Holly D. Landez ePortfolio

Net Neutrality & Digital Tattoo

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Two Digital Citizenship Topics in One Post

Net Neutrality

Net neutrality, the concept that the internet is open to users regardless of legal content that they choose to access, without being blocked, throttled, or required to pay additional fees has implications for education. According to Dr. Amy McGinn of Loyola University in her 2017 blog post, “Net neutrality is the principle that all data on the internet should be treated equally by Internet Service Providers (ISPs).” Further, when net neutrality is in place, ISPs are not able to slow access or charge extra based on content that is being accessed, such as video streaming services.

The lack of net neutrality guidelines can impact education as we consider the need to provide equitable access to content and learning for all students, in all communities. In a 2017 NPR interview, Richard Culatta, the current president of ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education, expressed concern about the deregulation of net neutrality. He provided an example from a Chattanooga, Tennessee school where students were able to use the internet to access scanning electron microscopes. As actual electron microscopes are very expensive, the students would not normally have had the opportunity experiment with them. However, they were able to access one from the University of Southern California digitally. If their high-speed internet access was throttled, this would affect their equitable access to the learning opportunity of accessing the scanning electron microscope, among other opportunities.

Part of what is exciting about technology in education is that internet access feels like the great equalizer, bringing tools and access to applications and opportunities to students digitally. There is concern that without enforceable net neutrality guidelines, that equity is threatened. All students deserve equitable access to legal instructional content to have equitable learning opportunities.

In the past few years, net neutrality has been in a state of political ping pong as the regulation has changed with different presidential administrations. Internet service providers and corporations are against net neutrality in the name of innovation. Additionally, there is controversy over whether or not states are able to enforce their own net neutrality regulations, as Drew Clark of Broadband Breakfast suggested in a May 2021, video stream.

The story of net neutrality and its impact on citizens, education and internet service providers will certainly continue in the United States, as well as other countries. The best that we can do as educators is to continue to provide enriching digital learning opportunities for students.

My Digital Footprint and Tattoo

Our digital footprint, or digital tattoo is our digital trail, or the data that exists as we interact with various online applications. We can use the terms digital footprint and digital tattoo interchangeably, as the mean the same things. However, when discussing this with students, I prefer using the term digital tattoo because of its suggestion of permanence. Children and teenagers do not generally have a concept of the potential permanency of their actions both in the real and the online worlds because of their naivety and lack of experience. As educators and parents, it is our responsibility to frequently remind them that their online actions can have future implications. Additionally, we have the obligation to be aware of the digital footprint we may be forming on behalf of our children. The 2008 Youth and Media video Digital Dossier perfectly explains the concept of the breadth and permanence of our digital tattoo.

One very effective activity for illustrating the concept of the digital tattoo is to simply have participants do an internet search of their name on Google, Yahoo or Bing. It can be very revealing, showing the good, the bad and the ugly. Of course, the more active the student is online, the more there is to find. This can be particularly true if you have a name that is not very common.

When I searched myself this week, I was surprised by a few things. Generally, my online presence is a positive one, and I make a concerted effort to maintain that. I am active on multiple social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. My search revealed my ePortfolio, my association with Killeen ISD, and a couple of platforms that I have stopped using long, ago. For example, I did not realize that set of lists (along with those of my colleagues) were public on Spelling City. Is an early adopter of various digital tools for many years, I have accounts on multiple platforms that I have tried and abandoned. A few of these are bulb, Clubhouse and classroom 2.0.

One of the creepiest places to find your personal information or on sites like beenverified.com and govsalaries.com. While much of the info is accurate, some is not as it is cultivated by automated web crawlers. Many times, these types of sites are created for money-making. Establishments are designed specifically for selling your information that is readily available online because it was posted by you, or is in public records such births, marriage, and death.

The thing that surprised me the most was to find articles that I have pinned on Pinterest as well as comments made on Facebook or Twitter on the posts of others. This is where students can get tripped up for sure! While I would give myself a score of 4 – advanced for the positivity aspect, I would give myself a lower score regarding the sheer abundance of my personal information that is available. I certainly need to work on that!

“Everything you do now ends up in your permanent record. The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail

of good stuff and to always act as if you’re on Candid Camera, because you are”.

Seth Godin

Reflections

This week in our EDLD 5316 Digital Citizenship course has been rich in experiences and learning opportunities. The concept of Digital Citizenship is broad and has so many interwoven elements to explore. This week we have delved into the concepts of the digital footprint (tattoo) and net neutrality as well as started work on the culminating project.

Mindful Schools outlines a fun and effective reflection activity called Rose, Thorn and Bud as a way of attaching thoughts and feelings to learning experiences. I will frame this reflection with that method.

The rose for this week would be the opportunity to explore our own digital footprint in a Google or Yahoo search of our names. I enjoyed that and caught some areas where I need to improve!

Something I had not considered before is that our students of today are experiencing the fact that their digital footprint is created even before they are born. As soon as a parent post an ultrasound picture with the name and expected due date of their child, then the details of their life are beginning to become public. Many parents are simply proud of their children and want to share every funny moment, frustration, and milestone. If we are sharing these before our children can have a voice, then we are doing them a disservice in prematurely contributing to their digital tattoo unnecessarily. Although I believed that I was a not a person who overshared, when my daughter was about 10, she pointed out that I had a large amount of YouTube videos of our family adventures. The privacy settings were set to public. Some of her school friends discovered the videos and teased her. I very quickly changed the settings to private and asked permission before posting images of either one of my children in online environments.

Another tool that my digitally inclined friends and I used excessively was called Four Square. We posted images of places we visited along with hints and recommendations. The app had a competitive element to it, as the person that posted them most from a location became the mayor. I never realized the safety implications until I came across the name of the app in an article about online safety.  I stopped using the app, and promptly forgot about it. But guess what? The posts are still there, like a tattoo! There is nothing embarrassing or weird posted there, aside from clear patterns of locations we frequented at that time.

Also, I previously had not considered that in addition to the digital footprint that we can control by our social media posts and sharing in online spaces, there are thousands of digital footprints that we do not have control over. Those are the ones built by our digital interactions with various entities in our daily lives. Banking, map locations, purchases online, doctor visits and more. It is endless. Then if we factor in our conversations that can be overheard by digital assistants like Google Home, Alexa and Siri, it can quickly get overwhelming.

My thorn for this week has two layers: the politicized controversy over net neutrality and the lack of emphasis in education placed on digital citizenship. The issue and lack of solid regulations of net neutrality is a thorn for me solely because I feel uncomfortable when in a state of limbo. The fact that the regulations change with each presidential administration is confusing at best. Also, I feel very strongly that equitable access to educational resources should not be controlled by corporations. In a 2014 Forbes article, Josh Steimle suggests that net neutrality could potentially lead the government to install “hardware and software at critical points to monitor Internet traffic.” Well, if that means safety and equity, then I am okay with that. He also points out that this could eventually lead to a “mismanaged public monopoly.” That would not be good at all.

The other layer of my thorn is the lack of emphasis in education placed on digital citizenship. I can completely understand why it has taken a back seat, as it is an issue of time. However, I think the future, safety and mental health of our students will be negatively affected if we do not find ways to incorporate digital citizenship into daily conversations with students. It should be naturally woven into instruction, rather than separate lessons. One way for this occur is if we raise awareness with teachers, so that it becomes a natural part of their conversations with students. Personally, I would like for each on of our teachers explore the resources of Common Sense Education, and earn their Common Sense Educator Badge. As an ambassador, I have been striving to achieve that!

