The school offers F2F events for socializing with students and teachers and a parent advisory council to allow parents the opportunity to participate in school events and be able to voice their concerns. It seems Ohio Virtual Academy is a part of a larger network of schools in the K12 enterprise.  I think the site is comprehensive in the information it provides, however I think the organization of the site is clumsy and confusing at times.  Where is the mission of the school? the vision?  I couldn’t find anything on mission or the goal of the school.  As far as K12 as a viable option for my child’s distance learning choice, I’d need more information.  Perhaps an interview or phone conversation and visit.

Virtual School Community of Ohio

http://www.vcslearn.org/

This school has been in operation since 2001. This community school is sponsored by Reynoldsburg Community Schools. Once enrolled in the VCSO, students in grades K-5 use the Connections Learning Curriculum. Students in grades 6-12 use the Florida Virtual Global School Curriculum.  This is the first distance learning option that I noticed making use of Blackboard. Students are able to interact socially during live online Blackboard instruction.  VCSO also offers face to face learning in their local office. Students are equipped with a laptop and a box of learning materials to facilitate their coursework.  As I browse the site to get more information, I get the feeling that the school really tries to live up to the word community in its name.  There is a sense of familial warmth I get from the images in the pics of staff and students as well as the parents. The vision and mission for the school are clearly stated, albeit brief, on the website.  It is their mission to make a difference in the life of a child.  Their vision is to become a world-class educational organization.  I believe this school is well on its way.  I saw very few red flags that would be indicative of me eliminating this school as a distance learning option.   My first step with this institution would be to find out more about the Florida Virtual Global School Curriculum.

My Prezi

I have created a Prezi piece that presents to you the adult learner, how I began my journey as an elementary school educator and how that journey lead to my interest in adult education. I included a great deal of personal background information about my family life and pictures as well. It is my hope that that the video that I included in this Prezi presentation contributes to your understanding of the dynamics of educating adults and why it is a great fit someone who appreciates the contribution the older learner brings to the classroom. It is quite different from pedagogy! As I created my Prezi, I was quite impressed with how the intuitive the application is. The menus and features are quite user friendly and the animation helps bring the presentation to life quite effectively. Changing the order of the paths was a little cumbersome for me at times when manipulating the lines, but that was easily rectified. I can see this application overtaking PowerPoint as the go to presentation tool. I expect to use it again for my own professional presentation needs.

Three Great Teacher Blogs

Educational Technology Guy

educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com

This blog was authored by David Andrade, and educator with quite an extensive background in education and technology.  Having held many titles and positions in the field. He is also a Google Apps Certified Administrator and Deployment Specialist.

I like this blog because it quite expansive and full of resources for educators.  Some of the links he offers are for free educator resources.  One of my favorite things on this blog is the “Android for Education Section”. This is important because sometimes Android users feel left out when looking for educational apps.  Especially parents who don’t use Apple products.  Also he provides information for STEM learning and Project Based Learning.  These are very current educational concepts that even my own children are working on in school. On the right side bar, there are tabs for resources in each grade level.  Majors on this blog for being professional, articulate and just a vast resource for educational technology in general.  Very comprehensive!

Teachercast

www.teachercast.net

The author of this blog is Jeffrey Bradbury.  He is a Google Certified Teacher and Education Trainer.  He is also a PBS Learning Media Digital Innovator and Microsoft Innovative Educator.  He is also the author of kidblog, a site dedicated to help teachers facilitate blogging with their students.

This blog boasts itself as “A Place for Teachers to Help Other Teachers.”  It serves to create a community amongst educators, developers and others with a stake in Educational Technology.  It invites others to contribute by blogging as a guest blogger or as an app reviewer.  I like this site because if you are interested in blogging about educational technology or usage of it in the classroom you can blog here about it and have access to their network of subscribers and readers and get feedback therein.

Techiemusings

https://techiemusings.wordpress.com/

The author of this site, Stacey Roshan, professes her love for technology and uses it profusely in her high school math classes and in her role as a technology coordinator.  One of her favorite tools seems to be Zaption, as I observed many blog posts with mention of this video editing tool that she uses to turn video clips into engaging lessons instead of passive viewing. If a tech-savvy educator is ready to take their usage of technology in the classroom to the next level, this is the blog to follow.  Nevertheless, she creates video tours as well as written tutorials on how to use specific apps and hardware to facilitate a state-of-the-art lesson or presentation. Therefore, the not so tech-savvy learner wouldn’t be lost here either. I think this blog may even be useful in assignments for Education Technology Courses.

Welcome to My Blog!

My name is Chaunta Black and I am a native St. Louisian. GO CARDS!  After earning my degree in Elementary Education, I began my eight year teaching career in a St. Louis Metro area school district. My positions included third and fifth grade teacher.  Later, I earned my Master's Degree in Adult Education & Distance Learning as well my certification as a Library Media Specialist.

During my brief stint as a Library Media Specialist, my husband learned that his company was losing its contract and we decided to move to the Columbus area where he now works as an IT manager.  Best decision ever!  I got to stay home with my six month old and have been at stay at home mom for my two boys, now ages five and six, for the past six years.

We now live in Canal Winchester, an awesome community replete with historic homes, museums, and quaint little shops and restaurants, all within walking distance.  

Now that my boys are both beginning their school careers, I can concentrate a little more on my career.  I have many professional interests.  I'd like to begin on my journey into adult education.  Perhaps teaching in a community college or a community-based program. It would also be awesome to share my teaching experience with those interested in education in a teacher education program. I know that there are plenty of teachers who would be interested in affordable training in the technology tools that would enhance their classroom teaching skills. What if I could offer this training on a one on one basis?

 This is my first blog! Thanks for joining me on this journey! Come back again and again...


Chaunta Black
TechnicallyiTeach