Middle is Mighty

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Learning Specialist/Instructional Designer

Choosing a Problem: In the beginning of my course on instructional design, I struggled a bit to figure out a problem to propose a solution to. I was thinking more broad in terms of what issues could be solved with technology within the whole school. Being a newer teacher, I think I will have more knowledge of this after more time at Marquardt Middle School. So to make things easier and more applicable to my teaching, I thought about issues on a smaller scale. After adopting a new science curriculum this past year, the science department came up with the goal to better differentiate assessments for students. The assessments presented in our curriculum are wordy, application problems. Many students in our district are not reading at grade level or have accommodations that need to be met. Assessments became a clear issue after students took the very first test. Throughout the year, I tried my best to modify tests by rewriting the online tests by hand, figuring out how to format them in...

STEAM Class Reflection

As this course comes to an end, I have quite a bit of reflecting to do. I feel as though I am leaving with a multitude of different tech resources that I was not exposed to before. I want to hit the ground running and implement as many as I can, but I know that is not practical for many different reasons. In my opinion, the most difficult aspect of incorporating tech into a classroom is figuring out which tech would increase engagement rather than decrease it. In my experience, students at our school love using their computers to play games, or are engaged at the wrong times. For example, during the first five minutes of class, I have students complete an opening routine that consists of taking out needed materials, answering a warm up question, and then getting to the correct spot to start class, which could mean opening their computer to a site. After this, I always have kids tilt their laptops down because if I don't, I notice them looking at their screens while I am talkin...

Mid-term

It is true what they say: time flies when you are having fun! It is hard to believe that my STEAM course is already half-way over because it feels like just yesterday it began! I feel as though I have already learned a great amount that can be used to improve my teaching and classroom environment . I have already tried to implement a few of the tools we have used in class, as well as be conscious of how I am getting kids to engage in the classroom content. I feel as though without having tools and tricks in the front of your mind, one is missing out on providing an environment conducive to growth. Teachers, just as much as students, need to apply knowledge on a daily basis. One new piece of knowledge or tool I have learned from this course is how to increase student collaboration in the classroom. This is important for students because collaboration is a skill they will be using throughout their lives in different aspects/settings. To increase student collaboration, there were a...

Social Media and Internet Use

It's Complicated Source Social media, or the internet, sometimes seems like a bad word. Thinking back to when I was in school, we would get yelled at and given a detention if we were doing anything with tech other than using it for Microsoft Word. Even at school as a teacher, we put down the use of phones and caution kids about the horrors social media can cause. However, tech and social media can be used to educate students and further their learning. It should be used as a means for engagement and a way to prepare them for the jobs of the future. Tech is here to stay, along with social media, so we need to be prepared for its use more often at school. A Microsoft researcher, named danah boyd, traveled to interview kids about social media in education. She interviewed students from all backgrounds and to hear what they had to say. She created a presentation, which I found quite interesting and commented on below. Surprising Finds One statistic I found interesting wa...

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

One Course Down Wow! It is crazy to think I am already in the last week of my first course towards a technology endorsement. I feel as though it flew by! I have learned so much about myself as a teacher and as a personal user of technology. I cannot wait to begin the next course to push my knowledge even further. Looking Back, Looking Ahead Source In late October, I began the journey towards furthering my knowledge as an educator. I was excited as I posted my first blog post and paired it with the Gif above. I wrote that I was excited to start and wanted to have a better understanding of how to implement technology in the classroom. I knew that it was important because kids today learn much differently than many teachers did when they were in school. I coupled that with this Gif to show my excitement in beginning the course. I felt I already knew a lot about technology because I had used it starting in elementary school. I still feel the same excitement as I think back...

Digital Tattoos

Digital Tattoos A digital tattoo is similar to getting a real one on one's body: it is permanent and provides meaning or insight about that individual. When we go online and post on social media, we don't always think about how the post will affect us. However, digital tattoos provide others with wanted AND unwanted information about us. It is important to know what your digital tattoo looks like to be aware of what others can see. This week, I ended up researching my own digital tattoo, in something called a data mine. Being someone in education, I am a very public figure. Students, parents, and employees can all have access to information about me online. I used several different websites in search for my digital tattoo, which are highlighted below: The first website I used was Google. I ever so often hear about people "googling" themselves to see what is out there. I put my full name in, but I was surprised to find out that nothing was coming up in ter...