The bud for this week is the culminating project. I have so many ideas swirling in my head as there is so much content to cover. I have determined that I will make a book in Book Creator. It is such a versatile tool that I can creatively incorporate multimedia as well as share a huge variety of resources.

The keys for successfully sharing the concepts of digital footprint and net neutrality as well as the other elements of digital citizenship are to explore the wealth of resources without becoming overwhelmed and to make it part of everyday conversation.

References:

 Category: Digital Citizenship, EDLD 5316    

Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship

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What is Digital Citizenship?

The International Society for Technology in Education defines digital citizenship as the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and acting in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.

In his book, Digital Citizenship in Schools, Mark Ribble defines digital citizenship as “the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use.”

In a 2011 ASCD Article, Jason Ohler defines digital citizenship as Character Education for the Digital Age and how digital citizens know the best way to use technology.

DigCitCommit defines digital citizenship as the critical skills comprised of five competencies necessary for the students of today and the leaders to tomorrow to be successful. These competencies are: Inclusive, Informed, Engaged, Balanced and Alert.

After reviewing all of these resources, I have developed my own definition of digital citizenship. I believe that digital citizenship is the critical set of skills someone needs to have to be a productive, educated, safe and effective member of the digital world.

It is our duty as educators and school leaders to instill these beliefs and skills in students so that they are able to contribute to their digital communities in meaningful, and not destructive, ways. Further, as technology changes rapidly, so must our perceptions and definitions of digital citizenship.

“Because technology is becoming ever more accessible, and students are using these technologies more frequently (both in school and out), technology leaders must continually assess and determine their priorities in terms of digital citizenship.”

Mark Ribble, Digital Citizenship in Schools

Resources for Sharing Digital Citizenship Concepts

In order for teachers to be able to effectively share this information with students, they should first engage in professional learning opportunities to gain a sense what digital citizenship is, and why it is important. After the needs of the campus or school have been determined, then a formal or informal plan for developing digital citizenship can be deployed. As teachers learn to recognize the teachable moments that avail themselves to conversations about digital citizenship, students will gain the skills they need.

The resources listed below are just a handful of the plethora of information available to teachers. These can be shared with teachers in formal professional learning opportunities, or in small chunks such as a newsletter entry, quick email message, or social media post. Similarly, teachers can share this information with students as formal lessons, embedded in regular instruction as teachable moments or as messages sent home to parents.

Common Sense – As the quintessential resource for educators and parents to help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to grow into becoming ethical digital citizens, Common Sense maintains a free digital citizenship curriculum for grades K – 12 and hosts reviews of various media products including books, movies and applications.

DigCitCommit – A coalition of organizations dedicated to providing educators with the tools to teach a new definition of digital citizenship

Be Internet Awesome – Google’s digital citizenship program for students which includes a game and full curriculum

Smart Social – This site is home to a frequently updated podcast, along with practical, timely and relevant tips to help students, teachers and parents gain skills to shine online.

Get Safe Online – UK’s leading source of unbiased, factual and easy-to-understand information on online safety

Surfnet Kids – This website of syndicated columnist Barbara Feldman features resources for parents and educators to help kids wisely and safely explore their online world.

Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship

The topic of digital citizenship is a broad one, and it is simpler to discuss when chunked into related ideas and groups. In his book Digital Citizenship in Schools, Mark Ribble outlines nine elements of digital citizenship. If each participant in digital spaces embraces these elements, then we will have a strong community of good digital citizens. The nine elements are further categorized into 3 principles, referred to as REPs:

The nine elements are related in various ways and affect students both in school and outside of school. If the primary goal of the education system is to improve learning outcomes, then perhaps the three elements associated with student learning and academic behavior should be the primary focus for digital citizenship instruction in schools.

Respect Yourself/Respect Others

  • Etiquette – The norms and rules of behavior need to be outlined.
  • Access – Not all access to digital devices and internet service is equal.
  • Law – As technology changes, the need to update laws are necessary.

Educate Yourself/Connect with Others

  • Communication – There are so many ways to communicate in the digital world.
  • Literacy – The awareness of how to properly use digital devices and applications is essential.
  • Commerce – Citizens need to be aware of methods of earning and purchasing online.

Protect Yourself/Protect Others

  • Rights & responsibilities – The right to be a citizen in a community comes with responsibilities.
  • Health & wellness – Using technology excessively or incorrectly can lead to mental or physical health concerns.
  • Security – Citizens must learn methods of protecting themselves and others in online environments.

Student Learning & Academic Behavior

  • Digital Literacy
  • Digital Communication
  • Digital Access

School Environment & Student Behavior

  • Digital Security
  • Digital Etiquette
  • Digital Rights & responsibilities

Student Life Outside the School Environment

  • Digital Health & wellness
  • Digital Law
  • Digital Commerce
Elements of Digital Citizenship
Adapted from the work of Mark Ribble. Ribble, M. (2015). Digital Citizenship in Schools: Nine Elements All Students Should Know (Third ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.

In my opinion, the top three of Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship are: etiquette, literacy and safety. I chose one from each of the three principles of Respect, Educate and Protect as I believe that they are all related to each other.

Digital Etiquette refers to treating others with respect in online spaces. I am continuously surprised by the unkind comments that I see in social media and in other online spaces. It is disheartening when the unkind posts I see are from parents of our students, or worse, teachers. Each time I see posts with an unkind or argumentative tone, it highlights the need for ongoing education of our students and families. In our district, we have made a conscious effort to introduce the Common Sense curriculum to our librarians, curriculum specialists and campus technologists for at least the past seven years to emphasize the need for skill development in this area.

Digital Literacy is another critical element of digital citizenship because in order to be responsible with something, you must know how to use it. This brings to mind incidents that I have seen of people who accidentally overshare when they post on social media because they are not adept that adjusting privacy settings. It is for that reason that at every given opportunity when I am introducing a digital tool, I encourage the users to find and use whatever built in help section exists in the program. Knowing where to find the information needed to become literate in a program empowers users. Building this habit in teachers will encourage them to pass it on to students.

Digital Safety is one of the most paramount of the elements of digital citizenship. This can mean protecting the personal details of your identity to avoid identity theft which can result in financial ruin. But even more serious is the safety of our children. It is imperative that students are frequently reminded to be mindful of their surroundings and what they share in online communities. Sex trafficking is a rampant problem as the internet can be used to target unsuspecting and vulnerable youth. One tool we have to prevent such tragedies is to educate our students!

Reflections

The nine elements of digital citizenship are critical skills which must be shared with students, school staff and parents. Very often, the online world can feel like the wild, wild west, with outlaws around every corner and dangerous pitfalls to be found. If we are to bring civilization and order to the online environment, we must begin by building competent digital citizens.

