Skip to main content

Proposal Process

The Seven Steps

Overall, I think the process of proposing the use of Otus has been thought provoking and a confidence booster. When I say confidence booster, I mean that it has given me the tools I need in order to meet the needs of all of my students. I felt like I was under serving many of my students this past year because our curriculum was not differentiated. By having the time to get to know Otus, I feel empowered and knowledgeable about the tools it features. I am very excited to see what Otus is going to be able to do next year. I think it has so much potential not only for differentiating assessments, but also for formative assessments, warm ups, polls, discussions, and creating differentiated lessons. My goal is to first focus on assessments and learn how to create them well. Then, I will use Otus for more activities in my classroom.


Gif from Giphy


The most positive aspect of this journey was actually beginning the process to implement Otus with my science department. We met, virtually, to discuss what each tiered assessment might look like and created examples of differentiated assessments. I think this was the right first step before learning Otus because once we do, we will hit the ground running and start creating our assessments. Besides the beginning of implementation, I have also received valuable feedback from the peer review. I think it is important to see something from the perspective of another educator.

Gif from Giphy


Along the way, there have also been some challenges. After talking with one of our school administrators, she was not sure if Amplify would be able to transfer question banks into Otus. This was concerning because we want to work to create several tiers for the assessments. Without a question bank, we would have to type and format them manually. The questions tend to be lengthy with pictures needed for comprehension, which would be time consuming to add into Otus. However, at our last department virtual meeting, she did say that Amplify will be able to transfer questions. This is huge because it will make differentiation faster and simpler. We won't have to flip back and forth, from Amplify to Otus, when making assessments.


After creating this proposal, I understand the importance of the role of a Learning Specialist and Instructional Designer. Without them, districts would not know which applications to invest in. There are so many needs within one school, and it is hard to know what is the best fit. The Learning Specialist and Instructional Designer really are the driving force when it comes to research, presentation, and implementation of tools. I have a newly found respect for those who take on this job because I know it is not easy. However, it is rewarding once you see all of the possibilities created from that tech tool.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Professional Learning Network

Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) Source Over the past few weeks, I have been learning the value of professional learning networks, or PLNs , to the profession of education. A PLN is a virtual space where people can chat and share resources/ideas. As teachers, the field of education in constantly changing. New problems arise, new resources become introduced, and sometimes we struggle to keep up. However, by staying connected with other teachers/coaches, we can get ahead of the times and be better prepared to teach our kids. Source I created a Twitter account, @DowneyC16 , in hopes of gaining new insight from others. As a third year teacher, I know there is so much I need to improve on and learn. At the same time, I know I have strengths that can be shared with others as well. As I became acclimated with Twitter, I began to follow several accounts that were of interest to me, including: @MindshiftKQED , @edutopia , @MonicaGentaED , @NASASTEM , @PhETsims , and others....
2 comments
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more