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My growth in transliteracy has been unexpectedly delightful, useful, and surprising to me. I was green with envy as I watched other teachers seamlessly integrate technology with content, presenting to other educators, and their presence on social media. I want to do that. How did they do that? Where do I start to learn that? These questions pushed me in this program. It drove me to try new technology, to dive into social media, and to expand my capacity to innovate with technology. I used it. I liked some of it. I struggled with some of it. I ultimately learned its value in a primary classroom. However, I think this class, this program, my research wouldn't have been the same experience without the pandemic. It gave me a new appreciation for the importance and far-reaching effect technology has. We, teachers and students, wouldn't have seen such growth in transliteracy in previous years. Out of necessity and struggle came great growth, skills, and I hope for many, determination to tackle the hard things and to embrace the technology that kept us afloat for so many months as an educational system. At the end of this, my research focused on communication between peers during play but it involved the teleconferencing element that didn't exist for many classrooms prior to 2020. It was new to me, new to my students, and gave me a new perspective on transliteracy. I, along with the students, were learning this whole new skill set in technology, rules, parameters, limitations, and a new communication tool as we zoomed. Wow! We were immersed in technology for a time period that changed us. Our transliteracy expanded and deepened in a way that wouldn't have if not given the circumstances of our pandemic of 2020. I just signed my son up for swim lessons, and it has me thinking... how did I learn to swim? There was an old adage "sink or swim," and I was literally pushed into the pool. I sank, but fortunately my cousin scooped me out. From that point on I decided I shouldn't be in the deep end if I can't swim. So I doggy paddled around in the shallow end for a couple of summers, and then I started venturing to the middle of the pool practicing my version of swim strokes. I stayed afloat. It didn't look pretty, but it did the job. With time, I improved and was in the deep end doing laps. No one expected me to be swimming in my second, third, or 40th attempt. With time, I practiced and got better. It was with time and practice that I perfected my stroke (okay, not perfected but improved). It was with time and practice that I swam. It was with time and practice that I also became confident in my skills and could transfer my skills into the ocean and into water sports. It is with time and practice that my skills in transliteracy will also improve. I came into this program knowing little about the technology that we learned, used, and created with. All the beginning stages of using the technology and creating, were not pretty or perfect. The end products I produced served their purpose, but now that I look back I can see that I was just trying to stay afloat, and I did. My "struggles" had nothing to do with what we were being asked to do or what program we used. My biggest struggle was the time. Not enough time and practice in that intersection of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge, so I could confidently create and use all my skills seamlessly. Entering this master's program was my "sink or swim" moment. I just kinda had to jump in, but luckily I didn't sink! I stayed afloat! I practiced my skills in technology integration, and I have improved greatly. I would say I am in the deep end of the technology and TPACK pool and I am doing a sophisticated doggy paddle, using tech skills to stay afloat and get things accomplished. I just need to spend more time in the pool to practice and improve my skills and transferring that to my teaching more often with better integration. This week we are charged with examining how our work within the program fits in with Touro University’s values. Here are the values that Touro is dedicated to:
My research and work within this program exemplifies student-centered education. The play-based learning that was the focus of my work from the beginning, is inspired by the students. They need play. They want to be playful. They contribute and learn while playing because their interests are considered and incorporated. I want their learning to be about them enjoying themselves. However, one of the biggest takeaways that I had during my work was less about play and language, and more about seeing the deficits that exist in distance learning. I discovered from my work in distance learning and the empirical research is that teacher preparation programs must include coursework in virtual learning and teleconferencing programs used for primary students/classrooms. For those teachers that are veterans, supporting their professional development in the same above mentioned areas would be beneficial for all districts to examine and bring to their existing workforce.. My second takeaway is that education technology development must look at making teleconferencing programs that are user friendly for primary students- less words and more pictures. Teleconferencing programming for education is the future. I mean whoever heard of Zoom prior to March 2020, and if they did I hope they bought stock in it! It was new to so many educators, and now after a year of using it, the educators see where the program works and where it falls short. Exploring, developing, and improving the security, accountability, and safety students have, especially primary students, while using teleconferencing programming will Collaborating on the above with the teacher community, starting with my colleagues at my site and throughout the district would be a result of my journey in the GSOE program. I would like more teachers to examine these themes and make improvements for our current and future situations for our district and students. I wanted to try to keep this post positive with an image of Dory and her famous quote, "Just keep swimming," but honestly, I feel more like the person in the image above. I am running this hamster wheel that seems without end. I am making every effort to keep up so I don't fall and succumb to this semester's homework speed. I am starting to feel outta breath, exhausted, and ready to hop off! It is not only the course work of the Master's program, but also the demands of teaching virtually and in-person, home life, getting pink-slipped (again), and let us not forget that we are still in a pandemic that is slowly lifting its heavy weight off our lives.