Throughout my years as a District Instructional Technologist, I have had some experience dealing with the concepts of digital citizenship. In my role, I have repeatedly shared the need for embedding digital citizenship into our curriculum. In 2019, I had the privilege of leading a Digital Wellness Initiative. At that time, I did not have the concept that wellness was just one part, or one element, of digital citizenship. In that initiative, each of the 54 campuses in our district, sent one to three campus stakeholders to training. These leaders may have been curriculum specialists, counselors, librarians, or campus technologists. In some cases, it was a principal or assistant principal. During the training led by a Common Sense presenter, the campus leaders engaged in a deep learning opportunity centered around digital citizenship concepts. Then they worked together to customize a training plan for their campus teachers and students.

The campus leaders did a great job of cultivating an awareness of these concepts with their staff, students, and parents. Unfortunately, many of these efforts were thwarted by the pandemic. Since then, it has been a struggle to get back on the digital citizenship train for our entire district in a meaningful way. Goals and focuses have shifted. Last year, the goal was to support teachers and students through virtual learning. This year, the main goals are to fill in the learning gaps that have grown because of the pandemic and virtual learning

However, I believe that now more than ever our students, staff, and parents need to be reminded of the elements of digital citizenship. Technology use has proliferated and grown exponentially over the past few years. It will certainly continue to do so, and we will be faced with new opportunities to define digital citizenship further. Consideration of the ethics, norms, and behaviors for what is acceptable digital use go far beyond the classroom walls. Recently in current events, social media entities like Facebook and Instagram have been under scrutiny.  A former Facebook employee came forward with concerns over encouraging hate speech, and Instagram affecting the emotional health and body images of young users.

In my own community, there is a current “fair use” divide between my school district and the local newspaper. The district has chosen to no longer share stories with the newspaper amid claims that they used photos taken at school events out of context. Because these types of issues will likely increase, I believe that it is vital to continue educating our students and families in the nine essential elements of digital citizenship and what it means to be a “good” digital citizen.

This week in EDLD 5316, I have been presented with a high volume of content to consider about digital citizenship. Primarily, I learned the fact that we must revisit digital citizenship in a broader way in my school district. To do that purposefully will require some planning.

I appreciate the resource of Mark Ribble’s book digital citizenship in schools. He sets forth practical applications and valuable lessons in three critical areas:

  • Guidance for school leaders in assessing the need for digital citizenship
  • Providing professional learning opportunities for school staff to learn about the nine elements of digital citizenship.
  • Lesson plan and activity ideas for teachers directly connected to the 9 elements of digital citizenship and the ISTE standards.

I will most certainly refer to this book in my future projects to support building a strong community of good digital citizens in my school district!

References:

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 Category: Digital Citizenship, EDLD 5316    

Library Learning Hubs – Updated Innovation Plan

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It hardly seems possible that an entire year has passed since we began working on our innovation plans in EDLD 5305. While many elements of my original innovation plan to host a library STREAM Camp are the same, I recognized the need to make enhancements. Some adjustments are due to experiences of the past year, and some are due to additional research.

After researching, I have determined to shift my overall Innovation Plan from only being focused on STREAM camp, to supporting the transformation of our district libraries to engaging learning hubs. Professional learning is a critical element of this transformation as librarians are required to provide engaging, innovative activities such as coding, 3D printing and other STEM focused events.

The main innovations of library summer STREAM camp in my original innovation plan were:

  • Hosting virtual learners – 👍🏼
  • Including 3D printing – 🤷🏻‍♀️
  • Hosting a separate camp for middle school students 👍🏼

As I consider the overarching questions, that has helped help me make the necessary modifications to my innovation plan.

  • What worked? – Having a separate camp for middle school students went very well because they were able to engage in some higher level activities. The students at all levels engaged in stem challenges which they made mostly with common items found at home or supplies like plates, cups, straws and tape. Also the fact that we hosted virtual learners went well. Getting their supplies to them was manageable. However, we had fewer interested in participating in camp virtually than we had anticipated. Another element that worked really well was the fact that we had Kiwi kits. The original plan was to get those only for the virtual learners but we were able to provide them for everyone. They were a great addition to the STREAM Camp.
  • What could have been done better? – The registration process was a little bit difficult because we had to make more space for face-to-face learners and it was work intensive. The supply ordering should have occurred earlier. It was also complicated by the fact that very late into the planning process, our district leadership requested that we expand all of the camps including, STREAM camp. Also, students reported that they would have enjoyed camp more if we had provided snacks.
  • How to apply the lessons learned? I think the biggest lesson learned is to plan early, and take into consideration input from all of the stakeholders. Also, the kids need snacks!

Adjustments to innovation plan:

  • Included below in the slideshow presentation are the overarching questions for the 3D printer initiative that we started this summer, providing each elementary library with a 3D printer. I intend to include this as part of my updated innovation plan as it is linked directly to STEM learning, and makerspaces in library learning hubs.  STREAM camp did not allow for a lot of time for 3-D printers, so this element of the innovation plan will be in process throughout the whole school year, not just in the summer.
  • The third element that I will add to my innovation plan is professional learning that we are planning for librarians by future ready presenter, Shannon McClintock Miller. While hosting professional learning may not seem like an innovation, I do consider it to be. We have not carved out opportunities beyond our monthly PLCs for librarians to learn very often in our district. They do go to their annual convention, but they deserve deeper learning experiences here at home. I first realized this as we learned in EDLD 5389 Effective Professional Learning. But it was confirmed for me as I did my research for the literature review as well. The need for STEM and makerspace professional learning was mentioned repeatedly in the research.

Below is the STREAM Camp portion of the updated innovation plan.

Here is a review of literature associated with STEM learning in libraries. In my research, I found that as job opportunities for STEM focused careers are on the rise, libraries are a wonderful environment for sparking an interest in these topics. For this to be successful, our librarians need adequate professional learning opportunities to develop their skills to help students stretch their exploration.

This is the call to action video which establishes the need for continued support of library innovation in our district.

References:

 Category: 3D Printing, Digital Learning & Leading, EDLD 5314      Tags: , , , ,

STEM, STEAM, STREAM and Makerspaces in Library Learning Hubs

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Professional Learning Plan & Resources

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Bringing together the 3-year Blended Learning & Coaching Plan

This post is a modification of a previous post from September 12, 2021.

As the District Instructional Technologist for elementary, I propose to enact an innovative, comprehensive, alternative instructional technology professional learning plan that will continue our district’s solid tradition of providing high-quality professional learning opportunities for teachers, but also enhance it.

Building a high-quality 3-year plan for innovative professional learning requires school leaders to take much into consideration, including but not limited to:

My hope is that this alternative learning plan will be the steps we need to take in the right direction toward building a digital learning ecosystem. With the skills they build for themselves and their colleagues, teachers will be able to masterfully integrate technology and blended learning strategies when the situation calls for it. 

One pervasive message that I hope to include is that learning is not dependent upon a particular product or platform. Rather, teachers and students are able to be adaptable and create with various tools. The primary purpose for this is that teachers and students need to be taught ways to empower themselves. Therefore, this three-year plan encompasses the use of various digital tools. However, it’s not the ability to use the tools that is so critical. What is important is how 21st-century learning skills can be addressed in conjunction with authentic learning and problem-solving.

It is the ability of teachers and students to be able to powerfully use whichever tool is most appropriate to construct their learning that will build our digital learning ecosystem.

