Week 5

     The article regarding universal design for learning I have chosen to look at this week is K-12 online lesson alignment to the principles of Universal Design for Learning: the Khan Academy. The article stated, “6.2% of the online students were students with disabilities… While a respectful number, 6.2% is less than half of the percentage of students with disabilities found in brick-and-mortar settings… students with disabilities are enrolled in online learning, they are underrepresented when compared to traditional instructional options,” (Smith & Harvey, 2014). Blended learning was the main topic of the article, addressing the need for and importance of blending face-to-face learning with technology to help students with disabilities. Blending is not as widely used with only a few states requiring at least one online course to graduate. Accessibility in large part is the reasoning as to why so few students with disabilities can learn virtually. The article stated, “UDL offers a general blueprint for considering how instructional goals, methods, materials (including technology), and assessments interact within the learning environment to support learning for all students,” (Smith & Harvey, 2014). Regardless of a student’s disability, they would still be able to learn not only in a traditional brick-and-mortar but virtually as well. Simple modifications to lesson plans allow these students the opportunity to learn virtually or in the classroom.

    The CAST universal design for learning website has many great resources that can be used within the classroom. I chose to look at the TIES Lessons for All: The 5-15-45 Tool. The idea is to adapt the lesson plan already in place to allow for better instruction for all students, including those with disabilities, this is done by blocking out a set amount of time to address components of the lesson. The 5-15-45 tool is as follows:

·         In 5 minutes: you will identify the most important content (what) and instructional strategies (how) in the lesson.

·         In 15 minutes: you will dig deeper into lesson design and get ideas to implement a specific instructional strategy to reduce barriers for students,  including students with significant cognitive disabilities.

·         In 45 minutes: you will have the opportunity to build your own skills or facilitate learning opportunities for all students, including a student with significant cognitive disabilities.

    Looking back at week 4’s lesson plan, this can be adapted lesson plan through a few different paths. The first would allow for the important points to be touched on first, followed by the details, and finishing with piecing the important points and details together. For that lesson plan, we would start with addressing what exactly mean, median, and mode are. Once students understand what the mean, median, and mode are, we can move on to learning how to find these from the provided data. To finish, the remaining time would be used for practice and reaching out to those who may need additional assistance with the lesson.

    The 5-15-45 tool can be adapted to the lesson in another way such as focusing on the key points first before moving to individualized assistance and finishing with a thorough explanation of how the mean, median, and mode are found while students practice the problems from the lesson throughout the lesson. While I do not think it is a great plan it could work to allow for a whole class discussion and interaction among students.

 

References

Smith, S. J., & Harvey, E. E. (2014). K-12 online lesson alignment to the principles of Universal Design for Learning: the Khan Academy. Open Learning, 29(3), 222-242.

TIES Center. (2020). TIES Lessons for All: The 5-15-45 Tool. https://publications.ici.umn.edu/ties/5-15-45/overview

Week 4

 The AI generated 6th grade mathematics lesson plan can be found here.  

Part 1

This week we are looking at an AI tool called Magic School. The purpose of this tool is to aid educators in creating lesson plans that align with their classroom’s standards and objectives. This is the first time I have ever used a program like this and found it quite simple to use.

My goal is to teach upper elementary to middle school mathematics. For the AI generated lesson plan below, I chose to look at the sixth-grade standards for exploring probability through sample spaces as defined under the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Mathematics. In addition to the OASM I chose to utilize the ISTE Standards; for Students 1.3 Knowledge Constructor, standards 1.3.a and 1.3.b. Looking at the AI generated lesson plan from Magic School, I do feel that it aligns well with the chosen standards as well as being sufficiently thorough without being too difficult for sixth-grade students to understand.

            I do not think there is anything wrong with the Magic School lesson plan generator. Coming from someone who has never made a lesson plan, the generated version is plainly fine. This lesson plan is effective in addressing data probability. The additional resources provided with the lesson plan contributed to bringing this plan up to standards by adding just a little more to the lesson.

