Capstone Project - Final Blog

I have loved the EDM 310-701 class because it was always fun and challenged my computer operating skills. Since putting all of the class projects into a lesson plan for the Capstone Project the pieces seem more important than the whole project. However the technology assistance for the lesson plan was great for teaching the curriculum so I will use some of the same programs in the future. Once our group got to the Capstone Project the things I had forgotten from previous projects showed but this final project reminded me of those things.

I feel as if I am better at working in a group since beginning the class. Truthfully I was intimidated by group projects but EDM 310 taught me to collaborate on serious parts of the process but also helped me have fun with the work because the rubric's left room for creativity. I also overcame some personality clashing issues with another member of the group.

Overall I plan on adding my new knowledge to my collection for the future when I will be able to truly utilize programs such as EDPuzzle and an Interactive Powerpoint for my students.

Capstone Project Overview

For our final project, my group has selected a lesson plan about American symbols. Some of the symbols include the American flag, the statue of Lady Justice, the Statue of Liberty, and the national anthem.  Here is the full lesson:

http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=33904

I think that this lesson is a great choice because the students gain identity as Americans. Specifically, at the end of the lesson the students are instructed to create a newscast interview about the definitions and importance of an American symbol in the lesson. The students first join groups of two and research the symbol of their choice. After finding information they are asked to formulate questions to ask the other group member in the mock newscast. The second part of this lesson involves the students making a graphic to display during the newscast interview.

Creating My Interactive Powerpoint

I had a good time creating this project and learned alot about Microsoft Powerpoint that I wish I knew sooner. This project opened up a new world to creating a presentation. I used a lesson plan from ALEX about the continents and then put triggers on the different locations that referenced to later slides about South America. I did not know that a few simple functions within Powerpoint could make the lesson so fun!

Since I have used Powerpoint before, I had background knowledge to get started. I used most of those skills in creating my transitions and animations and adding the material for the project into the slide show. To keep my Powerpoint simple I made it informational and hope to add more detail in later creations. I added a Youtube link to my pictures about the Amazon in order to teach about the animals, plants, and the environment as a whole. I liked that I could hyperlink to Youtube because it holds interesting videos that engage the students in the subject. Through a video the students can hear the sounds of the rainforest as well as see the many animals and plants without a long slideshow. I also added triggers to engage the short informational bullet points about South America into cues for animals sounds, when you click on "Amazon Rainforest", and the transitions to later slides. Those later slides held all of the details about a subject which made the facts more interesting.

I would use these new skills in the classroom to create presentations with fun activities, like learning games.

AT Presentation

Dennis Campbell provided many additional perspectives and details about assistive technologies with a universal design for the classroom. The fact that he is the father of a disabled child made me take to heart his suggestions. It was cool to see the board he brought in that his daughter used.

I did not learn about any new assistive technologies from the guest speaker, other than the ones mentioned in the video we watched before his presentation. However, after watching the video before class I was able to learn more details from Dennis Campbell when he showed in class. I think that even though the assigned video about assistive technologies was an hour long it was worth watching the whole video because it allowed time for so many different assistive technology devices to be shown which helped me during the presentation. Maybe a change could be made so that the devices are presented in a different way, for example putting the devices into a PowerPoint presentation. The information would then be quicker to learn without having someone present each device individually and speak about them separately. I think that the PowerPoint option would save time because each person could look at each assistive technology at their own speed.

The details that Dennis Campbell presented included the idea of a universal design for learning. I benefited greatly from that subject in his presentation. Overall I believe I walked away from Dennis Campbell's presentation with a better understanding of the needs students with disabilities require and what it means to make a lesson or task available to all learning types.

Assistive Technology in the Classroom

Assistive technology is any device or product that helps a child with disabilities learn in the classroom. For example, assistive technology includes a pencil grip or a programmed button. I learned many ways to use assistive technology in the classroom from the assigned video. I found some of the devices hard to use in a regular classroom because every student would need to be involved and that many resources would be pricey. However, my favorite device was the writer that was compatible with word and allowed students to type papers. What sold me on this device was the print option.

The only assistive technology I have seen implemented into the classroom was in a high school that provided laptops to every student. I want to see more of the resources the presenter showed used in a classroom because they are so beneficial to the students.

How do we, as the teachers, get the assistive technology devices and convince the school that it would be beneficial?
Are there programs or grants to help pay for the resources needed to involve the entire class, while all the students are using a device?

Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX)

The Alabama Learning Exchange website looked like the main source for teaching material in Alabama. I made an account with ALEX and used an e-mail I always check so that I can use ALEX after college. I liked that I could create my own lesson plans, podcasts, or learning assets. ALEX is convenient because the website allows for a personal workspace while creating new lesson plans or podcasts. This keeps all of the work you perform in ALEX in one place for convenience. After looking through ALEX I noticed there is also a tab on professional learning that gives information for ALEX training videos or professional development opportunities. After college I would use the professional learning tab, while continuing my education for a master's degree, to help me gain skills for administration in public school.

The ALEX program also has an ALEXville tab which allows users to communicate with fellow teachers and receive ALEX news. Overall, ALEX contained more material than I could even make use of today but I definitely took a mental note of this website for my use in the future.  

EDPuzzle - Group Results

After finishing my EDPuzzle and assigning it to my group members, I reviewed the results. With three group members participating only one member missed a question at all and just the first question. I think that my EDPuzzle was effective because of those results. Concerning the missed question,  I think that my definition of a regular verb should have been simplified in the introduction. For a future class I would write out the definition on the screen instead of only saying it because the student could then pause the video and focus. Even though the video segments before a question could be replayed as many times as necessary, some students are visual learners. Writing out the definition in the future will help visual students even if they understand the material from hearing it.