Final Reflection on Designing E-Learning Environments

      Upon completing the E-Learning course at JHU I am left full of ideas and hope for future use of technology with both my students and colleagues.  I am enlightened by how many tools for presenting content, interacting with, and producing content there are, and their use to differentiate instruction.  The final project initiative is already in place and underway!  Creating the assignments, finding the resources, and posting comments as the facilitator has brought me no trouble, but it is getting a colleague to do her "homework" that is difficult.  To overcome this I have extended deadlines, walked through the edmodo site in a face to face meeting to be sure she knew how to navigate it, and maintained strong communication with the participant.  After all, we are colleagues I am not her teacher.  Although I do want her to interact with the site, I do not want to destroy our relationship so that is why I extended deadlines, listened if she had a big life event come up (which she did- home buying!), and made accommodations that would not sacrifice the meaning behind the online experience.
     I currently have a donors choose project up and running because I was so inspired by all I have learned through this course.  Now in my classroom when I scramble to print my exit tickets and grade them before I leave so the next day's lesson is meaningful, I dream about how using socrative or another application like that would make planning so much easier and effective.  The project asks for 6 ipads for use with my first graders.  So far we have raised $500!  Woohoo!  I envision my classroom with this technology to be more of a blended space where learning is differentiated, accountability is present, and feedback can be given much quicker. Currently we have 4 rotations for reading which include meeting with me, going to 1 center, completing a seatwork packet, and using discussion stems/questions to discuss read alouds and/or detailed pictures.  The centers and guided reading rotations are always quiet and hard-working, but the kids are most disruptive working on unengaging packets.  I envision that rotation being a place where each kid could have an ipad (only 6 kids/group), and they would be practicing skills, assessing their knowledge, and being part of an interactive online book club with readers in their group that are on the same level.  This would decrease the amount of noise and disruptive behaviors in that rotation.  If this goes well in reading, I see it being applied in math as well.  We would have 4 rotations in math: teacher, ipads, center, math word problems or reflex math.
       After taking this course my perceptions of e-learning have changed completely.  I have learned that there is a plethora of online applications available that are more defined and easy to use than ever.  These applications are updated and are changing daily, so flexibility is key to success.  I also have realized there are networks of teachers out there just like me who are experimenting with these new technologies.  Being part of different "communities" is the amazing thing about technology, and before this course I was a bit skeptical and thought techonolgy was partially destroying childhood.  Now I think it is enriching it and making learning more meaningful and productive to society.   

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/digital-literacy-with-first-graders/1199227/?rf=link_siteshare_2014_04_teacherid_2262005&challengeid=379630

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E Learning Reflection

       For my e-learning final project I have decided thus far to create an online collaborative network where teachers from my school can share resources, discuss lessons, and ultimately create a more cohesive school where no two grades repeat or use any of the same picture books/lessons.  This need comes from curriculum development over the summer that I was a part of.  I began my career at Patterson Park Public Charter School as a long term sub, and transitioned to become the full-time teacher in December of that year.  Feeling quite defeated in my efforts to create an organized classroom environment, manage my student's effectively, and plan engaging lessons, I decided I needed to get more involved in the curriculum aspect of the school.  Being a charter school we have autonomy over our curriculum, and over the summer teachers got to take a closer look at the Common Core, other school's lesson plans, compared with our own ideas to create thematic, interdisciplinary units of study for the 2013-2014 school year.  From a reading assessment course I was taking I learned of the 6+1 Traits of Writing curriculum which is often used as an intervention tool for struggling writers.  Last year my school didn't have a writing curriculum and it broke my heart to send my students onto second grade knowing they did not have the writing skills they needed.
     From this need for a more cohesive transition from first to second grade I have decide to use edmodo to create a place where 1st and 2nd grade teachers can share writing resources, post lessons, and connect with the greater writing community across the country to make the writing program stronger.  6+1  traits has gone very well for first grade thus far, and second grade has expressed a need for a more structured program that has resources, is child-friendly, and is creative.  To start, the audience for my project will be first, second, and third grade teachers of writing, but my hope is to use the wonderful "group" tool to create circles of teachers in different domains that can swap ideas and vertically plan online!
       In reading posts on the ELC discussion board about edmodo, its facebook-like features immediately drew me in.  I am connected with almost all the teachers at my school through facebook, that I thought its usability would be helpful in accomplishing my goal of maximum participation.  Also, it allows for a discussion board where people can post resources, comments, even create polls which are great ways to build a community outside of school while also developing a cohesive writing curriculum that spans grade levels.  I also like the fact that teachers from other countries can be connected as well, giving expert advice to our efforts in Baltimore.
        I explored other digital interfaces via the discoveryeducation.com's list of Web 2.0 tools, but none were as user-friendly, and geared towards professional development as edmodo.  I think my knowledge through this course of the various ways content can be presented and discussed (voicethread and photopeach immediately come to mind) will help this initiative be successful in my school.  Being that I helped write the curriculum I have access to most curriculum documents via dropbox.com.  My knowledge of the teachers in my school, as well as my friendly demeanor face to face and in a digital community will help this project be successful.