Part 2

There are a large variety of Ai tools available on this site, I chose to look at the Song generator. I chose this tool because sometimes math can be a bit boring and almost feel like a chore to students, especially when it comes to probability and data. The tool creates a song based on the content you decide and to the tune of your choice. Because the lesson is based on probability and one of the activities is rolling dice, I chose to have the AI song generator create a probability and data song to the tune of “This Is How We Roll” by Florida Georgia Line. Many students will be familiar with this song and would be able to sign along with the Probability and Data version of it. I do feel that this specific tool would be useful to keep students engaged and help them with understanding more complex lessons. Do I feel this is a great tool for all? No, however, it is a fun way incorporate something students already know into something new.

Part 3

As a first-time user of Magic School’s AI generator, I would have to admit that it was simple to use and seems to be a great tool to use. The lesson plans would be beneficial to educators who might be struggling with ideas for a specific lesson plan. I do not have any experience with lesson planning and found this to be a fantastic way to gain experience and have a generalized idea of what needs to go into a lesson plan.

I do not have any genuine concerns with Magic School’s AI tools that would turn me away from using in my own future classroom. I am thinking that it would be a wonderful way to gain a better idea of what lesson plans need to look like and give me a general idea of what to include in future lesson plans.

As I mentioned, I have never created a lesson plan and have never used this type of generator before so I will say that I cannot honestly say if I would share it with colleagues, but solely based on my personal experience with it, I would definitely use it for my own classroom use.

 The AI generated 6th grade mathematics lesson plan can be found here.

 

References

ISTE Standards: For Students. ISTE. (n.d.). https://iste.org/standards/students

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Mathematics. Oklahoma State Department of Education. (2022, February). https://sde.ok.gov/oklahoma-academic-standards

Week 3

 

The topic of chapter 6 of How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures, is motivation and what students need to be motivated to learn. The infographic to the right hits a few key points of the chapter. 

The first section talks about beliefs and values that motivate or help motivate students when it comes to learning. 

The second section highlights the importance of goals. Understanding our students’ goals, whether short-term and easily achievable or long-term goals, may require more work. We need to remember that while our students are with us for a short while, that time is used developing the needed skills to reach their goals.

 The last section touches on how society and cultures influence motivation. Social influences have a significant impact on students and what they find interesting. Although not all students have the same idea of what is interesting, it is essential to find ways to connect with them and help them become more engaged in less interesting lessons. 

The ISTE student standard that goes along with this would be 1.5.d Computational Thinker- Algorithmic Thinking. Students understand how automation functions and utilize algorithmic reasoning to create and assess automated solutions.

References

Gura, M. (2020). Fostering student creativity. Ed Tech Digest the State of the Arts, Creativity, and Technology 2020: A Guide for Educators and Parents, 7.

ISTE. )2017). ISTE standards for educators. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24783.

Rivero, V. (2020). A whole new class of art. EdTech Digest the State of the Arts, Creativity and Technology 2020: A Guide for Educators and Parents, 12-20.

Week 2

Part 1:  Authentic Intellectual Work/Authentic Instruction & Assessment. 

    Authentic intellectual work (AIW) is a method of instruction that involves utilizing knowledge and skills in original ways. It is more than just utilizing facts and procedures; it thoroughly examines a topic or issue. The outcome is a product or presentation that has a significant impact beyond the course. 

    Traditional approaches often take the examination with preselected questions and answers, such as multiple-choice and true-false questions. Authentic intellectual work differs from traditional in that it has students utilizing the information they possess, to create or perform in a specific manner rather than answering questions through an examination. 

    An example of an authentic intellectual task in mathematics would be having students work on real-world problems that use estimation or comparison. An example activity would be: You and your friend are standing in the snow cone line with 3 people ahead of you. If it takes approximately 3 minutes to make a snow cone, how long will it take for you and your friend to receive your snow cone? Draw, write, or use graphs, charts, or any other visual tool to record your response. By allowing the students to determine how to go about explaining and solving their work, it encourages creative thinking and allows them to use knowledge and skills they already have. 