-3 Year Plan

Each group of learners has various needs to be successful throughout the professional learning plan. For example, tech-reluctant teachers may need more time to practice the skills. They will also need encouragement and support. All participants will need opportunities to go back to their classroom or regular environment to practice implementing the various strategies set forth. This could potentially be challenging for administrators that do not have as many teaching opportunities throughout the weeks and months. Therefore the vision is that they will take the skills and practice with their teachers, modeling the use of innovative strategies.

In order to be successful, the plan must follow the suggestions of Allison Gulamhussein’s 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development. This 3-year plan includes all 5 Principles, detailed in the slides below.

According to 2009 the Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development, effective professional development results in advanced teaching practice as well as improved student learning outcomes. The report also suggests that we consider teachers as lifelong learners and consider professional development to be more about teacher learning.

The learning opportunities provided to teachers throughout this plan will be varied enough to meet the needs of teachers of grades 3, 4, and 5 and campus admin support staff. Also, teachers and staff will have multiple opportunities throughout the year to apply these strategies in their own classrooms.

Collective work in trusting environments provides a basis for inquiry and reflection into teachers’ own practice, allowing teachers to take risks, solve problems and attend to dilemmas in their practice.

Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Developmen

The primary goal of the professional learning plan is to help these participants become more effective teachers, and increase student achievement. Beyond that, we are preparing leaders. The participants will commit to the three-year plan. Part of the commitment is to provide professional learning opportunities on their campus or at the district level. After, or throughout the first year, participants may share blended learning strategies. After the second year, they may provide training from skills they learned in the Microsoft Innovative Educator Trainer series or the Apple Teacher series. To achieve success in the professional learning plan, teachers must remain motivated and self-directed.

As research deepens our understanding of how teachers learn, many scholars have begun to place greater emphasis on job-embedded and collaborative teacher learning.

Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development

Collaboration and coaching in the area of professional learning are essential. By including campus administrative staff in the learning session with teachers, I hope to develop further collaboration possibilities. As curriculum specialists, librarians, campus techs, and principals learn with the teachers, they may also work together to share that learning with other staff members in the school. The goal is to exemplify the Innovation that Sticks Case Study, in which one leader described their successful professional learning model, with school leaders learning side-by-side with the teachers, fully involved.

Another element of collaboration is that teachers will be able to visit each other’s classrooms to observe the implementation of strategies learned throughout the three years of the plan. Additionally, throughout the 3 year period, teachers will have opportunities to design and share lesson plan exemplars. The other teachers in their professional learning cohort will be available for them to evaluate their lesson and suggest alternatives and give feedback.

The goal is for teachers to develop those observation skills into coaching skills by the third year.

Hopefully, by the end of year three, we will have 60 solidly trained, confident elementary educators equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to transform their classrooms and schools. These educators will be able to blaze the trail by coaching their colleagues and supporting students in their digital learning ecosystem.

As the Blended Learning Cohort of Year 1 is presented by the Powerschool PD team, they will provide all of the materials for each session. Most of these materials, including slide decks and discussion posts, are online within our learning management system Schoology. They will also provide Catlin Tucker’s book to each participant, Blended Learning in Grades 4-12, Leveraging the Power of Technology to Create Student-Centered Classrooms.

For Year 2, all of the materials are hosted online through the two websites:

For Year 3, my colleague and I plan to teach 9 sessions, completely based on Elena Aguilar’s Art of Coaching Workbook. The sessions will be a mix of half-day face to face sessions, and two hour virtual sessions. Below is the beginning of slide deck for Session 1 – Figuring Out Who You Want to Be. All participants will be provided two books:

Below are the detailed Backward Design Plan and the Significant Learning Outcomes Plan with a 3-column table.

Citations:

 Category: Digital Learning & Leading, EDLD 5389, Professional Learning      Tags: , , ,

Transformative Professional Learning Plan

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Overview of the 3-year Blended Learning & Coaching Plan

High quality professional learning is a strength of the Killeen Independent School District. As the District Instructional Technologist for elementary, I propose to enact an innovative, comprehensive, alternative instructional technology professional learning plan that will continue that solid tradition of providing high-quality professional learning opportunities for teachers, but also enhance it.

My hope is that this alternative learning plan will be the steps we need to take in the right direction toward building a digital learning ecosystem. With the skills they build for themselves and their colleagues, teachers will be able to masterfully integrate technology and blended learning strategies when the situation calls for it. 

3 Year Plan

In order to be successful, the plan must follow the suggestions of Allison Gulamhussein’s 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development. This 3 year plan includes all 5 Principles.

  1. The duration of professional learning must be significant and ongoing to allow time for teachers to learn a new strategy and grapple with the implementation problem. This plan will take place across 3 years. Teachers will have multiple opportunities to develop their skills.
  2. There must be support for a teacher during the implementation stage that addresses the specific challenges of changing classroom practice. At each stage of the professional learning plan, teachers will have the support of presenters, colleagues, and administrators.
  3. Teachers’ initial exposure to a concept should not be passive, but rather should engage teachers through varied approaches so they can participate actively in making sense of a new practice. At each step of the learning, teachers will have the opportunity to experience new teaching strategies as a learner. Then they will take those strategies to their classroom, implement and share results.
  4. Modeling has been found to be highly effective in helping teachers understand a new practice. Teachers will experience modeling in Year 1 by observing the Blended Learning Cohort trainer and in Years 2 & 3 by observing their colleagues in the cohort.
  5. The content presented to teachers shouldn’t be generic, but instead specific to the discipline (for middle school and high school teachers) or grade-level (for elementary school teachers). Participants eligible for this cohort are 3rd, 4th and 5th grade teachers or campus support staff.  Whenever possible, they will be grouped in sessions grade-level or role.

Collective work in trusting environments provides a basis for inquiry and reflection into teachers’ own practice, allowing teachers to take risks, solve problems and attend to dilemmas in their practice.

Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development

According to 2009 the Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development, effective professional development results in advanced teaching practice as well as improved student learning outcomes. The report also suggest that we consider teachers as lifelong learners and consider professional development to be more about the teacher learning.

The learning opportunities provided to teachers throughout this plan will be varied enough to meet the needs of teachers of grades 3, 4 and 5 and campus admin support staff. Also, teachers and staff will have multiple opportunities throughout the year to apply these strategies in their own classroom.

As research deepens our understanding of how teachers learn, many scholars have begun to place greater emphasis on job-embedded and collaborative teacher learning.

Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development

Collaboration and coaching in the area of professional learning are essential. By including campus administrative staff in the learning session with teachers, I hope to develop further the collaboration possibilities. As curriculum specialists, librarian, campus techs and principals learn with the teachers, they may also work together to share that learning with other staff members in the school. The goal is to exemplify the Innovation that Sticks Case Study, in which one leader described their successful professional learning model, with school leaders learning side-by-side with the teachers, fully involved.

Another element of collaboration is that teachers will be able to visit each other’s classroom to observe the implementation of strategies learned throughout the three years of the plan. The goal is for teachers to develop those observation skills into coaching skills by the third year.

Hopefully, by the end of year three, we will have 60 solidly trained, confident elementary educators equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to transform their classrooms and schools. These educators will be able to blaze the trail by coaching their colleagues and supporting students in their digital learning ecosystem.

Below are the beginnings of my Backward Design Plan as well as the Significant Learning Outcomes Plan with a 3-column Table. These are still being fully developed for the final evaluation.

