Grades - Disruptive Innovation in Technology - Class 3

Grades have been posted!  484.9375 out of 500 which is an A!  96.9875  (I am glad that one is over!)

Final Post with links - Summary of Class

5305 Disruptive Innovation in Technology

This is a "Call to Action" video about ePortfolios in the classroom.  (It was created using Google Slides, Samsung S7 phone, photos and video by me, all done at a local school in the Houston area.)

If you would like to read more details about my proposal letter, literature review, and my implementation outline, click the following links.

During this course, I had to compose a proposal letter about an innovation project.  My topic was starting an e-Portfolio for each student in pre-k, rather than waiting for third grade when students are to create a Google Site as part of one of their required technology projects.  The students will be using their 21st century skills while they take ownership of their work, so their true personalities will begin to surface.




Next, I completed a literature review which has research about using ePortfolios including the benefits, along with using the Growth Mindset and COVA approach in the classroom.  In this day and time, the world of technology is continuously moving, growing, and changing.  Information is readily available at all times with the internet and a click of a few buttons.

EPortfolios are a great way for students to show who they are, what they have done, and how they have grown as a student.  It will be a collection of their work with reflections of what they learned throughout the educational adventure.  Completing school is more than a diploma.



 Lastly, I create an implementation outline of the plan which slowly rolls out the plan to incorporate ePortfolios in the lower grades so when the students get to third grade they have the basic skills needed to build upon what they have already learned.  This plan includes a pilot program as well as a multi-step implementation plan for the future.






 For more information regarding innovative education and ePortfolios, below is an annotated list of additional resources.

UPDATE

Comments from Instructional Assistance, Grade 148/150 

You have written a well organized post that includes all the necessary links. Good job. 

Sara

Video - Call to Action Plan - Innovation Project

INSTRUCTIONS:

Throughout this course, you have been exposed to a wide assortment of video clips that convey significant messages and we hope motivate or inspire you to action. In this assignment, you are to create a short video of your own that will help you encourage others and convey your position to those in your organization that might not be quite ready to take a leap of faith.

Instructions

Step 1 - What is Your Digital Story

• Create a two minute digital story/video clip that you can use to bolster your innovation plan and that will call people to action.
• Upload the video to YouTube, Vimeo or some similar video sharing site.

Please note: You cannot use PowToon, Wedio, WeVideo, GoAnimate, Animoto, or other animated content creation site for this project.

Step 2 - Communicating a vision for change - Week 5

You will be using the video that you created as a starting point for the message you will craft in the final week to motivate and inspire your organization to take advantage of the opportunity that you have identified in your innovation planning.

HERE IS MY VIDEO:

Discussion 6 - Communicating Your Ideas

I believe that I am an innovative educator and continue to try harder all the time.  
One example is when I recently attended a training with other teachers in my district.  
We worked together with other teachers to make lessons for our ClearTouch Panels
using the Nuiteq website and share them on their website for all of the users to view.  
We also made a list of the assignments to share with our curriculum department.
They in turn are going to incorporate these lessons in to the scope and sequence for
all the teachers in the district to use in their daily lessons.

Each day I am creating a learning environment where the students work is meaning
and authentic.  They are using the dramatic play center as different things such as a
bakery, pumpkin patch, vet office, fire station, camp site, etc to make real life
connections.  We give them to learning tools to help them make real-life connections
while learning vocabulary words and how to communicate with others. They work
in the centers are their own.  

They also have the Lego/Construction center where they have all sorts of learning
manipulatives in which they can build, create, and manipulate the way they want.
They have complete creative freedom to do as they prefer.  We give them a
suggested theme like “make a pumpkin patch” but they create their own interpretation
of what they are doing in their own way.

The play dough center is another way they express their own ideas. When
counting and making numbers some of them made little tiny balls to count.  
Other might pinch off small bits of it, while others try and create an animal
or shape of their choice.

Under communication is a great problem in many areas. When administration doesn’t
communicate what is happening at a school, people don’t know what is going on.  When
teachers don’t communicate to students what needs to be done, they get upset with
students for not doing the right things.

Communication is very important so that everyone is on the same page, so they
will understand what is happening, and so everyone has the same information
about a situation.

When people don’t communicate then the people on the other end have to
guess about things, make judgements, and predict what the first person was wanting.

Literature Review

Instructions

From the assigned module readings, compile a literature review that supports your innovation plan and that will help you share what you have learned with your colleagues and community. You will want to have a minimum of 10-12 citations in your literature review so you will need to supplement your readings with a minimum of 5 or more additional articles that point to technologies trends and reference these additional articles in your literature review.

