Final Reflection

Final
Reflection
Key Assignment: Starting on day one
of our in-person class meeting my mind wandered over all of the many
possibilities for me to produce a grade worthy key assignment. In the beginning
the idea of creating a digital story was really overwhelming. I had so many
ideas with no real direction to take them. After about four days of the many
different ideas I decided to go with the one idea that constantly popped into
my head, God’s Creation. My approach to this assignment was to do my best for a
good grade but most of all it gave me self-fulfillment because I was able to
express part of my faith and what I believe in. In the article Multimedia Information
and Learning, Najjar discusses the process of allocating media. I wish I would
have read this article prior to my key assignment and curriculum project. I did
however meet the assembly instructions and story details criteria. My key
assignment consisted of a video with a sound clip it also included text with
supportive pictures. The process I followed while constructing my key
assignment was as follows: 1. First I developed the text which was text pulled
from the Bible. 2. I browsed through my husband’s files of pictures; this part
makes me proud because I was able to use beautiful images that were created by
my husband. 3. I chose the music. While searching for tunes I found a sound
clip that seemed to be fitting due to the songs softness and tranquility and
decided to upload it into my digital story. Once these three steps were
complete I spent several days working with the pace and timing of the slides
and music. I had trouble getting everything to match with the final product. I
struggled the most once it was time to upload the video on you-tube. At first I
did not have my slide on movie-maker saved correctly but once I realized this
it was an easy fix. The most annoying and stressful part was the hour and a
half that it took to actually upload the video. I thought something was really
wrong but once it uploaded the video was ready to be viewed. I ran into the
same problem while uploading my product on MAP. The problem with MAP is that it
kept timing me out so it took several tries along with several hours to get my
assignment uploaded. Overall I enjoyed working on the key assignment and plan
to enjoy my digital video for years to come.

Curriculum Project: The process for the curriculum project felt more in
my element. It wasn’t easy but I am used to creating lesson plans and trying to
incorporate as many useful materials as possible to enhance student learning.
Najjar’s article discussed many insightful tips and ideas on how media and
technology can help stimulate students and make learning more meaningful. I can
agree with the statement in the article pertaining to computer-based
instruction and how it may force teachers to better organize and structure the
learning material compared to traditional classroom lecture. When I include
multimedia into my lessons (which I do daily), I go over my material in depth
so that I can find the right images or text phrases or sound clips that will
make the biggest learning impact for my students. My students are mentally and
physically challenged so I can relate to the fact that multimedia information appears
to be more effective with students with low prior-knowledge. The idea behind my
lesson in the curriculum project is to build prior knowledge with new knowledge
by using multiple means of technology and manipulatives. The curriculum project
includes a lesson overview that I plan to do in November for a Thanksgiving
unit. After reading the article by Najjar, my plans are to construct an
animated organizational chart using the SmartBoard in my classroom so that I
can provide a visual stimulus along with verbal narration to teach the students
sequencing that relates to the story being used in the lesson. Images related
to the story used on the SmartBoard can also help communicate the information
that I need students to learn and recognize. This lesson will take about a week
or more to complete so I will take each day and each activity piece by piece to
gain insight on what is most beneficial for my students along with what more
multimedia I may need to incorporate to ensure success in my students learning.

References
Lawrence, N. J. (1996). Multimedia information and
learning. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 5(2),

Curriculum Project

Lesson
Overview





Grade level(s):



K-3;
Trainable, Mentally Disabled Students




Subject(s):



Theme: Fall/Thanksgiving
Social Development: Listening Skills
Reading: Comprehension





Technology S
Standard(s)



Digital
Citizenship: Student will demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong
learning.
Creativity
and Innovation: create original works as a means of personal or group
expression.
Technology
Operations and Concepts: transfer current knowledge to learning of new
technologies.
Critical
Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: plan and manage activities to
develop a solution or complete a project.





Content Standards



Goal: The learner will explore sources and formats
for reading, listening, and viewing purposes.

The learner will relate ideas and information to
life experiences.

The learner will communicate reading, listening
and viewing experiences.






Brief description
of lesson:


Beginning:
Review of listening skills, practice demonstrating skills.
Middle:
Story:There was an old lady who swallowed a pie: Listen and understand
text that is read aloud by teacher. Act story out.
End:
Show understanding by completing story map, sequencing events from beginning
to end, and successfully completing an oral assessment.




Instructional
Objectives:


The
students will recall information that was learned from previous lessons.
The
students will show demonstration of listening skills while interacting with
games and read alouds.
The
students will practice ownership of his/her
ideas by selecting, and developing a story map. The student will use
pictures from the story to sequence the order of the events as they happened
in the story.
The
students will analyze, retell and act out the story.
The
student will compose a demonstration of the story using manipulatives.