References:

Aguilar, E. (2020). Art of coaching: Effective strategies for school transformation. JOSSEY-BASS.

Amico. (n.d.). Knowledge Isometric Illustrations. Storyset. Retrieved September 12, 2021, from https://storyset.com/education.

CEA. (2016). (rep.). The CEA ‘Innovation that Sticks’ Case Study Report Ottawa Catholic School Board A Framework for District-Wide Change. Toronto, ON. https://www.edcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/cea_ocsb_innovation_report.pdf

Education – k-12 – apple teacher. Apple. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2021, from https://www.apple.com/education/k12/apple-teacher/.

Hill, Heather C. (2015, September).  Review of the mirage: confronting the hard truth about the quest for teacher development.  

Gulamhussein, A. (2013, September) Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf. Dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/s/j13c5mk092kmqv9/Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf?dl=0

Microsoft innovative Educator Programs. Microsoft Educator Center. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2021, from https://education.microsoft.com/en-us/resource/18485a7b.

Wei, R. C., Darling-Hammond, L., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development in the U.S. and Abroad. Technical Report. National Staff Development Council.

 Category: Digital Learning & Leading, EDLD 5389, Leadership, Professional Learning      Tags: , ,

Practical & Effective Professional Learning

  Posted on by Holly D. Landez

  1 Comment

Steps to Success – Heading in the right direction for transformative professional learning

High quality professional learning has always been a strength within Killeen Independent School District. In the 27 years that I have been a KISD employee, I have earned over 1473 hours of professional learning. As the District Instructional Technologist for elementary, I propose and hope to enact an innovative, comprehensive, alternative instructional technology professional learning plan that will continue that solid tradition of providing high quality professional learning opportunities for teachers, but also enhance it.

Part 1 – Why?

In Killeen ISD our mission statement is to “Teach so that students learn to their maximum potential.” To me, this is a two-fold mission if we consider our teachers to be our students, then we want to help them reach their maximum potential. It is upon us to provide opportunities for our teachers to build solid teaching practices. This in turn, will allow them to guide students to learn to their maximum potential.

The Killeen ISD Vision is “Through the implementation of a full, innovative, rigorous, comprehensive education program, Killeen ISD will provide superior learning opportunities so that upon graduation, students are prepared for success in the workforce and/or in higher education.” As our education program for students needs to be full, innovative, rigorous and comprehensive, so does our professional learning program. 

Some of our current strengths in the area of professional learning are:

Curriculum Study sessions – Our elementary teachers have opportunities to learn from teacher leaders in their grade level quarterly to discuss lesson ideas and best practices for their upcoming units.

Culture of coaching – At the elementary level we have 10 instructional coaches focused on promoting stellar teaching standards in math and literacy. These include coaching walks and weekly meetings with their teachers.

Weekly PLCs – Teachers create unit plans and review common unit assessment date to drive instructional decisions.

Summer Professional Learning – There were over 300 summer professional learning sessions available this summer!

New Teacher Induction – We host hundreds of new teachers in Killeen ISD every year.

Mentor Training – Teachers support each other, and this training is the first step to that support!

Restorative Practices – Every teacher in Killeen ISD received Restorative Practices training to achieve social discipline through participatory learning and decision making. 

I could go on and on about the wonderful opportunities!

Much of what we already do follows the suggestions of Allison Gulamhussein’s 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development:

  1. The duration of professional learning must be significant and ongoing to allow time for teachers to learn a new strategy and grapple with the implementation problem. (This is what my plan has that the other opportunities may not include.)
  2. There must be support for a teacher during the implementation stage that addresses the specific challenges of changing classroom practice. (Hence learning coaches.)
  3. Teachers’ initial exposure to a concept should not be passive, but rather should engage teachers through varied approaches so they can participate actively in making sense of a new practice. (Teachers will have opportunities to practice their skills in the classroom!)
  4. Modeling has been found to be highly effective in helping teachers understand a new practice. (Teachers will have opportunities to observe colleagues teaching.)
  5. The content presented to teachers shouldn’t be generic, but instead specific to the discipline (for middle school and high school teachers) or grade-level (for elementary school teachers).

But even with all of these wonderful happenings, we can still take steps to aim higher and help our teachers and students reach their full potential, particularly in the area of instructional technology and integration. My hope is that this alternative learning plan will be the steps we need to take in the right direction toward building a digital learning ecosystem. With the skills they build for themselves and their colleagues, teachers will be able to masterfully integrate technology and blended learning strategies when the situation calls for it. 

Throughout the pandemic, teachers had the need to embrace and learn multiple digital learning tools in order to successfully teach virtually. They did this willingly and swiftly out of an urgent need. My hope is that they learned some new tricks of the instructional trade that they could use to make their face-to-face teaching easier, more rich or more effective. I also hope that with face-to-face learning, teachers do not lose their newly gained skills. Rather, I hope that we can capitalize on that learning and build upon what they learned to improve every day instruction.

According to a 2017 study published by The American Society for Cell Biology, Active learning activities such as group discussions and quiz questions are not enough to cement learning. Rather, for true construction of learning, active activities, accompanied by eliminating misconceptions, and formative assessment of student understanding must occur.  

In a 2015 ASCD article, Bryan Goodwin contends that when it comes to collaboration and coaching in the area of professional learning, quality trumps quantity. He goes on to say that what frequently occurs is that experts are brought in to share new practices that are to be adopted by teachers. This does not follow the same line of thinking or model what we would want teachers to do for students. Rather, it is more of a behaviorist than constructivist approach.

I believe that collaboration and coaching are essential, but like Goodwin, I believe that it must be quality collaboration. That means that teachers are revisiting new methods, observing each other and following up with guiding questions and protocols. Ultimately, teachers will use data to support strategies and guide their instruction. If the teachers in my 3-year plan will follow the coaching model that we already have established in our district, incorporating technology and evaluating how that affects student achievement, then we will certainly succeed!

Another step in the right direction is to include learners of all levels into the plan. This means that the learning should be available to various audiences, such as: teachers, curriculum specialists, librarians and other campus administrators.

In the video Innovation That Sticks Case Study, Denise Andre, director of Education at the Ottawa Catholic School Board, emphasized that in their successful professional learning model, school leaders are learning side-by-side with the teachers, fully involved. When the school leader is involved in a session as a learner that demonstrates multiple fundamentals:

  1. is that they believe the importance of what is being taught. 
  2. they are removing themselves as the expert
  3. they are walking the talk and fully invested

“What is our next best step toward creating a digital ecosystem to empower our teachers to positively impact learners?”

I believe that it is my three year plan which includes:

  • Blended Learning Cohorts – for 3rd – 5th grade teachers.
  • Includes campus administrative staff
  • Instructional Technology Coaches

The next phase of my presentation (which will be posted here next week) will outline these elements in greater detail.

Part 2

In designing my call to action video I took several steps to prepare and used multiple tools and resources. First, I had to consider Simon Sinek’s message and the “WHY” of what I was hoping to accomplish. That is to help transform what already exists as a high-quality professional learning environment to include instructional technology and blended learning at a deeper level. Second, I included some research about effective professional learning principles. Third, I consulted my school district website to refresh my memory about our mission and vision. Additionally, I gathered statistics about professional learning in my school district to include how many sessions I have attended and how many professional learning sessions my department, Elementary Learning Services, has presented lately.

