Theme+1+-+Facilitating+and+Inspiring+Learning+and+Creativity

Goal #1- Facilitate and inspire learning and creativity using existing and emerging technologies

I believe that if you can achieve this goal, you are doing your job as a teacher, which is to educate your students in an environment that encourages them to learn in the way that best fits their strengths. Creativity is something that allows students to show their skills and what they have learned in a unique way. When students are allowed to be creative, they get an opportunity to take their knowledge and apply it to something that may be outside of the box.

This goal has become much easier for me in my new position at Trinity. We are one-to-one with Chromebooks in 3rd-8th grade. This affords many opportunities to use technology in the classroom every day. My science curriculum is entirely digital as a part of Discovery Education. Students are completing homework assignments via Google Drive and email while watching videos and completing virtual labs on their computers. Students also make presentations and videos about things that they are learning in my science classroom. Through these different experiences, I am completing this goal on a daily basis.

Artifact 1: Website reviews, math and science (Level 1)

This artifact shows an overview/review of a few educational websites that I could use in my science or math classroom. By using the computers and the internet, I can engage students in their learning. They have an opportunity to explore on their own. They are also given interactive tools to help reinforce concepts.

Artifact 2: Using Wikispaces (Level 1) In this document, I explore how to use Wikispaces in a learning environment. I show that I know how set up a wiki and how to have students use it. This creates a learning environment that encourages students to work together to create work that is meaningful.

Artifact 3: Instructing Teachers How to Use Wikis in Their Classroom (Level 3) Teacher Workshop This wiki was created to be used at St. Peter, but due to internet and server issues, it was never completed. I have suggested using it at my new school. Since we are one-to-one, wikis would be a great way for students to 'build' there own web pages to present information to their classmates and other classes. The workshop can be adjusted to fir my new school, as there are plenty of teachers who are interested in using these types of tools to engage students.

Artifact 4: Balancing Chemical Equations Lab (Level 2) This lab has been used in my class on multiple occasions so show students a visual way of balancing equations. It is a difficult concept that requires higher order thinking skills and analysis. The lab helped students to see the concept in a very visual way with many different examples.

Artifact 5: Auroras- Virtual Field Trip (Level 2) This virtual field trip and project were used St. Peter to allow students to see the effects of earth's magnetic field. This lesson incorporated technology (the virtual field trip) and a creative outlet, as students were able to create, either by hand or on the computer, a travel brochure to see auroras on a trip.

Artifact 6: Amos Fortune (Level 2) This powerpoint and lesson plan were used in my literature class before we read Amos Fortune. Students were having a difficult time connecting to slavery, so by using technology in the form of a powerpoint and pictures, I was able to give the students some very visual representations of the things that they would be reading about to make it more personal. The students engaged in good discussion, especially on the concept of the middle passage and what it was like to ride in the bottom of the boat. I don't think that they would have ever thought about this portion of the story without these pictures or questions.

Artifact 7: Resource Handout (Level 3) This is a resource handout created to share some information about some science websites that contain PBL ideas. At the schools I have worked at, I am the only science teacher, so I haven't shared with others at my school. I did work with a group of science teachers at the local Lutheran high school to explore the Next Generation Science Standards. I shared this resource with them and lead a discussion about PBL in the science classroom.

Artifact 8: Student produced power point presentations (Level 2) Students created presentations for science class as we explored the periodic table. They were given instructions to teach the class about a section of the periodic table. This group chose to use a powerpoint to instruct their classmates. This was far more effective than the groups who chose to only talk without any visuals. By allowing and encouraging students to share information through a digital medium, they were able to engage their classmates better than those who used only verbal instruction.