Module 6 Reflection

I have always been a user of project based learning so many of the items we have been working on and with are items I am already familiar with and use in my classroom. I think it is critical to help our students become critical thinkers - this is a skill they will need outside the classroom so any techniques - checklists, graphic organizers, questioning strategies etc we can use to help develop this is so important.

I find my greatest challenge now that I am not the classroom teacher is that I have a lot more trouble differentiating instruction as I usually do not know much about the class upon entering it for instruction. I need to get teachers to meet with me a head of time and give me some information on their students to help me better design my lessons to accomodate their needs.

Module 5 Reflection

This module on assessment has made me think about the different ways that I as a Media Specialist use assessment and how I can better use it with the variety of subjects I teach. For my unit plan it has reminded me how important that the assessment be understood clearly by all since I will not be the one implementing the whole unit, I will only be a assistant to the classroom teacher.

The pedagogical practices section made me think about how so often teachers don't think their students have the potential to recognize superior versus inferior. It seems that we always assume that students will think their work is superior no matter the quality. My experience tells me that students recognize what is quality work and know what the standard should be even if they do not perform at that level.

Module 4 Reflection

How can technology be used most effectively to support and assess student learning?

I think this module has helped to remind me how easy it is for students to get off task when working on the Internet doing research. I think one key aspect is to provide them some direction. I know we want students to have some choices, but I think they are still in great need of guidance. So I think creating a list of "great sites to start with" helps students to find a starting point that is on-task.

I also am reminded that as we increase the use of technology by students we increase the diversity of technology levels of the students and that the tasks we ask them to do may need instruction. Although most students by high school have made PowerPoint presentations, most of them have not been taught presentation skills and how to make the PowerPoint effective and enjoyable by others. Incorporating videos into presentations may also be a skill many are not yet familiar with - particulary how to find quality videos and how to show them during the presentation.

Reflection for Module 3

Not sure I have the right prompt...but I am going off my materials. (Kinda cheating, but since I am so far behind - where does the time go?)

This module has made me think about the impact of the Internet on my student's learning in the following ways...

I have recently been thinking a lot about copyright - I am watching students in the Media Center create projects for a public presentation and I see so many copyright violations I just cringe - but this makes me think my real learner for this information is the teacher. I need to make them part of the learning cycle on this as then they can pass the expectation on to their students. Since I don't have my own students I become responsible for the whole school and that is just too much. I also have been thinking about including the i-safe materials about cyber bullying in the library orientation days for the freshmen. This information is so critical that they need to get it early in high school to build awareness and hopefully prevent events that have happened in the news recently. (My Space court case)

Module 2 Reflection

This module has helped me think about using standards, CFQs or formative assessment in the following ways:

Since I am revising and integrating technology into an existing unit, it has made me realize that some teachers don't think about all these things when designing a unit. I have had to add in standards that should be addressed and create all the CFQs. I think all of these things are important to have as it gives the unit a central focus and a point to keep referring back to. I also think using the standards help to keep us focused through out the unit on what the learning is that we want the students to achieve.

Module 1 Reflection

This module has made me think about my role as an instructional designer in the following ways:

As a Media Specialist I have to think about instructional design differently than I used to as a classroom teacher. So when I think about instructional design I think of the different things I can do in the Media Center while collaborating with teachers. I think it is more difficult because of the need for collaboration. I have to work with other teachers so my role varies depending on the teacher. I like to be the one helping teachers integrate more technology into their lessons but often encounter resistence as they don't want anyone changing their lessons. I think my greatest challenge is getting teachers to let the students have more control and to let me guide them while they are in the Media Center.