Candidates make use of a variety of instructional strategies and assessment tools to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments in partnership with classroom teachers and other educators.
Reflection
"I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap."
~Ani DiFranco When I paired up with the French 2 teacher to collaborate on a lesson for her class I gained real insight into the mentality of a media specialist. A media specialist relies on the comfort of a common goal as she celebrates the strength in collaborative differences. In the end, the students benefit from our collective knowledge. The first thing we discussed while planning was how to modernize the antiquated travel unit. I had recently attended the MASL conference where the keynote speaker was discussing infographics and thought it would be a good fit. The assignment that we ended up with was to create infographic advertisements for French speaking countries. |
Artifacts
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On the first day of the lesson the students researched information about their assigned country. The teacher wanted them to Google the information, but I knew that there were better ways to find reliable information. I suggested a few databases that can be accessed on the schools website and created a brief tutorial for the students.We used an exit survey to assess the students comfort with the assignment on day one and debriefed together to prepare for day two.
On the second day of the lesson, the students used Microsoft Publisher to create their infographics. One thing we learned from the exit surveys on day one was that the students needed more structure. I created a checklist for students to track their progress and compare it to the rubric. We also added written instructions for using Publisher to help troubleshoot students questions. When students were done, we printed their infographics and they are hanging in the French 2 classroom. Overall, the teacher was very pleased with our final project and the kids were able to show their knowledge in a creative way. At the end of the whole process, the teacher and I sat down and made notes about the project and how we would change it for future groups. It is now in the media's lesson archives for use with the foreign language travel units.
When I reflect on this assignment I am proud of two things. The first is my successful teaching of Publisher which is a relatively new technology in my life. I feel like I have gained confidence in my ability to teach technology. This is not a lesson I would have been comfortable with at the start of the program. The other aspect of the lesson that I am proud of is the collaborative part. I am a confident teacher but this lesson highlighted the different teaching styles that can exist between two teachers. As the media specialist, I had to adapt my style to her class while still presenting my knowledge in a successful way. It ended up being a great lesson but only because we successfully communicated.
When I reflect on this assignment I am proud of two things. The first is my successful teaching of Publisher which is a relatively new technology in my life. I feel like I have gained confidence in my ability to teach technology. This is not a lesson I would have been comfortable with at the start of the program. The other aspect of the lesson that I am proud of is the collaborative part. I am a confident teacher but this lesson highlighted the different teaching styles that can exist between two teachers. As the media specialist, I had to adapt my style to her class while still presenting my knowledge in a successful way. It ended up being a great lesson but only because we successfully communicated.