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Case #1
This is a case study discussing one way to integrate technology into the classroom. I liked the way the educators at the school compared their most recent year's test scores to this year's, as evidence of student learning. The teacher facilitates different levels of learning by using the technology differently in the groups that she creates, which also allows her to use a smaller group to interact with personally. By integrating technology this way, the instructor is also differentiating instruction to meet the needs of her students, and she stresses the point that students learn at different paces, and some may require more time. I chose this case study because I am very interested in blended learning, and in the flipped classroom models. I am just beginning to integrate technology using Nearpod lessons. This allows me to achieve the same goals described above, as well as track responses and incorporate an assessment to evaluate student progress with the lesson. I like how the students have a chance to interact with the content, and share with a partner as well. I rate this case study a 3, because I was not sure how they are checking or assessing for understanding throughout the lesson. I cannot implement this particular lesson myself, but the pedagogy is what I found most useful. Most importantly, it shows how to use technology creatively to engage students in learning, vs. trying to accomplish the same thing through traditional methods.
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My Own Case Study #2 - Using technology to increase student engagement and active participation6/15/2016 Educator Rose Girguis creates a flipped lesson on ed.ted.com a great tool for flipping a lesson. Link to Lesson
Mrs. Girguis works at a school that is focused on the Claim-Concepts and Procedures, with an emphasis on problem solving. 60%of her students entered her classroom below proficiency. To help correct this problem, she identified a video that models the student textbook lessons for review, before students complete their assignments online. In the Think section, Mrs. Girguis extends the problem from 8% to 7.5%, since the decimal in the percentage is an area of confusion and error for most of her students (Content Knowledge of the TPACK model). In the Dig Deeper section, she includes a link for students to determine what the tax rate is in Napa County (where her students reside), thereby making a personal connection to their community (Pedagogy). The link allows them to see and confirm the information in the video about the different tax rates in different states. Students were allowed to explore (Pedagogy), and then asked to solve a basic problem. In the Discuss section, Mrs. Girguis extended the lesson by asking what the first step would be if multiple items were purchased (Content Knowledge and Pedagogy). This allowed students to share their own personal experiences and understanding of sub-total, sales tax, and final cost, further developing each student's math literacy in both written and oral communications (Financial Literacy is part of the current 7th grade math standards). If you are not registered on ed.ted.com, then you will not see the further extension of requiring the students to create their own problem for purchasing two to three items, and solving it to find the total cost. Mrs. Girguis had her students collaborate and help each other with their problems, and assist each other in checking their answers. In the And Finally section, Mrs. Girguis gives students an opportunity to share any other questions about calculating sales tax (analyzing and reflecting on their own learning). What the video does not show is the virtual shopping trip in the next lesson, which is connected to Dan Meyer's Dueling Discounts lesson, and uses his three-act PBL lesson design. This educator is working on the transformation level of the TPACK model by bringing in Content, Pedagogy, and Technology in combination with each other. Rose Girguis is the PD lead for her math department, and has been asked to model/demonstrate these two lessons by the academic specialist at her site, and by a fellow math teacher who stopped by her classroom and was excited by what she saw: students who were engaged and demonstrating true understanding, as evidenced by their responses posted online. The flipped classroom design combined with PBL is a natural combination. For more information visit: https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/project-based-learning-connects-to-flip-learning-plus-hundreds-of-resources/. I rate this lesson a 3, because this was Mrs. Girguis’ first attempt at transforming her classroom with the flipped lesson/classroom design, and she is aware that there is always room for improvement. Case Study #3- Using Technology to Transform Learning experiences for deeper problem solving.6/15/2016
Both of these videos demonstrate the power of using technology in a classroom. For this case study I am going to focus on the second video: Real-World Lesson-Designing a Video Game. The teacher uses a real life project (PBL) in which his students meet the kids for whom they are to program a game. This project was very motivational for the instructor's students, because they were able to interview the fifth-grade students about their tastes in characters, music, games, etc., in order to help the student programmers learn the math best suited for the class. They then programmed their games, and did a test run with the students to get feedback so that they could make improvements. This is a phenomenal lesson, and I rate it a 5. I do not teach programming, but this concept fits in well with a new eighth-grade math class that is coming to my middle school. It also incorporates C+ programming and robotics throughout the entire year in every lesson, and I believe it is in sync with the direction that mathematics classrooms of the 21st century are taking. This project benefits not only this teacher's students, but also the fifth-grade students as well. I am inspired and motivated by this type of instruction. Case #3
This case study deals with improving student math scores. Educator Peter McIntosh, who teaches in Oakland, California, helps his students to take ownership of their learning by using interactive subject-mastery tools such as Khan Academy. Students receive instant feedback as they complete their work, and Mr. McIntosh is able to track their progress as they go. This technology supports differentiation, and students are able to work at their own pace, achieving much deeper engagement with the course content. I love this idea because it fits with the flipped classroom design, and is in alignment with my primary interests. This system would be very useful for either homework or intervention, because instructors can track students’ learning far more effectively. Most importantly, this teacher’s data conclusively demonstrated that his students test scores increased by a significant margin (30 percentage points or more). These results are consistent with the TPACK model and activities, because the instructor needs to know his content, standards, and pedagogy, but uses technology to impart the lesson and fill the gaps in his students' math development. For the reasons noted above, I rate this video a 3. For more information, visit http://www.edutopia.org/tech-to-learn-blended-learning-video |
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