3.3 Online and Blended Learning
Candidates develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student
learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators. (PSC 3.3/ISTE 3c)
learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators. (PSC 3.3/ISTE 3c)
Artifact:
Reflection:
Standard 3.3 Online & Blended Learning
The candidate will develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators.
Briefly describe the artifact and the context in which it was created. What was your individual contribution(s)?
This artifact is a multimedia design project/webquest that I created as part of ITEC 7445. It is a webquest in which students worked together to design an airplane and marketing plan to try to keep the airplane manufacturing plant in their town open. Through this project, students studied design of airplanes, as well as business plans, profit/loss reports and other information to create a design for an airplane that could be the key to helping the local manufacturing plant get back to the thriving company that it once was. It was designed for the gifted students in third and fourth grade, but it could be tweaked to work with other students as well. I created this independently, with some input from a friend who is a company leader at Gulfstream, in our town.
Explain how this artifact demonstrates mastery of the standard/element under which it is placed.
Standard 3.3 requires that the candidate model and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend learning and expand choices for professional learning. I believe that this artifact demonstrates mastery of this standard because this activity was an example of blended learning. In class, we had developed the background knowledge for this project through discussion, traditional textbooks and online research. The webquest had to be created online, and then they presented them in class for their peers, as well as other teachers and classes. I also shared this webquest among other gifted teachers, along with a quick explanation of the activity. This gave other teachers ideas for their own webqests or the opportunity to tweak this one for their class. I included contact information so that any teacher could contact me for further help.
What did you learn from completing this artifact? What would you do differently to improve the quality of the artifact or the process involved in creating the artifact?
I learned that being the facilitator is a very effective role for me with my students. It seems that my most effective lessons are the ones where the students take the lead. The results were so much more than I expected for them to be. I learned that, if I will take the time to create environments for students to express themselves freely, the level of thinking will be taken to a whole new level. As far as improving the artifact, one is a technical issue. When I attempted to save the PowerPoint to my portfolio, the file was too large to upload onto the site. After a few attempts, I finally just had to create a PDF of the presentation and upload it. If I were to do it again, I would create it in Google Sheets, so that I could share it easily. For the actual project, I would improve it in a way that I had hoped to do this time. We actually have a large airplane manufacturing plant in our town, Gulfstream. I did have a guest come in to speak to the class, but I believe that the students would have been even more engaged in this, if we had been able to go on a field trip to the plant.
How did the work that went into creating the artifact impact school improvement, faculty development or student learning? How can the impact be assessed?
This project encouraged students to think critically and develop their creative thinking skills as well. They even had to analyze data presented to them. As a result of this project, the students became better thinkers. They gained confidence through this project, and I believe that we could see great progress if we completed projects like this a few times during the year.
Standard 3.3 Online & Blended Learning
The candidate will develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators.
Briefly describe the artifact and the context in which it was created. What was your individual contribution(s)?
This artifact is a multimedia design project/webquest that I created as part of ITEC 7445. It is a webquest in which students worked together to design an airplane and marketing plan to try to keep the airplane manufacturing plant in their town open. Through this project, students studied design of airplanes, as well as business plans, profit/loss reports and other information to create a design for an airplane that could be the key to helping the local manufacturing plant get back to the thriving company that it once was. It was designed for the gifted students in third and fourth grade, but it could be tweaked to work with other students as well. I created this independently, with some input from a friend who is a company leader at Gulfstream, in our town.
Explain how this artifact demonstrates mastery of the standard/element under which it is placed.
Standard 3.3 requires that the candidate model and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend learning and expand choices for professional learning. I believe that this artifact demonstrates mastery of this standard because this activity was an example of blended learning. In class, we had developed the background knowledge for this project through discussion, traditional textbooks and online research. The webquest had to be created online, and then they presented them in class for their peers, as well as other teachers and classes. I also shared this webquest among other gifted teachers, along with a quick explanation of the activity. This gave other teachers ideas for their own webqests or the opportunity to tweak this one for their class. I included contact information so that any teacher could contact me for further help.
What did you learn from completing this artifact? What would you do differently to improve the quality of the artifact or the process involved in creating the artifact?
I learned that being the facilitator is a very effective role for me with my students. It seems that my most effective lessons are the ones where the students take the lead. The results were so much more than I expected for them to be. I learned that, if I will take the time to create environments for students to express themselves freely, the level of thinking will be taken to a whole new level. As far as improving the artifact, one is a technical issue. When I attempted to save the PowerPoint to my portfolio, the file was too large to upload onto the site. After a few attempts, I finally just had to create a PDF of the presentation and upload it. If I were to do it again, I would create it in Google Sheets, so that I could share it easily. For the actual project, I would improve it in a way that I had hoped to do this time. We actually have a large airplane manufacturing plant in our town, Gulfstream. I did have a guest come in to speak to the class, but I believe that the students would have been even more engaged in this, if we had been able to go on a field trip to the plant.
How did the work that went into creating the artifact impact school improvement, faculty development or student learning? How can the impact be assessed?
This project encouraged students to think critically and develop their creative thinking skills as well. They even had to analyze data presented to them. As a result of this project, the students became better thinkers. They gained confidence through this project, and I believe that we could see great progress if we completed projects like this a few times during the year.