We encourage you to use the traditional document format that can easily be updated and prepared for a potential article submission. The most important aspect of the literature review is to identify who your audience will be and why and how they will use the material. This literature review must be used to help identify innovation opportunities and support the innovation plan and implementation outline that you will develop in this course.

Here is my literature review on ePortfolios in the classroom.

UPDATE: Comments "Good job"
Grade 145 out of 150 = 96.67

Discussion 5 - Change

The video was very powerful.  It is amazing how a few words can make a difference.  
Students will remember how you made them feel, not their grades.  They remember
teachers because of their kindness (or how mean they are).  I remember one of my
elementary teachers that were very mean. She even told us she didn’t like kids.  

We, as educators, have to remember the students are humans and they have feelings
and opinions, regardless of their age.  

It makes me that about something that has been posted in some of my teacher groups.  
It is a poem called, “Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil.” I will attach it, and type it here.

Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil

By Joshua T. Dickerson

I woke myself up

Because we ain’t got an alarm clock

Dug in the dirty clothes basket,

Cause ain’t nobody washed my uniform

Brush my hair and teeth in the dark,

Cause the lights ain’t on

Even got my baby sister ready,

Cause my mama wasn’t home.

Got us both to school on time,

To eat us a good breakfast.

Then when I got to class the teacher fussed

Cause I ain’t got a pencil.

It seems that the head always want the facts which is why we seem to focus on the
facts most of the time.  The head takes over the heart. If we think with our head, not
our hearts, we are less likely to get hurt or attached to someone by becoming emotionally
involved.  When you are emotionally involved you are more likely to invest in what you
are doing, want to help or make a difference.

Words are very powerful.  My grandma used to say, “Choose your words wisely!”  
I remember her saying that about everything all the time.  

I remember that old saying kids used to say, “Whatever you say, bounces off of me and
sticks on you!”  Basically if someone says something ugly to you, you let it bounce off
of you so they it returns to them and effects them instead.

In my video creation I want to spark something in their viewers heart and slip in some
facts that will make them think.  I want to invoke some emotions first before planting
some facts in their subconscious.

In order to motivate them, I want to tug at their heart strings first.  Maybe a little
Christmas cheer due to the holiday season. It might even help to make them a little
nostalgic and remind them of some good childhood memories.  I have often heard the
saying, “Less is more” which could apply here.

To create a sense of urgency you need to show them how it will affect things in the
long run.  The sooner you start something, the sooner things will change, happen, and
move toward the positive.

Implementation Outline - Please Make Suggestions

Implementation Outline for

Disruptive Innovation with ePortfolios

The ePortfolio is an innovative way to track student progress, show their learning, and create
ownership of their work.  While creating the ePortfolio for our students, I am also suggesting
that we implement the COVA method of Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authentic learning
method.  This method will instill a sense of pride within the students, and they could use this
ePortfolio throughout their educational experience in our district. We can do better for our
students.  

Our desire to change must be greater than our desire to stay the same.  Technology is ever-changing
and we need to change with it to best serve our students.  

I would like to implement this new use of technology in the Pre-K classrooms on my
campus.  Their ePortfolio will follow the student throughout their educational career with
this district.  

I propose the students use their Google Apps account to access their Google Drive to save
their work, then start building a Google Site for their ePortfolio with the help of the classroom
teacher and the campus TIS (Technology Instructional Specialist).  

By doing this at an early stage, it prepares them for the future technology integration in other
grade levels.  In third grade they have to build a website in Google Sites as their technology
project. By starting in Pre-K they will have the skills needed to create, build, expanding, and
reflect on their previous work.

For my innovation project, I am suggesting we start using e-Portfolios in Pre-K.

It will showcase their work and they will continue using through 12th grade in our district.  

Here my link to my Implementation Outline in Google Docs or you can view it with the embedded document.

How to Clip Videos in iMovie

Thank goodness for You Tube!
I am so glad that people who know how to do things share them with the world.
I learned how to clip a sound file today.
Thanks to this video!!

https://youtu.be/XCGTX4yaWso

Google Slides into iMovie

We have to make a video for this 5305 class.  I am overwhelmed and freaking out because I do not really have any ideas on what to use as content let alone being worried about how to make the video.  My default or "go to" type tool is Google Slides.  LOVE ALL THINGS GOOGLE! 

I really hope I can come up with some content to use.  My mind is blank and I am at a complete loss.  I am really stressing over this!  It is due the last day of class on December 21 - which is a Friday.  I wish we had that weekend to work on it too.  It is hard for me to actually do quality work during the week after a long day at work!