Procedures for
whole group introduction :
Individual
Instruction


Teacher
will start lesson by reviewing the skills taught the day before. The review
will be on the information that was learned concerning listening skills.
Students will retell what strategies can be used in order to become a better
listener. Teacher will play several listening games to reinforce learning and
to allow the students to practice. Game 1: Teacher will have containers
filled with different items. The containers will come in pairs, meaning that
two cups will contain the same item. Students will shake the containers and
find the matching pair. Students will then check his/her skills by opening
the container to see if he was correct. Game 2: Teacher will have audio clips
uploaded on the SmartBoard. She will play a clip and the students will try to
guess what the sound is. Next the teacher will review items that relate to fall
and thanksgiving using picture cards. After review teacher will introduce the
story, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie. Story will be read aloud by
teacher and students will be given manipulatives related to the story to act the story out as it is
being read. After the story the teacher will review and ask questions. Next
the students and teacher will create a story map using the SmartBoard. The
students will then retell the story by using picture cards that have been
sequenced in the correct order. The
Assessment will then be given.




Address diverse
needs of learners:


Teacher
will model all instructions so that the students better understand. Each
activity will run at the pace appropriate for each student. Constant
repetition will be used throughout the lesson so that the students will
retain information. Manipulatives and
visuals will be provided for the students. Audio will also be incorporated.
Teacher will work with the students
and then allow students to work independently.




Student products:


Student
will create an image of The Old Lady and her Tummy using manipulatives
provided during the lesson. Students will create a story map. Students will
complete assessment through oral communication and acting out using
manipulatives.




Assessment:


At the
end of the lesson the students will be assessed orally. They will be required
to retell the story stating important pieces of information in the beginning,
middle and end. They will also be required to tell the problem that arose in
the story along with the solution to the problem. The students will be
assessed using a rubric. The teacher will use the rubric to score how well
the students describe the setting of
the story, describe and name the
characters, give specific details of the problem that arose in the story
along with the solution. The teacher will also give credit based on how
accurate and confident the students are while retelling the story.






Materials, resources,
technology used:



SmartBoard, Containers, any small item to fill
containers, book There Was an Old Lady
who Swallowed a Pie, manipulatives for story, picture cards for fall and
Thanksgiving items.


















Story Telling : There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a
Pie



Teacher Name: C. Wilkins


Student Name: ________________________________________









CATEGORY


4


3


2


1




Setting


Lots of vivid, descriptive words are used to tell the
audience when and where the story takes place.


Some vivid, descriptive words are used to tell the
audience when and where the story takes place.


The audience can figure out when and where the story took
place, but there isn't much detail (e.g., once upon a time in a land far, far
away).


The audience has trouble telling when and where the story
takes place.




Characters


The main characters are named and clearly described
(through words and/or actions). The audience knows and can describe what the
characters look like and how they typically behave.


The main characters are named and described (through words
and/or actions). The audience has a fairly good idea of what the characters
look like.


The main characters are named. The audience knows very
little about the main characters.


It is hard to tell who the main characters are.




Problem


It is very easy for the audience to understand what
problem the main character(s) face and why it is a problem.


It is fairly easy for the audience to understand what
problem the main character(s) face and why it is a problem.


It is fairly easy for the audience to understand what
problem the main character(s) face and but it is not clear why it is a
problem.


It is not clear what problem the main character(s) face.




Solution to Problem in Story


The solution to the problem is easy-to-understand and is
logical. There are no loose ends.


The solution to the problem is easy-to-understand and is
somewhat logical.


The solution to the problem was a little hard to
understand.


No solution was attempted or it was impossible to
understand.




Accuracy of Retelling A Story


The storyteller includes all major points and several
details of the story s/he is retelling.


The storyteller includes all major points and 1-2 details
of the story s/he is retelling.


The storyteller includes all major points of the story
s/he is retelling.


The storyteller forgets major points of the story s/he is
retelling.



Date Created: October 5, 2011

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology pieces are very important resources in the field of special education. Students with disabilities may have the knowledge or mental capabilities to accomplish a task but are unable to successfully complete the task due to a physical limitation. The assistive piece may enhance the students success by providing the tool that will make completing the task possible. For example a non-verbal student may be able to process a clear thought mentally but is unable to verbally give an answer, in this case a switch or automated machine would be beneficial. Just as the video mentioned, the purpose of assistive technology is to increase independence to those who have disabilities, whatever they may be.

Educational Gaming

James Gee on games and learning: In this video clip the discussion of a good theory of games and learning was mentioned to enrich learning systems by creating games that involves all genders and age levels. These games would present new forms of learning in and out of schools. The idea is for kids to become productive at a younger age.

Key Assignment

Here's my Key Assignment: God's Creation, hope you enjoy.

http://www..youtube.com/watch?v=i4P6jiQRVBo

Weekly Struggles/Accomplishments

I have struggled so much trying to get an idea of what topic to do my video on. I have finally made a decision and am in the process of putting it all together, thats my accomplishment for this week.

Voicethread

I watched a video clip on the uses of voicethread. It seems to take text to the next level. Not only can you include the text but you can also include voice and media along with being able to draw on top of the media in order to explain your slides better. From the looks of the tutorial I feel that if you follow the steps it should be particularly easy to use.