It was great fun to pull together some images that I have of our own teachers and other instructional staff engaging in various professional learning opportunities. Then I learned how to include some stock video footage and audio files from YouTube and convert them. PowerPoint helped me locate some icons and modify them to fit my color scheme. I used a Google slide template from Slides To Go to bring my color scheme together. 

Finally, I took the advice of Nancy Duarte and Jennifer Gonzalez with their presentation techniques as I put it all together in Adobe Spark. I am hopeful that these efforts are fruitful as I share this alternative learning plan with the leadership in my district.

4K HD Free Stock Footage No Copyrights. (2020). Kids Free Hd Stock Footage For Download and Reuse Without Copyright. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ENi-gJVCjeQ. 

Andrews, T. M., Leonard, M. J., Colgrove, C. A., & Kalinowski, S. T. (2017). Active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 10(4), 394–405. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.11-07-0061 

EdCan Network Le Réseau ÉdCan. (2016). Innovation That Sticks Case Study – Ocsb: Collaborative Professional Development. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUusuw-xdr4. 

Glatch, S., Mahoney, E., & Becky. (2021, July 30). The 5 stages of freytag’s pyramid: Introduction to dramatic structure. Writers.com. https://writers.com/freytags-pyramid. 

Goodwin, B. (2015, December 1). Research Says / Does Teacher Collaboration Promote Teacher Growth? ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/does-teacher-collaboration-promote-teacher-growth. 

Gulamhussein, A. (2013, September) Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf. Dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/s/j13c5mk092kmqv9/Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf?dl=0

Life Mentor. (2018). Simon Sinek – How to present properly(Part 5). YouTube. https://youtu.be/msvmLlAkOno. 

Stanford Graduate School of Business. (2013). Nancy Duarte: How to Tell a Story. YouTube. https://youtu.be/9JrRQ1oQWQk.

The cure for bad powerpoint: A review of presentation zen. Cult of Pedagogy. (2020, June 13). https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/presentation-zen/. 

Watchel, T. (n.d.). Defining restorative: Restorative practices. IIRP. https://www.iirp.edu/restorative-practices/defining-restorative/. 

 Category: Digital Learning & Leading, EDLD 5389, Professional Learning      Tags:

Evaluating Courses for Online Learning & 3D Printing Course Notes Part 4 & EDLD 5318 Reflection

  Posted on by Holly D. Landez

  1 Comment

 

This course, EDLD 5318, Instructional Design in Online Learning, has been a valuable learning experience. I have certainly enjoyed to opportunity to consider the essential elements of successfully designing an online course. Beyond simply considering course design, I especially enjoyed the freedom to plan a course that would support the launch of the current 3D printer initiative in my district. The online course I have planned will be available for all district staff regardless of level or role. This will extend the reach of our 26 new 3D beyond the walls of the elementary school libraries.

That is a lofty goal! Therefore, it is imperative that the course is designed to set the educators up for success. In Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning, Tony Bates provides a high volume of information for instructors to consider when planning an online course. I especially valued this resource because it was made available for free, along with accompanying audio and video materials. This format was an excellent example of the need to provide information to students in varying contexts. I will continue to refer to this online textbook throughout my career as I support teachers in designing their online courses. Some other valuable takeaways that I gleaned from from Bates’ text were:

  • There are structural changes in the way information has become available to learners and the education system needs to adapt.
  • These structural changes will allow teachers to effectively prepare a higher volume of students.
  • Online teaching can and should involve various pedagogies and not rely on one method, such as lecture.
  • Various types of courses require various modes of delivery.
  • Regardless of the content of the course or mode of, quality is key.

Following along with idea of quality assurance, we had the valuable opportunity to use The OLC OSCQR Course Design Review Scorecard by SUNY. The assessment was very enlightening as it gave me several opportunities to review course elements that I had not considered before. Linked below are my self-assessment and action plan. I intend to add all of the mentioned corrections before August 23, as that is the date I have promised the course will be ready for our district staff.

According to the 2015 Project Tomorrow report, Trends in Digital Learning: Empowering Innovative Classroom Models, “three-quarters of principals attribute increased student engagement in learning to the effective use of digital content in their blended learning classrooms.” I am hopeful that implementing the 3-D printing course using a blended model, may inspire teachers to try something similar in their students. 

In addition to modeling effective blended online course design, my aim was to include various methods of pedagogy, as well as embed some theories about project-based learning. This is mentioned in the Understanding by Design Template linked below in which I considered: 

  • STAGE 1 Desired Results and Established Goals
  • STAGE 2 Evidence of Learning & Assessment
  • STAGE 3 Learning Plan with Key Learning Events 

Understanding by Design Plan for Online Course

 The primary goals of the course are for teachers to feel they are proficient in creating 3D designs and guiding students in creating 3D models to support learning standards.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I believe that the four learning theories: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Connectivism support blended learning and all fit into the online course.

Behaviorism has a role in the course in a couple of ways. If the learner wants to succeed in the course, they will need to engage in the activities, and invest the time to learn. The activities in the course are mixed, and some will require more effort than others. To encourage learners to proceed and not get discouraged, they will need frequent feedback. I built in a few self-checking activities so that the learners will move forward. I have personally experienced self-paced courses that are too easy to proceed through because the correct answers are shown at the end of the quick module, or the learner has unlimited attempts. This does not generally lead to deep learning. 

Cognitivism which focuses on memory and problem solving, fit into the course with some quick checks for understanding. One example is a Quizlet game on the basic vocabulary of 3D printing such as scale, slice, support, filament, extruder. Each module of the course builds upon the other, and includes quick assessments that spiral in content knowledge from previous modules. 

Constructivism, which focuses on experiences, is really the basis of the course. I intend for the learners to have hands on experiences with the 3D printer and their software tool of choice. There are points along the way where the learners will need to demonstrate that they are practicing the skills by uploading photos of their creations or screenshots of their software work. Additionally, they have opportunities to design lessons and projects in which students will need to participate. The goal is for them to transfer their new 3-D printing skills to logically support their regular classroom instruction.

Connectivism is also woven into the course because the learner must be able to determine the important and unimportant information relevant to their role. For example, on the website Thingiverse, there is a HUGE variety of 3D files that users are able to download and print. A preliminary activity might be to print an object that was pre-designed just to get the experience of loading the filament, aligning the build plate, and ensuring the object prints. Because of the time and materials needed to print they would need to make a good choice about which objects to print. Optimally, participants will choose something that applies to their teaching role or content in some way. Beyond filtering important information, connectivism also has to do with networking. One of my hopes is that participants in the course will work together to encourage each other to try different things and potentially build some collaborative projects for students. A true measure of success of the course would be for an elementary and middle campus to join together to have students create service-oriented projects to benefit the community.

In my online Schoology course for 3-D printing, I included several modes of communicating with the participants. Primarily there will be the text directions on screen. In addition, there will be some short video clips to give directions. Additionally, we will have our weekly informal zoom meetings as well as a discussion post. Finally, there will be feedback on assignments. Participants can leave their notification settings in the LMS turned on so that they receive email communication with anything that is posted or graded.