Here is a video on how to use Google Slides in iMovie.  It is pretty simple.  You download each slide and save it as a jpg.  Then drag them into iMovie.

Here you go....
https://youtu.be/AEZln_A56CM

Proposal Letter

Instructions for the assignment.

Create/develop an argument for change in your organization that you plan to implement--this argument for change will be referred to as your innovation proposal. Consider all the points that you discussed with your colleagues in the two Collaborative Discussions when you are making your innovation proposal. Your innovation proposal will provide the foundational background for the literature review, the implementation outline, the promotional video and the final presentation of your innovation plan that you will be developing in the rest of this course. 

The innovation proposal can be submitted in any format but keep in mind that it will also be used in your ePortfolio as a part of the final blog post where you present your final plan that you will share with your organization.

Here is the link to my letter.

UPDATE:
Comments: Nice, the research is there to support your thinking.  I look forward to seeing how the little guys like charting their progress in an ePortfolio.

Grade: 71.75 out of 75

APA Format for Reference Page - Hanging Indent

I am sitting here working on this dreadful Literature Review for my third class at Lamar.  (This is three out of 12.  At least when this one is done I will be a fourth of the way done!)

I am "less than happy" at the moment.  This is too much work for one 5 week class.  We are having to not only write long posts on the discussion board and type up responses, we have a bunch of assignments.  Each one of these assignments should have been a different class if they really wanted quality work.

We are having to do a proposal letter, a literature review with 3 subtitles and 10-12 resources, an implementation outline, (as if this was really going to happen), a video, yes..... I said video, and a final blog post to summarize.  TOO MUCH to say the least!  There is no way this class was designed for "working adults".

I am glad to know that everyone that I have talked to in the class is very unhappy, overwhelmed, and stressed as well.  Look out survey, you are going to get an ear full this time from a lot of people!

Okay - back to my point.  I finally figured out how to make the references the right way and thought I should write it down so I would remember if I need to know again later.

Put your mouse cursor next to the resource you need to format or highlight all of them at the same time, if you have more than one.

THEN........

You click on FORMAT at the top.
Then click on "Align and indent".
Then click on "indentation options".

THEN.....
under "Special" it will probably say "none", so change it to "Hanging".  

Then your References will be in the APA Format with the second (and all other lines) indented. 

YOUR WELCOME!  :)

Discussion 4 - Want to Innovate?

            I think that I am flexible.  I am always changing things when things don’t work out.  I am willing to adapt and do things differently than I have done in the past.  I am always going to professional development and wanting to learn and implement the latest and greatest ideas.  I am always looking for new ideas and make changes accordingly.

I am not sure that all departments of my school district are willing to be so flexible. Some of the administrations don't understand or want to understand the need for change in the right directions.  Some of them want to change things, just to say they changed things. They aren’t willing to make the necessary adjustments that really work. They aren’t finding out from the sources (teachers in the classroom) what really needs to be done.  Some people, once they leave the classroom, aren’t really in touch with what is happening in the real world (in the classrooms) and aren’t in touch with what students really need these days. It is very frustrating to the teachers, the ones that are doing all the work, that people aren’t really interested in what we have to say about what is happening, they just sit in the offices making decisions without regards to our thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

I am very committed to the kids and letting them use technology.  Now that I am teaching pre-k (wasn’t my choice), I have to be a little more cautious when rolling out the technology.  Most of them “play” on their parents phones, yet they aren’t really using technology as a learning tool. We have slowly implemented technology in our classroom this year.  We are doing things slowly and I am making extra sure they are using it correctly. (We have to very careful when rolling out technology because these four year old are ruthless.  Sorry, but it’s true. Most of them don’t know how to play properly, and seem to not know or what to know how to use materials properly. Recently one student was in the dramatic play center and was banging one of the baby dolls on the “stove” like a hammer.  Needless to say we had to have a conversation about the proper way to play.)

I think that my colleagues want to use technology, but they really don’t understand it themselves.  They want to do things for the kids, but they can’t take the time to learn it first. The pressure that we all are under, doesn’t allow us to take time to slow down and learn things ourselves.  Even though most of the teachers will go to training, they learn something new at the moment, but aren’t given the time to implement the things they learn into their class. Administration is breathing down our necks and don’t realize that if they slacked off a bit, teachers would be less stressed and could do a better job and the students would benefit more.

