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Blogs about the classes: Educ 701-The Equitable Classroom, Educ 790- Research, Educ 702- Digital Tools Educ 791-Sensemaking and Research Design, Educ 703- Extending Human Capacities via Transliteracy, Educ 792- Capstone Seminar
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Punya Misra states that "technology has changed not only how we teach but also what we teach". This resonates with me so very much. I am not a new teacher, but not a veteran, either. this is my 9th year teaching and I have never taught the same thing 2 years in a row. I did teach Algebra II for 5 years, but it changed each year. Partly because I evolved, but also, because technology evolved. And then we adopted the Common Core Standards, which were certainly more rigorous. I always brought in lessons that students would need to use a graphing calculator, because it aids in comprehension (Visual!). Baggio reinforces this idea with me. I can tell students how changing one value in an equation will change the graph, or I can assign them to graph the different equations and find out for themselves how it changes. I believe that this is not only efficient learning, but also deeper learning. Having the use of online calculators is fabulous as well, but first I need to learn the new technology, explore, see how to fit it in. All of this takes time- I believe that is the "wicked" part of TPACK. Time is the commodity that we have to use, teachers, to the best of our ability to benefit our students. I think that this is a constant push-pull situation. My growth in this area has been the assignments that I had to use different tools- so I made the time to do it. I found some that I have already incorporated into my practice- my APCSP class made Weebly pages and posts their written work there, while linking to my google sheet- sound familiar? And when Joe recommended Kahoot! I thought I would try it, and it was so well received that I have created my own Kahoots for all my classes. Getting the video on a new way to look at Kahoot- Blind Kahoot- I will use that to introduce material as well. I will also definitely be more cognizant of the visual displays and font choices. I have always been a fan of Comic Sans- now I realize that it is not the best choice for serious work. The CRAP principles will help guide my development of Infographics. The readings on Procedures in Clark has helped me to remember to assess more frequently, daily, if possible, in an informal way- using Kahoot in this way will help. We have learned so many tools to use and that has been a bit overwhelming but also, helpful for me to find the tools that I can implement, and work on getting better at. The Capstone project seems insurmountable to me at this point, all I can think about is how I need a few days off to visit with my daughters- without distraction. But, I really believe that to "unplug" is very healthy and necessary, at least for me. So, I will be doing just that, and getting back to work on Sunday. Wishes to all for a lovely break and holiday!
3 Comments
Dana Hand
11/22/2016 05:43:11 pm
Kris- Your growth as a teacher and evaluator of your own impact is very evident in your self-reflection. Your learning from all of our different classes sounds like it is coming together for you. I agree that it can definitely be overwhelming but re-energizing as well. I hope you enjoy your free time with your daughters!
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Florencia
11/26/2016 07:51:08 pm
Wow, Kris, like Dana mentioned on the previous comment, your growth is evident! I know that writing this blog and reflecting on your journey about the obstacles you've faced, and the gradual innovation in your lessons has already made you a better teacher.
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Devorah
11/28/2016 10:51:11 pm
The part of your blog that resonated the most with me was unplugging. We are so busy multi-tasking on our smart phones, we forget that letting our minds be quiet is where real growth can happen. The Boston Globe ran a great article about this, earlier this month: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/11/01/does-sabbath-and-quiet-reflection-fosters-have-prayer-returning/FO5WUfGwdcIZpGUl6AsC8O/story.html
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