While this course is designed to last the span of five weeks, there is some element of self-pacing. As the course is completely elective for teachers, and it’s a choice for them to participate, I do not intend to lock them into completing it within five weeks. The goal of the course is to successfully integrate 3-D printing with instruction. This can take much longer than five weeks, particularly if they are following through with the project-based design in module five.

The course will be updated as needed based on suggestions or questions by the participants. Participants experiencing the course may notice if some elements are missing or if portions of modules can be more logically rearranged. I am hopeful that the teachers and other staff members that participate in the course will feel comfortable enough to provide that type of feedback.

As our school district is highly entrenched in the Schoology LMS, we are only limited by our imagination (and time) as to what types of courses we could provide as professional learning opportunities for staff members. In addition to the 3-D printing course, I am looking forward to developing some self-paced book study courses by some of my favorite EdTech authors such as Jennie Magiera, Monica Burns, and Catlin Tucker. 

In my next course, I hope to implement more of the Playposit video questions. I like the idea of having thoughtful thinking stops in checks for understanding in the videos. I may not wait until the next course, I will likely add those checks for understanding in this course before I share it with teachers.

In our district for professional learning, we include a survey opportunity for teachers. This is a requirement for our courses, and I intend to include that with this 3-D printing course as well as other online learning opportunities that we have for teachers. For every session, I always read the feedback and strive to improve based on the suggestions. One element that I will use for quality assurance is to recognize whether additional staff members are signing up for the course. People tell their friends about good experiences. If my course draws plenty of staff members to it, then that’s a good sign of the quality. If not, then there is absolute room for improvement.

I hope that this 3D printing course is as successful as other courses that I have participated in. There are so many! I have seen successful online book studies designed by my colleagues over the Distance Learning Playbooks and many other pedagogical books. I have been engaged in successful online teachable courses designed by EdTech professionals such as:

As well as online courses designed by my classmates:

Just like the craft of face-to-face classroom teaching, online course design can be successfully measured by various methods. Successful courses will vary from instructor to instructor. As long as participants feel successful and that they have learned the goals and objectives, that is what counts! 

References:

Note: Links to the LMS are only operational for members of the course. For full access to the course, please create a Schoology account and contact me for the access code.

 Category: 3D Printing, Digital Learning & Leading, EDLD 5318, Library, Makerspace, Professional Learning, STEM, STREAM      Tags: , , ,

Redesigning Courses for Online Learning & 3D Printing Course Notes part 3

  Posted on by Holly D. Landez

  1 Comment

 

The SECTIONS model outlined in Tony Bates’ Teaching in a Digital Age provides valuable opportunities for course creators to reflect on the various elements required for successful course creation. Since the pandemic began and virtual teaching became a reality for our teachers, the need for these considerations has become obvious in the public school setting. That experience helped provide me with some of the skills that I need to successfully design the 3-D printing course in Schoology.

Students – One of the first considerations for course design is how will students manage to access the content, and whether or not they have what they need to be able to interact with that content successfully. This could mean the appropriate hardware, software, or internet access. The participants of the 3D printing course will need access to the Internet. In order to fully participate in the 3-D printing course, they will also need access to a computer or iPad and a 3D printer. The course will be most effective for them if they have a Dremel 3D45, however, the content can apply to nearly any model of 3-D printer that we may have in any of our district libraries. As the audience for this course is teachers and campus support personnel, having access to those items should not be a problem. Also, as all of our teachers use Schoology to access their curriculum and teachers in grads 3 and up use it to share content with students, navigating Schoology will be natural for them as course participants.


Ease of use – one important consideration of course design is the ease of use. If participants are struggling with how to access and manipulate the course content, they are less likely to continue to successfully engage in an elective course. Therefore, my hope for the 3D printing course is that the materials are easily accessible and used. It is for that purpose that I did my best to build in some predictability, that is I used similar course elements such as discussion assignments and brief assessments. Also, while all of the resources will be linked in the LMS Schoology, they will be from various resources. For example, I may use playlists on YouTube, and tutorials on the Tinkercad and Thingiverse websites, or lesson samples shared from someone in Google Drive. Learners may need to create accounts on Tinkercad and Thingiverse. They will be able to access the Google drive lesson samples without logging in at all. To eliminate frustration, I will include a section of the course that will demonstrate to participants where the help section for each of those websites is.


Cost – The cost of this fully online course about 3D printing for the participant will be nothing. The only cost to the participants will be the supplies they choose to use for their projects. However, as the school district pays for some additional featured elements such as lessons from Nearpod and videos from content providers such as Discovery and Learn 360, there will be some cost to the district. As the course is designed for professional learning to support student achievement within our school district, this is an ethical use of the subscriptions.


Teaching functions, including pedagogical affordances of media – after reviewing Meyer’s multimedia design principles, I can see some areas of my 3-D printing course that have strengths and other areas that have weaknesses. One of the strengths is that information is chunked into user-paced segments. One area of growth might be to include additional narration with images in a friendly tone than simply having text.


Interaction – There will be various types of interaction throughout the five-week 3D printing course posted in Schoology. Weekly Zoom meetings will be available for the first few weeks of the course to allow participants to check-in, share their learning, and ask questions. There will be some interactivity with computer-graded material such as Playposit questions in videos, a Quizlet vocabulary game, and a couple of self-graded quizzes. Participants may interact with each other in discussion, however, there is not much collaborative work in this course. Generally, the work in the 3D printing course will be individual as the hope is that each participant will practice hands-on with the 3D printer. The collaboration will come into play during the discussions. I will include a less structured discussion area where participants can ask for feedback on their projects and exchange ideas.


Organizational issues – There are very limited organizational issues associated with the 3D printing course. My main concern is that I want this course to be fun, engaging, and enriching for participants. I do not want it to be seen as a burden. I do have concerns about the amount of time it may take a teacher or campus support person to participate in the course. Therefore the course will be available for the entire school year.


Networking – I have a hope that participants will see this course as a networking opportunity to help support their learning. They can reach out to each other for support as they are working on their course creation and in the future when they are working with 3D printing with their students.


Security and privacy – Luckily the materials I have selected to host in this course are available completely free for our participants. Therefore, I do not need to be concerned about violating copyright laws or intellectual property. I will not share creations by the course participants unless they give permission. Also, students will be made aware when they enroll that their discussions are able to be seen by all participants in the course. Participants will submit assignments privately through the assignment feature in Schoology. Finally, any feedback regarding assignments or projects will completely be between the instructor and the participant.


I am hopeful that the SECTIONS model by Tony Bates will help to elevate my skill level in the course design of this 3D printing and all online courses thereafter.

After working on this 3-D printing course, I have several ideas of some existing courses that I may modify into online courses. They will likely not be as extensive as this 3-D printing course, as they will be modifications of existing professional learning sessions that I currently host.

I already have in place several online resources for two sessions that I love to teach called Creativity with Tech for Elementary. One session centers on the creation tool called Adobe Spark. The other focuses on a creation tool called Book Creator. What’s wonderful about both sessions is that the designers of these tools provide pre-made professional learning slides that may be modified. I generally use these as a place to start and customize them based on my audience. Both tools, Adobe Spark and Book Creator, are rich creativity tools that teachers can use with versatility for instruction. Generally, I deliver face-to-face or virtual 2-to-3-hour one-time sessions. The good part about this is that I get to spend time with teachers generally in small groups discovering a new tour. The downside to these sessions is that what we frequently don’t have time or opportunities for follow up. It would be fairly simple for me to split up both the Adobe Spark and the Book Creator sessions into five modules. I could build in time for teachers to practice this tool to learn it themselves, go use it with students, and revisit the course for sharing and next steps.