I really try to provide a great learning environment for the students that offer choice, ownership, voice, through authentic projects.  Due to the requirements and the structure that the pre-k department provides us, sometimes it is a difficult task. There are certain ways they want things done, a certain requirement, a distinct way they want us to reach a goal.  When we are given set limits on what we can do and how to do them, it is difficult to provide freedom to the students. Again, I think sometimes administration is more interested in asserting their authority over classroom teachers, rather than allowing them the flexibility to do things that are best for the students.  If the teachers were given more freedom to accomplish the goals and the state requirements the way they see is best for their class, I believe that students would learn more. I like that Dr. Jean tells teachers, “Close your door!” Sometimes you just have to do that and do what’s best for the students.

Discussion 3 - Progressive Education

I like what John Dewey said, “The world is moving at a tremendous rate.  No one knows where. We must prepare our children not for the world of the past, not for our world, but for their world, the world of the future!”  We have to prepare the students for jobs that haven’t been invented, prepare them for changes that haven’t happened, for technology that hasn’t been invented.  We have to teach these students about the ever changing real world.

In the video it mentioned about a one room schoolhouse.  My grandmother and grandfather were teachers long time ago…. Probably in the late 20’s.  My grandmother had the lower grades and my grandfather had the upper grades and coached the sports. The room was small and sometimes where were only one or two students in a grade level.  They were in a small town area and so they didn’t need a large school.

I remember doing some hands-on activities in kindergarten, but not too many after that. I remember Ms. Conley loving to cook so whenever she could, she had us cooking things.  I think she did most of the work, but we “helped” by stirring etc. I remember making Christmas ornaments that were salt, flour, and water (I think) and my mom kept those for many many years, until they basically fell apart.

One other activity that comes to mind was a macrame pot holder we made in fifth grade.  My mom bought the necessary items and we learned how to do it at school. The teacher showed us how and we were able to work on it when we finished our work.  It inspired most of us to focus and finish our work so that we could work on this project. It was lots of fun and we sat in a group and were able to be creative.  I remember mine was blue and had butterfly accents. My mom loved it. She loved plants and had a bunch on our back patio. She hung this up and put one of her plants in it.  She kept it there for many many years, until the weather caused it to deteriorate.

One phrase they used in the video was “learning by doing”.  This is what we are doing in Pre-K. They are learning by doing the activities, hands-on engagement.  We have different centers in our classroom. They are math, writing, construction (Legos), technology, creativity, dramatic play, alphabet, library and sometimes “floor” which is usually a puzzle.  Each center has different activities and they are learning by doing. I wish that all grade levels would do this kind of thing.

In order for students to learn by doing, they have to be invested in what they are doing.  I took a boring Biology class in high school. Of course we had to dissect a frog. Luckily I had a boy partner who was okay with touching the yucky frog.  I wrote the reports. I knew right then that I didn't want to touch things so that eliminated several career choices for me. I have been on many job interviews in my life and none of them have asked me if I knew how to dissect a frog and none of them have asked me to actually do it.

I know why teachers don’t have more centers, because administration doesn’t always see the value of hands-on activities.  They are so blinded by the test, getting ready for the test, the test, the test, the test… they “can’t see the forest for the trees” so to speak.  If other grades are doing money in math, why can’t they have a “store” and pretend to buy and sell things? Look at how many other skills they would be working on while doing their “math lesson”.  I think that teachers would be willing to step out of the box more, if administration were always “breathing down our necks.” They are always nitpicking on things.

We now have “power walks” in our district.  (The coaches go to all day trainings on these things.)  Any “coach” can come in at any time and see if you are in the "power zone", doing critical writing, having purposeful talk, if your lesson is “framed” and on the board, and doing recognize and reinforce.  They claim that it is a “snapshot” but it’s really not. It is a “gotcha” most of the time. They “collect data” and then have these little “talks” with you about what you did and what you didn’t do. Teachers are scared to do anything out of the norm, scared to be creative, and scared to venture off at all because someone will say something.  They are so worried about “staying on schedule”. To me real teaching is those moments when you get side-tracked when a students asks a questions that takes you down a different path and you need to spend a few minutes venturing down that path. This is when students become invested into an idea or thought. This is when students start to develop a true interest in what is happening in the classroom.

Teachers hands are tied when they try to do new things in the classroom.  The teachers that do want to change aren’t always allowed to make changes.  It is exhausting to fight a battle that you know that you aren’t going to win.  People talk about wanting to make changes, but they aren’t making them in the right way.  Just buying technology isn’t going to help. We have to know what to do and how to do it. We (classroom teachers) have to be given the freedom to make a change, take a chance, and given opportunity to show the results.  It seems like administrators wan things right now and sometimes “right now” isn’t how things happen.