2.3 Authentic Learning
Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to engage students in authentic learning experiences.
Engaged Learning Project
The Engaged Learning Project was created in the 21st Century Teaching and Learning course. The purpose of this artifact was to develop a extended learning experience that would support the Engaged Learning Indicators. The learning experience had to be standards-based and it required the use of higher-order thinking skills. For the project, I created a 30 day that focused on writing and science standards. The topic of the unit was Flood Awareness. This was a relevant topic because, in the previous school year, most of the students had experienced a flood that occurred in our area. The overall goal of the project was to create a comprehensive website about Flood Awareness that they could share with other areas (locally and nationally) that are likely to experience flooding. The project also included technological elements such as using laptops, Internet research, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and Google Sites.
The Engaged Learning Project demonstrated mastery of Standard 2.3 because the unit uncorporated the use of digital tools and resources. The final product for the project was meaningful based on the community's previous experiences; and authentic as the intended audience was tangible. The technology use that was included within the lesson plans was meant to provide an engaging learning experience.
The completion of the Engaged Learning Project was a turning point in my career as an educator. While I have always believed in the importance of student engagement during learning, I had spent very little time developing lesson plan units that authentically reached out to the community. This artifact really showed me that it is possible to do it all - I can teach content based standards in fun and meaningful ways. Pulling real world based activities into the classroom are great way to provide higher order thinking skills that students can actually apply to their future endeavors. Overall, I also learned a lot about looking at the "big picture." By using a backwards design approach, I was able to develop a 30 day unit which could be easily implement into the classroom. To improve the quality of this artifact, I would have taken the opportunity to implement this project throughout my grade level. I think all of the fourth grade classrooms could have benefitted from this opportunity. Also, I initially used Google Sites as one of the technology tools that students would be using, but, after gaining experience with other web page development sits, I would probably use something a little more fourth grade friendly.
The work that went into creating the Engaged Learning Project impacts student learning. The project is meant to take a learning opportunity to the next level. Many lessons do not promote higher order thinking skills and creativity, but we know that these are necessary elements for meaningful learning. This assignment also gave me practice in developing an engaged learning unit. The lesson plan formatting was a little different experience than what I was use to, but it definitely gave me good practice. The impact for this assignment could be assessed by reviewing the assessments completing during the unit by the students. Student learning data could be collected and analyzed.
The Engaged Learning Project demonstrated mastery of Standard 2.3 because the unit uncorporated the use of digital tools and resources. The final product for the project was meaningful based on the community's previous experiences; and authentic as the intended audience was tangible. The technology use that was included within the lesson plans was meant to provide an engaging learning experience.
The completion of the Engaged Learning Project was a turning point in my career as an educator. While I have always believed in the importance of student engagement during learning, I had spent very little time developing lesson plan units that authentically reached out to the community. This artifact really showed me that it is possible to do it all - I can teach content based standards in fun and meaningful ways. Pulling real world based activities into the classroom are great way to provide higher order thinking skills that students can actually apply to their future endeavors. Overall, I also learned a lot about looking at the "big picture." By using a backwards design approach, I was able to develop a 30 day unit which could be easily implement into the classroom. To improve the quality of this artifact, I would have taken the opportunity to implement this project throughout my grade level. I think all of the fourth grade classrooms could have benefitted from this opportunity. Also, I initially used Google Sites as one of the technology tools that students would be using, but, after gaining experience with other web page development sits, I would probably use something a little more fourth grade friendly.
The work that went into creating the Engaged Learning Project impacts student learning. The project is meant to take a learning opportunity to the next level. Many lessons do not promote higher order thinking skills and creativity, but we know that these are necessary elements for meaningful learning. This assignment also gave me practice in developing an engaged learning unit. The lesson plan formatting was a little different experience than what I was use to, but it definitely gave me good practice. The impact for this assignment could be assessed by reviewing the assessments completing during the unit by the students. Student learning data could be collected and analyzed.