The Adobe Spark course could follow this outline:

  • Introduction
  • Adobe Spark Post
  • Adobe Spark Video
  • Adobe Spark Page
  • Create Your Project

The Book Creator course could follow this outline:

  • Chapter 1 – Introduction
  • Chapter 2 – Book Creator Basics
  • Chapter 3 – Book Creator Project & Lesson Ideas
  • Chapter 4 – Book Creator for Formative Assessment
  • Chapter 5 – Show us your library!

Beyond modifying these two creativity with tech courses, I am also inspired to create book study sessions for my elementary teachers and support staff this book study sessions could be divided by chapter or groups of chapters. Participants could respond to discussion posts, or Flipgrid video discussion posts. After including discussion questions and opportunities for teachers to practice the skills in the book, I would wrap up each book study session with a sharing opportunity of how they have transferred that learning to their classroom.

The list of books that I would like to consider for book study options are:

I know this is a rather ambitious list, so I will just have to do one at a time. I am excited about the possibilities with my teachers and their students.

References:

  • Bates, T. (2019). Teaching in a digital age: guidelines for designing teaching and learning (2nd ed.). BCCampus.

Note: Links to the LMS are only operational for members of the course. For full access to the course, please create a Schoology account and contact me for the access code.

 Category: Digital Learning & Leading, EDLD 5318, Library, Professional Learning, STEM, STREAM      Tags: , , ,

3D Printing for Learning Course Details – Part 2

  Posted on by Holly D. Landez

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The fully online course intended for teachers, librarians, curriculum specialists, campus techs and others will be chunked into 5 modules. Within each of those 5 modules, there will be a variety of activities such as discussion posts, videos to watch questions to respond to with the videos, and example student lessons to review. My reasons for integrating those example student lessons are two-fold. It is a way of simplifying the instruction, but also modeling how the content could potentially be introduced to students.

Another goal is to include a variety of activities in order to model various digital tools. I also intend to include sections pulled from online resources such as free courses. Some of these include Dremel, We are Print Lab, and Tinkercad. These sections of the content will be grouped into very brief videos that also include practice STL files for the teachers to use. Additionally, I intend to include formative assessments such as:

  • brief quizzes
  • assignments that require the participants to show proof of hands-on usage of their printer and reflections

Participants will have choice in the way they submit their documentation of practice. It may be photos or videos. I plan to build in predictability at the end of the module reflections by using common questions:

  • Write or record a reflection about your experiences in which you address:
    • What worked?
    • What didn’t work?
    • How will this affect your approach with students?

I will include a synchronous weekly meeting that is not lecture-based. It can be a time of sharing and reflection as well as Time for tips and suggestions. The synchronous meetings will be optional as the recordings will be shared.

The elementary staff that will access this course are very familiar with Schoology, so that will not be an obstacle. However, I will be extra careful to include clear directions in multiple formats as well as images that guide the learner. One goal of this course is not just to share the contact with staff, but to model quality online course design so that they may transfer to that their own courses.

According to Figure 7.7 in Tony Bates’ Teaching in a Digital Age, the activities that I have chosen fall all over the continuum from objectivist to constructivist to connectivist. These activities also have a range of learner control versus teacher control. The main aim of my course is for staff members to practice activities that are engaging to them, fit authentically into their curriculum and that they may enthusiastically share with their learners. As this course is completely elective, I want it to be engaging, meaningful, time well spent.

The last two weeks of this largely self-paced course, largely inspired by Dremel’s Digilab Introduction of Dremel 3D Printing are outlined below:

Note: Links to the LMS are only operational for members of the course. For full access to the course, please create a Schoology account and contact me for the

https://app.schoology.com/course/5125984418/materials?f=467152416

TASKS & ACTIVITIES

Week 4 Tasks & Activities


Week 4 Lessons Content – You will want to consider how you will approach 3-D printing in your classroom. Because of the cost of materials and the length of time it takes to print, you will likely not be printing an item for every single student every day, or even with every project or unit. You will also want to consider how 3D printing may fit within your pacing calendar so that it does not feel like an additional thing to do.

Also, you’re probably not likely to find a premade lesson that fits in right with your curriculum. You will need to get creative!

How do you envision yourself using 3D printing with students? Consider these options:

Week 4 Lessons Discussion – How do you envision yourself using 3D printing with students? Consider these options: (Same as the ones listed in first content page) Which of these options feels the most comfortable with your teaching style, available technology, and time?

  • All students stepping through lessons together (TinkerCad orBlocksCad) during class or computer lab time.
  • Students exploring TinkerCad, BlocksCad, SketchUp on their own time at school or at home.
  • Students working as a in groups to design one object.
  • 3-D printing an object could be one of many choices that students have when practicing a lesson or a product in a project or performance assessment. 

Lesson Plan Resources:

  • Makerbot
  • Dremel
  • Blockscad
  • MakersEmpire
  • We Are 3D Print
  • Various Books
  • Instructional Focus Document
  • Teachers Pay Teachers

Week 4 Lessons Discussion – How do you envision yourself using 3D printing with students? Consider these options: (Same as the ones listed in first content page) Which of these options feels the most comfortable with your teaching style, available technology, and time?

Week 4 Lessons Assignment

  • Part A Choose one of the lessons from the resources listed in this module.
  • Work through the lesson with your students or a group of students. 
  • Design a lesson in which your students with have an opportunity to 3D print. Outline the steps of the lesson, including all the of materials and resources you may need to successfully implement the lesson. Print a model of what students might create.
  • Part B Share your creation (3D printed model)
    • Take screenshots of your creations and submit with this assignment
    • Write or record a reflection about your experiences in which you address:
      • What worked?
      • What didn’t work?
      • How will this affect your approach with students?
https://killeenisd.schoology.com/course/5125984418/materials?f=467152428

Week 5 Tasks & Activities

  • Week 5 Projects – Content – Read the following linked articles about the link between design thinking and 3D printing.
  • Part A Choose one of the projects from the resources listed in this module.
    • Work through the project with your students or a group of students. OR
    • Design a project in which your students with have an opportunity to design a 3D print model to solve a problem. Outline the steps of the project, including a list of the potential resources that students may need to successfully implement the lesson. Print a model of what students might create.
  • Part B Share your creation (3D printed model)
    • Take screenshots of student creations and submit with this assignment
    • Write or record a reflection about your experiences in which you address:
      • What worked?
      • What didn’t work?
      • How will this affect your approach with students?
https://killeenisd.schoology.com/course/5125984418/materials?f=467154183
  • Courses
  • Lessons
  • Videos
  • Books
  • Sites & Software

References:

  • Bates, T. (2019). Teaching in a digital age: guidelines for designing teaching and learning (2nd ed.). BCCampus.

Note: Links to the LMS are only operational for members of the course. For full access to the course, please create a Schoology account and contact me for the access code.

 Category: 3D Printing, Digital Learning & Leading, EDLD 5318, Library, Professional Learning, STEM, STREAM      Tags: , , ,

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