Part 2:  2017 National Education Technology Plan Update

    After reading the first section, “Learning:  Engaging and Empowering Learning Through Technology,” I noticed that there were several interesting ways to use technology that compares with the concept of Authentic Intellectual Work. With the use of online resources students can work on real-world problems and scenarios. Students can explore a variety of topics, analyze data, and create new ideas. Being able to explore and research real-world data allows students to interact with information and data that they find interest in, enabling them to remain engaged in their activities.

Part 3:  Triple E Framework 

    The authentic intellectual framework and Triple E framework emphasize learning experiences rather than typical memorization techniques. The Triple E framework focuses on engagement, enhancement, and extension as critical factors of active learning, while the authentic intellectual framework prioritizes authentic and intellectual tasks that enhance student engagement.

    In the activity described above, having students estimate or guess the time they would be standing in the snow cone line aligns with the engagement side of the triple E framework. Students would be actively engaging with the activity by developing their own solution to the question and sharing their results with peers. The enhancement part of the framework focuses on boosting learning goals.

    Through the use of visuals students are able to show their understanding of their activity in a way that they may not have been able to before. Students can use different platforms such as Google Docs or Google Sheets to show their solutions and create visuals to explain their reasonings. The activity is aligned with the extension part of the triple E framework by utilizing students to create a solution for the activity and incorporate them into their everyday lives.

References

Gaer, S. & Reyes, K. ( 2022). Finally, Some Guidance! Using the Triple E Framework to Shape Technology Integration, Adult Literacy Education, 4 (3-34). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1370043.pdf

Kolb, L. (2020, December 9). Triple E framework. Triple E Framework. https://www.tripleeframework.com/

Newmann, F. M., King, M. B., & Carmichael, D. L. (2007). Authentic instruction and assessment: Common standards for rigor and relevance in teaching academic subjects. State of Iowa Department of Education. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T9JNAZgLfKvXAX7JoaOJElkkZS5Xf-lp/view?usp=drivesdk

Office of Educational Technology. (2017). Reimagining the role of technology in education:  2017 National Education Technology Plan. http://tech.ed.gov

Week 1

    Hello, my name is Terrie Rauh. I am a mom of two teenagers and currently work as a bookkeeper and tax preparer. I have a bachelor's in accounting and am working towards my Alternative Certification and am currently studying for my Business OSAT which I will be taking in a few short weeks. I am not currently in the classroom but have substituted at my daughters’ school in the past, so my classroom experience is limited. 

    The ISTE Standard for students that I have chosen to look at is Creative Communicator 1.6.c Models and Visualizations. This standard has students learning to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively using digital platforms, tools, styles, formats, graphs, or models. (ISTE Standards: For Students)  Students in sixth-grade mathematics could address standard 6.D.2.3 from the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Mathematics. Standard 6.D.2.3 has students demonstrate probability and compare the frequencies of anticipating the probability.(Oklahoma Academic Standards for Mathematics 2022)

    Students can demonstrate their understanding of probability by flipping a coin and determining the probability the coin would land on heads or tails. Students can work in groups of two students one records the results while the other flips the coin. Students could present their data and compare their data of coin flips to other groups. The students could use Google Slides to put together a slide presentation using the data they recorded from their coin flips and incorporate the comparison data from the other groups. 

    The Triple E Framework, engagement, enhancement, and extension, allows educators to determine which tools to use to meet the learning objectives for their students and helps with designing learning experiences so the tools being used have a positive impact on student success in and out of the classroom. The lesson above has students working together to gain a better understanding of probability by flipping a coin and comparing their data to their classmates. This activity allows the teacher to observe and monitor the students as they work through the activity in small groups. The students work together which allows them to visualize the data they are collecting from flipping the coin and recording the data for their presentation. The presentation the students present to their class regarding their coin-flipping probability allows students to share their findings aloud and express how their findings relate to real-world scenarios. (Kolb, 2020)

 Referencs

ISTE Standards: For Students. ISTE. (n.d.). https://iste.org/standards/students

Kolb, L. (2020, December 9). Triple E framework. Triple E Framework. https://www.tripleeframework.com/

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Mathematics. Oklahoma State Department of Education. (2022, February). https://sde.ok.gov/oklahoma-academic-standards