So how do I stay focused and keep running this hamster wheel? I better remind myself, by putting it in writing here for when those unwelcomed, daunting, pessimistic thoughts creep in and I need to remind and reassure myself that the end is within reach, and then I can get off the wheel. Strategies and affirmations I will use to accomplish what needs to get done and finish strong:
It was sad for me to realize that as a teacher, I had stopped learning technology. I was complacent. And it became blaringly obvious in March 2020 as we went to distance learning. My confidence and competence with using technology, was at best at the "survival" level based on Mandinach and Cline's scale from Classroom Dynamics: Implementing a Technology Based Learning Environment. My technology knowledge was basic, and it only incorporated what my district required for students to use. I didn't have the technology knowledge to know what to incorporate effectively, although my content and pedagogy knowledge was extensive. I couldn't transfer my learning to students, because I wasn't learning technology!
Fast-forward to today, and I am proudly moving on up the confidence and competence scale, somewhere between "mastery" and "impact." Distance learning made me really look at my use and knowledge of technology or lack there of. When I examined and tried to incorporate technology in March 2020, I was spending hours teaching myself technology. I was trying to learn the technology well enough to explain it to my students and their families, transferring my learning, but teaching others takes a deep understanding of the content. It led me to Touro's Innovative Learning in Education Master's Program. If I was spending hours learning technology for my classroom, I should be working alongside other like-minded educators and get some college credit for it. I admit making more money was a factor too! It has given me technology experience, skills, and inspiration that are proving to be instrumental to a rapidly changing world of education. So as I started a new school year with some technology knowledge budding and developing within me, I created lessons that embedded technology for my use and my students' use. I broadened my knowledge of technology use and programs, so that I can be more effective teaching my students digital citizenship, skills, and transliteracy. I also am learning how technology can make teaching efficient. Look at me now! I have a TWITTER account, created completely digital lessons and activities in Seesaw, use screen casting for a blended model of teaching and learning, and use technology to increase engagement and collect data on the effectiveness of my teaching. And the collaboration with like-minded educators has been so inspirational and motivating as we dawn this new school year of distance learning. Cohort-19, has set ourselves up for great success as we find that "sweet spot" in the TPAC model with a balanced, effective use of using technology, pedagogy and content knowledge. I set up the cameras, tried different overhead lighting, prepared my list of interview questions...then I sat in the "hot seat." Well, it is not as easy as I thought it would be. I thought I would speak eloquently and confidently during the interview. I had created the questions, and I did the research for months, so I knew the answers. Right?? No, not at all. The nerves of being recorded and knowing that others would be watching this, just got me tongue-tied. This must be how students experience some of their classroom interactions. They are confident they know the answers. They raise their hands and then the teacher calls on them, and then they fumble. They restart. They blank on what they want to say. They get frustrated and their answer is not what they had formulated in their head before the teacher called on them. This is the "hot seat" feeling. So how do you overcome that "hot seat" feeling and the second-guessing of oneself? I found that my "hot seat" feeling and the second-guessing of myself lessened as I practiced, again and again. I needed to practice answering. I needed to watch and hear myself on the first takes of the interview. It helped me to clarify what I wanted to communicate clearly in the interview. I grew more confident in my responses, and felt that anxiety melt away by just practicing and doing it again. I gave myself grace and permission to make mistakes and start again. This is what we have to instill in students. They need to practice questioning and answering. They need to have feedback on their work, to help gain clarity on improving. They need to be reassured that mistakes are where growth happens. We call that "bubblegum brain" in our class. Students and I talk daily about our brain growing like a big bubble of gum each and every time we try, practice, make mistakes. If we did nothing, then how will our brain grow? Here are a few mantras my students and I practice daily to affirm, reassure, and encourage students to keep going in the face of challenges: 1. "Practice makes improvement." 2. "I don't quit, that's called grit." 3. When someone makes a mistake..."That's okay. You're still cool." So my A-roll videos are filmed. It was painless and definitely a great way to grow new skills. Now on to more "bubblegum brain" experiences for me- WeVideo editing! Wish me luck! NVUSD has formulated a district mission and strategic plan that set out to move students and the organization towards 21st century learning and career-readiness. The mission statement is Transforming lives by instilling and inspiring lifelong learning in every student." The district also outlined specific steps it would like to achieve in its 2019-2022 Strategic Plan. The top 5 that stood out to me are: 1. Establish a District standard for technology purchases and use in the areas of front of classroom, student/staff devices, blended learning portal/Intranet, and social media. 2. Use of District-supported technology tools, devices, platforms, resources and applications to support student creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and personalized learning. 3. Provide Career Tech Ed pathways at all high schools. 4. Promote teacher externships that inform their understanding of 21st century jobs. 5. Provide student work-based learning opportunities. I love seeing this for our district, but one thing that I noticed upon examining my school's School Accountability Report Card (SARC) and School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), is that none of the above action steps are mentioned, measured or reported for my school site. That threw up a red flag immediately for me, and I think that is where I could help "nudge" my school into integrating the district's mission, tech plan, and more 21st century learning. My initial steps would be to ask why our SPSA doesn't target tech use, integration, and learning in the SPSA. It would be a discussion to have as a school staff. What are we doing to make sure we are addressing the strategic plan that the district has prioritized? What can we do to nudge us further along into tech and 21st century learning integration? How will we measure the success? Who will benefit from these steps? The district does not have an all-encompassing plan if the sites are not prioritizing, integrating, and measuring the 21st century learning and tech use outlined in the district strategic plan. It seems accountability of each school site to integrate these into their SPSA's is the piece that makes the district's plan fall short. My blog title, comes from the parallels between teaching and video production and directing. I know that isn't what we are suppose to blog about, but I think I am making these connections to reassure myself that this capstone video project is not so out of my league. In video production/directing and teaching you have your subjects/actors or students. You have your props- learning materials. You have your interview questions- informal assessment, anecdotal notes, and student feedback. You have your storylines- lesson plans. You have your shot list- lesson objectives that you hope to hear/capture from students. Then as the teacher/director you are often working on a vision of what students should experience and walk away understanding from the lesson. Then you have those impromptu moments when the actor/student goes way "off-script" and you learn to roll with it and use it in a learning moment. With all these similarities in planning and producing a mini-documentary and teaching, why do I feel so nervous and apprehensive about doing this project? On the upside, the planning part has been a steady stream of confident ideas for the shot list, interview questions, storyline, etc., but I am hitting that wall of anxiousness when I start to think about video editing, quality of shot, shot angles, audio/sound, etc. I really haven't produced a video of this quality and importance before. My repertoire consists of using Screencastify or the video tool on Seesaw to create lessons for my students. So when I was asked what are the specifications of my laptop in order to determine the program to use, I started getting sweaty just trying to figure out the darn device's specifications! And I have never even heard of Adobe Creative Cloud or WeVideo, so I am thinking this is going to be a huge learning curve. That is how I am feeling at this point. However, after viewing other capstone projects and knowing that my mini-documentary will be for other teachers, I have decided on a few things that I will use in my own capstone video. First, I love that the videos had very little data or text, but instead summarized how the teacher experienced the problem that they investigated in a real, meaningful, heartfelt way. I will definitely want to bring that emotional-evoking, human experience to my video. Second, I love how the video cut away from the interviewee/teacher to show videos that illustrated the topic. That brought variety and kept me engaged as a viewer. Third, I liked that in most videos there was one person as the narrator throughout the video. It made the video easy to follow and consistent. Last, I loved how some of the capstone videos defined the vocabulary used in the project. For example, one video defined "transliteracy" and another clarified "student inquiry vs. research." I think that is super helpful and doesn't assume that the viewer is going to know the terminology or it helped clarify misunderstandings of the terms. I will definitely be defining the term "play-based learning" because I have already experienced teachers misunderstanding the term when I have explained my project. So here is what I have so far for my video planning: Interview Questions & Shot List Subject & Storyline This career of teaching is about passion. I am passionate about what I do and the lives that I am impacting which keeps me propelling forward on this teaching journey. We know it isn't about the recognition, accolades, or pay. And a piece of my teaching that energizes me, drives me, and I can spend hours doing is play-based learning.
Play-based learning has been a piece of my teaching for years. As a kindergarten teacher, I would see students who were reserved or reluctant to participate in whole group, come alive in play. They would talk with peers, practice targeted skills happily, and be more engaged than at any other time. So, it was a natural part of my research to look at play-based learning in the class. The benefits of play-based learning include cooperation, communication, socio-emotional development, developing concepts of the world and people around them, etc. But with the pandemic and the virtual learning model that we were teaching in, I wanted to see how one or two of these documented benefits compared when students were virtual vs. in-person. It started with formulating this for a kindergarten class, but changed to first grade about 1/3 of the way through the process. The type of play-based learning changed from collaboratively designed play where I would structure play based on the students' interests and facilitate and extend peer conversations while they were at play, to learning through games in which games are designed and used to intentionally and explicitly teach academic content and skills. I decided to look at what games the students were enjoying and what their conversations were during game play. It was a challenge. I recorded students playing games with partners while in-person, but the microphones picked up every noise in the class including the conversations that every pairing was having. I didn't have the audio equipment or expertise to film and mic the students individually, which made analyzing the communication a challenge. And when I did the same scenario virtually, I could only hear, see, and record one group at a time in the breakout rooms. Another challenge was myself. I talked way more when we were virtual then in-person. The delay in the tele-communications program when people were talking and the ability to only hear one speaker at a time, had me "jumping the gun" and answering without giving enough wait time. I also was pressed for time now that we only students for 2.5 hours a day compared to 6+ hours. I pressured myself to move the lesson along rather than hearing from the learners and their thinking. Looking at my research, I came to some conclusions that warrants further development and can be my "next steps." First, I would like to collaborate with other educators on looking at other tele-communication programs or developing a system to use that would allow the teacher to supervise the breakout rooms from the host screen. It would help with accountability, security and safety when students are working in breakout room. Second, I would also like to collaborate on developing best practices for online learning for primary grades. It would include playing games virtually, using breakout rooms effectively, and increasing student talk while online. The "failures" I experienced during my research have become my stepping stones to rise above and improve my teaching practices as well as extend myself to collaborate with other teachers. |
Erica ReevesThe wonderings and "AHA" moments of a kindergarten teacher. Archives
April 2021
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